Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 33 Door-to-Door Visit

"The head of the household isn't here today. He's quite a character, always full of ideas!" Du Ren said with a smile.

"Does the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) have a wide network of contacts?" Meng Chen asked.

"Not only does he have a wide circle of friends, but he's also incredibly knowledgeable!" Du Ren praised Li Xiang Sheng's father highly. "When my dad was in his thirties, he listened to a few pointers from the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and he actually advanced from the first realm to the second realm. Tell me, isn't that amazing?"

"That's certainly impressive." Meng Chen couldn't help but ask curiously, "What level of martial arts is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort)?"

"This..." Du Ren scratched his head. "I really don't know. My dad has been escorting goods for many years, and he said he's never seen the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) take action. The head镖师 relies on personal connections and always avoids taking action if possible. But think about it, my husband came to Qingshui County in his early twenties to set up his own镖师 business and hasn't made a single mistake. He's worth at least three or four of my dads!"

Having learned his lesson, Meng Chen asked, "Senior brother, is that young lady Brother Li's sister?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why would I call her 'Miss'?" Du Ren chuckled. "She's pretty, isn't she?"

"Of course!" Meng Chen nodded. "I've never seen anyone so good-looking in my entire life."

"Her name is Ye Jinhuan. Remember that. Call her 'Miss' whenever you see her. But avoid her if you can. She loves to bully people!" Du Ren instructed.

"Yes," Meng Chen quickly replied, then asked in confusion, "Why doesn't she share the same surname as Brother Li?"

"The head of our escort agency is surnamed Ye. He married our eldest brother's mother and they had a daughter. Do you understand?" Du Ren whispered.

Meng Chen understood. Li Xiang Sheng's mother remarried to the head of the Longwei Escort Agency and later gave birth to Ye Jin Huan. Therefore, Li Xiang Sheng and Ye Jin Huan were half-siblings.

It was already evening, so Du Ren decided not to rush back and instead took Meng Chen to a restaurant.

"Did you go see Gong Ziming?" Du Ren poured wine for Meng Chen, and the two raised their glasses.

"I saw it." Meng Chen immediately recounted everything he had seen and heard.

"The Daoist Ancestor manifesting himself?" Du Ren stroked his chin, thought for a long time, and said, "Gong Ziming is a bit eccentric, could he have gone mad?"

"Senior brother, is the legend of the Dao Ancestor manifesting himself true or false?" Meng Chen asked curiously.

"It's true." Du Ren took another sip and said in a low voice, "When the head of the family used to coax the young lady, he mentioned that every sixty years, the Dao Ancestor would transform into the form of a swimming fish and swim among the stars. But this miracle hasn't happened since, and I don't know why."

Both of them had a good tolerance for alcohol, and they drank bowl after bowl until the tavern closed in the middle of the night before finally stopping.

Meng Chen reluctantly paid one or two taels of silver for the meal, and the two of them helped each other back to the martial arts school.

The apprentices had just finished their night practice when Meng Chen called someone to throw Du Ren back into his dormitory. Then he performed a set of Bahequan (Eight Harmonies Fist) to dispel the smell of alcohol before returning to his dormitory.

"Senior brother, the dates you brought are really sweet!" Cui Butong was very enthusiastic, and brought over hot tea, saying solicitously, "Senior brother, help me sober up."

Qi Yun, Wan Dabao, and the other three ate dates while observing coldly. They all knew that they and Cui Butong were the same kind of people, but the four of them were currying favor with the powerful, while Cui Butong was currying favor with those stronger than him.

"Senior brother, I think you are the next Yan Long!" Cui Butong saw that Meng Chen was not used to being served, so he changed the subject, but the more he talked, the more outrageous it became. Obviously, he was far inferior to Qi Yun in the art of flattery.

Meng Chen had drunk too much and didn't have time to chat much before falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning, after his morning exercise and breakfast, Meng Chen was summoned by Master Du.

"You've passed two levels in a row, you're quite talented, but you can't be complacent. Remember to drink less alcohol in the future, and it's best not to rush into contact with women." Du Zhong, dressed in his training clothes, instructed earnestly.

"This disciple is enlightened." Meng Chen immediately agreed. Although he often thought about women, he didn't actually touch any women.

"The first realm of martial arts is the Body Tempering Realm. It requires passing through the three stages: Qi and Blood, Tendons and Bones, and Skin and Flesh. It's a gradual process, progressing from the inside out." Du Zhong finally got down to business. "You need to know that these three stages in the first realm are preparations for the future. The Skin and Flesh stage isn't about making you invulnerable to swords and spears, but rather about ensuring your Qi and Blood are sufficient and your tendons and bones are strong. This allows your Qi and Blood to fill your skin and flesh, making the bond between your tendons and bones much stronger."

"The mortal body is fragile, with limited strength and finite power, yet it is a precious raft for crossing the world. We must forge its form and build its foundation in order to create a new world."

Du Zhong immediately demonstrated a set of boxing techniques. The techniques were expansive and dynamic, combining hand and footwork, and the moves were simple and straightforward, resembling a combat method.

"This is Du-style Tongbei Quan, an innovation created by my ancestor after improving Tongbei Quan. Later, it was discovered that this technique helps with the Three Gates, so it has been passed down ever since."

After the demonstration, Du Zhong immediately instructed, "When you were practicing the first two stages, the Guiyuan Gong and Yijin Zhuanggu Gong that I taught you could have been mastered even without the aid of medicinal baths and pills, though not as quickly. But my Du Family Tongbei Quan requires my family's unique medicinal baths and pills to activate its effects; its efficacy is extremely high!"

After saying this, Du Zhong asked Meng Chen to demonstrate the Du Family Tongbei Boxing, and then explained the secrets of it in detail.

The Du-style Tongbei Quan combines strength and gentleness, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, training not only the muscles and bones of the whole body, but also having corresponding breathing techniques.

Seeing that Meng Chen had mastered it after practicing it twice, Du Zhong said with satisfaction, "Remember this: practice Du Family Tongbei Fist every day, hitting the wooden dummy at least a hundred times a day. Once you've stimulated your blood and qi, and your skin and muscles are exhausted, to the point of twitching, first take the pill, then take a medicinal bath. Remember, unlike the previous two stages, this medicinal bath needs to last two hours, and it's best to take a medicinal bath once a day."

Meng Chen immediately agreed.

After a day of arduous practice, having drilled the wooden dummy countless times, Meng Chen was utterly exhausted.

After dinner, he practiced for another hour before taking the pill and then went for a medicinal bath.

The previous two medicinal baths were meant to soothe muscles and tendons, but this time, as soon as I got into the tub, my whole body burned with pain, as if I'd been stung by countless wasps.

"I told you to protect your groin," Du Ren reminded him gloatingly afterward.

After a few days, the yang fish finally regained its brightness.

"As expected, it only lights up again every nine days. Nine is the ultimate number; is there any significance to this? What would happen if both the yin and yang symbols were lit up?"

"During the second attempt, Yang Yu failed three times before breaking through. Will the third attempt also require three attempts?"

Thinking this way, Meng Chen decided to give it a try. After consulting with Master Du, he prepared to break through the barrier.

The third stage is not much different from the first two stages. It also exhausts one's strength, but mainly involves beating the skin and flesh against the wooden dummy. When the skin and flesh swell and tremble, and there is a slight tingling sensation, it means that the blood and qi have flowed into the skin and flesh, and then it is done.

After enduring a whole day, the yang fish slowly dimmed as evening approached. But after struggling for a long time, Meng Chen felt a sense of incompleteness again, and in the end, he failed.

Meng Chen was not discouraged; he only thought that once the yang fish regained its light, he would try again.

On the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, autumn had already arrived.

After a good night's rest, Meng Chen's strength was fully restored. The fatigue from breaking through the barrier yesterday had disappeared, but the pain all over his body remained.

After their morning exercise, Qi Yun and Meng Chen sat together for breakfast.

Normally, Meng Chen would sit there while Cui Butong sat next to him. Even though he failed to break through the barrier yesterday, Cui Butong still followed him.

Qi Yun pushed Cui Butong away before whispering to Meng Chen, "Senior Brother Gao knows you tried to break through yesterday, and he's a bit anxious. He said he'd get you, and at noon he sent people to have Lao Wan and me keep a close eye on you. Don't go out anytime soon."

Meng Chen originally wanted to stall for time, thinking that he would deal with Gao Yuan after he had reached the third level of the Dao and even the second level. However, Gao Yuan was becoming more and more persistent, which made Meng Chen feel like he had a sword pressed against his back.

However, there's no way to deal with Gao Yuan now, so Meng Chen can only train hard every day.

Before we knew it, it was already mid-month, and the nine-day period had arrived. Sure enough, the Yang fish regained its brightness.

Meng Chen didn't think much of it and prepared to try again.

He had just finished breakfast and hadn't even practiced two sets of boxing when Du Ren came looking for him. "An old man came to the door and said he's looking for you!"

Meng Chen hurriedly went out to see what was happening, and it turned out to be Old Chen.