The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 171 - 129: Visiting a Master at Lanling Square_2

Chapter 171: Chapter 129: Visiting a Master at Lanling Square_2

The blood that was released was black and foul-smelling.

But it quickly turned bright red.

The man’s complexion also gradually returned to normal, his eyelids twitched, and he moaned as if he might wake up at any moment.

"Make way! Make way!"

Just then, footsteps accompanied by a scolding voice arose.

Several constables holding iron locks ran over, first bounding the two people who had fainted on the ground, then they entered the pharmacy and respectfully bowed:

"Mr. Li, this..."

The elder nodded slightly, "The corpse poison has been resolved, take them away."

"Thank you, sir!"

The constables immediately smiled with joy on their faces.

Near the site of the old capital of Ancient Zhou, a large tomb had been robbed, and explosives had been used, causing quite a commotion; they had effortlessly gained credit, how could they not be happy?

Bystanders immediately burst into praises.

Of course, with the excitement over, they also dispersed, only for some patients to squeeze back into the pharmacy.

Li Yan and his companions followed suit into the pharmacy.

The elder seemed to have been aware of their presence for some time, first smiling at the Crimson Yaksha: "Miss Luo, have you been well?"

"Thanks to your blessing, sir." The Crimson Yaksha bowed respectfully and was about to introduce Li Yan and the others but was stopped by Li Shiqing with a wave of his hand.

He looked at Li Yan and smiled while stroking his beard, "If I’m not mistaken, this young friend’s surname is Li, and his name is Yan, right?"

Li Yan was slightly startled, "You know me, sir?"

Li Shiqing sighed, "Daoist Chenyuan from the Medicine King Temple at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain is an old friend and in a way, a fellow sect member of mine."

"A while ago, when I heard he was injured, I rushed there overnight, only to learn that he had been duped and ambushed, and later rescued by a passing hero."

"Just now, I heard the roar of the Divine Tiger outside the door, I guessed that you must have retrieved the Divine Tiger Token."

So that was it...

Li Yan was inwardly pleased, nodding, "I did not disappoint."

The old man was a Daoist Doctor and also from the Mystical Sect, having probably awakened his ear divine power, but I did not expect him to possess the rare divine skill of understanding the language of Ghost Gods.

Li Shiqing then asked, "What about the traitor?"

"He’s already been slain."

"Good!"

Hearing Li Yan’s reply, Li Shiqing laughed heartily, then shook his head, "Daoist Chenyuan is too kind-hearted and always gets bullied. Sometimes I really can’t stand it."

"The villain has been captured, today shall be a day brightened!"

Another disciple nearby, who had been grinding medicine, suddenly looked up and calmly said, "Master, you also said you felt indignant when you heard the news that day, and that it would brighten your day."

"The mistress said, she won’t let you drink."

"Shut up, you disrespectful disciple!"

Li Shiqing’s face suddenly changed, seemingly furious, "Wine is the essence of grains, a thousand cups can relieve worries; not even allowing a sip, doesn’t she know that obstructing the seven emotions can cause sickness?"

"This really is unreasonable..."

Though he spoke harshly, he did not bring up drinking again.

The Crimson Yaksha revealed a smile and bowed, "Since we have this connection, the junior will not beat around the bush any longer."

"This Brother Yan wishes to perfect his boxing and wants to learn the Splitting and Hanging techniques, so I recommended you, sir."

"Learn boxing?"

Li Shiqing pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Since he saved Chenyuan, learning some boxing is not a problem."

"But I only know how to fight, not to teach. However, I can recommend the master who taught me boxing."

Li Yan’s eyes brightened as he listened, "May I ask who this expert is?"

Li Shiqing sighed, "This master is none other than..."

"My own wife!"

"Her family name is Ma, originally from Cangzhou..."

...

Three days later, inside a large estate in Lanling Square.

"Splitting is to break, and hanging is to divine."

Under the eaves of the main hall, an elderly woman sat in a chair, sipping tea and discussing the philosophy of boxing, "Ordinary people think that the Splitting and Hanging techniques are all about force, not realizing they are more profoundly about calculation. When two people fight, first block the Five Elements..."

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her palm and chopped downwards.

"The Splitting Strike belongs to metal, descending from above, with an unstoppable momentum!"

Before the words were over, she flipped her palm upward and wiped.

"The Breaking Strike belongs to fire, rising upwards like a flame, to counter the splitting attack!"

"The Drawing and Blocking belongs to water, using horizontal to control vertical!"

"The Horizontal Strike belongs to earth, pushing and crashing to dominate!"

"This is the use of the Five Elements, connecting three Qian, cutting off six Kun, propping up with Zhen, and overturning with Gen ... these are the transformations of the Eight Trigrams, internal shaping external, starting from Qian, ending with Kun."

The elderly woman’s face was kind, her demeanor dignified, even with strands of white among her hair neatly combed, one could tell she was a well-cared-for mistress of a wealthy family.

But when she talked about boxing, she seemed like a completely different person.

Her aura was stern, her hand changes brought the sound of wind, and when Li Yan stood in the courtyard listening intently without blinking in the swirling wind and snow, he was dressed in simple clothes, exuding an air of readiness.

The process of accepting a master went smoothly.

This elderly woman had no ordinary background; she was the daughter of the grand escort agency in Cangzhou. From a young age, she was instructed by a famous teacher and would have made a name for herself in the pugilistic world but fell in love at first sight with Li Shiqing, a wandering doctor.

Hence, the pugilistic world lost a heroine.

Inside a residence in Lanling Square of Chang’an, however, a virtuous Mrs. Li was gained...

After finishing her story, the old woman reverted back to her usual kind and amiable expression, smiling as she said, "You’re so young yet have already entered the realm of Hidden Energy, which is a sign of your talent and intelligence. But you’ve been practicing Red Fist since childhood, and using force has become a habit for you. For the Black Dragon Swing, you need to train solidly."

"Let’s begin."

At her command, Li Yan started by saluting with folded hands, then he took a stance with legs apart and arms extended at his sides, switching between left and right bow stances while swinging his arms in large circles.

It looked a bit like a large windmill.

Having practiced martial arts since he was young, his control over his body was exceptional. Soon he was swinging with a whooshing sound, causing even the surrounding wind and snow to whirl around with him.

However, after watching for a while, Mrs. Li’s brow furrowed ever tighter, and she shook her head, "Stop."

"Go and turn the windlass. Feel it carefully."

"Yes, Master."

Li Yan bowed respectfully and went over to the well in the courtyard. He lowered the windlass and filled a full bucket of water.

But as he was hoisting the bucket up with the windlass, he suddenly let go.

Clatter!

The bucket plummeted down, and the windlass spun like the wind.

With a thud as the bucket hit the ground, Li Yan hoisted it up again, then let go, observing the spinning windlass.

Black Dragon Swing, also called the Windlass Capsize.

This technique was similar to the way one applies force in the Cleaving Hang Fist: it’s not about brutish power, but rather about leverage, rotation, and the force of winding and unwinding.

This is the essence of the Black Dragon Swing!

Mrs. Li sat back down and shook her head, "You can’t skip this step in practicing the Cleaving Hang."

"The windlass, bucket, and ropes used by the Li family are specially made. If an ordinary person isn’t careful and the windlass snaps back, at the very least they could break an arm or pass out, and in the worst case, it could be fatal."

"When I was learning the fist technique, there was a senior brother who wanted to understand the power within it too soon. He was careless and ended up crippled. You mustn’t be impatient."

"Fist techniques, you see, are a lifelong pursuit..."

As she was speaking, an old servant from the Li family came from the front yard, bowing and saying, "Madam, Mrs. Liu and her son have come to visit."

"Hmph!"

The previously gentle old woman’s face immediately darkened, "Her son is good for nothing, gallivanting all day in places of ill repute. What use is his wealth? He wishes to marry my grandchild Tan’er, truly a horse that knows not its face’s length!"

With that, she stood up and said, "Yan’er, you keep practicing. I’ll go send them away. Oh, and you’ll have lunch at home today."

"Yes, Master."

Li Yan bowed respectfully.

Once the old woman had left, Li Yan immediately performed the Yang Jue hand-seal, took a deep breath, and feeling that he was alone, started working the windlass vigorously.

He released it and then touched it with his hand.

Clatter!

Crack!

His wrist broke, contorting into a grotesque curve.

With gritted teeth, Li Yan straightened his hand. The break healed rapidly, and after a shake of his hand, it was as good as new.

"So that’s how it is..."

Li Yan murmured to himself, as if he had come to a realization.

What was he afraid of breaking bones for? When cultivating the Thunder Technique in the future, if needed, he would experience the lightning firsthand, nothing to worry about.

This was his habit.

Using the Daluo Dharma Body for rapid cultivation was anyway better than being maimed or killed in a fight.

Of course, he would also have to find a way to seek out the Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure as soon as possible...

With this new understanding, Li Yan got into the groove even faster.

When the old woman returned, she saw Li Yan with his arms swinging like the wind, producing sounds of breaking air. At first surprised and then pleased, she said:

"Not bad, you’re almost catching up to me from back then..."

...

The Li family’s lunch was simple but refined.

Three meat and three vegetarian dishes – homely yet skillfully prepared, each dish’s heat control and knife skills comparable to those of a restaurant.

Li Shiqing was busy at the clinic, so the meal was sent to him by servants.

At the table, there was also a man, who bore a resemblance to Li Shiqing but was more refined.

Li Shiqing had two sons. The eldest, Li Yunie, was also a Daoist Doctor of the Mystical Sect who carried on the family’s medical tradition and operated a clinic in the affluent areas of the East Market.

The person someone had just come to ask to marry was none other than Li Yunie’s daughter, also the treasured granddaughter of Mrs. Li.

This second son present, Li Kongqing, had not awakened any Divine Skills and had not learned martial arts. Instead, he had become a Scholar and served as a study companion in Prince Chang’an’s mansion.

Yunie and Kongqing were both named after ancient medicinal herbs.

Li Yan, who had been practicing martial arts half the day, was ravenous and tucked into his meal heartily, his chopsticks flying.

Li Kongqing sitting across from him, however, was distracted and deeply furrowed in thought.

Seeing this, Mrs. Li frowned, "Kongqing, is something wrong?"

Li Kongqing put down his eating utensils and sighed, "Mother, I truly can’t continue with this job as a study companion..."