pertwk Chapter 19 Senior Brother
Chapter 19 Senior Brother
The next morning, sunlight fell on the eaves of the martial arts school, making the green tiles shine.
Master Hu emerged from the inner courtyard with a beaming smile, beckoning to the instructor: "Yun Gui is back."
The instructor was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, clapped his hands, and shouted to the apprentices practicing boxing in the front yard:
"Your senior brother is back! Go to the door to greet him!"
The apprentices put down their fists and rushed towards the gate.
Lin Mu followed at the back.
Outside the gate, a tall, burly man strode in.
He wore a grey-blue short brown robe, with a well-worn gourd hanging from his waist. In his left hand, he held a thin man by the back of the collar, as if he were carrying a chick, while in his right hand he led a tall, powerful horse. The horse's hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs.
As you get closer, you can see his face clearly—thick eyebrows, big eyes, a square face, a short beard on his chin, and skin rough and shiny from being worn by the sun and sand.
The person who arrived was none other than the eldest disciple, Bai Yungui.
Seeing Master Hu come out to greet him, he threw the man he was carrying to the ground, cupped his hands, and said:
"Master, your disciple has returned."
"What is this?" Master Hu asked, looking at the man on the ground.
"The person who peeks at the wall early in the morning."
Bai Yungui reached into the man's waist and pulled out a bronze token, weighing it in his hand. "From the Golden Sands Gang."
The man got up, forcing a smile: "It's a misunderstanding, I was just passing by..."
"Just passing by?"
Bai Yungui took a swig from his wine gourd and wiped his mouth.
"I've heard of the Sands Gang's motto: 'They won't get up early for nothing,'"
"However, our martial arts school has never had any dealings with any gangs."
"Speak, what exactly did you come here for?"
The man stammered, glancing at the line of apprentices before his gaze lingered on Lin Mu for a moment.
Bai Yungui followed that gaze and glanced back, understanding dawning on him.
He took another swig of wine, tossed the bronze medal back into the man's arms, and his voice deepened:
"Go back and tell your gang leader that Changfeng Martial Arts School doesn't have the person he's looking for."
"If you absolutely must find someone, look for Bai Yungui."
"Get lost."
The man picked up the bronze medal, staggered a couple of steps, and then scrambled away.
The museum owner watched Bai Yungui return and nodded in satisfaction.
"Yun Gui has made progress on this trip."
"We neither tarnished the reputation of the martial arts school nor offended anyone to the point of death."
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Junior Brother Liu couldn't contain his excitement and walked out from the crowd.
He took the reins with both hands and led the horse to the backyard.
Senior Brother Zhou stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Senior Brother."
Bai Yungui patted him on the shoulder, then greeted his former disciples familiarly, offering them a few words of advice before taking a swig of wine and saying in a loud voice:
"Newcomers, please introduce yourselves."
Zhou Yu straightened his chest: "Senior Brother, my name is Zhou Yu, and I have been here for two months."
Cui Mingyue and Ye Lang announced their names in turn.
Bai Yungui nodded to each of them, his gaze finally settling on Yan Hua, pausing for a moment: "You're Yan Hua?"
Yan Hua cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Brother."
Bai Yungui nodded and looked at Lin Mu, who had not yet introduced himself.
"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Lin Mu."
Upon hearing Lin Mu's name, Master Hu paused in his tracks as he headed back to the inner courtyard, then coughed lightly twice and said:
"I personally instruct each new disciple in a lesson upon their enrollment."
"Now that you're back, you'll take over the teaching duties."
After saying that, he turned and went into the inner courtyard.
Bai Yungui laughed and scolded, "Trying to slack off again."
Then he took a swig from his wine gourd, walked up to Lin Mu, and asked, "Your name is Lin Mu?"
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"Wait for me here at 1:15 PM."
After saying that, he took another swig of wine and went back to his courtyard.
......
At 1:15 PM, two oil lamps were lit in the outer courtyard, their dim yellow light spilling onto the blue brick floor.
Lin Mu was practicing boxing in the courtyard, while Bai Yungui leaned against the inner courtyard door frame, a wine gourd hanging from his waist, arms crossed, watching with a detached gaze.
"Your footwork is too fast, but your fists can't keep up," Bai Yungui suddenly said.
Lin Mu withdrew his fist and glanced at him.
"Sink your waist a little more, and your punch will have a solid foundation."
Lin Mu did as instructed, throwing out his left fist with a more imposing force than before.
Bai Yungui nodded, took off his wine gourd, and took a swig.
"Come on, try attacking me. I won't use any overt or covert techniques."
Lin Mu nodded without being polite.
He pushed off the ground with his left foot, unleashing a burst of speed with his sudden wind-step, and his whole body pressed against the ground like a gust of wind.
With his left foot stepping on the outside of Bai Yungui's knee, he joined his five fingers together with his palm like a knife and slashed upwards toward Bai Yungui's neck.
Bai Yungui, who had been standing loosely, was caught off guard and his pupils contracted slightly.
He suddenly turned to the side, his boots scraping against the blue bricks with a sharp sound, barely dodging the attack.
His collar was swept by the force of the palm strike, making a sharp, rustling sound.
Lin Mu's chop grazed his neck, missing it by two inches.
Bai Yungui steadied himself, touched his collar, and a light shone in his eyes, like an oil lamp being lit.
He looked at Lin Mu, a slow grin spreading across his face: "Good lad, not bad."
Lin Mu didn't waste any words, and started using the Sudden Wind Step again, this time even faster.
With his left foot stepping on the ground and his right heel on the ground, his body spun around like a top, and his left hand emerged from under his armpit, aiming straight for Bai Yungui's ribs.
This time, Bai Yungui was not careless. He raised his right hand and blocked Lin Mu's fist with the heel of his palm, completely deflecting the force.
Lin Mu's fist was like hitting a wall, completely unmoved.
Lin Mu took a step back, then lunged forward again.
The attacks came in a continuous barrage: left fist, right elbow, left knee, and right leg.
The sudden wind step, combined with the changing moves of the long wind fist, makes each punch faster and more cunning than the last.
Bai Yungui stood still, barely moving his feet, and caught them one by one with only a slight sway of his right hand and body.
Lin Mu's fist struck his palm with a dull thud;
The elbow strike hit his forearm and was gently deflected.
My knee was aimed at his thigh, but it was deflected by the outside of his knee.
After more than a dozen rounds, beads of sweat appeared on Lin Mu's forehead.
He withdrew his fist, took a step back, and panted.
Bai Yungui lowered his hand, and the wine gourd swayed at his waist.
He looked at Lin Mu, his gaze now more serious: "What kind of innate talent?"
"Inferior".
Bai Yungui raised an eyebrow. "You can come and spar with me anytime you have time."
After speaking, he turned to leave.
"Senior Brother." Lin Mu called out to him from behind.
Bai Yungui stopped and turned his head.
"What is Ming Jin?"
Bai Yungui turned around and looked him up and down.
"Ready to knock on the gate?"
"Not yet, but I want to have a goal."
Bai Yungui put down his wine gourd and became unusually serious: "Mingjin is the outward release of strength."
"Qi and blood breaking through the body?" Lin Mu wondered.
Bai Yungui laughed: "If your qi and blood break through your body, wouldn't you be riddled with holes after a single fight?"
He paused, then continued:
"The basics of Changfeng Fist are to use Qi and blood to drive the fist techniques, and the power comes from the circulation of Qi and blood."
Bai Yungui continued:
"On this journey to the capital, I encountered a martial arts master."
He said, "To stand between heaven and earth, one must first establish oneself," and the same applies to martial arts.
"When the Qi and blood sink down, the feet take root, the power rises from the ground, passes through the legs, waist, back, and shoulders, and is finally released. The power generated in this way is the whole-body power."
Lin Mu frowned.
He recalled the day he first learned the Body Tempering Technique, when he mobilized all his Qi and blood to unleash a flurry of kicks—Qi and blood were drawn from every inch of skin and every muscle, converging into a single stream and pouring into his right leg.
That kick was far more powerful than before, but it wasn't a direct strike.
"I once concentrated all my energy and blood into one point and unleashed it, greatly increasing its power, but..."
Bai Yungui gave him a serious look, then took a swig from his wine gourd.
"That's 'gathering,' not 'spreading.'"