Right when the big snowstorm stopped, the streets of the Jade Capital were once again lively and bustling with its residents. The numerous large-scale stores were overflowing with people, an example being the Qu Yuan Floor with its drinks and food, other examples being the San Hua Floor with its girls, Qing Zhu Xuan with its silk, the Yi Gu Floor with its antique used items, the Jin Yu Hall with its pearls, etc. Those were the busiest places within the Jade Capital.
Several types of customers visited these large-scale stores: sons of nobles with flashy clothing that could even anger a horse, scholars that wore garments that were the colors of nature, people with great wealth, and groups of idle government officials.
It was already December, and the new year was coming soon. The emperor needed to perform a ritual to the heavens, and also receive the envoys from other nations. Those envoys from Huoluo Country, Eastern Yunmeng Country, Northern Yuantu Country, Southern Shenfeng, and the Liuzhu Island Country all were living within the establishments of the capital city. Bizarrely dressed individuals were constantly moving about. Watching the Da Qian’s largest city, the Jade Capital’s hustle and bustle truly gives one a stronger sense of liveliness.
Since twenty years ago, when Da Qian had defeated the surprise attack by the Yunmeng Cavalry and had reversed the slaughter, the two countries had established a non-aggression treaty at the border, agreeing to never fight. The Da Qian Dynasty entered a golden age, becoming the largest imperial dynasty.
At the end of the 60th year, the Da Qian’s flourishing period reached it’s peak.
In addition to the bustle of the Jade Capital City, The “Manor of Marquis Wu Wen” had also become bustling. The servants had started to tidy up, cleaning every nook and cranny of dirt and dust, decorating the lanterns and banners, and preparing for the new year.
But no matter what, the hustle and bustle of the entire manor and the rest of the Jade Capital, had not a thing to do with Hong Yi.
Hong Yi had already returned from the western mountain, but his thoughts had most definitely been left in that deep valley.
The ten or more days he had spent with the foxes, teaching, organizing the book collection, training the spirit, learning martial arts, meeting Bai Ziyue, the 4 or 5 days straight spent drinking alcohol and talking are like a clear and distinct dream.
Now, after returning to the manor, he felt as if he had already experienced an entire lifetime.
The Manor of the Marquis was the same as before; there were no changes. The 700-800 people in the Manor of the Marquis were all busy getting ready to celebrate the new year. Only his lodge was not busy–no one dropped by, and it seemed as if he would be excluded in general.
Some clothing would be distributed to the servants, housekeepers, slaves and guards during new years. It also seemed that it wasn’t Hong Yi’s turn to get a bonus of Silver Taels.
However, he had now gotten money and had no shortage of it. When the purebred foxes had moved, they had given him ten pure gold coins as a parting gift. Even one 80% gold coin could be exchanged for 15 Silver Liang–but this was a 100%, pure gold coin. These ten pure gold coins, if taken to the “Golden Jade Hall,” could be exchanged for two hundred Silver Siang at the very least, which was more than enough to cover Hong Yi’s expenses for a long time.
“It’s a good thing that no one has come to disturb me. I can close the door and practice martial arts and study. I also recently have been happily relaxing, so I feel much stronger in my four limbs.”
In the midst of training in his room, Hong Yi stood with one leg forward and another leg back. He bent over and used his hands to grab the tendons in his thighs. Then he fiercely shook them. Power flowed through his thighs and suddenly the tendons in his thighs omitted a faint sound.
Soon after, he quickly swapped hands and continued grabbing his leg. In between grabbing his calves and shaking them the same way he did his thighs, he pressed on his abdomen while moving his abdomen forward and taking a step.
This movement of grabbing the thighs and calves, pressing the abdomen and taking a step forward was like a big bull charging out. This wasn’t a easy movement to do.
This is exactly the movement of the Demonic Bull Strengthening techniques’ The Horn Ramming of the Demonic Bulls.
Hong Yi made a few movements in a row. He felt his four limbs, abdomen, chest and the tendons in the trapezius of his back emit heat and were full of power. Thus, without making a sound, he rolled up his tongue, pressed it against his teeth and held his breath, while his mind was concentrating on striking with the fists on his arms, each punch hitting the air in front of him.
Hai!
His entire body shook when he punched. It seemed that a lot of the entire body’s power was concentrated on the punch, there was a feeling of unexplainable comfort and power.
“I’m no longer a scholar that doesn’t even have the strength to kill a chicken. I only need to continue training like to this to become stronger.” Hong Yi, aware of his own body’s power, felt a type of fulfilling happiness, more so piece of mind, within his heart.
“No wonder scholars have to learn the art of archery on horseback. Having a strong body can steady one’s mind and boost one’s confidence.”
Hong Yi finally understood why scholars listed the art of horseback riding at such an important position. having a strong body can steady one’s mind, the stronger one’s body is, the more stable one’s heart is.
It’s exactly like sailing on the big sea. If the vessel is extremely stable, then naturally the people on the vessel will be calm and orderly. No matter what stormy sea arises, they’ll keep calm.
If the vessel isn’t stable, then one can’t rely on the people on the vessel to be calm. They’ll also be afraid of incoming stormy seas.
Hong Yi sat in front of the table with his heart full of happiness. He flipped open a martial scripture and continued to read and analyze it.
This martial scripture was an item that was held on to by the Da Chan Temple; it had been annotated by a monk by the name of Yin Yue the Zen Master. Although the contents were incomplete and couldn’t be practiced, the concepts were very thoroughly explained, and it allowed Hong Yi better interpret the Demonic Bull Strengthening Fist.
Moreover, Hong Yi was a shrewd scholar. He was best at analyzing the text to figure out the author’s meaning.
“I don’t know if I have reached the Martial Student level? I probably haven’t, after all I have only trained for half a month. Although Bai Ziyue helped me by giving me Qiong Jiang Wine to strengthen my body, and guided me himself, I’m still rough around the edges.”
Hong Yi wondered whether or not he had reached the level where his body was fully sturdy, the level just under that of a martial student in the army’s “Jiang Wu Hall.”
Suddenly, steady footsteps could be heard from the door entrance of the small court yard.
“Who other than that servant girl Xiao Ning would come and seek out this small courtyard? Hong Yi pushed away the paper-like material lining the window and looked at the direction of the entrance, where he was greeted with a surprise.
“The head housekeeper?”
The person who came was an old man who wore black clothing, with white and ash gray hair.
Hong Yi recognized this old man. He is the head housekeeper of the entire Manor of the Marquis. He doesn’t serve the first lady of the family, nor the second, Yun Ting Zhai, and even less so the third. He was the direct housekeeper for the Manor of Marquis Wu Wen, his father.
Every time Hong Xuanji had to deal with affairs in the cabinet of the imperial palace located in the Forbidden City and worked very late, it was this person that delivered them food and clothing.
The head housekeeper’s eyes looked over in Hong Yi’s direction for a split second just as Hong Yi was opening the window. There was a sense of discernment in the gaze.
After seeing Hong Yi, the head housekeeper stopped walking, nodded his head and exposed a smile. “Young Master Yi, Master is back and is calling for you. There is something he needs to discuss with you.”
In the entire Manor of the Marquis, only the head housekeeper was polite to him.
Of course, the head housekeeper was polite to everyone No one has seen him get angry at anyone for many, many years.
“What? Father is back? Why is he calling me What does he have to discuss with me?”
Hong Yi was shocked. Marquis Wu Wen was his father, but he had only seen him a few times. In addition, he had more than ten siblings and he was the least remarkable and had the lowest status out of all of them. Even Hong Xuanji couldn’t talk to him.
Hong Yi sometimes doubted that Hong Xuanji knew there was a son like him.
“Crap, the Martial Scripture is here, and contains the Da Chan Temple’s teachings. If I let my father know about this… luckily the other scriptures are already hidden well, but it’s too late to try to hide this one.”
Hong Yi suddenly thought of something and made the decision to do it. He threw the copy of the Martial Scripture into the fire pit, where it burnt up.
He wasn’t comfortable leaving this book inside the library. If someone came in and discovered this book while he was out, there would be a lot of trouble.
And hiding it now was already too late.
Marquis Wu Wen and Hong Xuanji enforced strict etiquette rules. People called must immediately come or be subjected to punishment.
Hong Yi knew of one instance where a son in the third branch of the family by the name of Hong Gui had gotten drunk and Hong Ji Xuan had just happened to call him to test him on his homework. But Hong Gui was late for a very long time, so he was punished by having his legs be beat until they were crooked. It had taken him around six months of lying in bed to recover.
Hong Yi suppressed his mind while watching the book go up in flames. He got up and organized his clothes, opened the door and followed the head housekeeper to go see his father.
As Hong Yi prepared to exit through his door, the copy of the Martial Scripture had already turned into ashes. Just as he was leaving though, he suddenly noticed a slightly darkened gold sheet of paper that looked like a golden leaf with many small scriptures and drawings packed on it. The paper somehow wasn’t burned into ash by the flames.
Right when the big snowstorm stopped, the streets of the Jade Capital were once again lively and bustling with its residents. The numerous large-scale stores were overflowing with people, an example being the Qu Yuan Floor with its drinks and food, other examples being the San Hua Floor with its girls, Qing Zhu Xuan with its silk, the Yi Gu Floor with its antique used items, the Jin Yu Hall with its pearls, etc. Those were the busiest places within the Jade Capital.
Several types of customers visited these large-scale stores: sons of nobles with flashy clothing that could even anger a horse, scholars that wore garments that were the colors of nature, people with great wealth, and groups of idle government officials.
It was already December, and the new year was coming soon. The emperor needed to perform a ritual to the heavens, and also receive the envoys from other nations. Those envoys from Huoluo Country, Eastern Yunmeng Country, Northern Yuantu Country, Southern Shenfeng, and the Liuzhu Island Country all were living within the establishments of the capital city. Bizarrely dressed individuals were constantly moving about. Watching the Da Qian’s largest city, the Jade Capital’s hustle and bustle truly gives one a stronger sense of liveliness.
Since twenty years ago, when Da Qian had defeated the surprise attack by the Yunmeng Cavalry and had reversed the slaughter, the two countries had established a non-aggression treaty at the border, agreeing to never fight. The Da Qian Dynasty entered a golden age, becoming the largest imperial dynasty.
At the end of the 60th year, the Da Qian’s flourishing period reached it’s peak.
In addition to the bustle of the Jade Capital City, The “Manor of Marquis Wu Wen” had also become bustling. The servants had started to tidy up, cleaning every nook and cranny of dirt and dust, decorating the lanterns and banners, and preparing for the new year.
But no matter what, the hustle and bustle of the entire manor and the rest of the Jade Capital, had not a thing to do with Hong Yi.
Hong Yi had already returned from the western mountain, but his thoughts had most definitely been left in that deep valley.
The ten or more days he had spent with the foxes, teaching, organizing the book collection, training the spirit, learning martial arts, meeting Bai Ziyue, the 4 or 5 days straight spent drinking alcohol and talking are like a clear and distinct dream.
Now, after returning to the manor, he felt as if he had already experienced an entire lifetime.
The Manor of the Marquis was the same as before; there were no changes. The 700-800 people in the Manor of the Marquis were all busy getting ready to celebrate the new year. Only his lodge was not busy–no one dropped by, and it seemed as if he would be excluded in general.
Some clothing would be distributed to the servants, housekeepers, slaves and guards during new years. It also seemed that it wasn’t Hong Yi’s turn to get a bonus of Silver Taels.
However, he had now gotten money and had no shortage of it. When the purebred foxes had moved, they had given him ten pure gold coins as a parting gift. Even one 80% gold coin could be exchanged for 15 Silver Liang–but this was a 100%, pure gold coin. These ten pure gold coins, if taken to the “Golden Jade Hall,” could be exchanged for two hundred Silver Siang at the very least, which was more than enough to cover Hong Yi’s expenses for a long time.
“It’s a good thing that no one has come to disturb me. I can close the door and practice martial arts and study. I also recently have been happily relaxing, so I feel much stronger in my four limbs.”
In the midst of training in his room, Hong Yi stood with one leg forward and another leg back. He bent over and used his hands to grab the tendons in his thighs. Then he fiercely shook them. Power flowed through his thighs and suddenly the tendons in his thighs omitted a faint sound.
Soon after, he quickly swapped hands and continued grabbing his leg. In between grabbing his calves and shaking them the same way he did his thighs, he pressed on his abdomen while moving his abdomen forward and taking a step.
This movement of grabbing the thighs and calves, pressing the abdomen and taking a step forward was like a big bull charging out. This wasn’t a easy movement to do.
This is exactly the movement of the Demonic Bull Strengthening techniques’ The Horn Ramming of the Demonic Bulls.
Hong Yi made a few movements in a row. He felt his four limbs, abdomen, chest and the tendons in the trapezius of his back emit heat and were full of power. Thus, without making a sound, he rolled up his tongue, pressed it against his teeth and held his breath, while his mind was concentrating on striking with the fists on his arms, each punch hitting the air in front of him.
Hai!
His entire body shook when he punched. It seemed that a lot of the entire body’s power was concentrated on the punch, there was a feeling of unexplainable comfort and power.
“I’m no longer a scholar that doesn’t even have the strength to kill a chicken. I only need to continue training like to this to become stronger.” Hong Yi, aware of his own body’s power, felt a type of fulfilling happiness, more so piece of mind, within his heart.
“No wonder scholars have to learn the art of archery on horseback. Having a strong body can steady one’s mind and boost one’s confidence.”
Hong Yi finally understood why scholars listed the art of horseback riding at such an important position. having a strong body can steady one’s mind, the stronger one’s body is, the more stable one’s heart is.
It’s exactly like sailing on the big sea. If the vessel is extremely stable, then naturally the people on the vessel will be calm and orderly. No matter what stormy sea arises, they’ll keep calm.
If the vessel isn’t stable, then one can’t rely on the people on the vessel to be calm. They’ll also be afraid of incoming stormy seas.
Hong Yi sat in front of the table with his heart full of happiness. He flipped open a martial scripture and continued to read and analyze it.
This martial scripture was an item that was held on to by the Da Chan Temple; it had been annotated by a monk by the name of Yin Yue the Zen Master. Although the contents were incomplete and couldn’t be practiced, the concepts were very thoroughly explained, and it allowed Hong Yi better interpret the Demonic Bull Strengthening Fist.
Moreover, Hong Yi was a shrewd scholar. He was best at analyzing the text to figure out the author’s meaning.
“I don’t know if I have reached the Martial Student level? I probably haven’t, after all I have only trained for half a month. Although Bai Ziyue helped me by giving me Qiong Jiang Wine to strengthen my body, and guided me himself, I’m still rough around the edges.”
Hong Yi wondered whether or not he had reached the level where his body was fully sturdy, the level just under that of a martial student in the army’s “Jiang Wu Hall.”
Suddenly, steady footsteps could be heard from the door entrance of the small court yard.
“Who other than that servant girl Xiao Ning would come and seek out this small courtyard? Hong Yi pushed away the paper-like material lining the window and looked at the direction of the entrance, where he was greeted with a surprise.
“The head housekeeper?”
The person who came was an old man who wore black clothing, with white and ash gray hair.
Hong Yi recognized this old man. He is the head housekeeper of the entire Manor of the Marquis. He doesn’t serve the first lady of the family, nor the second, Yun Ting Zhai, and even less so the third. He was the direct housekeeper for the Manor of Marquis Wu Wen, his father.
Every time Hong Xuanji had to deal with affairs in the cabinet of the imperial palace located in the Forbidden City and worked very late, it was this person that delivered them food and clothing.
The head housekeeper’s eyes looked over in Hong Yi’s direction for a split second just as Hong Yi was opening the window. There was a sense of discernment in the gaze.
After seeing Hong Yi, the head housekeeper stopped walking, nodded his head and exposed a smile. “Young Master Yi, Master is back and is calling for you. There is something he needs to discuss with you.”
In the entire Manor of the Marquis, only the head housekeeper was polite to him.
Of course, the head housekeeper was polite to everyone No one has seen him get angry at anyone for many, many years.
“What? Father is back? Why is he calling me What does he have to discuss with me?”
Hong Yi was shocked. Marquis Wu Wen was his father, but he had only seen him a few times. In addition, he had more than ten siblings and he was the least remarkable and had the lowest status out of all of them. Even Hong Xuanji couldn’t talk to him.
Hong Yi sometimes doubted that Hong Xuanji knew there was a son like him.
“Crap, the Martial Scripture is here, and contains the Da Chan Temple’s teachings. If I let my father know about this… luckily the other scriptures are already hidden well, but it’s too late to try to hide this one.”
Hong Yi suddenly thought of something and made the decision to do it. He threw the copy of the Martial Scripture into the fire pit, where it burnt up.
He wasn’t comfortable leaving this book inside the library. If someone came in and discovered this book while he was out, there would be a lot of trouble.
And hiding it now was already too late.
Marquis Wu Wen and Hong Xuanji enforced strict etiquette rules. People called must immediately come or be subjected to punishment.
Hong Yi knew of one instance where a son in the third branch of the family by the name of Hong Gui had gotten drunk and Hong Ji Xuan had just happened to call him to test him on his homework. But Hong Gui was late for a very long time, so he was punished by having his legs be beat until they were crooked. It had taken him around six months of lying in bed to recover.
Hong Yi suppressed his mind while watching the book go up in flames. He got up and organized his clothes, opened the door and followed the head housekeeper to go see his father.
As Hong Yi prepared to exit through his door, the copy of the Martial Scripture had already turned into ashes. Just as he was leaving though, he suddenly noticed a slightly darkened gold sheet of paper that looked like a golden leaf with many small scriptures and drawings packed on it. The paper somehow wasn’t burned into ash by the flames.
