Chapter 36
While standing in the Songhe posture, a subtle flow of energy coursed through Zheng Fa's body, most noticeably from the root of his thighs to his toes and along the inner sides of his shoulder blades. Each time the energy flowed through, it felt as if it were tickling him from the bones to the skin.
Zheng Fa seemed oblivious to this sensation, remaining perfectly still as he recalled the postures of the birds he had seen in documentaries, particularly those movements reminiscent of the "Ling He Xin Jing" (Heart Sutra of the Spirit Crane).
Strangely, whenever a similar movement surfaced in his mind, the energy within him would quiver, bringing a delightful coolness.
"Visualization technique?" A thought crossed his mind, and the energy within him stilled.
He once again quieted his thoughts, refusing to dwell on it.
The itchiness in his shoulder blades and pelvis grew increasingly maddening, nearly causing Zheng Fa to lose his balance in the Songhe posture.
Just as the itch reached its peak, it suddenly vanished, and the area that had been most bothersome felt as if it had sprouted a new organ.
Zheng Fa suddenly realized that he had grown wings, developed crane-like legs, and was covered in feathers!
Or rather, the images of the flying birds he had visualized earlier were gradually merging with his own self, transforming him into the strange bird-man from the "Ling He Xin Jing"!
His consciousness seemed to enter the body of this bird-man.
Though his eyes were tightly shut, the darkness before him was shattered by a bizarre sight:
He was flying! He was flapping his wings, soaring through the vast sky, aiming for the clouds, as if to reach the very ends of the universe.
An endless sea of white clouds swirled beneath him, his feathers reflecting the crimson sun at the horizon, their edges tinged with golden light.
The energy within him, which had been trembling and growing stronger, became increasingly restless, surging left and right until it burst forth from his throat in a clear, resonant cry.
The sea of clouds parted, the sun sank low, and Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes, finding himself back in the familiar training ground, everything that had just transpired feeling like a dream.
The sky had darkened, and Xu Jiaotou was leaning against a stone bench, eyes closed in sleep. It seemed that Zheng Fa's crane-like cry had disturbed him, as he rubbed his eyes and looked over at Zheng Fa, a hint of confusion in his gaze.
"What was that sound? Oh, you’re done practicing?" His gaze fell to the ground beneath Zheng Fa's feet, and he was taken aback. "You’ve mastered the Songhe posture?"
Zheng Fa looked down and was astonished to find the blue bricks beneath him shattered, forming numerous cracks—this was indeed a sign of having perfected the Songhe posture.
The manual for the Songhe posture states: "Your body is like the clouds of the nine heavens, your feet rooted in the nine layers below."
When this posture is mastered, a gentle press of the big toe can shatter stones like those beneath Zheng Fa's feet.
In the process of comprehending the "Ling He Xin Jing," he had unknowingly perfected the Songhe posture, proving that the "Ling He Xin Jing" is indeed the core of the "Ling He Shen" (Spirit Crane Body) martial art.
"How long have I been asleep?" Xu Jiaotou surveyed the darkening sky, as if trying to confirm whether he had truly slept for a thousand years like in a story. Upon seeing the familiar scenery, he turned to Zheng Fa, his brow furrowing deeply as he muttered, "No, even with your talent, you shouldn’t have mastered it so quickly!"
He recalled the crane cry he had just heard, his gaze flickering as he looked at Zheng Fa, opening his mouth to ask but hesitating.
A thought seemed to form in his mind, but his expression revealed that he himself could hardly believe this conjecture.
Just as Zheng Fa was about to explain, Xu Jiaotou suddenly sprang to his feet, moving like a galloping horse, his fist like a shooting star, aimed straight at Zheng Fa's face.
Zheng Fa had no time to speak and instinctively raised his hand to defend.
Though they had a master-disciple relationship and had sparred before, Zheng Fa, despite his impressive talent, could not match Xu Jiaotou's lifetime of martial arts experience. Thus, their exchanges had always been more about guidance than true combat, with Xu Jiaotou displaying less than ten percent of his strength, merely feeding Zheng Fa techniques.
But today, Xu Jiaotou was different from usual; his punches came with the force of moving mountains and pushing seas, as if he were using all his strength.
As Zheng Fa moved, he realized he was no longer the same. The energy within him, though still subtle and weak, had become a continuous, vibrant flow, coursing through his body with newfound vitality, granting him a reaction speed he had never experienced before.
He felt as if he had just emerged from the sea, a sense of liberation washing over him.
Most importantly, he sensed a strange power in the surrounding space, flowing with his movements, amplifying the strength of his techniques beyond anything he had ever known.
This was a sensation he had never felt before.
In this state, Zheng Fa not only held his ground but matched Xu Jiaotou blow for blow, appearing evenly matched.
Xu Jiaotou's eyes sparkled with intensity, and his movements suddenly shifted, forcing Zheng Fa to adapt.
After a few exchanges, Zheng Fa suddenly realized that the techniques he was using were from the fourth volume of "Ling He Shen," specifically the "Ling He Chuan Yun Shou" (Spirit Crane Passing Through Clouds Hand)!
Of course! Xu Jiaotou was still feeding him techniques, but he was deliberately guiding Zheng Fa to use the "Ling He Chuan Yun Shou." Although Zheng Fa had not fully mastered "Ling He Shen," he had immersed himself in this martial art for twenty years, making each move familiar to him.
"You’ve done it!" Xu Jiaotou exclaimed, noticing that while Zheng Fa's execution of the "Ling He Chuan Yun Shou" was somewhat clumsy, each move carried tremendous power, leaving him a bit flustered and hesitant to counter. Without the support of the "Ling He Xin Jing," this would not have been possible.
Instead of feeling disheartened, he burst into hearty laughter, repeating, "You’ve done it! You’ve done it!"
His laughter echoed through the night sky, gradually deepening, tinged with a hint of choked emotion.
His mouth curled into a wide grin, revealing two rows of large teeth, as he laughed almost to the point of losing himself.
Yet, at the same time, tears streamed down his cheeks.
...
Outside the training ground, Gao Yuan and Xu Jiaotou's nephew were walking shoulder to shoulder, carrying lunch boxes toward the training area.
Xu Jiaotou's nephew was still apologizing to Gao Yuan. "I didn’t realize it was so tough for you. I misunderstood you, Senior Brother."
"Senior Brother, you have no idea how it feels to be beside a genius. Sigh, I thought I was used to it by now," Gao Yuan replied, looking somewhat frustrated. "But meeting someone as understanding as you, I just can’t keep these grievances bottled up."
"It’s fine!" Xu Jiaotou's nephew patted Gao Yuan on the shoulder. "Though Zheng Fa has talent, I have a way to help you resolve your concerns."
"Teach me, Senior Brother!"
"Who am I?" Xu Jiaotou's nephew thumped his chest. "I’m your coach’s beloved disciple, his direct apprentice! Plus, I’m his nephew, the only male heir of the Xu family’s next generation!"
"What do you mean?"
"I plan to talk to my uncle. Since Zheng Fa is so talented, we should raise our standards and be stricter. From now on, let Zheng Fa practice more, and for us, let’s encourage each other more. Most importantly, don’t compare us to him!"
"Isn’t that a bit unambitious?" Gao Yuan's expression was conflicted. "Shouldn’t we strive to be better?"
"No, that’s called being grounded!" Xu Jiaotou's nephew smiled, seeing the look on Gao Yuan's face. "What good does it do to compare ourselves to him? Isn’t that an insult to his talent? Do we even measure up?"
"..." Gao Yuan opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.
"In comparing ourselves to him, what do we gain besides losing sleep every night?"
Gao Yuan nodded, clearly resonating with this sentiment, as if he found it quite reasonable.
"So, the problem isn’t with us, but with your young master, my uncle! They’re the ones holding Zheng Fa’s standards against us!" Seeing Gao Yuan’s agreement, Xu Jiaotou's nephew patted his shoulder. "We need to advise them not to compare us three!"
"It seems we might not need to advise them after all," Gao Yuan suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"As long as Xu Jiaotou doesn’t go crazy, he won’t compare us to Zheng Fa."
Xu Jiaotou's nephew looked at Gao Yuan in confusion, clearly not understanding why he said that.
"He... he cried after being beaten by Zheng Fa." Gao Yuan pointed at the two sparring in the training ground, pausing before adding, "Yeah, he cried pretty hard."
**Chapter 42: I’ve Mastered It**
Seeing Gao Yuan and his companion carrying lunch boxes, Xu Jiaotou retracted his fist. "Let’s eat first. Zheng Fa, you’ve been hungry all day."
The four of them, all martial artists, didn’t stand on ceremony. They simply placed the food from their lunch boxes on the blue stone slab in front of them, sitting together on the ground to eat and chat.
"The 'Ling He Shen' is truly mysterious. I felt it when we were sparring just now; your internal energy hasn’t really increased much, has it?" Xu Jiaotou remarked, holding his bowl, unable to contain his admiration.
Gao Yuan glanced at Xu Jiaotou's nephew, seeing the same astonishment reflected in his eyes.
Zheng Fa had mastered "Ling He Shen"?
"That’s true," Zheng Fa said, pausing with his chopsticks in mid-air, frowning as he recalled. "When I struck, I felt a strange power flowing around me, moving with my intentions. The strength of those techniques didn’t mostly come from my internal energy but from the external environment."
"That sounds a bit like those legendary immortals who borrow the power of heaven and earth," Xu Jiaotou said, his eyes betraying a deep envy.
"Is this what it means to enter the Dao through martial arts?" Xu Jiaotou's nephew couldn’t help but ask.
Table of Contents
