Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 88

"Young Master!"

"Hmm, are you teaching Tie Niu to read?" Yi Yuchen asked.

Tie Niu took a step back, stuffed the booklet into his pocket, and smiled sheepishly.

Xiao Yi Jifeng walked over, took Yi Yuchen's hand, and said, "Aniu still doesn't recognize many characters. I'll teach him how to memorize them first. Grandpa said that practice makes perfect, and the more he memorizes, the more he'll understand."

Yi Yuchen nodded and said...

"That's right. As the saying goes, 'Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will become clear.' The more you memorize something, the more you will gradually understand some of its meaning, even if you don't really understand it."

“We are a martial arts family, not reckless brutes. If Mingjian Villa is to continue to lead the southern martial arts world in resisting the Jurchens, we need to know what is right, and that requires us to study more.”

"The principles of sages are in the books. How to do it is all in the books. If you don't think so, it must be because you haven't read the books thoroughly enough."

"So you not only need to memorize more, but also write more, and write it into your heart. The more you write, the more you understand, and when you reflect on it later, you won't be confused about why."

“You are still young and your mind is easily influenced, so don’t think about reading other books. The basic martial arts of our Famous Sword Manor are based on Confucianism, so you should start by building a foundation in Confucianism. Later, your elder brother will arrange for you to read other books.”

Xiao Yi Jifeng was a little confused, but he still nodded and said, "I understand, big brother. I will listen to you and grandpa."

Yi Yuchen patted his head and asked, "Have you had any questions lately that you don't want to tell Grandpa?"

Xiao Yi Jifeng thought for a moment, then looked at Tie Niu and whispered, "Big brother, I heard Grandpa and Steward Yi say that we were going to go to Lüliang and cooperate with the Jurchens outside the pass. But aren't we fighting against the Jurchens? Why do we need to cooperate with them?"

Yi Yuchen patted his head and said with a smile, "You think about a lot of things."

Yi Jifeng smiled sheepishly, and Yi Yuchen explained...

"There are many issues involved here."

"On a small scale, Mingjian Manor needs a lot of money to keep running and support so many people, but the land's output is limited and can only guarantee that we have enough to eat."

"But if we want to practice martial arts, we need to consume a lot of money, medicinal herbs, and so on. These can only be obtained through trade and mutual exchange, such as ginseng from Changbai Mountain, and those medicinal herbs that can only grow outside the Great Wall, and so on."

"On a larger scale, if Mingjian Manor wants to lead the martial arts world to fight against the Jurchens, it needs intelligence to know the Jurchens' movements. Otherwise, if it crashes into the enemy's encirclement, it will be suicide."

"Caravans can bring back what they see and hear along the way, and the outposts they establish can provide timely information. All of this can help us understand the enemy."

"Only by understanding the enemy can we defeat him. And how do we understand the enemy? We must first go among them. The Art of War has a chapter on 'spies' that explains this principle."

"But wouldn't the Jurchens know our plans?" Xiao Yijifeng asked, looking up.

Yi Yuchen smiled and said...

"Of course they know! Actually, we understand that almost all caravans now serve the function of relaying intelligence, but... everyone needs to eat."

"As long as you want to eat, practice martial arts, and defeat your enemies, you can only allow trade. The only thing you can do is to minimize the leakage of intelligence or attack the enemy's intelligence transmission network and be one step ahead of them."

"On the battlefield, as long as you understand the enemy's movements in advance, you can respond accordingly, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle."

The two brothers had already arrived at the dining hall. Yi Yuchen patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry about these principles. After you finish reading the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, Grandpa and my elder brother will explain them to you."

Xiao Yi nodded and skipped into the canteen.

Chapter 178 After Four Years, Back to the Peak

Xiao Yi Jifeng was clearly still a little afraid of Yi Yun. He was jumping around a moment ago, but he immediately quieted down after seeing Yi Yun.

Yi Yuchen, who was following behind, shook his head and waited until he was seated before speaking...

"Grandpa doesn't need to be so serious in teaching his younger brother. It's normal for children to be lively and agile. This intelligence is innate and the foundation of martial arts."

"As long as one's heart is upright, one's conduct will naturally be upright. Otherwise, if one is too rigid, the person one teaches will be a rigid gentleman, lacking flexibility. His swordsmanship will also become stiff and lifeless, lacking spirit, which will be detrimental to his future martial arts training."

After saying that, he turned to Xiao Yi Jifeng and said...

"Be serious in class and martial arts practice; in your free time, feel free to be silly and don't restrain yourself. As long as you do things well and know right from wrong, there's nothing to worry about."

"I don't have much time on weekdays. Grandpa loves you deeply, so it's inevitable that he'll be a bit strict. Just study hard and practice martial arts diligently, and you'll understand when you grow up!"

Xiao Yijifeng looked at Yi Yun, and seeing that he didn't speak, he nodded.

After dinner, Yi Jifeng had his own studies, and Yi Yuchen had to discuss cooperation with the Lü family and handle miscellaneous matters. The two brothers were busy with their own things.

Returning to the courtyard in the evening, Yi Yuchen stood under the eaves, watching young Yi Jifeng perform a set of sword techniques, and couldn't help but nod and applaud...

"Not bad, not bad, little brother. You've already mastered the moves and routines. Next, you need to grasp the essence of this sword technique and consider how to apply it in actual combat."

"This sword technique and its essence come from the Confucian classic 'The Great Learning,' requiring a noble spirit, an upright heart, and the demeanor of a gentleman. Once you have finished studying 'The Great Learning,' you will naturally have your own understanding of it."

"As for the variations in the moves, you can think about them in your spare time, ask your grandfather to teach you, and your older brother will also find another way."

After Xiao Yijifeng fell asleep at night, Yi Yuchen was busy until midnight. Looking at the thick stack of drawings on his desk, he couldn't help but smile.

[You have used mechanical arts to set up 108 mechanisms, which can sequentially control one, four, eight, sixteen, up to one hundred and eight hidden currents.]

The next morning, Yi Yuchen summoned Yi Liang, handed him the blueprints, and said…

“Arrange for someone to dig a lotus pond in the mansion and bring water from Taihu Lake into the mansion.”

"The mechanisms on these blueprints are used to control the undercurrents at the bottom of the pool. They can create undercurrents of varying numbers and directions."

"Once it's finished, arrange for Jifeng to practice swordsmanship at the bottom of the pool, starting with one hidden current and working his way up to one hundred and eight. Take it slow; these hidden currents are the best enemies."

Although Yi Liang didn't understand these things, he frowned as soon as he looked at the data on the paper and said, "Young Master Sun, this project is quite large. I'm afraid it won't be completed in three or four years."

Yi Yuchen understood this and comforted him, "Don't worry, Jifeng is still young. It's okay if he's two years older."

After receiving the order, Yi Liang hurriedly went downstairs. Moving the layout of the mansion and re-excavating the lotus pond was not a simple matter. How to arrange it, how to position it, and whether it would disturb the feng shui of the mansion were all major problems.

………………

Time flew by as Yi Yuchen followed his methodical plan, and four years had passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, in the quiet room where Yi Yuchen was in seclusion, a roar soared into the sky, like the cry of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, continuous and resounding for miles, lingering within the Famous Sword Manor.

The sound of the dragon's roar was like a boulder thrown into water, causing the grass and trees to bow down spontaneously. Ripples spread across the lotus pond in the mansion, and the servants were momentarily stunned by the dragon's roar and tiger's howl.

When the whistling stopped, Yi Liang pushed Yi Yun in a wheelchair to the small courtyard. Inside the courtyard, Yi Jifeng and Li Tieniu, who were already fifteen or sixteen years old, were using their internal energy to resist the sound waves, swaying and staggering but refusing to fall.

Yi Yun glanced at his grandson and knew that he was not seriously injured; he had simply overused his inner energy and was temporarily exhausted.

………………

In the quiet room, Yi Yuchen opened his eyes. A flash of lightning disappeared into his eyes, and his bones crackled and popped throughout his body. His fingers made a metallic sound as he rubbed them together. His pale skin occasionally emitted a golden glow, as if it were an illusion.

"After four years here, I finally have the ability to protect myself. Now my physical body is indestructible, my true energy is abundant, my essence, energy and spirit have been reunited, and my primordial spirit is no longer without a source of water. I can now practice the Eight Forms of Famous Swords."

As Yi Yuchen raised his hand, his true energy moved at will, and a three-foot-long sword appeared in his hand—the Xuanwu Heavy Sword.

With a thought, his martial spirit propelled the Xuanwu Heavy Sword to roam freely throughout the room. A powerful and domineering sword intent, capable of splitting mountains and seas, was contained within the sword but not unleashed; its movement was earth-shattering.

After practicing a set of sword techniques, Yi Yuchen's primordial spirit stirred, and the Xuanwu Heavy Sword transformed into true energy on its own, flowing back into his dantian...

"True Qi can transform into weapons and take on physical forms. This already has some of the meaning of Taoist immortal cultivation supernatural powers. It is true that if one method is mastered, all methods are mastered. The essence of the Great Dao is indeed that different paths lead to the same destination."

"Once I have mastered the Eight Forms of the Famous Sword, I can use them as a foundation to evolve my true energy into my own weapon. At that time, I will become one with the sword and perhaps be able to reach a higher realm."

Feeling the vast expanse of purple and blue true energy within his dantian, Yi Yuchen couldn't help but sigh at the importance of being born into a good family. He didn't need to worry about anything; naturally, items like the Great Rejuvenation Pill would be delivered to his door.

Since he went into seclusion to cultivate, Yi Yun had secretly sent him five Great Rejuvenation Pills, which gave him his current amount of true energy. Otherwise, he didn't know how long it would have taken to accumulate true energy.

After observing his own body for a moment, Yi Yuchen felt as if his dantian was a vast ocean and his meridians were like surging rivers. His true qi flowed freely throughout his body, and his acupoints were accumulating true qi. As long as he had a thought, he could unleash a strike that could split the heavens and cleave the seas. Only after confirming that there were no more oversights did Yi Yuchen get up.

………………

After the whistling had subsided for a long time, the door to the quiet room opened silently, and Yi Yuchen, dressed in blue, walked out with light steps.

A ray of sunlight fell upon the boy's blue robe, as if he were draped in a golden cloak. Golden rays danced in his hair, making him appear ethereal and divine. Anyone who saw him would praise him as possessing extraordinary wisdom and talent, a true embodiment of the spirit of heaven and earth.

With a thought, Yi Yuchen took a step forward and covered a distance of five or six zhang, standing in front of Yi Yun's wheelchair.

"Good! Good! Good! Heaven has been kind to me. The Famous Sword Manor has a successor, a successor!" Yi Yun looked at the god-like young man and couldn't help but shed tears.

Yi Liang bowed respectfully, then pulled Tie Niu away, leaving the time and space to the three of them.

"Grandpa! We have finally lived up to your expectations. There is hope for the revival of Mingjian Manor in the future." Yi Yuchen held the armrest of the old man's wheelchair and pushed him toward the ancestral hall.

Glancing at the young man beside him, Yi Yuchen assured him, "I will also teach Jifeng well, and Mingjian Manor will surely become a first-class institution in this world."

Anyone could hear the determination and sincerity in the boy's words. Time was silent, yet it left a trace of a turning point at this moment.

Chapter 179 The Sword Award

No one knows what the three generations of the family said in the ancestral hall, but all the servants of Mingjian Manor know that Mingjian Manor has risen again.

The next morning, after Yi Yuchen had breakfast, he learned that Yi Jifeng had already gone to the bottom of the lotus pond to practice his sword.

With each step, his figure vanished like a cloud or the wind, and when he reappeared, he was already at the edge of the lotus pond, where he saw the seventeen sword servants carefully selected by Yi Liang.

When Yi Yuchen's gaze swept over them, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. They felt that his eyes were like stars and the moon, with an unfathomable coldness.

Yi Yuchen silently stared at the bottom of the pool for a moment, then nodded. At this moment, deep in the pool, Yi Jifeng held a long sword and fought against the undercurrents from all directions. Each undercurrent was like a master, and their moves were always unexpected.

Moreover, the undercurrents cause the pool water to surge constantly, and if one is not careful, one will lose balance; the waves at the bottom of the pool are turbulent and constantly changing, without any fixed pattern; as a result, the undercurrents are even more directionless and unpredictable.

………………

With a loud "bang," water splashed everywhere, and Yi Jifeng soared into the sky, leaping out of the pool. Even in mid-air, he could already see Yi Yuchen standing on the shore: "Big Brother!"

Yi Yuchen beckoned and said, "Come, let me see your swordsmanship."

Without hesitation, Yi Jifeng descended, stepping onto a lake stone on the shore. He spun around with an indomitable spirit, his sword spinning and shifting, its tip enveloping Yi Yuchen.

Yi Yuchen nodded. When the sword was three inches away from him, he raised his right hand and flicked it with his index and middle fingers. Amidst the many illusions, he struck the sword seven inches away, precisely where the sword's power was weakest.

Yi Jifeng's hand went numb, the long sword in his hand bent, and a gentle force pushed him back, causing him to loosen his grip.

He immediately released his hand, letting the sword bounce back, touched the ground with his foot, flipped his body backward, and used his right foot to tap the rebounding sword. With a "whoosh," the longsword shot towards Yi Yuchen.

Using the force of the air, Yi Jifeng followed behind, grasping the sword hilt first. The longsword trembled, unleashing five sword flowers that enveloped Yi Yuchen's chest.

These moves are simple and swift, not bound by any particular style, but exquisitely varied and lightning-fast. Combined with an indomitable momentum, they have already reached a world-class level.

Yi Yuchen praised repeatedly, his body and feet remaining still, his right hand moving like a delicate orchid, constantly changing within a small space, his fingers flicking across the sword, sealing all the changes in the sword technique within that small area.

Seeing that he could not break through Yi Yuchen's fingers, Yi Jifeng was not discouraged. His swordsmanship became more and more ancient and simple, fast as lightning, with an indomitable and unyielding spirit. His moves were flexible and adaptable, and he made the beginner swordsmanship at will.

Yi Yuchen looked at it with increasing admiration. The orchid-shaped acupoint brushing technique in his hand changed. It was no longer like a secluded orchid in a valley. Instead, it carried an aura that could cause mountains to collapse and the earth to split. His fingertips were as heavy as mountains. Yi Jifeng felt a sinking feeling in his heart, as if he was being pressed down by an ancient divine mountain.

With a loud "clang," Yi Jifeng let out a muffled groan. Although he didn't have much true energy, the aura he exuded made him feel heavy-hearted, as if he were being pressed down under a mountain and unable to move.

Yi Jifeng gripped the sword hilt loosely, relying on the willpower he had honed at the bottom of the pool to constantly remind himself that this was an illusion. Instead of retreating, he advanced, and as the sword vibrated, the longsword in his hand felt as light as a feather. Then, using his own strength, he thrust towards Yi Yuchen's waist.

Yi Yuchen's fingers gently stroked the blade, and the next moment, his fingers, which had been as heavy as a mountain, became as free as an orchid. He lightly touched the blade and deflected the longsword back.

Yi Jifeng spun backward, his fingers gripping the hilt of his sword. Using Yi Yuchen's momentum, he continued to retreat, the sword circling around him, giving Yi Yuchen no chance to counterattack.

Once he had retreated three feet, Yi Jifeng flicked his longsword, took a light step, and descended from the air. His longsword slashed down with lightning speed, accompanied by a thunderous roar, like a tsunami crashing down on him.

Faced with this sword that would make a thousand armies flee in terror, Yi Yuchen pointed with his right hand, his fingertips moving with the force of command, as if directing a thousand troops, striking the sword seven times in succession.

Despite being forced back by a single move, Yi Jifeng was not discouraged. He moved lightly, his figure shifting and circling around Yi Yuchen. In an instant, he unleashed eight sword strikes, sometimes with fierce and domineering power, like a mountain-splitting axe; other times with lightness and speed, like a feather.

Faced with Yi Jifeng's changing sword techniques, Yi Yuchen reversed his wrist, his fingers flying, his finger techniques constantly changing. At times, he was like a general commanding troops, strategizing and commanding with great skill; at other times, he was like a handsome young gentleman, outstanding and gentle as a warm breeze; at still other times, he was like an emperor, majestic and domineering, commanding the world.

As the fingers flew across the screen, the moves became simpler, gradually evolving into a sword style that guided Yi Jifeng to learn continuously.

Yi Jifeng was immediately invigorated. He saw the shadow of Mingjian Villa in these moves, but they were completely different from what he had learned. He immediately changed the style of his sword and his moves were adapted to Yi Yuchen's swordsmanship.

After an unknown amount of time, Yi Yuchen withdrew, leaving only Yi Jifeng wielding his sword in the arena. His moves were sometimes domineering and cold, and sometimes as gentle as a spring breeze, noble and elegant yet commanding, captivating all who beheld him.

Gradually, Yi Jifeng's sword techniques became more fluid and harmonious, with his moves flowing smoothly and powerfully. In an instant, sword energy filled the air like a net or a mountain.

………………

"Brother, what kind of sword technique is this?" After demonstrating all thirteen sword moves, Yi Jifeng swung his longsword and held it upside down behind him, asking.

Yi Yuchen waved and said as he walked, "This sword technique doesn't have a name yet. I just created it on a whim, and it's been perfected in your hands. You can name it yourself!"

Yi Jifeng scratched his head and said in confusion, "This sword technique is so strange. The changes in the moves and the sword intent contained within are completely different. They have very different styles, but they can be perfectly integrated."

Yi Yuchen nodded in agreement...

"Indeed, this sword technique is a fusion of variations from multiple finger techniques, incorporating different wills. It possesses both the aura of an emperor and the spirit of a nobleman or military commander."

"One of the finger techniques comes from the imperial family, and the other is a Confucian philosophy of saving the world; this sword technique can be said to be the sword of the court. If you study it carefully, it will greatly benefit your future learning of the eight famous sword styles."

"The Eight Forms of Famous Swords?" Yi Jifeng's spirits lifted, and he couldn't help but say, "But Grandpa said that I can't learn the Eight Forms of Famous Swords yet."

Yi Yuchen waved the others away before speaking...

“Your current martial arts skills are indeed not suitable for learning the Eight Forms of Famous Swords. Firstly, the Eight Forms of Famous Swords require sufficient internal energy; secondly, they require sufficient talent; and thirdly, they require you to have sufficient experience and knowledge.”