The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu, Who Defied Fate

Upon arriving at Mao'er Hutong, He Yuzhu paid the fare and then helped Li Cunren open the gate.

Upon entering the room, He Yuzhu noticed it was quite dusty. He tidied up the stools and tables and then had Li Cunren sit down first.

I cleaned the room myself, and after more than an hour, I finally finished cleaning it.

He Yuzhu was about to clean the other rooms when Li Cunren stopped him:

"Pillar, wait, don't clean up yet, I have something to tell you!"

He Yuzhu stood respectfully before Li Cunren, who said:

"I have been passionate about martial arts all my life. I have never started a family, and after the war, I don't even know if my other family members are still alive."

My parents passed away a long time ago. I am the eldest child in my family. Because we were poor at the time, I became an apprentice to learn a trade.

There are four brothers in the family: Li Cunyi, Li Cunli, Li Cunzhi, and Li Cunxin.

If you happen to meet them, great; if not, you won't. They had already lost contact during the Republic of China era.

This is a token of my Li family's trust!

After saying that, he took out a jade pendant from his bosom. The jade pendant was a black and white double fish.

It's obviously expensive; whether it's black jade or white jade, there isn't a single impurity.

Moreover, it wasn't pieced together, but formed naturally.

The black is pitch black, and the white is snow white.

If placed in later generations, it would certainly be considered a work of art, not genuine jade.

But in this day and age, there is simply no way to do that.

He Yuzhu shouted anxiously:

"Master!"

Li Cunren waved his hand and then said:

"I know my own body best. No matter what, I am a peak-level expert in internal energy transformation."

I know your physical condition better than you do. It's just not flaring up yet; if the internal injuries flare up, you could die at any moment!

He Yuzhu said:

“Master, please don’t say that. Even though you no longer have martial arts skills, you shouldn’t think about it so much.”

I will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die!

Hearing He Yuzhu's words, Li Cunren smiled and shook his head:

“Silly boy, if I cared about taking care of my parents in their old age, I wouldn’t have spent my whole life practicing martial arts, never taking on any disciples, and never getting married.”

I don't care about those things at all; what I care about is my martial arts.

This failure is because there are still things I can't let go of: the tokens of my Li family and the legacy I've inherited over the years.

Our lineage is called the Natural School, and we have a long history of transmission.

My senior brother, Li Shuwen, hadn't even finished learning the basics when he found his own path in martial arts.

That's how I became a disciple of my master, and although I learned the entire lineage of the sect.

However, we still haven't mastered the most core teachings of our school.

As for my senior brother, he didn't learn anything and went to find his own path in martial arts.

This time, he embraced the elixir because he had promised his master to pass on the legacy of the Natural School.

Unable to find a successor, I became anxious to achieve the elixir of immortality, and thus failed due to the interference of my inner demons.

Perhaps my master guided me in the dark, and that's how I found you.

Go back and tell your master that you'll stay with me for the next few days, and I'll pass on our sect's techniques and traditions to you.

Then I used a secret method to start over; I wasn't satisfied until I achieved the elixir.

Even if I die, I want to die on the path of pursuing martial arts, so that I can live a life of leisure and waiting to die like an ordinary person.

Even if I lived for a thousand years, I wouldn't feel it was worth it.

You'll understand after you've completed your cultivation!

He Yuzhu bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Master!"

Li Cunren said:

"Don't be so wishy-washy. Go back and ask for leave, then come to my place. I'll test your cooking skills then."

As a martial artist, don't be indecisive!

He Yuzhu asked:

“Master, I have a younger sister. Can you bring her with you? My mother passed away a few years ago, and my father found a widow and abandoned my siblings and me.”

Now my sister and I depend on each other for survival!

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Li Cunren was surprised to learn that He Yuzhu's life was also so miserable.

Then nodded:

"Go ahead, I happen to have Master Ye's Wing Chun lineage here. You can pass it on to your sister, it'll be good for her self-defense!"

Upon hearing Li Cunren's words, He Yuzhu bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Master!"

Then he ran out.

Looking at the energetic He Yuzhu, Li Cunren noticed the black and white jade pendant on the table.

I'll keep it and give it to He Yuzhu later.

Then he said to himself:

“Master, I have found the successor of the Natural School. No matter what he is like, I will pass on all the traditions of the Natural School to him.”

That way I can wholeheartedly pursue my path of martial arts!

After speaking, he unleashed a powerful burst of martial arts essence.

.

Chapter Eight: Encountering Yan Bugui

He Yuzhu was unaware of this, and at this moment, He Yuzhu walked towards the Hongbinlou restaurant.

You should know that Mao'er Hutong Daohongbinlou is right next to Nanluoguxiang.

Just as He Yuzhu was on his way, he ran into Yan Bugui, who called out:

"Stupid column!"

Upon hearing this address, He Yuzhu knew it referred to a courtyard house, but he pretended not to hear it.

Walking briskly forward, Yan Bugui quickly ran over and patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder:

"Hey, you silly Zhu, didn't you hear me?"

He Yuzhu pretended to be taken aback for a moment, then said:

"Uncle, I'm so used to being called Zhu Zi that I didn't even realize I was called Sha Zhu."

No, Uncle San, it's fine if people call me Sha Zhu, it's because they have no manners.

Your third uncle is a teacher, so why do you call me "Silly Zhu" like everyone else?

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui thought, "Hey, this 'Silly Zhu' isn't stupid at all; he's insulting me for being ill-mannered."

However, Yan Bugui knew that this was his fault and had nothing to do with He Yuzhu, after all, the name "Silly Zhu" was indeed unpleasant to hear.

Yan Bugui also dared to act and take responsibility:

"Okay, okay, I was wrong, Zhu Zi. I just wasn't paying attention. I'll be more careful next time."

"You've chosen a courtyard house this time?"

He Yuzhu shook his head:

"No, I just came out to take care of some business. I'm heading back now that I'm done."

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Yan Bugui said:

"Oh, I see. Right, are you going back to that courtyard house?"

He Yuzhu nodded:

"Go back, of course I'll go back. That's my home. Yu and I only have that one home now. We have no choice but to live under someone else's roof."

Once I've mastered a skill, I'll be able to find a job. Then I'll have a home and a job, and I'll be able to support Yu, right?"

He Yuzhu naturally knew what Yan Bugui was up to; he was after Yan's house.

However, He Yuzhu spoke bluntly, and it's important to understand that as time goes on...