Great Love for All Heavens Begins with Huang Yaoshi

Chapter 17: It's just a matter of dying
"Brother Jing!"

Huang Rong ran over anxiously, took out a jade bottle from her bosom, poured out a vermilion pill, and fed it into Guo Jing's mouth.

"Rong'er, what is this?"

Although Guo Jing suffered some serious internal injuries, they were not fatal, so he asked.

"My father's uniquely crafted elixir is called the Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill. It can nourish the mind and body, prolong life, and help your injuries heal better."

Not far away, Hong Qigong's face froze, and he stood up suddenly and walked over quickly:

"Boy, how come you know my 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms'? You were clearly not present when I taught you the martial arts."

Without waiting for Zhuang Bu Ran to reply, Huang Rong, who had helped Guo Jing up, shouted:
"Mr. Zhuang, I should have guessed earlier why you refused to leave. It turns out you were planning to secretly learn martial arts again."

Seeing Hong Qigong's puzzled look, she explained:

"Master Ma Yu of the Quanzhen Sect taught Brother Jing the Quanzhen Internal Kung Fu for two years. A few days ago, he learned the essence of the Quanzhen Internal Kung Fu by observing Brother Jing's breathing, sitting, walking, and sleeping."

Hong Qigong's pupils trembled when he heard this. Even though he knew that Zhuang Bu Ran was a martial arts genius, otherwise how could he have such martial arts skills now, but as one of the Five Great Masters of Jianghu, every one of them was a genius when he was young, so there was no need to make a fuss.

But now that he had seen this kid's astonishing comprehension, his emotions were inevitably fluctuating. Just now, he had seen him perform the 'Kang Long You Hui' move, which could be said to have fully grasped the essence of the palm technique.

"Seventh Master, for so many days, you have demonstrated this martial art over and over again before my eyes. In the exchanges, all the methods of exerting force and utilizing energy were fully displayed."

Zhuang Bu Ran seemed to be in a dilemma:
"At this rate, it will be really difficult for me to learn this palm technique!"

"Have you learned all the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?" Hong Qigong looked puzzled.

"This skill should be derived from the theory of the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes, which happens to be Zhuang's specialty."

Zhuang Bu Ran said calmly:
"The first move, 'Kang Long You Hui,' is the foundation of the entire palm technique. It's believed to be derived from the Book of Changes: 'Innate, one must not violate Heaven; acquired, one must obey Heaven's will.'"

"The key is to anticipate the enemy's moves. This means engaging the enemy and striking at their weaknesses. If they are already exposed, don't miss the opportunity and quickly attack their weaknesses. Be firm when you need to be firm and soft when you need to be soft."

"Also, a dragon in a rage will regret, and fullness cannot last long. The key is regret. Therefore, this move must be launched and then retracted. If you exert 100% of your strength, you must retain 20% of it."

"It's the opposite of the bull hitting the wall. The key is to have more than enough. When you strike out, you must leave some strength. No matter how fierce and powerful the opponent's blow is, or how powerful it is like thunder, you should always use your remaining strength in one move."

"Thus, this move, 'Arrogant Dragon Has Regrets,' is also the foundation of the 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.' Once you understand this move, the remaining seventeen moves will be readily available."

Hong Qigong's eyes were sharp:
"Even if you have mastered the essence of the old beggar's martial arts, how could you have mastered it to such perfection in such a short time? It took me twenty or thirty years to master it."

"The brain can do it, but the body can't. That only applies to ordinary people like you."

Zhuang Bu Ran seemed somewhat helpless:
"In addition to his extraordinary comprehension, Zhuang also possessed an incredible amount of luck. It was a coincidence that I obtained this secret manual. The key to accumulating strength is surprisingly similar to the Dragon Subduing Palm's technique of accumulating power."

"The whole body is holding onto strength, accumulating potential and power without releasing it. As soon as the enemy attacks, the force will flow out continuously, wave after wave, and the attack will be counterattacked like an overwhelming force. The essence of this is the method of retaining strength."

"And the principle of having more than enough is to leave a single word behind. Only by doing so can one maintain an endless and leak-free palm power, and thus remain invincible forever."

"The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. Before I knew it, I had become increasingly proficient in these two skills. A little practice was equivalent to decades of hard work for an ordinary person."

When Hong Qigong felt that the Kung Fu that Zhuang Bu Ran mentioned was very familiar, Huang Rong blurted out:

"It's the Toad Kung Fu of the West Poison!"

"Haha, thanks to learning the 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms,' I've also corrected my mistakes in the 'Toad Skill' and understood its counterattack method," Zhuang Bu Ran said happily. "Rong'er, how come this kid even knows Ouyang Feng's 'Toad Skill'?" Hong Qigong was puzzled.

"West Poison's nephew Ouyang Ke became a guest of honor at the Jin Kingdom's Zhao Wang Mansion. He coerced this man into giving him the secret manual of Toad Kung Fu."

"However, Ouyang Ke refused to comply, so he deliberately wrote errors in the secret manual. He was discovered and killed."

Hong Qigong frowned and stared at Zhuang Buran:
"You wantonly stole someone's martial arts skills, and then killed them afterwards. Do you know that you have violated a major martial arts taboo? If you continue to act recklessly, I'm afraid that before Ouyang Feng comes to settle accounts with you, the entire martial arts world will call for your death."

"Killing a lustful man is a reckless act." Zhuang Bu Ran looked puzzled.

"I wanted to kill him anyway, so why not make use of him before I die?"

He suddenly showed enlightenment:
"Could it be that just because his elder is called Ouyang Feng, he can't die?"

Zhuang Bu'ran paused, curling his lips:
"As long as you are human, you will die. No one in this world can't die, and I am no exception."

"So, if you really provoke the martial arts world to fight and kill you, then go ahead and do it. You will die when you deserve to."

"The issue is not whether his elder is Ouyang Feng or not, but that you act without any reservations and without any bottom line. If you really provoke public outrage in the future, aren't you afraid of death?" Hong Qigong asked doubtfully.

“As Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuangzi. Life is like a dream. If you can’t enjoy life to the fullest, then death is death. What’s the fear?”

Zhuang Bu Ran's eyes fell on Huang Rong:
"You now know that the martial arts of Peach Blossom Island are completely opposite to those of the Northern Beggar, so don't mistake me for someone else in the future."

After saying this, he stepped on the Bagua and flew away like a fairy.

"Seventh Master, do you think he is my father's offspring from another family?" Huang Rong asked with a frown.

Hong Qigong pondered for a while:
"This boy's perverseness, arrogance, and viciousness are quite similar to Huang Yaoshi's in his youth. However, after our duel at the summit of Mount Hua, I know that he is a man who disdains etiquette, is unconcerned with trivial matters, and is passionate, unrestrained, and uninhibited."

"Although the name of the East Evil sounds like a demon who kills without blinking an eye, it's mainly because of his eccentric personality and cunning behavior. He doesn't like to explain himself or interact with others. He does things according to his own preferences and doesn't care about other people's opinions."

"When he appeared in the martial arts world, he would often mute and deafen people, and then make them disappear alive or their bodies dead, making the people in the martial arts world afraid of him."

"But the old beggar knew that he was dealing with evildoers, and that's why he brought them back to serve him. Besides, he seemed carefree, but in fact, he valued his reputation the most. He regarded himself as a master and valued his status."

"Therefore, even though my actions may appear to be evil, I will definitely not do such despicable things as bullying the weak or stealing others' martial arts skills."

"That brat is truly a lunatic who acts according to his own whims. If you provoke him, there's no one in the world who can't be killed."

Hong Qigong said this and analyzed seriously:
"As a master who is both good and evil, Huang Yaoshi should have raised children like you."

"He's a rebellious person, so you have a willful and capricious side. He's arrogant and conceited, so you're smart and clever. You both have the bottom line that people should have."

"Based on this speculation, this boy probably has nothing to do with you. After all, the world is so vast that there are all kinds of strange things. Naturally, there are many people who look alike."

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. When I meet my father one day, everything will be clear." Huang Rong seemed to remember something and asked:

"Seventh Master, Zhuang Bu Ran just ran away because he felt guilty because he had secretly learned your 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms'."

"If he really had a guilty conscience, why would he use it so openly?" Hong Qigong sighed.

"I just don't care. I think an old beggar can't do anything to him. The most important point is, this skill is no different from what I taught him personally. It's not reasonable at all. So I don't think I will settle the score with him."

(End of this chapter)