Chapter 58 058 "Martial arts skills are not about being equal, but about being superior or inferior..."

Uncle Shui left after saying a few words, and went to the inner room to rest.

He was old, and had spent a lot of time and energy searching for the money bag, so he soon fell fast asleep.

Jiang Ling'er was left sitting alone on the round wooden chair, lost in thought.

The emerald green bamboo flute tucked at her waist gleamed with a jade-like luster.

It took Jiang Ling'er a long time to come to her senses. The warmth emanating from her lower abdomen and spreading throughout her body felt like warm seawater lapping against rocks, awakening the dormant waters within her.

It's not an illusion, it's real.

Is this... internal energy?

Jiang Ling'er slowly tightened her hands, feeling the gentle, water-like power deep within her meridians...

Suddenly sensing a deep gaze, Jiang Ling'er shuddered and abruptly looked up to chase after him outside, only to find no one there. Was it just her imagination?

As she was pondering this, her gaze swept around and she noticed that right across from "Uncle Shui's Massage" was a simple fortune-telling stall propped up with white silk.

The four large characters "One Divination Per Day" were written on the white silk.

Jiang Ling'er first saw a familiar donkey in front of the simple stall, and then saw a young man with bandages wrapped around his neck behind Bai Ling—

Suddenly, the young man turned his head and looked over. The instant their eyes met, Jiang Ling'er froze. This wasn't...

That scoundrel Taoist priest from that day?!

The young man merely glanced at her indifferently, showing no shock whatsoever, and then looked away.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

Jiang Ling'er choked silently, the lingering resentment from the earlier lewd remarks stuck in her chest. She glared at the shabby little stall.

unlucky!

He stormed back into the small restaurant.

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For some reason, and from some point onward, the little poisonous creature seemed busier than usual. He was usually nowhere to be seen during the day, and at night he would either lock himself in his room, seemingly fiddling with something, or he would cling to her and be affectionate...

However, Jiang Ling'er didn't take it to heart, because she was also very busy.

From that day on, Jiang Ling'er began her life of paying off her debts at Uncle Shui's massage parlor.

Paying off debts wasn't the only thing; she also received a lot of guidance from Uncle Shui.

Jiang Ling'er had no idea that this simple massage had so many intricacies and mysteries. Uncle Shui made his name in Qing Shi Town by relying on his skillful hands, which were as smooth as water.

Every morning, Uncle Shui would take an hour to instruct Jiang Ling'er on how to deduce and circulate the internal energy and true qi within her body, then disperse it to her palms and fingertips. This was the essence of his massage technique, and Jiang Ling'er benefited greatly from it each time.

--

"Having you here has been a huge help."

Uncle Shui gave a couple of pointers on how to channel Qi to the Dantian and how to exert force through the fingertips, then yawned wearily, wanting nothing more than to go back to the inner room to catch up on sleep. He had to ask twice before he understood Jiang Ling'er's question.

“I’m getting senile. Even if I remember what ‘little immortal’ Taoist priest was… I’ve forgotten it.” Uncle Shui pondered for a moment. “But you won’t get anything out of him by asking like this. You’re new here, and the neighbors are quite wary… Why don’t you try making friends with everyone before asking?”

Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, then nodded.

--

That day, Jiang Ling'er welcomed her first female guest.

I had met Qin Xiangyu, the tofu beauty, once.

The moment Qin Xiangyu saw her, she squinted and looked her up and down:

"I don't know when, but our Qing Shi Town has seen so many new faces. And they all have such pretty little faces."

An uncomfortable scrutinizing gaze and tone of voice.

Jiang Ling'er immediately pursed her lips and remained silent.

She silently covered the tofu seller with a thin blanket, and then, following Uncle Shui's instructions, began to press on Qin Xiangyu's body.

"My dear sister, you're so strong! It hurts so much when you pinch me."

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

With a tremor like a cat's at the end of her voice, Jiang Ling'er froze, unsure whether to continue.

Qin Xiangyu couldn't resist any longer. She propped herself up on the couch with one hand, her gaze fixed on her with a captivating yet provocative allure:

"Don't you know? I'm the tofu beauty of East Street, and you're the skilled chef Diao Chan of West Street. They all call us the 'Twin Beauties of Qing Shi Town'."

Jiang Ling'er frowned: "...Two beauties?"

Who's so bored?

"I've come here to see if you, the 'Miraculous Healer Diao Chan,' are more beautiful, or if I, the 'Tofu Beauty,' am more beautiful."

Jiang Ling'er: "…………"

Jiang Ling'er finally relaxed her tightly pursed lips and let out a barely perceptible sigh. She had thought they were here to cause trouble, but it turned out it was for this.

Jiang Ling'er's hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, landed on Qin Xiangyu again, pressing up her slender yet powerful waistline, finally reaching her shoulders and neck. Her warm, firm fingertips pressed against the hollows of her shoulders, carefully observing the voluptuous beauty before her, uttering each word with deliberate care:

"You're beautiful. Every inch of your body is gorgeous. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone." She added at the end, her almond-shaped eyes brightening slightly, "And the way you swung the rolling pin at someone that day was pretty cool too!"

This time, Qin Xiangyu was taken aback, and actually... blushed.

Qin Xiangyu suddenly pulled off the thin blanket covering her body, and leaned towards Jiang Ling'er in a daze, wrapping her arms around Jiang Ling'er like vines.

"My sister is so beautiful and spirited... and so strong..." As she spoke, she suddenly became quite resentful, and feigned anger as she lightly punched Jiang Ling'er's hand. "Why isn't she a boy!"

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

Jiang Ling'er: "…………"

Jiang Ling'er gasped, blushing deeply for the first time in her life after being teased by a woman.

--

Soon, Jiang Ling'er's reputation as "the skillful Diao Chan" spread throughout the small town of Qing Shi.

Uncle Shui took the day off, but the shop was packed with people, almost all of them men.

Jiang Ling'er is not responsible for male customers.

"Men are all the same," Qin Xiangyu whispered to Jiang Ling'er. "They ostensibly come to see Uncle Shui, but they're really here to see their little sister."

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback: "Me?"

The small massage parlor was too cramped to accommodate so many people, and sure enough, a dispute broke out in no time.

"I was here first!"

"I was here first!"

Qin Xiangyu, the tofu beauty, introduced the product to Jiang Ling'er:

"Look, the burly man on the left is the groom from the East Market, known as 'General on Horseback,' Master Ma. His legwork is exceptional; you won't find another like him in the entire Qing Shi Town. The more refined, thin, middle-aged man on the right is the poor scholar known as 'Iron-Faced Judge,' Master Lu Qingyuan. His 'Thousand Buddha Acupuncture Technique' is also superb. These two don't have much in common, except that they're both troublemakers and not easy to deal with."

Jiang Ling'er was listening with great interest when suddenly the two people being discussed turned to look at her simultaneously, and said in a trembling voice:

"Young lady, you be the judge!"

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

These two are about to rip the ceiling off!

Jiang Ling'er was startled by the sudden shout, her brows furrowing. Qin Xiangyu couldn't stop her; she had already stepped forward.

"If you want to fight, go outside. Uncle Shui told me to watch the shop, so you can't smash it up."

Her slender body appeared even thinner against the backdrop of the two burly men, yet her back was ramrod straight, like the birch trees that can be seen everywhere in Qing Shi Town, standing upright and tall. Though thin and frail, she was not to be ignored.

Master Ma and Master Lu exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.

I never expected the little girl to have such courage.

The two men restrained their tempers a bit, but they still didn't get along. Third Master Ma, with his fiery temper, spoke first:

"No way! The rules of Qing Shi Town are that whoever has the better skills gets to listen to them. If we don't settle this here today, what will become of my reputation, Master Ma?!"

Jiang Ling'er immediately got angry too. What a brute!

Just as Jiang Ling'er grabbed a broom to chase the two away, Master Lu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke:

"Give Uncle Shui some face, we won't fight. We just need you to be a reasonable person, young lady."

Jiang Ling'er was still pondering how to act as a "rational guest" when suddenly one end of the broom was kicked up by Master Lu. Master Lu held the end of the broom, while Jiang Ling'er held the head, being driven by him like a puppet on strings.

“There are 108 acupoints on the human body. Among them, 72 acupoints are not fatal and will not be discussed. The remaining 36 major acupoints are all fatal.”

Master Lu wielded the broom by the end with wide, sweeping motions, forcing Jiang Ling'er to use the broom's head as fingers to attack Master Ma, following the force transmitted from it!

“Internally divided into nine death points, prolonged fainting points, nine numbness points, nine mute points, and thirty-six points in total.”

Following the force of the broom and with Lu Ye's booming instructions, Jiang Ling'er held one end of the broom and pointed at Ma Sanye's acupoints one by one!

"Silence point, dizziness point, cough point, throat lock, bladder... Hey, you're a girl, never mind!"

Suddenly, the broom in her hand snapped back with force. Originally intended to attack Master Ma's lower body, the broom abruptly retracted, forcing Jiang Ling'er to lean back. Just as she was about to fall to the ground, the end of the broom was grabbed by another domineering force. Fortunately, Jiang Ling'er had practiced her lightness skills by chasing puppets and sparrows every day recently, and her slender waist swayed gracefully in the air like a reed, allowing her to regain her footing. Otherwise, she would have been hit by the backlash from that domineering force and thrown to the ground!

A thunderous voice boomed in my ears: "It's Grandpa's turn!"

Just now, Master Ma dodged her attacks several times. His legs, which were so strong and powerful, were so agile that it was dazzling. Jiang Ling'er didn't show it on her face, but she was utterly, completely, and a thousand times horrified in her heart! Her Thunder Palm had to be combined with the Thirty-Six Leg Techniques. The Thirty-Six Leg Techniques taught by Uncle He Yong were naturally top-notch lower body skills, but no leg technique could compare to this unknown Master Ma!

Not only did Master Ma's voice boom like thunder, but his eyes were also as large as copper bells. Seemingly displeased, he said in a deep voice:

"Little girl, you still need to work on your lower body skills! I'm not like that fancy Thousand Buddha Hands! Nor do I have all sorts of fancy formulas and secret techniques. Kung Fu boils down to just five points: sharp eyes, quick hands, steady courage, firm steps, and solid strength. ③ Pay attention!"

Master Ma, who was holding the end of the broom, suddenly loosened his grip, feinted, and abruptly withdrew his strength. Jiang Ling'er was only concerned with maintaining her balance and didn't notice that the broom tip, due to inertia, slammed into her forehead with a "bang"!

Jiang Ling'er cried out in pain, and heard Master Ma's stern reprimand beside her:

"What does 'sharp eyes' mean? Eyes are the blue flag, the heart is the commander. If your heart is unsettled, where are you looking?!"

Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth and imitated the feint Ma Sanye had just made, lunging forward with a broom in her right hand! In reality, it was to cover her lower body as she unleashed a sweeping leg kick!

But soon his left leg was hit by a broom! The sweeping leg kick hadn't even left the house before it was turned back, and even the broom was taken away!

Master Ma seemed surprised: "You learn quite quickly, and you're even somewhat clever, but you're too slow! Slower and slower! You're slower than a snail! What does 'quick hands' mean? It means to strike without hesitation, for hesitation allows the enemy to change course, and if your hands aren't quick, you'll only get beaten up!"

Master Ma repeatedly struck her legs with a broom, shouting, "Flaws, flaws, all damn flaws!"

"What is 'courage and composure'? It means first courage, second strength, and third skill. It emphasizes being bold yet calm, attacking fiercely and advancing skillfully, playing to one's strengths and exploiting the enemy's weaknesses... Look at your steps! Are you walking like a monkey?!"

"What does 'steady steps' mean? It means taking firm steps like a rock, with roots firmly planted, making it difficult for the enemy to destroy you. What are you trembling about! Still trembling!"

"What is 'real strength'? It means using brute force to overcome ten techniques, and using four ounces to move a thousand pounds. Is that the kind of strength you use to tease a cat? Haven't you eaten?!"

Jiang Ling'er was subjected to a barrage of harsh criticism. She had always received the gentle and patient guidance of a good teacher, and had never been subjected to such cruel and destructive instruction before!

Qin Xiangyu couldn't stand it anymore: "Hey, hey, hey, you guys fight it out, what does it have to do with that young girl? That's going too far! Especially you, Third Master Ma, when are you going to change your lecturing ways!"

Upon hearing this, Master Ma paused, finally remembering something. His old face flushed red, and he awkwardly dropped the broom in his hand to the ground.

"Oh, girl... I'm easily angered, it's an old habit of mine. I can't help but mention someone's poor martial arts skills when I see them... Look at the mess this has made, I'm so sorry!"

All the curses Master Ma hurled before were less impactful than this final, apologetic remark about "kung fu dishes."

Jiang Ling'er's eyes turned red when she heard "x".

But it wasn't because I wanted to cry; it was because of the pain and because my fighting spirit had been ignited.

Even though her legs were so painful she could barely stand, and were definitely bruised, she gritted her teeth, assumed a fighting stance, and waved to Master Ma and Master Lu:

"Again!"

General Ma Sanye and Judge Lu were both taken aback upon hearing this, and waved their hands repeatedly:

"I'm not coming anymore, I'm not coming anymore..."

If word got out that two grown men were bullying a girl, how embarrassing would that be!

However, the two still remembered the reason and quickly asked Jiang Ling'er:

"Girl, you've tried both of our martial arts skills. Now tell me, whose skill is stronger!"

A pair of large, round eyes and a pair of narrow, elongated pupils stared at her simultaneously. Jiang Ling'er, who was still sulking, paused upon hearing this, earnestly recalling everything that had happened to her just now, being pulled and yanked. She truly struggled with the situation internally for a long time, and finally honestly said:

"The martial arts styles and fighting techniques of our predecessors are truly evenly matched, making it difficult to distinguish between them..."

After waiting for a long time, Master Ma and Master Lu, who had only managed to say "equally matched, it's hard to tell who's better," surprisingly spoke in unison:

"There's no such thing as equal skill in martial arts; there's only a difference in skill level!"

The tension immediately escalated, and it seemed the two were about to fight. Jiang Ling'er glanced at the approaching dusk and finally remembered that Uncle Shui was about to return. She couldn't let these two continue their antics in the restaurant!

Jiang Ling'er hooked her foot and kicked up the broom that had fallen to the ground, using it to separate the two men. Seeing that Master Ma and Master Lu didn't take her seriously at all, Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth and had no choice but to unleash her Thunderclap Palm, smashing the broom in her hand in two!

Jiang Ling'er, her face grim, issued her final ultimatum:

"I'm saying this one last time, if you want to fight, go fight outside!"

Just as he finished speaking, the broom broke in two and fell to the ground, accompanied by a faint smell of burning and a clear rumble of thunder in the air.

Finally, it quieted down, and we finally got to rest.

After a moment of silence, Master Ma, Master Lu, and even Qin Xiangyu, who had been watching the play the whole time, spoke in unison:

"Thunderbolt Palm? How do you know the Thunderbolt Palm of the world's number one镖头 (bodyguard/escort)?"

Seeing that the two had finally stopped fighting, Jiang Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief and simply mumbled a reply:

"Hmm... I once had the chance to learn a move or two from the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort)..."

Qin Xiangyu murmured to herself, "...Yes, it's not impossible that the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) is a kind and generous person..."

Master Ma and Master Lu hadn't spoken a word since the beginning, and it was Master Lu who broke the silence first.

"The Thunderclap Palm is unparalleled in the martial arts world, and it is among the best of the internal martial arts. It is beyond our reach... I never thought that we would be defeated by a little girl in a competition."

Master Ma remained silent, his face a deep brown, which was tantamount to tacit agreement.

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly waved her hand, saying with embarrassment, "Not at all... I have only learned a little bit... How could I presume to be so arrogant? It is truly shameful for this junior."

If it were the old her, she would have readily agreed, and each person would have been rewarded with a bag of gold leaves.

But now she knows how vast the world is, and how insignificant she is. Even a small town like Qing Shi is full of hidden talents, not to mention that there are always people more capable than her and mountains beyond mountains.

They were willing to admit defeat because of the old镖头 (bodyguard) and 奔雷掌 (thunderbolt palm), not because of Jiang Ling'er.

Jiang Ling'er looked dejected, but her eyes were even more determined.

General Ma and Judge Lu exchanged a glance, a hint of admiration in their eyes, and smiled.

"I'm so sorry, girl, I'm really getting worse as I get older. Please excuse my poor appearance."

"I'll definitely come to apologize another day... another day! Please give my regards to Uncle Shui..."

Qin Xiangyu, the tofu beauty, touched Jiang Ling'er's face: "You really make your sister proud!"

-------------------------------------

Jiang Ling'er saw everyone off one by one and finally breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as the tension in her mind eased, the pain in her legs came overwhelming her!

The bamboo flute was no match for the raging ghost fire on the little poisonous creature's body, but the wisps of ghost fire soothed the soreness in her legs... it was better than nothing, I suppose.

She hissed softly, and slowly sat down, holding onto the window with one hand. Before her bottom even touched the round wooden chair, she suddenly stiffened and froze on the spot.

here we go again.

here we go again.

The feeling of being watched has returned.

Jiang Ling'er initially intended to sit down slowly while holding onto the window, but instead, she slowly stood up while still holding onto the window.

She leaned against the table, seemingly taking a moment to rest amidst her busy schedule, but in reality, her eyes were subtly scanning her surroundings, not missing a single detail—

Finally, my gaze settled on the gap slightly peeking through the window frame... and I unexpectedly encountered a pair of deep, dark phoenix eyes!

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback, then flung open the window and shouted triumphantly:

"I've got you!"

But what answered her was the burning sunset, and the pale white silk fluttering in the wind beneath it.

The four large characters on the white silk read "One divination per day".

The young Taoist priest's shabby fortune-telling stall was set up right across the street, but it was deserted and really shabby.

Seemingly sensing Jiang Ling'er's unfriendly gaze, the young man who was combing the donkey's fur paused slightly, raised his face, which was half wrapped in bandages, looked in her direction, tilted his head, and looked blank.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

Jiang Ling'er narrowed her eyes, stared directly at him, and sized him up.

Ever since she started working at this massage parlor under Uncle Shui's guidance, there's been a strange gaze fixed on her...

She observed for a long time, and apart from the guy opposite her... there was no one else, no possibility.

Especially since this guy has a criminal record.

He was even called a "rogue Taoist priest" by Qin Xiangyu.

But the bewildered look on his face as he looked at her at that moment didn't seem fake... Could it be that I was just being too suspicious?

Jiang Ling'er pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. She could only sigh in frustration and was about to close the window when—

The pair of deep phoenix eyes, hidden beneath the bandages, suddenly curved into a smile and winked at her.

It's a provocation.

Jiang Ling'er was startled, then her hands, which were resting on the window frame, suddenly clenched, a blue vein bulged on the back of her hand, and her knuckles turned white.

After being beaten for half a day, his anger finally found an outlet, and the window slammed shut with a "bang"!

Jiang Ling'er could no longer bear it, so she grabbed the bamboo flute tucked into her waistband and strode across the street to the shabby stall!

"That lecherous scoundrel!"

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Author's Note: ① From "Secret Instructions for Healing the Wounded" ② From "Zhang Sanfeng's Secrets of Tai Chi Alchemy" ③④ From "Tracing the Footsteps of Ancient Sports Science"

Xiao Jiang, promise me you'll be a sponge, absorbing all the nutrients from the experts and growing wildly and unrestrainedly!!! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 10:59:46 and 20:11:32 on January 31, 2024!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Ugly Orange Isn't Ugly with 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!