Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

The night passed quietly, the sky turned slightly white, and the morning light was like a soft gauze, slowly spreading between the sky and the earth. Chongzhen had already woken up from his sleep.

Since traveling through time, Zhu Youjian had completely abandoned his bad habits of sleeping late and waking up early. After all, in ancient times, there was little to do at night, and without electricity, he had no choice but to go to bed early. Early sleep naturally led to early rises. And the most crucial factor was that he was now in the body of Emperor Chongzhen, and his life was his top priority.

He really couldn't understand how Emperor Chongzhen had managed to make his body so weak. He thought that even when he often stayed up late to finish his manuscripts, his health had never been so bad.

Therefore, since the beginning of his journey, whether he was drifting on the vast ocean or setting foot on land these days, the first thing Chongzhen did when he woke up every morning was to exercise.

Chongzhen walked out leisurely, left Haihui Temple, and slowly walked towards the parade ground opposite the temple.

At this time, some people were already running along the edge of the training ground. When they saw Chongzhen, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but no one came to disturb him.

In a secluded corner of the Chongzhen training grounds, he first practiced a set of Ba Duan Jin with unwavering concentration. His movements flowed smoothly, as natural as flowing clouds and water. Then, he performed a set of Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Exercises), imitating the mighty strength of a tiger, the agility of a deer, the naiveté of a bear, the agility of a monkey, and the graceful dance of a bird. Each move was imbued with infinite charm. These two sets of fitness routines were widely popularized in later generations, and the novice writer Zhu Youjian often practiced them in his spare time.

After fully exercising his body, Chongzhen took a stance and began to practice Tai Chi.

The Tai Chi he practiced was not the slow and ordinary routines practiced by the elders in later generations for fitness purposes only, but a sophisticated boxing technique that could be used in actual combat.

Speaking of how he learned this kind of boxing, there is actually a wonderful story behind it.

In order to write a martial arts novel, he specially sought out a quiet and peaceful mountain village to retreat and create. By chance, he met an old man during a game of chess.

This old man was a complete chess fanatic, but his skills were utterly terrible, a complete wretch. His love for chess coupled with his poor skill caused all the chess enthusiasts in the village to shun him, and no one wanted to play against him. Zhu Youjian's chess skills were equally poor, but coincidentally, he was on par with the old man. This delighted the old man, who frequently challenged him to play chess, seriously impacting his novel writing progress.

At one point, Zhu Youjian was struggling to write a scene about a Tai Chi master. He was so overwhelmed by the writing that he stopped playing chess with the old man. This made the old man incredibly anxious, so he offered to teach him Tai Chi in exchange for him continuing to play chess with him.

Zhu Youjian stayed in the small mountain village for nearly half a year. Perhaps it was due to his natural talent, but after six months of practice, he became quite skilled in Tai Chi, and the old man praised his progress endlessly.

Unfortunately, when he went to look for the old man again, he learned that he had been taken to a big city by his son and they had never seen each other since then.

By this time, it was already daybreak. Yan Yingyuan was very strict about his training, and everyone who was going to do morning exercises had already arrived at the training ground.

Even though the Tai Chi practiced by Chongzhen had practical effectiveness, in the eyes of others, it was still a slow and fancy dance.

"Hey, what are you practicing?" A voice suddenly broke the tranquility of the training ground in the early morning.

"Tai Chi!" Chongzhen responded while concentrating on his movements.

"Tai Chi? The name is quite impressive, but it looks like just a fancy trick. You're so slow, you were knocked down before you even started practicing..."

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen sighed slightly, stopped what he was doing, slowly turned around and looked at the person who spoke.

The speaker was a thin young man, and not far behind him stood Zhao Meng, who had fought a fierce battle with Zhu Tie yesterday. This showed that this young man must be in the same group as Zhao Meng.

Chongzhen was not angry at his sarcastic remarks. Not to mention that Tai Chi was not yet widely known. Even when Tai Chi became popular in the world in later generations, the voices of doubt and ridicule about it never stopped.

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, and said slowly: "Whether it is just for show or not, we will know after we spar."

"Okay!" Upon hearing this, the man's eyes instantly lit up with a fiery light, and he shouted loudly: "Then I will ask for your advice!"

Huang Fei, Li Ruolian and others arrived at the training ground early, but Chongzhen had asked Wang Chengen to tell them earlier that he needed to train and asked them to guard from a distance.

Seeing that Chongzhen was about to fight with someone, he rushed forward quickly.

"We are just exchanging ideas, there is nothing wrong." Seeing everyone gathering around, Chongzhen smiled and waved his hand, saying with a relaxed expression.

Like most passionate and heroic men of the Dragon Kingdom, the novice writer Zhu Youjian cherished a dream of becoming a martial artist. So, ever since learning martial arts from that old man, he's never stopped practicing. A classmate of his opened a Sanda training class, and he often went there in his free time to spar with others, so he felt confident he could handle even the most ordinary opponents.

However, the most crucial aspect of martial arts is one's own physical fitness. The Chongzhen Emperor's current body had been severely damaged by the past, and even though Zhu Youjian had been undergoing rehabilitation exercises, the time was still short. If he were to engage in combat at this point, he would be most wary of opponents like Zhao Meng, who possessed both speed and strength. While Tai Chi emphasizes the use of slowness to defeat speed and the use of softness to overcome hardness, if an opponent's speed and strength were excessive, he would be unable to withstand it in his current physical condition.

Fortunately, the young man in front of him was thin and nimble. Judging from his figure and steps, he must be a very agile person. In terms of strength, Zhu Youjian felt that he might still have some chance to compete.

"My name is Zhu Youjian. Could you please tell me your name?" Chongzhen asked politely with a smile, clasped his fists, and bowed.

"I am Yao Er, please come in!" The young man responded without hesitation and quickly got into position.

The two stood facing each other, and in an instant, the atmosphere became tense, as if the air had frozen into ice.

Yao Er launched the attack, launching a fierce punch that whistled past like a tiger emerging from the mountains, bearing down on Chongzhen's face. The fist seemed to pack a tremendous force, as if to shatter any obstacle before it. Chongzhen remained calm, his body shifting slightly like a willow in the wind, and he employed the Tai Chi technique "Cloud Hands," deftly neutralizing the punch's immense power with a gentle touch.

Tai Chi emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness, like a gurgling stream. It does not engage in a head-on confrontation with the opponent, but through clever guidance and transformation, makes the opponent's attack force become like being stuck in a quagmire, losing direction and power.

Chongzhen's body was light and flexible. Faced with the ferocious force of his opponent, he was like a small boat sailing on a turbulent sea, seemingly swaying but nevertheless stable. Having neutralized the blow, he channeled the force, and Yao Er's body spontaneously surged forward. Chongzhen's steps were as light as a swallow, gliding smoothly across the water. His hands moved naturally, like flowing clouds and water, deftly deflecting his opponent's force. Tai Chi's movements are fluid and natural, like the graceful movements of a dancer or the dynamic energy of an ink painting. Each movement seems meticulously crafted, imbued with the graceful grace of dance and the powerful strength of martial arts.

Yao Er was startled and quickly stabilized his body, launching another more fierce attack.

This time, his moves were as dense as a violent storm, with punches and kicks coming down like raindrops. Every punch and kick brought up a whistling sound of the wind, as if he wanted to drown Chongzhen in this violent attack.

Chongzhen remained calm and composed, his body as steady as a rock. He used exquisite Tai Chi techniques such as "peng, lu, ji, an" to neutralize his opponent's attacks one by one.

Peng Jin (Peng Jin) is like water supporting a boat. When an opponent's fist strikes fiercely, Chongzhen lifts his arm slightly, like gently lifting a small boat on the water, preventing the opponent's force from reaching him. Lu Jin (Lu Jin) is like leading a sheep, following the direction of the opponent's force and guiding it to lose balance. Ji Jin (Ji Jin) is like a bamboo hitting a rock, resisting the opponent with strength at a critical moment, delivering an unexpected counterattack. An Jin (An Jin) is like pressing a gourd, calmly and forcefully suppressing the opponent, making it impossible for him to move. These moves work together in a coordinated and interconnected manner, showcasing the profoundness and exquisiteness of Tai Chi.

Chongzhen's movements seemed slow, yet they held a profound power. Each strike was a perfect counterattack, seemingly unprepared to deliver a powerful counterattack. Tai Chi emphasizes the importance of striking back after the opponent strikes, keenly detecting the opponent's weakness at the moment of attack and counterattacking with ingenious moves. At this moment, Chongzhen's body resembled a deep, mysterious vortex, continuously drawing in the opponent's power and then releasing it with astonishing skill.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of fierce rounds. Beads of sweat gradually formed on Yao Er's forehead, like dewdrops on morning grass. He was dismayed to discover that his all-out attacks had posed no threat to Chongzhen, while his opponent's seemingly effortless counterattacks left him struggling to cope. His breathing became increasingly rapid, like the sound of a worn bellows, and a hint of panic gradually appeared in his eyes. Finally, a slight misstep gave Yao Er a slight push from Chongzhen, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground in disarray.

"Thank you, thank you!" Chongzhen did not pursue the victory, but walked forward with a smile and extended his hand to Yao Er.

Yao Er's face flushed red, like a ripe apple. He ignored Chongzhen's outstretched hand, quickly stood up, clasped his fists, and said, "Yao, you have failed to recognize the true master. Your Tai Chi is not just a fancy trick; it is a truly profound martial art."

Zhao Meng was also among the crowd. With his exceptional eyesight, he could clearly see the power of Tai Chi, and he couldn't help but feel itchy. He strode forward and shouted, "How about I learn a few moves, Zhao?"

"No, no!" Chongzhen waved his hands repeatedly and said, "With my mediocre kung fu, I only managed to win a single blow against this warrior, and now my back and waist are already aching. I won't fight anymore, I won't fight anymore!"

Chongzhen was well aware of his own strength. He had a slight advantage against Yao Er, but against Zhao Meng, he stood no chance! Even using softness to overcome hardness had its limits. Facing a formidable opponent like Zhao Meng, he knew he was currently struggling.

"Then we will fight again tomorrow." Zhao Meng saw that Chongzhen insisted on not fighting, and he could not force him to take action. After all, Chongzhen was also Yan Yingyuan's guest.