Chapter 16: Ape Arms, Wasp Waist, Mantis Legs

Hu Qi finished examining his bones and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Since I learned bone-reading, this is the first time I've seen such a standard wasp waist, ape arms, and mantis legs; how old are you, Liang Shidi Liang?"

"Almost sixteen, fifteen going on sixteen."

"Then you still have considerable growth left; in the future, you'll be at least six feet tall."

One foot in Great Shun was roughly just over thirty centimeters, so at least six feet meant over 1.8 meters.

Hearing this, Liang Qu breathed a sigh of relief; his previous body had been malnourished and wasn't very tall currently, and he had been worried about not growing taller.

Li Li Libo, listening nearby, had a twisted expression: "Damn it, I've ground my teeth to dust; hell, you're both handsome and blessed with great bones—how do all the good things fall to you? If you don't treat me to a meal today, I'm not done with you!"

Liang Qu casually replied, "Next time, for sure."

Hu Qi continued, "You are also suited to primarily cultivate the Ape Fist, and furthermore, you are well-suited for archery; Liang Shidi Liang, you can learn it when you have the chance in the future."

At these words, both men were stunned.

"Wait a moment, Cao Shixiong Hu, why is my above-average suitability for Ape Fist, and his excellent bones also point to Ape Fist?"

Hu Qi explained, "There are many types of excellent bones; it's not only the wasp waist, ape arms, and mantis legs. This type of bone structure is simply the most suitable for Ape Fist: storing power like drawing a bow, releasing power like loosing an arrow, with force that is rapid, profound, and fierce; of course, the Tiger Form is also good, but the Crane Form is somewhat lacking."

"Liang Shidi Li, although you are lacking in other areas, your arm span is long; you have no advantage in the momentum of the Tiger Form or the lightness of the Crane Form, so you are also suited for Ape Fist."

Liang Qu suddenly understood; he was suited for Ape Fist because he had talent, while Li Li Libo was suited for Ape Fist because he was even less suited for the other two styles.

Come to think of it, could his suitability for Ape Fist also be related to the Water Monkey Ze Spirit?

After fusing with the Water Monkey Ze Spirit, Liang Qu could feel changes in his body; perhaps that was what had altered his bone structure.

Li Li Libo felt somewhat disheartened; learning martial arts was not quite as he had imagined.

Seeing this, Hu Qi comforted him: "Liang Shidi Li, do not be disheartened; having inferior bones does not signify anything. It does not limit our future; there is no rule that those with poor bones definitely break through realms slower than those with good bones. Liang Shidi Liang, do not be arrogant or complacent just because your bones are good; that likewise does not determine our future."

"Thank you for your admonition, Cao Shixiong Hu."

Hu Qi nodded and took two books from his robe: "These are Master Yang's Three Fist Methods; you can all learn Ape, Tiger, and Crane, but it is best to focus as I suggested."

"Can you read? It doesn't matter if you cannot; there are illustrations in them. Just practice in order, and I will be here to correct you."

So considerate; Liang Qu flipped through the booklet, feeling that everyone in the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall was talented, their words were pleasant, and he loved this place immensely.

The booklet had six sections: the refinement methods and combat methods for Ape, Tiger, and Crane respectively; Liang Qu focused mainly on the refinement methods to first build his foundation.

The refinement methods relied primarily on stance work; each of the three fist styles had thirty-two stance forms, some of which were identical, some similar, and some quite different.

Being able to learn three fist styles for seven taels of silver was quite worth it.

Liang Qu knew well that listening to advice ensured one ate their fill; focusing mainly on Ape Fist, he began practicing according to the stance methods written above.

He spread his feet apart, hollowed his chest, raised his back, sank his shoulders, dropped his elbows, filled his lower abdomen, relaxed his waist, tucked his hips, loosened his groin, and controlled his breathing.

"Your feet are wrong; the centers of your soles must be hollow; you are too stiff."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Liang Shidi Li, do not tense up; relax; your movements are too stiff."

"Upper body empty, lower body solid; body empty, stance solid; emptiness and solidity generate each other... hold it, don't move; try to let your body remember this posture as much as possible."

Hu Qi guided them from the side; once he confirmed a movement was qualified, he moved on to the next.

In one morning, Liang Qu learned three stance forms, while Li Li Libo only learned two.

By noon, since the seven taels of tuition did not include meals, the two had to go out to find food, settling for a small inn; upon returning, they found someone carrying a large wooden tub out from the backyard, filled with scalding medicinal liquid.

Some of the students approached the tub, took a bowl, and drank it down in one gulp.

Li Li Libo craned his neck: "Is that the medicine? By the way, didn't they say our fist styles also have corresponding medicinal formulas? Why haven't we seen them?"

"Perhaps the value of the formulas is higher? Maybe the martial arts hall makes its money from the formulas?" Liang Qu guessed.

"Sigh, one only regrets having too little money when one needs to spend it."

"There's no help for it; we were born at the bottom; if we want to change our fate, we must rely on ourselves; we can only focus on learning more movements diligently this afternoon."

In the afternoon, Liang Qu learned five more stance forms and could perform them smoothly without guidance, while Li Li Libo only learned three.

By six o'clock, when they left the martial arts hall, the sky was already dark; the two no longer took a carriage, choosing instead to walk back to Yixing Market.

The journey of over ten li took nearly half an incense stick's worth of time; upon reaching the street, the two parted ways.

Liang Qu still found a small inn to settle his dinner; it was no longer the usual three items, but two meat dishes, one vegetable, and rice; having practiced martial arts, one must consume more nourishment.

Days passed one by one.

With a foundation established, Liang Qu learned faster and faster; wholly devoted and without any socializing, he still only knew Hu Qi and Xiang Xiang Zhangsong within the martial arts hall.

With such effort, in less than four days, he had learned all the stance forms of Ape Fist, while Li Li Libo, in the same period, had only reached the twentieth, falling far behind, truly confirming what Hu Qi had said.

Seeing Liang Qu complete the final movement, Hu Qi nodded: "Learning all the stance forms in less than four days can be said to be the fastest I have ever seen; try performing them smoothly from start to finish."

"Yes."

Liang Qu responded and began from the first stance form, practicing through to the last; it took a small half-hour, smooth and effortless.

Furthermore, halfway through the routine, a faint thread of qi slowly gathered within Liang Qu's body; accompanying his movements, it flowed throughout his entire being, feeling like soaking in a hot bath; while drenched in sweat, he was also utterly exhausted.

This was an experience he had never had before; previously, after finishing, he only felt fatigue and whole-body heat.

"How was it? Did you feel a trace of qi?"

"Mm."

"Feeling qi in just one round indicates that your qi and blood are abundant and your talent is good; the appearance of qi signifies that your qi and blood are growing. When the qi becomes as thick as a finger and your qi and blood surge like a tide, it will mean you can refine your skin. Once you break through the skin barrier, that will be a true rebirth!"

Liang Qu immediately asked, "Breaking through the barrier; exactly how does one break through?"

"That involves medicine again; when the time truly comes to break through, I will explain it to you in detail; Liang Shidi Liang, you need only practice diligently."

Hu Qi smiled but did not elaborate.

In truth, he simply did not believe the two junior brothers had any hope of breaking through.

It wasn't that he looked down on them; rather, it was the reality, based on experience.

He himself was a butcher in Pingyang Town; it took generations of his family slaughtering countless pigs to achieve his current accomplishment.

Two fishermen with no background, whose income was even less than that of ordinary farmers; telling them would only add to their troubles, so it was better not to say.

Liang Qu was not the type to dig until he hit bedrock; he merely requested to learn the Tiger Fist stance forms; having a focus was one thing, but it did not prevent him from learning more styles to broaden his horizons, and since the other two stance forms shared commonalities, learning them would be faster.

As long as he learned all the stance forms, he could practice on his own before refining his skin, without wasting time every day traveling over ten li back and forth; a round trip took at least over an incense stick's worth of time, which could otherwise be used for three more rounds of stance practice.

Hu Qi was not surprised: "Very well; I will now teach you the twenty-four distinct stance forms of the Tiger Fist."

At three in the afternoon, after learning one Tiger Fist stance form, Liang Qu immediately asked Hu Qi for leave, then, under Li Li Libo's puzzled gaze, hurriedly left the martial arts hall.

The fat catfish in the mental link told Liang Qu that it had discovered another treasure fish!