Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 123

Jiang Zhensheng shook his head: "My poor health is not because I was shot twice. These injuries are nothing. The main reason is that an accident occurred when I was forming my elixir, which damaged my foundation and led to my imminent death."

Since that was the case, He Yuzhu didn't stand on ceremony. He went out and invited Xu Huizhen in. After meeting her master, she knelt down, kowtowed three times, offered fragrant tea, and formally became the master of traditional Chinese martial arts.

Xu Huizhen wanted to clean out a room for Jiang Zhensheng, but Jiang Zhensheng said, "I have a courtyard inside this Dashilan area, so I don't need to stay here."

Jiang Zhensheng sent Xu Huizhen out and then checked He Yuzhu's skills.

He Yuzhu was secretly delighted. He hadn't fallen behind in his wrestling practice for so long, and the experience he had gained in the past six months had allowed him to level up his wrestling to level 6.

He is now very skilled at setting up the Siping horse formation.

After demonstrating the Sipingma stance, he also performed a wrestling routine.

"That's right. No matter what you practice, it will be helpful to you. Now I will teach you some methods of practicing traditional Chinese martial arts."

Traditional Chinese martial arts are not for performance; they are solely about the ability to kill. Often, a single move can be fatal, instantly deciding life or death.

Such abilities cannot be practiced every day, so Chinese martial arts also have training methods and fighting methods.

The method of training is the most important. Only through scientific and reasonable training methods can the potential of the human body be stimulated. First, one must develop visible strength (明劲) before one can enter hidden strength (暗劲) and gradually begin cultivation.

Previously, he had only thought that He Yuzhu had saved his life, and a true man should repay kindness and avenge wrongs; he couldn't just ignore it.

That's why I came to ask if you had any desire to learn traditional Chinese martial arts.

Even just teaching someone the basics would be helpful.

Over the years, he has examined many apprentices, but none of them have high talent or good learning ability. At best, they can be considered to be learning martial arts, but they cannot meet the requirements of traditional Chinese martial arts.

The students are just trying to improve their physical fitness; they can only handle three or five ordinary young men.

To pass on his skills, he needed to find a child with a talent for martial arts. He originally planned to teach He Yuzhu and then return to his hometown to see if there was a suitable candidate among his relatives.

Unexpectedly, He Yuzhu was so talented. Not only had he learned the Sipingma stance, but he also practiced wrestling every day to strengthen his body and lay a solid foundation.

He also has a superior learning ability compared to ordinary people. After demonstrating the routine himself, He Yuzhu was able to use it after only watching it once.

Although there are still some shortcomings, with a little correction, one can get the basics down. This made Jiang Zhensheng very puzzled: "Zhu Zi, you didn't learn this before, did you?"

“Master, you don’t understand me. I have a strong learning ability. I can learn a technique after someone teaches me once or twice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so skilled in cooking at such a young age. Besides, I’m also good at carpentry and tailoring. I learn everything faster than others.”

"I never expected you to be so talented. It seems I've found a successor." Jiang Zhensheng was very pleased.

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, and was also somewhat delighted: "Thank you, Master."

It's important to know that there are many kinds of apprentices. The worst are those who are merely nominal apprentices, while there are also those who have formally entered the sect and the best who will inherit the mantle of the master.

On the surface, all the apprentices are similar, but in the master's heart, there is a scale and a ruler, and he has a plan in mind about what to teach each apprentice.

Only those who are truly qualified to inherit their skills will pass on their knowledge fully; ordinary apprentices will only selectively pass on a portion of their skills.

After all, it's not uncommon for a master to starve his apprentice after teaching him.

Passing on a craft is fine; at most, you can just move to another place and still make a living. But if the martial arts are passed on to the wrong person, the master might lose his own life.

Therefore, the transmission of martial arts skills to disciples is done with utmost care. Everyone is cautious, extremely cautious, and dares not be careless in the slightest.

Seeing how quickly He Yuzhu had mastered the basics, Jiang Zhensheng became interested and introduced the history of the national script.

Back in 1927, several masters of traditional Chinese martial arts established a martial arts research institute in the south, which gradually flourished and developed.

The core principle of Chinese martial arts is to kill the enemy without performing.

Ordinary people can only reach the levels of Ming Jin and An Jin, which can help them strengthen their bodies and promote health and longevity.

If one can cultivate to the level of Transformation Realm, living to 130 or 140 years old would be a very easy thing.

He can easily deliver a punch with a force of 1500 jin (3 catties), and his stamina is equivalent to that of three to four horses.

If one can successfully cultivate the Dan (elixir), their physical strength and speed will exceed twice that of the Hua Jin (transformation level).

This also breaks the limit of human physical strength, equivalent to the strength of seven or eight horses, and can easily unleash a force of over a thousand pounds.

With proper preparation, even bullets cannot cause fatal damage to the human body.

As for those beyond Gang Jin, they are like immortals on land, beyond the comprehension and even the courage of ordinary people. Since He Yuzhu is not even at Ming Jin yet, there is no further introduction.

While Professor Jiang Zhensheng was there, Xu Huizhen also sent someone to purchase some ingredients. After the practice session ended, He Yuzhu personally cooked a table of dishes and drinks. After inquiring, she also sent someone to buy a bottle of liqueur.

The so-called "liquor" is a general term for medicinal wine and tonic wine. Jiang Zhensheng suffered from both external and internal injuries, so drinking some medicinal wine in moderation would be very beneficial.

After sitting at the rotating wooden table and eating the delicious food cooked by He Yuzhu himself, it further confirmed his talent.

Jiang Zhensheng had eaten such delicious food before, but the chefs who could make such delicious food were mostly middle-aged people who had been in the culinary industry for one or two decades. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that He Yuzhu, who was only 17 years old, had such superb culinary skills.

During our casual conversation, I learned that all the exquisite furniture in the office was handcrafted by He Yuzhu himself. I was completely convinced; I never imagined that a chef could also dabble in woodworking.

Then, thinking about how quickly he had progressed in practicing martial arts today, I felt even more relieved.

After the meal, He Yuzhu wanted his master to stay and rest in peace, but the master insisted on leaving. He hailed a rickshaw to take him home.

The next morning, He Yuzhu didn't go fishing outside the moat, but instead started practicing martial arts in the backyard.

Jiang Zhensheng, who originally only intended to teach for a week, was overjoyed and taught for a full twenty days.

In the middle of the conversation, Xu Huizhen jokingly asked, "Brother Zhu, do you think Master likes your cooking, which is why he's been putting it off?"

"Maybe so. Anyway, I've been cooking all sorts of different dishes for so many days, and he's been full of praise for them."

He Yuzhu cautioned, "You mustn't say anything carelessly. Keep your master here for as long as possible; who knows when we'll see him again?"

"Don't worry, I won't say anything out of line."

He Yuzhu opened his skill panel.

[Skill: Chinese Martial Arts (Ming Jin)]

[Bajiquan Level 2 (147/200)]

Baguazhang Level 2 (109/200)

[Xingyiquan Level 2 (86/200)]

【Luohan Fist Level 2 (49/200)】

[Six Harmonies Fist Level 2 (35/200)]

【Plum Blossom Fist Level 2 (81/100)】

[Bagua Tai Chi Level 1 (56/100)]

【Plum Blossom Mantis Fist Level 1 (37/100)】

[Disguise Skill Level 1 (24/100)]

[Lightness Skill and Leap Technique Level 1 (15/100)]

Jiang Zhensheng taught all the fighting techniques and training routines, and He Yuzhu has already mastered these martial arts and entered the field.

He Yuzhu's idea was good, but all good things must come to an end. After studying for 20 days, it was finally time to say goodbye.

Jiang Zhensheng confirmed that He Yuzhu had successfully mastered the basics, and that the routines of each boxing style were correct.

He thought to himself that He Yuzhu was indeed a genius in martial arts. Back then, it took him three months to barely get the basics down, but a year to get the basics down.

Unfortunately, his days were numbered, and he was unable to continue teaching and guiding He Yuzhu in his future cultivation.

He called He Yuzhu over and said, "Zhuzi, I don't have much time left, and I have to do something very important now."

"Master, are you leaving?" Although he had known for a long time, He Yuzhu was still very surprised when the day came.

In the blink of an eye, I have been learning Chinese martial arts for 20 days, and this day has finally arrived.

"Yes, there's one more important thing I haven't done yet. If I don't do it now, I won't have the chance later."

“Master, I’ll go with you,” He Yuzhu said resolutely.

Jiang Zhensheng shook his head and said with a smile, "Good child, I know you are filial, but you can't get involved in this matter."

"But..."

"No need to say anything more. Call your little wife; I have something to tell you."

He Yuzhu blushed: "Master, you're teasing us again. We're innocent. Don't talk nonsense in front of her."

"She's already calling me 'Master,' so what else do I need to say?"

He Yuzhu then remembered that Xu Huizhen also called Jiang Zhensheng "Master" for convenience. He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it before, but now he felt like Xu Huizhen was following her husband's wishes after getting married.

Jiang Zhensheng suddenly said very seriously, "Before you leave, Zhu Zi, there is something I need to tell you."

“Master, whatever you say, I will do.”

"If you don't do this, I'll kick you out of the family."

He Yuzhu was startled and said, "Master, what did I do wrong?"

"You haven't done anything wrong now, but that may not be the case in the future."

These words initially relieved He Yuzhu, but then he was startled, thinking he had done something wrong and had upset his master.

Jiang Zhensheng said very seriously, "The girl next door has been quite clingy to you lately! You can't make a mistake and do anything to betray Xu Huizhen."

Recently, He Yuzhu has also noticed that Chen Xueru often comes to visit him, cooks delicious food for him to taste, and asks him to teach her how to cook.

He would occasionally send her some clothes. She had left her measurements when she had clothes made at his place, and he would send them over after they were finished, so He Yuzhu had no choice but to accept them.

Later, they also gave each other some gifts in return. Over time, their relationship became much closer than that of ordinary people.