Morning the next day.
Outside Guangling City, in the mulberry grove lining the Great Azure.
The skies had yet to brighten, but Huang Qianjun was already standing there, waiting.
It was only when dawn was just about to break that he saw a familiar figure in the distance. A tall, lean youth was strolling towards him.
His clothes were the color of jade, and he looked calm and detached from the mundane world.
It was Su Yi!
“Brother Su!” Huang Qianjun broke into a smile and rushed to greet him.
He carried breakfast in an exquisite pearwood box and a pot of heated, aged wine.
“You haven’t eaten yet, right? This is the bone broth and breakfast our cook prepared, while this is from my father’s wine cellar. It’s a thirty-year vintage.” Huang Qianjun laughed cheerfully.
Su Yi was stunned. “Set them aside for now. It won’t be too late to enjoy them after I finish cultivating.”
With that, he walked into the mulberry grove and, ignoring everything else, began practicing the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique.
Huang Qianjun waited nearby.
He could tell that Su Yi’s technique was extraordinary, but he couldn’t fathom any of its profundities. That’s why he remained calm; his reaction was nothing like the shock Xiao Tianque or Zi Jin had displayed that day.
A full two hours passed before Su Yi finished his practice.
Huang Qianjun hurriedly opened the boxed meal, took out the soup and breakfast, and arranged them atop a nearby stone. Then he opened the pot of heated wine and started pouring it into cups.
Su Yi didn’t stand on ceremony. He approached the boulder, took a seat at random, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.
“Do you know why I asked you to meet me here today?” he asked.
Huang Qianjun shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t figured out why.”
“The curtain opens on the Dragon’s Gate Banquet in just two weeks. Lately, you’ve followed me and worked at my side, so I naturally can’t let you perform too badly at the banquet.”
Su Yi took a sip of wine, closed his eyes, and licked his lips. Inwardly, he couldn’t help but nod. This aged flavor really is different.
Huang Qianjun was instantly almost incoherent with excitement, and his voice shook. “Brother Su… Brother Su, are you planning to give me pointers?”
“You could say that.” Su Yi sampled the bone broth. The flavor was incomparably fresh and delicious, and it was obvious that they’d added no small number of precious medicinal herbs. It was extremely beneficial for a martial artist’s cultivation.
“This…. This….” Huang Qianjun felt as if a treasure had fallen into his lap, and his mind went blank.
He’d considered all sorts of possibilities, but it had never occurred to him that Su Yi would help guide his cultivation!
“Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Go on and demonstrate the martial art you’re most proficient in.” Su Yi pointed to a nearby clearing.
Huang Qianjun hurriedly nodded and rushed off. He took a deep breath, but didn’t move right away. It was only after he calmed himself down that he began.
Swoosh!
His stance was mighty as he swung his fist, his movements vigorous and grand in scale.
This was the ultimate technique of the Huang Family, the “Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist.”
Su Yi ate and drank as he watched, but gradually, he lost his appetite. He didn’t want to drink anymore, either.
His eyebrows knit together.
By the time Huang Qianjun had run through the entire Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist, Su Yi had his head in his hands, and he felt a headache coming on.
“Brother Su, I finished my drill.” Huang Qianjun was covered in sweat, and his spirit trembled with enthusiasm.
“Your foundations in the Martial Dao are barely passable, but your attainments in martial arts are lacking. No, they’re a complete mess.” Su Yi sighed. He almost couldn’t bear to watch Huang Qianjun practice. He couldn’t even bring himself to eat.
Huang Qianjun’s eyes widened. He looked dazed, uncertain of how to respond. Before long, his face reddened with shame, and he said, “Brother Su, I’ll work hard to improve!”
But inwardly, he felt a bit confused. He was currently in the Refining Muscle stage, and according to his father, his foundations were firm as could be. Furthermore, he already had a definite degree of mastery over the Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist. It was nowhere near as disgraceful as Su Yi made it sound…
But Huang Qianjun knew better than to argue.
He then watched as Su Yi rose and stood in the very same clearing. “What does it mean to ‘shape the will’? You need both ‘form’ and ‘intention!’
“The Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist is harmony of the mind and will, of will and qi, of qi and force, of the shoulders and the hips, of the knees and the elbows, and of the hands and feet. Attacks land instantly, launching at full force even an inch from their target.”
As he spoke, he leaped into action, expounding on the very technique Huang Qianjun had just performed, the Huang Family’s “Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist.”
He punched, twisted, turned, and lunged, the movements tight and compact, his body like a twisting rope. With each movement, his momentum grew until he was mighty as a mountain, forceful and overpowering.
But amidst all this movement, his steps were as steady as a row plow, and when he stood, his feet seemed rooted to the ground!
He was firm but not rigid, flexible but not soft. Even as his stance stretched, his movements remained stable and forceful.
Huang Qianjun’s pupils constricted, and his heart shook. This….
“Remember: the core of this fist technique is the phrase ‘form and intention as one’. The tangible and intangible coexist, and firmness and softness coincide, striking a balance between movement and tranquility.
“Every time you throw a punch, imagine yourself lifting a divine mallet to hammer a heavenly drum, the sound startling the heavens and shaking the earth, shocking the souls of all who hear it!”
From a distance, Huang Qianjun saw Su Yi throw a punch as if lifting a mountain or shaking heaven’s gates, or indeed, as if swinging a massive mallet against a celestial drum!
That overbearing momentum shook Huang Qianjun to the core. He held his breath, his skin went taut, and his hair stood on end.
He was just watching from a distance, but the momentum alone was captivating!
“That… Is that really our Huang Family’s Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist?” Huang Qianjun was shaken, so much so that he almost bit his tongue. He looked bewildered.
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Even when his father practiced their fist technique, it was nowhere near as heaven-shaking or tyrannical!
A little while later, Su Yi stopped, then stood in place.
“Did you understand?” he asked.
Huang Qianjun was dazed. Then he said sheepishly, “Brother Su, I…. Understood a little, but I couldn’t understand the essence…..”
His voice trailed off, and he lowered his head.
Just now, he’d been immersed in shock. How could he possibly have been calm enough to seriously contemplate the profundities within Su Yi’s movements?
This kid is inferior to even a bottom-tier ghost like Qing Wan…. Su Yi inwardly shook his head.
He pondered for a moment, then broke off a mulberry branch and began writing in the dirt.
Shortly after, he tossed it away and said, “This is a breathing technique I invented on the spot. It’s nothing special, but it's perfectly compatible with your Form-Intention Six Harmonies Fist. Remember it, and going forward, use it in your daily cultivation.”
Huang Qianjun hurriedly drew closer and began reading seriously.
“Also, meet me here every morning. I’ll give you pointers on your fist technique. But I can only help you for seven days. If you can’t comprehend such simple abstruse truths in a week, there’s no need to follow me any longer.
“Take your time and ponder it on your own. I’ll head back on my own.” With that, Su Yi turned to leave.
Huang Qianjun stood there, momentarily dazed. Suddenly, he took a deep breath and gnashed his teeth. “Brother Su has just granted me an amazing stroke of fortune. If I can’t seize it, I might as well just slam my head into a wall and die!”
……
It’s to be expected. It’s not like everyone in the world is innately clever or monstrously talented, especially in a spiritual barren, mundane place like this. I can’t demand too much from Huang Qianjun…. As he made his way back to the Apricot Clinic, Su Yi finally understood. He had the experience of his past life, and he’d seen far too many peerless, monstrous geniuses. Thus, he subconsciously placed excessively high standards on Huang Qianjun.
Back at the clinic.
When he saw Su Yi, Steward Hu Qian hurried up to him. “Sir, Miss Lingxue is visiting with two guests. They’re currently waiting for you at the Apricot Cottage.”
The Apricot Cottage.
That was the name of Su Yi’s current residence.
“Two guests?” Su Yi was stunned. He nodded, and stepped through the clinic’s back door.
When he pushed open the courtyard gates, he saw three figures standing beneath the locust tree, chatting amongst themselves.
One of them was Wen Lingxue.
She wore a blue-green dress, which outlined her slender figure, and her lush black hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing her long neck. Her snowy-white complexion shone faintly beneath the sunlight; she was the picture of a radiant, blooming beauty.
He last saw her at the matriarch’s birthday banquet, so they hadn’t seen each other for a week.
“Brother-in-law, you’re back!” When she saw Su Yi, Wen Lingxue smiled. Her curly eyelashes and dewy eyes lit up, and her snowy-white hands waved him over.
Even her voice was sweet and joyful.
A hint of a smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips. Facing such a lively, radiant young woman, how could he not be happy?
But when he saw the man and woman accompanying her, he knit his brow, and the faint smile on his lips faded away.
“Senior Apprentice Brother Su.” The woman turned around and looked at Su Yi, her expression complicated.
She was sumptuously dressed and beautiful, and she stood with the tranquil poise of an orchid. Her pretty eyes shifted, and she inadvertently revealed a thread of distress and melancholy, making her seem delicate and helpless.
“Why are you here?” Su Yi was outwardly calm, but inwardly, he was replaying his memories of this unexpected visitor.
Nan Ying.
Of the disciples of Blueriver Sword Manor’s outer sect, she was the only girl who’d ever been close to him. She was quiet and gentle, and she’d admired him immensely. She’d been his near constant companion.
At the time, he’d yet to reawaken the memories of his past life, so he was still gloomy and reclusive, with almost no friends. Nan Ying’s presence had been an enormous comfort to him.
They’d accompanied each other day and night for three years.
Although they’d never officially become sweethearts, nor had they ever lived together, outsiders saw them as a couple.
But the moment he lost his cultivation and was kicked out of Blueriver Sword Manor, Nan Ying disappeared. He hadn’t seen her since, not even once…
Even after his marriage into the Wen Family, he’d been depressed over her for a long time, and he’d had a hard time letting her go. He’d felt the urge to seek her out and ask how she could be so heartless on more than one occasion.
It was fair to say that his feelings for Nan Ying had been a knot in his heart. Every time he thought of her, his spirits sank and his heart ached.
But of course, all of that changed after he reawakened the memories of his past life.
Still, he never would have guessed she’d show up here out of the blue.
Why had she come?
“I…. Senior Apprentice Brother Ni Hao and I are here with Uncle Master Zhou Huaiqiu, undergoing practical training outside the sect. We reached Guangling City yesterday, and I heard a little about you, Senior Apprentice Brother Su, so I wanted to visit you.” Nan Ying bit her pink lips, her expression carrying a hint of grief and pity.
“Junior Apprentice Brother Su.” A tall, handsome youth in gold robes stood beside Nan Ying. He tilted his head at Su Yi. His expression was reserved, but if you looked closely, his gaze was cold and disdainful.
Clearly, he’d greeted Su Yi to be polite, not out of any real respect.
Seth's Thoughts
“The Will-Shaping Six Harmonies” seems to the combination of two real martial arts: “Six Harmonies Eight Methods Boxing” and the “Form-Intention Fist”, also known as the “Will-Shape Fist” or “Xingyi Fist.”
The Xingyi Fist includes the “one-inch punch” popularized by Bruce Lee. A similar move appears in the movie “Kill Bill.”