Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Smoke rises from chimneys as people return to the city amidst the chaos; guests lean against the railing, drinking and getting drunk; how many heroes have been talked about with laughter and conversation, while a sliver of the setting sun floats on the treetops.

Chen Ji's poem "Xuzhou" fully expresses its magnificent momentum. Although a century has passed, Xuzhou still stands at the junction of the north and south of the Central Plains with its special position of "connecting the waterways of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers and bringing goods from Wu and Yue".

Centered on the prefectural government office, the Swallow Tower was located in the streets and alleys on higher ground. This place was still a gathering place for literati and scholars, and the surrounding area was also a prestigious district of Xuzhou. The Fan family mansion was also located here.

Despite Fan Bailing being a江湖人士 (jianghu figure), the wise old man himself is a polymath. In addition to martial arts, his disciples are also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and associate with many literati and scholars. In other words, he has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, so his residence and lifestyle are naturally quite good.

Teng County is located between Xuzhou and Jizhou, several hundred miles away from Xuzhou. The two traveled by carriage for about a day and a half and just arrived in Xuzhou around 5 PM.

"Waaah~"

The gate was pushed open, revealing a spacious courtyard with a pebble path and neat flowerbeds.

The only slight difference between what Gao Yuan had imagined and what he had expected was that it was a large household with many servants.

However, this was not the case. Although the Fan family mansion was large, Fan Bailing's residence was quite deserted.

He himself was unmarried. Apart from his steward, coachman, cook, and washerwoman, he only had a servant who was younger than him.

"Master, you're back!"

"Uncle Fu, this is my new apprentice... um... Yitong. He will be living at home from now on. Have someone tidy up the west room later."

"Yes, sir."

Uncle Fu glanced at the filthy Gao Yuan and was surprised.

He had followed Fan Bailing for many years, and the first time he saw him take in a chess student, the boy looked like a little beggar.

The last time I saw the master so happy was when the eldest master and his entourage came.

Fan Bailing told him to call him "Master," and his real name was something like Kang Guangling. In the martial arts world, he was known as "The Mad Qin Player."

"Although he is a child learning chess, I treat him no differently than a disciple. If you show him any disrespect, even though he is an elder in this household, I will surely reprimand you."

Fan Bailing was extremely shrewd; he saw through Fu Bo's every move.

"I'll remember that."

After giving his instructions, Fan Bailing turned to Gao Yuan with a smile: "The house is a bit deserted with only a few people. Your arrival will bring some life to the place."

"Before dinner, please have the tailor come and make you a few sets of clothes. Take a bath and wash up first. If you need anything, please let Uncle Fu know later."

Fan Bailing considered every detail, big or small.

Gao Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. Everyone likes to be noticed and valued. As a well-known figure in the martial arts world, it's impossible for him not to be moved by Fan Bailing's respect for a mere beggar.

For the past two days, his mood has been like a rollercoaster.

Not long ago, he was a poor beggar who was starving and almost died, but unexpectedly, he had a wonderful surprise in the end.

When Gao Yuan appeared in the main hall, all dressed up, Fan Bailing's eyes lit up once again.

Although the little beggar's face was still quite young after being washed clean, his features were well-proportioned, and his eyes were bright as stars; he was truly outstanding in appearance.

Nodding in satisfaction, Fan Bailing gestured for Gao Yuan to sit down and eat.

Perhaps due to their lifestyle, the Fan family ate dinner a little later than ordinary families. Only the two of them were in the main hall, while everyone else ate in the kitchen.

The meal consisted of a simple home-style four dishes and a soup, indicating that Lao Fan is not a particular person when it comes to food.

After dinner, during a casual conversation, Gao Yuan fabricated a backstory of being from a family of farmers and scholars.

Fan Bailing was only slightly surprised by this, but had no doubts.

The Northern Song Dynasty valued civil administration, and the atmosphere of valuing scholarship was exceptionally strong. As Gao Yuan compiled, there were many poor farming families who made a living by farming but maintained the tradition of studying.

As for why they became beggars, stories like "failing the imperial examinations repeatedly, losing all their family property, and begging in the market with their wives" and "their families were originally farmers and scholars, but after losing their fathers, they sold their property and died begging for food" were common throughout the Northern Song Dynasty.

This situation is called "the bankruptcy of farming and studying".

Since his family was a farming and scholarly family, Gao Yuan started his education early. Fan Bailing tested Gao Yuan's literacy level, and Gao Yuan's explanations further confirmed his background as a farming and scholarly family, as well as his loss of land and the death of his parents, which aroused Fan Bailing's sympathy and sighs.

Before retiring for the night, Fan Bailing took out two dark blue books from the study and handed them to Gao Yuan: "I was originally thinking of letting you learn to read with Uncle Fu for a while before giving them to you, but since you can already read, take them and memorize them together."

"The 'Illustrated Compendium of Acupoints' records the locations and corresponding functions of acupoints on the human body. The 'Chess Classic' mainly explains the basic principles of chess. You can try to memorize it in your spare time. It doesn't matter if you don't understand its meaning. I will explain it to you one by one."

"By thoroughly studying the 'Illustrated Compendium of Acupuncture Points,' one can learn medicine and martial arts. By reading the 'Chess Classic,' one can learn the art of chess. Even if things don't go well in the future, one can still be a chess partner and won't have to worry about making a living."

"Mr. Xie, I will study diligently and live up to your expectations."

To learn chess, reading the "Chess Classic" is enough. However, giving him the "Hundred Acupoints Diagram" was Fan Bailing's way of adding his own personal touch. Since he wanted to take him as a disciple, it was always right to teach him the basic theories of martial arts first.

Fan Bailing smiled slightly: "You are very intelligent and have good potential. I originally wanted to take you as my last disciple and teach you martial arts, but due to some changes in my sect, I need to resolve them properly before I can feel at ease taking you as my disciple."

Fan Bailing had clearly accepted Gao Yuan's status as a prospective disciple, and said directly, "While I am here, you will temporarily follow me as a chess apprentice."

"Sir, you have shown me great respect; I have no way to repay you."

After saying this, Gao Yuan sincerely kowtowed to express his gratitude without any pretense.

Fan Bailing nodded and helped Gao Yuan sit down.

"Of course, you are old enough to learn martial arts. Although I cannot teach you the martial arts of our sect, you can learn a simple breathing technique first. The breathing technique I will teach you was obtained by my fourth brother, 'Yan Wang Di,' in exchange for saving someone. It is not a common martial arts technique."

"but……"

"What instructions do you have for me, sir?"

Although it wasn't some amazing internal energy cultivation manual, it was at least a way to learn martial arts, starting from scratch.

Gao Yuan remained calm, showing neither eagerness nor disappointment.

"Martial arts and chess skills, though different in their paths, ultimately lead to the same goal: to understand the principles. You must memorize all the acupoints and the seven meridians and eight extraordinary vessels before you can learn them. You must remember this."

"It is known that if the foundation is not solid, the ground will shake."

Gao Yuan hurriedly stood up: "I understand, sir."

Fan Bailing gently patted his head, smiled, and said nothing more.

Back in the west room, he calmed himself down and took out the "Illustrated Compendium of One Hundred Acupuncture Points" to memorize it carefully...

At 3:45 PM, the clouds dispersed, and the moon, high in the night sky, finally appeared, casting its clear light upon the small courtyard in the west, as if coated with a thin layer of frost.

"Thump—thump"

The night watchman's clapping and shouts were accompanied by the occasional barking of dogs coming from the streets outside the mansion.

Gao Yuan left the west room feeling quite melancholy. There are a total of 362 acupoints in the twelve meridians and the Ren and Du meridians, which are scattered throughout the human body’s trunk and limbs. Each acupoint has a different function, making them quite difficult to memorize.

Fortunately, the "Illustrated Catalogue of One Hundred Acupoints" is detailed and includes illustrations and annotations; otherwise, he would have been completely lost.

Thinking of relaxing, I went outside to get some fresh air.

Subconsciously, he took out the jade pendant from inside his clothes and gently touched it.

The jade pendant once again emitted a slight coolness.

He took off the jade pendant, and at this moment the coolness emanating from it intensified, becoming increasingly cold, making his palms ache. Caught off guard, the jade pendant in his hand fell with a "thud" into the flowerbed on the side of the pebble ground.

Gao Yuan frowned slightly, puzzled by the sudden change in the jade pendant.

After hesitating for a moment, he squatted down, preparing to pick it up.

"Sizzle."

Without realizing it, his index finger was accidentally pricked by a rose branch in the flowerbed.

Gao Yuan's fingertip was immediately pierced, and a little bit of bright red blood oozed out and dripped onto the surface of the jade pendant.

The next moment, Gao Yuan's pupils shrank sharply. Under the stain of blood, silver threads seemed to flow on the jade tablet, slowly revealing a blurry diagram of human meridians.