Chinese Martial Arts: My Super Beast Clone

"Junior Brother Sun, Junior Brother Zhao, you two are the same," Chen Wu said to Sun Datou and Zhao Peng beside him.

"Alright! Senior Brother!" Upon hearing this, Sun Datou's eyes lit up, and he excitedly slapped his thigh.

Zhao Peng straightened up, the slight dejection on his face vanishing, replaced by an irrepressible excitement. For any martial arts-practicing man, hunting tigers in the mountains is an event that can make one's blood boil.

"Is it just the three of us?" Lin Hai asked.

"And there's Senior Brother Zhou Tong," Chen Wu said. "He entered the Inner Academy a year ago, and he has already broken through to the third level of the Strength Refining Realm. He should be the main force in this Tiger Hunt."

Lin Hai nodded and memorized the name "Zhou Tong".

"Remember everything. Be on time tomorrow morning, at 5:00 AM sharp." After giving his instructions, Chen Wu gave a few more reminders before turning to leave.

Watching Chen Wu's departing figure, Sun Datou couldn't help but pump his fists twice on the spot, excitedly exclaiming, "Hunting Tiger! I've never heard of such a thing before, only in plays!"

Lin Hai smiled, his heart also filled with anticipation.

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Hai got up.

"Brother, are you going out so early?" Lin An, the younger brother, rubbed his eyes as he came out of the room.

"Yes, I'm going on a long trip with Master. I might not be back for a day or two. You need to listen to your older sister at home." Lin Hai patted his shoulder.

"Okay, okay," Lin An muttered.

Lin Hai greeted his older sister, Lin Wan, and then pushed open the door to go out.

The streets were still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, with few pedestrians and a chilly air. Lin Hai walked quickly and arrived at the Fuhu Martial Arts School just as dawn was breaking.

There were already three people in the backyard.

Sun Datou, carrying a thick iron rod, was excitedly talking to Zhao Peng.

Zhao Peng stood quietly to the side, carrying a longsword with its sheath still attached, but the slight rise and fall of his chest betrayed his inner turmoil.

The other person should be Zhou Tong, whom the senior brother mentioned.

He was a man in his early thirties, of average appearance and build, but with unusually large hands, thick knuckles, and calluses. He had a calm demeanor and stood there like an old tree that had been rooted for many years, giving people a sense of reliability.

Upon seeing Lin Hai enter, Zhou Tong nodded to him as a greeting.

Lin Hai returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute.

Not long after the four of them arrived, the courtyard gate creaked open, and the owner of the building, Lu Zhengchuan, walked in.

He had changed into a set of black shorts for easy movement. His eyes swept over the four of them, and without uttering a single word, he got straight to the point: "Everyone's here. I suppose Chen Wu has already told you that today he's taking you into the mountains to see a real tiger."

He paused, tapped the pipe on the sole of his shoe, added more tobacco, lit it with a match, and took a deep drag.

"Our Fuhu Martial Arts School uses the Fuhu stance and practices the Fuhu Fist, relying on the word 'tiger' to establish itself. The Tiger Power Pills, Tiger Bone Plaster, and Tiger Marrow Pills in our school all rely on one thing."

"The essence and marrow of a real tiger are the foundation of these elixirs."

Lu Zhengchuan exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke, his voice becoming more somber.

"I found a tiger's den outside the city through an old hunter. I'm taking you with me this time for two reasons: first, to obtain ingredients for alchemy; and second, to let you bloodless brats know what real danger is. No matter how good your martial arts are, without experiencing life-or-death combat, they're just empty shells."

Upon hearing this, the four of them became solemn.

"Did you understand everything?"

"Understood!" the four replied in unison.

"Once you understand, throw away your sword and staff. We practice Tiger-Taming Fist, which uses fists to fight tigers, not swords."

Zhao Peng and Sun Datou were both a little embarrassed and quickly threw the weapons they had brought on the ground.

"Let's go." Lu Zhengchuan tucked his pipe into his waistband and took the lead in walking out of the courtyard.

Lin Hai and his three companions immediately followed.

The group of five left the martial arts school and soon arrived at a carriage shop near the North Gate.

Lu Zhengchuan, familiar with the place, rented five fast horses.

Seeing the snorting horse, Sun Datou was stumped. He scratched his head and said, "Master, I... I can't ride a horse."

Lin Hai was also a little embarrassed. Although he had lived two lives, this was the first time he had ever come into contact with a horse.

Lu Zhengchuan glanced at the two of them and said indifferently, "If you can do stance training, you can ride a horse. Riding a horse is just changing the location of your stance training, what's so difficult about that? Get on."

After saying that, he flipped himself over and easily mounted the horse, his movements clean and efficient.

Zhou Tong and Zhao Peng, who were obviously good riders, also mounted their horses.

Lin Hai took a deep breath, and following their example, grabbed the saddle, put his feet in the stirrups, and with a push, he also flipped onto the horse. The horse was very tall, and the view from the horse was wide open, but the swaying sensation below made him instinctively want to tighten his grip on the reins.

"Relax!" Lu Zhengchuan's voice came. "Straighten your back, tighten your legs slightly, grip the horse's belly, and lower your center of gravity, just like when you're practicing stance training!"

Lin Hai felt a chill run down his spine and adjusted his posture as instructed by Lu Zhengchuan. He stopped gripping the reins tightly and instead focused his attention on his lower body.

He has already mastered the basics of stance training and is adept at controlling his body's center of gravity.

At this moment, he tried to transfer the feeling of stance training from the ground to the horse's back. At first, it was a little awkward, but soon he felt that every sway of the horse beneath him was naturally neutralized by his waist, abdomen, and legs. With the rise and fall of the horse's gait, he no longer felt the same feeling of being thrown off.

On the other side, Sun Datou also managed to mount the horse. At first, he wobbled and almost fell off, but with Lu Zhengchuan's scolding and guidance, he gradually regained his balance thanks to his foundation in horse stance.

"Walk!"

Lu Zhengchuan flicked the reins and led the way toward the north gate.

Five horses joined the flow of people leaving the city and slowly made their way along the street leading to the city gate.

As Lin Hai rode his horse, looking at the vendors carrying loads and passersby coming and going, as well as the tall and majestic city wall in the distance, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Upon arriving at the north gate, a wiry, dark-skinned man wearing an animal skin vest was already waiting there. He carried an old hunting bow on his back, a machete at his waist, and had sharp eyes; he was clearly someone who made a living in the mountains year-round.

"Master Lu." The man greeted Lu Zhengchuan immediately upon seeing him.

"Seventh Brother, have you been waiting long?" Lu Zhengchuan nodded.

"No, I just arrived too." The hunter known as Old Seven grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Lu Zhengchuan asked, "Is the location confirmed?"

"I'm sure!" Old Seven patted his chest. "It's in that forest east of Beishan. I waited in the tree for two days and watched it return to its den with my own eyes. That tigress had three newly grown cubs; she was incredibly fierce!"