A long breath swirled in his chest, gradually dissipating through his organs, bringing a gentle warmth and comfort.
"Ah, the Ape Fist really suits me," Liang Qu wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Over the past few days, he had finished learning all the refining techniques.
The qi in his chest was now about as thick as half a chopstick, a sign of his incredible progress.
He also developed a deeper understanding of the "method" in martial arts.
There are many things that one can't truly grasp without experiencing them firsthand.
Having practiced the Three Fist Techniques for so long, Liang Qu realized the importance of body structure.
Simply put, each technique has an ideal body proportion; he called this compatibility.
For instance, his ape-like arms, wasp-like waist, and mantis-like legs were highly compatible with the Ape Fist of the Three Fist Techniques.
Practicing it felt like taking an exam with the answers, scoring full marks every time, and reaching progress naturally.
The other two techniques, Tiger Fist and Crane Fist, weren't as compatible.
Every time he practiced them, he felt like he was scoring only eighty and sixty out of a hundred.
Over time, these differences became evident.
Take Li Libo, for example; his Ape Fist was around eighty-five out of a hundred.
Chen Jiechang was more suited to the Tiger Fist but still only reached about ninety.
However, the stance training aspect of these techniques could be modified with guidance from someone skilled enough to make necessary adjustments and improve compatibility.
As the saying goes, if the mountain doesn’t come to you, you go to the mountain.
Unfortunately, Senior Brother Hu Qi couldn't do this, and Lu Shaohui was even less likely to help; even if he could, he might not bother to say anything.
In the Yang Clan Martial Hall, only Master Yang was said to increase one's proficiency significantly.
The last five days of each month, martial apprentices would seek his guidance.
A good teacher is incredibly important.
Of course, aside from the visible aspect of body compatibility, there are hidden scores in martial training.
Altogether, these reflect one's complete aptitude.
Typically, if your body proportion isn't ideal, but you naturally have strong qi and blood or exceptional comprehension and can alter techniques and draw qi to temper the body—these are attributes that cannot always be discerned through bone reading.
Those with such abilities can achieve exceptional efficiency, scoring even beyond a hundred!
This is why Hu Qi mentioned that having poor body proportions isn't a big deal; it doesn’t define a person's entire potential.
Some might have terrible proportions yet train faster than everyone else.
Liang Qu mused on the diversity among people, realizing that only through relentless effort could one create miracles.
Unfortunately, having studied for three days, the hundred coins he earned last time were all spent.
Without work, he wouldn’t have food.
If not for hearing Senior Brother Xiang mention that Master Yang might come later today, he would’ve already planned to set sail after recently learning the Crane Fist.
Now he could only wait for Master Yang before leaving.
He envied the wealthy students.
Looking at the other dozens of martial apprentices on the training grounds, he realized that only he and his few poor brothers had paid just seven taels.
The others had all paid at least ten taels of silver, able to train full-time without needing to find work every few days, which increased their efficiency by several times.
“Haven't seen Scabby-head Zhang in a while.”
“Yeah, I noticed he wasn’t around when taxes were collected recently. He couldn't have run away, could he?”
“Doubt it. He freeloads everywhere. No one dares bother him, so why would he fear taxes?”
Nearby, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang were resting by the flower bed, chatting idly.
For some reason, they started talking about Scabby-head Zhang.
Catching the keyword, Liang Qu perked up his ears.
“What do you care? Isn’t it better if he's gone? He’s not exactly a good person,” Chen Jiechang said irritably.
“True," Li Libo responded, glancing around. “Hey, look over there! Some girls, and the one leading them looks pretty tough!”
“Don’t stare. Who knows what background they have? Be careful.”
“Just a glance.”
Seeing the topic change, Liang Qu eased his mind and resumed the Ape Fist practice.
But he had barely begun when the mental link in his mind suddenly buzzed with urgency.
Fat Catfish and The Immovable were frantically sending him messages!
The Waterborne Treasure Lotus Root is under attack!
And it was something huge? Liang Qu's expression changed instantly.
The Treasure Lotus Root was his first big earning opportunity.
Though only around twenty pieces could provide Water Essence, the entire lotus root area spanned dozens of meters, with hundreds of pieces that, while unable to offer Water Essence, had good healing properties and were invaluable to him.
He usually left The Immovable to guard them diligently.
When Fat Catfish had nothing to do, it was also supposed to help watch over them.
Any small fish or shrimp causing trouble were eliminated and eaten by the two beasts.
What kind of creature could it be that Fat Catfish and The Immovable together couldn’t handle and needed to urgently inform him?
Thinking this, Liang Qu couldn't stay put.
He quickly bid farewell to Li Libo and Chen Jiechang, gathered his things, and prepared to leave.
They were surprised, asking urgently, “Why leave now? Master Yang could arrive any moment. Won’t you stay for his guidance?”
“I have something important to attend to,” Liang Qu hesitated, “I might be able to handle it and return in time?”
It was still morning.
If he hurried back and resolved the issue, he might return in time.
Seeing his urgency, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang realized the matter was no joke and let him go but advised him to stay safe.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Libo scratched his head, “Strange, this happened last time too.”
“Last time?”
“Yeah,” Li Libo nodded, “Last time, A Shui also left hurriedly while learning from Master Hu without anyone informing him about anything.”
“Why think so much? Perhaps A Shui had prior arrangements.”
“True.”
Leaves fell layer upon layer, piling into the damp earth, transforming into dark brown humus.
Leaving the Martial Hall, Liang Qu jogged along, conserving his strength, covering the ten-plus miles from Peaceful Sun Town to Righteous Prosperity City in less than half an hour.
Reaching the dock, he caught his breath, calmed himself, and pretended nothing was amiss, untying his boat.
Once out of sight, he swiftly rowed to the lotus root waters, tapping the surface.
Moments later, a Pig Dragon and a Six-Whiskered Catfish surfaced.
Liang Qu patted the heads of his two beasts, motioning them to roll over as he carefully checked them for injuries, relieved to find none.
He had instructed them early on to assess any intruders ravaging the lotus roots—if they could handle it, do so; if not, retreat without risking their lives.
If you lose the ground but keep your people, you’ll get both back; lose the people, and you lose everything.
Lotus roots were precious, but they didn’t surpass the value of his two nurtured water beasts.
After consuming treasure fish, both beasts had undergone a secondary evolution and grew even stronger.
Now The Immovable was over two meters long, and Fat Catfish reached two and a half meters!
Both were significantly larger, reducing the Water Essence needed for their evolution by more than four points each.
Growth is certainly a good thing.
The more formidable his companions, the better.
But Liang Qu grew curious—what kind of creature could force Fat Catfish and The Immovable to retreat?
As he pondered, Fat Catfish suddenly turned its head, pushing it into the boat and spitting out five lotus roots that thudded heavily onto the wooden deck.
Liang Qu picked one up, deeply surprised, “These are the ones with Water Essence? You managed to save them before the monster came?”
Fat Catfish and Pig Dragon flicked their tails, splashing water onto Liang Qu.
But he wasn’t annoyed; instead, he felt touched.
He had previously set aside a few Water Essence lotus roots for emergencies and tasked the beasts with guarding them.
He hadn’t expected them to be so clever, even moving the valuable assets aside when needed.
They're smart; raising them wasn’t in vain.
Turning, Liang Qu grasped the wooden spear, the muscles along his cheeks tightening instinctively, revealing sharp contours.
His eyes narrowed.
“Very well, let's go down and see who's bold enough to dare steal my lotus roots.”
(End of Chapter)