Chapter 15: Shan Wuju's Instruction (Please bookmark and follow for updates)

A few days later.

Wei Tu’s concerns had come true.

Seeing that Wei Tu persisted in practicing his health-preserving exercises every night, and that he had gained the appreciation of the master of the house for his diligence and capability, Deng An’s expression grew increasingly sour.

Their relationship was no longer what it had been.

Consequently, relying on his seniority as a long-term laborer at the Shan household and his former status as the foreman, Deng An began to order Wei Tu around during the day.

However, to Deng An’s surprise, upon hearing the instructions, Wei Tu did not argue or make a scene. Instead, he would turn around and finish the assigned tasks cleanly and efficiently.

Whether it was sweeping the courtyard, cleaning the latrines, feeding the horses, chopping fodder, or harvesting wheat, Wei Tu handled everything with ease and meticulous care.

When Madam Shan and Shan Wuju saw this, they both praised Wei Tu for his cleverness and capability, while taking the opportunity to reprimand Deng An for being lazy and shirking his duties.

This completely drained Deng An of his temper. On the third day of the wheat harvest, he went to town to buy a pot of wine and a few seasonal cold dishes. That evening, while the long-term laborers and tenant farmers were cooling off under the elm tree in the village, he offered an apology to Wei Tu.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have been jealous of you, Brother Wei..." Deng An said, his face showing a sincere expression.

After a few cups of wine, Deng An revealed the reason for his hostility toward Wei Tu.

"Brother Wei, you are too diligent, too energetic. If you stay at the Shan house, I reckon they’ll dismiss me next year and just hire you alone."

"People like you are hated wherever they go. I previously thought you were trying to drive me out, but I didn't expect you to be genuinely this hardworking..."

Deng An sighed.

For over ten days, they had been rushing about, harvesting wheat from one side of the river to the other. Even an iron man would struggle to hold up, yet Wei Tu had endured it all, remaining spirited every day and still finding the leisure to practice his exercises at night.

This completely dispelled Deng An’s previous thoughts, and he stopped targeting Wei Tu.

In the end, he didn't have the guts to commit murder or arson. Since he couldn't drive Wei Tu away using the standard tactics of a long-term laborer, he had no choice but to make amends.

"If the Shan family dismisses me next year, I’ll just go to another household," Deng An added.

"Brother Deng, you’re joking," Wei Tu shook his head and picked up his chopsticks to eat some vegetables.

He still did not tell Deng An his purpose for coming to the Shan household.

If he passed Shan Wuju’s "test," it wouldn't be long before he could receive instruction in martial arts from him. By then, Deng An would naturally be at ease.

Even if he didn't pass the "test," he would leave the Shan household come next February to head to the county seat and participate in the military examinations...

Wei Tu did not know if Shan Wuju was testing him, or what the content of that test might be, but he knew that a person with a calm temperament who could keep things to themselves was the most likely to gain favor.

Furthermore, the reason he didn't talk back to Deng An during the day wasn't because he was kind-hearted, but because after his health-preserving exercises reached a state of mastery, his energy was indeed far beyond that of an ordinary person.

The hard and tiring work that Deng An imagined was not all that difficult for him to accept.

Lastly, Deng An was merely a foreman; there was no point in arguing with him.

Seeing that Wei Tu still didn't have much to say, Deng An sighed silently and stopped asking.

Five days later.

The wheat harvest at the Shan village finally came to an end.

As Wei Tu was spreading out the last sack of new grain on the threshing floor to dry, Shan Wuju rode over on his yellow-maned horse. A hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes as he said, "After I finish taking the horse for a ride, I will teach you archery."

With those words, Shan Wuju rode off on his horse, disappearing into the distance across the plateau.

It wasn't until dusk that Shan Wuju led his horse back to the gate.

"There are three parts to the military examination related to archery: drawing the heavy bow, mounted archery, and foot archery."

"It can be said that if you want to achieve fame in the military examinations, your archery must be excellent."

Shan Wuju clapped his hands.

Soon, a maid from the house walked over carrying a lacquered wooden tray.

On the tray lay three bows of different styles: a short bow for mounted archery, a long bow for foot archery, and a heavy bow for testing strength.

"This is a five-stone heavy bow!" Shan Wuju took down the heavy bow and stared at the straw target in the corner of the courtyard. His aura suddenly turned sharp and fierce.

*Twang! Twang! Twang!*

With three sounds of the string, the three feathered arrows Shan Wuju had nocked onto the heavy bow flew out, piercing the air and embedding themselves directly into the center of the straw target.

"One stone is one hundred catties; this five-stone heavy bow requires five hundred catties of strength."

"As long as you can draw this five-stone bow, you can at least secure a Grade A in the heavy bow category when you participate in the military examinations."

Shan Wuju caught his breath and placed the heavy bow back on the lacquered tray.

Drawing the five-stone bow just now had been a great drain on his body.

At this moment, another maid standing by poured a cup of cold tea and handed it to Shan Wuju.

Shan Wuju drank a small cup first, but feeling it wasn't enough, he lifted the pot and poured it into his mouth.

As the tea spilled from the corners of his mouth, fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, cheeks, and neck.

"Drawing the bow requires the 'Bow Stance.' I will demonstrate it for you a few times; remember it well."

Shan Wuju didn't rush to let Wei Tu try the bow. Instead, he stood with his feet staggered and assumed the posture of the Bow Stance.

As he moved, his legs seemed to instantly take root in the blue bricks of the courtyard, and his body stood as straight as a pine, unmoving.

"Once the Bow Stance is firmly planted, it is not only beneficial for archery, but practicing saber techniques and fist techniques in the future will also yield twice the result with half the effort."

"The Bow Stance trains the lower body. Once it is solid, your legs will be like cast copper and iron. With a stable base, even if others strike you, it will be like a gentle breeze brushing against a mountain..."

Shan Wuju said slowly.

After speaking, Shan Wuju withdrew from the stance, took a towel from the maid, wiped his sweat, and signaled for Wei Tu to begin practicing by following his movements.

Wei Tu nodded. Following the way Shan Wuju had just planted his stance, he steadied his body, staggered his feet, and assumed the Bow Stance.

Having practiced health-preserving exercises for over two years, Wei Tu was no stranger to stance training. The Bow Stance Shan Wuju had just demonstrated was also among the thirty-two stance diagrams in the *Turtle Breathing and Qi Cultivation Technique*.

It was just that there were some minor differences in the specific details.

Soon, Wei Tu adjusted his body and replicated seven or eight parts of Shan Wuju’s Bow Stance.

"This stance..."

"Is it actually on par with mine when I was young?"

Shan Wuju, who had been intending to find faults in Wei Tu’s posture, raised his eyebrows in surprise after seeing Wei Tu finish the Bow Stance.

He still remembered that over half a month ago, Wei Tu had said he had only practiced health-preserving exercises.

"That's right! That *Turtle Breathing and Qi Cultivation Technique* also contains stance training; it’s no wonder he knows the Bow Stance."

Shan Wuju reasoned with himself.

But soon he shook his head, overturning his previous thought.

The stances in health-preserving exercises were often extremely shallow and were regarded by martial artists as mere children's drawings. While they could be practiced, they were rarely of much use.

One could not train such a formidable stance relying solely on health-preserving exercises.

"Wei Tu, have you practiced any other martial arts before? Tell me the truth, otherwise..."

Shan Wuju looked at Wei Tu, his expression suddenly turning cold.

Secretly learning another school's martial arts was a major taboo.

The punishment could be the crippling of one's cultivation.

At worst, death.

Furthermore, as a dignified master of the military examinations, how could he be fooled?

Wei Tu said he came here to be a long-term laborer, but having entered the Shan household, he was half a disciple.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Wei Tu to offer him seasonal gifts of respect every year once he achieved success, right from the moment he entered the house.

...

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