Chapter 35: The Spirit Crane Body

“Uncle, aren’t I your only brother’s son?”

Hearing his nephew’s question, Xu the Instructor’s dark, weathered face flushed with shame, then he flew into a rage, pointing at the incense burner before him: “You wretched brat—you just met someone and immediately insisted on kneeling at the door to swear brotherhood? You’ve ruined the Xu family’s reputation!”

His nephew glanced at the incense altar behind him, voice laced with obvious confusion: “The Xu family’s… reputation?”

“You!”

“Come on, look who I am’s nephew—and who trained me…”

Zheng Fa stepped between the older Xu nephew—five years his senior—and the Instructor, pleading earnestly: “Talk to him, teach him properly—don’t lay a hand on him!”

Xu the Instructor looked at Zheng Fa, his embarrassment deepening; he lowered his raised hand awkwardly and muttered, “Sorry to embarrass you…”

Zheng Fa knew that if he didn’t offer some comfort now, Xu the Instructor would never want to see him again.

He met Xu the Instructor’s eyes and said: “I won’t even mention your teaching grace toward me—I’ve already heard from Young Master that you once wished to take me as your disciple. I’ve always cherished your kindness.”

Hearing this, Xu the Instructor quickly waved his hand, and his expression softened noticeably.

“You were raw jade—you didn’t need me…”

“Without your faith in me, I might never have even gotten the chance to stay by Young Master’s side as a servant—how could I be here today?”

Even though both Xu uncle and nephew knew Zheng Fa’s words were mostly meant to soothe, the sincerity in his tone eased the tension.

“This matter today,” Xu the Instructor sighed, voice heavy, “is because I lost my composure over the Spirit Crane Body.”

“The Spirit Crane Body?” Zheng Fa, realizing this whole incident stemmed from the martial manual before them, couldn’t help but glance curiously at the books.

“This is what Lady Zhao entrusted me to teach you—it’s one of Zhao Family’s most secret arts. Remember: if you learn it, you must never, under any circumstances, teach it to anyone without Lady Zhao’s permission!” As he spoke, Xu the Instructor’s previously gentle face hardened with solemnity.

Zheng Fa nodded, yet still felt puzzled: “Is the Spirit Crane Body really that important?”

“It absolutely is!” Xu the Instructor started to explain, then caught sight of his nephew eavesdropping nearby—he pointed to the door: “Get out!”

“Huh?”

“Out!”

Seeing Xu the Instructor’s dark face, the nephew reluctantly left, glancing back over his shoulder every few steps.

Xu the Instructor rose, shutting the door tightly.

Even his own little disciple, his own nephew—he guarded against him so fiercely.

Clearly, he treated anything related to the Spirit Crane Body with extreme caution.

“Do you remember why, when I taught you the Pine Crane Stance, I looked down on outside martial schools?”

“Because Zhao Family’s martial arts are inherited from Immortal Sects—like the Pine Crane Stance, which can extend one’s lifespan,” Zheng Fa recalled his earlier words.

“The lineage is real. The lifespan extension is real,” Xu the Instructor’s voice dropped lower still: “But the true reason is that only martial arts inherited from Immortal Sects—like ours—can lead to Dao through martial cultivation.”

“Dao through martial cultivation?” Zheng Fa’s gaze immediately fixed on the Spirit Crane Body.

“I don’t fully understand what ‘Dao through martial cultivation’ means, but the martial world has long whispered that those who achieve it may enter an Immortal Sect. More importantly, Zhao Family itself originated from an Immortal Sect—and we have this saying!” He turned to the Spirit Crane Body: “When Lady Zhao gave me this manual, she told me personally: this is the martial art that leads to Dao.”

“At the time, I thought—if I mastered this, maybe I could enter an Immortal Sect myself!”

Zheng Fa nodded, finally understanding the value of the Spirit Crane Body—and why Xu the Instructor was so cautious.

“But… you’ve trained it before, right? Then why are you still…”

Zheng Fa didn’t finish—he couldn’t very well say, “Why are you still scheming to butter me up?”

Xu the Instructor seemed to understand his meaning; his face flushed again, but after a moment, he let out a bitter laugh: “I thought I’d let go.”

“Hmm?” Zheng Fa sensed what he meant.

“Zheng Fa, how long do you think I’ve been with the Zhao family?”

“I don’t know.”

“Like you, I’m a household-born servant—raised in the Zhao household since childhood. I’ve been here fifty-five years. But I was luckier than you: from birth, I was favored, and at ten, I began martial training.”

Xu the Instructor looked like a middle-aged man—but he was over fifty, clearly having achieved great martial success.

A faint look of memory crossed his face as he continued: “I had decent talent. In ten years, I rose from guard to Instructor. By twenty, I was among the top martial masters in the realm—I thought the whole world was mine for the taking!”

Zheng Fa said nothing, waiting for the next part.

“Then Lady Zhao, seeing my potential, gifted me this Spirit Crane Body,” Xu the Instructor’s fingers gripped the edge of the desk so tightly his knuckles turned white: “Back then, I was arrogant—I heard this art could lead to Immortality, and I was ecstatic. I swore I’d master it, transcend mortality, and ascend to the heavens!”

His fingers slowly relaxed; a bitter smile curled his lips.

“What happened after that—you can guess. I never mastered it.”

Zheng Fa nodded, but Xu the Instructor’s next words still startled him.

“Do you know how long I wasted chasing the Spirit Crane Body?”

“Twenty years!”

Xu the Instructor’s voice brimmed with bitterness: “Twenty full years! I studied this manual every day—carried it with me at meals, in bed, like a madman—and gained nothing.”

Zheng Fa hadn’t expected the Spirit Crane Body to be so difficult—even in Xu the Instructor’s own words.

Now, Xu the Instructor looked nothing like the rough, boisterous man Zheng Fa had known; his face was etched with sorrow: “When I finally woke up, I realized time had stolen twenty years from me.”

“No wife, no children, nothing accomplished, my ambitions gone—I finally decided to let go of the Spirit Crane Body and returned it to Lady Zhao.”

Inside the room, neither spoke; only Xu the Instructor’s unspoken regret lingered in the air.

After a long silence, Xu the Instructor shook his head, a complex smile on his face: “I heard Lady Zhao planned to teach you the Spirit Crane Body. I thought—you have better talent than I did. Maybe you’ll succeed.”

Zheng Fa knew, by Xu the Instructor’s own account, he wasn’t necessarily more talented.

“So I acted selfishly—I wanted to build a good connection with you. If you ever mastered it, I could ask you for guidance, and still have a chance to learn the Spirit Crane Body. I said I’d let go—but I still clung to delusions.” He bowed slightly to Zheng Fa: “I never expected you to witness this humiliation.”

Zheng Fa didn’t think Xu the Instructor’s obsession excessive—who wouldn’t develop a mental demon after wasting half a lifetime on the Spirit Crane Body?

“Alright, take these books back. Lady Zhao entrusted me to teach you—but honestly, I can’t teach you anything. The little I’ve understood might lead you astray.”

Zheng Fa picked up the books and stood—when Xu the Instructor spoke again: “Zheng Fa, I have one more request…”

“Hmm?”

“The Spirit Crane Body is hard to master—I don’t know how many years it’ll take you. But if you ever succeed, even if I’m dead, come to my grave and tell me.” Xu the Instructor turned away, not looking at Zheng Fa, his voice heavy: “Let me know the Dao-through-martial-cultivation legend isn’t a lie—that my half-life… wasn’t a joke.”

“Forget it—if you don’t make progress in a few years, abandon it,” Zheng Fa nodded, turning to leave—when he heard Xu the Instructor’s low voice behind him:

“Don’t follow my path.”