Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Gao Yuan glanced at the boy beside Uncle Fu: "I am fortunate to have been taken in by Mr. Fan. Suddenly I have food to eat and a bed to lie on. I am a little uneasy, so I can't sleep."

"I see."

"By the way, Uncle Fu, does the gentleman discuss chess every day?"

"No, that's not true. Master is often away from home. He only talks about chess when he's at home. Those who come to listen to the game are mainly children and teenagers from the families of scholars and literati."

"Hmm... For example, the third son of Magistrate Wang also has a penchant for playing chess, and when the master is around, he will come to listen to the game on time."

No wonder Fan Bailing had a house not far from the prefectural government office; it turned out that the sons of the two most powerful officials in Xuzhou were learning chess in his mansion.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Go was very popular, enjoyed by everyone from officials to commoners.

Famous figures such as Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu had a strong interest in Go and left behind related poems.

In the social and cultural context, officials do indeed have their children learn chess from a young age in order to cultivate their cultural literacy and strategic awareness.

As the hour of Si approached, Gao Yuan hurried along the path leading to the side courtyard of the Fan residence.

As they passed through the Yi Pavilion, Shi Tou was leading seven or eight young men dressed in brocade robes out.

He was in a hurry to get to the courtyard and did not stop to greet Shi Tou, but simply stepped aside to let them pass.

"Stone, we all know everyone in the manor. Was the young man who just hurried away the new servant the master recently hired?"

After Gao Yuan left, one of the boys asked curiously.

"By Sanlang, Yuan-ge is the master's newly accepted chess student, and he is currently residing at your residence."

"Yi Tong..."

Wang Xin stared intently at the courtyard gate where Gao Yuan had disappeared.

Mr. Fan's profound knowledge of chess is renowned throughout Xuzhou. To be accepted as a chess student by him, one must possess extraordinary chess skills. I must seek his guidance when I have the time.

Stone glanced at Wang Sanlang with a strange expression.

Sanlang was obsessed with chess. Shi Tou guessed what he was thinking, but being simple-minded, he didn't gossip about Gao Yuan or explain it to Wang Sanlang.

……

In the courtyard of the Fan residence, Gao Yuan waited for only a quarter of an hour before seeing Fan Bailing, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, approaching him.

Did you get a good rest last night?

"Fortunately, Mr. Fan took pity on me, and good fortune came from heaven. I have a bed to sleep on and food to eat. I tossed and turned for a while last night between worry and joy."

Gao Yuan repeated the words he had used to fob off Uncle Fu.

As the steward of the Fan family, Uncle Fu will surely tell Fan Bailing about yesterday's events. If his words are inconsistent, he may leave a bad impression of being cunning and deceitful.

Fan Bailing frowned slightly upon hearing Gao Yuan's words.

The most important thing in martial arts is temperament. He has the perseverance and lofty aspirations, but he is uneasy and restless just because he moved to a new place and his life improved. He is obviously a little lacking in composure.

Looks like I need to give them a good talking-to!

"Now that we know that having a bed to sleep on and food to eat is a blessing, do you know where this blessing comes from?"

He turned and unleashed a half-move, the palm wind carrying fallen leaves swiftly past Gao Yuan's ear.

"I took you in as my apprentice, intending to make you my future disciple. This is not out of charity, but because I value your excellent physical strength and resilience. If a hot meal can easily distract you, wouldn't you be terrified and at a loss when facing the pinnacle of martial arts in the future?"

"Sir, please don't be angry! I know I was wrong."

Seeing that Fan Bailing was angry, Gao Yuan hurriedly clasped his hands in response, but inwardly he was both amused and exasperated.

As expected... any inappropriate lie can have unpredictable negative consequences.

Seeing that Gao Yuan knew he was wrong, Fan Bailing did not pursue the matter further, but still kept a stern face: "Gao Yuan."

"Hey kid, I'm here."

"Martial arts begin with internal energy and are refined through techniques. Do you know what this means?" Fan Bailing stood with his back to him, his long robe fluttering in the breeze.

"What you mean is that martial arts are like a nine-story tower built from a pile of earth, with a solid foundation. If one focuses too much on techniques and neglects the inner strength, learning martial arts will be like drifting on an endless sea of ​​duckweed. At the same time, one should be skilled in the art of switching between feints and real attacks, striking unexpectedly and catching the opponent off guard."

Fan Bailing was taken aback at first, then at second.

He froze on the spot...

He focused all his attention on the art of chess; his martial arts skills were mediocre, but his theoretical knowledge was decent. The first half of Gao Yuan's statement was indeed what he was thinking.

however……

The so-called transformation between illusion and reality, taking things by surprise... he didn't think too deeply about it!

"What did you hear about this debate between truth and falsehood?"

"Last night, I recited the 'Chess Classic,' which says that the key to playing chess is to use feints to lure out the real and to use the real to protect the feint, adapting flexibly to the changes on the board. When I read this part, I was reminded of the scene a few days ago when you, sir, competed with some sorcerers."

Martial arts victory is like a game of chess; every move, every strategy, requires discerning the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and aiming for a decisive strike.

Fan Bailing's mind was in turmoil at this moment.

He wouldn't find it strange if these words came from someone well-versed in chess or martial arts.

It was a child who blurted out the answer, demonstrating an exceptional level of understanding... a rarity in his life.

"Good, good, good, what a brilliant switch between reality and illusion, so unexpected. I originally planned to have you practice your stance for a season before slowly teaching you the moves, but your comprehension is exceptional."

Fan Bailing's words came from the bottom of his heart, and he instantly lost his temper. He forgot and abandoned his original intention to reprimand Gao Yuan, and instead put on a gentle expression.

"Very well... I will make an exception and teach you one of our sect's capture techniques, which contains methods of seizure and capture. The variations are complex and depend heavily on comprehension. Different comprehension levels will lead to different understandings."

"This grappling technique was originally one of the unique skills of our sect. I don't know its name, but I know that my master was fortunate enough to receive a move or two from our grandmaster."

"If I hadn't seen your exceptional talent and been afraid of hindering your progress, I would never have taught you the Dharma when you were still a novice."

The more outstanding Gao Yuan became, the more depressed Fan Bailing became.

He himself was only a third-rate figure in the underworld; what people feared was his complicated official connections.

If he didn't bring out something he had hidden away, he feared that his precious gem might be wasted.

With such comprehension, it would be a pity if he didn't cultivate the sect's unique skills. As for the sect rules, he will personally apologize to his master.

"Mr. Xie!"

Gao Yuan was overjoyed and quickly put aside his distracting thoughts to focus on the present moment.

"Just watch carefully."

Before he finished speaking, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and instantly leaped to the center of the courtyard.

The right palm transforms into a claw, extending upwards at an unusual angle.

The grabbing motion seemed slow, but the claws made a hissing sound that pierced the ears.

Gao Yuan's eyes were fixed on Fan Bailing.

The coolness emanating from the jade pendant cleared his mind once more, and he saw nothing else but the refined gentleman whose movements were constantly changing.

Fan Bailing's wrists flipped and flew up and down, his five fingers opening and closing rapidly, sometimes hovering in mid-air, sometimes skimming along the ground.

Although Gao Yuan did not understand martial arts principles, he vaguely felt that Fan Bailing's grappling technique, while seemingly skillful on the surface, always appeared somewhat stiff.

It seems that... Lao Fan has not grasped the essence of this grappling technique at all, and is only forcibly applying it by rote.

"Grab, detour, entangle, lock, disarm."

During the drill, Fan Bailing's temples were already damp with sweat, and his breathing became uneven as he gasped for breath.

As he finished his move, Fan Bailing suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

"gentlemen."

Upon seeing this, Gao Yuan immediately went to help Fan Bailing, but Fan Bailing stopped him by waving his sleeve.

He said with a hint of self-deprecation, "My grandmaster's grappling technique contains the profound principle of mutual support and compatibility, and there is a set of secret formulas passed down."

"The mnemonic consists of seven characters per line, with twelve lines in total. The tones alternate between level and oblique tones, and the pronunciation is extremely difficult, completely opposite to breathing."

"During cultivation, one must recite the incantation simultaneously to balance the internal energy; otherwise, one cannot integrate oneself with the body."

"Since I learned this skill, I have had to silently recite the incantation to regulate my internal energy while running and performing the technique. It is impossible to pronounce the words, so I have never used it outside of my circle."

"No one in the martial arts world knows I know this technique."

Gao Yuan suddenly realized something, and a thought struck him:

"The method of grappling passed down by my grandmaster is difficult to pronounce... Could it be one of the three grappling techniques of the Tianshan Plum Blossom Palm Method?"

"Fan Bailing couldn't find the secret to make it work, no wonder the original work didn't mention it. I just don't know if having the Northern Darkness True Qi to match it, or having the jade tablet to assist him, would create any obstacles to his cultivation."

It seems that Tong Lao greatly admired Cong Bian, Wu Ya Zi's disciple, otherwise she wouldn't have passed on a set of top-notch martial arts to him. Although it wasn't the complete set, it was still extraordinary.

"My internal energy became unstable after just one demonstration, ultimately due to my poor comprehension. Do you understand?"

Fan Bailing was furious at himself for his own incompetence, having been tricked by his sect's martial arts. He then sighed helplessly, no longer caring about losing face in front of Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan could only remain silent and pat his back to soothe him.

Fan Bailing was angry with himself, so he had better pretend he didn't hear it, otherwise he might embarrass Fan Bailing if he said anything slightly wrong.

Fan Bailing turned his gaze to Gao Yuan: "Do you remember the moves we just practiced?"

He pondered deeply, reaching the heights of Mount Sumeru, yet claimed to have memorized most of the moves, with a few still missing.

He was afraid that if he told the truth, Fan Bailing would vomit blood again.

Fan Bailing's expression softened slightly upon hearing this.

"Not bad, that's excellent. It took me four or five days to memorize it all back then. I'll pass on the twelve-line formula to you in a bit. Remember to practice them separately and only combine them to perform the moves once you've memorized them. Otherwise, there's a risk of internal energy disorder."

"Your disciple will remember your instructions."

"There is another matter: this method is the essence of our school, and you must not pass it on to a second person."

Fan Bailing revealed his magic method, which gave him a sense of relief, as if he had no worries about being burdened with debts.

Since he was going to receive punishment from his master anyway, it was just one more thing, so he simply acquiesced to Gao Yuan calling himself his disciple.

Gao Yuan nodded hurriedly in agreement: "The sect's rules are as strict as iron. Even if others ask for a hundred things, I will never pass on the teachings again. Those who violate this rule will be punished by heaven."

Fan Bailing smiled and said, "This fool is teachable."

But then he thought about it again, and realized that he was just passing on advanced techniques without his master's permission, so he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

He glanced at Gao Yuan, who didn't react much, and thought to himself, "Why is that brat so clueless now?"

Gao Yuan only realized what was happening when he saw Fan Bailing's strange expression.

Damn! It seems I accidentally made a veiled attack on Lao Fan. If I'm really going to be punished by heaven, wouldn't he be the first one punished?

"..."