I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Chapter 161 My Fair Lady
"A year has passed with the sound of firecrackers, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu."

"Thousands of households always exchange old talismans for new peaches."

This is a poem titled "New Year's Day" written by Prime Minister Wang Anshi during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of this dynasty, when he was determined to carry out reforms.

While reciting poems, Cao Qinghua wrote on the snow with the judge's pen in his hand.

Today is the fifth day of the first lunar month. The master has taught me a new set of brushwork that is more advanced and exquisite than the original set of martial arts, so it requires careful study.

This kind of Kung Fu is very different from other martial arts in the world. Each move is composed according to the writing method of each word in the poem. If the opponent does not have a certain literary talent, it is difficult to guess the direction of the judge's pen.

When Zhao Zhijing was teaching martial arts, he asked Cao Qinghua to copy the classic "Li Qi Bei" in Han Li as much as possible, so that he could experience the changes in lightness and heaviness and apply them to his own moves.

There were four lines of poetry written on the snow. The characters were tight yet open and stretched. The style was simple and heavy, and it was obvious that the poet had achieved a certain level of accomplishment.

Cao Qinghua wrote over and over again for a while, but always felt that there was a flaw in the continuity between the strokes. He shook his head silently and wanted to try a different writing style.

Who would have thought that while looking at the white snow on the ground, my mind suddenly turned inexplicably, and the "New Year's Day" poem I originally wanted to write became the "Graceful Lady" in the Book of Songs.

After meeting Lu Wushuang who was following Li Mochou that day, Cao Qinghua fell into a strange mood. Fortunately, with the patient persuasion of his master, he gradually untied the knot in his heart.

Later, it was discovered that Lu Wushuang had left Li Mochou and settled in the small town at the foot of the mountain. Cao Qinghua was secretly happy for her, but he had no more thoughts.

Unexpectedly, a month ago, Lu Wushuang came to Yunu Peak again. Cao Qinghua saw that she was still dressed in white. Somehow, his heart was moved again.

So at this moment my mind was in a trance. Not only did the lines of the calligraphy change, but even my writing became hesitant, and I lost the free and easy mood.

"Hello, Senior Brother Cao, are you practicing?"

Over there, Yang Guo came over with a playful smile and light steps.

During the days when Zhao Zhijing was teaching martial arts to each of his disciples, he was just like a follower. Whenever he had the chance, he would immediately look for his senior brothers to learn some moves.

In fact, when doing this last time, Yang Guo also thought that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Just the Kongming Fist taught by his master would take three to five years or even longer to fully master.

However, he was young by nature, and whenever he saw new martial arts, he always wanted to learn them first. Whether he would have time to continue studying them in the future was secondary. Besides, his master never tried to stop him, so Yang Guo still learned all the martial arts from his fellow brothers.

It was not until his master asked him to create his own martial arts that Yang Guo suddenly understood his master's painstaking efforts.

Therefore, after seeing his master imparting new martial arts to his fellow brothers, Yang Guo no longer hesitated, but instead felt calm and composed as if he was following orders.

"Ah, Junior Brother Yang!"

When Cao Qinghua saw someone coming, he hurriedly wiped out the words written on the snow and cleared his throat with two dry coughs to hide his embarrassment.

"Hey, brother, I'm here to ask for your advice on martial arts!"

Yang Guo had no idea what Cao Qinghua was thinking. He came closer and bowed. The whole set of movements and words were as smooth as flowing water. It was obvious that he had done this many times before.

Cao Qinghua smiled softly. Among all his fellow disciples, they all knew that Yang Guo was the most talented, a master of both civil and military affairs, and was the disciple most likely to inherit their master's legacy.

Besides, Yang Guo was the youngest fellow apprentice besides Guan Man'er, and was very popular with his fellow apprentices. He was not arrogant and was very close to every fellow apprentice. Therefore, everyone was willing to teach him their skills. Moreover, after discussing and learning from each other, Yang Guo would speak out his insights without reservation, which was helpful to everyone, so why not do it?

"Junior Brother Yang is too modest. I benefit a lot from every fight with you."

Cao Qinghua likes calligraphy and painting, and usually behaves like a scholar. If it were Lu Qingdu, he would most likely shout, "I'm going to beat you, you cunning boy, into submission today!"

The two brothers bowed to each other and began to fight on the snow. Cao Qinghua knew that although Yang Guo was his junior brother, his martial arts was better than his, so he temporarily put aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind and focused on the fight.

Cao Qinghua used the Judge's Pen and Yang Guo used the long sword, and the two fought back and forth, trying their best to perform each move as clearly and completely as possible so that the other could see clearly.

When Yang Guo was comprehending the sword technique before, he had already cracked 70% to 80% of Cao Qinghua's Iron Pen Skill. However, this time he had a new trick. Moreover, while fighting, he had to guess what calligraphy the other party was copying and what brushwork he was using, so he was temporarily at a disadvantage.

After confirming these two things, Yang Guo could predict the direction of the next move in advance, and the situation would suddenly reverse. Cao Qinghua would have to change his writing style to stabilize the situation again.

After half an incense stick of time, the two were considered to be tied, but Yang Guo knew that this was because Senior Brother Cao was intentionally accommodating him, otherwise, when they really fought, why would he be so slow and wait for his opponent to break his move?

"Among the martial arts that Master taught me, Brother Cao's Iron Pen Skill is the most unique in terms of moves alone."

"Moreover, the weapons are also very different from ordinary swords. They are horizontal and diagonal, and they all point to the acupuncture points on the human body. I really don't know how Master came up with this idea."

The competition stopped here. Yang Guo admired the Iron Pen Skill in his heart, and Cao Qinghua also admired Yang Guo's swordsmanship. The two brothers exchanged their inspirations and both felt that they benefited a lot.

"Junior Brother Yang, I have something to tell you, but I don't know if I should tell you or not."

Cao Qinghua thought about what his master said. In a few months, all his fellow disciples would go down the mountain to travel, but he didn't have any good direction.

Yang Guo has a quick mind and many ideas, so it's a good opportunity to ask him what he thinks.

"Brother, you can speak frankly. As long as I know it, I will tell you everything I know."

Cao Qinghua sighed softly, "When spring comes and flowers bloom, you and I will leave Huashan and go on our own journeys."

"I wonder if Junior Brother Yang has any plans in mind?"

Yang Guo didn’t even think about it and answered directly: “Not yet. If you have to go, just wait for Master to make the arrangements. I think it doesn’t matter where we go.”

"Is it the same wherever you go?"

Cao Qinghua thought about this sentence in a carefree manner, and then looked at himself. Although he was reluctant to leave Huashan, he could not deny that he did not want to be too far away from Miss Lu in white.

Seeing that he remained silent, Yang Guo naturally thought that he was reluctant to leave his master and fellow apprentices, so he smiled and lowered his voice and said, "Senior Brother Cao, there is no need to worry."

"If you really don't want to leave, just throw a tantrum and stay. Master can't kick us off the Jade Maiden Peak, right?"

Cao Qinghua looked at his junior fellow apprentice's serious expression, and then imagined himself cheating, and suddenly felt extremely embarrassed.

"What nonsense! How disrespectful!"

(End of this chapter)