Chaos begins when one joins a martial arts school

Chapter 87 Teacher's Kindness
Li Zhong stood aside, not speaking immediately.

He knew how much this news would impact the master. When he first heard that Yang Jing had passed the exam, his legs almost cramped up, and he was even more distraught than Ning Xuezhi was now.

But no matter how shocked we are, we have to face reality; this is the most difficult situation right now.

After waiting a moment, seeing the paleness on Ning Xuezhi's face gradually fade and a hint of clarity appear in his eyes after his struggle, Li Zhongcai cautiously asked, "Master, what should we do next?"

Ning Xuezhi took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, as if he had made up his mind.

He looked in the direction of Yangjia Village and gritted his teeth, saying, "I have to go to Yangjia Village myself. I have to make a proper statement and get to the bottom of things."

He paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Put all those dirty deeds on Feng Lei. He's dead, there's no way to verify them, so he can take the blame for us. Besides, I didn't wrong him. I only wanted the two acres of land from the Yang family. Those coercive and enticement methods were his own doing, and had nothing to do with me."

Li Zhong quickly nodded in agreement: "What you say is true, sir. Only your personal visit can show our sincerity. It would be best if you could meet Yang Jing in person and speak frankly with him, even if... even if you have to lower your stance a little."

In his view, as long as the Ning family could be saved, a temporary bowing out was nothing.

Ning Xuezhi nodded and then instructed Li Zhong, "Go to the Feng family now and have them take Madam back to stay for a while."

Li Zhong was taken aback, his face showing confusion: "Master, why is that?"

The current wife in the mansion is the master's second wife and also Feng Lei's distant sister. She usually gets along well with the master, so why is she suddenly being sent back to the Feng family?

A cold glint flashed in Ning Xuezhi's eyes: "My trip to the Yang family this time serves two purposes: first, to curry favor, and second, to sound them out. If Yang Jing still harbors resentment over the past and is unwilling to let things go..."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone resolute: "Then the only option is to completely sever ties with the Feng family and place all the blame on them. At that time, I will divorce my wife, sever this relationship, and let the Yang family see the Ning family's attitude. They will have no reason to hold the Ning family accountable anymore."

Li Zhong was so shocked by these words that he took a half step back, his face full of disbelief.

He never expected that the master could be so decisive, abandoning even his own wife for the sake of the Ning family.

Ning Xuezhi's face was grave, but he did not hesitate at all: "You don't understand. You can't underestimate a person's hatred, especially someone like Yang Jing who has risen from the ashes. Once he holds a grudge against someone, he might fight to the death. Besides, it's never a bad thing to be cautious."

He was able to stabilize the family business after taking over the Ning family, and even add more assets, not because of acting impulsively, but because of his cautiousness in making decisions when necessary.

"Although I had considered easing tensions with the Yang family before, I hadn't done it thoroughly enough. Who knows if they're still holding a grudge?"

Ning Xuezhi said in a deep voice, "She's just a second wife. Divorce her and that's it. We can find another young and beautiful one later. We can't afford to lose the Ning family's thousands of acres of fertile land and our entire fortune for a woman!"

Seeing the determination in the master's eyes, Li Zhong finally understood his plan and quickly bowed, replying, "I'll take care of it right away!"

Ning Xuezhi waved his hand, then turned his gaze back towards Yangjia Village, his expression complex and unreadable.

This trip concerns the life and death of the Ning family; he must win this gamble.

The matter concerning the Ning family finally fulfilled Ning Xuezhi's wish and resolved a knot in his heart.

At noon that day, Ning Xuezhi personally drove several carts full of gifts to Yangjia Village, just in time to find that Yang Jing had not yet left.

He adopted an extremely humble posture, and after some self-criticism, he attributed most of the past conflicts to Feng Lei, sincerely apologizing.

At the same time, he respectfully bowed to Yang Jing and said, "Congratulations, Your Excellency."

Ning Xuezhi's attitude surprised many of the villagers present.

This notorious landlord Ning from Wazi Township, who usually bossed the farmers around, was practically begging Yang Jing for mercy today.

It must be said that they are indeed capable of managing such a large business; such flexibility and adaptability are not something that ordinary people can learn.

Yang Jing recalled his grandfather's tolerance and generosity towards Yang Ji, and seeing that Ning Xuezhi was indeed sincere and had come to apologize many times, he decided not to pursue the matter further, as it was not appropriate to retaliate against someone who was smiling.

He knew in his heart that if he hadn't risen to power, the Yang family would probably have fallen into a major crisis sooner or later because of the loss of those two acres of land. Although he had the intention of eliminating the threat completely, since the other party had already yielded and his grandfather had no intention of investigating further, he went with the flow, gave Ning Xuezhi a serious warning, and then let him go.

One month later.

Chengpingfang, the front courtyard of the Sun Family Martial Arts School.

Sunlight streamed through the tall lintel of the martial arts school, casting dappled shadows on the flagstone-paved front yard.

Yang Jing, dressed in shorts, was intently practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist.

He slightly parted his feet, lowered his waist and stood at attention, focusing his energy in his dantian.

The punch was not aimed at extreme speed, but it carried a heavy, mountain-like momentum. The wind from the punch howled, as if causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

Midway through the punch, the arm suddenly trembled, as if a hidden force surged through the meridians to the fist.

A muffled thud echoed through the courtyard, sounding like pebbles falling to the ground.

This is the essence of the Mountain-Crushing Fist: using force to generate power, and using that power to shatter rocks.

His body moved nimbly and agilely, his fists striking with wide, sweeping movements. At times, he was like a tiger descending a mountain, fierce and unparalleled. At other times, he was like a nimble ape, changing moves with lightning speed.

Each punch was accompanied by a soft cracking of bones, and his clothes fluttered in the strong wind, yet there was not a single superfluous movement. Clearly, he had mastered this set of boxing techniques to perfection and integrated it into his own blood and qi.

Not far away, Sun Yong stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes blazing as he watched Yang Jing's every move.

He punched the bluestone pillar at the edge of the field. Before the wind from his punch even arrived, a fine layer of white frost had already appeared on the pillar.

That was a sign of internal energy overflowing outwards. He couldn't help but nod slightly, but then said as Yang Jing withdrew his fist, "Wait."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing stopped his movements, slightly out of breath, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He bowed and said, "Master."

Sun Yong stepped forward and pointed to his right shoulder, saying, "The Bengshan Fist emphasizes 'power originates from the ground and strength originates from the spine.' In your punch just now, your shoulders and neck were too tense, and the force was stuck in your shoulder blade, failing to be fully delivered through your wrist. It looked powerful, but in reality, it wasted 30% of its strength."

He stretched out his palm, placed it on Yang Jing's shoulder, and gently pushed him: "Relax, imagine your arm is a whip, your shoulder is the handle, and your fist is the tip. When you exert force, let the energy flow like water, from the soles of your feet down your spine to your fist, all in one smooth motion."

Yang Jing closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before assuming the starting stance again.

This time, he deliberately relaxed his shoulders and neck, and when he lowered his waist and turned his hips, he indeed felt a warm current rise from his dantian, spreading along his spine to his arms. When he punched, the muffled sound became even deeper and more resonant, and the bluestone pillar even swayed slightly.

“Yes, that’s right.” Sun Yong stroked his beard and smiled. “The Mountain-Crushing Fist not only needs to be fierce, but also needs to know how to ‘accumulate power.’ Just like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, you must first draw the bowstring taut before you can shoot an arrow that pierces the clouds. Now that your internal strength is stable, what you lack is the precise control of your power. Only by using every bit of power on the blade can the Mountain-Crushing Fist truly possess the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.”

Yang Jing nodded and began practicing again.

The disciples in the martial arts school all noticed that since Lin Yue was seriously injured and recuperating, their master's regard for Yang Jing had become increasingly obvious.

Every day, Sun Yong spent the most time instructing Yang Jing, and occasionally he would stay behind to explain the key points of the cultivation techniques in detail. The care he showed was something that no other disciple had ever received.

Time passes slowly.

Yang Jing had been practicing boxing in the courtyard for nearly two hours. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes, but his breathing remained steady.

Seeing that he had stopped and stood still, Sun Yong said, "Jing'er, come with me to the inner courtyard."

Yang Jing was somewhat puzzled. In the past, after instructing him on the fist techniques, his master would let him figure them out on his own. But today, he suddenly wanted to go to the inner courtyard.

But he didn't ask any more questions, bowed and replied "Yes," and followed Sun Yong inside.

Passing through the moon gate that separates the front yard from the inner yard, you arrive at the inner yard.

Several green bamboos grow in the courtyard, and the bluestone path is clean and tidy, exuding a sense of tranquility.

Yang Jing followed his master and went straight into the study on the east side.

The study was small, with several bookshelves against the wall, piled high with books and various notes. A pear wood desk stood by the window, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and an open boxing manual.

Sun Yong walked behind the desk and sat down, gesturing for Yang Jing to sit opposite him. He then reached into the desk drawer, took out two porcelain bottles, and placed them on the table.

The porcelain bottle is about the size of a palm, pure white all over, and sealed with a cork at the mouth.

"The Qi-Nourishing Pills I gave you last time should be almost used up by now," Sun Yong said, pushing two porcelain bottles toward Yang Jing. "Take these two bottles and continue to accumulate internal energy. Reach the peak of Dark Force as soon as possible, giving yourself enough time to break through the bottleneck!"

"Yes, Master."

Yang Jing now takes a Qi-Nourishing Pill almost every day to aid his cultivation.

The pills I got from my master last time are indeed almost gone.

He didn't refuse, stepped forward, picked up the porcelain bottle, and felt its slight weight, indicating the amount of pills inside.

"Thank you, Master." Yang Jing bowed and expressed his gratitude sincerely.

He knew that these pills were very valuable, and that his master's kindness showed that he genuinely wanted to cultivate him.

Sun Yong waved his hand, his gaze falling on the porcelain bottle in Yang Jing's hand. He paused, then changed the subject, asking, "How are you doing with your dietary supplements these days?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing replied truthfully, "Master, as for dietary supplements, I mainly eat the meat of ferocious beasts, such as tiger meat and bear meat, which I consume daily. In addition, I often eat spirit fish. Although spirit fish is just one of the most common kinds of exotic beasts, its effect of nourishing blood and qi is much stronger than that of ordinary ferocious beast meat."

Sun Yong nodded, then asked, "How many spirit fish can you get each month?"

“I’m working at my fourth senior brother’s Liu’s Medical Clinic,” Yang Jing explained. “Since I passed the imperial examination, the clinic has also improved my treatment. The number of spirit fish I can get has increased from five to ten per month.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Yong frowned slightly and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

He naturally knew about the spirit fish. Although it was a mythical beast, it was only the lowest-ranking one and didn't even rank among the best mythical beast meat, so its nourishing effect was limited.

Ten items a month may seem like a lot, but for a master of internal strength like Yang Jing who practices two martial arts simultaneously and needs to make rapid progress, it is actually far from enough.

Moreover, he knew in his heart that Liu's Medical Hall was only a second-rate force in the county town, and could not compare with those large families that had been passed down for hundreds of years. It was already the best they could do to provide Yang Jing with ten spirit fish every month. Asking for more would be asking too much.

However... Yang Jing's talent shouldn't be hampered by these resources.

It was one thing not to have discovered Yang Jing's talent before, but now that this rough gem has been found, and since he has become his disciple, he certainly cannot delay his progress.

Sun Yong's gaze fell on Yang Jing, and he asked, "As far as I know, after you passed the examination a month ago, many forces in the city extended olive branches to you, right? I heard that even the Chen family and the Jiang family, two of the six major families, were interested. The conditions they offered should be much more generous than those of Liu's Medical Clinic. Why did you refuse them all?"

Yang Jing did not hesitate and said frankly, "The conditions offered by those powerful forces are indeed tempting. Some promised to supply ten catties of top-grade exotic beast meat every month, while others said they could provide copies of high-level cultivation techniques. But after careful consideration, I realized that their demands were too many. They either wanted me to join their clan as a guest elder, requiring me to be available at any time to handle clan affairs, or they wanted me to sign a contract, requiring me to contribute a certain amount of effort to the clan, and there were even overseas assignments. These would distract me too much and delay my martial arts practice, so I declined them all."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yong smiled approvingly and stroked his beard, saying, "Good, what a pure heart dedicated to martial arts. In the path of martial arts, the most taboo thing is to be half-hearted. It is rare that you can maintain this original intention."

At that moment, he couldn't help but think of Lin Yue.

Lin Yue stumbled on this point.

If Lin Yue could be like Yang Jing, able to stay true to himself, remain unmoved by the attempts of powerful forces to win him over, and focus on his own martial arts, he wouldn't be facing this disaster.

unfortunately
Sun Yong sighed, paused for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly took out an object from his pocket.

It was a palm-sized wooden plaque, dark brown in color and hard in texture. On the front, the character "孙" (Sun) was engraved in an ancient style, with vigorous strokes that exuded a sense of power.

The back is engraved with many intricate patterns, resembling clouds and dragons, and upon closer inspection, they reveal a certain pattern, making it no ordinary object.

Sun Yong handed the wooden plaque to Yang Jing and said in a deep voice, "Take this."

Yang Jing's gaze fell on the wooden plaque. Before he could reach out, he heard his master continue, "With this token, you can go to the Beast Pavilion in the inner city every month to collect twenty catties of top-grade beast meat."

"What?" Yang Jing's heart skipped a beat, and his face showed surprise.

He is no longer the country boy who knew nothing about martial arts resources.

Even the most common mythical creature, the spirit fish, sells for over twenty taels of silver each on the market.

The value of top-grade exotic beast meat far exceeds that of spirit fish. It is said to be the finest meat taken from exotic beasts that truly contain spiritual energy. It has miraculous effects on nourishing the blood and qi of martial artists and honing their internal strength. On the market, it costs at least fifty or sixty taels of silver per kilogram, or even more, and it is often available but not in stock.

Master, this token actually allows me to receive twenty catties every month?
Yang Jing secretly calculated that twenty catties of top-grade exotic beast meat, based on market prices, would be worth at least a thousand taels of silver!
This gesture is far more significant than the promises made by the Chen and Jiang families.

He stared blankly at the wooden plaque in Sun Yong's hand, momentarily forgetting to take it.

(End of this chapter)