Tianlong: Starting with Mantuo Manor as fertilizer

Chapter 61 Learning to Walk

The Shennong Gang came and went in a hurry, leaving completely in a short time.

The mountain road was left in a mess.

Several iron pots, filled with poison, lay crookedly overturned on the ground, with dregs of the poison spilled all over the floor.

Duan Yu looked around and let out a long sigh of relief.

"We've finally resolved this grudge. Let's go back and inform the Left Sect Leader and the others; we've accomplished our mission."

Zhong Ling immediately perked up, put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest and raised her head, looking smug.

"Excellent! The fact that the three of us joined forces to force back seventy or eighty members of the Shennong Gang is a feat that has shaken the martial arts world!"

Zhong Ling went from being a prisoner to a free man in the time it takes to eat a meal, and now he considers himself a hero who defeated the Shennong Gang.

Xie Buruo glanced at her, thinking to himself, "What does this have to do with you? It seems like you haven't done anything besides getting arrested."

Duan Yu, standing by, tried to smooth things over, repeatedly agreeing with the situation.

"Excellent, excellent. The three of us each contributed; none of us could be missing."

"Miss Zhong was the first to step forward—"

Even with Duan Yu's silver tongue, he couldn't continue the story when he thought of Zhong Ling's capture.

Xie Bu Ruo chimed in from the side.

"Miss Zhong, as the vanguard, deliberately allowed herself to be captured, causing the Shennong Gang to underestimate their enemy and become arrogant. As the art of war says, an arrogant army is bound to be defeated, and Miss Zhong's contribution is truly indispensable."

Zhong Ling, with her thick skin, didn't realize that Xie Buruo was being sarcastic towards her.

I felt that his saying, "An arrogant army is bound to be defeated," coincided with the military strategy that my father usually taught me.

She nodded vigorously, feeling increasingly proud of her own great contribution.

Duan Yu added, "Brother Xie persuaded the Shennong Clan with reason, leading them to realize their mistake and retreat on their own. He deserves the greatest credit."

Zhong Ling looked at Duan Yu and asked, "And what about you?"

Duan Yu lightly waved his folding fan and laughed, "I, a humble person, naturally cheered for the two heroes to boost their morale, and my contribution is equally indispensable."

Zhong Ling chuckled as she listened.

Duan Yu couldn't help but laugh along.

The two men, one with his hands on his hips and the other waving a fan, laughed as their voices echoed along the mountain path.

Xie Ruo looked at the brother and sister.

One was boasting and bragging, completely oblivious to his own world, while the other chimed in with his own humor, thoroughly enjoying himself.

No wonder they're a family!

Xie Buruo, however, had no intention of returning to the Wuliang Sword Sect.

Duan Yu and Zhong Ling were both taken aback, and asked in unison, "Why?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Yu suddenly realized something, abruptly closed his folding fan, and clapped his hands with the fan.

"Having accomplished their task, they left without a trace, concealing their merit and fame!"

"Brother Xie's magnanimity and breadth of mind are what make him a true hero of the martial world."

"I, Duan Yu, have run away from home and traveled the world. To meet someone like Brother Xie is truly a worthwhile journey."

Xie Buruo never expected himself to be this kind of person, and deeply felt that true friends were hard to find.

"My brother Duan truly understands me!"

Zhong Ling sighed with regret, "What a pity, what a pity! To do something great and have no one know—isn't that like wearing fine clothes in the dark, riches wasted and one never returning home?"

Xie Buruo thought to himself, "Lingjiu Palace will come on their own in a couple of days, so there's nothing to regret. Zuo Zimu and the others should just pray for good fortune."

He thought this to himself, but said aloud, "What good is fleeting fame to me?"

These words hit Duan Yu right where it hurt.

He sighed deeply and declared loudly, "This is how a true man should act!"

"Brother Xie, I admire your character and integrity very much. I wish to become sworn brothers with you."

what?

And so on!

Xie Buruo originally wanted to find a tutor, but unexpectedly the tutor wanted to become sworn brothers with him.

Since the other party is sincere, we naturally cannot let this opportunity pass us by.

Xie immediately said, "Brother Duan, you are not skilled in martial arts, yet you dared to step forward. This courage is extraordinary. Becoming sworn brothers with you is truly a joyous occasion for me!"

Seeing that the two were about to become sworn brothers, Zhong Ling was so anxious that he jumped up and down.

"Why didn't you invite me when you swore brotherhood with me!"

Xie, out of consideration for the Lightning Sable, finally reluctantly agreed to let Zhong Ling, the third party, interfere in their relationship.

The three men gathered clay to make a stove, broke off branches to make incense, and became sworn brothers.

After the ceremony, the three of them did not exchange ages.

Xie should first call himself the eldest brother, leaving the second and third seats for the two to compete for.

Zhong Ling, fiercely competitive, declared: "I would be impolite to refuse the position of second sister!"

Duan Yu was somewhat puzzled: "But I'm older than you."

Zhong Ling waved her hand dismissively: "How can people of the martial world compare ages? If we're going to compare, let's compare martial arts! My martial arts are better than yours, so naturally I should be second. The day your martial arts surpass mine, you can just take that second place from me."

Duan Yu was unfamiliar with the rules of the martial arts world and had no competitive spirit. He thought that being the third son of the Duan family wasn't so bad, so he readily agreed.

Xie Bu Ruo saw this and shook his head.

The older brother calls his younger sister "sister," which shows how chaotic the family relationships are in this household.

After the sworn brotherhood ceremony, Xie Buruoke was still thinking about his Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), and sighed heavily.

Zhong Ling asked, puzzled, "Brother, we are sworn brothers, we should be roaming the world freely and living a carefree life, why are you sighing?"

Xie Buruo sighed, "I have recently encountered a problem that I have pondered over and over again, but I still cannot find a solution."

Zhong Ling and Duan Yu were very curious and asked what kind of problem it was.

Xie Bu Ruo found a tree branch and drew a diagram of the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) on the ground.

After drawing only one or two, Zhong Ling looked at the unfamiliar terms on the ground, such as Gui Mei, Wu Wang, and others, and felt drowsy.

It felt like I was back in the days when I used to use private pads.

She sighed, "This is indeed an insurmountable problem!"

Upon seeing this, Duan Yu immediately scratched his head and cheeks, extremely excited.

He was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age and became obsessed with studying the Book of Changes.

His father, Duan Zhengchun, wanted him to learn martial arts, but he retorted, "Learning martial arts is harmful to both body and mind. It's better to study, understand principles, and cultivate one's character."

No matter how much his family pressured him, he refused.

He read the Book of Changes over and over again until he knew it by heart, and he had mastered all sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines.

When you're truly engrossed in learning, even when you're eating, you'll think about whether your chopsticks will land on the Qian or Kun position.

Upon seeing the divination name on the ground, Duan Yu's spirits lifted, as if he had encountered a good friend.

Xie Buruo has been studying the Lingbo Weibu technique all this time, and has already memorized the scroll's contents. He can draw it off the spot without even taking out the scroll.

However, he was not familiar with the I Ching. He could draw the trigrams for the steps, but he could not connect the steps naturally.

Xie Buruo had also pondered a few steps, and now he demonstrated it according to his own ideas.

After taking only two steps, Duan Yu shook his head repeatedly, saying, "No, no!"

He sat down on the ground, pointed to the footprints with his folding fan, and then pointed to the annotations of the divination text next to them.

"Brother, although I don't know martial arts, I have a good understanding of the I Ching."

"Just now, you should have first moved to the position of Great Abundance, and then turned to the position of Southeast."

He was quite eccentric. As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a twig, and began to scribble and point on the ground.

Xie tried it as he suggested, and it worked much better.

The two of them were busy explaining the hexagram positions and taking steps to test them out.

The Lingbo Weibu (Lingbo Steps) has endless uses, and even though Duan Yu was well-versed in the I Ching, he still found it difficult to understand some of its strange footwork techniques.

He could only sit on the mound, holding his head in his hands, deep in thought.

Xie was much more relaxed.

Firstly, listening to Duan Yu's lectures resolved many of my doubts about the principles of the I Ching.

Secondly, he doesn't need to think about the problems; he can just sit back and reap the benefits. The other party will deduce the solutions, and then he can try to follow their advice.

Zhong Ling, standing to the side, felt utterly bored.

She had intended to watch from the sidelines and learn a few footwork techniques.

The art of walking on water is incredibly profound.

Even Xie, who had learned the martial arts of the Free and Unfettered Sect, still found it difficult to master.

Zhong Ling was completely confused.

Xie Ruo's movements were agile, like a graceful dance, completely unlike ordinary martial arts.

With the expert guidance of Duan Yu, Xie Buruo had already figured out the first twenty-odd steps in just one hour.

He swayed, his feet stepping on the Bagua directions, drifting left and right, rising and falling like flowing clouds and water.

A few steps forward stirred up a gentle breeze, causing the fallen leaves on the ground to swirl and swirl in the air.