Leisurely mountain village

Grandpa recalled, "That's why I've always kept you from going too deep into the old forest. We need to maintain a sense of awe towards these pristine old forests."

Ye Huan nodded. He used to be fearless, but his worldview collapsed after he obtained the spiritual spring space. The key thing is that he now knows that this space comes from the stone he has been carrying for more than ten years.

This stone was found by him and his grandfather when he was a teenager, deep in the mountains. He thought it looked good, so he strung it together with a rope and wore it for more than ten years.

"Grandpa, do you think it could be a dragon?" Ye Huan asked suddenly.

"I thought so too back then, but then I realized it was unlikely. I guess if I wasn't seeing things, it was either a giant python or a jiao (a type of dragon), not a dragon. The environment doesn't allow for that now."

Grandpa said he likes his grandson to talk to him, and he also likes to tell his grandson about his past experiences running in the mountains. It's like he wants to impart all his life experience to his grandson.

"Oh, why is that? People often ask this question online: if there are no dragons in the world, why is there a dragon in the Chinese zodiac? It's very strange."

“There must have been some before, but it must have disappeared after the great changes in the world. So many people cultivated in ancient times, how many have you seen now?” Grandpa said confidently.

"Grandpa, do you think those ancient martial arts practitioners and Qi cultivators in China are real?"

“It’s definitely true. What your grandfather taught you is, strictly speaking, the ancient martial arts of our Ye family. As far as I know, the lineage has been passed down for over 600 years. Our ancestors produced more than one martial arts champion during the Ming Dynasty.” Grandfather said solemnly.

"That's amazing! Grandpa, have you ever used your full strength?" Ye Huan asked curiously.

"That time he fought the tiger, he probably did his best, but it didn't come to the point of life or death. In my generation, your great-grandfather had a nominal apprentice, who was my senior brother. However, those were bad years. There was war and people often starved to death. So after learning a little bit from your great-grandfather, he went out to make his way in the world. We haven't heard from him for so many years. I guess he's gone."

"Huh?? Grandpa, you have a senior brother too?" Ye Huan asked, even more curious. "Didn't Great-Grandpa say he died during the War of Resistance? You told me that our family and the Japanese were sworn enemies."

"Yes, your great-grandfather was unwilling to leave the mountain at first, but later he heard that your great-grandmother's family had been ravaged by the Japanese. He couldn't bear to see your great-grandmother cry, so he went down the mountain alone. When he came back, he brought hundreds of Japanese heads to offer as a sacrifice to your great-grandmother's family," Grandpa said with a sigh.

"Later, I don't know why, he often went down the mountain. I heard that he met a good friend, and the two of them killed Japanese soldiers together. Later, that person was betrayed by a traitor. Your great-grandfather rushed over to save him and never came back. I was still young at that time. My second uncle, your great-grandfather's younger brother, went down the mountain to investigate. It turned out that a Japanese regiment was there to deal with your great-grandfather and his friend who had a high status."

"Alas, it's a pity that individual bravery is no match for thousands of guns and cannons. My second uncle heard from the locals in the city that your great-grandfather killed at least 500 Japanese soldiers by himself. In the end, he forced the enemy to order a shelling when they wanted to subdue his high-ranking official. He died because of it. If he hadn't been thinking about saving that person, he probably could have escaped on his own. Alas."

After Grandpa finished speaking, he sighed. Ye Huan never expected that her family had such a story. This great-grandfather seems to be quite formidable.

"Great-grandfather is so powerful?" Ye Huan exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, during the Republic of China era, your great-grandfather traveled around. He knew all the masters in Guangdong, Beijing, and Cangzhou. According to him, none of his men could withstand three blows. Mr. Sun’s bodyguard was defeated by him in three moves.” Grandpa nodded.

"Later, he went to places like Shaolin and Wudang, but he couldn't find any opponents, so he came back and never came out of seclusion again until the War of Resistance against Japan. He went there and never came back. He was true to his brother who had been through thick and thin with him. It's a pity that I relied entirely on your second great-grandfather and my own learning. Otherwise, I would definitely have become a grandmaster before I turned 40."

"Wow, my great-grandfather is so amazing." Ye Huan was completely taken aback.

Outside, the wind and rain were fierce, but inside, the aroma of tea filled the air. Ye Huan stayed with her grandfather, listening to him recount the stories of their ancestors.

"Grandpa, is there really such a thing as qinggong (lightness skill)?" Ye Huan had been studying this in the space recently, so he asked.

"Yes, your great-grandfather could do it, and he was very good at it. I can do it too, but I'm too old now to fly. At most, I can only do something like the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada."

"Huh? Grandpa, you can't fly anymore, but you still know how to catch cicadas in eight steps? When you were young, you could fly?" Ye Huan was really shocked. He knew about catching cicadas in eight steps because he hadn't learned it yet. He was currently learning the art of lightness, the kind that allows you to fly up and down.

"Yes, when I was young, I could fly. I could fly over grass, skim across water, and leave no trace on the snow. It's not difficult. I'll teach you another day." Grandpa nodded. These were all family martial arts techniques. If his grandson was interested, he would teach him.

“I taught you when you were little, but you only learned the quick stuff, so you only have a superficial understanding of many of the profound things in our Ye family. Fortunately, I had you jump into pits every day back then to prepare you for light-body skills.”

"Oh~" Ye Huan understood. This is how he learns the Lightness Technique: jumping from low to high.

"Our Ye family's most powerful technique is called 'Dislocating Tendons and Bones Hand,' which belongs to the grappling category. I'll teach it to you later, but don't use it on ordinary people. It will either break or snap their bones, and using it will cost you hundreds of thousands," his grandfather instructed him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm in the mountains, who am I going to fight? Hehe." Ye Huan nodded. The Dislocating Bone and Tendon Hand? His family's secret technique? He always thought it was something from novels.

“Go upstairs tonight, open that black wooden box, there’s a book on human meridians and acupoints. Take a good look at it first. Whether it’s for treating illnesses and saving lives or for learning martial arts for self-defense, you need to memorize it. I’ve also written some insights in there, so remember them well,” Grandpa said.

"Okay, Grandpa!" Ye Huan nodded. He really hadn't expected that he would be sitting up in the middle of the storm, only to find that the big boss was himself?!

During today's storm, the grandfather and grandson were both unharmed, drinking tea and chatting. It was only this time that Ye Huan truly gained a deeper understanding of his own Ye family and the Ye families in the village.

According to my great-grandfather, ancient martial arts were divided into two levels: the "unranked" level, which is roughly equivalent to the so-called "ordinary elite soldiers" of today. They have received professional training, but they do not have a systematic set of techniques and only pursue external skills.

Next comes the martial artist, which my great-grandfather called the Yellow level. Entering this level means that something called "internal energy" begins to be generated in the body, which strengthens the muscles and bones. A martial artist can easily deal with three or five people who are not at the first level.

Above martial artists is warrior, also known as the Xuan level. At this level, internal energy permeates the entire body, forming a complete cycle, and personal martial prowess increases dramatically. A Xuan level warrior could easily defeat ten Huang level warriors without breaking a sweat, no exaggeration.

Above the Warrior level is the Martial Master, the Earth level. At this level, the internal energy gradually breaks through the entire body and begins to gather at the top of the head. Therefore, the top Martial Master is also called the Half-Step Grandmaster level.