A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

Ren Zhan was wearing a long robe, not yet changed into his martial arts uniform. He was leaning against the door not far away, smiling as he looked at Chen Shi, Chen Che, and Chen San.

Chen Che and Chen San quickly bowed and clasped their hands in greeting: "Master Ren."

Chen Shi trotted over to Ren Zhan's side, respectfully bowed, and said, "Master."

Ren Zhan nodded slightly and said, "The three of you, come with me to the second floor." After saying that, he took the lead and walked up the stairs.

The second floor of the martial arts gym is spacious, and the wooden floorboards creak slightly underfoot. Going up the stairs, there is a gym on the left, with several heavy, old barbell and dumbbell racks standing against the wall, the iron gleaming coldly under the fluorescent lights.

Opposite the gym was a simple meeting room. Pushing open the door, several well-worn calendars lay open on a long table. A whiteboard hung on the wall, densely marked with markers of recent competition schedules and trainees' training data.

The window was half open, and the wind occasionally rustled the papers on the table.

Ren Zhan led Chen Shi to sit in the center of the conference room and invited Chen Che and Chen San to sit opposite him.

"Ah Che." Ren Zhan smiled, his voice still loud, but it seemed to lack a bit of strength compared to last time. "Have you named your staff technique yet?"

"Yes, let's call it the 'Nameless Staff Technique'," Chen Che replied with a slight smile.

"Did Master Sun send you?" Ren Zhan continued to ask.

Chen Che nodded and said, "Yes, Master told me to come find you once I had mastered the staff technique." After saying that, he seemed to remember something and murmured, "Master told me to practice for a few more months, but I only practiced for a month. Maybe I was a bit rushed."

Ren Zhan waved his hand and said, "You and Shi'er just sparred, and your staff skills have already improved quite a bit. To be able to practice like this in a month is truly a testament to Cong Zhou's hard work for you."

After saying that, Ren Zhan scratched his head, seemingly hesitant, and remained silent for a while before continuing, "You just arrived in Shanghai, and we've been discussing this since last week. The main reason I called you here is..."

Sun Congzhou had saved Chen Che's life several times, and Ren Zhan had created a set of staff techniques for him on their first meeting. Chen Che felt undeserving of such a favor and was inwardly puzzled, so he quickly said, "Master Ren, please speak freely."

"Cough cough cough..." Ren Zhan cleared his throat, looking somewhat embarrassed: "The Tianjin headquarters of the Central Martial Arts Academy has three thousand disciples; the Beijing branch has more than a thousand disciples; but the Shanghai branch has less than a hundred disciples."

"The main reasons are twofold: first, the venue is not big enough; second, I have been focusing on my own martial arts progress and haven't paid much attention to teaching."

Chen Che nodded repeatedly.

"Master and Cong Zhou both hope to expand the influence of the martial arts academy in the south, starting from Shanghai, and to have at least a thousand students." Ren Zhan kept rubbing his hands together, like an embarrassed child. "It's just that there's a problem with the venue..."

Chen Che was taken aback, then a smile appeared on his face. He had thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be such a "trivial matter".

"Master Ren, leave this to me. Do you have any requirements regarding the size and location?"

Ren Zhan coughed twice and said to Chen Shi, "Go and pour a cup of tea for A-Che." Chen Shi awkwardly walked to the kettle in the corner and made a cup of tea for Chen Che and Chen San.

Chen Che hurriedly stood up and took the teacup. He noticed that the celadon rim of the cup was chipped and the tea leaves were of poor quality. He couldn't help but secretly blame himself for not thinking of this sooner.

After the two were seated, Ren Zhan continued, "Master Li Jinglin established the Central Martial Arts Academy with the aim of promoting traditional Chinese martial arts, cultivating our spirit and strengthening our bodies. In particular, he hopes to help children from poor families improve their health, unite them in times of chaos, and prevent them from being bullied."

"I don't have any specific requirements for the location, just avoid the western part of Shanghai, which is full of foreigners and spoiled brats." Ren Zhan paused slightly, then continued, "The area... should be able to accommodate at least a thousand people."

Chen Che roughly calculated in his mind that even if he purchased the best equipment, the cost would not exceed one million taels of silver.

A mere one million taels of silver would not only do Sun Congzhou and Ren Zhan a great favor, but also legitimately bind the four major families and the Central Martial Arts Academy together. This might become a new force for Chen Che to establish himself in Shanghai in the future.

"Okay, I'll start planning this as soon as I get back. I'll come up with a plan in a short time and then have Master Ren review it," Chen Che said decisively.

"Yes, Zhou was right about you," Ren Zhan said with a satisfied smile.

After saying that, he changed the subject and became serious: "Since A-Che agreed to this, he is now one of the National Martial Arts Academy's own people. Since Zhou was not around, Shi'er and I are your masters and senior brothers in Shanghai."

Chen Che quickly stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master, Senior Brother."

"A-Che, come here."

Ren Zhan stood up and walked to the open space by the window in the conference room, and Chen Che quickly followed.

Ren Zhan placed his hand on Chen Che's shoulder. The pressure was light, but Chen Che felt a warm force penetrating from the Jianjing acupoint and slowly descending along the meridian.

After a moment, Ren Zhan withdrew his hand and pondered, "Your natural talent is indeed remarkable; Zhou's judgment back then was correct. However..."

He paused, his gaze scrutinizing Chen Che: "Your body is full of qi and blood, and your muscles and bones are well-trained, but the 'Marrow Cleansing' stage requires progress from the outside in, from the surface to the core. You've been practicing too hastily, resulting in an excess of external strength but a lack of internal substance."

Chen Che's heart skipped a beat, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please give me your guidance, Master."

Ren Zhan walked to the window, pushed it open halfway, and looked at the sparse pedestrians on the street below. He slowly said, "The Marrow Cleansing Kung Fu, to put it simply, is about cultivating Qi into the bones. When ordinary people practice martial arts, their muscles and skin are easily strengthened, but their bone marrow is difficult to move. Why? Because the bone marrow is deep inside the bones, making it difficult for Qi and blood to penetrate."

He turned to Chen Che and asked, "Do you know why infants have soft bones and muscles, while the bones of the elderly are brittle and hard?"

Chen Che pondered for a moment and replied, "But is it because... whether my Qi and blood are sufficient?"

"Yes, but not entirely." Ren Zhan smiled slightly. "Although an infant's qi and blood are not yet fully replenished, their bone marrow is fresh and full of vitality; although an elderly person's qi and blood are declining, the real problem lies in the depletion of bone marrow. The marrow cleansing technique is to give your bones at thirty years old the vitality of a twenty-year-old; so that when you are fifty, your bones are still like those of a thirty-year-old."

Chen Che seemed to understand something, and then asked, "Then how should this disciple begin?"

Ren Zhan didn't answer directly. Instead, he took an inconspicuous, dark iron rod from beside the barbell rack in the training room. The rod was about eyebrow-high, completely dull, and looked unusually heavy.

He held it in one hand, casually weighed it in his hand, and a dull thud came from the floorboards.

"Since you practice staff techniques, I will transfer my skills using the staff." Ren Zhan held the iron staff horizontally in front of him. "Marrow cleansing is not about practice, but about 'feeling' it. You must first be able to feel the existence of your bone marrow before you can talk about cleansing."