Chapter 52 - 51: Zhou Pu Practices Martial Arts

Chapter 52: Chapter 51: Zhou Pu Practices Martial Arts

Elated tonight, Zhou Pu headed straight out. Counting out a few pieces of loose silver, he went to the tavern to fetch some fine wine and returned for a hearty bout of drinking.

Captain of the Black Mountain Guard! This was a genuine Eighth Grade Military Officer!

Zheng Ping was overjoyed to the extreme, even setting up the memorial tablets of their parents to make offerings. This was the very first ranked official the Zheng family had produced in three generations!

Watching his ecstatic sister and Zhou Pu, Zheng Jun simply smiled without a word, though he harbored an even greater vision in his heart. He wondered if being satisfied with a mere Eighth Grade official position would be a complete waste of his journey into the Yanfu World and a waste of the Great Tao Martial Book in his Qi Sea.

He wanted to elevate their family’s standing and stand at the very peak of this world! To prove the Tao through absolute strength!

That night, the two families celebrated joyously.

Early the next morning, before the sky even began to brighten, Zheng Jun got up to practice his Martial Arts. He wanted to accumulate the first breath of vibrant Spiritual Qi under the rising sun.

However, today Zheng Jun could clearly hear the panting sounds of someone practicing Martial Arts coming from the front street. The breathing rhythm was rather chaotic and erratic. It was likely Zhou Pu waking up early to begin mastering his Martial Arts.

At this thought, Zheng Jun nodded slightly. After finishing his own drills, he retracted his stance and walked toward Zhou Pu’s courtyard.

From a distance, Zheng Jun peeked over and saw Zhou Pu dripping with sweat and panting heavily. He was practicing the Eagle-Hawk Force. His muscles bulged, sweat poured down his forehead, and his eyes were somewhat bloodshot—he had clearly taken a Blood Nourishing Pill.

Meanwhile, Zheng Ping stood leaning against the doorway, holding a basin of hot water. She watched Zhou Pu practice without making a sound, her gaze silently fixed on his movements.

Zheng Jun did not step out to interrupt the process either. After all, martial practice emphasized Primordial Unity. If interrupted halfway, even if one resumed later, it would be difficult to recapture that initial feeling.

Zhou Pu’s execution of the Eagle-Hawk Force was not particularly strong. Forcing himself through the drills naturally resulted in some clumsiness.

About the time it took an incense stick to burn, Zhou Pu finished his practice. The hot water had cooled to a warm temperature, and Zheng Ping immediately approached with the basin. Holding a cloth, she wiped his forehead and asked with heartache, "You’re nearly thirty. Why the sudden urge to practice Martial Arts?"

"PHEW." Zhou Pu exhaled and held Zheng Ping’s hand. "If Junzi didn’t have his current abilities, it would be fine for me to just coast along in the County Government Office. But since Junzi is so capable, he is destined for great things! I can’t be holding him back, can I?"

Zheng Ping was about to say something, but Zhou Pu continued, "My parents died when I was young, and I relied entirely on your father’s charity just to have a bite to eat! He showed me immense kindness. Without him, I would have starved to death on the streets long ago. Now that Junzi is going to do great things, how can I spare myself?"

"AHEM." Hearing this, Zheng Jun could not help but cough lightly. He walked in through the main entrance and said, "Zhou Pu, don’t misunderstand. This so-called great thing is nothing more than the Civilian Soldiers being needed to transport rations and handle logistics when the Court dispatches troops to Sweep the mountain bandits."

Zheng Jun’s appearance did not surprise Zhou Pu much, but the words left him somewhat bewildered. "Isn’t fighting the Black Mountain Bandits a great thing?"

"Very much so, very much so." Zheng Jun coughed lightly and continued, "You only have Pile Skills but no actual Martial Arts. If you get into a real fight, a farmer’s brawling techniques won’t cut it! I have two styles here: the Ma Family Fist and the Hard Qi Skill. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Generally speaking, after formally acknowledging a master at a Martial Arts Hall, one was forbidden from casually passing on the hall’s techniques. Doing so violated the master-disciple tenets. However, Zheng Jun had never formally acknowledged a master, so he was naturally unbound by such restrictions. At the same time, he had no intention of opening a Martial Arts Hall to publicize his skills, so teaching Zhou Pu was no big deal.

Aside from these, the Martial Arts Zheng Jun had mastered were either the Broken Jade Skill or the Wave-Treading Saber. Neither had been obtained through orthodox means, making them inconvenient to teach. And even if he did teach them, they would be inconvenient to use.

Zhou Pu’s eyes lit up. "In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony with you, Junzi. I’ll learn that Hard Qi Skill!"

"Oh?" Zheng Jun was somewhat surprised. "Zhou Pu, this Hard Qi Skill is a form of Horizontal Training. Aside from martial practice, it requires tempering the body day and night to be effective."

"Horizontal Training is perfect! It builds a robust physique that can take a beating!" Zhou Pu rubbed his head. "I know that if it truly comes down to a bloody charge within a Military Array, everyone will be thrusting their blades and Halberds all at once. Learning some Fist Technique or Palm Technique won’t be of any use in a Battle Array. It falls far short of Horizontal Training, which might just help me survive stray strikes and hidden arrows."

Hearing this reasoning, realization dawned on Zheng Jun. It was true. Unless one was unfathomably valiant and peerless within the Battle Array—an entire army unto oneself—weapons had no eyes. Let alone Fists and Feet, even with weapon techniques, a single moment of carelessness could lead to perishing in an inglorious manner. A solid foundation in Horizontal Training would vastly increase one’s chances of survival.

"Strength overcomes firmness with softness; Qi becomes solid through circulation. Strength emerges from Qi; Qi remains hidden while strength manifests..."

Without any hesitation, Zheng Jun began to slowly impart the essential points of the Hard Qi Skill to Zhou Pu.

Half a two-hour period later, Zheng Jun finished his explanation, and Zhou Pu slowly began to grasp the concepts. The Hard Qi Skill was not considered difficult. The main challenge lay in its arduous process.

Just as he finished speaking, Zheng Jun’s vision blurred for a moment, and a line of small ink-wash characters surfaced.

[By explaining the Hard Qi Skill, your own understanding of the Hard Qi Skill has deepened. Hard Qi Skill repayment progress +6. Current repayment progress: 1200/2500.]

Zheng Jun stared blankly. Did this count too?

At first, Zheng Jun thought he had discovered a new repayment path. But upon further thought, earning merely 6 points for half a two-hour period of effort was nowhere near as effective as finding a few people to beat him up for the same amount of time. It simply was not worth the trouble.

Time had passed quickly due to his martial instruction. Glancing at the sky, Zheng Jun figured it was about time. After bidding farewell to Zhou Pu and Zheng Ping, he headed toward the Military Department’s drill grounds.

Today, he was stepping in as Captain! It was his first day officially taking up the post. With his Ceremonial Saber strapped to his waist, Zheng Jun made his way to the Military Department.

The road was sparsely populated. Since it was a place where troops were garrisoned, naturally, few people loitered in the vicinity.

Zheng Jun arrived at the front gates. The County Soldiers on guard duty were extremely tactful upon seeing him, immediately saluting and greeting, "Captain!"

News of him acting as the Captain had already spread throughout the entire Military Department the previous night. Most of the County Soldiers did not have much of an opinion on the matter. Only a few Crew Leaders felt somewhat resentful. However, their resentment remained strictly internalized. They did not voice any insolent remarks, unlike the time when Zheng Jun had taken over as the Strong Shift Squad Leader. After all, Zheng Jun’s formidable skills and reputation were clear for all to see.

"Captain Zheng!"

As soon as Zheng Jun walked through the gates, he saw three armored Crew Leaders standing by the entrance to welcome him.

"We’ve been eagerly looking forward to your arrival to take up the post today, Captain Zheng. You’re finally here!"

A particularly tall Crew Leader was exceptionally enthusiastic. He immediately stepped forward, offered a military salute, and said, "Please enter the tent, Captain. We must brief you on the recent critical military matters without delay.

"Additionally, your Official Robe is waiting inside. We had seamstresses work overnight to tailor it to your measurements. Please try it on, Captain!"

Hearing this, Zheng Jun nodded in agreement.

"Good."