Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 14: From General to Prime Minister, Three in One

Chu Tianshu said that when he was learning boxing, he had never heard anyone explain these things in detail.

Shopkeeper Ma told him about it.

When people who practice boxing gain enlightenment, they allow their energy to deeply explore their physical body, bringing about training and growth effects beyond the normal level.

The aspect in which the effect is manifested first depends on one's intentions and the direction of one's hard work.

Firstly, the intention is "gathering". Water gathers into abysses, and sand gathers into mountains. The dynamic momentum is a magnificent sight.

The part of the human body that is most easily able to feel the momentum is not the blood, but the fascia and muscles. The strength of the muscles in one arm, the waist and back, and finally the whole body are gathered in one place. In this process of gathering, continuous training is carried out so that the body can bear this force without hurting itself.

Legend has it that the divine dragon is formed by the convergence of hundreds of beasts. When you reach the top of this road, you will feel as if a living dragon is wrapped around your body, stronger than tigers and oxen, and as swift as monkeys.

So it is called, dragon haunted!
Secondly, the intention is to "disperse". Human power is limited. It is unwise to gather flesh and blood to resist the hardness of metal and stone.

This path focuses on distributing external force to all parts of the body and sharing the responsibility, and the best part to guide the force is the bones.

Of all human endowments, bones are the most valuable. Once you have practiced to the point where even the slightest sound vibration can be transmitted throughout the body to dissolve it, even if you are hit by a war horse or crushed by an ox cart, you can use the force to escape and save your life. Your means of continuing the battle will be greatly increased.

After this path was achieved, it was originally called Guanyin Bone. In order to bring good luck, people who practiced boxing in ancient times changed one word.

It is called Guanyin bone!
Thirdly, the intention is "truth". Although muscles are tough and bones are strong, in order to grow, they still rely on the internal organs for metabolism, so the strength of the internal organs is the true strength.

Use the external aspects of the human body to explore the internal organs, open and close the seven orifices, pierce and press the acupuncture points, torture the meridians, and compress the blood circulation, even if it means temporary damage to the muscles and bones, in exchange for exercising the internal organs.

If you can blaze a trail along this path, you can recover from injuries and fatigue without taking any medicine. You can eat half a cow's worth of food a day, or not eat for half a month. You can calm your mind and breathe like a turtle underwater, and go three days and four nights without sleeping, and still feel at ease and energetic.

Even if he was unfamiliar with plants, birds and animals, he could tell whether they were poisonous or not after eating them. He lived by drinking dew, just like an immortal.

Therefore, it is said that food is the immortal!
If someone can walk through all three paths, combining them into one, he or she will be able to touch a vague barrier, break through the barrier, and take one step further.

Qi and blood are like a stove, harmonizing all flavors and turning decay into magic.

Man is like the Kitchen God, dominating all the bones and able to reach the sky on the hot smoke.

Those in ancient times who could reach this level seemed to be no longer human. They were admired by everyone and dared to be called gods.

His name is Wu Zao Shen!

"Three in one, martial arts can create gods."

Shopkeeper Ma's eyes lit up as he spoke, "Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, let's not even mention the era of those mythical legends. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, all three paths have been successfully pursued. To be considered a martial artist is to be called a god. This has always been the highest aspiration of martial artists throughout the world."

Chu Tianshu pondered secretly.

Haunted by a dragon, with the bones of Guanyin, eating for immortality, and fighting the Kitchen God!
The saying about a boxer's enlightenment is similar to that in my hometown, but the subsequent evolution of martial arts is different.

These four names alone are full of profound meaning. I'm afraid that each word has been carefully considered and indicates the key points of the corresponding path.

He then asked, "What is the meaning of this phrase, 'becoming a general and becoming a prime minister'?"

Shopkeeper Ma said, "It's just a common saying. Maybe they made it into eight characters to make it easier to pronounce."

"Some say becoming a general or a prime minister means that as long as one succeeds in a certain path, one will have the opportunity to be promoted to a marquis or a general. The battles on the battlefield and the extravagance of high office are also conducive to martial arts training, so it's the best of both worlds."

"There's also a saying that the three paths of martial arts training are all like enduring a great fire, tossing and turning repeatedly, requiring strength, dominance, courage, and decisiveness, just like the way of a military commander."

"But to break through the final barrier, one must rise from a general to a prime minister, from a military commander to a chancellor. One must remain unmoved by the eight winds, maintain good health, observe fire with a cold eye, and be extremely cautious."

Chu Tianshu nodded.

There are too many schools of thought in his hometown, and no one has a consensus on the division of realms.

It is said that in the old society, there was a vague concept of first-rate and second-rate people, just like the letter grades used by foreigners. It has nothing to do with the level of cultivation and depends purely on actual performance.

And in this world, there is actually a recognized state called "three-in-one body".

Perhaps it was only after experiencing the glorious era when martial arts dominated that it was possible to summarize and pass it down.

Although other parts of the human body will benefit to some extent when one part of the body becomes strong, the boxing style of this world has developed to the point where different styles of boxing focus on different paths and have distinct characteristics.

A kind of boxing that focuses on only one path, with undivided attention, to the extreme.

If you can really find a way to succeed, then just find another set of boxing to practice.

Chu Tianshu's "Gluttony Tongbei Fist" is not easy to classify here.

It has the effect of training the internal organs, but it only trains the stomach and intestines. It has the effect of training the muscles, but it only focuses on the limbs.

"If you have to say, my boxing style is indeed more inclined towards... the dragon-entangled style."

Chu Tianshu drew his sword completely from its sheath and shook a small sword flower in the air.

"Besides, my boxing skills already include sword techniques. It seems that this sword and I are quite compatible."

Shopkeeper Ma started to chase people away: "Alright, alright, stop practicing swordplay in my room. I have a lot to do. Go and get some rest."

Chu Tianshu was indeed exhausted today, so he returned to his room with his sword.

Shopkeeper Ma sorted out the talisman paper, cinnabar, and brushes on the table, walked into the lobby of the front building, held the inkstone in his left hand, licked the brush with his right hand, and drew talismans on the body of the man in black.

Draw the forehead and point to the center of the eyebrows, then divide it into the two cheeks and the left and right mountains, skipping the neck and drawing the chest, the evil way is dim and unaware of the cold...

The pen lifted the front of the black-clad man's clothes, leaving scarlet marks on his dark and thin skin.

Unfortunately, magic can deceive magic, but it cannot deceive other people's minds from a distance.

Even if the bandits didn't know that the leopard cat warrior was dead, they would have known something was wrong if they saw him not return for two or three days.

Judging from the habits of the evil bandits in Jiaozhi, they will most likely choose to charge head-on.

That's when the town is put to the test.

"It's a pity that Old Zhong is not here." After drawing the talisman on the corpse, Shopkeeper Ma sat down at the table and looked at the backyard. He remembered that when he was young, he and his good brothers had fought against such bandits.

Ma Zhengwu and Zhong Jinqiu, using talismans and magic, charging with spears, how full of vigor and vitality.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, both of them had grown old.

He did not become a high-ranking official or inn owner as he wished. He just stayed in the inn and read newspapers, and did not use talismans or calligraphy for several years. His wife and children returned to the earth, and he lazily taught some militia.

"I thought my later years would still be uneasy. I never thought I would meet such an interesting guy."

Shopkeeper Ma pondered, "If someone who has mastered the art of magic can successfully practice martial arts, will their boxing skills improve so quickly at the beginning?"

"It shouldn't be just that...it's that he is naturally more suited to boxing."

"Tsk, why couldn't I cross that threshold back then?"

Shopkeeper Ma complained a little as he began to fold paper cranes.

With a flick of the finger, a paper crane was folded in just two or three blinks of an eye.

Shopkeeper Ma picked up a brush and painted the eyes on the paper crane, then took out a thumb-sized locust wood bottle and removed the cork.

A small amount of light brown smoke, as if with a certain weight, flowed out of the bottle and merged into the paper crane.

Shopkeeper Ma quickly covered the paper crane with his hands, muttered something, and carefully blew into it.

When he separated his hands, there was a little sparrow with brown feathers on the table.

The sparrow looked around nimbly, jumped into the palm of Shopkeeper Ma's hand, and pecked his thumb.

"I'm sorry to bother you again. I'll let your friends out later. For the next two days, you'll be responsible for keeping an eye on the west."

Shopkeeper Ma smiled and touched the little sparrow, then turned around and sent it out, and the sparrow flew out of the restaurant.

He studied the "Fire Bird Taoist" branch of Maoshan magic, which is divided into two parts: fire and bird. Although he had never been to Maoshan in his life, he was familiar with the various tricks of using fire to cast spells and the means of nurturing the spirits of birds.

These sparrows were all raised by him in the past.

After the bird dies, one can use locust wood to contain its soul and often nourish it with one's own mental power. The sparrow spirit obtained in this way is full of spiritual energy and peaceful in nature. It attaches to the shape folded by the talisman paper and does not even emit a trace of negative energy.

Although not aggressive, this sparrow can fly and survey even during the day as long as it is not noon.

Even if spellcasters from other sects catch a glimpse of it, it is difficult for them to see through it.

Shopkeeper Ma started to fold the second piece of paper.

The moonlight outside the door shifts bit by bit.

When Chu Tianshu got up the next day, he went to the kitchen but didn't see anyone. He drank two large buckets of water, walked across the courtyard, and saw the shopkeeper Ma still in the lobby.

The old man lay on his side, his elbows on the table, his fists against his head, and fell asleep.

No one knew where the leopard cat warrior's body was placed. On the table were only ten thumb-sized locust wood bottles, a dried brush and an inkstone.

Chu Tianshu did not disturb him. He went around to the door and saw that there was a wooden board with a white towel nailed to it at the door, which meant that the business was temporarily closed.

No wonder the guys didn't come today.

So where should I have breakfast?
Chu Tianshu looked out at the street. At this time in the past, some vendors who came early would have set up their stalls, but today there was not a single one.

A few familiar people came out from the small road diagonally across the street.

Meng Shuangjiang brought four bodyguards with him. Each of them held a knife in his hand, and one of them had a gun on his back. They were very alert. Only Young Master Meng was carrying a half-sized sack on his back.

"Ha, Brother Chu, I knew you..."

"Shh!"

Chu Tianshu motioned for him to speak in a low voice.

Meng Shuangjiang understood, took a look into the restaurant, and put the sack down directly on the steps in front of the building.

"The guards assigned to each household, plus the original militia, total over seventy people. Everyone in town was notified last night. I don't think many shops will be willing to open in the next few days."

Meng Shuangjiang whispered, "But the food at my house is also good. Look at what I sent you."

Inside the sack were oil paper bags tied with thin hemp ropes, and the aroma of animal oil filled the air.

Chu Tianshu picked up a bag, but it didn't feel like meat. When he opened it, he saw that it was a bag of green broad beans.

He ate it too.

"I heard that the robbers this time are not ordinary. I am a little scared when I go out."

Meng Shuangjiang muttered, "Brother Chu, don't go so far out of town to practice martial arts alone. Come to my house for your three meals from now on. I guarantee that your stomach will be full..."

Although these words conveyed a sense of intimacy, they also sounded a bit nagging, which was different from Meng Shuangjiang's usual sense of propriety.

Chu Tianshu noticed that the fat old man frowned unconsciously and looked a little nervous.

The pressure from the Jiaozhi bandits has already been reflected in him.

"Don't worry, I won't leave town these two days. I'll just walk around town."

As Chu Tianshu was speaking, he saw a group of people coming out from another small path.

Not as familiar as Meng Shuangjiang, but I just met him last night.

Wang Fu brought people over to look for him.

(End of this chapter)