Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Living Stake, Horizontal Training

After dismissing the servant who had delivered the message, Fu Juemin stood up and had Li Tong sit down at the table.

"Uncle Tong, have some breakfast."

Fu Juemin didn’t bring up the matter of learning Martial Arts, simply offering Li Tong a warm invitation to dine.

The breakfast on the table was quite exquisite:

There was a chicken and egg custard made with astragalus, angelica, and fragrant Jiangnan rice; beef tendon and lamb brisket stewed with eucommia bark; and five-nut buns made with finely ground poria powder mixed into refined white flour, filled with walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds, and sesame seeds...

To prepare this meal, the Fu Family’s chefs had to start working at three in the morning just so their Young Master could eat between six and seven.

This single breakfast, with all its ingredients and nourishing medicinal herbs, cost nearly twenty silver coins—as much as an ordinary family spent in half a year.

Li Tong did not refuse, sitting down and slowly eating with Fu Juemin.

In truth, ever since returning the day before, Fu Juemin had keenly sensed a subtle shift in Li Tong’s attitude.

On the surface, he was the one who had brought up learning New Martial Arts today. But looking back, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Tong had subtly guided him toward it.

’Is it because I killed nine bandits all by myself yesterday?’

Fu Juemin wondered. He felt as if he had unknowingly passed some kind of test or met an unspoken expectation of Li Tong’s, prompting an attitude that was no longer as perfunctory as before.

Li Tong ate for a short while before putting down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth with a nearby towel.

Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered. He signaled a servant to clear the plates, intending to immediately bring up his martial arts training.

But before he could speak, another servant hurried up to him.

"Young Master."

"What is it now?"

"There are visitors in the front hall..."

"I already said I’m not seeing anyone."

Fu Juemin assumed it was the persistent Xu Shirong and his daughter sending someone to press the matter again. He frowned. "Tell the Xu Family to come back in a few days."

But the servant shook his head. "It isn’t the Xu Family. It’s the Lin Family.

They sent someone with gifts, saying it’s to thank you for your heroic rescue yesterday, Young Master."

’Su Hui?!’

A flicker of interest crossed Fu Juemin’s face. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Who from the Lin Family has come?"

The servant replied, "A steward, with two large chests.

He said one is for the master, and the other is for you, Young Master."

"The chests? Bring them here."

Fu Juemin was suddenly intrigued. He was very curious what a woman like Su Hui would send as a token of gratitude for saving her life.

"Yes, sir."

The servant bowed and departed.

Fu Juemin dismissed the matter and turned back to Li Tong.

"Uncle Tong, about the new Martial Arts..."

"Follow me, Young Master."

Li Tong smiled and rose to his feet. With his hands clasped behind his back, he ambled toward the inner rooms. Fu Juemin quickly followed, and the two made their way to the training hall.

Servants cleaned the training hall daily, so the space was immaculate.

Fu Juemin watched Li Tong walk directly toward a spot against the wall. When his eyes followed, he noticed that a weapons rack had appeared in the hall at some unknown time.

On the rack rested common cold weapons: sabers, swords, spears, and staves.

The morning sun, filtering through the window, glinted off the weapons with a cold light, and Fu Juemin’s expression gradually turned solemn.

"The bandits you met yesterday, Young Master, they used sabers?"

Li Tong casually grabbed a blade from the rack. It wasn’t the wide-bladed saber Fu Juemin had seen the day before, but a blade with a narrow body and a tip shaped like an eyebrow.

Li Tong handed the Eyebrow Knife to Fu Juemin. "Do you remember how those bandits tried to cut you down, Young Master?"

Fu Juemin stared at the Eyebrow Knife in his hands and blinked. ’Is Uncle Tong going to make me reenact yesterday’s fight?’ he wondered.

But he said nothing. After a moment’s thought, he raised his arm and swung the blade at Li Tong.

The common bandits hadn’t even had a chance to draw their blades in front of him. All he could remember were the techniques used by their leader, the burly, bald man.

He could only give a rough imitation, however, unable to replicate the moves precisely.

The blade sliced through the air, but Li Tong sidestepped it effortlessly.

"Not enough force. No killing intent."

Li Tong commented, "You have to see me as a real enemy. Attack with the mindset that you are going to kill me.

You don’t even have to mimic the bandit from yesterday. Just attack in whatever way you deem most cunning and ruthless..."

Fu Juemin froze. "Uncle Tong, I thought we agreed you would teach me a new Martial Art today?"

"We can talk about that once you manage to slice off a piece of my sleeve."

Li Tong smiled faintly, then suddenly thrust out a hand.

VWOOSH—

It sounded like fingertips being dragged across smooth silk. The moment Li Tong moved, a sharp, low whistle filled the training hall.

Fu Juemin had never seen Li Tong attack before.

Only now did he understand how terrifyingly powerful the man was.

The sound of that casual strike slicing through the air was louder than his own swing with the knife.

Li Tong’s attack wasn’t particularly fast. Fu Juemin could clearly see every motion as he raised his hand, yet the hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood straight on end.

Fu Juemin slashed out instinctively. The hand aimed at his face immediately retracted, only to change direction and lunge for him from another side.

That bone-chilling feeling washed over him again. Gritting his teeth, Fu Juemin swung the knife once more...

In this way, Li Tong "forced" him to swing his blade relentlessly. After more than a dozen exchanges, Fu Juemin’s back was completely soaked, though he couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold sweat.

And yet, he hadn’t so much as grazed Li Tong’s sleeve.

What was even harder for Fu Juemin to accept was that Li Tong had remained in the same spot the entire time, his feet not having moved an inch.

’This is insane...’

Fu Juemin stared at Li Tong’s feet, clad in black cloth shoes. He panted softly, knife in hand, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Young Master, have you figured out how I dodged your attacks?"

Li Tong asked lightly, lowering his hands.

Fu Juemin studied Li Tong’s stance. The longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed, until it suddenly dawned on him. "The Mixed Element Stance?"

This realization made him even more incredulous.

"Correct."

Li Tong said, "Young Master, your practice of the Dead Stake portion of the Mixed Element Stance is quite good.

Next, I will teach you how to practice the Living Stake."

"What is the Living Stake?"

Fu Juemin drew a soft breath and whispered, "Is it like what you were just doing, Uncle Tong?"

Li Tong nodded, then looked around the room. "I’ll have this room rearranged. Then you will know how the Living Stake is practiced."

It was only then that Fu Juemin learned the Mixed Element Stance was divided into "Dead" and "Living" stages.

’The Dead Stake strengthens the body. The Living Stake... seems to be for combat application.’

"The New Martial Arts you mentioned, Uncle Tong... you don’t just mean the practice of the Living Stake, do you?"

Fu Juemin asked tentatively.

Li Tong smiled faintly. "I believe I told you, Young Master, that reaching the Tongxuan Martial Dao would allow you to stop bullets." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"You did."

Fu Juemin had no idea why Li Tong was suddenly bringing this up.

"...A Tongxuan Martial Artist can withstand bullets because, after they pass the Blood Breaking Barrier, their potent Qi Blood gives rise to a form of Vitality.

This Vitality is released externally, forming a thin Qi Membrane on the surface of the body. Any Attack that strikes them is blocked and deflected by this membrane...

Therefore, a Tongxuan Martial Artist feels little fear, even when facing an opponent armed with a blade."

As Li Tong spoke, Fu Juemin vaguely felt he was grasping the man’s point. A thought struck him, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Then how can a Martial Artist who hasn’t reached Tongxuan defend against a blade?

Do they just have to dodge?"

Li Tong smiled and said abruptly, "Strike me one more time, Young Master."

A sudden understanding dawned on Fu Juemin. Without the slightest hesitation, he swung the knife in a backhand strike toward Li Tong’s shoulder.

But what happened next left him utterly frozen on the spot.

Li Tong deliberately turned his body to avoid the strike to his shoulder, but then he actively moved his neck into the path of the blade.

It was too fast. Before Fu Juemin could react, he heard a crisp CLANG.

The knife that had struck Li Tong’s neck was bounced away by an inexplicable force.

And on Li Tong’s neck, where the blade had hit, not even a white scratch remained.

"This... is the method for those below Tongxuan..."

Li Tong said slowly, "The Muscle and Bone Iron Body Skill."