Chapter 6: A Living Immortal

Qin Sang remained silent, touching his chest, and stared persistently into Bai Jianglan’s eyes. "Brother Bai, you still haven't told me: if I start learning martial arts now, can I actually succeed?"

Bai Jianglan looked somewhat surprised and smiled. "What do you consider 'succeeding'?"

Qin Sang probed, "Cultivating internal energy?"

Bai Jianglan shook his head. "Difficult!"

Qin Sang recalled the scene where Bai Jianglan had insisted on keeping him, and asked, "Then, can I kill wicked bandits?"

"Bandits also have those who are highly skilled in martial arts, but..."

Bai Jianglan’s expression shifted slightly. "It is rare that you have such a heart. If you truly wish to learn, I can pass on a few stances of the *Tiger-Subduing Long Fist* to give you some measure of self-defense. This art is not some profound technique; it is the most common form of martial arts in the pugilistic world. It can be performed with a spear or staff, and most escorts know a few moves."

Qin Sang was overjoyed. He knelt and bowed, "Qin Sang thanks his teacher!"

"No need for such formalities!"

Bai Jianglan smiled and pulled Qin Sang up. "We will arrive at Sanwu City soon. I can only teach you three stances. Once we part ways in the future, it will be hard to meet again, so I dare not call myself your teacher. Let us address each other as brothers. This *Tiger-Subduing Long Fist* has ten stances in total. If you can truly persevere, you can find any escort agency or martial arts school to apprentice and learn the remaining seven. However, do not look down on this art for being simple. Even if it is basic, if you practice diligently and have enough insight, you can achieve great things. It is rumored that a genius in the martial arts world once cultivated a powerful internal energy using only the simplest *Arhat Fist*. Of course, he was the only one."

"Watch closely!"

"First stance, Angry Dragon Leaves the Sea..."

"Second stance, Fist Power Pierces the Heavens..."

"Third stance, Vajra Subdues the Tiger..."

The *Tiger-Subduing Long Fist* was indeed simple, especially the first three stances. After Bai Jianglan demonstrated them twice, Qin Sang had already memorized the moves and the chants.

When it was Qin Sang’s turn to perform, although he could only hold the poses due to his leg injury, he realized there was more to it than met the eye; it was far from as simple as it looked. Even though he and Bai Jianglan appeared to be performing the exact same move, he could not grasp how to exert the force.

What followed was a process of guiding his strength and correcting errors. Fortunately, the first three stances of the *Tiger-Subduing Long Fist* focused on the arms and fists, utilizing upper-body strength without requiring complex footwork. With his injured leg propped against the ship's gunwale, he only needed to learn the stances and the method of channeling force, so the impact was minimal.

"Focus! Is that how a Vajra looks?"

"The move is the surface, the force is the core. If your fist is crooked and your force is wrong, you will never cultivate internal energy in your entire life!"

...

When it came to teaching martial arts, Bai Jianglan showed no mercy; scolding was the least of it.

The others gathered around after their own training, laughing and watching the spectacle. Qin Sang took a few hard whacks from a staff on his back and dared not lose focus again. By mealtime, he had truly mastered the three stances.

After the meal, the sun came out, and the mist on the river thinned at a visible rate. Suddenly, someone at the bow shouted, "Sanwu City is here!"

Qin Sang stood up, leaning on the gunwale, and saw the thin mist in the middle of the river dispersing into the green mountains. The river was filled with countless boats of all sizes, stretching as far as the eye could see. The morning sunlight shimmered on the water, creating a magnificent scene.

At the center where the ships converged, the shore was likely the First Ferry. Though called a ferry, its scale was already comparable to a town, several times larger than the small city where Qin Sanwa worked.

It was hard to imagine what kind of majestic city Sanwu City must be behind the ferry!

The ship moved forward in a low-profile manner. Water Monkey scurried to the bow to signal with flags. Once a small boat gently pulled alongside, he negotiated the price with the boatman in a loud voice, then turned and shouted, "Brother Qin, time to disembark!"

It was time to leave.

"Until we meet again!"

Although his time with Bai Jianglan and the others was short, Qin Sang felt a deep reluctance to part. After bidding them farewell one by one, he was lowered into the small boat in a basket tied with ropes, watching the large ship sail away.

Water Monkey was still waving from the bow.

...

"Is this your first time in Sanwu City, young master?"

The small boat wove nimbly through the river, slowly approaching the ferry. The boatman was an old man. Seeing Qin Sang staring blankly at the ferry, he struck up a conversation.

Qin Sang withdrew his gaze, looked at the old man, and joked, "Boatman, my surname is Qin; I am no young master. I am here to find an immortal. Looking at your skills, you must have been sailing on this river for many years. Have you ever seen an immortal?"

The old man laughed heartily. "Brother Qin, don't tease this old man. I've been sailing with my parents since I was eight. In the blink of an eye, I've been on this river for over fifty years, but I've never seen any immortal. Brother Qin, are you here in Sanwu City to do business, visit relatives, or find a living? I've traveled all over Sanwu City, inside and out; perhaps I can be of some small help."

"Look at my leg," Qin Sang lifted his injured leg and smiled bitterly. "I can't even stand steadily right now. I'm not thinking about anything else; I just want to get my leg healed first. I wonder if there is a divine doctor at the ferry? Please, sir, give me some guidance."

"Oh?"

The old man looked down carefully at Qin Sang’s leg and shook his head. "Divine doctors are all in the city treating the nobility; why would they stay at the ferry? It’s still thirty miles from here to Sanwu City... However, I do know a few old physicians who have a good reputation at the ferry. If you can trust me, I’ll take you there now..."

As they spoke, the pier appeared in their field of vision. The ferry was teeming with people, crowded and noisy, a chaotic mess. Most of the people were in rags.

Qin Sang asked in surprise, "So many people at the ferry?"

"Brother Qin, you don't know..."

The old man sighed with pity. "It wasn't this busy before. Recently, many refugees have come from the north, saying there is a great drought followed by a locust plague in the north. The crops in the fields have yielded nothing. I’ve heard some are even raising banners to rebel, and the scourge of war is everywhere. They are all poor people who couldn't survive in their hometowns and had to flee south. To be honest, I'm nearly sixty, and I've seen similar scenes a few times, but I've never seen times like these. It's not just the First Ferry; the ferries further down are all crowded with poor people looking for a way to survive. Even the most miserable jobs, like being a tracker, have dozens of people fighting for them. Not to mention outside Sanwu City... they all say the new Emperor is incompetent and lawless..."

The old man suddenly shut his mouth, looking at Qin Sang with a sheepish expression.

Qin Sang didn't mind and observed the pier while holding the gunwale. It was just as the old man said; ninety percent of them were gaunt, impoverished people.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the old man hurriedly changed the subject. "Brother Qin, speaking of poor people, I suddenly remembered something. I haven't seen a real immortal, but I have heard that there is a living immortal in the Green Sheep Temple on Mount Cuiming!"

Qin Sang gave a light "Oh?"

Seeing that Qin Sang’s attention was indeed captured, the old man looked proud. "Speaking of this living immortal, he has quite a reputation in the vicinity. He is the master of the Green Sheep Temple, Daoist Jixin. There are many temples and monasteries on Mount Cuiming, but the Green Sheep Temple was never famous. It wasn't until this master appeared that it gained fame. When it comes to the master of the Green Sheep Temple, what he is most famous for is his saintly, benevolent heart. Calling him a living immortal is no exaggeration at all."