Chapter 54: The Fist Is Power

"Great Lady, it is a finger technique," Zhao Ti said. There was no need to hide it now; it was enough not to mention the origin or name of the One Yang Finger.

This grandmother treated him extremely well. Although he had his own strategy for dealing with Zhao Xu, he did not want her to pass away due to internal or external injuries.

Gao Taotao looked at him for a long moment. "Where did you get it?"

Zhao Ti said, "It was passed down by an unparalleled expert who happened to pass through the capital."

Hearing this, Gao Taotao showed no expression. She slowly opened the fruit box on the desk, looked at the small moon cakes inside which were exquisite in shape and color and overflowing with fragrance, and said, "Which expert was so kind as to teach you a finger technique of yang energy? Was it a monk? Or did you sneak away to the Shaolin Temple yourself?"

Zhao Ti shook his head and smiled. "Why would I, your grandson, run to the Shaolin Temple for no reason? I have never left the capital region."

Gao Taotao said, "Not the Shaolin Temple? The world has no other place with more yang palm and finger techniques. Then..."

She looked up at Zhao Ti, her expression surprised. "Did you perhaps run to Dali? Did you take the One Yang Finger of the Duan family of Dali?"

Zhao Ti shook his head like a rattle drum. "Your grandson has never been there. The mountains are high and the roads treacherous; how could I run to that land of mountains and waters?"

Gao Taotao pondered. "Eighth Brother, you have a kind heart, but my injury cannot be cured by yang cultivation techniques."

Zhao Ti thought and said, "I see Great Lady's face is green and pale, and it feels cold to the touch. Is this not the symptom of meridians being soaked by yin cold? It is just right to use yang methods to dispel it."

Gao Taotao laughed. "If you were to treat people, it would likely be ten treatments and ten deaths. How do you know yin cold has invaded my body? If you think that the yang internal energy of the Shaolin monks, or the One Yang Finger power of Dali, could dredge and nourish my meridians, I fear I would die instantly."

"This..." Zhao Ti was stunned, for it was quite different from what he had thought. He said, "Then what is Great Lady's injury?"

Gao Taotao said, "I do not have the kind of injury you think. You see my face is green and my body cold, but in reality, I am using yin cold power to suppress that injury. That injury is not much of a thing; it has been suppressed for many years. You need not worry about it, and even if you wanted to, you could not manage it."

Zhao Ti felt puzzled, but seeing that Gao Taotao did not wish to speak, he could only say, "Your grandson understands. Great Lady, please take care of your health."

Gao Taotao picked up a small moon cake and began to eat. "The cook in your manor is excellent; the pastries are baked crisp, sweet, and fine."

Zhao Ti smiled. "If Great Lady likes them, I will simply send over various other types in the future."

Gao Taotao nodded, and suddenly a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "You are indeed able to keep your composure; from the moment you entered until now, you have not asked about the Taizu Long Fist?"

Zhao Ti said, "Since Great Lady promised to tell your grandson, why should your grandson be in a hurry? How could Great Lady go back on her word?"

Gao Taotao slowly rose from her chair. "Since I said three days ago that I would answer your questions, naturally I will not go back on my word. But let me ask you first: how is your progress with the cultivation technique appended in the Tiangong Treasure?"

Zhao Ti said, "I have gained a little understanding."

Gao Taotao said, "The martial arts of the Nantang Shanhai Guan are profound and extensive, encompassing everything. In the past, Taizong attacked them and expended great effort, yet did not completely annihilate them; some escaped like fish slipping through a net."

Zhao Ti blinked, thinking that this grandmother had not been so detailed before.

"Fish slipping through a net?"

Gao Taotao said, "At that time, the Crown Prince of Southern Tang, Li Zhongyu, had a young son who was inside the observatory. When the observatory was broken and chaos ensued, he was rescued by an unparalleled expert."

"Is there such a thing?" Zhao Ti frowned slightly.

"After the world was pacified, Taizong sent people to search the entire country. For twenty years there was no result; I suppose they either went overseas or ran to another country."

Zhao Ti pondered. "Now more than a hundred years have passed since then. The seas have become mulberry fields and times have changed. I fear they are already a handful of yellow earth. Even if descendants still exist, the Great Song has been established for a century; I fear they would no longer think of restoring their kingdom."

Gao Taotao said, "If you did not practice martial arts and did not know of the Shanhai Guan, it would be useless for me to tell you these things. But since you have learned the Phantom Yi Yin Zhi, I must remind you of two points. If you ever meet someone who knows the martial arts of the Shanhai Guan in the future, be extremely cautious and do not be careless. Because in the current world, those who still know these martial arts, besides us of the Zhao clan, are only the descendants of the Li family of Southern Tang who escaped."

Zhao Ti shook his head. "Great Lady, I only know one technique, the Phantom Yi Yin Zhi. Let alone the other martial arts classics as vast as the sea, I have never even seen the other two powerful techniques, the Mountain Character Scripture and the Boundless Sea Treasure Talisman."

Gao Taotao said, "Although we do not know the characteristics of those two, they all originate from the Shanhai Guan. Perhaps there are traces to follow. Just keep an eye out yourself."

Zhao Ti nodded. "Great Lady, what else should I pay attention to?"

Gao Taotao thought. "The Phantom Yi Yin Zhi is also called the Phantom Yin Sutra. When practiced to a high depth, it will not only transform the meridians within the body, but also... cause the practitioner to experience hallucinations. You must pay attention. When you reach the extreme, do not indulge in wild thoughts. Do not think of fantastical things. Just hold the primal essence and guard the heart; naturally, the illusions will vanish."

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes. "How does Great Lady know this?"

Gao Taotao's face darkened slightly. "Naturally, I heard it from Emperor Yingzong!"

Zhao Ti thought to himself: Before, did you not say that Emperor Yingzong flipped through the Tiangong Treasure for years and months, diligently annotating it, yet never saw the last few pages?

"Your grandson understands."

At this time, the sky gradually grew dark, and the hall became somewhat dim. Gao Taotao called for a female official, lit a six-tiered silver-gilt candelabra, and then began to arrange the food table and wine dishes.

On the table, of course, there were small moon cakes, followed by various drinks. These were made by boiling seasonal fruits with rock sugar and straining them cold. Such drinks were popular in this dynasty, and tea shops outside also sold them.

There were only four simple dishes: fish, goose, mutton, and one vegetable dish. There were three types of wine: Puzhong Wine, Rose Dew Wine, and Flowing Fragrance Wine.

At this moment, the hall windows were open. One saw a bright moon flying high in the sky. On the moon, there seemed to be mountains and palaces, and a divine tree stood against the sky, making one feel boundless longing.

Gao Taotao gazed at the bright moon outside the window and said, "The Taizu Long Fist indeed has thirty-three postures!"

Zhao Ti took a breath. "Great Lady, what do you mean?"

Gao Taotao put down her cup, paused slightly, and spoke again only after more than ten breaths. "At the end of the Five Dynasties and the Spring and Autumn period, heroes emerged in great numbers. It was a time when wind and clouds gathered and powerful men competed for the throne."

Zhao Ti nodded. There were indeed too many heroes in the Five Dynasties and Spring and Autumn period. In seventy-odd years, they changed like a revolving lantern, each displaying extraordinary brilliance.

"Emperor Taizu possessed Martial Skills. At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, he traveled the Jianghu. The thirty-three postures of the Long Fist were nearly invincible."

"Great Lady, if the Taizu Long Fist is truly so powerful, even missing one posture, it would still have immense power. But your grandson has practiced it since childhood and truly has not felt anything particularly extraordinary about it."

Gao Taotao's eyes were somewhat vacant. "You speak correctly. Even missing one posture, it is a divine art and supreme learning of the world. How could it be compared to many miscellaneous fists and minor schools?"

"Then why is it so ordinary today, and how was that one posture lost..." Zhao Ti frowned.

Gao Taotao's eyes seemed to be drawn by the moonlight in the sky. She looked out the window and said slowly, "Do you know what a fist is?"

Zhao Ti pondered. "Great Lady, what is a fist?"

Gao Taotao's voice was empty. "A fist. A fist is power."

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