Swords from The Tang Dynasty

Chapter Three: Iron-Legged Immortal

Jiao Wuzi's martial arts skills were mediocre, but he was well-versed in classical texts and had remarkable insight.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to fool those wandering patrons so easily.

However...

At this moment, however, he was filled with suspicion, his fingers trembling slightly in his sleeve, and he kept thinking, "Impossible."

He asked again, "Have you controlled the flow of Qi through the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian?"

"Exactly."

The old Taoist knew his disciple's nature and wouldn't lie about this matter, so he asked unnecessary questions, only suspecting that the disciple was hard of hearing and had misheard.

If a martial artist develops internal energy, it is not surprising that once the meridians are opened, the energy can circulate throughout the body via a single meridian.

The pulse energy is rather unique.

Kakuzu turned his back and paced several steps outside, his mind racing with thoughts.

The pulse energy of a person moves with the blood energy derived from qi and blood, and is affected by the time of day and season. Therefore, some acupoint masters can accurately calculate the time to strike acupoints, intercept the pulse energy, and then stimulate the blood energy to kill people invisibly.

Martial arts techniques such as "Pulse-Severing Hand" originate from this.

The timing of the seasons and the seasons follow the natural order, and the cycle repeats itself without fail since time immemorial.

The same applies to the flow of Qi in the body; it can travel along the direction of Qi and blood through acupoints and meridians, and even circulate throughout the entire body.

However, if one wants to circulate within a meridian, it would inevitably cause the Qi to flow in reverse, which is absolutely impossible.

When qi and blood clash, wouldn't this person suffer internal injuries and go into qi deviation?

"Master, have I done something wrong in my training?"

Seeing his iron-faced expression, Zhou Yi felt uneasy.

"Come with me."

After saying this, Jiao Wuzi walked towards the door. Zhou Yi quickly followed, and the two young Taoist boys hurriedly picked up the lanterns at the door and ran ahead to lead the way, carrying food boxes.

They walked silently along the stone slabs, heading straight for the training room next to the side hall, which was right against the mountain wall.

The practice room was closed in the evening, and Yan Qiu went up to knock on the door.

With a creak.

A burly man in a blue training uniform walked out of the door. His name was Zhang Cheng, nicknamed Zhang San, and he was a letter writer who wanted to become an apprentice.

Jiao Wuzi, impressed by his piety, bestowed upon him the Taiping Talisman, making him a registered disciple of the Taoist temple, roughly equivalent to a nominal disciple.

He always guarded the training room.

"Bring the stone lock."

"yes."

With a hint of doubt, Zhang Cheng moved the stone lock next to the weapon rack in the training room in front of the group.

His muscular arms glistened in the candlelight as he struck a pose, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Celestial Master, are you testing your disciple's stone-locking skills?"

He was eager to show off, after all, stone lock kung fu was his specialty.

"You take a look first."

The candlelight flickered in the training room. After observing Zhou Yi's expression, the old Taoist priest said, "Disciple, come here."

Zhou Yi took a step forward.

The old Taoist priest added, "With your feet."

Upon hearing this, the man watching the play stared in astonishment at the stone lumps carved from granite on the ground.

Stone Lock Kung Fu is a very demanding skill.

This skill progresses from simple to complex, from light to heavy, and is divided into seven methods: "lifting, suspending, flipping, and catching with the back of the hand," to increase arm strength.

Therefore, it is also known as 'Seven Stone Locks Technique'.

Using your feet to practice is truly unheard of.

Zhang Cheng glanced at Zhou Yi's young and handsome face, and noticed that his figure seemed a bit thin, but he dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

This young Taoist priest, who exudes a scholarly air, is actually the second most important figure in the Taiping Dao (Taiping Dao).

Master Wuzi of Fuzishan is a master who has been famous in Yongqiu for decades. Although his eldest disciple does not show off his skills, he has long been renowned.

Zhang Cheng suddenly realized something, and he thought to himself:

"Senior Brother Zhou has been staying indoors for the past few days, presumably practicing his martial arts. His skill must have improved considerably by now."

So I stood aside and observed carefully.

Zhou Yi arrived at the stone lock. This stone lock was not light, weighing more than forty pounds.

He didn't understand his master's deeper meaning, so he had no choice but to do as he was told.

He raised his right foot and hooked it onto the stone lock. The Xuanzhen Heart Sutra immediately began to circulate, and his vital energy surged from the Yongquan point, reaching the Rangu acupoint in an instant.

However, in ancient times it had the meaning of "burning", referring to the Yinghuo acupoint on the mouth of the Yongquan well.

The two caves are connected, meaning there is true fire in the water and true heat in the earth's core. It was also known in ancient times as Longyuan, meaning the fire of a thunder dragon emerges from the abyss.

As soon as Zhou Yi's pulse stirred, he immediately mobilized his qi and blood to move his strength, which suddenly burst forth at Ran Gu's point and went straight through the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian!

He lifted the stone lock, weighing over forty pounds, with ease in an instant.

Zhou Yi was horrified. The stone lock lifted off the ground like a feather, and he could hardly feel its weight on his feet!

When the pulse energy rushes to the Yufu acupoint, this acupoint is level with the Xuanji acupoint. The Xuanji acupoint represents circulation, and the Yufu acupoint represents gathering. Therefore, it has the function of facilitating the flow of energy.

At this moment, Zhou Yi's technique produced a miraculous effect at the top of the acupoint.

The pulse energy unexpectedly surged back, like mercury spilling onto the ground, flowing in reverse through the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.

At this moment, Zhou Yi lifted the stone lock with his right foot but still didn't feel much weight from it.

However, the blood and qi in the body surge due to the exertion, causing the heart to pound violently.

Then lower your left leg!

A gust of wind swept out from around his ankles, whipping up dust from the practice room floor.

Only then did Zhou Yi realize that his right foot was heavy. He couldn't hold on and his toes slid down, causing the stone lock to slam to the ground with a "bang".

Jiao Wuzi remained outwardly calm, but beads of sweat had already formed on his palms hidden in his sleeves.

It's done!

It's not a case of qi deviation, it's truly a circulation of qi!

Zhou Yi took a step back and stood still. It was the first time he had used his internal energy in this way, which caused his legs to feel sore and numb.

Two young Taoist boys held lanterns and shone them forward.

Oh no, there's a footprint on the floor of the practice room.

Yan Qiu muttered quickly in a whisper that only Xia Shu could hear: "The power after devouring the bull demon."

Zhou Yi saw it and understood:

'I didn’t feel the weight of the stone lock on my right foot before, because I transferred the force to my left foot.'

Master is truly learned; he even knows such a strange method of channeling energy. If I were to try to figure it out myself, I'm afraid I would never be able to grasp its essence.

Staring at the footprints on the ground, he felt a sense of wonder. If this were in the world of Jin Yong, he would probably be called "Iron-Foot Immortal" just for this move.

Zhang Cheng, on the other side, had already shown his surprise on his face, his eyes full of admiration.

'Incredible! Stone Lock Kung Fu can be practiced like this!'

"Senior Brother Zhou is brilliant!"

Jiao Wuzi, who had been silent until now, looked at Zhang Cheng at the right moment and said slowly, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent. You still need to practice your stone lock technique more."

"yes!"

Looking at the footprints on the ground, Zhang Cheng had no words to refute, and his tone was extremely sincere.

After the group left the training room, Jiao Wuzi sent the two young Taoist disciples away and inquired about their training process.

Zhou Yi would certainly not hide anything from his mentor.

The matter of the relief sculpture was not mentioned, but the method of practicing for the second seated statue in the Xuanzhen Temple was truthfully revealed.

The old Taoist priest was extremely pleased: "His ingenuity is as if bestowed by heaven."

He didn't comment on the merits or demerits of the training method, only praising it in this one sentence.

Then he answered Zhou Yi's earlier question: "Heaven does not create useless people, and earth does not grow useless grass. People are different, and their training speed is also different."

The Taoist mental cultivation method should follow nature. As long as you don't suffer from qi deviation or demonic possession, you can practice according to your own physical condition. Why worry about anything else?

Zhou Yi nodded in understanding.

"There is another matter: you must not tell anyone other than your master about your practice of feinting and real techniques."

Zhou Yi wholeheartedly agreed: "Even under the branches and leaves of flowers, thorns may be hidden; and it is difficult to guarantee that people's hearts are not filled with malice."

The old Taoist smiled and said, "This child is teachable."

Not long after returning to his room, Yan Qiu and Xia Shu brought over the reheated food.

"You two get ready. There will be a religious ceremony near Badou Temple in a few days. Come down the mountain with me to preach."

"Okay, senior brother!"

The two children readily agreed; children are naturally playful, and the area down the mountain was much more lively than the temple.

Zhou Yi wanted to go down the mountain to show his face, so that the people from the Xihe Hunyuan Sect wouldn't think he was dead.

Especially at times like these, it's crucial to avoid appearing insecure.

Perhaps because he was too hungry, Zhou Yi ate a lot that night.

In the courtyard outside the side room, two errand boys brought the last few hardened steamed buns from the kitchen.

Yan Qiu stood outside the door carrying a lantern, and he patted Xia Shu on the shoulder.

The two of them looked out the window together.

On the oiled paper window sash, a figure could be seen chewing something. The figure swayed and twisted with the candlelight. In the quiet of the night, it was truly eerie from a distance.

Xia Shu rolled her eyes, already guessing what nonsense Yan Qiu was about to spout.

"His appetite after devouring the demon..."