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

Chen Yanzhou's mouth was stuffed full, and his cheeks were bulging like a hamster's.

The aroma of braised beef exploded on the tip of the tongue, sliding down the throat into the stomach, finally suppressing some of the feeling of emptiness that threatened to devour one.

He swallowed the last bite of meat, wiped his greasy mouth, and stared at Hong Qigong with a resentful look in his eyes.

"Old man, we have no grudges or enemies, so is this 'Hundredfold Return to Origin Technique' really not a 'Guide to a Quick Death'?"

Chen Yanzhou grabbed the wine bowl and took a swig. He felt warm all over, but the soreness and weakness from being skinned alive still lingered in his bones.

"If I had practiced for another half an hour, I probably would have seen my great-grandmother waving at me by now. If you had arrived a moment later, this pork knuckle on the table would have been my offering."

Hong Qigong, holding a bamboo toothpick in his hand, glared at him irritably, then casually tossed a piece of cartilage into his mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound.

"Pah! You're getting a good deal and then acting innocent."

The old beggar leaned back in his armchair, his lazy demeanor hardly befitting a master of the Five Arts; he looked more like a well-fed and content old landlord.

"You know that's internal energy cultivation? The so-called refining of essence into qi—where does this 'qi' come from? It's extracted from the essence and qi within your own flesh and blood!"

Hong Qigong tapped Chen Yanzhou's shriveled chest with his oil-splattered fingers.

"You think this is external martial arts, where you can just take a nap when you're tired? External martial arts are about toughening your bones and muscles, at most it's just skin and flesh that suffers. Internal martial arts cultivate a breath of innate true energy. Your body is already like a sieve, with hardly any energy, yet you dare to recklessly push your mental techniques."

"It's like burning oil for a lamp. You've polished the wick quite brightly, but haven't you considered how many drops of oil are left in the lamp holder? Once the oil runs out, what will you burn next? Your life!"

Chen Yanzhou was stunned for a moment, and the hand that was reaching for the roast chicken stopped in mid-air.

"Then why were you fine when you practiced the Hun Tian Gong before?"

"Nonsense!" Hong Qigong rolled his eyes. "The Hun Tian Gong is a clumsy skill for building a foundation. It works on the skin and flesh and consumes physical strength. Back then, you didn't even have any Qi sensation. You were just an empty shell. You can make up for it with a couple of good meals."

"Things are different now. Now that you have internal energy, this thing is a bottomless pit. The more you practice, the more fiercely it drains your life essence. If the old beggar hadn't pulled you back just now, you'd be a dried-up corpse right now, floating away in the wind."

A chill ran down Chen Yanzhou's spine.

So you were just dancing on the verge of death, and you still think the music wasn't loud enough?

He awkwardly put down the roast chicken, a wave of fear washing over him. In his past life, he was just a 996 office worker, completely ignorant of the intricacies of martial arts. He simply believed that hard work pays off, but little did he know that hard work almost made up for his own shortcomings and killed him.

"Then... then I'll have to be more careful in the future?" Chen Yanzhou asked tentatively.

"Nonsense!" Hong Qigong glared. "You can't get fat in one bite. Martial arts training is about slow and steady progress. You have a good character, but you need to correct this greedy and impulsive habit. From now on, you can't train for more than two hours a day. The rest of the time, you should eat, sleep, and fatten up!"

Chen Yanzhou nodded repeatedly, as if those words were etched into his mind.

Life is only once. I haven't had enough of the dazzling world of the Song Dynasty yet, and the Beggars' Sect's commercial empire hasn't been built up. If I die from practicing martial arts, that would be the biggest joke in the transmigration world.

Suddenly, he paused, looking at his hands with suspicion.

Although the feeling of being half-dead when I woke up was still there, it was clearly fading quickly, and the warm current in my dantian was continuously nourishing my body.

"That's not right."

Chen Yanzhou frowned. "According to you, I was just depleted of qi and blood, so how come I was able to get up and grab meat to eat in such a short time? Even if I have extraordinary talent, I shouldn't be able to recover my qi and blood this quickly, right?"

Logically speaking, someone with severe qi and blood deficiency should stay in bed for at least ten days to half a month, drinking millet porridge to nourish themselves.

Unlike now, apart from being a little weak, I have an unusually high level of energy.

"laugh--"

Lu Youjiao, who hadn't said a word until now, couldn't help but laugh out loud and put the empty wine jar on the ground.

"My little darling, do you think you're made of iron?"

Lu Youjiao pointed to the empty bowl on the table, which still had some medicine residue, and then pointed to Hong Qigong.

"You think that bowl of soup is just plain water? That's fifty-year-old wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain! This stuff is a prized possession in pharmacies, something ordinary wealthy families use to keep themselves alive. The gang leader didn't even blink before pouring it down your throat."

"Just drinking the soup wasn't enough. You were unconscious at that time, so the medicine couldn't be absorbed at all. It was the gang leader who risked his own internal energy to push your blood through your meridians, forcibly integrating the medicinal power into your blood and bones!"

Lu Youjiao spoke with deep emotion.

"If you were left to recover on your own, you wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least three to five months. The fact that you're jumping around here, grabbing pork knuckles, is because the gang leader used his internal energy to buy you back that time!"

Chen Yanzhou was stunned.

He looked at the old man who was struggling with a chicken claw.

Hong Qigong had messy hair and his clothes were covered in oil stains; he looked completely unreliable. Yet, this old man went to great lengths to save his disciple, buying ginseng and expending his inner energy.

Chen Yanzhou now understands the concept of internal energy.

That's the essence, energy, and spirit that's transformed; every bit used is a bit less. No wonder Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng were able to exhaust their inner strength and die later.

Chen Yanzhou felt a blockage in his throat; the braised beef he had just swallowed seemed to be stuck there, neither going up nor down.

Although he was a time traveler, he had the utilitarian mindset of an adult, and his apprenticeship was also for the purpose of currying favor with a powerful figure.

But this old man truly doted on him as a disciple.

"Master..."

Chen Yanzhou called out, his voice a little hoarse.

He put down the meat in his hand, looked at Hong Qigong seriously, and his eyes were slightly hot.

Hong Qi was licking the oil off his fingers when he heard this slightly choked call. He shuddered and got goosebumps all over.

This is what he can't stand the most.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Hong Qigong threw the chicken bones in his hand onto the table and shrank back with a look of disgust.

"Don't try that on an old beggar! If you dare to cry, I'll throw you out to feed the dogs!"

He grabbed the wine bowl and took a sip as if to cover his mouth, his eyes darting around, muttering to himself:

"Who told you to be my apprentice? Besides, if you die, who's going to take care of me in my old age? This is called... this is called a long-term investment! Do you understand?"

Looking at the old man's awkward expression, Chen Yanzhou's feelings of gratitude didn't fade; instead, he found the old man quite endearing.

"Understood, a long-term investment." Chen Yanzhou sniffed and grinned. "Don't worry, from now on I'll take care of all your food and drink. As long as I, Chen Yanzhou, have a bite to eat, I'll make sure you, Master, go hungry."

"That makes more sense."

Hong Qigong snorted, put down his wine bowl, glanced at Chen Yanzhou, and frowned again.

I said…

Hong Qigong pointed to Chen Yanzhou's bare body with a strange expression.

"Although we Beggars' Sect are known for being unconventional, in the dead of winter, you're just wandering around the house naked? Even though we're all men, your skinny, bony frame isn't exactly something to look at."

Chen Yanzhou looked down.

I was so focused on grabbing meat that I didn't feel cold, or maybe I was protecting myself with my internal energy. Now I realize that I'm completely naked except for the blanket I was wearing.

And because I jumped out of bed so quickly, the blanket had already slipped onto the floor.

A cold breeze slipped in through the crack in the door and blew on my bottom, making me feel chilly.

Holy crap!

Chen Yanzhou let out a strange cry, and the touching atmosphere instantly shattered.

He covered his groin with both hands, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and darted back to bed, pulling the blanket over himself and wrapping himself up like a dumpling.

"Grandpa Lu! Why didn't you remind me!"

Chen Yanzhou only had his head sticking out, his face as red as a monkey's bottom.

Lu Youjiao laughed loudly, tears streaming down his face: "I thought you knew something because you were fighting so fiercely for the meat."

Chen Yanzhou was enraged.

Hong Qigong was also overjoyed, and the heavy atmosphere from before vanished completely.

"Alright, alright, he has legs. Find him some new clothes, don't let him dress like a refugee all the time."

"Okay!"

Lu Youjiao responded and took out a set of blue cotton robes that had been prepared in advance from the cabinet next to him.

"I just made this a couple of days ago. I was planning to give it to you for the New Year, but since the old clothes have gone bad, you can wear it for now."

Chen Yanzhou quietly got dressed under the covers.

The new cotton robe is thick and warm, with fine stitches, and fits the body perfectly.

He jumped out of bed, stretched his arms and legs, and was quite satisfied.