Chapter 19: Tiger and Crane Double Form Boxing (Please add to favorites and follow for updates)

However, Lady Shan did not live apart from Scholar Shan indefinitely; as festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Lunar New Year, and the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, she would return to the Shan household.

Given Scholar Shan's words, Wei Tu speculated that Lady Shan might be sending a letter and would return within the next few days.

...

After presenting the formal apprenticeship gifts.

Shan Wu-ju's attitude toward teaching Wei Tu did not change significantly; he remained the same as before, though his tone had become somewhat gentler when speaking.

He was no longer as abrupt as he had been.

Half a month later.

After Wei Tu's archery skills had improved tremendously, Shan Wu-ju led him into his private living quarters.

Shan Wu-ju dismissed the maidservants in the room, then leaned down to pry up a single blue brick beneath the offering table, retrieving a rosewood box about seven inches long from beneath it.

"You have the stance training of the Health Preservation Arts to protect you; practicing martial arts to enhance your physique is sufficient."

"But a martial artist must possess not only a strong body but also know how to master the art of killing."

Shan Wu-ju glanced at Wei Tu, his eyes filled with emotion, and spoke in a low, solemn voice.

In truth, taking Wei Tu as his disciple was a massive bargain.

Wei Tu had achieved great success with his Health Preservation Arts and was already intimately familiar with the thirty-two stances of the *Turtle Breath Qi-Nurturing Art*. Although these thirty-two stances were merely foundational, they were more than enough to forge a solid martial foundation.

In other words.

Before even becoming his disciple, Wei Tu's martial foundation was already established.

What he lacked was merely the methods of combat and killing.

When these combat methods were put into practice, they manifested as archery, fist techniques, saber techniques...

"The bow stance is the foundation of archery, and it is also the foundation of fist techniques. By practicing archery this past month, you have inadvertently learned a small portion of my fist techniques," Shan Wu-ju said slowly.

Having finished speaking, Shan Wu-ju opened the rosewood box in his hands, took out a yellowed manual, and handed it to Wei Tu.

"This is the manual for the *Tiger-Crane Double Form Fist*; it is also the foundation of our lineage. Only by mastering the *Tiger-Crane Double Form Fist* can you proceed to the next step of saber practice."

"I do not have high expectations for you. Aim to master the Tiger Form within a month."

"At that time, I will pass on a portion of the saber techniques related to the Tiger Form. When the 'Weapon Dance' examination comes, if you have practiced well, you can at least strive for a Second Class grade in the Dao Exam."

"Second Class in the Dao Exam?" Hearing this, Wei Tu's eyes brightened slightly.

Like the civil service examinations, the military examinations were divided into the County Exam, the Prefecture Exam, the Dao Exam, and the Provincial Exam.

Passing the County and Prefecture exams only granted the status of a Military Student (*Wu Tongsheng*). A Military Student did not hold an official title, but rather the qualification to participate in the Dao Exam.

Only after passing the Dao Exam and achieving good results could one obtain the official title of "Military Scholar" (*Wu Xiucai*).

The Provincial Exam granted the title of "Military Graduate" (*Wu Juren*).

At this moment, Shan Wu-ju was saying that if he mastered a portion of the saber techniques, he would have a chance to earn a Second Class grade in the "Weapon Dance" section of the Dao Exam.

A Second Class grade was truly not a low achievement.

If one achieved Second Class in all subjects of the Dao Exam, and if the current batch of military candidates were somewhat lacking in skill, one could still secure the title of Military Scholar.

"Thank you, Master." Wei Tu showed a look of gratitude, received the yellowed manual with both hands, and bowed deeply to Shan Wu-ju.

"Go and practice."

Shan Wu-ju smiled with satisfaction, patted Wei Tu on the shoulder, and waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

"Master, wait a moment."

"There is one more thing your disciple does not quite understand."

As he reached the door, Wei Tu suddenly remembered something. He paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned around and bowed to Shan Wu-ju once more.

"What is it?" Seeing Wei Tu's manner, Shan Wu-ju looked surprised.

Having spent several months together, he understood Wei Tu's character well; he knew this disciple was very well-mannered, even somewhat reverent.

—He was very frugal with the lamp oil in the side rooms and the same with paper and ink; when they ran out, he would not ask the maids for more, but would instead use his own money to buy them in town.

To say Wei Tu was not opening his heart to him would be incorrect... whenever he encountered difficulties in military strategy or challenges in riding and archery, Wei Tu would frequently come to consult his master without hesitation.

The maids in the residence did not refuse when they replenished the oil for the lamps or provided more paper and ink in the side rooms.

Later, Shan Wu-ju realized the reason for Wei Tu's behavior: he had been poor for so long that he understood propriety and knew that acting this way would prevent him from being looked down upon.

At this moment, since he had just handed the manual to Wei Tu, logically, this reverent disciple should not have turned back to ask a question, but should have gone to silently study the manual and practice his stances.

"Master, do you know of the 'Qi-Sensing Realm'? Your disciple... saw it mentioned in the preface of the *Turtle Breath Qi-Nurturing Art*..."

At this point, Wei Tu voiced the question that had been accumulating in his heart for a long time.

After becoming Shan Wu-ju's disciple, he had originally thought that the master would mention the "Qi-Sensing Realm" during their daily instruction.

But to his surprise, after several months, he had not heard the words "Qi-Sensing Realm" once from Scholar Shan.

"The Qi-Sensing Realm?"

Hearing this, Shan Wu-ju was also stunned. He had not expected that what Wei Tu was asking about would be related to this.

He paused for a moment to weigh his words, then said, "Martial cultivation is divided into internal and external, which is the distinction between Internal True Arts and External Martial Arts."

"The Qi-Sensing Realm is the first minor stage of cultivation in the Internal True Arts."

"Only the first minor stage of the Internal True Arts?" Hearing this, Wei Tu felt a sudden sense of desolation.

He had been practicing the Health Preservation Arts for so long, but according to the prompt of his "Late Bloomer" destiny, he had to "practice nine times a day" and would not enter the Qi-Sensing Realm for another five years.

And that was merely the first minor stage of internal Qi cultivation.

If the Qi-Sensing Realm was this difficult...

Would the subsequent realms not be even more difficult to cultivate?

"Do not belittle yourself." As if seeing through Wei Tu's thoughts, Shan Wu-ju shook his head and said, "That Health Preservation manual of yours describes a method of cultivating internal strength from the outside in; it does not mean that External Martial Arts are inferior to Internal Arts."

"On the contrary, when External Martial Arts reach great success, the fierce internal strength they produce is so powerful that a single wisp of it is ten times more potent than the internal strength produced by Internal True Arts!"

Hearing this.

Wei Tu breathed a secret sigh of relief.

He also cursed himself for being foolish, as he had failed to consider this point.

The Health Preservation Arts only had stance training, but they lacked the legendary methods of Internal True Arts for circulating internal strength through the meridians and expanding the meridians.

It was obvious it was not an Internal True Art.

"Furthermore, generally speaking, internal martial artists are far weaker than external martial artists."

"An internal martial artist who has meditated for decades is not as powerful as an external martial artist who has forged their body for several years."

"Otherwise, all the martial artists in this world would be internal practitioners."

"And the military examinations would be dominated by them," Shan Wu-ju added.

"However, if one can enter the Qi-Sensing Realm, it is good to cultivate both internal and external styles." Shan Wu-ju pondered for a moment before continuing, "Because external martial artists forge their bodies in their early years and are prone to aggression, they easily deplete their vital energy and suffer hidden injuries. If they can become internal martial artists, they can use their internal strength to nourish and heal those injuries..."

"The *Tiger-Crane Double Form Fist* I gave you is just like your Health Preservation Arts; as long as you practice it long enough, you also have the chance to cultivate internal strength from the outside in and enter the Qi-Sensing Realm."

(End of Chapter)