Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "That makes sense. As the saying goes, 'To forge iron, one must be strong oneself,' so I'm not one to be trifled with either. See..."

Su Yuchen patted the iron rod on the table and said, "This iron rod of mine can easily kill someone with one strike."

"Ha...you think this is a fire poker? Can you even fight with it?" Gu Ducheng laughed.

Su Yuchen nodded and said very seriously, "I'm very capable."

Su Yuchen spoke earnestly, but Duan Zhengchun and the others were reluctant to believe him.

At this moment, Zhu Danchen nodded quietly, and Duan Zhengchun said, "Since that's the case, I suppose the young Taoist master isn't afraid that we are bad people. I wonder if we, master and servant, could stay the night?"

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "It's fine to stay here, but not for free."

Zhu Danchen immediately reached into his satchel and pulled out a loose silver ingot, about one tael in size, saying, "This is for lodging purposes."

Su Yuchen curled his lip in disdain. Zhu Danchen was stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "It was our rudeness. Please forgive us." As he spoke, he took out another ten-tael silver ingot and placed it on the stone table beside him.

Su Yuchen stood up, flicked his sleeve, and said, "The kitchen is over there. You can stay in the right side hall. Go there yourself." After saying that, he turned around and went back to the left side hall.

Watching Su Yuchen take away ten taels of silver, Gu Ducheng muttered, "This little Taoist priest is quite greedy."

Zhu Danchen glanced at the closed door of the left side hall, thinking that the young Taoist priest probably couldn't hear him from this distance, and shook his head, saying...

"You can't say that."

"Ten taels of silver is not just for lodging, but also for safety. The young Taoist priest also said that this is a branch of Longhu Mountain. The temple is small, but the deity is powerful. Even Lingyin Temple does not want to come and provoke it."

“We visited late at night, and they must have already figured out what we were hiding from. That young Taoist priest probably knew that our enemies would go to Lingyin Temple, and that Lingyin Temple would definitely avoid this place if they were to search. That’s why he said it was to ensure our safety.”

"Besides, we still need to eat and drink, so it's not unreasonable to charge this much. Brother Fu, could you please go to the kitchen and get some food, and make it as quiet as possible?"

Another man dressed as a farmer, Fu Sigui, nodded and walked towards the kitchen. He soon stood at the door and nodded again. The others then headed towards the side hall on the right.

………………

After a long while, the group lit candles in the side hall on the right and each ate a bowl of hot soup and a piece of crispy rice. Duan Zhengchun said, "Fourth Brother Zhu, what do you think of that young Taoist priest's martial arts?"

Hearing this, Zhu Danchen shook his head and said, "That young Taoist priest's martial arts skills should be average. When he handed over the money just now, I carefully observed him. He was slender and his eyes were not bright. He should have practiced Taoist guiding techniques, but he was only slightly above average. Moreover, there was no trace of blood on the iron rod. I'm afraid it was really used for starting a fire."

Gu Ducheng chuckled and said...

"I knew this little Taoist priest was just bragging. He said he could take down a monster with one strike. If he really ran into a strongman, he'd probably wet himself."

"Never mind, whatever. I'm just a kind-hearted old man. I'll just get him a bundle of firewood tomorrow."

The group smiled and shook their heads. After finishing their meal, they immediately went to sleep fully clothed.

As dawn broke, Zhu Danchen suddenly stood up. At the same time, the others also quickly opened their eyes. Gu Ducheng reached behind his back and found a short axe in his hand. He then quietly approached the door.

Looking out through the holes in the window paper, you can see that the young Taoist priest has sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard again, facing the direction of the courtyard gate and not moving.

After watching for a while without figuring it out, Gu Ducheng shook his head and walked over to the four people, muttering to himself. The other four were also astonished, wondering what the young Taoist priest was up to.

Zhu Danchen pondered for a moment and said, "Legend has it that the Taoist sect has secret techniques for cultivating immortality, which can absorb the essence of the sun and moon. Could that little Taoist have been collecting moonlight last night?"

The others found it amusing, thinking it unlikely. Even Zhu Danchen himself didn't believe it. After waiting a while, seeing that the young Taoist priest was still motionless, he immediately lay down fully clothed.

Your commotion woke Duan Zhengchun and his group, but they paid it no mind.

The system's voiceover quietly sounded, but Su Yuchen remained unmoved, staring intently at the horizon. The next second, a fireball quietly appeared.

Chapter 287 On Fishing

Early in the morning, when Duan Zhengchun and his companions stepped out of the side hall, the chilly winter air immediately sent a rush of cold air into their lungs, instantly invigorating them.

Breakfast was already laid out on the stone table in the courtyard. A pure white fox in the yard was startled when it saw the group and scurried away. Before they could even ask any questions, Su Yuchen came out of the kitchen, holding a raw fish in his hand.

"Alright, take it!" Su Yuchen tossed the fish to the little creature, finding it amusing. Yesterday it probably sensed that he meant no harm, but today it just climbed over the wall and came in.

Just as Su Yuchen had finished setting out breakfast on the stone table, the little creature stood cautiously to the side, whimpering softly. This sight touched Su Yuchen deeply, so he went to the kitchen and got another fish.

The white fox snatched the frozen fish, leaped onto the wall, glanced back, and then darted into the woods without looking back.

………………

"Are you all awake? There's breakfast in the pot, and you can boil some water yourselves. I won't entertain you any further," Su Yuchen said.

Zhu Danchen nodded and said, "That's how it should be. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Daoist."

Su Yuchen shook his head and said nonchalantly, "You've already paid, so it's not a problem."

Seeing the scholar and the farmer enter the kitchen, the woodcutter and the fisherman exchanged a glance and immediately left the courtyard. Duan Zhengchun moved around in the courtyard for a while and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Doesn't the Taoist priest do his morning prayers?"

Duan Zhengchun has some suspicions about your behavior this morning. He wants to ask you for the art of cultivation, and if he fails, he will suffer no loss.

Su Yuchen glanced at him and said calmly, "The path to immortality lies in self-cultivation, not in being bestowed by others. I offer this stick of incense to the Three Pure Ones to honor them for paving the way so that we, the later learners, may have a path to follow."

Duan Zhengchun, making conversation out of boredom, simply nodded without commenting on whether it was right or wrong, and then asked, "Was that white fox raised by the Taoist priest?"

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "I only met that white fox yesterday."

Duan Zhengchun praised, "That white fox clearly understands human nature; it must be destined to be with you, Daoist."

Su Yuchen snorted...

"The immortal path values ​​life. I have no shortage of fox fur, so I naturally wouldn't hunt it. That white fox only dared to come to my door to ask for it because it saw that I had no intention of killing it."

"As for having a connection with me, that's even more impossible. The path of immortality is precious, and there's no such thing as a predestined connection for cultivating immortality. I'm still struggling myself, how could I possibly care about it?"

"Oh?" Duan Zhengchun was startled upon hearing this and said, "Could it be that the Taoist sect truly possesses divine secret techniques?"

Su Yuchen glanced at him in surprise, as if looking at an idiot: "Immortals are also made from humans. The so-called secret methods are nothing more than practicing martial arts and cultivating qi. Aren't these all for the purpose of ascending to immortality?"

Duan Zhengchun coughed awkwardly a few times, realizing that he had indeed been overthinking things. How could he believe in a story like "encountering a fairy in a desolate mountain"?

At this moment, the woodcutter and the fisherman came in one after the other. The woodcutter was carrying a large bundle of firewood on his back, which was as tall as a person. The fisherman was carrying a pheasant and a rabbit in his hands. At this moment, Zhu Danchen came out with hot water and said to Su Yuchen, "I have troubled you for the night, Daoist. I can only offer you some dry firewood as a token of my gratitude. Please do not find it offensive."

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "You've already paid, so even if you come back from gathering firewood, I won't give you a refund."

Duan Zhengchun smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need, no need, Daoist, please consider this as an offering."

Su Yuchen nodded, cleared away the dishes and said, "I still need to go down the mountain to pick up the goods, so I won't keep you company any longer. Please make yourselves at home."

Zhu Danchen said, "Should I ask my brother to accompany the Daoist priest?"

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "It's just some daily necessities, so I don't need any help."

………………

After a long while, Su Yuchen was fishing at the dock when he saw a small fishing boat swaying by. The old fisherman laughed and said, "This time it's the Taoist priest who's waiting for me!"

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "I'm just free, unlike you, Uncle Li, who's always on the go." As he spoke, he took the bamboo basket that his uncle handed him, which contained the rice, flour, and other miscellaneous items that Su Yuchen needed.

After tidying up, Su Yuchen picked up two fish and put them into the bamboo basket, saying, "This time there's nothing I can trade with you, Uncle Li. Come back next time and take another look. These two fish are for you, Uncle Li, take them back for your children to try."

"This...this is too much, this is too much." The old fisherman rubbed his hands, feeling embarrassed. "I've already taken a huge advantage of you, Master Dao. If you hadn't asked me to make this deal, I wouldn't have been able to earn so much money to send my grandson to school."

Su Yuchen waved his hand and said, "Uncle Li also helped me a lot. If it weren't for Uncle Li, I would have had to go to the city to sell wolf skins and wolf teeth myself. It's just a small matter, Uncle Li, you don't need to worry about it."

Old Man Li nodded gratefully and said, "Then I'll accept it without hesitation and give it to my grandson to try when I get back."

At this time, Duan Zhengchun and his group had already come down the mountain. When they saw Su Yuchen actually giving fish to the fisherman, and the old fisherman was very grateful, they were astonished.

When the old fisherman saw that someone else was coming, he immediately said, "So you have a distinguished guest, Taoist priest. I'll have to go fishing now!"

"Oh?" Su Yuchen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Have those wicked women that Uncle Li mentioned left yet?"

The old fisherman nodded and said, "I heard it was someone from the Wang family of Suzhou! They gave them a good scolding, and those wicked women left early this morning. I heard it was a few scholars who went to complain to the general in Hangzhou!"

A servant from Mantuo Villa accidentally bumped into a boat belonging to Bailu Academy, which was traveling on West Lake. As a result, the Wang family sent someone to Taihu Lake to reprimand Wang Li (Madam Wang).

Su Yuchen nodded, realizing that Madam Wang was also clever and knew that she could act with impunity in Suzhou only because she had taken advantage of Madam Wang's influence. Of course, she wouldn't turn against Madam Wang.

Duan Zhengchun and his group, however, showed a hint of joy upon hearing this, not expecting that the people from Mantuo Manor had already left after only one night.

After the old fisherman rowed his fishing boat from the dock, the two men, disguised as woodcutters and farmers, went into the bushes to tow the boat. Chu Wanli, who was disguised as a fisherman, mocked, "It's quite novel for a Taoist priest to deliver fish to fishermen."

Su Yuchen slung the basket over his shoulder, glanced at him, and stepped up the stairs, leaving only echoes of his voice as he sang the lyrics…

A fisherman in a light boat on the lake,

The waves stretch ten thousand miles, flowing east and west.

Diligence is the foundation of life, from sunrise to sunset.

The net can be cast and hauled in endlessly.

The sea is vast and the sky is high, and the fish are leaping.

Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found on the plate.

All the fruits of his labor were enjoyed by others.

The plates on my family's dining table are empty.

……

The sound carried far and wide, echoing across the vast lake. Fishing boats in the distance all looked in this direction. Chu Wanli was slightly taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "This little Taoist priest is calling me out of touch with reality!"

Zhu Danchen chuckled and said, "Well sung, well sung! In the desolate mountains and wild paths, one can see the true colors of humanity."

However, criticisms came from the tour boats on the lake. Someone cursed, "Nonsense, utter nonsense, it's outrageous!"

Zhu Danchen laughed heartily. After Duan Zhengchun boarded the boat, the group steered the boat away while singing loudly, which drew laughter from the surrounding fishing boats.

Chapter 288 The White Fox's Return Gift

When Su Yuchen returned to the Taoist temple, he was taken aback. He saw ten silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, neatly arranged on the stone table in the courtyard.

I picked up the letter and looked at it...

"Last night, we were deeply grateful for your kindness in allowing us to stay at your esteemed temple. As we depart this morning, we offer this small gift of one hundred taels of silver, hoping it will help with the repairs and maintenance of the temple. We earnestly hope you will accept it without hesitation. Duan!"

Duan Zhengchun believes you are no ordinary person and have a high chance of achieving great things in the future. He is willing to invest in you in advance, and even if it fails, he will not suffer any loss.

"That's quite a generous gesture!" Su Yuchen exclaimed, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.

It should be noted that in that era, a family of three would only need one or two taels of silver a month to live on, so Duan Zhengchun's generosity was considerable for an ordinary person.

After happily putting away the silver, Su Yuchen began practicing his boxing in the courtyard. Because Duan Zhengchun and his group had been there the previous night, after absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, Su Yuchen had allowed it to slowly settle and refine within his body without any external assistance during his cultivation.

At this moment, as you move, the Yin and Yang energies flow continuously within your body with each movement, causing a slight tingling sensation wherever they pass, as if every cell in your body is cheering and jumping for joy.

As Su Yuchen unleashed his fist techniques, his bones cracked and popped, and the air exploded wherever his fists struck. Su Yuchen's figure was like a pine tree or a crane, seemingly both strong and gentle, his movements sometimes slow and graceful, sometimes fierce and swift.

His body was in harmony with Yin and Yang, his fingers and palms moved as if grasping the five elements, and his nostrils blew in and out with the sounds of "hum" and "ha". His blood and qi circulated, and his internal organs trembled together. After a long time, Su Yuchen slowly exhaled, and a white streak shot out from his mouth, lingering for a long time.

………………

Three months later.

At dawn, after absorbing that wisp of the Great Sun Purple Qi, Su Yuchen felt a slight tremor within his body, which then subsided.

"It seems that gathering herbs must be put on the agenda. As my body refinement improves, absorbing this little bit of the essence of the sun and moon is no longer enough for me."

Su Yuchen was also helpless. Fortunately, after entering the mountains and forests, there was a waste system that could tell him what medicinal herbs were nearby. Otherwise, if he relied on himself, he would never know when he would achieve mastery of body refinement.

Su Yuchen glanced at the four white foxes—one large and three small—playing in the corner of the courtyard and felt even more helpless. A month ago, this little creature brought its whole family of children here and simply settled down in the Taoist temple.

He got up and went into the kitchen. When he came out, Su Yuchen had a basket on his back and was carrying an iron skewer and several dried fish. He placed the dried fish on the stone table, and the white fox jumped up, sniffed it, and then looked at Su Yuchen. Su Yuchen ignored it, letting it sniff around, and headed alone towards the forest behind the mountain.

It wasn't until nearly sunset that Su Yuchen emerged from the woods. His once empty basket was now filled with herbs, and the iron rod he used as a walking stick rested on his shoulder, with two pheasants swaying from side to side.

Back at the Taoist temple, Su Yuchen glanced at the sky, placed the basket on the stone table, and then went to the side hall to find a few more baskets to sort and process the herbs.

By the time everything was done, it was already dark. In the last rays of the setting sun, Su Yuchen cleaned up the two pheasants by the well. The entrails that he didn't need were eaten clean by the white foxes.

After Su Yuchen cleaned the two pheasants, the three chicks, led by their mother, squeezed out through the crack in the door and ran towards the forest.

Watching them walk into the woods, Su Yuchen ignored them, found two lotus leaves that had been hidden in the kitchen for a long time, and cooked a dish of lotus leaf chicken with rice and pheasant.

While waiting, Su Yuchen took out a box of chess pieces carved from stones from the house and sat down in the courtyard to play chess by himself.

Soon after, the aroma in the kitchen grew stronger. Su Yuchen flicked his right sleeve, skillfully tucking the chess pieces into it. With a flick of his sleeve, the two distinct chess pieces scattered like raindrops on banana leaves, falling into the chess box beside him.

With this one move, Su Yuchen had already made the most of his muscles, tendons, and the techniques he used to wield hidden weapons.

Place the steamed lotus leaf chicken on the stone table, and Su Yuchen tore it apart with his right hand, chewing and swallowing it whole, skin and bones. After two years of body-refining cultivation, his appetite was now exceptionally good. He ate three or four pounds of rice along with the two chickens, finishing them all.

………………

The next morning, Su Yuchen checked the sky to make sure it wouldn't rain before taking the basket full of herbs out to the yard to dry. Then, he carried the basket on his back and headed towards the mountains.

He strolled aimlessly into the woods. Although he didn't yet possess true qi, his pace was swift, and with the aid of his physical strength, he moved like the wind. Wherever he passed, the narration system continuously refreshed new content like a waterfall. Su Yuchen extracted the information he needed and continued moving deeper into the woods.