Chapter 34: Tracking! The Wind-Stabilizing Stake

"Don't be anxious, Xiaoyue. Do you have any personal belongings of your sister on you? Let me calculate."

A man wearing a Taoist robe and a high crown sat cross-legged nearby, asking calmly. His expression was as still as a well, as if nothing in the world could affect him.

This man was the "Brother Ming" Fang Qiuyue had mentioned—Li Ziming.

"I do."

Fang Qiuyue removed a hairpin from her head and handed it to Li Ziming.

Li Ziming suddenly let out an "Ouch!"

"What is it?" Fang Qiuyue asked nervously. "Did something happen to my sister?"

"No, your hairpin poked my hand," Li Ziming said flatly.

Fang Qiuyue: "..."

"What time is it? You're still joking, Brother Ming," Fang Qiuyue grumbled.

Li Ziming's expression remained indifferent as he said, "I am not joking. Guard me, and I will calculate it for you now."

*Swish!*

With a flick of his sleeve, a row of tortoise shells of varying sizes tumbled to the ground, forming a circle like a snake swallowing its own tail.

Then, he placed the hairpin inside the circle and began chanting under his breath.

"Drop your blood onto the hairpin."

"Mhm." Fang Qiuyue did as she was told.

Li Ziming gave a low shout: "Blood of a kin shall find the trail. Go!"

*Zing!*

With a sharp sound, the hairpin began to spin frantically.

Suddenly.

*Clang!*

The hairpin split in two. It had snapped!

Fang Qiuyue's heart jolted, and she cried out, "What happened? Why did the hairpin break? This was left to us sisters by our late mother. You have to compensate me—"

"Setting aside the matter of compensation."

Li Ziming shook his head and sighed. "When a personal belonging breaks abruptly, it is an ill omen. I fear your sister has encountered a calamity."

Fang Qiuyue flew into a rage. "You're talking nonsense! My sister is blessed by heaven; nothing could possibly happen to her. You must have calculated incorrectly!"

"It is impossible for me to be wrong. Instead of wasting time arguing with me, I might as well calculate where your sister's misfortune occurred."

Li Ziming completely ignored Fang Qiuyue's fury, continuing to speak indifferently.

"Then calculate!" Fang Qiuyue said through gritted teeth.

Though she had a temper, she could only endure it helplessly when facing Li Ziming's deadpan face.

"I gave you a free calculation today. Even between brothers, accounts must be clear, so you'll have to pay extra this time."

As Li Ziming spoke, he held up a single finger. "In view of our friendship, I'll let you run a tab. You owe me one evil spirit; just give it to me within three months."

Fang Qiuyue snapped, "Fine, I'll owe you! Stop the nonsense and hurry up and calculate!"

"As you command."

Li Ziming gripped the broken end of the hairpin and crushed it firmly, turning it into fine powder.

He poured the powder into the circular formation of tortoise shells, placed the head of the hairpin atop the powder, then pressed his left and right hands together in a sword gesture while chanting.

Suddenly, he pointed his sword gesture at the head of the hairpin and shouted, "Swiftly!"

*Whoosh!*

The head of the hairpin jerked violently, pointing in Fang Qiuyue's direction.

"What!?"

Fang Qiuyue was furious. "What does this mean? Are you saying I'm the cause of my sister's trouble?"

"Not at all. It means your sister's incident occurred in that direction. Rest for today. Tomorrow, I will accompany you along this path, and we shall surely find her traces."

"Why not go now? With your strength, are you afraid of the dark?" Fang Qiuyue provoked him.

Ignoring the provocation, Li Ziming lay down on a straw mat and said calmly, "I am not afraid, I am simply tired. Do not disturb my sleep, otherwise, I won't accompany you tomorrow."

"You!"

Fang Qiuyue was incensed, but facing this unyielding fellow, she could only simmer in silent frustration.

She, Fang Qiuyue, had followed so many men, and every single one of them had catered to her every whim. They held her in their hands as if they were afraid she might melt; even if she told them to die, they would do so without complaint.

Yet this Li Ziming did not cherish her at all. He was always haggling with her; it was impossibly difficult to get him to do anything.

If it weren't for the fact that all those obedient useless men were dead, she wouldn't deal with this bastard Li Ziming even if it cost her her life.

Li Ziming was unaware of Fang Qiuyue's thoughts.

By now, he had already entered dreamland and was even snoring.

***

Jincheng.

Under Tie Feng's guidance, Zhang Lingshan met the herb-gathering guard named Wu Zheng.

"Shall I break down the leg techniques for you? Should I start with the stance training?"

After hearing Zhang Lingshan's idea, Wu Zheng said quite decisively, "That works. But you must first pay me twenty taels and give me a promissory note for another thirty taels, to be repaid within a month. Tie Feng will act as guarantor. If he can't pay, I'll come to you. If you can't pay, I'll go to your father!"

Tie Feng's face turned slightly pale. He hadn't expected that by playing matchmaker, he would trap himself.

However, he trusted Zhang Lingshan's character, and since the young man had saved his father's life, it wouldn't matter even if they accepted the full fifty taels.

Thus, he nodded heavily. "Fine. But you must guarantee that once the thirty taels are received, you will teach the subsequent leg techniques."

"Naturally. That is our agreement."

Once the three had reached an agreement, they found an elderly scribe from the Feng family to write a written contract, which both parties signed and thumbprinted.

Then, Wu Zheng wasted no more words. He returned to the courtyard and began teaching the stance training to Zhang Lingshan.

This stance was called the "Wind-Settling Stance."

True to its name, the core principle was the word "settle."

The movements of the stance were complex and varied, but the feet remained stationary, much like a willow swaying in the wind.

The willow leaves might lash about and the catkins might fly, but the roots remained firmly gripped to the ground, unmoving.

"This stance emphasizes practical combat. Once you have practiced to the point where no matter how an opponent attacks, your feet can remain in place while you use other parts of your body to dodge and counter, then you have mastered it. Therefore, it is best to find a sparring partner to achieve twice the result with half the effort," Wu Zheng said earnestly, followed by a smile.

Zhang Lingshan asked, "Can I hire you as a sparring partner?"

"Of course. But that is a separate charge: twenty taels for twenty hours of companionship." Wu Zheng's smile grew even brighter.

Zhang Lingshan suddenly realized.

So that was the catch.

It made sense that he had taught it so easily. Given the value of the Wind-Settling Stance, twenty taels wasn't expensive; it was actually quite cheap.

However, the difficulty of practicing this technique was far greater than the Zongyang Stance.

If it weren't for his ability to use the panel's energy to add points, he might have actually fallen into Wu Zheng's trap and handed over his money.

"Too expensive."

Zhang Lingshan shook his head.

Wu Zheng made a "please" gesture. "Then feel free to leave. If you wish to find me for sparring later, you are welcome anytime."

He was in no hurry. He believed that once Zhang Lingshan experienced the difficulty of practicing the Wind-Settling Stance, he would come scurrying back with money, begging him to be his sparring partner.

One had to know that when he was practicing this stance, he not only had his master providing dedicated sparring and guidance, but he also had to use specially prepared medicinal liquids to nourish his body; otherwise, his calves wouldn't have lasted long.

Even so, it had taken him a full three years to finally master this stance.

Such was the difficulty of the Wind-Settling Stance.

In short, Wu Zheng was certain he would make this money!

(End of Chapter)