Chapter 7: Apprenticeship and Learning the Craft
However, if one wishes to strengthen the body, practicing a little is not a bad idea. Chen Tianyuan continued leisurely. Ha, there is still hope; we do not seek to become the greatest master in the world or anything of that sort. As long as we can sneak a peek at a young lady bathing, that would suffice. Yingzuo's expression immediately shifted from cloudy to clear.
Seeing that Yinzuo was not moving, Chen Tianyuan let out a cold snort. With a flick of his hand, he magically produced a stick of incense that was not too long, took out a flint to light it, and said in a deep voice: "When the incense burns out, if you haven't run, you will have to run an additional ten laps." After saying this, he paid no attention to whether Yinzuo would run or not, and sat down in the armchair, closing his eyes to rest.
Ah? Child's skill? No way? We still want to be a charming prince, isn't this just a joke? With beautiful women all around, yet we can only indulge in fantasies, isn't that just tragic? What’s the point of practicing this skill? ... No, wait, it’s that we can’t approach women until we achieve great success, but once we do... heh heh, we need to figure out how long it will take to achieve that: "Master Chen, in your opinion, how long will it take for us to achieve great success?"
Run! Just thinking about the wonderful future of mastering martial arts made Yinzuo grit his teeth and embark on a painful journey. One lap, two laps, three laps; before he had even completed half, Yinzuo's calves began to tremble, and his little face had already turned pale. However, Yinzuo was quite resilient, gritting his teeth and persisting.
In about ten years? We are not even seven years old now, so this roughly means one adult year, ha, it seems that this old man Chen is just amusing himself. We may be lustful, but we are not hasty; being inherently weak, our constitution is not well-developed, so there is no rush to play with girls. We are still thinking about living a long life, aren't we
The Kangxi Emperor truly did not expect that his sixth son would not seek titles, estates, or other rewards, but only wished to become a disciple of Chen Tianyuan. He was momentarily taken aback and after a while, he smiled and said: "I can issue this decree, but whether Master Chen accepts you as a disciple, I cannot guarantee." Ha, that is exactly what we wanted to hear from you, Your Majesty. We do not believe we cannot persuade Chen Tianyuan. Yinzuo quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.
It was already afternoon, and there was no morning court session at the Qianqing Palace today. There were not many ministers present; aside from a few palace guards and imperial troops on duty, only Yinzuo was running vigorously. The onlookers were curious about this young prince, unable to comprehend what had driven him to such a frenzy, yet no one dared to approach and inquire about the situation, as the prince's status was evident and not something these low-ranking soldiers could question. At this moment, Emperor Kangxi and the *Tu* *Shu* were seated comfortably in the Qianqing Palace, leisurely sipping tea. Chen Tianyuan had informed Kangxi about this running activity earlier, and the old emperor was also eager to see just how much perseverance his exceptionally talented sixth son could muster.
This is difficult to say; some people can achieve minor success in three to five years, while others may practice for a lifetime without significant achievement. Given the qualifications of the Sixth Prince, it is likely that it will take at least ten years to see any substantial progress
"Sixth Brother, your aptitude is not suitable for martial arts." As soon as they met, Chen Tianyuan's first words nearly dashed the eager enthusiasm of Yinzuo to the ground. What? Not suitable? Oh, my dream of becoming a martial artist, is it really over just like that? Yinzuo's small face darkened, almost causing him to faint from disappointment.
"Alright." Chen Tianyuan was not polite either; he accepted Yinzuo's kowtow, took a sip of the master-tea, and said leisurely, "Go, run ten laps around the Qianqing Palace."
Thank you, Master, for your guidance. I, your disciple, will certainly heed your words and study diligently. Yinzuo did not hold back, immediately climbing up the pole, kneeling without hesitation to perform the apprenticeship ceremony and present the tea of apprenticeship.
A lap around the Qianqing Palace is not much, merely a distance of 300 meters, but after ten laps, it certainly adds up. Yinzuo ran slower and slower, panting like a bull, yet he never stopped. With great effort, he gritted his teeth and completed the run. Upon returning to the guard station, he found that the incense had long since extinguished.
The princes were originally speculating among themselves that Xiao Liu'er had gained a significant advantage, likely seeking a title or a grant of land as a reward. In the Qing Dynasty, the highest reward given to the princes was certainly an elevation in rank, and granting imperial estates to the princes was also a common form of substantial reward. If managed well, a piece of land could yield an annual income of at least ten thousand taels of silver. Among these brothers, aside from the eldest prince Yinqi and the crown prince Yinzeng, who each had their own estate, the others only received their monthly allowances. Unexpectedly, Yinzuo knelt down and said, "Thank you, Imperial Father, for the reward. I wish to take Chen Tianyuan as my teacher; I ask for your decree to grant this request."
However, Chen Tianyuan continued at a leisurely pace, "Is there still a 'but'? I can't believe this old man can't finish his sentence in one go; isn't this just tormenting people?" Chen Tianyuan paid no mind to what Yinzuo was thinking and continued, "This martial art of mine is an innate technique; it absolutely cannot be damaged before reaching great success."
What happened? It turns out that although the Chen family was wealthy, they lacked influence, with no officials among them. In the Qing Dynasty, they could only be considered local gentry, akin to those who had to regularly bribe the so-called local officials. It was unfortunate for the Chen family to encounter a corrupt official who, envious of their wealth, set a trap that led to an unjust lawsuit against them, draining their finances. In the end, they were even charged with harboring bandits, resulting in the arrest of the entire Chen family. If it had not been for the chance encounter of Emperor Kangxi during his southern tour, where he disguised himself and discovered the irregularities, the Chen family would have met a tragic end. At that time, Chen Tianyuan learned of the incident while at Wudang and gathered a group of heroes from the martial world to prepare to rescue his family from the execution ground. Unexpectedly, Emperor Kangxi acted first, executing the corrupt official and releasing the Chen family. Such a clichéd story led Chen Tianyuan to return to the mundane world, and in gratitude, he became a personal bodyguard to Emperor Kangxi.
Speaking of Chen Tianyuan, he is indeed a remarkable individual: Chen Tianyuan was born into a wealthy family, possessing considerable assets. He has three brothers and is the third in line. From a young age, he had a passion for martial arts, and by the age of ten, he had become a Taoist priest at Wudang. By eighteen, he had gained fame throughout the land, earning the title "The Prodigy of Wudang." He is the senior disciple of the current Wudang sect leader, Ma Tiancong. Originally, the position of Wudang sect leader was meant to be held by Chen Tianyuan, but due to a significant incident in his family, he returned to secular life and became a personal bodyguard to Emperor Kangxi.
What? Running laps. The thing I hated most when I was a student in my previous life was long-distance running classes. I was always the last, not the first. I never expected that after time traveling, I would still have to run laps. Wasn't it said that practicing internal martial arts only required sitting in meditation and cultivating internal energy? Why do I still have to run laps?
"The incense has gone out, punishment: run ten more laps," Chen Tianyuan said lightly. Yingzuo's eyes widened in disbelief as he gasped for breath, glancing at Chen Tianyuan, who was comfortably seated in the grandmaster's chair with his eyes closed in meditation. Gritting his teeth, he began to run again...
The Kangxi Emperor had a penchant for activities such as excursions, hunting, and incognito visits, during which he often encountered dangers. On his travels, he faced assassination attempts from anti-Qing loyalists, and while hunting, he frequently encountered rampaging bears and wild boars. However, with the presence of the formidable Chen Tianyuan by his side, he was always able to escape perilous situations unscathed. Chen Tianyuan was known for his aloof demeanor; apart from the Kangxi Emperor, he paid no heed to anyone else's words. The Emperor's brothers, including Yinzhu, had made numerous attempts to establish connections in order to learn from him, but all were met with rejection. Even the Crown Prince Yinzeng's personal request for guidance ended in disappointment. Yinzhu had long contemplated becoming Chen Tianyuan's disciple to acquire the legendary skills he was reputed to possess, and now that an opportunity had arisen, he could not afford to let it slip by.