Chapter 48: Parting and Reunion

  Liu Cong sat up straight, with a respectful attitude, and he was deeply grateful to Yu Zhen from the bottom of his heart.

  Yu Zhenren faintly smiled and said: "The training has been going on for twenty-three days now, what do you think of the effect?"

  "I report back to you, I have a feeling of rebirth, many things that were impossible for me to do before, now can be done easily."

  "What's an example?"

  "Take running, for example. From here to Xiangyang West City, the first day I took half a time to run back, exhausted almost to death, but now I can run back effortlessly, although the time is not saved, but I can easily run two laps without being very tired."

  "Also yesterday I went to move that big stone, it can already be barely lifted, walked a few steps, this is the progress of strength."

  Yu Zhenren sensed a hint of complacency in Liu Xuan's tone, and his gaze immediately turned stern. "Although Subdragon is right, you are indeed an extremely talented young man, no less than he was back then. However, you still have a very difficult path ahead of you. You must not be self-satisfied with just a little progress. Do you understand my meaning?"

  Liu Jiong was as if he had been struck by a stick, the joy in his heart vanished, and he silently nodded, understanding Yu Zhenren's meaning. With Zhao Yun's talent, he still needed to practice hard for five years, and his own road was even longer!

  "I understand." Liu Xuan's eyes showed a hint of guilt.

  Yu Zhenren's gaze became gentle again, and he smiled: "To be honest, I'm a bit ashamed. Although I've taught more than 30 disciples, only three have truly mastered my martial arts - my eldest disciple Tong Yuan and second disciple Li Yan, as well as my closed-door disciple Zhao Yun. Tong Yuan and Li Yan have passed away, but they also taught many disciples who gained some fame, like Zhang Xiu and Zhang Ren, you should've heard of them!"

  Liu Xuan was somewhat surprised, he knew that the Northern Gun King Zhang Heng and the Western Sichuan Gun King Zhang Ren were both famous for their gun techniques, but it turned out they were actually disciples of Yu Zhenren.

  Yu Zhenren smiled and continued: "I have seen Zhang Hua and Zhang Ren, they both started practicing martial arts at the age of seven, completely following my method. However, their qualifications can only be said to be relatively good, far inferior to Zi Long. It can be said that Zi Long's talent is unique in a hundred years.

  "But you have a kind of serendipity, to be frank, in terms of physical quality, you are indeed inferior to Zi Long, but you have a unique life insight, it is this point that attracts me and makes me have great expectations for you."

  "Don't worry, Liu Xuan will definitely live up to your expectations."

  Yu Zhenren took out two gourds, one red and one black, from the trunk beside him and placed them on the table. "The red gourd contains the hair-washing powder I've prepared for you; just soak a package in a pot of wine. The black gourd is the Easy Tendon Pill you take daily. As for the herbal bath you take every day, Luo Longdao knows about it; I've already asked him to prepare it for you."

  Liu Xuan was startled, "Is the real person leaving?"

  Yu Zhenren let out a sigh and said, "I originally wanted to accompany you for another two months of training, but my body is feeling a bit off, I must hurry back, hopefully it's not too late."

  "A real man can ride my horse back, my horse is faster." Liu Jiong said anxiously.

  Yu Zhenren smiled somewhat bleakly, "You silly child, when I said 'just in time', I wasn't referring to the journey, but rather the moment I've been waiting for my whole life. Don't ask any more questions."

  Yu Zhenren didn't say it explicitly, but there were some things he couldn't tell Liu Xuan. His own lifespan was almost up, and he had to return to the mountain to complete his final stretch of cultivation.

  Yu Zhenren took out a thick book and handed it to Liu Xuan with a serious expression, "This is something I've written over the past few days. Take a good look at it and you'll know what to do next. It includes the prescription and preparation method for the medicine, which is the most important secret of Luofengmen, even more so than the Luofenggong method and the Bai Niao Chao Feng spear technique. You must promise me that you will not reveal this to a third person."

  Liu Xuan took over the book and said solemnly: "I promise the real person that I will never leak it to a third person!"

  Yu Zhenren smiled again, "It was I who couldn't see through it. If one can save the world and rescue people, what secrets are there to hide? Leaving the prescription in the world is no harm, you can act as you please, no need to be bound by promises, I cancel your promise."

  "Remember, disciple."

  Yu Zhenren pointed to the booklet and said, "You must take the contents of the booklet seriously and strictly follow the methods I taught you to complete them one by one. Don't be impatient for quick results. Also, on the last two pages, there is a knife technique that I created especially for you. I see that your speed is very fast, and perhaps in the future, you can win with speed."

  Liu Xuan thought that he might not see Yu Zhenren again in the future, and that he would be unable to repay his kindness. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart, knelt down and kowtowed three times, "Zhenren's great kindness, Liu Xuan will remember it in his heart, I will definitely repay Zhenren."

  Yu Zhenren smiled slightly, "In the future, if you achieve something, take good care of the common people in Changshan County, this is considered repayment to me. If fate permits, we may still meet in some form. I hope that at that time, the one who appears before me will be a straightforward and martially powerful Gongzi Xing."

  "Remember, disciple!"

  ．．．．．．．．．

  In the room, Liu Jing quietly placed the book on the table, flipping through it page by page. The content was written in great detail, including how he should train later, what methods to use, how much training volume was needed, and possible dangers that might be encountered and how to resolve them, all of which were described one by one in the book.

  Yu Zhenren especially reminded him in the book that he must not be greedy for quick success, as the risk is too great. He needs to progress gradually and persistently, and after three or four years, he will see results.

  In addition, Zhao Yun taught him the basic moves of Bai Niao Chao Feng Spear, but not the complete set. The true completion of Bai Niao Chao Feng Spear has thirteen styles with 281 variations, which is a secret that Luofeng Gate does not pass on. Without Yu Tian's consent, Zhao Yun did not dare to privately teach him.

  Yu Zhenren has already told Zhao Yun that he can pass on the complete Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Gun to Liu Xuan.

  Liu Xuan was not an easy person to move, but Yu Zhenren's repeated teachings made his nose sour, and he really didn't know how to repay this kindness.

  Liu Xuan turned to the last page, but was slightly stunned. Yu Zhenzi told him that the last two pages were a special knife technique created just for him, but when he saw the diagrams, it wasn't one move, but twenty-four diagrams, each of which was a single slash from various angles.

  He studied it carefully for a moment, and finally understood that it was actually one move, but this move required mastering all 24 types of attacks to find the inspiration for that one knife cut. It seemed extremely complicated, but in the end, it was thick accumulation and thin hair, simplifying the 24 types of attacks into one knife, fast and unmatched.

  Tamako writes one last sentence, a knife flashes with wind and thunder, this move can be called Wind Thunder Change.

  Such a complex twenty-four knives, but in the end it was simplified to one knife. Liu Xuan seemed to have thought of something and sank into deep thought for a long time. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. Why did the great masters of Chinese painting depict a few strokes at will, yet have endless artistic conception? It seems simple, but ordinary people can't imitate it.

  Perhaps this is also a way of simplifying complexity, for these casual strokes, they unknowingly spent countless heart and soul and years, pouring their lifelong talents into these simple strokes.

  So Zhao Yun's casual and carefree killing stance, who knows how many variations it consists of. No wonder Zhao Yun said that the thirteen-style spear technique he taught himself is not the complete Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear, where can the complete Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear only have thirteen styles? Each style behind which unknowingly contains countless essences.

  But these changes must be understood through the practice of Luofeng Gongfa, and without strength, it is impossible to truly understand Luofeng Gongfa. Until then, Liu Xuan finally realized that all high-level martial arts are actually simplifying complexity.

  Painting, calligraphy, writing, and even cooking - aren't all skills in the world like this?

  He leapt up, drew his sword and made a slanting slash with a whoosh, immediately followed by the sword slicing out in an arc. This was the first and second move, all 24 moves had to be mastered before one could execute this Wind and Thunder Change.

  Every move he made was tried, Liu Xing was extremely excited, the falling phoenix technique that must be possessed in this knife method he had all learned, that is to say, this was a move tailored by Yu Zhenren for him.

  It wasn't until then that Liu Xuan truly learned Yu Zhenren's martial arts, although it was only one move, but the profound martial arts principles contained in it made Liu Xuan feel endless.

  ．．．．．．．．．

  That night, Yu Zhenren bid farewell to Qingzhu Pavilion and headed north overnight, rushing back to Changshan County. Liu Xuan continued to stay at Qingzhu Pavilion for training, running long distances every day from dawn till dusk, without any slackness.

  Ten days later, Liu Xuan formally completed the first phase of training and left Longzhong for Fancheng.

  ．．．．．．．．

  Fan City is located on the north bank of the Han River, and Xiangyang is separated from the river. Although the city area is slightly smaller than Xiangyang, its population and prosperity far exceed those of Xiangyang. It is the handicraft city and material distribution center of the entire Jingzhou.

  Merchant ships gather at the dock, various shops stand in the city, and goods from Jiangdong, Bashu and Jingxiang converge here. Even a team of mule and horse caravans from the north can be seen, loaded with all kinds of goods.

  Inside the city, there are not only shops, but also various workshops, such as weaving, shoe-making, ironwork, papermaking, woodwork, copperware, lacquerware and so on, with 360 trades, each one having its own.

  Within the city walls, there are over 200,000 permanent residents. Every day, tens of thousands of people take boats to cross the river and make a living in Fancheng. There are also merchants from all over the country, as well as refugees fleeing from the north, and farmers from various parts of Jingzhou who come to make a living. In fact, the population of Fancheng has already exceeded 300,000. Just in the dock area, there are nearly 20,000 porters and boatmen making a living.

  Liu Cong soon found the house arranged by Liu Qi for him, located near a small river in the southern part of the city. It was a small mansion with an area of about one mu, with a row of willows planted along the river at the entrance, thousands of branches and leaves swaying gently in the wind, and it can be imagined how beautiful it would look in spring.

  The house was an old one in Jingzhou that had been vacant for a long time. Liu Qi lent it to Liu Xuan as a temporary residence.

  Liu Jiong led the horse to the gate, but just as he was about to leave, the gate creaked open and Meng Shu walked out of the courtyard with a basket slung over his arm. The two men exchanged a glance, and Liu Jiong suddenly let out a delighted shout: "Meng Shu!"

  "Ahah, Master, you've finally arrived."

  He wanted to kneel down and pay his respects, but Liu Xuan quickly grabbed him and said, "Meng Shu, don't kneel!"

  Meng Shu's eyes became somewhat moist, and his voice was choked with emotion as he said: "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, young master."

  "Me too!"

  Liu Xuan's heart was filled with joy and anger, he had always worried that Meng Shu would be mistreated by Cai Fu Ren, now that he appeared here, it meant that from now on he would follow him.

  This was the happiest thing for him in these days, and he also knew that this must be Liu Qi's deliberate arrangement. Liu Qi's meticulousness and thoughtfulness made Liu Jing secretly grateful.

  "Master, how did you become so dark and thin?" Meng Shu only then discovered that Liu Xuan had lost a lot of weight, his skin also becoming darker, which gave him quite a fright.

  "It's a long story, let's go inside and talk."

  Liu Jiong smiled and led the horse into the house, at this time another little maid ran out of the yard, about eleven or twelve years old, with a round face as tender as a peach blossom, big and bright eyes.

  "Meng Shu, who is he?" The little girl curiously sized up Liu Xiu, wondering how he could be so tall and big.

  "This is Master Jing, come quickly and pay your respects."

  Meng Shu smiled and introduced to Liu Jing, "This is the daughter of Zhao Erniang in the kitchen, named A Duo. She was originally working in the pharmacy in the mansion, but Qi Gongzi specially transferred her out, and from now on, she will serve Gongzi with me."

  The little maid stepped forward neatly and curtsied, "A Duo pays her respects to the young master!"

  The voice was sweet and crisp, like a juicy green apple.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。