Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

The steam in the teahouse hadn't dissipated yet when Chen Yanzhou, clutching the book "The Great Song Dynasty Criminal Code," strolled out the door.

The streets were bustling with noise, but he was preoccupied with the wisp of qi he had just cultivated, and had no interest in strolling around. He turned and headed straight for the Han River outside the city.

The winter river wind was as hard as a whip, stinging my face.

Chen Yanzhou tightened his collar, just as he was about to find a sheltered spot under a willow tree to practice his skills, when he suddenly heard the sound of splashing on the river.

"Splash—"

The sound wasn't loud, but it had a peculiar rhythm.

Chen Yanzhou looked up.

In the middle of the river, a gray figure was coming across the waves. With a light touch of its toes on the undulating waves, like a dragonfly skimming the water, it used the momentum to rise several feet higher. Its sleeves fluttered, making it even more graceful than the water birds on the river.

In the blink of an eye, the figure had reached the shore.

Without slowing down, the man flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on the sand in front of Chen Yanzhou, without even raising a grain of sand.

It was none other than Hong Qigong.

The old beggar carried the jade dog-beating stick in his hand, his face bearing his signature lazy smile, though his eyes held a hint of guilt.

"Oh, isn't this my good master?" Chen Yanzhou crossed his arms and looked at him with a half-smile. "Haven't seen you for a while. Have you been training troops at the Dragon Palace? Coming in on the waves, what a magnificent sight."

Hong Qigong chuckled, tucked the Dog-Beating Stick into his waistband, and rubbed his hands together. "My good disciple, what are you saying? Your master was just... wasn't he just going to find some good stuff for you? Just now, that was... that was to test my lightness skill, afraid I'd become rusty."

"Really?" Chen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were afraid I'd find out you came back empty-handed, so you were hiding in some rat hole, too ashamed to show your face."

"Nonsense!" Hong Qigong retorted, his neck stiffening. Although his secret had been exposed, he now had the "goods" in his hands, so his confidence was considerable. "An old beggar, one of the Five Greats, would be intimidated by a mere brat like you? What a joke!"

Chen Yanzhou didn't banter with him. He stretched out a hand, palm up, and hooked his finger.

"If you're not hiding from debt collectors, then where is that thing?"

Hong Qigong cleared his throat, and his expression instantly became solemn and dignified, as if he were about to pull out the Imperial Seal of the State.

He slowly reached into his pocket, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out a crumpled, thin booklet.

"Take it!" Hong Qigong slammed the booklet into Chen Yanzhou's hand, his chin held high. "This is our Beggars' Sect's most treasured secret technique. If it were to spread, the entire martial arts world would be thrown into chaos and bloodshed. You're quite the lucky kid!"

Chen Yanzhou took the booklet with suspicion.

It felt warm to the touch and had a strange smell... a mixture of aged Shaoxing wine and roasted chicken fat.

On the cover, five large characters, resembling ink balls, immediately catch the eye—"Bai Na Gui Yuan Gong".

The handwriting...

How to put it? It's like a few drunken crabs crawling sideways and domineeringly out of the paper.

Chen Yanzhou's lips twitched slightly as he turned to the first page.

The characters inside were even more appalling, varying in size and crooked, with some places having ink so thick that it had bled into a black blotch, and others having broken strokes that looked like they had been rubbed out because they ran out of ink.

Most importantly, Chen Yanzhou reached out and touched it.

A speck of black stained my fingertips.

The ink isn't completely dry yet!

"Master," Chen Yanzhou held up the booklet, waving his ink-stained fingers in front of Hong Qigong's eyes, "this is your so-called 'secret weapon'? The ink's not even dry. Is your chest leaking?"

Hong Qigong blushed, his eyes darting towards the river: "Well... it's all for the sake of secrecy! It's usually passed down by word of mouth, but I thought you wanted to read the book, so... that's why I specially had it recorded."

"Did someone record it?" Chen Yanzhou pointed at the scrawled characters. "These characters are so ugly they're shocking. Apart from Grandpa Lu, I can't think of anyone else who could write such 'wild cursive'. And judging from the quality of the paper, it's clearly the cheap, two-cent paper you find on the street."

He closed the booklet, sighed, and looked at Hong Qigong with an expression that said, "I knew it."

"Old man, if you really forgot, just say so. It's no fun trying to fool me with some random piece of paper. I may be a child, but I'm not stupid."

"Who's trying to fool you!"

Hong Qigong grew anxious, snatched the booklet, and pointed to its contents: "The handwriting is a bit ugly, that's because Lu Youjiao, that uncultured bumpkin, is bad! But the contents here are real, hard-earned gold and silver! This old beggar guarantees with his reputation, this is absolutely top-tier internal energy cultivation techniques!"

Seeing his impatience, Chen Yanzhou became somewhat convinced, but still had some doubts: "I've been in the Beggars' Sect for so long, I've heard of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, and even the Lotus Flower Ballad. This 'Hundredfold Return to Origin Technique'... what kind of technique is it? How come I've never heard any of the brothers in the sect mention it?"

"When did you get it?" Chen Yanzhou stared into Hong Qigong's eyes, pressing him relentlessly.

Hong Qigong's eyes darted around, and he stammered.

"to be honest."

"……Just now."

The wind blew across the river, stirring up a few withered leaves.

Chen Yanzhou felt as if a flock of crows flew overhead.

He sighed dejectedly, turned to leave, and said, "Fine, that was just created. Are you using me as a guinea pig? I'd better go back to practicing my long fist. It'll be slower, but at least I won't go berserk and become an idiot."

"Hey! Don't go!"

Hong Qigong flashed and blocked Chen Yanzhou's path, looking anxious.

"You brat, how can you not know its value! What's wrong with what you just created? It was also created by the Five Greats! This is an imitation of the power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the agility of the Free and Unfettered Wanderer!"

Hong Qigong stuffed the booklet back into Chen Yanzhou's arms, his tone becoming unusually serious.

"One force, one gentleness; a perfect balance. You think it's easy? That old beggar almost leveled that hilltop just now because of this thing!"

Chen Yanzhou stopped and looked at the poorly presented booklet in his hand, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

Is the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Free and Easy Wandering style being combined?

If this is true, then it is indeed priceless.

"Really?" Chen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. "You didn't just pick it up from some street stall?"

"Nonsense! If this kind of stuff were available at a street stall, I, Hong Qigong, would change my name!"

Seeing that he was starting to waver, Hong Qigong immediately seized the opportunity and began to promote the wonders of this martial art.

"Listen carefully. The most distinctive feature of this 'Hundredfold Return to Origin Technique' can be summed up in two words—freedom!"

Hong Qigong paced back and forth on the sand, displaying the demeanor of a grandmaster.

"Ordinary internal martial arts emphasize sitting meditation and entering a state of deep concentration, without any distractions. If one's attention is even slightly diverted, it is easy to lose one's breath. But this martial art is different. It can be practiced while sitting quietly, or it can be practiced in motion. You learn by doing!"

"Internal energy flows naturally with your emotions. The more relaxed and playful you are, the longer and smoother your breath will be. On the contrary, if you are frowning and deliberately forcing it, your breath will become stagnant."

Chen Yanzhou listened, completely stunned.

Isn't this tailor-made for someone like him who can't sit still?

"And there's more!" Hong Qigong held up a finger and said mysteriously, "In this chapter, there's a unique secret called 'Nourishing Qi Through Food'."

"Using food to replenish qi?"

"That's right!" Hong Qigong patted his belly. "Everything in this world has spiritual energy, especially meat and fish. Ordinary people who eat it just gain weight. But this cultivation method has a special breathing technique combined with digestive guidance, which allows for the efficient absorption of the essence from food!"

Hong Qigong became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

"From now on, you can eat as much as you want! Ginseng, deer antler, roast chicken, braised pork hock—the more you eat, the more you replenish your qi and blood, and the faster your internal strength will increase! Even drinking heavily can temporarily boost your power!"

Chen Yanzhou's eyes lit up. This is so awesome!

"And what's more," Hong Qigong leaned closer, lowering his voice to tempt her, "when this technique is practiced to a high level, even while sleeping, your internal energy can naturally circulate throughout your body via your meridians. Although it's not as fast as active cultivation, it has the advantage of a steady, continuous flow, day and night."

Chen Yanzhou was completely shocked.

"Secondly, this technique doesn't require deep thought; rather, it demands unrestrained enjoyment," Hong Qigong concluded. "When you encounter obstacles in your practice, never get stuck on them. Instead, eat heartily, laugh freely, and at that moment of ultimate relaxation of body and mind, the bottleneck will break through on its own!"

After saying that, Hong Qigong looked at Chen Yanzhou triumphantly: "How about it? Don't say your master doesn't spoil you, kid. It took me half an hour to come up with this."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou's lips twitched. Half an hour?

However, he didn't think much of it and rubbed the rough booklet in his hand.

Although the handwriting is ugly, and the ink is not yet dry.

But who is Hong Qigong? He is the Northern Beggar who plays around in the mortal world and hates trouble the most.

He went to great lengths to integrate two great martial arts techniques for his disciple, taking into account his love of eating, playing, and his restless nature. He even considered unorthodox methods like "food therapy."

This sentiment is more precious than any secret manual in the imperial palace.

Chen Yanzhou raised his head and looked at the old man in front of him, who was dressed in tattered clothes and had an oily face.

Although he was usually quite unruly, at this moment, his messy white hair looked exceptionally warm in the winter sun.

"Old man," Chen Yanzhou sniffed, suppressing the sour feeling, and a smile appeared on his lips, "this was created especially for me, right?"

Hong Qigong felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and waved his hand haphazardly: "Go away, go away, don't flatter yourself. The old beggar just... just thought the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms were too cumbersome and wanted to try something different. Just something casual, nothing more."

After saying that, he abruptly changed the subject.

"Alright, stop dawdling. Now that you have it, get started practicing!"

Hong Qigong pointed to the open space next to him, his expression becoming slightly serious.

"This technique is wonderful, but it's the first time someone has practiced it. I just tried it myself, and the method is correct. However, since you are physically weak, the first time you practice it is crucial."

He walked behind Chen Yanzhou, placed one palm against Chen Yanzhou's back, and held a deep, warm internal force within him.

"Sit down and concentrate. I will protect you."

"Practice with confidence. With your master here, even if the King of Hell himself comes, he won't be able to touch a hair on your head."

Chen Yanzhou took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged.

Now that my master has paved the way, if I still can't make a name for myself, I'll really be letting down all his hard work.

He opened the booklet, the ink still wet, and his gaze fell on the first sentence of the general outline.

"His spirit soars above the clouds of the four seas, his steps sweep across the dust of the nine provinces..."

After reading it once, he followed the instructions in the booklet and began to guide the faint, newly generated Qi in his dantian to circulate through his meridians.