Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

After leaving the fisherman's house, the carriage headed southeast. After traveling along the main road for a short while, they smelled a strange fragrance.

"Huh? Young master, it smells like chicken? Is it that chicken thief?" Butler Su slowed down the car and asked.

Su Yuchen scanned the area with his divine sense, lifted the right-hand curtain of the carriage, and looked at a small mound of earth not far from the roadside. Behind the mound, three people were sharing a chicken.

"Stop the car, let's go take a look." After a moment's thought, Su Yuchen decided to go see Guo Jing.

Butler Su responded and stopped the carriage under the shade of a tree by the roadside. The next second, he sensed something and looked up to his right, where he met a pair of eyes.

A glint flashed in their eyes as they both sensed the other's strength. However, Butler Su was unconcerned; in his experience, the man's strength was merely comparable to his own.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Su Yuchen stood on the carriage shaft and smiled at the three heads peeking out. With his level of cultivation, he could easily hear two exclamations and low murmurs.

………………

After a while.

Su Yuchen and his servant were already sitting behind the small mound. Besides Guo Jing and Huang Rong, the other person was a middle-aged beggar. Although his clothes were patched and mended, they were very clean. He had a jade-green bamboo stick on his left and a large vermilion gourd tied around his waist.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong both knew Steward Su, but Huang Rong did not know Su Yuchen; however, whether it was Guo Jing, Huang Rong, or the middle-aged beggar, they all knew how formidable Steward Su was.

And yet, this peerless master, who was no less than the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains, was standing beside Su Yuchen like a servant.

Looking at the chicken feathers and bones scattered all over the ground, Su Yuchen smiled at Guo Jing and said, "I didn't expect to meet you, little brother, in Jiangnan."

Guo Jing smiled upon hearing this, scratched his head, and didn't know what to say. Huang Rong secretly tugged at his sleeve, and Guo Jing smiled slightly and said honestly, "This young master is someone I met at Zhige Tower. This... oh, I haven't exchanged names with you yet."

Su Yuchen didn't seem to mind and said, "My surname is Su and my given name is Yuchen. We met briefly before, but I forgot to exchange names."

"My name is Guo Jing, this is Rong'er, and this uncle..." Guo Jing hurriedly replied upon hearing this. However, when it came to the beggar, he couldn't help but scratch his head, because he hadn't asked who this person was yet.

Su Yuchen smiled, looked at the middle-aged beggar, nodded, and said, "I've heard of Hong Qi, the Northern Beggar. I never expected to have the chance to meet you."

As he spoke, he looked at Guo Jing, pointed to the chicken bones on the ground, and said, "I suppose this chicken was stolen by Brother Guo from the fishing village ahead?"

"Huh?" Guo Jing was slightly taken aback, then blushed. At the time, he was only concerned about Huang Rong and never thought that this was stealing and that he would have to pay for it.

Judging from his expression, Su Yuchen had already guessed it and couldn't help but shake his head and say:

"There is nothing wrong with a young man being fond of someone. However, he should still have a basic sense of right and wrong. He should not completely forget the teachings of his mother, Li Ping."

"If your mother were here today, what would you do about this petty theft?"

"You injured people without cause before, which could at least be called standing up for justice; but this time you stole the fishermen's chickens, that's real theft. Don't forget, they also need to make a living. Do you know how much a chicken affects them?"

Guo Jing shook his head.

Su Yuchen sighed and said, "Young man, if you're interested, you might as well go and see the family that lost the chicken. In the future, you should think twice before you act."

Seeing Guo Jing unable to lift his head after Su Yuchen's words, Huang Rong said unhappily, "This is a matter between me and Brother Jing. Why don't you ask what's right and wrong and lecture us? I stole this chicken. It has nothing to do with Brother Jing."

Su Yuchen smiled dismissively and said:

"If you hadn't stolen it, I wouldn't have scolded Guo Jing today. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your father is Huang Yaoshi. I wouldn't even want to dirty my hands if I just raised my hand to kill you."

"Besides, although your father despises etiquette and is not bound by worldly conventions, I don't remember him being a petty thief."

"You...you insulted my father!" Huang Rong said angrily.

Su Yuchen glanced at it disdainfully, his eyes full of contempt, and commented, "Although you have some cleverness, you can't distinguish right from wrong, you're willful and capricious, and you act recklessly. Today I will give you a small punishment as a warning."

As he spoke, he pointed at Huang Rong with his right hand.

Chapter 475 Guiding Guo Jing, Teaching Skills by the River

Seeing Su Yuchen suddenly make a move, Hong Qigong, who had been silent all along, exclaimed, "Stop!" As he spoke, his right hand moved with lightning speed to grab Su Yuchen's wrist.

Su Yuchen sneered. Despite his slow and steady hand movements, Hong Qigong couldn't touch him no matter how many times he changed his moves. Every time he changed his moves, he only caught a phantom. Su Yuchen watched helplessly as Hong Qigong's finger stopped in mid-air at Huang Rong's throat.

Seeing Huang Rong's pale face, Su Yuchen withdrew his right hand and said, "Don't be too arrogant in the future. Huang Yaoshi is not invincible. Even if I kill you, I can only kill him at most."

Hong Qigong looked at Su Yuchen with a serious expression. Only he knew that this young man was not joking. At the very least, he couldn't have blocked that finger strike just now.

Although Huang Rong's face was pale, she still scoffed at his words and secretly curled her lip. She didn't believe anyone could beat her father.

Only Guo Jing was secretly anxious. Su Yuchen and Hong Qigong had acted too quickly, and he hadn't even had time to react before they stopped. Now, hearing Su Yuchen's words, he could feel the seriousness and determination in Su Yuchen's words.

“Brother Su, Rong’er didn’t do it on purpose. We will compensate her.” Guo Jing said hurriedly.

Su Yuchen nodded, skipping over that. There was still plenty of time, and the truth would come out eventually. He asked, "Haven't you acknowledged Yang Tiexin yet?"

"Ah? Uncle Yang? He, they've gone back to Lin'an. They said they wanted to return to their hometown, to return to their roots," Guo Jing said.

At this point, he said with some regret, "It's a pity that Yang Kang refused to go back with Uncle Yang and the others. Alas, Uncle Yang must be heartbroken."

Seeing that he hadn't grasped his meaning, Su Yuchen knew he probably couldn't even imagine it, so he spoke frankly:

"Now that our old friends are still alive, your mother must be overjoyed to hear this news. The Yang couple have already returned to their hometown; have you, Brother Guo, considered letting your mother return to her hometown as well?"

"The grasslands are beautiful, but they are not a place to stay for long! I'm afraid she also longs for her homeland. Before, when all her old friends were gone, it was fine that she didn't have that thought. But now that some of her old friends are still alive, I'm afraid your mother is very homesick."

"Ah..." Guo Jing was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, unsure how to respond.

Su Yuchen smiled and suggested, "If Brother Guo is interested, he might as well write a letter and let your mother make the decision herself. Moreover..."

He looked at Huang Rong and said, "Moreover, I think Brother Guo is deeply in love with her. But if he wants to marry her properly, shouldn't he inform your mother first? Marriage is a serious matter, and the words of the matchmaker should not be taken lightly."

Upon hearing the phrase "marrying in a proper manner," Huang Rong, who had been furious, couldn't help but feel ashamed. Although she was just as unconventional as Huang Yaoshi, she naturally had to follow the proper etiquette when it came to such a major matter as marriage.

Huang Rong thought to herself:

What this bad person said makes sense. If you don't inform your future mother-in-law beforehand, who knows what others will say about you? You might even displease your mother-in-law as soon as you enter the house.

If this makes Brother Jing's mother dislike me, wouldn't that put him in a difficult position?

Moreover, if I could take this opportunity to have Brother Jing bring Aunt back ahead of time, I could also fulfill my filial duty.

The only downside is that if Brother Jing insists on personally going to bring his aunt back, wouldn't he have to see that grassland princess again?

Huang Rong was caught in a dilemma.

"This...this..." Guo Jing was unsure of what to do.

Su Yuchen patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Guo, you might as well think about this matter carefully, but there's no need to rush."

………………

Huang Rong's eyes darted around. Su Yuchen turned to Hong Qigong, who was still deep in thought, and said, "It's quite a coincidence. I've had several encounters with the Beggars' Clan, but I never expected to run into you again."

Hong Qigong frowned and thought for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Could it be that you have some past connection with the Beggars' Clan? This old beggar doesn't seem to remember."

Hong Qigong didn't understand, but Steward Su thought of many things. He was afraid that what Su Yuchen was talking about was not this life at all.

Su Yuchen said:

"In the past, I had the opportunity to read two volumes of the Dragon Subduing Palm. Although your Dragon Subduing Palm is powerful and majestic, it is ultimately lacking in subtle variations."

"To say something that may displease you, your talent and ability are far inferior to those of a certain Beggar Clan leader in the Northern Song Dynasty."

"The Dragon Subduing Palm originally had twenty-eight moves. Although the methods of exerting force and circulating energy in the last ten moves are not much different, they pay more attention to the variation of techniques. Today, it is fate that the Dragon Subduing Palm should return to the Beggars' Sect."

"Indeed, could it be that the young master was also reincarnated during the Northern Song Dynasty? But why is there no legend left behind?" Steward Su pondered to himself.

"Look carefully."

As Su Yuchen finished speaking, he pointed to the deep stream not far away. Two streams of water rose into the air and landed on the open ground between the group. The water churned and transformed into two lifelike water figures. The two 'figures' raised their hands and kicked their feet, pushing and shoving each other, having a great time.

Hong Qigong's eyes narrowed. Although he could also control water to fight, he could never do what Su Yuchen did, making those two water figures look just like real people.

“Brother Guo, we were destined to meet, why don’t you take a good look?” Su Yuchen said to Guo Jing.

Before Guo Jing could answer, the two water sprites, who had been joking around, leaped backward, creating a two-step distance between them. Then, they both used the same move, "The Dragon Regrets," and began to attack each other.

As the two water creatures continued to fight, Su Yuchen's lips moved in and out, and apart from Huang Rong, the other three people present received incantations from Su Yuchen on the spot.

As the two water spirits changed their moves, one of them had only eighteen moves, while the other had ten more. With more changes, the counter moves became even more varied.

Seeing the other three staring intently at the water figure, Huang Rong found it boring, because she couldn't hear the most important incantation and mental techniques of the Dragon Subduing Palm.

However, seeing Guo Jing's thoughtful expression, she glanced at him and guessed what was going on, letting out a soft snort. But then, thinking that her beloved Jing-gege had learned such a unique skill, she couldn't help but feel happy again.

Seeing that the two water creatures showed no sign of stopping anytime soon, Huang Rong's eyes darted around, and she quietly got up and walked away.

………………

After a long time.

Hong Qigong's eyes gleamed. The other water creature's demonstration of moves and incantations was similar to his own in the first eleven palms, but the subsequent moves were smoother and more fluid. The final, exquisite variations were something he had never imagined.

Although Steward Su had only learned the first move, "The Dragon Regrets," he had followed Su Yuchen the longest and had the broadest knowledge of martial arts among them. As a result, he learned it at a pace not much slower than Hong Qigong.

Guo Jing had the worst martial arts skills and limited knowledge, but after overcoming his initial confusion, he realized his shortcomings. So he focused on the water creature with the fewest changes and memorized its moves and incantations.

Seeing that the three of them had each gained something, Su Yuchen had an idea, and the two water figures leaped up at the same time, and with a "splash", they merged back into the stream.

“Our karmic connection has come to an end today. May we meet again someday,” Su Yuchen said, rising to his feet.

Chapter 476 The Cause of Su's Father's Death

You taught Hong Qi the Dragon Subduing Palm, and Hong Qi received its 'complete' form. Hong Qi's martial arts style in the first half of his life leaned towards lightness and elegance, while in the second half he practiced the powerful and vigorous Dragon Subduing Palm. Martial arts paths conflicted, and he had to choose one.

[After receiving your instruction in the last ten moves of the Dragon Subduing Palm, Hong Qi was able to complete his martial arts, combining fierce and domineering power with lightness and elegance, and his martial arts progressed rapidly.]

[You taught Guo Jing the Dragon Subduing Palm, and Guo Jing grasped its 'purity'. Guo Jing admitted that his martial arts skills were low and his knowledge was insufficient, so he was neither greedy nor greedy. He carefully remembered the key points of the first eighteen moves of the Dragon Subduing Palm, comprehended its fierce and simple nature, and understood how it matched his own martial arts.]

[Having been taught the Dragon Subduing Palm by you, Guo Jing experienced a fortuitous encounter. Later, under Hong Qi's guidance, his martial arts skills improved dramatically.]

[You taught Su Jun the Dragon Subduing Palm, and Su Jun mastered its 'transformation'. Having followed you for many years, he has gained extensive knowledge and experience in martial arts, and has developed his own understanding of the Dragon Subduing Palm, making it even more versatile.]

[With your instruction, Su Jun combined the Dragon Subduing Palm with the Lingbo Steps, making his palm power fierce and domineering, yet also containing the infinite variations of the Eight Trigrams.]

Huang Rong, grateful for your teaching Guo Jing martial arts, compensated for Zhang's loss, allowing her grandson to complete his studies. However, due to his limited talent, he only made it to the top three.

On the carriage, Su Yuchen looked at the system's narration. He hadn't expected that the three of them would each gain insights. The other two were fine, but the fact that Steward Su could combine the Dragon Subduing Palm and the Lingbo Steps was beyond his expectations.

After pondering for a moment, Su Yuchen put these matters out of his mind, immersing himself in his sea of ​​consciousness to cultivate peacefully, hoping to advance to the second stage of his primordial spirit as soon as possible.

As he began his cultivation, the light around the carriage seemed to brighten a bit, appearing from a distance as if trailing a faint band of light, bright but not dazzling, like a warm sun.

As the carriage passed by, the wild grass by the roadside, dampened by the night dew, quietly straightened up a bit, its originally withered form rising silently in the morning breeze.

………………

After that, nothing happened on their journey. Half a month later, the two arrived at Jinze Town, where Su's father had died.

Su Yuchen rested at a restaurant in town, while Su's steward went to find the local constable. Since Su's father had not been transported back to the north and could not remain at the mortuary indefinitely, the only way to find out where he would be buried was to ask the constable.

Not long after, Steward Su brought upstairs a gaunt old man dressed in brocade robes with a goatee.

"Young master, this is Niu Santong, the local security guard," said Steward Su.

[Butler Su bribed the local constable, and he answered all your questions; he even learned to answer them quickly.]

Su Yuchen gestured for the guard to sit down. Before he could ask, Niu Santong had already taken out a notebook from his pocket and placed it on the table, saying, "I already know why you've come, Young Master Su. I checked the old files from eight years ago, and your father was indeed buried in the Zhennan area."

As he spoke, he opened the notebook, pointed to a page, and pushed it over.

Su Yuchen glanced down and saw that it read: "In the second month of the fifth year of Qingyuan, a man surnamed Su from Daxing Prefecture died in Jinze Town. He was laid to rest in the mortuary and later buried five miles south of the town."

"I am not quite clear about the cause of my father's death back then. What can I do for you, Mr. Niu?" Su Yuchen only glanced at it. The contents were written unclearly, but it was probably related to something.

“This…” Niu Santong hesitated for a moment, then stroked his beard and said, “I’m afraid the cause of your father’s death might cause some trouble.”

As he spoke, he traced a line on the notebook, first pointing to a small ink stain in the upper right corner of the entry for Su's father's death, and said:

"I also feel pity for these poor people who die far from home, so I use some special marks to record things that I find suspicious, so that I won't forget them over the years."

"This ink stain resembles a plum blossom with five petals, which means that your father had a palm wound on his body before his death."

"The petals are longer on the left and shorter on the right. The burial was five miles south of the city, which means that your father's injury was five inches below the left, indicating that he suffered internal injuries and died from coughing up blood."

Su Yuchen then asked, "Old Master Niu is familiar with this area and must be well-informed. What advice do you have for me regarding what happened back then?"

“This…” Niu Santong stroked his beard and remained silent.

With a flick of his finger, Butler Su sent a silver coin flying into his arms.

Niu Santong sighed, turned to a page, and gestured for Su Yuchen to look. The page read: "In February of the fifth year of Qingyuan, Duan, the commander of the Luzhou Xiang Army, was ordered to welcome the Jin envoy. He then ordered his troops to plunder the countryside, causing great harm far and wide."

Su Yuchen scoffed and said, "So my father's death was due to the ravages of war."

Niu Santong sighed and said:

"Young master, please accept my condolences!"