Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

When we came out of the restaurant, the sun was already setting.

Yang Sen patted his stomach, burped, and waved to Chen Ping: "Hahaha, that was great! Let's drink again another day, another day. I still have things to do for Master Huangya today, so I'm leaving now."

Chen Ping nodded, watching him stride away towards the dock, then turned around and walked straight towards Lü Cheng's residence.

When they arrived at the destination, Lü Cheng opened the door to see him. As expected, he stepped aside to let him in.

There were only two people in the room.

Chen Ping settled into a chair and said directly, "I'd like to change my accommodation."

Lu Cheng sat down opposite him, picked up his teacup, and didn't rush to speak, but just glanced at him.

"What did Yang Sen say to you?"

"He suspects there's a mole within the gang." Chen Ping paused for a moment. "I think he's right."

Lu Cheng placed the teacup back on the table with a soft sound.

"Even if you don't say anything, I still have to change it for you." He raised his eyes. "Go to Li Yuan's area, secretly find an empty house, move in, and I'll have Li Yuan take your things from your yard. You don't need to show your face."

Chen Ping responded.

Lu Cheng picked up his teacup again, his tone becoming even: "How's your cultivation progress?"

"The bones in my lower body are almost fully tempered."

Lu Cheng nodded slightly and smiled, "This speed is faster than I expected."

He paused, then put down his teacup: "Come find me after you've finished tempering your upper body. I'll tell you about the Tendon Refining Realm. Of the five stages of physical training, the most difficult are Tendon Refining and Blood Refining. If you build a solid foundation in these two stages, your subsequent training will be much more efficient. If you don't, every step you take will be a debt you're paying off."

Chen Ping noted these words down in his mind, but did not respond.

Lu Cheng seemed to know what else he wanted to ask, and took the initiative to speak: "That master of internal energy still hasn't left any trace. He may have really only made that one move, but you still need to be careful."

He paused. "My countermeasures against the White Gang are showing initial results, but they haven't made any moves yet. I don't know what they're planning, so you'd better be extra careful lately."

Chen Ping nodded and stood up to take his leave.

Lu Cheng suddenly spoke up: "Oh, right."

Chen Ping stopped.

"You haven't been to the inner library yet, have you?"

"no."

Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair and said casually, "Most people are already doing well if they can master a few martial arts in their lifetime. Trying to do too much at once will only lead to failure, and being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none will only cause trouble. So most people who enter the library will only choose one or two martial arts that are related to their own. Even those who are somewhat self-aware will just flip through them but will not actually practice them."

He glanced at Chen Ping.

"But you could try learning a few more."

"I suggest you learn palm techniques or finger techniques," Lü Cheng continued. "Right now, you're all about powerful, sweeping movements, using brute force to overpower others, which is fine. But if you encounter true prodigies in the future, and brute force alone isn't enough, you'll need another path. Palm and finger techniques are both strong and gentle, balancing yin and yang, subtly aligning with the principles of transforming internal energy. If you learn one or two of these techniques and compare them with your military boxing, and gain some insights, it might even help you break through to the Transformation Realm in the future."

He waved his hand: "But this is just a suggestion from someone who's been there. You have to walk your own path."

Chen Ping clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

"Go ahead, the library is always open for you."

After leaving Lü Cheng's door, Chen Ping stood at the alley entrance for a moment.

Lu Cheng's last words echoed in my mind.

The martial artists he encountered along the way were all mediocre; with his current strength, he could easily crush them with a single blow.

However, if he were to encounter a true genius in the future, such a person would be far superior to that kind of brute. If he were unable to suppress him with force, he feared that his martial arts would be seen through as soon as he used them.

Most people only learn fist techniques or palm techniques. If they learn them together, the clash of techniques will only tie their own hands and feet. But he is different. His martial arts skills have truly become ingrained in his instincts. All his skills complement each other, just like walking and cloud-piercing leaps, which complement each other.

The same principle applies when palm techniques and finger techniques are incorporated.

He snapped out of his thoughts, asked for directions to the library, and then turned and walked toward it.

The library was located behind the council hall of the Qingyi Society, in an old two-story wooden building. A copper lock hung at the door, and the doorman was an old man in his fifties. When he saw Chen Ping, he took off the copper lock, pushed open the door, and said nothing more.

The inside smelled very dusty.

Wooden frames reached the roof beams, and rows of them stood against the wall, displaying scrolls and thread-bound booklets with neatly written labels categorizing techniques such as fist techniques, leg techniques, palm techniques, and finger techniques.

However, most of these shelves only have a few books, or are even empty.

Chen Ping stood in front of the row of palm technique frames.

There weren't many booklets, only seven or eight, and he read them one by one.

He hadn't heard of most of them, and some of the names sounded like they were from a rudimentary source. The covers were worn out, clearly indicating they had been read many times.

He scanned to the very back and found a booklet standing alone in a corner with three words written on it.

Two Elements Palm.

Chen Ping took out the booklet and opened it to the first page.

The paper was yellowed, but the ink was still clear, and a line of small characters was written at the beginning.

"The interplay of Yin and Yang is the Way; the balance of strength and gentleness is the art; those who understand Yin and Yang hold the universe in their hands."

He read the line twice and then scrolled down.

Inside are diagrams, each with annotations.

This palm technique is divided into several stages. The entry-level stages are distinctly Yin and Yang, and the two should not be mixed.

When the Yin and Yang energies are initially integrated, the Yin palm strikes out and can be followed by the Yang palm in an instant, but the two styles are still separate, and there are traces to be found between the transformations of the two energies.

Those who are proficient in the interaction of Yin and Yang can use one hand to emit Yin energy and the other to emit Yang energy, with each hand performing its own function and being used simultaneously.

The ultimate form integrates Yin and Yang, with Yin containing Yang and Yang containing Yin. The palm strikes are no longer bound by form, but rather by intention.

He turned the page and got to the last page.

Consummation.

Two words were written at the top of the page, and the rest was blank; there were no other words.

Chen Ping stared at the blank space for a moment.

There are only two possibilities.

Firstly, even the founder of this martial art never reached perfection; the word "perfection" was merely a figment of his imagination.

Secondly, this martial arts manual is incomplete; the real content is not here.

He closed the booklet again, tucked it under his arm, and turned to walk towards the door.

When the old man saw him come out, he hung the brass lock back up, glanced at the booklet in his hand, and said nothing.

Back in the courtyard, there was already activity in the kitchen.

Old Liu was squatting in front of the stove adding firewood when he saw Chen Ping push the door open and enter. He raised his eyelids slightly and said, "You're back. Dinner will be ready soon."

Chen Ping stopped in the courtyard: "I need to move. I'm moving tomorrow. You'll come with me."

Old Liu didn't stop, stuffing the last piece of firewood into the stove opening, clapping his hands: "Alright, let's change it, you decide on the location."

Without asking any further questions, he got up to lift the pot lid, and white steam rose up, releasing the aroma of rice mixed with the smell of vegetables.

The two sat down at the stone table. Old Liu served two bowls of rice, pushed over a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of fish soup—simple, but warm.

After taking a few bites, Liu Laoguo took out a letter from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Chen Ping: "It was sent by Li Wenxiu. It arrived when you went out today."

Chen Ping glanced at the letter but didn't reach for it: "Just tell me directly."

Old Liu picked up a piece of food, chewed it, and said, "He said that although he had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level), he didn't bring anything with him when he fled from the disaster. Although he had a travel permit, no one could vouch for him, so he couldn't prove his previous identity and couldn't participate in the imperial examination."

He paused, put down his chopsticks, and said, "They said they plan to become a teacher at the elementary school over there."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Chen Ping held the bowl without saying a word, but his hands stopped moving.

"I'll try to figure out a way to do this."

Old Liu glanced at him, then picked up his bowl again: "This matter is simple in some ways, and difficult in others. It's simple because if the government comes forward to testify, the matter can be closed. But the difficulty lies in the fact that you don't have the proper status to get the government to testify for Li Wenxiu."

Chen Ping suppressed these words in his heart, did not respond, and continued to eat with his head down.

But his mind had already started working on it.

Both Lü Cheng and the Bai family have connections with the government, and both carry significant weight.

But Lu Cheng was willing to give him resources, open a library, and personally guide him, simply because he valued his aptitude and potential. This was the cause, and giving him resources was the effect. Ultimately, it was all for the Dragon Head Sacrifice.

If someone had spoken up beforehand and asked Lü Cheng to stand up for a refugee scholar who had no connection with the gang, it would have meant that Lü Cheng would have to spend extra money beyond his duty, and this favor would not have been owed in vain.

The same applies to the Bai family. Bai Chongshan has taken a liking to him, but the conditions haven't been agreed to yet, and the accounts between the two families haven't been settled. If he were to speak up now, it would be tantamount to pre-paying this favor, leaving him with no way out if the Bai family makes demands later.

Both paths are viable, but each comes with a price.

Chen Ping suppressed the thought, picked up his bowl, and finished the rest of his rice.

After finishing his meal, he got up and cleared away the dishes. Then, he took out the booklet of the Two Elements Palm from his pocket, went back to his room, and reviewed the diagrams from beginning to end under the lamp.

If you possess martial arts skills, there's no reason not to practice them.