Chapter 20

“Move your legs forward!”

“No way! My legs are going to break!”

The old man cried out in despair.

Zheng Fa, with a tone of exasperation, retorted, “You fool!”

“Didn’t you oil your body?”

“Your previous master must have been so frustrated with you that he decided to turn himself in!”

Tang Lingwu shot Zheng Fa a deep glance from the side, sincerely bowing in apology to the concept of generosity.

After the old man stood in the stance for ten minutes, unable to endure any longer, Zheng Fa finally let him off the hook.

According to Coach Xu, the old man’s talent was indeed lacking, at best mediocre.

Plus, with age, his bones were stiff.

Practicing the Songhe Zhuang (松鹤桩, "Pine Crane Stance") at even one-tenth of Zheng Fa’s speed would be impressive.

The old man rubbed his sore arms and bounced in place, “You know, I actually feel a lot lighter!”

Zheng Fa was certain that with the old man’s aptitude, he wouldn’t be able to produce anything in that short time—most likely just a psychological effect.

“Well, we’ll take our leave now.”

Zheng Fa tried to slip away.

“Wait!” The old man blocked the door, “Did you enjoy scolding me? Trying to run away?”

“…”

“Learn from me for another half hour!”

The old man grabbed Zheng Fa and even fetched a reference book from his study, ready to torment him further.

By the time Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu left, it was already around ten at night.

“Were you doing it on purpose?” In the hallway, Tang Lingwu blinked and asked Zheng Fa, “Did you intentionally provoke Teacher Bai to get him to teach you more?”

“No, he was the one doing it on purpose.” Zheng Fa, carrying his backpack, glanced back at her, “That old man is just itching for someone to teach.”

He didn’t miss the fleeting loneliness on the old man’s face when they said their goodbyes.

When he woke up again, he was back at the Zhao residence.

On another bed, Gao Yuan was sleeping in a twisted position, several sheets of paper scattered around his pillow.

Zheng Fa was already familiar with the patterns on them to the point of nausea.

After a weekend of intensive study at the old man’s place, although math was still tough, he had managed to figure out those diagrams.

At least he had memorized how to understand their patterns mathematically.

“Awake?” Gao Yuan, groggy, turned over and looked at Zheng Fa, rubbing his eyes.

“Get up! Coach Xu is waiting for us.”

Zheng Fa urged him. After Coach Xu had assigned them the Songhe Zhuang, he had taken a backseat, and yesterday—well, the day before Zheng Fa traveled to the modern world—he suddenly said he wanted to see how the two of them had been practicing.

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**Chapter 23: A Special Lesson**

On the training ground, Coach Xu stood with a few young men in their twenties, one of whom was lazily yawning, “Master, why did you make us come here so early?”

“Need I say? There’s a new apprentice I’m interested in!”

“Today we’re supposed to check out the two young masters’ attendants, right?”

These young men were all guards at the Zhao residence, but they had a closer relationship with Coach Xu than the others.

Although all the guards were technically his students, these few had formally apprenticed under him, calling him Master, and one of them was even his nephew.

With Coach Xu’s guidance, they had developed quickly and were quite capable within the Zhao family’s various enterprises. They were all busy, and if it weren’t for Coach Xu’s summons today, it wouldn’t have been easy for them to gather.

At this moment, they were all curious about why Coach Xu had called them together.

“Today, there’s a little fellow with decent talent. If nothing unexpected happens, he’ll be your little junior brother in the future.”

“Wait a minute.” The young man who had just yawned suddenly realized, “The young master’s attendant? He wants to guard the house like us?”

It wasn’t that he looked down on himself; no matter how much Coach Xu protected them, he didn’t have the backing of the young master.

The attendant was doing just fine; he might even be aiming for the position of steward. Who would want to be a guard, waking up early and working hard in all kinds of weather?

“Is it shameful to be my apprentice? Besides, he has to be able to hold onto that attendant position first!” Coach Xu snorted, “When he gets kicked out by the young master, we’ll just plead with the lady for him.”

The young men exchanged glances, all thinking their master had a point.

Everyone knew the young master’s temper well.

His attendants never lasted long.

“So, Master, why did you call us here?”

“First, you should get to know him. If something comes up in the future, you can help him out.”

“Master, you really think highly of this kid.” The first young man to speak muttered with a smirk.

“Secondly, that little fellow has decent talent, and he’ll likely pick up martial arts quickly. I’m worried he might get a bit too proud…”

“Got it! A little show of strength, huh?”

The young men looked at each other, rolling up their sleeves in anticipation.

“Who told you to get physical? Just use your words! Stand by and let them know there are always bigger fish in the sea.”

At this, the young men were sure their master truly valued this little junior brother who hadn’t even entered the door yet, worried about scaring him off.

When Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived at the training ground, they felt a bit uneasy under the probing gazes of several young men.

They didn’t catch the whispers among the group:

“Which one is it?”

“The darker, taller one.”

“What about the other one?”

“His talent is a bit lacking, and his father is the second house’s steward. He has his own path. I’m just a small fry; he probably wouldn’t look at me.”

“This future little junior brother doesn’t seem special at all.”

Seeing Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan approach, Coach Xu couldn’t help but explain, “Not only does he have good roots, but he also has a calm disposition. He’s a fine seedling—enough said!”

When Zheng Fa reached the group, he noticed Coach Xu’s stern face, frowning at him, clearly displeased.

The young men behind him also wore serious expressions.

Today was supposed to be a test for the two of them, and with this group looking so serious, they naturally felt even more nervous.

They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

“You two are late!”

Coach Xu’s first words were a reprimand, and the two didn’t dare to retort, obediently lowering their heads.

“You’re both beginners in martial arts, at the perfect time to practice diligently. Why did you arrive late?”

“It was me… I overslept and wasted time.” Gao Yuan stammered.

He had been burning the midnight oil studying those diagrams for the past few nights, and being at an age where sleep was precious, when Zheng Fa called him, it was already too late.

“You? If you sleep so well, your Songhe Zhuang must be pretty good, right? Show me!”

Gao Yuan’s face fell, and he obediently assumed the stance of the Songhe Zhuang.

Zheng Fa watched as he stood there, his shoulders rising and falling with his hips.

From Zheng Fa’s current perspective as a beginner, Gao Yuan was actually close to mastering it!

This surprised him; after all, if it weren’t for the modern world’s seven-day training, he might not have reached Gao Yuan’s level by now.

Moreover, Coach Xu had clearly stated that his roots were better than Gao Yuan’s.

Coach Xu also looked a bit surprised, circling around Gao Yuan, frowning for a long time before suddenly asking, “Did your father give you special lessons?”

“...Yes.” Gao Yuan replied shyly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Your posture has the same flaw as your father—your left shoulder is raised an inch! He’s injured his shoulder, and you’re copying him?” Coach Xu scoffed, “Relax!”

He gave a light tap on Gao Yuan’s left shoulder blade.

Gao Yuan instinctively adjusted his posture, and it was clear his breathing became smoother, and his stance embodied the essence of the Songhe Zhuang better.

“Alright!” Coach Xu nodded, “Not bad, you’re improving quickly! Just let your father give you less medicine in the future; overtraining can harm your body, and no amount of supplements can make up for that!”

Zheng Fa suddenly understood.

No wonder Gao Yuan had to sneak out for a while during lunch every day and always brought his own meals.

Now it seemed Gao Yuan was probably secretly practicing martial arts with his father every day.

Logically, like Zheng Fa, he shouldn’t be able to practice more than an hour of Songhe Zhuang each day.

But from Coach Xu’s words, it seemed Gao Yuan was also taking supplements and could practice a bit longer than him.

Being richer and more diligent than him was a bit unfair.

Gao Yuan seemed embarrassed that Zheng Fa had found out about his secret efforts, and when he returned, he kept his head down, not daring to look at Zheng Fa.

“You, come here!”

Coach Xu said sternly to Zheng Fa, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes, “Gao Yuan’s talent isn’t as good as yours, and he’s almost mastered it. Let’s see how you’re doing!”

He was genuinely satisfied.

On one hand, Gao Yuan’s progress was beyond his expectations.

This kid not only came from a good family but also worked hard.

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