Chapter 13: Strength

Chapter 13: Strength

The sky was still pitch-black, and in the distance, the sound of firecrackers continued.

Meng Yuan and Tie Niu practiced for a while longer, and then Hu Qian arrived.

She was exceptionally beautiful, tall, and wore a thin outfit, her chest wrapped in several layers of cloth, yet her figure was still evident.

Hu Qian's mother was the wet nurse of the Empress Dowager, and her well-built physique indicated that she had been well-fed since childhood.

"Today is the New Year. Why aren't you two sleeping in a bit more?" Hu Qian asked casually as she approached.

Meng Yuan wasn't close to Hu Qian, and Hu Qian held a higher status, usually not one to engage in conversation. Her initiative to strike up a conversation was indeed rare.

However, in Meng Yuan's opinion, if the Empress Dowager truly intended to observe this batch of trainees' character, then with Hu Qian's identity, she would likely be an insider.

Regardless, let's first set up the facade!

"Teacher Nie didn't tell me to stop, so I won't," Meng Yuan responded in a casual tone while practicing Horse Stance Punching.

Hu Qian held the highest status in the training ground and was quite attractive. Everyone vied to curry favor with her.

When dealing with someone who hasn't experienced romantic affairs and is surrounded by admirers, you can't go fawning and flattering like others. You need to create some distance first and then make your move.

It's like castrating piglets. If you approach them with a castration knife in hand, they'll surely run away. But if you hide the knife and act nonchalantly, the piglets will come and nudge your feet instead.

Of course, employing such tactics requires both talent and looks, like Meng Yuan. If you're ugly and awkward, even if you create a distance of ten thousand miles, they still won't pay you any mind.

Sure enough, when Hu Qian saw that Meng Yuan showed no enthusiasm, but was diligently practicing Horse Stance Punching, she said, "You seem quite obedient. Then why did you get into a fight with Liu He on the first day?"

"I don't initiate conflicts, but I won't back down if provoked. I came here to learn martial arts and nothing else. I only wish to become the Empress Dowager's bodyguard and repay her kindness," Meng Yuan replied without further explanation, continuing to stand firm in the Horse Stance.

Hu Qian nodded slightly and smiled, saying, "With your hard work and strength, if Teacher Nie doesn't teach you the real skills, you'll only have brute force. If the Empress Dowager encounters danger in the future, you might not be able to protect her."

"Sister Qian, you're wrong about that. Does not learning the real skills mean we can't protect the Empress Dowager?"

Meng Yuan stopped and solemnly set up the facade, saying, "I was born a homeless person. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager providing me with food and drink, I would have died of starvation and freezing. If someone dares to harm the Empress Dowager, even with my low skills, they'll have to step over my dead body first!"

Meng Yuan could go on and on with this kind of nonsense, but the core message was just two words: loyalty!

Hu Qian was momentarily stunned. She saw that Meng Yuan's words were sincere, and his handsome face was filled with integrity and loyalty. He looked like someone willing to die for the Empress Dowager, not like the fierce person who had grabbed and fought with Liu He not long ago.

"I didn't expect you, a homeless person, to have such a loyal and righteous heart," Hu Qian sighed.

"If I didn't have a heart of gratitude and the desire to repay kindness, what's the difference between me and animals?" Meng Yuan spoke with righteousness and a firm tone, "Sister Qian, if the Empress Dowager truly encounters danger, I believe you would be willing to die for her, just like me!"

This was a tactic to bridge the gap between them.

Sure enough, Hu Qian nodded heavily and said, "I'm the same as you! The Empress Dowager treats me like her own daughter, so of course, I'm willing!"

Her own daughter? It seems the Empress Dowager hasn't given up on this place! Meng Yuan, having elicited this response, nodded solemnly as well, and then said sincerely, "Sister Qian, recently when I practice punching, I always feel that my waist and arms aren't exerting force smoothly. Can you take a look and see where I'm practicing incorrectly?"

"Oh? Punch a few more times, and I'll take a look," Hu Qian crossed her arms, looking very serious, like a big sister.

This girl, living deep within the inner chambers, was unaware of the wickedness of the human heart and didn't know that Meng Yuan had employed the strategy of 'capture by letting go' and the martial arts knowledge of 'stone mills and stone locks.'

Tie Niu stood by, his eyes wide with surprise, thinking, You were correcting my movements the other day, but it seems you haven't mastered them yourself?

Soon, more people came for morning practice, and Hu Qian didn't say much more to Meng Yuan.

The days that followed were ordinary, except that no outsiders ever came to the training ground again. Without supervision, the young men became increasingly lazy.

People have a herd mentality, and young people's thoughts are easily swayed. Seeing others being lazy and slacking off, they followed suit.

Meng Yuan, however, continued to practice diligently, day after day, with Horse Stance Punching, lifting Stone Locks, standing on posts, and running. There was no practical combat, and he couldn't learn new techniques, only following Teacher Nie's prescribed routine to toughen his muscles and bones.

Meng Yuan didn't deliberately try to get close to Hu Qian. He occasionally sought her guidance, allowing her to correct his movements and satisfy the little girl's desire to be a teacher.

In the blink of an eye, half of the first lunar month had passed.

With his vigorous eating, drinking, and training, his internal energy grew rapidly, enveloping his entire body, making him less susceptible to the cold and giving him seemingly boundless strength.

Meng Yuan estimated that in a few more days, his internal energy would reach a state of perfection. He couldn't help but anticipate the changes that might occur.

Now, he had increased his training intensity within the routine set by Teacher Nie. For example, if Teacher Nie required lifting a 20-jin Stone Lock 300 times, divided into six sets. Meng Yuan lifted a 500-jin Stone Lock 500 times.

Additionally, he ran with a sandbag on his back and pushed a Stone Roller.

Others rested early, but Meng Yuan insisted on practicing again in the night, only feeling exhausted and forgetting himself.

However, the next day, he woke up full of vigor, his body warm and energetic, and his strength had returned.

On this day, the 15th of the first month, before dawn, Meng Yuan got out of bed, went out shirtless, and fetched water from the well to wash himself.

"I'm here to learn martial arts, how can I think about women all day?" Meng Yuan planned to increase his training even more today.

By mid-morning, there were only about a dozen people on the combat arena, and the rest were still in their dormitories.

Usually, these people were afraid of Teacher Nie's surprise inspections and dared not slack off for too long. But today was the 15th of the first month, and everyone was celebrating the festival, so these people were a little bolder.

As noon approached, these people finally arrived at the combat arena, and Liu He was among them. After all, he was the leader.

Liu He's injury had healed, and he looked at Meng Yuan contemptuously before pretending to lift the stone lock.

"Teacher Nie doesn't care about us anymore. If you want to learn martial arts in the future, you'll have to find a new master! Those without connections, hurry up and find one!" Liu He said with a laugh.

Since Nie Yinian hadn't shown up after the New Year, the young men had already lost confidence in martial arts. Hearing Liu He's words at this moment made them feel even more justified.

Some people were dejected and disappointed, while others hurried to flatter Liu He.

"I'm talking about the castrator." Liu He saw that everyone was looking at him with flattery, and he couldn't help but feel proud. He looked at Meng Yuan with a smile and said, "You get up early and stay up late every day, but you never thought it would be in vain? Even if you work hard, you're still a homeless person, and you're still a castrator! In a few days, you'll be packing your bags and leaving!"

"The bedding is from the royal mansion, and he can't take it with him!" someone joked.

Meng Yuan just lifted the stone lock and didn't pay attention to such provocations, finding it boring.

Hu Qian coldly observed from the side without saying a word.

"When you're out there, you have to look at your background and your strength! My father is Liu Head Steward, what do you have?" Liu He laughed, "What's the use of practicing every day? You'll still have to go back to shoveling cow manure and castrating cattle and sheep!"

Meng Yuan dropped the stone lock in his hand and said, "I don't talk to you."

Liu He was caught off guard by this sentence, and he became so angry that his face turned red. However, he didn't dare to take action; he just gritted his teeth and pointed at Meng Yuan. He was provocative, but he wasn't a fool; he knew he couldn't beat Meng Yuan, and even if they ganged up on him, he would still get beaten.

"Teacher Nie is here!" Hu Qian suddenly spoke up.

The young men looked towards the school field gate, and they saw Nie Yinian walking towards them with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

All the young men stood obediently, and Liu He quickly joined them, thinking to himself that it was fortunate they had come out early, or else their laziness would have been discovered.

They saw Nie Yinian walk forward, survey everyone, and then step on a stone lock.

Nie Yinian didn't say a word, his shoulders didn't move, and with just one flip and lift of his foot, the thirty-pound stone lock flew straight up, reaching a height of three or four zhang.

The young men's eyes followed the stone lock, but Meng Yuan saw clearly that Nie Yinian, with his waist sunk and legs apart in a horse stance, his eyes slightly closed, suddenly extended his right fist and struck the descending stone lock right in the center.

There was a loud bang, and the stone lock shattered.

The small pieces of stone scattered within a square zhang area, showing that Nie Yinian's punch not only had great power but also precisely controlled the force.

Meng Yuan was stunned, and for a moment, he felt infinite admiration.

The young men, having witnessed true skill, were also left speechless.

"Power originates from the Six Harmonies, rising from the earth; force issues from the waist, and techniques emanate from the shoulders. Rising like a soaring dragon ascending to heaven, descending like a thunderbolt striking the earth!"

Nie Yinian retracted his horse stance, smiled, and put his arm around Liu He's neck, saying, "This is what background and strength are. Do you think this is a courtyard where women play their scheming games?"

He pointed at Meng Yuan and told Liu He to look at him. "Who is more noble, you who were born a servant, or him? I set a daily goal of lifting a twenty-pound stone lock three hundred times, but he lifts a thirty-pound one five hundred times. He also does horse stance punching twice as much as you, gets up earliest every day, trains the most, and is undeterred by wind or snow. Your fists aren't as hard as his, your heart isn't as tough as his, and you're not as diligent as him. He will definitely have a better future than you, and when the time comes, he'll sleep with your mother in front of you, and you'll still have to clap and cheer!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end