Chapter Nine, The True Appearance of Huang Rong

"Walking like a king goose, speaking like a bell chime, sleeping like a lion at rest, second brother, sleep well" Huang Rong said wearily

After Jia Liyu diverted Hou Tonghai, the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River swaggered into the forest. Today, they felt completely secure with their master uncle in command. However, upon entering the forest, they found no sign of Master Uncle Hou Tonghai. The four called out several times, but received no response, which raised their suspicions. Just as they were about to leave the forest to search for him, they suddenly heard a cold, eerie hum, startling each of them.

"Good night, Third Brother," Jia Liyu responded to Huang Rong, and began to calm his mind and gather his spirit. At first, his thoughts were in disarray, with images of the college entrance examination, Ye Feng, Yao Menghan, Lin Yaozu, and Bai Long flashing through his mind. His emotions surged, making it difficult to find peace. Following the breathing technique taught by Guo Jing, he gradually focused his mind. After countless repetitions, he finally expelled these distracting thoughts one by one, and his mind began to settle. A faint warmth emerged in his lower abdomen. He was unaware of how long he had slept until he felt numbness in his right side, at which point Jia Liyu turned onto his back and fell into a deep sleep.

Huang Rong nodded, then leaped up the tree, calling out to Jiali Yu: "There may be fierce beasts in the forest at night, Second Brother, you should come up too"

Huang Rong had not yet had the chance to speak when she heard Jia Liyu say, "Cover me," and then she suddenly dashed towards the red horse, employing the swift movement of the Azure Dragon returning to the sea. Hou Tonghai, hearing the commotion, turned his gaze to see a figure, just as he was focusing to confront the enemy. Suddenly, he saw that figure mount a red horse, shout "Giddy up," and gallop towards the edge of the forest

Good

"It is him." Huang Rong looked at Hou Tonghai, her mind racing as she contemplated a countermeasure. Jia Liyu suddenly said, "I will ride the little red horse to distract Hou Tonghai; you go ahead and hang up the Four Ghosts."

Jia Liyu rarely found a sense of feeling, and of course, he would not slack off. He continued to practice repeatedly, again and again, gradually becoming more adept at it.

Second brother's current cultivation level is not sufficient to immediately practice the Vermilion Bird Soaring to the Sky, therefore we will first practice the third form, the Black Tortoise Contraction.

The next day at dawn, when Jia Liyu woke up, he first caught a whiff of the aroma of food. Opening his eyes, he saw Huang Rong holding a chicken leg in one hand and a snow-white steamed bun in the other. Upon noticing that Jia Liyu was awake, she smiled and said, "Second brother, please have your breakfast first"

Jia Liyu closed his eyes and silently recited the mental technique, reminding himself once again: "Calm the mind, focus the thoughts, circulate the energy." At this moment, there was finally a change; his heart became clear, his eyes opened wide, his body tilted to the side, and in an instant, he lunged forward, finally embodying the essence of "like a puff of smoke."

In fact, as early as the 1970s and 1980s, there was a nationwide surge of interest in martial arts, especially following the release of "Shaolin Temple" in 1982, which made Jet Li a national idol. Practicing martial arts became a new fashion trend, fervently embraced by many men. Jia Liyu's parents happened to be part of this wave of enthusiasm.

"We four shall stand back to back and venture into the forest," proposed the swift gunman Wu Qinglie.

Jia Liyu rode a little red horse, taking Hou Tonghai around in circles at the market. Although Hou Tonghai had decent lightness of body skills, he ultimately could not match the endurance of the汗血宝马 (Blood-Sweating Horse). After just one lap, Huang Rong happened to arrive and led Hou Tonghai to play hide and seek.

Jia Liyu nodded while eating and said, "We will just wait here for the hare to come by."

Jia Liyu truly began to question martial arts when he was in the fifth grade of elementary school. One afternoon, on his way home from school, he passed by the street and saw a monk in a robe demonstrating martial arts for everyone. The monk held a piece of yellow paper in his left hand and focused his energy on it with his right hand. Before long, the yellow paper unexpectedly ignited and turned to ashes. Jia Liyu was astonished at the sight, believing he had likely encountered a legendary master.

Both Jia Liyu's father and uncle were once passionate enthusiasts of martial arts. They practiced with stones, trained on rings, struck sandbags, and broke bricks. In the year when the uncle achieved his 'great mastery,' he forced Jia Liyu and five or six other children to line up and punch his abdomen, exuding an air of superiority, as if a celestial being had descended.

National martial arts were originally a national treasure. Although they gradually declined after entering the era of firearms, there still exist martial arts masters in both official and civilian circles who possess genuine skills. The lineage of national martial arts continues to be passed down discreetly from generation to generation, fulfilling the mission of strengthening the nation and its people in their own way

Huang Rong lay on a nearby branch with her hands clasped behind her head, and said leisurely: "I just rode my little red horse to buy breakfast, and happened to learn something. It turns out that, just as Second Brother guessed, the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River have indeed found their master uncle, Hou Tonghai, and have arranged to meet with Eldest Brother here in the pine forest at noon today"

Huang Rong nodded slightly

Until the monk took out the second piece of yellow paper, before he could even perform his incantation, he was interrupted by the onlookers, and then the yellow paper spontaneously ignited, spontaneously ignited...

The saying goes, "One passage leads to a hundred passages." With the experience of the Azure Dragon returning to the sea, Jiali Yu quickly mastered the second technique, "White Tiger Descending the Mountain." His understanding and mastery of the methods of inhaling and circulating energy deepened further.

Jia Liyu practiced last night and was indeed feeling a bit hungry at this moment. He asked Huang Rong, "Have you eaten, Third Brother?"

After a day of activities, Jia Liyu and Huang Rong joined forces to outsmart Hou Tonghai, who ultimately had to give up the chase, leaving in a huff and cursing. Jia and Huang met at the agreed location, and upon seeing each other, they burst into hearty laughter, clearly having had a great time.

"Alright, let's do as the second brother says... Ah!" Shen Qing let out a cry of despair, and then his body went limp.

Jia Liyu was not entirely ignorant of martial arts. Under his father's insistence during his childhood, he practiced splits and stances to build a foundation, used both hands to stir sand piles to train his Iron Sand Palm, performed empty-handed techniques on rattan rods to practice the Two-Finger Zen, and jabbed his fingers into large stones to develop his acupoint striking skills. Additionally, he practiced front flips, back flips, the carp jump, and the Five Steps Fist, among others. He almost cultivated the demeanor of a scion from a martial arts family. However, by the third year of junior high, apart from the technique of "carp jump," which he still practiced due to its connection to his name, he had basically abandoned all other forms of martial arts.

Hou Tonghai recognized the red horse, thinking it was Guo Jing, and hurriedly employed his lightness skill to quickly pursue it

Jia Liyu is aware of Huang Rong's true identity, and at the same time, he understands the principle that a strict teacher produces outstanding students, thus he does not mind enduring hardships

Huang Rong played tricks and frightened the Four Ghosts, then followed their instructions to hang the four of them from four large trees, turning around to leave the forest in search of Jia Liyu. By the time Guo Jing arrived, what he saw was the scene of the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River being hung high.

Good! Second Brother!" Huang Rong clapped her hands in praise and then said: "Second Brother, you can practice a few times on your own.

Upon hearing this, the four individuals were instantly terrified, their souls nearly leaving their bodies. Shen Qing had just been preparing to retort, but suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes, causing him to swallow his words back in fear

The black pine forest was originally a dense jungle, and even during the day, entering it would evoke a sense of eeriness and fear. The Four Ghosts of the Yellow River had limited martial arts skills and intended to rely on their master's influence to show off their prowess in front of Guo Jing. However, when a fake ghost encountered a real ghost, their true nature was immediately revealed

"Ghost!" The timid Duopo Whip, Ma Qingxiong, let out a scream, startling several birds in the forest.

Devoting oneself to martial arts is a matter concerning one's own body, allowing for not the slightest negligence. A single misstep may likely result in hidden injuries and future troubles, which is quite different from writing or composing essays. Huang Rong, when being lazy in her martial arts training, was often reprimanded by her father in this manner, thus she did not dare to be careless

Before long, a gaunt man in his forties strode into the forest. Jia Liyu noticed the three large tumors swelling on his forehead and whispered to Huang Rong, "Hou Tonghai"

Jia Liyu still remembers the scene of her uncle lying on the bamboo bed, holding his stomach and vomiting sour liquid

Jia Liyu no longer held back, taking the steamed bun and chicken leg to eat heartily.

Therefore, Jia Liyu is not unfamiliar with martial arts training, and he certainly will not take this rare opportunity to learn genuine skills lightly

Hmm," Huang Rong agreed, then sat up and said to Jia Liyu, "After Second Brother finishes breakfast, let us begin practicing the White Tiger Descending the Mountain.

This is not the Azure Dragon returning to the sea, this is a frog jumping into the river, come again

At this moment, Huang Rong had a serious expression on her face, holding a wooden stick in her hand as she pointed out the Four Symbols Steps to Jia Liyu. If Jia Liyu made the same mistake twice, the tip of her stick would come down on him.

"Third brother, you..." Jia Liyu said with a look of surprise, pointing at Huang Rong.

"Three brothers, have you heard any sounds?" The Grim Reaper's Axe, Qian Qingjian, cautiously looked around and asked.

Jia Liyu temporarily lacked the ability to soar like the Vermilion Bird, so he had no choice but to climb the tree honestly, finding a stable spot among the branches, and lay down on his right side to sleep

As Huang Rong was practicing the "Xuanwu Gathering Body" technique halfway through, she suddenly stopped and made a "hush" gesture towards Jia Liyu. Then she pointed to a certain spot in the forest. Jia Liyu understood and nodded. Huang Rong reached out and pulled Jia Liyu, then lightly leaped and hid into the thicket.

The other three did not respond, and Shen Qinggang of the Soul-Cutting Blade calmly said, "Since the Master Uncle has not yet arrived, let us leave the forest to wait." Before his words had faded, a chilling voice was heard saying, "Hou Tonghai has been killed by me, he will not be coming."

Huang Rong had been running for half a day, seemingly forgetting the leather cap on her head. While she was clapping her hands and explaining to Jia Li Yu how to scare the Four Ghosts, the leather cap suddenly slipped off, and her waterfall-like hair cascaded down.

When Jiali Yu achieved the minor success of "Qinglong Returning to the Sea," it was already late at night. He had practiced this move dozens of times, feeling invigorated. At that moment, he was full of energy and was about to learn "Baihu Descending the Mountain" when he turned to see Huang Rong yawning, showing signs of drowsiness. He then said, "Third brother, let’s practice this second move tomorrow. I will try my elder brother's method of sleeping."

At that time, books such as "Complete Guide to Shaolin Martial Arts," "Acupoint Mastery," "Guidance on Mysterious Fist Techniques," "Complete Collection of Twelve Route Tan Legs," "Five Elements Fist Principles," and "Secret Transmission of Bagua Palm" were extremely popular at street stalls. Essentially, in every household with young people, there would be one or two "martial arts manuals"; otherwise, it would be embarrassing to claim that one had practiced martial arts.