Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

“Mr. Su, I spent ten days traveling around Wushuang City and asked countless people. Everyone’s dream is different.”

"But to sum it up, the dreams of ordinary people are to live, to live more easily and more safely; while those who practice martial arts hope to obtain better weapons and skills, to stand out from the crowd, and to achieve fame and success."

"I don't know what my dream is?"

"When my mother passed away, she hoped that I could inherit the position of the city lord of Wushuang City; I... my father hoped that I could master martial arts and protect Wushuang City; Venerable Shi Wuzun, and countless people in Wushuang City, are all waiting for me to inherit Wushuang City."

"Before this, my life consisted of reading, practicing martial arts, playing with dogs and riding horses. Everything was taken for granted. I never thought about roaming the martial world. It seemed that all I had to do was wait to inherit Wushuang City."

"But this is not my dream; it's what others hope for."

"In these ten days, I have witnessed the joys and sorrows of ordinary people; I have witnessed the life-and-death struggles of martial arts practitioners; I have witnessed so much more..."

“Mr. Su, it seems I only have responsibilities, not dreams.”

"Now that I think about it, I think I understand why Su Yuchen made his move outside the city that day. As an heir, I should have protected the dream of Wushuang City, but I, or rather, the Dugu family, failed to do so."

"If I had to say what I've been doing all along, it's probably just wanting to know the truth about one thing; but that has nothing to do with dreams."

Su Yuchen smiled and asked, "If you have no dreams, would you be willing to take on the responsibility of protecting Wushuang City, so that those people outside, and all living beings, can live happier and more peaceful lives?"

Dugu Ming nodded and said, "Of course I'm willing. The Dugu family has seized the most benefits in Wushuang City, so it's their duty to protect it."

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "That's enough. What is the truth you want to know?"

Dugu Ming hesitated for a moment.

The poor child suspects that his father is not his father, but is too young and has no evidence.

On the one hand, he was unwilling to believe his own suspicions, and on the other hand, he was afraid of being forced to disappear after the truth was revealed.

Without your arrival, the poor child would have gradually gone astray due to indulgence, and whether his father was his father or not would no longer matter.

Su Yuchen smiled, not exposing the boy's little scheme, and said calmly, "Starting tomorrow, I will teach you the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms."

Dugu Ming looked astonished and bewildered, and asked blankly, "Why?"

Chapter 540 Teaching

"why?"

Su Yuchen smiled and said calmly:

"That's a good question. In this world, apart from parents, no one is kind to you for no reason, and I am no exception."

Dugu Ming nodded; this was indeed what the young man was thinking.

Su Yuchen ignored his probing gaze and said calmly:

"On the one hand, I came to the territory of Wushuang City, which may be some kind of fate. And in the days since, your performance has not made me too disgusted, and I find you quite pleasing to the eye, so I am willing to give you a chance."

"Secondly, your answer today was satisfactory to me. I believe that a person who is willing to take responsibility cannot be too bad."

"Third, since you know the Dragon Subduing Leg, teaching you the Dragon Subduing Palm is no big deal. Even if you learn it, if you do evil, it's just a matter of a slap to me."

"Fourth, Wushuang City is the largest martial arts force in the south. If possible, I also hope that the common people in this world can live a better life, instead of being in such a chaotic and precarious state as they are now."

Dugu Ming was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting this reason; after thinking for a moment, he bent his knees and was about to kneel down.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, it felt as if an invisible force was supporting him from below, preventing him from kneeling down.

Su Yuchen said calmly:

"Don't ask me to become your apprentice, and I don't plan to take on any disciples."

"However, since you're going to learn from me, there are some things I need to make clear beforehand."

"I am not knowledgeable in the art of governing a country, and I only have a superficial understanding of one branch of Confucianism, called the philosophy of mind. This philosophy can help you govern Wushuang City in the future."

"As for martial arts, I can teach you the Dragon Subduing Palm first; as for whether I can teach you anything else, it depends on your talent and comprehension."

"In addition, if you really want to learn from me, besides martial arts, there are other assignments. Every two weeks, I will assign you a book to read, and you will have to submit a reading report to me."

"Disciple understands," Dugu Ming nodded.

Su Yuchen glanced at him but didn't correct his way of addressing him. He continued, "I will be staying in Wushuang City for three years. If you want to learn from me, it will be very tough. You should think it through."

Dugu Ming nodded firmly and said, "This disciple is not afraid of hardship!"

The lonely young man felt the fatherly love he had always longed for but could never attain in you.

"Go back now, I'll start teaching you tomorrow." Su Yuchen waved his sleeve.

………………

"Young City Lord..."

"Master Shi, do not tell anyone about Mr. Su's matter."

"Young City Lord, why do you trust an outsider so much?"

“I didn’t sense any malice from him.”

"Young City Lord, the human heart is unpredictable..."

"Do as I say."

"……Yes."

………………

the next day.

The boy, who had expected to arrive early, endured until after noon.

“This is the time I go out every day to play with the dogs and walk the horses,” the young Dugu Ming said calmly.

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "It's good that you know how to be patient."

Dugu Ming's body trembled, his eyes narrowed involuntarily, he clenched his fists, but in the end he didn't ask anything;

Su Yuchen didn't explain anything further. He nodded and said, "Today I will teach you the first move of the Dragon Subduing Palm, 'The Dragon Regrets'."

Dugu Ming was taken aback. He had thought that today's lesson would be about respecting teachers and teaching them, but he didn't expect that they would start teaching him the Dragon Subduing Palm that he had been longing for.

Su Yuchen glanced at him and said, "My teaching depends entirely on my interest. I'll teach whatever I feel like teaching, and whether you can learn it or not is up to you."

Dugu Ming nodded excitedly, then looked at the backyard of the inn and asked, "Sir, should we go somewhere else? This place is too crowded..."

Su Yuchen said calmly, "You've done very well, knowing not to attract attention. As for others, you don't need to worry, no one will see."

As he spoke, Su Yuchen pointed, and a handful of yellow earth quietly gathered at Dugu Ming's feet, forming a rough human shape. Under his gaze, the human shape began to perform palm techniques.

Before he could think any further, Su Yuchen's voice rang in his ears:

“Look closely, this is the first move of the Dragon Subduing Palm, ‘The Dragon Regrets’.”

"As the saying goes, 'The dragon that soars too high will regret it, and victory cannot last long.' This is the first move of the Dragon Subduing Palm, and also the essence of the entire palm technique. And its mystery lies entirely in the word 'regret'..."

As Su Yuchen explained, Dugu Ming was completely captivated by the dynamic clay figure on the ground. To outsiders, he just seemed to be standing there in a daze.

With Su Yuchen's level of expertise, his explanations were naturally profound yet easy to understand, breaking down all the mysteries involved, which made Dugu Ming eagerly immerse himself in them.

While Dugu Ming's talent wasn't on par with geniuses like Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun, he was still a top student, and Su Yuchen was quite satisfied with his studies.

As Su Yuchen got into the conversation, a dynamic clay figure appeared beside his sleeve, demonstrating the first move of the Dragon Subduing Leg technique.

……

Time flew by, and by the time Dugu Ming came to his senses, the mud figure on the ground had disappeared; an hour had passed.

"Alright, that's all for today. You can familiarize yourself with it on your own over the next two days. You don't need to come over."

"Here is an article. Memorize it and when you come back next time, share your thoughts on it."

As he spoke, Su Yuchen flicked his finger, and a stream of true essence split into countless parts that fell at his feet, forming a landscape.

………………

The Moon Gate.

As Shi Wuzun looked at Dugu Ming approaching, his gaze fell to the ground, and he advised, "Young City Lord, there is no need to be impatient. How could such a master of the martial world easily impart his knowledge? He must first see the Young City Lord's sincerity."

Dugu Ming was taken aback, realizing that he must have misunderstood, but he did not refute it. He nodded and said, "Master, rest assured, I will persevere and persist."

Venerable Shi Wuzun clasped his hands together, a slight smile on his face, and said, "Where there's a will, there's a way. Young City Lord will surely get what he wants."

Time flies, and several months have passed. Every day, Su Yuchen would take time to teach him both literature and martial arts, instructing him on how to discern people's hearts, how to win people over, and how to see the various aspects of the world.

"Sir, what you teach seems to be the art of emperors." After the two finished chatting that day, Dugu Ming couldn't help but say.

Su Yuchen said calmly, "If you think so, then so be it!"

Dugu Ming couldn't help but ask, "Is this Master's expectation for his disciple?"

Su Yuchen shook his head and explained:

"I will not ask anything of you."

“From the very beginning, I’ve said that I’ll talk about whatever comes to mind. As for what you think and how you learn, that’s your own business.”

"You are just you, not my possession. You don't need to consider my thoughts. At most, if you become too wicked in the future and I can't stand it anymore, I'll just slap you to death."

Su Yuchen spoke casually, but Dugu Ming felt a tremor in his heart, sensing his indifference beneath his nonchalant attitude.

"Rest assured, sir, I will never do evil in the martial world," Dugu Ming assured him.

Su Yuchen: "That's your own business."

Dugu Ming: ...

(Fine! You're the teacher, so whatever you say goes.)

Chapter 541 The Boy's Scheme

A year and a half later.

On this day, Dugu Ming and Shi Wuzun rode their horses and chased their dogs out of Wushuang City, heading towards the nearby mountains and forests.

Shi Wuzun lagged slightly behind Dugu Ming by a horse's length. He looked at Dugu Ming, who was completely different from before. His face was resolute, as if it had been carved by an axe, exuding masculinity.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, this boy was truly different. In just over a year, he had transformed into what he was now right under his nose.

At the same time, he was also puzzled as to why the young man was a completely different person in the city lord's mansion, indulging in debauchery and spending his nights in brothels, acting like a spoiled brat.

Moreover, the city lord Dugu Yifang's reaction also puzzled Shi Wuzun.

Although the city lord initially seemed angry at the report for his incompetence and reprimanded him severely, he gradually stopped paying attention to it and seemed to be happy about it.

Thinking of Dugu Ming's inconsistent behavior before and after, and the two faces of the city lord Dugu Yifang, Shi Wuzun couldn't help but feel worried.

The two rode their horses deeper into the dense forest, where the road gradually disappeared.

Dugu Ming dismounted, glanced in the direction, and immediately strode forward. His steps were powerful and graceful, as if he were riding the wind and treading on clouds; wherever he went, the grass and trees were not broken, and his tracks were hidden.

"Good work!"

Shi Wuzun sighed and immediately followed.

A moment later, the two walked faster and faster, arriving at a hill deep in the dense forest.

"Young City Lord, you... weren't you hunting today?"

Dugu Ming smiled slightly, looked at the city walls of Wushuang City that were faintly visible in the distance, and said, "Master, I wonder if you would be willing to help me take Wushuang City."

"Young City Lord, you..."

Shi Wuzun was astonished and looked at Dugu Ming with a puzzled expression.

Dugu Ming looked at Shi Wuzun with a sincere expression and said, "Master, I might as well say it directly today: the person in the City Lord's Mansion is not my father! Or rather, he was never my father from the very beginning."

"How...how is it possible?"

Shi Wuzun said in disbelief, "I have been in Wushuang City for many years and I am confident that the city lord has never changed; it has always been the same person."

Dugu Ming shook his head and meticulously analyzed with Shi Wuzun the strange behavior of his mother many years ago and the behavior of that person in the city lord's mansion.

"Therefore, I am quite certain that he is not my father. Otherwise, how could he not know about the Dugu family's secret 'Dragon Subduing Tiger Heart Sutra'?"

"As for where my father is, I believe we will find out once we take him down."

Dugu Ming looked into the distance and said.

“This… Young City Lord, you should be cautious,” said Venerable Shi Wuzun.