touchnovel Chapter 2.1 Proof of Perpetual Reliability
Chapter 2.1 Proof of Perpetual Reliability
Qin Shuang's physique has actually improved considerably after the guidance technique.
But this exercise was indeed remarkably effective in building a foundation and developing strength. He had only stood for less than a hundred breaths when he felt sore all over, his body swayed, and his legs trembled violently. The sweat on his back had almost soaked through his clothes, dripping onto the rammed earth and leaving several dark spots.
"Alright, get down now."
Seeing that Qin Shuang could no longer hold on, Liu Quan finally spoke up.
Qin Shuang let out a long breath, her legs went weak and she almost sat down on the ground.
"Being able to hold out for a hundred breaths is quite good."
However, you were agitated and your mind was not steady just now.
Standing meditation is about practicing the stance, but it's also about cultivating the mind.
Focus your mind on your dantian (lower abdomen), and your qi will naturally sink.
Just like lighting a lamp, the flame must not flicker.
Liu Quan nodded first, then began to lecture him.
"Yes, Master."
Qin Shuang seemed to understand something, stretched her body, and prepared to stand up again.
"No rush. Standing meditation is a gradual process. You can practice it once in the morning and once in the evening every day."
Seeing this, Liu Quan waved his hand and said, "Go wash your face first, then eat."
Lunch was hearty: a plate of stir-fried winter melon, a bowl of stewed tofu with pickled vegetables, and a small dish of thinly sliced cured meat.
Aunt Zhou's cooking skills are quite good; the saltiness is just right, and the cured meat is sliced so thinly that it's translucent and has a savory and fragrant flavor.
Qin Shuang was starving and ate two bowls of rice before putting down her chopsticks.
Zhou Wan looked satisfied and asked with a smile, "You were standing for a while, were you sore?"
"acid!"
Qin Shuang nodded honestly.
You'll get used to it.
Many people would love to endure this hardship but never have the chance.
Your master is incredibly skilled.
Zhou Wan said with a smile.
"Aunt Zhou, I know. Back in Huangyan Village, someone said they sent their son over, but the master sent him back."
Qin Shuang quickly replied.
"Old Zhou's son is lacking in intelligence and even more timid. What good would we do with him?"
Liu Quan explained, eating slowly, while talking to Qin Shuang: "This afternoon, you can familiarize yourself with the yard first. Hu Zi should come while I'm gone."
"You all get to know each other, and you should look out for each other as fellow disciples in the future."
"Tiger? Second Senior Brother?"
"right.
His surname is Liu, and his given name is Hu. He's three years older than you. His family has many children, and they were afraid they couldn't afford to raise them all, so they sent him to live with me. He's been with me for five or six years now.
Liu Quan picked up a piece of tofu, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "He's an honest man, but he's not very bright. It takes three to five times of being taught something for him to remember it. However, he's kind-hearted and a good person."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard, followed by a boy bursting in through the door.
"Master! I heard you got a big job this morning."
The person who came looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a round face, wide mouth, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and tanned skin. He was wearing a patched coarse cloth short brown shirt with the trousers rolled up to his knees, and his calves were covered in mud.
He started yelling as soon as he entered the door, his voice so loud that it could be heard outside the courtyard wall.
Liu Quan glared at him: "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket! Your junior brother is still eating."
Liu Hu then noticed Qin Shuang sitting at the table, paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Junior brother? Master, you've taken on another disciple?"
"Great! Now I'll have company."
"Second Senior Brother."
Qin Shuang stood up and gave a proper bow.
"No, no, no, don't call me senior brother, just call me Brother Tiger."
Liu Hu scratched the back of his head and laughed even harder. "I arrived a few years earlier than you, and I haven't even learned the basics of Master's skills yet."
"Come on, sit down and eat, don't mind me."
Liu Quan looked at his two apprentices, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, but his face remained expressionless: "Alright, Tiger, this afternoon you take your junior brother to practice stance training and correct his posture."
I'm going to town; I'll be back before dark.
"Master, don't worry, I've got it covered."
Liu Hu patted his chest and guaranteed it.
Liu Quan quickly packed his things, put a cloth bag in his pocket, and went out.
Aunt Zhou tidied up the dishes and left the house, leaving only Qin Shuang and Liu Hu in the courtyard.
Liu Hu circled Qin Shuang twice, looked her up and down, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Junior brother, you're too thin. A gust of wind could blow you over."
You have to practice, you have to practice hard.
"Please enlighten me, senior brother."
Qin Shuang wasn't annoyed and nodded earnestly.
"Come on, stand up first and let me see." Liu Hu took two steps back and put his hands on his hips.
Qin Shuang took a deep breath and, following the instructions her master had given her that morning, spread her feet shoulder-width apart, bent her knees and hugged herself, pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and focused her spine.
Liu Hu looked around and gently patted his waist: "Turn the coccyx forward another half inch, yes, just like that."
"Junior brother, your posture is much better than mine was back then. On my first day, Master circled me more than a dozen times, correcting me for almost half an hour."
Qin Shuang smiled, knowing that the two couldn't really be compared, since they were of different ages and had different levels of experience when they were learning.
"Stand firm, let me explain this stance training to you first."
Liu Hu cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "The Six Yang Stance is divided into three levels: Embracing the Origin, Guarding the One, and Returning to Truth. What you are standing in now is the Embracing the Origin Stance, which is the most basic."
You need to develop a strong will to even begin to understand it.
Once you have enough strength, you can start practicing guarding a stance.
This practice of guarding a single stance trains the muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, and the more you practice, the better your body becomes.
However, the truly powerful stance is Guizhen Zhuang, which allows energy to circulate throughout the body and strengthen the internal organs.
My master said that once you reach that point, you can truly go toe-to-toe with zombies.
"Embrace the origin, guard the one, return to the true nature?"
Qin Shuang's heart stirred, and she couldn't help but ask curiously, "So, Senior Brother, which stance have you progressed to?"
Liu Hu scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "My master said I'm stupid. It took me three years to get to guard a single position."
We're still building up our strength; we're a long way from reaching the true state of being.
Qin Shuang's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.
I now understand that the Six Yang Stance Technique is not simple.
More importantly, it can actually be used to refine things.
So he became even more serious.
He spent the entire afternoon standing in the courtyard practicing his stance.
Although he practiced intermittently, he always persevered.
"Your legs are tense, relax them for a bit."
"Shoulders down, stop shrugging."
"Keep your tongue pressed against the ground, don't let it fall down."
Compared to Liu Quan, Liu Hu's corrections were more detailed and more verbose.
Qin Shuang listened attentively and made careful adjustments to every part. He clearly felt that, under Liu Hu's corrections, the stance training, which originally only had a sore feeling, gradually gained a subtle sense of "connection".
It felt like something was moving up my legs, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but it was definitely there.
Another noteworthy point is that he actually remembers many of the movements after being given some pointers, and knows how to adjust and improve them.
It's as if they have a photographic memory; they almost never repeat the mistakes they've made.
After just one afternoon of standing meditation, he was indeed sore, which is why his movements became misaligned and somewhat deformed.
This means the brain has remembered it, but the body hasn't.
"Perhaps this is due to the attribute panel?"
A certificate for life? Never to be forgotten?
Qin Shuang noticed this and couldn't help but mutter to herself.