Chapter 143 Fishing True Qi
Chapter 143 Fishing True Qi
The wheels rolled along the winding mountain road.
Since Fang Ru fell out of the carriage, the seating arrangement inside the carriage has changed again.
Fang Ru went to Zhao Tong's carriage and refused to ride in Wang Sumo's carriage.
Grandpa Weng was teaching Qingwu how to brew tea, and Jiang Yutang said she wanted to see it too, so Grandpa Weng, Qingwu, and Yutang went to Wang Sumo's carriage.
Zhao Tong's huge carriage was suddenly empty except for Ding Bo and Fang Rushi. Apart from Ding Bo, it almost achieved the result Fang Rushi had wanted. Fang Rushi began to concentrate on her studies, oblivious to everyone else.
Ding Bo was also writing a letter to Master Huo, recounting the events of his journey.
This winding mountain road is technically an official road, and it's very well-maintained; it just requires navigating the mountainside. The mountain slopes are gentle, not dangerous, and not difficult to traverse, just time-consuming. Therefore, it's a good place to brew tea, paint, or write letters.
Outside the carriage, the old man continued to talk to Wang Sumo about things that happened more than 30 years ago.
He was seriously injured at that time and was rescued from the city by his master, and then began his long journey together.
At that time, he did not know that the other party was the leader of the Kunlun Sect. He only knew him as an eccentric elder who liked to eat fish for every meal.
If there's fresh fish, he'll grill it, make fish soup, or braise it, changing the recipe each time; if there's no fresh fish, he can always find a bag of dried fish and eat it wherever he goes.
He didn't know his name, so he just called him Senior Fish Eater.
The other person was only in his early forties, no more than ten years older than him. He felt it was strange to add "old" before "senior".
The senior fish eater fits the description.
The other person didn't mind the name at all; when he called them that, they responded happily, as if that was their original name.
He didn't really like eating fish, but all he did on the journey was eat fish and lie on the oxcart looking at the sky.
At that time, they traveled in oxcarts for a whole month.
He asked where to go, and the fish-eating veteran replied, "I don't know. If you have enough money, you can go wherever you want. If you don't, you'll have to get off and walk."
He was annoyed: "..."
Without direction or knowing how far I could go, but unable to stay put, I wandered aimlessly.
Anyway, oxcarts are cheap, and so are the drivers, unlike horse-drawn carriages...
"How far can you travel with your money?" He lay on the oxcart, gazing at the sky with boredom.
While playing with the foxtail grass, the other party said cheerfully, "I don't have any money, so I'm using yours. We'll go as far as your money can take us."
he:"……"
But the fish-eating veteran seemed very happy. Before, he probably ate dried fish by himself, but now someone is with him, slowly riding in an oxcart, eating fish with different flavors every day.
He felt that his travels in the martial arts world had suddenly slowed down.
"What are you thinking about, you lazybones~"
He called him "Senior Fish Eater," while the other person called him "Lazybones."
It wasn't that they thought he was lazy, but that he was too slow. Back then, he could only crawl to get water. Every time, the senior fishmonger would fill a container with water and put it aside, but he wouldn't give it to him. He had to get it himself.
He was furious and resentful at the time, but the other party was more patient than him, so he just let it drag on.
He was so thirsty that he had no choice but to get the water himself. Every time he climbed over to get water, his whole body felt like it was falling apart, and it felt like it would take him an hour or two to recover after just one sip.
Every time he drank water, the fish-eating senior would smile and say, "Wow, faster than last time."
—But it can be even faster, don't be lazy.
He wasn't lazy; he could feel that his meridians had been injured.
How could he have stopped so many people?
But even if we can't stop them, we have to stop them, otherwise how will Weng He take Ruan Niang away?
After the injury, he was unable to use his left hand properly.
He was clearly the strongest one in the past.
So even without impressive martial arts skills, his strength is undeniable. When someone's strength is overwhelming, other clumsiness can be overlooked.
But he suddenly lost the thing that gave him the most peace of mind.
Although he was gradually able to get water to drink smoothly, he couldn't be happy.
Sometimes, he would secretly pick up a brick and throw it onto a nearby earthen slope, but the slope would remain completely still.
He sat dejectedly on the earthen slope for a long time.
"Lazybones, what are you sighing about?" The fish-eating elder said, glancing at him while eating dried fish.
He truthfully said, "It's like my hands are useless; I can't use them."
His calm demeanor was tinged with dejection.
How can you navigate the world if you can't exert your strength?
"So, do you regret it?" The fish-eating veteran winked at him: "When you told your friends to leave quickly, you were incredibly loyal and fearless! They escaped, and now you're stuck here doing nothing..."
"No regrets," he said calmly. "It's just a little regrettable."
"What's a pity?"
He leaned against the earthen slope, holding his head and looking up: "Before, when I was wandering around the world, I didn't know anything, all I had was strength. My good brother told me that if I went to a proper sect to become an apprentice and learn skills, with my talent and diligence, I would definitely be able to learn in three to five years."
"Hey~" The old man chewed the dried fish with relish, "Your good brother must be really good!"
"How did you know?" he asked curiously.
The old man eating the fish laughed and said, "First of all, you listen to everything he says, which means you've seen how powerful he is, so you're willing to believe him; if I were to tell you this, you could ignore me completely."
“That’s…” he admitted, then asked, “And the second one?”
The old man eating fish chuckled and said, "Find a proper sect, study diligently, and you can master it in three to five years—you wouldn't dare say that without some talent or reaching a certain level. I guess your friend must at least be from a famous sect, or perhaps the closed-door disciple of some reclusive master!"
This time, he went from leaning against the earthen slope to sitting up straight: "How did you know?"
Seeing that he was serious, the old man eating fish chuckled and said, "You keep calling him 'good brother,' which means he's about your age. You're so proud, yet you're willing to submit to him, which means he's really amazing. He's about your age, yet he's so capable, able to give you directions and say those words before, which means his master must be incredibly powerful."
"Moreover, he has taught many outstanding disciples, which is why he speaks to you with such confidence. It shows that he is surrounded by capable people."
His eyes gleamed: "Go on."
The old fish-eating elder continued eating fish: "He's surrounded by powerful fellow disciples, and at his age, he's about time to become a closed-door disciple. Either he's from a prestigious sect, or, I'd prefer, he's the closed-door disciple of a reclusive master."
"What do you mean?" He listened intently.
The old man eating fish looked at him and laughed, "Hidden masters don't have so many troublesome things to worry about, like managing a sect or handling complicated matters. Only by living in seclusion can they do what they like. Hehe, there are quite a few hidden masters in the martial arts world. Maybe there are even some around you. If you use your brain a little to look for them, it might be better than you going out of your way to find a master to learn from!"
The old man eating the fish had made it so clear, but he was too stubborn at the time.
"I have them all around me... It's so easy to say, but where can I find hidden masters?" he sighed, looking down.
Hearing this, Wang Sumo couldn't help but laugh: "I'm so worried for the old fish-eating senior. He's already put it so clearly, he's practically offering himself up, but some people still don't understand..."
Even so, Wang Sumo didn't say it out loud. She felt that in the end, it was very likely that the old fish-eating senior would volunteer himself.
The reason for letting the old man fetch water himself was to encourage him to stretch his muscles and bones as soon as possible.
If an ordinary person gets injured, they would probably have to lie in bed for a long time.
The old fishmonger had been helping the old man heal and recover from the very beginning.
The old man must have been seriously injured at the time...
Take the old man and continue—
Since the oxcart was moving slowly anyway, he told the Fish-Eating Elder that it was settled then, and the long-term goal was the Kunlun Sect. If they encountered any reclusive masters along the way, they would turn the ox around.
The fish-eating veteran asked in surprise, "You want to go to the Kunlun Sect?"
He dismissed it, saying, "Yeah, the Kunlun Palm is so powerful, and I'm so strong, maybe it'll suit me!"
The fish-eating veteran laughed: "Did your good brother tell you that?"
He nodded.
The fish-eating veteran nodded in agreement: "This guy has impeccable character. He didn't stab you in the back, and he always tells you the truth."
He said smugly, "Of course, what more could my good brother say?"
The fish-eating veteran suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
He leaned closer: "Hey, you got stabbed in the back by your good buddy?"
The fish-eating veteran looked miserable and said, "Forget it."
At this point, he was no longer sleepy: "Tell me about it."
The fish-eating veteran was speechless: "This is a sad story, yet you seem to enjoy listening to it."
"Don't be so stingy. If you tell your sad stories, even the flowers, birds, fish, and insects will hear them. With a 'biu~' sound, you won't be so sad anymore," he encouraged.
Fish-eating veteran: "I won't tell!"
He said, "Tell me, tell me a little bit... It's so boring on the oxcart."
The fish-eating veteran raised an eyebrow: "Then will you go fishing with me?"
he:"……"
He said, "I don't know how."
The seasoned fish-eater gave a sly smile: "I'll teach you!"
And so, he neither went to Kunlun Mountain nor found the reclusive master, and spent two months fishing with the senior fish-eating master...
He said, "You still haven't told me about your good brother stabbing you in the back!"
Veteran fish eater: "Once you can catch a whole bucketful, do you think you can just listen to me about being stabbed in the back by my good brother?"
Yes, he's already heartbroken enough, so at least he should cooperate a little.
And so, he began to learn how to fish from the experienced fish-eaters.
At first, he had no patience. The fishing expert taught him that fishing is not about who is the strongest. First of all, how to cast the rod is very important. The fishing expert cast the rod very beautifully!
The fish-eating senior chuckled and said, "You see, strength isn't everything. The essence lies in how agile you are, how you use your strength, and how you concentrate your power into a single point."
He finally learned how to cast a rod, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with it; it seemed different from how he watched other people cast rods.
But he didn't quite understand, so he just followed along and learned.
I've learned how to cast a line, but I can't sit still like a clock, unlike the experienced fishermen.
A seasoned fish eater said, "If you are calmer than the fish, the fish will come."
He tried to calm his mind for a long time, and later he realized that by following him, he had unknowingly learned how to practice meditation.
When he was able to calm down, he caught his first fish.
At this moment, the idea of good brothers betraying each other is completely forgotten.
This sense of accomplishment thrilled him, as if he had mastered a profound martial art—Senior, I caught it!
I wish I could announce it to the whole world, including all the fish in this lake...
But when I turned around, they already had a basket full of fish!
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!
"Impressive, right? Take your time learning~" the fish-eating veteran said smugly.
When he could easily cast his line, easily reel it in, easily calm his mind and enter a meditative state, and keenly open his eyes, he quickly caught a basketful of fish.
"What a joke!" Even he himself couldn't believe it.
Although he had been lingering around fishing for over a month, he was incredibly excited, and it seemed that his injuries had healed without him even realizing it.
He was surprised.
The senior fish-eater looked at him and said gently, "Try circulating your internal energy."
He... he can't do it.
The experienced fisherman chuckled, "How do you cast a line? Didn't I teach you? Cast forward, cast backward, pull the rod, reel in the line, concentrate, discard, focus your attention."
Although he was a little confused, he was so familiar with this set of movements over the past month that when Senior Fish-Eating reminded him, he could do it with ease. In the end, he actually felt a surge of true energy flowing through his body.
"What is this?" he asked in surprise.
The fish-eating elder shook his head and sighed, "Oh dear, you've learned my fishing technique, which has been lost to the martial arts world, just like that."
Fishing True Qi?
Are you serious?
He frowned, but he could indeed feel a solid, steady, and powerful true energy in his palms, fingertips, and even in every part of his meridians.
He was startled.
In the martial arts world, top masters need not only top-notch martial arts manuals but also excellent internal energy cultivation methods to truly unleash their profound martial arts skills.
He Wenxue sent him to a prestigious sect to learn martial arts because unorthodox methods would not teach him proper internal energy cultivation techniques, nor would they enable him to achieve profound martial arts skills.
Compared to martial arts manuals, top-level internal energy cultivation methods are the most difficult to master.
But he was stunned: "What is meant by 'fishing true qi'?"
The fish-eating veteran said smugly, "Scared, aren't you! That's my self-created internal energy cultivation method; you can't learn it anywhere else!!"
he:"……"
He sighed inwardly, then calmly asked, "How many internal energy cultivation techniques can one person learn? If I learn your Fishing True Qi, can I learn others?"
The fish-eating elder stroked his beard smugly: "Of course not! No matter how high your talent, you can only have one internal energy cultivation method. Otherwise, it will be crippled, and you won't be able to learn a second one. Of course, unless you are a martial arts prodigy who appears only once every few centuries, then you might have two internal energy cultivation methods, but you are also prone to qi deviation, which will likely lead to a sudden death. My fishing method..."
"Then just abolish it for me," he sighed.
The Fish-Eating Master was stunned: "Deprecating! Do you know how many people outside want to learn my fishing technique but can't? And you call that deprecating..."
He said earnestly, "Senior, I said I wanted to go to Kunlun Mountain to formally become a disciple and learn martial arts. If I learn the Fishing True Qi, I won't be able to learn the Kunlun Sect's internal energy cultivation method, and I won't be able to go to the Kunlun Sect."
The fish-eating elder pouted: "Lazybones! You think you can learn martial arts in Kunlun like this? How about this, I'll be your master! I'm sure I can teach you better than those old men on Kunlun Mountain!"
Wang Sumo blinked: "So you took the fish-eating senior as your master?"
She could sense that the fishing internal energy must be quite powerful...
As expected, the old man calmly replied, "No."
Then: "I also told him to get lost..."
Wang Sumo: ╮(╯▽╰)╭
[Author's Note]
Top-tier experts—are all unconventional and don't focus on their main profession...
There's a red envelope in this chapter, see you this afternoon!
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