Chapter 77: Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist
Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist
The clamor of the village was shut outside. Back in his own home, Xie Yuan sat on his bed, circulating his inner breath to heal his injuries.
Zhang Yufeng’s Fist Skill had caused him some internal injuries. However, with the Life-Nourishing Art protecting his organs, the wounds weren’t serious. He would recover naturally after a period of rest.
He definitely wouldn’t be recuperating in the village, though.
After a short healing session, Xie Yuan felt some of his vigor return. He opened his eyes and pulled the booklet from inside his robes.
The booklet’s blue cover was blank, save for a few specks of blood. Xie Yuan rubbed it gently, then took out another book he kept tucked away.
Holding a booklet in each hand, he placed them side-by-side and compared them. Xie Yuan nodded silently.
’It’s the same material, just as I thought.’
He opened them. Even the handwriting was identical.
"This is undoubtedly the Daoist’s handwriting," Xie Yuan murmured to himself.
’I remember the Daoist saying he had passed a Fist Manual to my older brother. I could never find it and assumed it had been torn to shreds by wild beasts. To think it was here all along...’
Xie Yuan recalled a memory he had deliberately buried. For a time before Xie Lun’s death, his brother had practiced some fist and leg movements at home. Xie Yuan hadn’t paid it any mind back then.
’Thinking back, it wasn’t long after meeting the Daoist that my brother met his end at Zhang Yufeng’s hands. If he’d had more time—even a little—with the talent that even the mysterious Daoist praised, would he have even needed to fear Zhang Yufeng?’
But it was a pity. A genius who had just had a fortuitous encounter ran into an enemy far beyond his current level. No miracle occurred.
Otherwise, his brother might have forged a legend of his own.
Xie Yuan felt a wave of melancholy and sighed deeply.
He put away the manual for the Life-Nourishing Art and slowly opened the Fist Manual.
...
A moment later, he closed the booklet again and shook his head.
’Reading this is making my head spin.’
It was filled with so much jargon that to Xie Yuan, it was like reading gibberish.
’Something about "the fist moving with the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams," "the feet treading upon heavenly stars and earthly fiends," and "achieving victory with the orthodox while employing the unorthodox." I can grasp bits and pieces, but not much.’
Xie Yuan felt a bit helpless. The manual required a great deal of Daoist knowledge. He could get the general idea, but since he’d never studied it systematically, he only had a superficial understanding. It all felt shrouded in mist.
In short, it was a profound Daoist Fist Skill, fiercely powerful, with mysterious moves that were both orthodox and unorthodox.
It possessed both the ultimate yang, unyielding power, and the transformations of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, making it impossible to block or defend against.
Even by a rough estimate, compared to his current techniques—never mind the Iron-Cloth Long Fist—even the Longteng Escort Agency’s C Class Rushing Wolf Saber Skill was completely incomparable.
Xie Yuan didn’t know the caliber of the Escort Agency’s A-Class Cultivation Techniques, but he suspected that nothing in the entire agency—not even Shen Longteng’s ultimate trump card—could compare to this.
Considering the results of Zhang Yufeng’s training—they were both in the same Blood Qi realm, yet this was the first opponent Xie Yuan had faced at his level who could hold his own against him. Even though Zhang Yufeng had taken advantage of his agitated state of mind, it was still a testament to the Fist Skill’s profundity. It could even compensate for a certain disparity in Inner Strength.
’Still, for Zhang Yufeng to have learned it, he must have worked incredibly hard in secret. He wasn’t old, yet he managed to climb from a small mountain village into a position at the county government. In that sense, he was no fool.’
’But he’s nothing but a pile of ash by now.’
A glint appeared in Xie Yuan’s eyes as he thought,
’The proper way to learn this would be to find a Daoist, have him chant scriptures to help me solidify my foundation, understand the texts first, and then rely on my own comprehension.’
’But with my talent, I don’t need to go to all that trouble.’
Xie Yuan closed his eyes, replaying the fight with Zhang Yufeng in his mind and recalling the profoundness of his opponent’s moves. He then skimmed through the manual, comparing what he remembered to the text to get a rough understanding.
After this single pass, something flashed before Xie Yuan’s eyes. He had an epiphany.
[Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist: (1/100)]
’Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist! What an imposing name.’
When he looked at the manual again, the once-indecipherable text suddenly made sense, as did the diagrams of the Fist Manual.
Eight sets of Fist Skill routines, along with their corresponding Body Technique and footwork, naturally emerged in his mind.
’This Fist Skill actually comes with a matching combat Body Technique, making it a true practical fighting style. Zhang Yufeng only learned half of it. The footwork is too profound; he clearly never grasped it. Otherwise, that would have been a much tougher fight.’
Xie Yuan nodded to himself. The more he understood this Fist Skill, the more profound and endlessly powerful it seemed.
’But no matter how profound, I’ve learned it now.’
’It has great power, but also great consumption. An ordinary First Training Martial Artist probably couldn’t even throw a few punches with it. Even someone at the Second Training level couldn’t sustain it for long, and this is just the Initial Tier. If an External Training Martial Artist wanted to use this Fist Skill... it would have to be paired with an Inner Power technique, right? Is this meant to be used with the Life-Nourishing Art?’
Xie Yuan grew thoughtful.
The Daoist’s identity was mysterious and unfathomable. Since both the Life-Nourishing Art and the Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist were originally intended for his brother, they were likely a complementary set.
First, pass on the Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist to test one’s aptitude. If they prove worthy, use the Life-Nourishing Art to build a foundation. Then, bring them back to the sect for careful guidance.
Xie Yuan felt he had caught a glimpse of the Daoist’s plan.
’The Life-Nourishing Art provides the stamina, while the Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist provides the devastating power. They’re both Daoist techniques from the same origin. When combined, the result will be far greater than the sum of its parts!’
Xie Yuan’s spirits lifted, and he nodded to himself in understanding.
However, he closed the manual and tucked it securely away. Unlike in the past, he didn’t immediately start practicing the new Cultivation Technique in his excitement.
For one, his body was still weak. For another, he couldn’t linger in the village.
Xie Yuan straightened his things, got up, and headed outside. He saw Li Lan and Wang Lei standing on a nearby slope, watching the commotion in the village.
Seeing him come out, Li Lan chirped excitedly,
"Yuanzi, Yuanzi! Quick, look! The Zhang family’s house caught fire! They’re saying both of them were burned to a crisp!"
"Is that so?" Xie Yuan smiled faintly. "It seems that evil is repaid with evil. Those who commit many wrongs are doomed to destroy themselves."
"Yes, yes! You’re the educated one, Yuanzi. You always know what to say."
Li Lan nodded vigorously, then asked with a confused look,
"Yuanzi, are you leaving already?"
"Yes, the Escort Agency is busy. We already had our meal yesterday. I’ll be back another time."
"It’s good to be busy. It means you’ve got a bright future."
Li Lan tucked her hands into her sleeves and glanced at Wang Lei, who just chuckled sheepishly.
Xie Yuan loaded some of the leftover wood from his yard onto the donkey cart. After a moment’s thought, he went to find Zhu Dongming.
"Brother Zhu, could I trouble you to drive me for a bit?"
"No problem."
And so, with Zhu Dongming driving, Xie Yuan sat facing backward on the pile of logs in the cart. Bundled in a thick cotton jacket and a dog-fur hat, he left Little Stone Village while the ground where the Zhang family home once stood was still hot, heading down the main road toward Yunzhao County.
It was the first day of the new year, but the road to the county seat was still busy, with an endless stream of people and carts.
"HYA! HYA! MAKE WAY! OFFICIAL BUSINESS! EVERYONE, CLEAR THE WAY!"
THUMP THUMP THUMP! The urgent sound of hooves echoed. People on the road scrambled to the sides, watching a small squad of Officials gallop north, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The lumber-laden donkey cart pulled over to the side of the road. Seated facing backward, Xie Yuan watched the Officials rush past and let out a small smile.
’I wonder if it was a carrier pigeon or some other messaging method, or perhaps something prearranged. In any case, their response was certainly quick.’
’But it has nothing to do with me anymore.’
Xie Yuan adjusted his hat. Still seated on the donkey cart, he slowly entered the city of Yunzhao County.