Chapter 4: Squatting and Rising, the Body Like a Galloping Horse (Part I)

33 Jin Dong Street.

It was a large courtyard, more than twice the size of the place Lin Zheyu rented.

From the outside, the house was built quite exquisitely and must have been expensive; it was just unclear whether Master Liang was renting or owned it.

*Knock, knock.*

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Lin Zheyu knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern.

Before long, the door creaked open.

Liang Song walked over with a limp to open the door, then turned around and went back to watering his flowers.

The courtyard was filled with purple flowers, and the air was permeated with a refreshing, fragrant scent.

The plants had lush, emerald-green leaves, and the flowers were large and exotic, resembling fluttering colorful butterflies. They were rich in color and very beautiful.

"Don't move, just find a place to sit."

Just as Lin Zheyu was eagerly about to step forward to help with the watering, Liang Song spoke up to stop him.

He treasured these flowers and didn't want Lin Zheyu, who knew nothing about them, to damage them.

Lin Zheyu sat silently at the stone table in the courtyard.

Master Liang watered the flowers for over half an hour before finally walking over to sit in the seat next to Lin Zheyu, looking satisfied.

He walked with a limp and looked like a slovenly old man, possessing none of the aura or demeanor of a martial arts master.

"No need to be so reserved, relax."

"You even brought meat; that was thoughtful of you."

"We don't do formal apprenticeship ceremonies here, and besides, I haven't decided to take you on as a disciple yet."

Liang Song glanced at the items Lin Zheyu had brought and said with a smile.

He was only acting on a whim, intending to teach some basic martial arts; how much Lin Zheyu could learn would depend on his own aptitude.

Lin Zheyu offered a smile, said nothing, picked up the tea that had been brewed on the table, and dutifully poured a cup for Liang Song.

"Practicing martial arts requires aptitude, perseverance, and resources."

"Your physical foundation is too poor; you'll need to nourish your body for a while."

Liang Song took the tea from Lin Zheyu and began eating the snacks he had brought, speaking with interest.

He quite liked the stories Lin Zheyu told; they were interesting, and many of the characters in them were to his taste.

It was just that there was too much "scholar sentimentality"—the protagonists in the stories were all scholars. They were indecisive, which was tiresome to listen to.

If it were up to him, making Yan Chixia the protagonist would be the right way to go.

"Yes, yes. I've earned some money recently and have already started nourishing my body," Lin Zheyu nodded and said.

"That's not enough. Nourishing the body requires both eating and training."

Liang Song said calmly, "Your foundation is very poor. You've never been exposed to martial arts, and you don't usually exercise, so your waist, legs, and feet are all soft."

"A ten-thousand-foot tower rises from the ground. If you want to master martial arts, you must start with the most basic stance training."

Liang Song walked to the center of the courtyard.

He relaxed his shoulders, crouched slightly, pushed his hands out horizontally, and moved his body with a gentle, rhythmic rise and fall, as if ripples were being stirred by a breeze.

"Follow me."

"This is one of the basic stance trainings: the Horse Stance."

Lin Zheyu walked over and imitated Liang Song—crouching, arms extended, body shaped as if riding a horse, rising and falling.

"Your movement is wrong."

"The Horse Stance, as the name implies, is a stance derived from riding a horse. When you stand, you must stand with a rise and a fall, as if you are conjuring a horse out of thin air."

"You must imagine that you are riding a horse, galloping at full speed. Your feet become the galloping steed, rising and falling; you must integrate the horse into your waist and legs."

Liang Song said softly.

His body rose and fell, and in the rhythm of high and low, he truly looked as if he were riding a fine steed, galloping away.

After demonstrating for a while, he walked over to Lin Zheyu and offered guidance: "Grip the ground with your toes, let your knees naturally spring up..."

"As your body rises and falls, constantly shift your center of gravity..."

Following Liang Song's instructions, Lin Zheyu gradually got on the right track.

Whenever his posture was incorrect, Liang Song would flick a small pebble, striking the part of his body that was exerting force incorrectly.

Soon, Lin Zheyu learned the stance of the Horse Stance.

When he first started standing, he couldn't even last ten minutes before his whole body trembled and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Go back and practice."

"Come find me again when you can hold the Horse Stance for an hour."

"If you can't do it within a month, don't bother coming back."

Liang Song waved his hand, signaling for Lin Zheyu to leave.

He didn't teach just anyone; he found Lin Zheyu agreeable, so he gave him a chance.

But whether he would actually teach him depended on Lin Zheyu himself.

If he didn't even have the perseverance to practice the stance for an hour, then there was no need to teach him.

"Yes, Master."

Lin Zheyu stood up, his legs trembling.

His body was too weak; he couldn't even hold the Horse Stance for ten minutes.

Lin Zheyu didn't leave immediately, but instead asked respectfully, "Master, are there any decoctions or medicinal bath formulas that can help the body recover quickly?"

It was difficult to learn to hold the Horse Stance for an hour in a month.

An hour was equivalent to two hours, and he could barely manage thirty minutes of running right now.

Moreover, Lin Zheyu's physical foundation was too poor; without the aid of medicinal baths or decoctions, the difficulty of achieving this was too high.

"There are, but such formulas are very expensive. A single dose of medicine costs over a tael of silver, and that's just for the most basic formula."

"I'll give you a formula for nourishing qi and strengthening blood. You can just take it to a pharmacy and have them fill it."

"This formula costs a little over a tael of silver; make sure you don't get overcharged."

Liang Song said.

He had Lin Zheyu go into the house to get pen and paper, and he began to write with a flourish.

Liang Song's handwriting was just like him: wild and uninhibited with a touch of sloppiness, and in that sloppiness... well, I can't keep praising it.

Liang Song's handwriting was terrible.

Who said that a master's handwriting must be beautiful?

Lin Zheyu looked at Liang Song's writing and had to put in some effort to decipher what was written.

"Thank you, Master!"

Lin Zheyu took the prescription and said respectfully.

After bidding farewell to Liang Song, he headed straight to the pharmacy.

"It really is 'the poor study, the rich practice martial arts.' A single prescription costs a tael of silver."

Lin Zheyu sighed.

It was only because his storytelling had become popular that earning money was a bit easier.

If it were an ordinary person, earning about a tael of silver a month, it would only be enough to buy one dose of medicine.

Including the three hundred-plus *wen* he earned today, Lin Zheyu had saved up over 1,800 *wen*.

At current market rates, over 1,500 *wen* could be exchanged for one tael of silver, so the money Lin Zheyu had was just enough to get one dose of medicine.

Passing by the pharmacy, Lin Zheyu went in to get the medicinal herbs.

This kind of basic qi-nourishing and blood-tonifying formula could be found in almost every pharmacy.

Just as Master Liang had said, a dose of herbs cost him one tael of silver plus 120 *wen*.

The other party had initially asked for one tael of silver plus 500 *wen*, but after some haggling, Lin Zheyu managed to save over 300 *wen*.

That was equivalent to more than a day's income for him.

Returning home, he cleaned the newly purchased medicine pot, added clean water and the herbs, and simmered it over a low flame.

Brewing medicinal soup wasn't as difficult as he had imagined; as long as one controlled the heat and waited patiently, it would be fine.

A dose of qi-nourishing and blood-tonifying herbs could be brewed three times, though the remaining medicinal potency would drop rapidly after each brew.

Brewing the medicinal soup took a long time, so he used this gap to go into the courtyard and practice the Horse Stance.

He gripped the ground with his toes, rose and fell as if riding a horse, and gazed into the distance.

His body was weak, and for now, he could only hold it for about three or four minutes at a time.

Every time Lin Zheyu persisted until his legs went soft and he couldn't help but sit on the ground, he would stretch his muscles and bones and rest for a while.

Once he recovered some strength, he would continue practicing the stance.