"Teach me some real skills?"
Hu Ma was a bit surprised but immediately straightened up.
In the midst of the overwhelming unease and uncertainty about his fate, nothing could be more appealing to him than this.
"The young ones in our village, following me, Second Master, are here to learn how to worship the Tai Sui... In simpler terms, it's about cutting flesh."
Second Master sighed and spoke slowly, "But in truth, my skills are quite intricate and have a proper lineage. Not only can I teach you how to light the furnace to ward off evil spirits, but I also have methods to dispel evil and defeat enemies."
"Among these skills, the most important is teaching you how to draw out the fire from within your body..."
"... Earlier, I had Zhou Datong teach you some moves. How have you been progressing with them?"
"..."
"Moves?"
Hu Ma thought carefully and replied, "I've been learning diligently, and I've memorized every move."
"Whether you've been diligent or not, I can tell."
Second Master frowned, recalling Hu Ma's usual laziness and cunning.
"Show me what you've learned."
"Alright."
Hu Ma immediately stood up and performed the set of moves in front of Second Master.
His movements were smooth and precise, his steps powerful, and each move was executed with perfect form.
"Huh?"
Second Master was genuinely surprised.
"You really haven't been slacking off?"
Little did he know, Hu Ma had been avoiding activities like mountain running, sparring, and lifting stone weights—activities meant to temper the body and vent excess energy—simply to avoid wasting the furnace's fire.
But he also understood the importance of survival, so he had been meticulous in learning the techniques and observing how others practiced.
He had gone over the moves countless times in his mind and practiced them slowly in his spare time.
To others, it might have looked like laziness, but slowing down actually made it easier for him to grasp the finer details of the moves.
After all, in his previous life, he had been a leader in square dancing, so he had some natural talent for movement.
"Smart kids are just different from the slow ones..."
Second Master shook his head helplessly, feeling a bit regretful.
"If only he could be a bit more diligent."
"That's Zhou Datong you're talking about, not me..."
Hu Ma thought silently but didn't interrupt Second Master, letting him continue.
"Have you noticed that these moves are a bit strange? They don't look like regular punches or kicks, nor do they resemble sword techniques?"
Second Master cleared his throat and spoke seriously to Hu Ma.
"Actually, these moves are another form of energy cultivation."
"When you cultivate energy normally, you draw fire energy into the furnace—that's internal cultivation."
"But these old moves are for external cultivation, which means drawing the fire energy from your furnace to strike down evil spirits."
"Of course, I only teach you what I know."
"Most of the young people in our village will never need to use external cultivation in their lives. Their fire energy will likely dissipate once they marry and have children, so I just let them practice for fun without teaching them the real stuff."
"..."
No wonder...
Hu Ma finally understood why Second Master taught the moves but never how to use them in combat.
When he taught people how to fight, he just had them spar.
The more they fought, the better they got.
"In the early stages of lighting the furnace, you only want the fire to burn as fiercely as possible. You absolutely cannot draw it outward..."
Second Master continued, "So, I usually only teach these moves when someone's fire energy has matured. But most young people don't have the talent or enough blood nourishment. Even after three to five years of practice, they still won't reach that level."
"Once they start practicing, they'll be ruined. Even with your generation, who have better diets and eat Tai Sui meat every day, it would still take at least a year or two to reach that level."
"As for you..."
"..."
Second Master suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He had initially planned to teach Hu Ma the real moves, given that Hu Ma ate green Tai Sui every day—something no one else could afford.
He had expected to test Hu Ma after about a month, and if his fire energy was mature, he would teach him.
But who could have guessed that in just over ten days, not only had Hu Ma's fire energy matured, but...
...
Second Master felt a bit deflated.
"Anyway, your fire energy has matured now."
Trying to salvage some dignity, Second Master perked up and said, "So now is the time to teach you the real moves..."
As he spoke, he stood up, stepped forward, and demonstrated:
"Look at the first move of this set. You hold your hands as if gripping a sword, step forward, and punch. Of course, you can also use it as a fist. The important thing is your posture."
"When you throw this punch, exhale sharply, let the furnace fire rise, and reverse the energy flow. This will draw a burst of fire energy from the furnace and release it with the punch."
"If you don't use this technique, the punch is just brute force."
"But if you do, not only will your strength increase, but you'll also channel the furnace fire."
"Whether it's an evil spirit or a ghost, if they get hit by this, they'll either die or be severely injured..."
"You knocked Cui Xie'er out with one punch because you accidentally channeled the furnace fire. Of course, for most people, it takes a lot of practice to channel the furnace fire with a punch. But you... sigh, your furnace fire is just too strong. It came out with the punch before you even realized it."
"..."
"So that's how it works?"
Hu Ma's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Indeed, in a world full of evil spirits, one couldn't just rely on lighting the furnace for passive defense.
Active offensive techniques were also necessary.
Seeing Hu Ma's bright eyes and eager expression, Second Master felt a bit smug.
So this kid isn't completely unwilling to put in effort...
When he was learning to read and write, he was quite clever.
Now that he's learning the real moves, his enthusiasm is clearly genuine.
So, he just doesn't want to waste energy on pointless tasks?
But basic training is also important.
The furnace fire grows stronger the more effort you put in...
...
Wait!
Second Master had just thought of this when he remembered Hu Ma's blazing furnace fire, and his spirits sank again.
"The first punch I just showed you is called 'Mountain Splitter.'"
Suppressing his mixed feelings, Second Master continued with a hint of reverence, just like his old master had taught him:
"If you use it as a punch, it's called 'Mountain Splitting Fist.' If you use it with a sword, it's called 'Mountain Splitting Sword.'"
"The second move follows the same principle, but the energy flow is different. It goes from left to right, and it's called 'Block and Strike.'"
"The third move involves turning around and thrusting upward. It's called... 'Monkey Plucks the Peach!'"
"..."
Hu Ma, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but chuckle.
Plucking the peach is one thing, but doing it forcefully?
Second Master's face turned slightly red, and he stopped his movements.
"That's just the name. My old master taught it to me like that. Don't let the name fool you—it's a solid technique."
"With these three moves—Mountain Splitter, Block and Strike, and Monkey Plucks the Peach—plus the True Yang Arrow I mentioned earlier, these are the skills I've relied on to survive..."
"Mm-hmm!"
Hu Ma adjusted his expression and continued to look at Second Master with admiration.
"What else is there?"
"That's it."
Second Master slowly retracted his stance and clasped his hands behind his back.
"That's all my old master taught me."
Hu Ma was surprised.
"From the way the moves are structured, there should be more, right?"
"Is there?"
Second Master's cheeks flushed, but thankfully the dim light and his dark skin hid it.
He stubbornly said, "Well, that's all I learned."
He would never admit that his master had thought him too slow and only taught him these three moves.
"That's enough."
Hu Ma quickly changed his tone.
"One move can take you far, and we have three. Isn't that enough?"
With that, he stood up excitedly.
"Teach me!"
"Such an impatient kid..."
Second Master was quite pleased with Hu Ma's comment about one move being enough.
He chuckled and kicked aside a small stool.
"Come on!"
"..."
Originally, Second Master had only intended to tell Hu Ma that his fire energy had matured and that he would teach him the moves later, not necessarily right then.
But now, with both the old and the young fully engaged, they ended up practicing earnestly under the oil lamp.
Second Master patiently explained every detail to Hu Ma—how to throw a punch, how to channel energy, how to make the move more powerful when using a fist, and what to pay attention to when using a sword.
As one taught and the other learned, they didn't even notice when the sky began to lighten.
Hu Ma had already memorized all the key points Second Master had shared.
All that was left was for him to practice and refine them on his own.
Second Master, on the other hand, felt a bit reluctant to stop.
Only when he had nothing left to say did he finally let Hu Ma go.
"Even though my body feels cold, eating so much blood Tai Sui has given me a deeper fire energy than others."
Lying back in bed, Hu Ma continued to ponder.
"Once I master the moves Second Master taught me, won't I be able to help Granny?"
Though he knew deep down that Granny was only trying to save her grandson, and if she found out his true identity, she might not just withhold the Tai Sui—she might even turn against him.
But the thought of this elderly woman, toiling day after day in the old Yin Mountains to gather Tai Sui for him, made him feel uneasy.
He was living under her grandson's identity, enjoying the benefits, and it didn't sit right with him.
Besides, helping Granny was essentially helping himself, wasn't it?
Meanwhile, deep in the old Yin Mountains, under a large tree, Little Hong Tang was trembling as she recounted the trouble she had caused.
Granny sat by the bonfire, her expression shifting between light and shadow.
When she heard that Hu Ma had injured the Cui family's boy for disrespecting her, she remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she let out a soft sigh, patted Little Hong Tang's head, and murmured:
"He's always been so cautious before, but now he's done something so reckless. It seems he's starting to care for this old woman..."
(End of Chapter)