touchnovel Chapter 36 Martial Arts Masters of the Prefectural City
Chapter 36 Martial Arts Masters of the Prefectural City
"If I want to learn the Hard Bone Kung Fu, how much does it cost?" Zhao An asked.
"Ten taels of silver for the apprenticeship ceremony," Tang Niu replied. He could tell that Zhao An's trip was motivated by interest in his Hard Bone Kung Fu.
He accepted all comers as long as they paid him.
Without wasting any words, Zhao An took out ten taels of silver and placed them on the stone table.
"I don't intend to become an apprentice; I only wish to borrow this manual for three days and promise not to pass it on to anyone else. Is that alright?" Zhao An suggested.
"Just look at martial arts manuals?" Tang Niu was taken aback.
"Are you serious? What's the use of that? The manual is static, but people are dynamic. You can't possibly understand the technique just by practicing with the manual."
No decent person would bother with a secret manual and ponder it aimlessly; that would be a waste of time.
If martial arts were so easy to learn, martial arts masters would be everywhere, and there would be martial arts practitioners all over the place...
Tang Niu couldn't quite figure out Zhao An's intentions, but he could tell that Zhao An was serious.
He then went into the house and came out with a handwritten copy of the Hard Bone Kung Fu manual.
"Let's make this clear first, this is a cash transaction. If you don't understand how to practice it later, I won't refund the money." After handing over the manual and receiving the money, Tang Niu didn't forget to remind her.
"certainly."
After obtaining the martial arts manual he wanted, Zhao An then visited the Huang Family Martial Arts Academy.
He took the Gale Palm manual in the same way, and also had a friendly sparring session with Master Huang from the martial arts academy.
The Gale Palm was indeed skillful, but it was still no match for his Silver Snake Hand. In fact, even Master Huang couldn't last ten rounds against him.
Finally, he went to Zheng's Martial Arts Academy.
Although Master Zheng is quite old and still in relatively good health, he looks like he's long past his prime.
When Zhao An requested a sparring match, the master craftsman politely declined.
However, he readily agreed to let Zhao An borrow his Kaishan Fist, and even refused to accept any money, assuming that Zhao An had come because he admired it and wanted to learn the fist technique.
"Shen Pan, why don't you spar with Brother Zhao on my behalf?" Master Zheng, with his white beard, beckoned to the young man standing in the corner of the courtyard.
"..." Shen Pan had no choice but to walk over.
"Brother Zhao, don't think that my disciple is just being perfunctory because he is young. He is now a genuine martial arts master and has already inherited some of my skills. Today, I would like to trouble you to give him some pointers."
Teacher Zheng smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his smile.
He was clearly quite satisfied and proud to have cultivated such a talented young man as Shen Pan in his later years.
"Alright." Zhao An's gaze fell on Shen Pan.
His main goal was to see the power of this Mountain-Opening Fist, regardless of who he fought.
When Shen Pan saw Zhao An's gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine.
He witnessed the massacre firsthand when Zhao An wiped out the Tiger Head Gang.
If we're talking about who understands Zhao An's strength best right now, it has to be him.
Seeing Zhao An again today, the scene of that night filled with corpses and bloodshed seemed to reappear before my eyes.
It was supposed to be a simple sparring match, but it made him increasingly nervous.
"Please," Zhao An said.
"Please..." Shen Pan took a deep breath, listening to the cheers of his fellow disciples around him, and finally got into a fighting stance.
Then, he suddenly strode closer and threw a punch.
With the force attached, this punch was quite powerful.
But Zhao An simply stood still and raised his palm, easily catching Shen Pan's punch.
With a casual grab and a flick of the wrist, Shen Pan flew several meters away.
Shen Pan knew he was no match for Zhao An, but seeing that Zhao An had already shown mercy, he gritted his teeth and continued to use the boxing techniques he had learned.
About fifteen minutes later.
Zhao An calmly left the martial arts academy.
In the martial arts academy, not only Shen Pan, but also many other disciples collapsed to the ground, some lying down, some sprawled out, watching Zhao An leave.
Originally, Shen Pan alone was not enough to satisfy Zhao An, so a group of disciples joined in.
As a result, with this group of people gathered together, Zhao An only broke out in a sweat.
"Although you have lost today, do not be discouraged. You are still young and have unlimited potential in the future." Master Zheng approached and said to Shen Pan seriously.
"From this day forward, I will take you as my last disciple. I will teach you everything about the Mountain Opening Fist. And if you ever go to the prefectural city in the future, I will also provide you with a path..."
......
On the official road, the carriages and horses bumped and jolted.
A cavalry unit led the way, followed by a hundred armored soldiers with swords.
These soldiers were all clad in fine armor and armed with excellent swords, their spirits high and their aura fierce and powerful.
In the center is a large, heavy wooden cart, pulled by two strong horses.
The large cart was surrounded by many martial arts practitioners who were on guard against ambushes or hidden arrows.
"Sir, Lianjiang City is just ahead," a guard suddenly said.
"Speed up, get into the city as soon as possible," a righteous voice drifted from inside the carriage.
"Yes."
Soon, the troops approached the city walls, but were stopped and blocked.
"Halt! The entire city is on high alert. Who are you? State your identities!" a county sergeant shouted.
At the same time, a group of archers on the city wall had already taken their positions, nocked their arrows, and locked onto the arriving armed force.
"You're all blind!"
"My master has been transferred from the prefectural city to take charge of this place. How dare you point arrows at me!" One of the guards shouted angrily upon seeing this display of force.
"We have not received any orders and have no idea that a new magistrate has arrived. Could you be bandits in disguise?" The county garrison commander, mounted on his horse, did not relax his vigilance at all.
The saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy."
Speaking of military equipment, the bandits also had a well-equipped cavalry army. Moreover, the bandits had previously used a strategy to infiltrate the city with a group of people in advance. When the time was right, they coordinated with the outsiders, which led to the fall of the city and the death of the county magistrate that night!
Therefore, nowadays, there are multiple layers of security at the city gates to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
"Go and announce it immediately, and have your county magistrate and county constable come out to see me!" The voice from inside the carriage came out again, with a hint of force.
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than several sharp arrows suddenly shot out from the city wall, their arrows aimed directly at the carriage.
"Damn it!" A handsome guard standing beside the carriage suddenly sprang into action, leaping into the air from his horse and catching the arrows mid-air with a flick of his spear.
This commotion also caused tensions to rise between the two sides.
Without stopping, the guard lightly stepped on his horse and leaped two or three zhang high, over a pile of spears belonging to the county soldiers, and captured the county soldier captain on horseback on the spot!
It should be noted that the captain was also a skilled warrior, but he had no chance of resisting this guard.
Several guards flew past and headed straight for the city wall.
During their charge, they threw their spears and planted them in the middle of the city wall, then leaped up and in the blink of an eye scaled the top of the wall, capturing the archer as well.
The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.
The county soldiers at the city gate stood there dumbfounded, completely unaware of what had happened.
Now they were somewhat convinced that the people in front of them were all from the prefectural city.
Only the martial artists of the prefectural city possess such extraordinary skills!