Chapter 304: Mountain God Sacrifice

The morning light was silent, the birds chirping melodiously.

Wang Yang finished the last move, slowly withdrew his stance, the surging in his chest gradually calmed down, feeling his breath long and his whole body comfortable.

Chen Qingshan handed over a slightly cool towel. Wang Yang took it and asked happily:

"Xiao Shan, how did I do today?"

Chen Qingshan put down the water bucket and commented seriously:

"The stance is steadier than before, and the breath didn't drift during the final withdrawal. Not bad. But your 'stepping' rear hip still hasn't opened up. If it doesn't open, the follow-through force can't connect, and if it can't connect, the force breaks. This move requires the rear leg to take the weight; relying only on the front leg, you can't stand steady, and you can't hit through."

As she spoke, she stepped forward, set up a fist stance, her posture agile, long legs tensed, waist like flowing water. In one turn, the leg urged the hip, the hip urged the waist, the waist urged the shoulder, and the shoulder urged the arm. Her tough and resilient figure was like fine waves rippling under the moon, the force seemingly like invisible ripples, spreading layer by layer from bottom to top. A punch burst out—

Like green bamboo shaking off a thousand piles of snow.

Wang Yang couldn't help but clap his hands and cheer.

Chen Qingshan withdrew her stance and said:

"The hip is like a wheel axle, the legs and feet like a whip tip. The force must start from the ground, connected joint by joint, and sent to the hand. This is called 'harmony'—the harmony of convergence. If the hip doesn't open, the force won't flow smoothly; this is failing to achieve 'harmony.' Without 'harmony,' the force released is isolated, not the integrated force of the whole body."

Wang Yang handed the towel to Chen Qingshan, followed Chen Qingshan's previous movements, gathered his breath and focused his mind, twisted his waist and sent his shoulder, and threw a bursting punch, like a strong bow and a full moon, a heavy hammer off the string!!

Uh... actually, the reality was that the metaphor in the last sentence only existed in Wang Yang's mind. In Chen Qingshan's eyes, Wang Yang just threw a crooked punch at the air, though it already had some semblance of form. But if she threw a punch like that, she would definitely be scolded to death by her father...

Chen Qingshan nodded and said: "Much better."

Wang Yang felt a bit good about the punch he just threw and said happily:

"Does this punch of mine have five parts of your punch just now?"

Chen Qingshan was startled, her expression hesitant.

On one hand, she didn't want to dampen Wang Yang's confidence; on the other hand, she couldn't tell a lie. Her father had said that martial arts practice is the one thing you absolutely cannot flatter.

Wang Yang asked curiously: "Five? I can do a plank for so long now—"

"It hasn't been that long..." Chen Qingshan whispered.

Wang Yang was stunned: "This isn't long! Didn't you see I broke the record last time?"

Chen Qingshan didn't know how to explain it, still whispering:

"This is different from throwing a punch."

"Even if it's different, force and body control can still explain some things... Then... five?"

Chen Qingshan's expression became even more difficult, avoiding Wang Yang's gaze.

Wang Yang was dumbfounded:

"Not even three or four parts??? That can't be??? If you say not even five parts, that's acceptable, but not even three parts is a bit exaggerated. My rear foot just now ground the ground like an old pine tree with coiled roots! The front leg stepped out like a quiet boat breaking through water—"

Chen Qingshan couldn't help but laugh:

"If comparing martial arts skills requires using words to count, then no one can beat you..."

She only laughed for a moment before immediately stopping, her voice soft:

"Actually, you had no foundation before. Being able to practice to this level in such a short time is already very rare. And you can persist and are willing to ponder, which already beats many people..."

"Then it shouldn't be less than three parts..."

"How about this, you punch me."

"This... isn't good, right?"

"It's fine, you throw the punch, I'll catch it with my palm."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"I have twenty years of effort in this punch, can you catch it?"

"..."

Actually, Wang Yang still had self-awareness. Chen Qingshan's punch just now was perfect. He followed the cat to draw a tiger, learned it once, and had improved compared to before, but compared to her, it was far behind. The essence of fist technique is not about how much strength you have, but how much of your strength can be used in the punch.

Therefore, Wang Yang learned martial arts from Chen Qingshan during this period, learning moves was secondary; the main thing was learning the method of using force. Wang Yang understood this principle. Just now, struggling with the question of how many parts of fist force he had compared to Chen Qingshan was, on one hand, genuine curiosity, and on the other hand, deliberately teasing Chen Qingshan.

As for why he teased her? Firstly, it was Wang Yang's personality; he was naturally fond of teasing.

Secondly, Xiao Shan was naive and cute, really easy to tease.

Thirdly, Wang Yang was in a very good mood.

Yes, today was his last day in the barbarian tribe. After attending that so-called Mountain God Sacrifice today, he would leave the barbarians early tomorrow morning!

Actually, he had wanted to leave a long time ago. As soon as the matter of submission was finalized, he wanted to set off. The reason he kept dragging it out was for four reasons.

First, he had to wait for news from Director Liu Tan Tan. He and Director Liu Tan Tan had agreed that after he entered the barbarian territory, Director Liu Tan Tan would immediately send someone to Jingzhou to inquire about the news and then send it directly to Wenyang Gorge. Wang Yang wanted to see what the reaction in Jingzhou was after the diplomatic mission was attacked, and what the reaction of the Prince of Badong was. If the news from Jingzhou didn't arrive, he wouldn't set off.

Second, he didn't want to give the Wenyang tribe the feeling that his trip was very rushed. He wanted to be leisurely and steady as Mount Tai, making the Wenyang tribe anxious, testing and asking when he would return, and eager to implement the matter of submission, rather than him being in a hurry, rushing back as soon as things were done.

Third, he had to bury two back-up plans to deal with the two hidden dangers that had already shown signs. If buried well, they could save him twice later.

Fourth, and incidentally, it was to use this time to discuss the details of the cooperation more thoroughly, so as to avoid disputes and dragging down the progress of the business in the future, and to make the matter of subduing the barbarian tribe more beautiful. This credit might be of great use.

Now these four points had all been completed, especially the most important first point, which was completed yesterday. Yesterday, Director Liu Tan Tan's people arrived at Wenyang Gorge. Although they were still not allowed to enter the barbarian village, Wang Yang let Chen Qingshan go out of the village to meet that person. The report said that everything in Jingzhou City was normal, and the Prince of Badong had no movements, which made Wang Yang feel relieved.

However, Wang Yang still didn't plan to return to Jiangling. First of all, it was a fact that the Prince of Badong wanted his life. Returning to Jingzhou City was no different from entering the palm of the Prince of Badong again. Although he dodged it this time, what about next time? And the time after that?

Secondly, although Director Liu Tan Tan's people reported that Jingzhou was fine, this news had a delay. It took a few days for that person to send the letter into the barbarian territory, and it took a few days for his own return trip. Who could say what changes would happen in Jingzhou during this back-and-forth?

So before entering the barbarian territory, Wang Yang had already decided to go to Wenyang Commandery after leaving. That was Director Liu Tan Tan's territory, and there was absolutely no problem with safety. He prepared to stay at Director Liu Tan Tan's house first, and after the wind passed, he would move all his belongings to Wenyang. If he weren't worried about eyes watching his home's movements, he would have let the Black Man go to Wenyang to scout ahead long ago. Housing prices in Wenyang should be cheaper than in Jiangling. This time, he would buy a slightly newer house, with a larger study, and if it could have a garden, that would be even better!

Forget it, a garden must be expensive, and he would have to hire someone to look after it. The maintenance cost was too high. If he really wanted to enjoy flowers, he could go out of the city to embrace nature, as exercise, hmm...

"Are we leaving?"

Chen Qingshan woke Wang Yang from his reverie. It turned out that someone from the barbarian tribe had come to invite Wang Yang to set off to attend the Mountain God Sacrifice. Hearing from Le Luo Luo, the Mountain God Sacrifice had to go to a specific place, which was a distance from the barbarian village. Wang Yang thought for a moment, let the person wait outside the tent, and said he would go after changing his clothes.

"Which one to wear?" Chen Qingshan asked.

"That one."

"That one?"

"Yes, that one."

Chen Qingshan's phoenix eyes widened slightly.

The team participating in the Mountain God Sacrifice this time was very grand. As far as the eye could see, it was all strong barbarian soldiers. Bows, spears, swords, and shields were all prepared, and horns, drums, and flags were all sufficient. At a glance, it was quite imposing. I don't know if the Mountain God Sacrifice was always like this, or if it was deliberately displayed for Wang Yang to see. Anyway, Chen Qingshan was secretly amazed and whispered to Wang Yang: "I didn't expect the barbarian army to have such military appearance."

Wang Yang said: "A barbarian tribe that has become a climate has never been weak in combat power. When the Wuling barbarians rebelled, Liu Shang, a hero of a hundred battles, led troops to attack but was completely annihilated. Ma Fubo, a famous general in the world, led a large army to attack but could not win either. However, the ones coming out of the Wenyang tribe this time should be the elite soldiers they deliberately selected, otherwise they wouldn't be so neat."

Le Luo Luo rode over: "The mountain road is bumpy, I have prepared a bamboo litter, does Brother Wang want to get on the litter?"

Wang Yang smiled: "No need, I just feel stuffy, it's good to be bumpy."

Le Luo Luo asked Chen Qingshan again: "Miss Chen? Are you getting on the litter?"

Chen Qingshan shook her head.

Le Luo Luo didn't force her, but turned to inspect the team.

The mountain road was rugged. After riding for a while, the horse couldn't bear it, so Wang Yang had to dismount and change to a litter. Chen Qingshan was worried that if something happened after sitting on the litter, she wouldn't have time to protect Wang Yang, so she insisted on not getting on the litter, but followed Wang Yang's bamboo litter with a spear. Finally, she was persuaded by Wang Yang's "flowery words" and reluctantly agreed to put the spear on the litter frame, which was also a position she could reach with her hand.

Le Luo Luo and the other twenty or so riders led their horses and walked. This journey lasted until noon.

Wang Yang had originally calculated the direction, but after turning around and going up and down, he didn't know how many mountain peaks he had passed. He had sat on the litter until he felt motion sick, making him dizzy and unable to distinguish the direction. He called Le Luo Luo and asked: "How much longer until we arrive?"

Le Luo Luo said: "Soon, we'll be there after going down this hillside."

Wang Yang asked again: "Then how much longer until you tell me the truth?"

Le Luo Luo was stunned: "What does Brother Wang mean by this?"

Wang Yang leaned on the litter, his eyes half-closed:

"We are not going to the Mountain God Sacrifice, right?"

Chen Qingshan looked at Le Luo Luo vigilantly. Le Luo Luo smiled awkwardly:

"Why does Brother Wang say that?"

Wang Yang didn't look at Le Luo Luo either, leaning on his head, swaying slightly with the bumps, his voice lazy:

"The headman is not seen, but the general is seen; the elders are not seen, but the youth are seen. It's all mountain roads, and you have to bring so many horses. It's almost like all the horses in the barbarian village have been gathered, right? Tell me, what are you preparing to do? Don't tell me you're taking me to fight..."

Le Luo Luo smiled stiffly: "How is that possible? Brother Wang is joking."

Wang Yang opened his eyes and swept toward Le Luo Luo: "So, what are we actually going to do?" ===== CHAPTER 305 =====