Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

"To practice martial arts, you must first practice stances. The static stance of Taizu Changquan is also called the Juma Stance or the Eight Directions Stance. The dynamic stance is also called the Juma Step or the Eight Directions Step, which mainly trains footwork. You've only been practicing the Eight Directions Stance for a few days, so if you learn the Eight Directions Step now, you can only learn the form. But you can practice it in advance..."

Hu Cai's understanding of "Taizu Changquan" came from his elder brother, so he was very familiar with it. He was extremely knowledgeable about both the theory and the moves, and he not only let Lin Yuan know what it was, but also why it was.

Lin Yuan listened with great interest and learned with great enthusiasm. After studying for an hour or so, he learned three sets of movements of the Eight Directions Step, but his footwork was stiff and disjointed, lacking the smoothness and momentum of Hu Cai.

"Taizu Changquan is a military formation boxing style. You can tell from the name that it involves chevaux-de-frise, eight-directional steps... So when practicing it, you need to move with wide, sweeping movements and powerful strikes. If your strength is insufficient, you can't generate that kind of power. You have to practice slowly; you can't rush it..."

"This Eight-Directional Step has eight sets of footwork. Learn three sets first and practice slowly. I'll teach you the rest after you've mastered them. I also need to practice my boxing routines!"

After Hu finished teaching, they began practicing the boxing routines.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Lin Yuan knew that haste makes waste. Basic martial arts are a process of gradual refinement, and their essence is to temper the body. If it is rushed, the body will not be fully tempered and will lack refinement.

The two practiced until dark.

We had dinner together. It consisted of three dishes and a soup. The variety was limited, but the portions were generous. There was plenty of braised pork, so it was quite a feast.

He did not eat dinner with the Hu family. Hu Cai said that the Hu family's martial arts students received special training, just like his eldest brother did back then.

Presumably, he didn't want the other disciples to be envious.

Lin Yuan understood Manager Hu's situation quite well. It wasn't easy for a small merchant family to raise a son who knew martial arts, and with many children, the eldest son had to be given priority.

After finishing his meal, Lin Yuan rested for a while.

The training intensity was a bit high today, and he couldn't handle it. The two of them didn't do any more extra training and sat on the tatami to talk about the path of martial arts.

Young people who have just started learning martial arts are full of ambition and hope for the future.

Lin Yuan learned a lot from Hu Cai. Taizu Changquan is considered the most basic boxing style in the world, the kind that's everywhere. It's not particularly good; it's just a military style of boxing, emphasizing combat in military formations, hard fighting, wide and sweeping movements, and no retreating.

Therefore, this style of boxing has many flaws when used in solo combat in the martial arts world.

There are both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of this boxing style is that the moves are simple, easy to learn and understand, and suitable for young people who are just starting to learn martial arts to temper their bodies and lay a foundation for learning advanced martial arts in the future.

When Hu Cai spoke of these leaders, he was also trying to show his former classmates that he was no less capable than them:

"Currently, there are many versions of Taizu Changquan. Military camps and garrisons only teach the simplest sixteen moves, while many martial arts schools on the street teach thirty-two moves. Only aristocratic families teach the most complete sixty-four moves."

We're learning Route 64, and I've only mastered about 30% of it...

After learning these sixty-four styles of boxing, if you want to advance further, you'll need to find a good master and learn a profound martial art.

Therefore, you need to maintain good relationships with the instructors. If you can become their apprentice, your career will advance rapidly.

"Senior Brother Wu, do you want to become Instructor Hong's disciple? Is it to learn those profound martial arts?" Lin Yuan suddenly asked.

"A fifth-grade internal strength martial artist! Who wouldn't want that? I want one too. I heard that Senior Brother Wu even used his connections in the manor to plead on his behalf, but Instructor Hong only replied that he wouldn't accept any disciples."

Hu Cai chuckled, and as he spoke, he took off his outer garment, revealing his broad arms, and held a wide-mouthed porcelain bottle in his hand. "Junior brother, help me apply some ointment."

Having said that, he lay down on the couch.

"The martial arts instructor doesn't teach any other martial arts?" Lin Yuan took the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and a medicinal smell wafted out. "What kind of ointment is it?"

"It was prescribed by Doctor Meng, along with the medicinal diet. The medicinal diet is taken internally to strengthen the body. But too much strengthening will overwhelm the muscles and skin, causing constant soreness. If you push yourself too hard, you'll strain your muscles and skin. This ointment promotes blood circulation, removes blood stasis, and soothes the muscles and skin. Tomorrow, the soreness will be gone, and the muscles and skin won't feel tight anymore," Hu Cai explained, tilting his head.

"There's a lot to learn about martial arts," Lin Yuan said with a smile, "You only truly understand a profession once you start."

"Of course! Otherwise, why would we martial arts masters be so superior? Even a poor person who learns martial arts can get a minor official position, lol!"

Hu Cai then thought of Lin Yuan's earlier question, "The instructors won't easily pass on their secret techniques to outsiders. Unless you become their disciple, forget about it. Of course, it's not entirely impossible; direct descendants of the Li family can learn without a master. But that's different; the direct descendants of the Li family don't lack secret techniques either. They can't possibly learn them all!"

"Some are dying of drought, while others are dying of floods," Lin Yuan concluded.

That makes sense.

That night, Lin Yuan refused Hu Cai's offer to sleep next to him and slept alone on the couch in the middle room.

The next day, before dawn.

The two rose at the crack of dawn to practice martial arts, one practicing moves and the other practicing the Eight Directions Steps. Only after they had finished refining the medicinal power did they rest.

After breakfast, the two did not practice their boxing, but simply sparred with some boxing moves.

Seeing that it was almost time, Lin Yuan changed into a long robe, took his lecture notes, and went to the school.

"You've already practiced martial arts, why are you still doing free work for Xu the stingy?" Hu Cai advised.

"The school is my fallback plan, unlike you who can come back to inherit the family business."

"Sigh, I'm just the youngest son, and I can't inherit the family business. My father said that if I can't master it, he'll send me to a remote village to work as a bandit catcher or something. Anyway, I can't get into the county government."

"In our village, if you can work as a thief catcher at the nearby Yuweiting, you not only don't have to perform corvée labor, but you also don't have to pay poll tax. People in the village will rush to find you a wife. You're very prestigious in the village."

Hu Cai was speechless for a moment, watching Lin Yuan leave, and finally called out, "Come back soon."

"Understood."

……

After finishing his work during the day, he returned to the coffin shop in the afternoon and practiced boxing with Hu Cai.

That night.

Lin Yuan hosted a banquet for Li Shi, Zhao Sheng, and Hu Cai at Chunfeng Tower.

The four of them ordered a table full of food and drinks, mostly meat dishes. As is typical for a martial arts gathering, meat dishes were the main focus. Among them were Chunfenglou's signature braised beef, stir-fried beef tripe, and ox penis soup...

Slaughtering a live cow is a violation of the "Daliang Law," but it doesn't affect Chunfenglou's business at all.

As soon as the dishes were served, the jar of Peach Blossom Wine was opened and the bowls were filled. The four of them just ate in silence, only exchanging a few polite words occasionally. When they were half full, they started playing drinking games and toasting each other.

The four people at the Eight Immortals table were all disciples of the Li family's martial arts school. They shared the same background and were considered members of their own little circle, so they were quite relaxed. Apart from not discussing serious matters, they just chatted about all sorts of things.

Lin Yuan seized the opportunity to reveal his true intentions: "Senior Brother, if there are any cases in the pavilion in the future, please try to call on your junior brother. I'm not good at much else, but I'm extremely good at deducing cases, especially murder cases. If someone dies suspiciously, I might be able to find out what's wrong..."

Li Shi firmly believed this, because Lin Yuan was the prized student of his third aunt's husband, Master Xu: "Junior brother, you are your third aunt's prized disciple. Like father, like son... no, how was it... never mind, junior brother, I believe you!"

"Cheers!" Lin Yuan didn't know if he was praising or insulting him, but seeing that he was slurring his words a bit, he didn't mind.

Li Shi suddenly remembered: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. A medicine merchant was murdered the other day, and the pavilion is investigating."

"Alright, I'll ask my teacher for leave tomorrow and go to the pavilion to take a look." Lin Yuan was overjoyed.

"Hey, this case is being handled by the new Zhang Tingzhang. If he can't handle it, I'll come to you." Li Shi raised an eyebrow, intending to see the new Tingzhang's abilities.

Lin Yuan was now in a panic. If he waited a few more days, even if there were any ghosts, they would be long gone. Where was he going to get money from them?

Having said that, Lin Yuan had no choice but to admit it: "Okay. If there are any other murder cases, you can come to me."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, junior brother!" Li Shi personally offered a toast.

At this moment, Hu Cai was overjoyed. Since leaving the music-listening circle, he had been all alone. Today, joining this new martial arts circle, he was in high spirits and immediately raised his glass, saying, "Junior Brother, you're a good person, worth befriending. Come, let me toast you!"

"Dry!"

"Uncle, I'm not good with words." Zhao Sheng also raised his glass and downed it in one gulp.

"Dry!"

"Ha ha……"

The four of them enjoyed a satisfying meal and drinks, and the gathering came to a pleasant end.

When it was time to settle the bill, the shopkeeper, out of consideration for Li Shi, gave him a discount and only charged him two taels and eight mace of silver.

Spending money is like water flowing away, making money is like catching ghosts, and learning martial arts is like rowing against the current.