The setting sun slanted to the west, casting the shadows of two people in the deserted courtyard.
One figure was straight and upright, while the other had a curvy silhouette with a prominent bust and hips.
Yejing Hall held a green bamboo pole and stood in the courtyard. First, he twirled the pole to create a showy spear flourish.
Smack——
A clear cracking sound, like that of a whip, spread out.
Yejing Hall had learned saber, spear, cudgel, and staff techniques since childhood. He was very skilled in these flashy moves for showing off. As a man with long limbs, he looked extremely handsome while performing them.
Pei Xiangjun nodded slightly. "Not bad. But these flashy moves can only deceive chivalrous women in the martial arts world. They are useless in actual combat."
Yejing Hall didn't respond. He concentrated fully, imitating Pei Xiangjun's movements. He slowly rotated the green bamboo pole in his hand, walked forward step by step, and then executed the chopping spear move, earnestly trying to figure out the hidden mysteries within the move.
Seeing that Yejing Hall could remember the movements after just one look, Pei Xiangjun's eyes showed approval. Assuming the demeanor of an expert, she circled around him and began to explain. "You can copy the move just by looking at it once. Your memory is really good. The so-called martial arts consist of 'wu' (moves) and 'gong' (inner strength)… strength…"
When Yejing Hall heard that she stopped speaking, he secretly shook his head and continued to focus on studying the hidden techniques of channeling inner strength within the move. Although he was moving slowly, the progress he made each time was immediately noticeable.
After rehearsing the move back and forth only three times, a gentle breeze appeared in the open area, lifting the fallen leaves around his body.
Whoosh~~ Whoosh~~
After repeating the move five times back and forth, a crosswind blew among the bamboo groves.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——
The fallen leaves fluttered around like a tornado.
(⊙_⊙)
Goodness…
What is this…
Pei Xiangjun froze in place, her red lips slightly parted, and her almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise. Her full chest made her衣襟 stretch taut. She was afraid that if she took one more deep breath, the衣襟 would no longer be able to hold and something would pop out.
Yejing Hall didn't pay attention to these details. He twirled the green bamboo pole around his body, and the speed became faster and faster. When he felt it was about right, he suddenly spun around and forcefully chopped down with the pole held in both hands.
Bang!
The ground shook violently, and the fallen leaves that were dancing in the wind scattered immediately, shooting out towards the surroundings of the deserted courtyard like a rainstorm.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——
The two closest bamboo trees let out a crisp cracking sound. They were actually shattered by this strike!
Pei Xiangjun stood three zhang away. Just the shockwave from this spear strike made her feet go numb. One could imagine how powerful the inner strength in this strike was.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The fallen leaves in the sky fluttered down like a heavy snowfall of goose feathers.
Yejing Hall retracted the green bamboo pole and examined it. He saw that the "spear" in his hand had been broken by his strike and had turned into a bamboo brush. He felt a bit ashamed and said, "It seems I used too much strength. I'll do it again."
When using weapons, one should focus on techniques rather than brute force. Otherwise, no matter how good the quality of the spear is, it can't withstand the full-force smash of the Eight Great Champions. Breaking the bamboo pole was indeed a sign of incorrect force application.
However, Pei Xiangjun had no intention of scolding or correcting him.
The shock and astonishment in Pei Xiangjun's eyes were even greater than those of Luo Ning and Qiu Tianhe. She blurted out, "How could you…"
Halfway through her words, Pei Xiangjun remembered Yejing Hall's prediction and forced herself to hold back. She tried her best to maintain the demeanor of an expert and asked, "Did you master it in just one try? Or did Second Brother teach you this before?"
Yejing Hall took the bamboo pole from Pei Xiangjun's hand and continued to practice in the courtyard. "I have a solid foundation, so I do learn faster than the average person. But it's just that I'm quick to get started. I've been studying the saber techniques taught by my adoptive father until now, and I've only figured out two and a half moves. I still think I'm a bit slow-witted."
Pei Xiangjun blinked her almond-shaped eyes and didn't know how to comment. After all, she had seen many people with extremely high "talent," but this was the first time she had seen someone with talent reaching the heavens.
No wonder there was such a beautiful chivalrous woman who was willing to chase after him…
If it were me…
Bah…
As the female leader of the Honghua Building, Pei Xiangjun had developed strong self-control from constantly pretending to be calm. She managed to suppress the urge to gape in astonishment, but she also didn't know what to say.
Yejing Hall held the green bamboo pole. After practicing for a while, he noticed that Third Miss remained silent and didn't give any evaluation. He paused and asked in confusion, "Third Miss?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think?"
Afraid of losing the dignity of a teacher, Pei Xiangjun nodded unhurriedly. "Hmm… You have good talent. But currently, you can only perform the set routines, and you can't control the strength precisely. So it's still not ready for actual combat. Practice hard. When we go to Juyi Tower and Shuiyun Sword Pool next month, it might come in handy."
Although her words were calm, Pei Xiangjun was extremely excited in her heart. She even felt like picking up Yejing Hall and spinning around with him.
They were about to go to the Zhou family at Shuiyun Sword Pool. Her original intention was to lower her stance and have a negotiation. But with Yejing Hall's exaggerated talent, at that time, he could simply "make his debut." First, give the Zhou family a good slap in the face, and then let the martial artists present see what the true foundation of the Honghua Building was!
Not to mention the renowned martial arts seniors in Zezhou, even the "Goddess of the Toad Palace," whose husband was the number one of the Eight Great Champions, would surely be left stunned…
Naturally, Yejing Hall didn't know Pei Xiangjun's thoughts. Hearing the compliment, he smiled and asked, "How many moves are there in the Overlord Spear technique?"
"There are seven basic spear moves. When combined, they can create countless variations. How much power you can unleash depends on yourself."
"Is 'Yellow Dragon Lying on the Path' one of the seven moves?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing that there were only seven moves, Yejing Hall laughed and said, "I thought it was much more profound. Third Miss can just teach me all of them at once. Learning this spear technique shouldn't take a whole month. If Third Miss teaches me seriously, I think one hour would be more than enough."
?!
Pei Xiangjun blinked her almond-shaped eyes. She really wanted to scold him in the tone of a teacher, saying, "Don't get cocky. Don't aim too high." But she really couldn't find a reason to do so. She just admonished, "I can teach you. But you have to remember, 'It takes a month to learn the cudgel, a year to learn the saber, and a lifetime to learn the spear.' No matter how dull a person is, as long as the teacher seriously teaches the methods of channeling inner strength, they can learn the moves. But learning them is one thing, and being able to use them is another. Do you understand what I mean?"
Yejing Hall naturally understood. Actual combat wasn't like chopping at a wooden stake. The strength of a move depended on the timing of the strike, proficiency, body movement techniques, and strategy. Only when all these aspects were perfectly coordinated could one be considered proficient in a martial art.
"I understand. I will study and practice hard, striving to master it as soon as possible."
Pei Xiangjun really didn't expect Yejing Hall to have such exceptional talent. She was a bit confused and just about to take up a stance when she reminded him again, "By the way. The Pei family has taken root in the capital. If the court finds out our identity, we will definitely have to hand over the details of our family assets, be controlled by the court, and might even be heavily taxed like fat sheep. The Overlord Spear is too famous. Without hiding our identity, don't use this spear rashly to fight against the enemy unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Don't worry, Third Miss. I know what to do."
"Also, since you haven't officially acknowledged me as your master, according to the rules of the martial arts world, I have to keep the last two moves secret. I'll teach them to you when our relationship gets closer in the future. Don't take it the wrong way."
"Hehe, I understand."
…