Chapter 23: Inner Courtyard Privileges

"The external three unions are complete, but the internal three unions remain elusive; perhaps, this Wu Gong will only reach its peak when the Liu Hu Xi Fa no longer requires conscious maintenance?"

In the small room vacated by Sun Fatty, Li Yuan still stood in the Zhan Zhuang stance; his Liu Hu Xi Fa had grown increasingly proficient, to the point where he could now divert a fraction of his attention while standing.

Li Yuan was calculating in his mind.

His current Wu Gong consisted of three parts: the Bai Yuan Pi Feng Chui lacked combat techniques, the Bing Dao Dou Sha Chui had only combat moves and strikes, and the Dao He Lian Shu was missing the breathing method.

Altogether, the most complete and familiar remained only the Bai Yuan Pi Feng Chui.

"Learning Wu Gong is not easy!"

Li Yuan slowly ended his stance.

In this age, a single skill is the foundation of one's survival; every trade and profession tends to conceal its secrets, and Wu Gong is no exception.

A single Wu Gong is often divided into multiple parts; outsiders may easily obtain fragments, but acquiring the whole is extremely difficult.

"Li Yuan, come eat! Today's your first time entering the inner courtyard—don't be late!"

From the outer room came Sun Fatty's voice.

Li Yuan pushed open the door; on the small table were steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and three salted duck eggs:

"Thank you, Shopkeeper!"

"It's just the start of the year, not much to offer—make do for now; once the market opens, I'll definitely show you my best!"

Sun Fatty smiled and greeted him.

Today, Sun Fatty was far more courteous than in recent days—not only did he actively invite him to eat, but he even asked if Li Yuan needed silver.

Li Yuan, of course, accepted without refusal, letting his debt pile up to twenty taels.

"The inner courtyard..."

Sun Fatty peeled an egg and ate it, also feeling a touch of envy:

"Actually, your root quality is quite good; among a hundred people, only a few surpass you—at least mine isn't as good as yours."

"Shopkeeper, no need to comfort me."

Li Yuan ate quickly; he was somewhat impressed by how swiftly Sun Fatty's attitude had changed.

In his past life, had he been this astute, he wouldn't have ended up running a small convenience store back home.

'A lesson to remember.'

Li Yuan pondered this, wiped his mouth, took another steamed bun, and stepped out of the courtyard.

The sky was still barely light; apprentices in the middle courtyard were already chopping wood and carrying water.

Seeing Li Yuan, several apprentices wore complex expressions—envy, awe...

The inner and outer courtyards were separated by only a wall and a gate, yet the attitudes of the apprentices Li Yuan had passed on his way made him feel as if he had ascended to heaven.

"What a stark and powerful contrast..."

Li Yuan chewed his bun, sighing inwardly.

Unlike his past life, in this world—at least in Gao Liu County—the hierarchy was sharply defined, for this was a place where the inner and outer cities were truly divided, separating prosperity from poverty.

Behind the forge, separated by only one door, lay the inner courtyard; his first impression was its size.

If the middle courtyard was a single-compound courtyard, this inner courtyard was a four-compound courtyard, vastly larger; upon entering, the first thing one saw was a training ground.

Made of packed yellow earth, thirty to forty meters square, it held stone weights and wooden posts.

Though dawn had not yet fully broken, some were already training their strength—standing in Zhan Zhuang, swinging hammers, even sparring with each other, their shouts echoing.

These people were men and women, aged from seventeen or eighteen to early twenties, each with strong physiques, full of vigor and spirit, appearing sharp and capable.

"Kind of like a gym from my past life..."

Li Yuan muttered to himself, sensing a different atmosphere.

In the outer courtyard—even the front courtyard—daily labor was required, let alone the middle courtyard; the inner courtyard required none.

If compared, it was the difference between amateur and professional martial artists.

"Li Yuan?"

From within the courtyard, a tall young man stepped forward.

At the sound of his voice, the twenty-odd men and women on the field turned their gazes toward him at once, an oppressive weight; Li Yuan was fine—he'd performed funeral rites in the countryside, where crowds always stared—but

behind him, Niu Gui couldn't handle it—he shuddered and nearly collapsed to the ground.

"He—he's Li Yuan!"

Niu Gui pointed ahead.

Li Yuan nodded:

"Brother, are you looking for me?"

The young man was tall and slender, with a stern face; as soon as he appeared, the field erupted in chorus: "Senior Brother Yue!"

"I'm Yue Yue Yunjin, your senior brother. My master instructed me to lead you to him once you arrived."

The young man looked at Li Yuan:

"Follow me."

Another one over 1.9 meters tall? Does practicing Bai Yuan Pi Feng Chui make you grow taller?

Li Yuan grumbled inwardly, but now remembered who this was.

Apprentices in the front courtyard were very curious about inner courtyard news; over the past few months, the name he'd heard most was this senior brother, Yue Yue Yunjin.

Rumored to be of the highest root quality, now seeing him in person, he truly had the arms of a white ape and the waist of a wasp—tall, heroic, standing out like a crane among chickens among the inner courtyard apprentices.

"Senior Brother Yue, greetings."

Li Yuan bowed, then hurried to follow Yue Yue Yunjin.

"Second Shopkeeper..."

Niu Gui stared with envy, but could only watch helplessly; after a while, someone on the field waved to him:

"Boy, come, let your senior brothers see your Wu Gong progress..."

"The inner courtyard has four sections; the first two are the apprentices' dwellings, the rear ones house the kitchen and the medicine room, and behind that lies the residence of the Master himself.

These two sections of the courtyard must absolutely not be entered without permission!"

Yue Yue Yunjin led the way, not looking back, warning him of the precautions.

Li Yuan listened carefully, noting each point one by one.

"Inner courtyard disciples receive one tael of silver monthly, and a bowl of 'Body-Nourishing Soup' daily, distributed after the noon meal; remember to come collect it. If it is not enough, it costs thirty cash per bowl,

other medicinal soups are also available; if you have enough silver, take as much as you want..."

Is this the treatment for inner courtyard apprentices?

"Is this Body-Nourishing Soup the medicinal supplement soup for inner courtyard apprentices?"

Li Yuan did not miss the chance to ask; information in the middle courtyard was too isolated, and there were many things he wanted to know but had nowhere to inquire.

"Medicine and martial arts are not separate; medicinal meals, medicinal supplements, and medicinal baths are all extremely important aids during martial arts practice..."

Yue Yue Yunjin stopped abruptly at the doorway, bent deeply, and said:

"Master, Li Yuan has been brought."

"Hmm!"

A voice came from inside the room; Li Yuan responded and entered. In the bright, spacious room, Tang Tong sat upright, holding a teacup, his face pale and beardless, with hair half black.

"This disciple takes his leave."

Outside the room, Yue Yue Yunjin bowed deeply and withdrew.

"Go."

Tang Tong raised a hand and placed it on Li Yuan's shoulder; the latter felt a flash before his eyes, then Yu Yu Xuanji his shoulder and arm grew sore, feeling as if every bone in his body was trembling as though struck by electricity.

Internal strength?!

As this term crossed Li Yuan's mind, Tang Tong also released his hand, a smile on his face:

"Your bone structure is somewhat lacking... but this only proves your talent is high enough!"

"Ah? Isn't bone structure the same as talent?"

Li Yuan rubbed his shoulder, surprised in his heart.

In that instant, he had not reacted at all, and moreover, with a hand placed on his shoulder, every bone in his body trembled; this move truly shocked him.

"Bone structure is bone structure, talent is talent; of course, they are not the same thing."

Eyeing Li Yuan, Tang Tong took a booklet from his robe:

"This is the technique of the Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer; ponder it yourself. In seven days, I will personally examine you."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper!"

Li Yuan accepted it with both hands.

"If there is anything you do not understand, or any needs you have, you may go to your senior brother Yue. Also, once you enter the inner courtyard, you are my disciple; from now on, call me Master."

"Yes, Master."

Seeing Tang Tong lift his teacup, Li Yuan hurriedly bowed and stepped back; only as he reached the doorway did he look up and say:

"Master, yesterday Elder Zhang invited this disciple to the forging room; I wonder..."

"A Wu Zhiren must have propriety in his heart; is this small matter worth asking others about?"

Tang Tong looked deeply at Li Yuan, then waved his hand:

"Go."

"Thank you, Master!"

Li Yuan clasped his fist and left.

The inner courtyard had no strict controls, nor anyone to urge them on; it was freer than imagined.

Li Yuan exited the inner courtyard, glanced at the new apprentices like Niu Gui standing in stance with grim faces on the martial arts field, and quickly walked toward the forging room.

Compared to the technique of the Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer, what he felt more urgently in his heart now was the promotion of the Zhangbing Lu, and the hammer Old Zhang had promised him.

On the second day of the new year, no one worked in the forging room; of the thirty-plus furnaces, only two were lit.

When Li Yuan arrived, he saw only a few apprentices vigorously pulling bellows, attending to two burly men who were shirtless and forging iron.

Sparks flew in all directions, the sound of hammers unceasing.

"Are they smelting iron?"

Li Yuan watched from afar.

In the fire fanned by the bellows lay a block of iron heated to a glowing red; the two burly men each swung their hammers, taking turns to hammer it.

Their movements were highly refined; with each hammer strike, they would exert force and rotate their feet, driving the large hammer down heavily with their bodies, exactly the Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer.

However, they did not stack every strike; instead, after every eleven strikes, they would dissipate the force, then restart with the first strike.

Clearly, they were still some distance from achieving minor mastery.

"Guo Pu and Pan Bo entered the forging room in the sixth year of Yongping; it has been twelve or thirteen years now, yet they have not comprehended the External Three Harmonies, and can only deliver eleven strikes of the eighteen-form Cloak Hammer..."

Li Yuan turned around; Zhang Ben walked in with his hands behind his back, looking at the two burly men with bulging muscles, somewhat frustrated by their lack of progress:

"Truly as stupid and clumsy as pigs!"

Glancing at the two burly men whose movements were distorted, Li Yuan quickly raised his voice: "The blood qi of these two senior brothers is far more abundant than mine, which shows their bone structure is very good..."

"What good is good bone structure?"

Zhang Ben snorted twice and pointed at the burning furnace fire:

"Boy, do you want to try the hammer?"

"This..."

【121】 "This..."

Noticing the resentful gazes of those two burly men, Li Yuan hurriedly shook his head:

"Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting; it is not too late to pick a good hammer first, don't you agree?"

(End of this chapter)