The Martial Lord of the Troubled World

Chapter 53 Zhengqi
The next morning, in the backyard of the Fu family.

Fu Juemin sat languidly in a rosewood armchair, next to an exquisite tea tray containing freshly brewed fragrant tea and a dish of seasonal fruit.

Xiao Huaihua stood behind him, intently massaging his shoulders.

After mastering the art of bone forging, Fu Juemin's physique became increasingly robust, with broad shoulders and a thick chest. The smooth muscle lines undulated subtly beneath his black satin training clothes.

He sat casually, yet naturally exuded a dignified and imposing air, like a tiger crouching and a dragon coiling.

His gaze fell on the field, where a man in a gray shirt was practicing swordsmanship. His moves were wide and sweeping, occasionally accompanied by the sound of something cutting through the air.

Fu Juemin casually rested one hand on the armrest of the round-backed chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest in sync with the knife movements of the man in the room.

"Why does young master suddenly want to learn swordsmanship?"

Cao Tianli stood beside Fu Juemin, also staring at the man in the arena.

"Since I'm just idling around anyway, it can't hurt to learn some new skills."

Fu Juemin glanced at Cao Tian, ​​thought for a moment, and said, "You should go to the shooting range to practice shooting when you have free time. Carry one with you whenever you go out; you never know when it might come in handy..."

Cao Tian seemed to have thought of something and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right."

Fu Juemin suddenly sighed softly and said, "I just remembered that you are also skilled in swordsmanship. If I had known, I would have chosen to learn directly from you instead of looking for someone from outside."

Cao Tian shook his head: "My swordsmanship is a low-class swordsmanship used by street ruffians who are brave and fierce. It is not suitable for you, young master, to practice."

"You also learned from the Black Shark Gang?"

Fu Juemin asked casually.

"That's not it."

Cao Tian hesitated for a moment before replying, "Before I was twelve, there was a blind and lame old man living next door to me. It's said that he used to work as a salt guild member in Guang Sheng Prefecture during the previous dynasty. I learned this sword technique from him using two live fish, and I've been using it ever since..."

Fu Juemin raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

He knew that the so-called "green robes" were equivalent to the red sticks of dock gangs, all of whom were top-notch thugs.

However, Guang Sheng Prefecture of the previous dynasty was much larger than the small Luanhe County, and the salt gang that Guang Sheng Prefecture still stands today is far superior to the Black Shark Gang.

To rise to the rank of a member of the Salt Gang, one must possess considerable skill. To exchange two live fish for a single, signature skill of the other party is undeniable; Cao Tian is truly a man of great fortune in martial arts.

Where is that old man now?

Fu Juemin couldn't help but press for more information.

Cao Tian replied, "I got drunk two years ago, lost my footing, fell into the river, and drowned."

"Pity."

Fu Juemin sighed with regret, then pointed to the man practicing his swordsmanship diligently below the stage and casually instructed Cao Tian, ​​"Go down and practice with him, but be careful not to overdo it."

"Yes."

Cao Tian knew that Fu Juemin wanted to see his swordsmanship, so he didn't say anything, just nodded, drew his short sword, and left the arena.

"Master Huang."

Fu Juemin clapped his hands and called out to the audience, "If you're bored playing alone, I'll find someone to keep you company."

Upon hearing this, the man wielding the sword immediately stopped, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and replied, "I will follow Young Master Fu's arrangements."

The man's name was Huang Fang. He was found by Fu Juemin from a martial arts school in the city. He was in his forties and his strength was average, barely at the Bone Forging stage, but he was quite skilled with the Bagua Saber.

The two quickly began to fight. Because Fu Juemin had instructed him beforehand, Cao Tian did not use his full strength. In addition, he was using a short knife, so for a time, he and the man were evenly matched.

Fu Juemin unconsciously sat up in his chair, staring intently at the two fighting below. He saw the majestic and powerful Bagua sword, and the ruthless and unpredictable street sword that Cao Tian used, which took an unorthodox approach.

What came to mind were the moves of the "Medicine Master's Pure Light Blade" that I had accidentally discovered in the "Medicine Master Sutra" last night.

Fu Juemin's sudden urge to learn swordsmanship was naturally for a specific purpose. Although he still admired firearms, he had no reason not to learn this divinely granted opportunity, especially since it was a technique that matched the "Medicine Master's Glazed Body."

Strictly speaking, the "Medicine Master's Pure Light Blade" is not a pure sword technique. The moves displayed in the light-changing layer of the Buddhist scripture, except for a few killing moves that require the use of a weapon to unleash their maximum power, can be performed with just a hand strike.

Fu Juemin's plan was to first lay a foundation in swordsmanship and gain a basic understanding of swordsmanship principles, then explore and master the basics of swordsmanship on his own, and leave the rest to Jia Dian.

That's why he didn't take the sword technique to Li Tong.

Before they knew it, the sparring match between Cao Tian and Huang Fang was nearing its end.

Cao Tian was, after all, a Blood Refining Realm martial artist, whose reaction and speed were far superior to Huang Fang's. The two exchanged blows for dozens of rounds before Cao Tian found a flaw in Huang Fang's moves and quickly placed his short knife against Huang Fang's neck.

"Master Huang did a great job!"

When the sparring session ended, Fu Juemin stood up and clapped his hands.

Huang Fang, however, was filled with shame and shook his head, unable to speak.

"Go and get Master Huang twenty silver dollars."

Fu Juemin casually gave instructions to his men, then said, "Master Huang, how about you come every morning to teach me knife skills for an hour, and pay me five silver dollars each time?"

Huang Fang looked up in astonishment, and after a moment, he stammered, "This...how can this be...I am inferior in skill, and I am truly unworthy of such praise."

Fu Juemin smiled and waved his hand, "We can't let Master Huang teach us for nothing."

"Then I, Huang, will accept your offer without hesitation."

Huang Fang bowed deeply to Fu Juemin with great emotion, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Fu."

These days, those who run martial arts schools in Luanhe are only slightly better off than those who perform street acrobatics.

Fu Juemin had already inquired about Huang Fang's martial arts school. He had a large family to support and was already so poor that they were barely able to make ends meet.

This job teaching swordsmanship was a godsend for Huang Fang, so there was no doubt that he would agree.

After their exchange, Fu Juemin could tell that Huang Fang was quite skilled in Bagua Dao (a type of Chinese sword), more than capable of being a beginner in swordsmanship for him.

Since he intends to bypass Li Tong in learning swordsmanship, he still needs someone by his side who can answer his questions at any time.

Huang Fang left happily after receiving his first tuition fee. Fu Juemin didn't rush to learn the "Pharmacist's Pure Light Blade" but instead pulled Cao Tian aside and asked him in detail about the training methods and secrets of the street knife technique he had learned from the Salt Gang's green robe.

The Medicine Master's Pure Light Saber is a Buddhist saber technique with orthodox moves, but because it uses hand sabers and Buddhist precept sabers, it is inherently "unusual".

One is orthodox, the other unorthodox; they happen to subtly align with the sword styles that Huang Fang and Cao Tian are skilled in. Fu Juemin plans to study both sword techniques simultaneously, which he believes will greatly help him get started with the "Pharmacist's Pure Light Sword."

Through question-and-answer sessions between Fu Juemin and Cao Tian, ​​and with Cao Tian's occasional demonstrations and explanations, Fu Juemin gradually gained a deeper understanding of the principles of swordsmanship, no longer having only a superficial understanding as before.

“If you want to start from scratch, I suggest you first learn from Huang Fang and practice his Bagua Saber thoroughly.”

Cao Tianzhong offered his honest advice: "You can use my unorthodox methods as a reference, but there's really no need to learn them."

"I see."

Fu Juemin nodded, then stood up, took off his training clothes, and casually greeted those around him.

"Five people came up to help me practice my skills."

The group of guards and sparring partners who had been standing by watching for a while immediately understood that their young master was preparing for his daily bone-forging training, and they quickly went to the weapon rack to get the clubs for hammering.

Unexpectedly, Fu Juemin suddenly added a sentence in a calm tone.

"No sticks today. Replace them all with iron rulers."

With the advancement of the Eight Extremes Bone Forging Technique to the Great Perfection stage, Fu Juemin's bone forging skills had also nearly reached perfection.

Right now is the time to prepare for the Blood Refinement stage.

(End of this chapter)