Having confirmed there was no danger, Qin Mu released his control over the Righteous Qi and then walked forward.
When the soldiers saw that Qin Qiong had won, their faces were full of smiles, and their eyes were filled with deep respect for him. If they hadn't been exhausted, they probably would have already shouted with excitement.
"Dad! Are you alright?" Even though Qin Qiong had won, Qin Mu still jogged forward and asked with concern.
"Phew! I'm fine, but it looks like we can't continue our journey today." Qin Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and said with a smile.
He had managed to stay upright and not sit down for a moment, his body stiffening, but he had just recovered and couldn't help but feel secretly relieved that he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of his son.
After conveying Qin Qiong's orders and resting for a while, the group set up camp at the edge of the woods.
After resting, the soldiers regained their strength and began to busy themselves. Some went to gather firewood, some to fetch water, and some to bury the orcs' corpses. However, all three orcs had been stripped naked. Two ring-pommel swords, a broken cane, three sets of greasy animal skin clothes, and several strange ornaments, which appeared to be made of gold and silver, were laid out in front of Qin Qiong.
"What is this?" Qin Mu stepped forward, rummaged around, and asked, looking at several thumb-sized, grayish-brown things.
"It should be some kind of seed. These orc priests are so mysterious. I wonder what kind of strange things they're going to use. If you're interested, keep this and ask someone about it later," Qin Qiong said after glancing at it.
"Okay." Qin Mu replied and put the items away. There were seven in total, and they looked to be the kernels of some kind of plant.
"Orcs are all poor bastards, you can divide these things among yourselves!" Qin Qiong waved his hand after glancing at the remaining items.
"Yes, sir!" the captain replied with a fist and palm salute, then walked away with a beaming smile, carrying the items. Qin Qiong might not care about these things, but they wouldn't mind; selling them and dividing the proceeds would bring in some money.
Qin Mu took out the monster he had put away again and bled it again, but he couldn't find the beast core.
"There's no beast core!" Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise after looking at it again and again.
"It is indeed strange, but it's fortunate that there was no beast core. If there had been, it would have been difficult to escape today," Qin Qiong sighed.
Qin Mu thought about it and realized it made sense. Beast cores are where monsters store spiritual energy, and if they can store it, then they must possess spiritual skills. Such a large creature, besides Qin Qiong, probably couldn't withstand a single blow.
Having the soldiers roast the monster meat was a kind of perk for them, since they had all put in the effort. Even though no one complained about not serving it, it was such a huge creature, probably weighing several tons, that it would take a long time to eat.
Monster meat contains considerable energy. Even without a beast core, its size alone makes it far superior to that of ordinary wild animals.
Qin Mu generously allowed his soldiers to roast the meat, which excited them even more. They certainly knew the benefits of wild beast meat; normally, they rarely got to eat it. At most, they would eat ordinary wolves or rabbits.
"He who eats another's food is bound to him," as the saying goes, and this was a way of winning people's hearts. Soon, the aroma of meat wafted through the woods, and two large pieces of roasted meat were first presented to Qin Qiong and his son. Only then did the others begin to feast.
Qin Mu treated them to a feast, making sure they were well-fed. Aside from salt, there were no other seasonings, but everyone ate with gusto. Qin Mu and his son, like the soldiers, started eating with their hands, tearing off pieces and eating as they pleased.
After finishing the meal of meat, Qin Mu felt warm and refreshed, as if his entire body was cheering, brimming with energy. The fatigue from the journey and battle vanished completely. Qin Qiong, on the other hand, ate over ten jin (approximately 5 kg) of meat by himself.
"That feels so good!" Qin Qiong, with a rosy complexion, patted his stomach and said.
"Hehe! Dad, if you like, I'll go get you some more," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"No need! I'm already full! That damned beast, it's all gone now." Qin Qiong shook his head slightly.
"Father, your weapon isn't good enough. Why don't you use this set?" Qin Mu said, taking out the bronze armor set from the Heavenly Mystery Tower. He felt this set of armor wasn't as simple as it seemed. Initially, he just collected it as a decent trophy, after all, it was the first set of armor he had acquired. Later, he found a bronze sword of the same material in the weapon pile, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He was already used to using a sword held behind his back, and it was sharp enough.
"Good stuff!" Qin Qiong glanced at it, his large hand sweeping over it with a bloodthirsty aura, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Just as his bloodthirsty aura swept over it, the patterns on the bronze equipment that looked like they had been forged began to gleam with a faint light.
"Huh!" Qin Mu's eyes widened in surprise. He really didn't expect that this set of equipment would have such an effect. In the past, he only thought it looked impressive.
"Mu'er, you keep it. I have weapons and armor, but I didn't bring them this time," Qin Qiong said, waving his hand.
Actually, he didn't bring his beloved weapons and armor, mainly because he was worried about the dangers of this trip to the Khitan and wanted to leave them to his son as family heirlooms. After all, he knew his own body best.
"Father, can you tell where this set of bronze equipment came from?" Qin Mu asked.
"No! However, bronze ware was prevalent before the Han Dynasty, and this set should have been a masterpiece from that time. Judging from this alone, it's a top-tier item even among Earth-rank artifacts. For more details, you can consult Yuchi Jingde when you return to Chang'an." Qin Qiong picked up the bronze sword, flicked his finger, and casually twirled it with his sword.
"Yuchi Jingde!" Qin Mu murmured in slight surprise. Wasn't this guy the door god who was as famous as Qin Qiong? He had truly heard of him for a long time.
"That's right, Jingde is an expert in weapon forging. He not only has exceptional skills in wielding a horse spear, but also a unique body-strengthening technique—forging. If you're interested, you can learn it; he'll give me that much face," Qin Qiong said confidently.
"We'll see when the time comes! I haven't even learned your secret techniques yet, Father, how can I possibly learn someone else's?" Qin Mu said with a smile.
"What I'm best at is the spear and the mace, as well as these fists. Do you want to learn those?" Qin Qiong asked with a smile.
"Well, I'll learn some boxing techniques instead," Qin Mu said after thinking for a moment. Actually, he also wanted to learn long weapons, but compared to the martial generals of this world, without tempering their bodies with qi and blood, they really couldn't fight in close combat, so he decided against it.
The conflict between martial artists and other professions lies in this: a martial artist who only cultivates the physical body, while able to unleash attacks similar to spiritual energy through blood and qi, only possesses offensive power and cannot achieve the versatility of other professions. Initially, he considered cultivating both, but after understanding the situation, he realized it was simply unrealistic.
A martial artist's qi and blood primarily originate from their own training; the intake of external food is relatively insignificant compared to spiritual energy. Similarly, their final form is a perfectly rounded physical body, impervious to attacks from external spiritual energy—and of course, they can't unleash spiritual techniques. Even if they absorb a great deal of spiritual energy, it can only be used for body tempering.
The physical strength of martial artists far surpasses that of other cultivators. Take Qin Qiong, for example. A single sweep of the tail of such a massive monster, carrying at least tens of thousands of pounds of force, was enough for him to withstand, albeit with most of the force dissipated. For other cultivators, the only options besides dodging would be to use spiritual techniques to directly block the attack.
The fist techniques are different; with practice, one can develop self-defense skills even without a weapon. Moreover, Qin Mu still harbors a martial arts dream. Even if one can fight with righteous energy, it can't compare to the thrill of close combat.
"Actually, Jingde's body-strengthening technique is quite good. Even if you're not a martial artist, you can learn it," Qin Qiong nodded. He would definitely support his son in learning whatever he wanted, but as a father, he always wanted his children to receive a better education.
Qi and blood, or "killing energy," refers to locking the body's energy within, tempering the physical body and blood, making one's qi and blood abundant, with the main power concentrated in the blood. This is also why military generals suffer severe damage to their foundation from too many injuries.
Aside from cultivating one's noble spirit, Qin Mu knew nothing about other Confucian cultivation methods; the Guigu School, however, had many. The Five Dragons Divine Enhancement Method primarily fortified the internal organs and the five elements' spiritual energy, while the Subduing Hero and Dividing Might Method mainly focused on power. Neither method specifically targeted physical training.
Unlike martial artists who cultivate qi and blood, Qin Mu still wanted to make his body stronger, so he immediately became interested in the body-tempering technique that Qin Qiong mentioned.
"What kind of body-strengthening technique is this? It's actually quite good, Father?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"Whether it's a martial artist or any other cultivator, practicing various close combat techniques is itself a form of physical training. Just like the physical training of ordinary soldiers, it can all strengthen the body. Yuchi Jingde's family has a body-forging technique that also has this ability. I'll ask him about it when we get to Chang'an. I've only heard him mention it before. He seemed quite proud of it," Qin Qiong explained.
It turned out that Yuchi Gong had boasted about it before, and Qin Qiong remembered it. Qin Mu nodded in understanding. He believed that Yuchi Gong would definitely give Qin Qiong face. It would be good to learn from him later.
Without hesitation, Qin Qiong got up and pulled Qin Mu to teach him boxing, just as a way to digest his food after a meal.
"My weapon has two ultimate moves: the Pegasus Spear and the trump card. You don't have to learn the others, but you must learn these two moves," Qin Qiong said solemnly as he led Qin Mu to the edge of the woods.
"Yes, Father!" Qin Mu replied, staring at Qin Qiong as he explained.
"The Flying Horse Spear Technique is a long spear used to infuse one's qi and blood with malevolent energy. The spear spins, and the rider uses the momentum of the horse to kill the enemy in one strike. Because this move is extremely fast, the enemy has no way to avoid it and can only take the hit head-on. However, to this day, no one has survived this move. The person hit is pinned to the ground by the spear, as if the spear is rooted to the ground, and ordinary people cannot pull it out. Hence the name Flying Horse Spear Technique."
However, this move requires building up momentum, so it must be used at the very beginning. Many times, His Majesty has entrusted me with the lead in the battle, and it is through this move that I have achieved countless merits.” Qin Qiong picked up his long spear and explained, treating it like a long spear.
Although he wielded the spear using his blood and murderous aura, Qin Mu could also use spiritual energy or righteous energy. Through his explanation, Qin Mu understood that this move was similar to Guan Yu's legendary first three strikes. The momentum was built up during the charge, combined with the speed of the warhorse, so that the first strike was a thunderous kill upon reaching the enemy. The rotation of the spear enhanced its destructive power. This move not only utilized technique and the speed of the warhorse but also concentrated the body's essence, energy, and spirit, making it arguably the pinnacle of his technique. No wonder it was so powerful.
The key was how to make the spear spin in an instant. With Qin Qiong's careful explanation, Qin Mu quickly grasped the method.
"The second trump card is our Qin family's ultimate weapon! This move is different from the Pegasus Spear Planting move, which is meant to ensure an initial victory; while the ultimate weapon is meant to be used only in critical moments. This is the Qin family's life-or-death technique, and it must not be used unless in a desperate situation."
This move has two main points. The first is the Qin family's mace. The Qin family's mace is made in a unique way. It doesn't look as sharp as swords, but in terms of armor-piercing ability, it surpasses swords. I'll tell you more about this when we get to Chang'an, when I have the mace," Qin Qiong explained.
"Yes, Father!" Qin Mu nodded. In fact, he knew about the mace. This kind of weapon was angular and blunt, and its armor-piercing ability was indeed quite good. However, after hearing Qin Qiong say this, it seemed that there was more to it than met the eye.
"The killer move is not only because of the mace itself, but also because this move requires the concentration of all the body's qi and blood and killing intent. It can be said that if this move cannot defeat the enemy, then the only option is to run away," Qin Qiong continued to explain.
Qin Qiong hadn't intended for Qin Mu to use these moves; he simply wanted to pass on his unique skills to his son. Qin Mu quickly memorized the two moves, but found them very difficult to use, or rather, lacked power.
"Hehe! Just remember it. You can practice slowly later. If you learn it all at once, wouldn't it make me a laughingstock?" Qin Qiong patted Qin Mu's shoulder proudly.
"It's Father," Qin Mu said with a smile as he put away the long spear in his hand.
"Well, I'll teach you some boxing techniques, but to be honest, they're not really suitable for you."
"Why?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"My fist technique is very simple. It's called the Progressive Continuous Fist. It emphasizes relentless forward movement, one punch after another. It's either you kill me or I kill you." Qin Qiong clenched his fists and stomped his feet repeatedly, swinging his fists with great force.
"Ah! I really don't like it that much," Qin Mu sighed.
"Hehe! You've already been attacked so close, why are you thinking so much? Of course, you should kill your opponent. Coordinate your footwork with your body, punch after punch, don't let your opponent catch their breath. You're not a martial artist, so your fists should be aimed at the opponent's face."
"When something comes straight at a person's face, they will instinctively try to dodge it," Qin Qiong explained.
"Mm." Qin Mu nodded vigorously, watching Qin Qiong's demonstration intently.
As Qin Qiong had said, his set of boxing techniques was not suitable for Qin Mu. The entire set of boxing techniques was very powerful and sweeping, with each punch more powerful and heavy than the last. It was estimated that if the opponent were hit by even one punch, he would lose his fighting ability.
However, there is no good or bad in boxing techniques. Knowing a set of boxing techniques is always good, so Qin Mu studied it very seriously.
Qin Qiong explained in great detail how to coordinate footwork, body shape, and arm movements, and how to exert force.
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