svetikya Chapter 134 "Lingbo Weibu: A Special Edition for Top Students"
Chapter 134 "Lingbo Weibu: A Special Edition for Top Students"
Chapter 134 "Lingbo Weibu: A Special Edition for Top Students"
"Brother Xu, what kind of sect is the Free and Unfettered Sect?"
Duan Yu was so stunned that his brain almost gave up thinking, and he subconsciously asked the question.
"The Free and Unfettered Sect is one of the Taoist sects. Brother Duan doesn't know martial arts, so he probably doesn't know much about the martial arts world."
Sects that evolved from Taoist thought either inherit the concepts of a particular lineage, such as the talismanic school, or draw inspiration from the works of a Taoist sage.
The foundation of the Xiaoyao School comes from the Zhuangzi!
In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, its name is Kun. Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. It transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of Peng is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans.
Xu Qingya said calmly, "The core essence of the Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts lies in two sentences. First, if the water is not deep enough, it cannot support a large boat."
The fundamental concept is that "if one rides the righteousness of heaven and earth and controls the changes of the six qi, one can roam in the boundless." If one can understand these two sentences, one can understand the ultimate teachings of the Free and Unfettered School.
Zhuangzi truly deserves his reputation throughout the ages. Any one of his works could become the foundation for establishing a school of thought. Throughout history, there have been at least three to five hundred profound insights gleaned from Zhuangzi's works.
After discarding the inferior, the counterfeit, and the poorly written, third-rate works, only the first-rate manuals are retained, numbering about thirty to fifty. Of these, about ten can be considered top-tier manuals in the martial arts world.
As for the Xiaoyao Sect itself, it was founded more than 150 years ago by a man known as Xiaoyaozi. He had four disciples, the eldest of whom was unknown. After she came of age, she named herself Wuxingyun.
The second disciple, Wuyazi, comes from "Zhibei You" (知北游). He comes without a trace, goes without a limit, has no door or house, and is all-encompassing. He may also come from "Yang Sheng Zhu" (养生主). "My life has a limit, but knowledge has no limit!"
The third disciple, Li Qiushui, needs no further introduction; the name clearly comes from the book "Qiushui"!
The fourth disciple is Li Qiushui's younger sister. She shares the same name as Wu Xingyun, but changed her name to Li Canghai after reaching adulthood. She is mysterious and her whereabouts are unknown.
If I'm not mistaken, this stone chamber is the secluded residence of Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui. However, this jade statue is definitely not Li Qiushui. Li Qiushui is beautiful, arrogant and domineering, ruthless and self-centered. She married into the Western Xia Dynasty decades ago and is now the Empress Dowager of the Western Xia Dynasty.
Brother Duan is a member of the Dali royal family, a noble and aristocratic family. If he were to go to Western Xia to propose marriage, he would be able to meet Li Qiushui.
That's all I know.
As for other grudges and disputes, I have no idea why the Free and Unfettered Sect disappeared.
Brother Duan, what's wrong?
Don't faint!
The fairy sister is just a jade statue!
This thing really does have mind-controlling properties!
What Xu Qingya said was too shocking, and Duan Yu was stunned. He became listless and fainted. Xu Qingya massaged him a few times to help him urinate and then gave him two Snow Ginseng Jade Toad Pills. After a while, Duan Yu slowly woke up from his slumber and looked at Xu Qingya with resentment.
Duan Yu's personality is somewhat "obsessed"; if he becomes obsessed with something, he will forget to eat and sleep.
From childhood to adulthood, I have been obsessed with Buddhist scriptures, poetry, gardening, Go, and the I Ching. When I was obsessed, it was as if I was possessed, and I felt that the flowers were talking to me. When I let go of my obsession, I still remembered the skills I had learned, but I could never find that feeling of being so engrossed in something that I forgot to eat and sleep again!
In his most desperate situation, Duan Yu stumbled upon the secluded dwelling of Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, where he saw the jade statue that embodied Wu Yazi's life's work. He was instantly captivated by the statue and fell into a state of extreme worship.
Xu Qingya explained the story of the Xiaoyao Sect in a few words. The four words "Western Xia Empress Dowager" shattered the fairy-like image of the fairy sister. When Duan Yu looked at the jade statue again, he felt much more at peace.
In fact, Duan Yu's infatuation with the Fairy Sister stemmed from two reasons. Firstly, he was a fool himself. Secondly, when Wu Yazi was carving the jade statue, he poured all his emotions into it. The jade statue embodied all of Wu Yazi's feelings, and every line was filled with true emotion.
The jade statue is Wu Yazi's emotional attachment and his embodiment of the word "perfection". Theoretically, it is not a problem for Li Qiushui to be jealous of the jade statue!
However, it's enough to be jealous of the jade statue; there's no need to be jealous of Li Canghai. It's pointless. Even if Li Canghai herself appeared before Wu Yazi, or even married Wu Yazi and had children, in Wu Yazi's mind, she would still be inferior to this jade statue. The jade statue is a goddess in his imagination.
Goddess, the white moonlight, can only be admired from afar!
It can be a jade statue, or a painting, but it absolutely cannot be a living, breathing person. Everyone has flaws, and the closer you get to them and the longer you spend time with them, the more magnified those flaws will be. Fantasy is limitless; it is the ultimate perfection. The more you think about it, the more flawless it seems.
Perhaps it was because of the excessive emotion poured into it, coupled with the many strange and unusual techniques of the Xiaoyao Sect, that the jade statue "came to life" in some ways, especially its black eyes, which had a captivating quality.
For Xu Qingya, who knew about the series of ridiculous and messy things that happened in the Xiaoyao Sect, the jade statue was just a jade statue. But for Duan Yu, who was also a lovelorn man, he fell in love with the jade statue at first sight and imagined a "fairy sister".
After dispelling this illusion, looking at the black eyes of the jade statue again, one finds them nothing particularly strange.
Duan Yu sighed, thinking to himself that this might be a good thing, at least he wouldn't have to kill anyone.
Duan Yu casually opened the cloth bag, revealing two scrolls of secret manuals inside: one was the "Northern Darkness Divine Art," and the other was the famous "Lingbo Weibu." Duan Yu unfolded them with ease, and Zhong Ling curiously leaned closer.
"Hey, Brother Duan! Get away! Where did this indecent thing come from?! Looking at it too much will give you corns!"
Zhong Ling blushed and covered her eyes as she ran away.
Duan Yu was also somewhat shy.
Both volumes of the manual were left behind by Li Qiushui. Li Qiushui was arrogant and extremely confident in herself. The diagrams of meridians and acupoints she recorded were all based on her own portrait.
As everyone knows, the diagrams marking the meridians are all naked. Li Qiushui's painting skills are superb; each picture is lifelike, with eyes full of spring and a charming allure that makes people's imaginations run wild. Duan Yu looked at the diagrams and then at the jade statue, and felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart.
"This painting is not of the Fairy Sister. The Fairy Sister's statue is dignified and solemn, with peaceful eyes and brows. The image in the painting is too charming. How can I describe it? If the jade statue is of the Empress, then the one in the painting is of the Demon Concubine."
Having resolved his inner conflict, Duan Yu felt much more relaxed when he looked at the martial arts manual again. He had no interest in martial arts, but since he had nothing else to do, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look. He worried that if he talked to Xu Qingya for a few more minutes, his worldview might collapse.
As expected of a Han envoy, his destructive power is well-deserved.
Yin Susu asked curiously, "Absorbing people's internal energy? Isn't that just the routine of the Star Absorbing Technique? What's so strange about that? My father said that absorbing too much internal energy will cause the internal energy to become chaotic and disordered, and it is easy to suffer from internal energy deviation. Ren Woxing, the leader of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, suffered from this calamity."
Xu Qingya explained, "They're different! The Star Absorbing Technique can only absorb true qi, not refine it. The Northern Darkness Divine Art can refine the absorbed true qi, so there's no danger of backlash from different types of true qi. However, the absorbed true qi is ultimately not pure enough, so it must be used sparingly!"
Hua Baifeng said, "Putting everything else aside, this painting is really good, it's no worse than the Marquis's!"
Qin Nanqin scoffed, "Far from it! Master's meticulously crafted painting is unparalleled in the world!"
Cheng Lingsu crouched down at the edge of the cave, searching through the area. She had just discovered traces of a centipede crawling there. Judging from the centipede's footprints, it was at least a foot long. With a candy dumpling in her left hand and a silver needle in her right, Cheng Lingsu opened the leopard pouch hidden in her sleeve, intending to capture the giant centipede alive.
Duan Yu read the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" several times, but he really had no interest in martial arts. He put down the manual, took out another scroll, opened it, and found it full of footprints.
There are thousands of footprints, densely packed together, with green lines connecting them, arrows drawn on the lines, and words such as "sister-in-law" and "no delusion" marked on them, all according to the directions recorded in the Book of Changes.
Coincidentally, some time ago, Duan Yu was obsessed with the I Ching and knew it by heart. The mental formula for Lingbo Weibu comes from the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River". Duan Yu read it a thousand times and could understand the formula at a glance.
The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." This is not only because martial artists have abundant energy and eat a lot, but more importantly, the basic requirement for practicing martial arts is to be able to read and write. You can imitate the moves of external martial arts, but how can you learn internal energy cultivation methods?
Without reading and literacy, even if you have unparalleled martial arts skills right in front of you, you can only treat them as scribbles.
The most profound and unfathomable secret manuals of our time are either the "Immortal's Wall"—like the War God's Manual and the Tai Xuan Scripture—which demand an insane level of spirituality and comprehension, or they are insights and experiences summarized by the three schools of Buddhism, Taoism, and Demonism, combining their own philosophies, with frighteningly high entry requirements.
For example, Mei Chaofeng, who was routinely whipped on the corpse, was hopelessly addicted to puppy love. Despite having a famous teacher to guide her, she became a hopelessly illiterate person. She held the "Nine Yin Manual" but paralyzed herself by practicing it, making herself a laughing stock.
Some Taoist terms even required Guo Jing to explain to him, and Guo Jing's superior cultural knowledge completely overwhelmed the Peach Blossom Island disciples, damaging Huang Yaoshi's teaching ability—Huang Yaoshi must have been crying in the toilet!
Huang Yaoshi: I am a scholar of the universe, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Qimen Dunjia, agriculture and water conservancy, medicine, divination and astrology. I am proficient in everything and an unparalleled genius!
Hong Qigong: Your disciple is illiterate!
Huang Yaoshi: I have no master. All my martial arts are self-created. I can use any martial arts technique at will!
Hong Qigong: Your disciple is illiterate!
Huang Yaoshi: Can you please stop talking about your disciple?
Hong Qigong: Your daughter is my apprentice!
Huang Yaoshi: Beep beep beep beep splash splash splash —
Taking "Lingbo Weibu" as an example, Duan Yu could practice the movement techniques based on the diagrams after reading it once, Cheng Lingsu was completely clueless about it, Qin Nanqin, Hua Baifeng, and Yin Susu could understand a part of it, and Xu Qingya could understand most of it.
Cheng Lingsu has studied medicine since childhood and has only read the Book of Changes twice. Qin Nanqin and the other two women have recently been practicing the Yin-Yang Sword Formation and have learned some of its knowledge.
Xu Qingya's understanding of the I Ching was far less profound than Duan Yu's, but he could deduce the movement techniques by working backwards. It wasn't difficult for him to understand the movement techniques. Xu Qingya suggested, "Brother Duan, we're just killing time anyway, how about we have a movement technique contest?"
Duan Yu said, "I don't know martial arts!"
"Didn't you just learn that?"
"In that case, I'll give it a try!"
Duan Yu held up the diagram and began to practice.
"Lingbo Weibu" is not only a movement technique, but also an internal energy cultivation method. From beginning to end, it covers all sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, and the true energy also circulates in the body for a full cycle. While running, one can cultivate internal energy, and even those with only a slight foundation in internal energy can have an inexhaustible source of energy.
Duan Yu's compatibility with "Lingbo Weibu" was even higher than that of Li Qiushui and others. He was able to perform the light-footed skill after only following the diagram a few times.
With a thought, Xu Qingya lashed out at Duan Yu's buttocks with a rattan cane. Duan Yu, who knew no martial arts, could only dodge by twisting and turning his body, narrowly avoiding the rattan cane. With a slight movement of his feet, he spun around again.
Xu Qingya casually tossed the vine to Zhong Ling.
"Little Ling'er, if you can hit your Brother Duan's butt, I'll teach you a light-body skill."
"Any kind of light-foot technique?"
"certainly!"
"Can you even use the light-footed skill to jump off a cliff?"
"I keep my word!"
"Alright! Brother Duan, please bear with me, I'll hit you gently. Brother Xu's martial arts are so much fun, I really want to learn them, please let me hit you once!"
Zhong Ling made a face and raised the rattan cane.
Upon hearing this, Duan Yu initially wanted to stop. What did it matter if he could win the beauty's favor? But seeing Xu Qingya's ambiguous smile, he suspected she might be hiding something wicked. So he immediately used the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to circle around the stone chamber, with Zhong Ling chasing after him.
With a beautiful woman by his side while practicing martial arts, Duan Yu's interest in training increased several times over. He became more and more proficient at the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique). At first, he could see the landing point of his footsteps, but after spinning around seven or eight times, he could no longer see his figure, leaving only a white afterimage.
Duan Yu is handsome, scholarly, and possesses a regal air. As he speeds up, he truly embodies seven or eight parts of the beauty of "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River".
Its body is swift as a flying duck, and its movements are as elusive as a god.
She moved with light, graceful steps, her silk stockings stirring up dust.
Its movements are unpredictable, sometimes appearing dangerous, sometimes safe.
It's hard to know when to go or stay; it's like going forward and then turning back.
Xu Qingya made a gesture, and Hua Baifeng skillfully ground the ink. Qin Nanqin laid out the paper and mixed the paints. Xu Qingya picked up his brush and began to paint, and figures appeared on the paper one after another. Yin Susu couldn't help but complain, "My lord, does this Prince Duan really not know martial arts? His talent is too high!"
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "This is called compatibility. Some people are suited to learning the knife, some are suited to learning the sword, some are suited to heavy weapons, and some are suited to light-body skills."
Brother Duan's talent lies in his lightness skill and agility, which perfectly matches the Lingbo Weibu of the Xiaoyao Sect.
No need to be envious.
If you want to learn the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), you must first learn the hexagrams of the I Ching.
If you can't learn it, in a few days, I'll combine the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) and Fengshen Tui (another martial arts technique) to create a movement method suitable for you, and I'll teach you it step by step!
Yin Susu teased, "My lord, how could you teach me step by step? You're clearly teaching me by pointing at my feet!"
Hua Baifeng said gently, "My lord, ancient methods are not easily passed on. How can you so readily impart your secret techniques? Aren't you afraid that I will leak them out and cause you to lose everything?"
Xu Qingya joked, "So, before you reveal my secret technique, I'll pay Bai Feng a billion-dollar hush money to shut you up!"
"I'm not competing anymore! I'm not competing anymore! Brother Duan is really bullying me, what kind of weird movement technique is that?!"
Zhong Ling chased Duan Yu for dozens of laps, but not only did she fail to catch the hem of his clothes, she also got sweaty and annoyed, so she squatted down on the ground, ready to throw a tantrum.
Duan Yu wanted to stop, but he had moved too fast and didn't know how to exert or stop his strength. His lower body stopped, but his upper body flew out due to inertia, baring his teeth and claws and yelling. Just as he was about to hit the stone table next to him, Xu Qingya grabbed Duan Yu.
"Brother Duan, be careful!"
"...and...and Duan Yu gasped for breath, "Brother Xu, thank you so much! How did you manage to catch me?"
"Based on the Bagua directions, your Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) is only at the beginner level. You can only turn around according to the Bagua directions and do not know how to adapt to changing circumstances. As long as I can calculate your next move, I can catch you."
Xu Qingya was somewhat moved.
In the original story, Duan Yu's Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) seemed to be a perfect evasion technique, invincible. In reality, Duan Yu never knew martial arts. He just ran in circles according to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) directions. In other words, if his opponent knew the I Ching and Bagua, he could easily capture Duan Yu.
Duan Yu's ability to navigate the treacherous waters from beginning to end using the Lingbo Weibu technique only proves one thing: the opponents he encountered were not very well-educated! They could read and write, but that was all they knew—they could read and write, recognize the words in the manuals, but they probably didn't understand the professional knowledge involved.
This is not some high-level knowledge. For major sects like Wudang and Emei, the I Ching and Bagua are just basic knowledge. Zhou Zhiruo was not even twenty years old when she could speak about them so fluently, which shows how solid her basic education was!
Duan Yu was about to say a few polite words when he looked down at the painting that Xu Qingya had just finished. It depicted Duan Yu demonstrating the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), with movements as graceful as a startled swan and a figure as lithe as a swimming dragon, exuding elegance in every gesture.
Duan Yu was momentarily stunned.
Is this really me?
How did I become so handsome?
This is definitely not Duan Yu being narcissistic. Rather, it's because Xu Qingya is skilled at photo editing. When painting, he subconsciously corrects imperfections, making minor adjustments to facial features, expressions, body shape, and posture. The painting is clearly of Duan Yu, but Duan Yu always feels that he looks more handsome in the painting.
Xu Qingya handed the painting to Duan Yu: "The Northern Darkness Divine Skill and the Lingbo Steps are your good fortune. We are fortunate to share them with Brother Duan, so we repay you with this painting."
Yin Susu asked, "Duan Yu, are you really the Crown Prince of Dali? Have you heard of the Eagle Sect?"
Duan Yu nodded: "My father told me that the Eagle Sect came to Dali to sell salt; they're very important!"
Yin Susu took out a token: "I am Yin Susu, the eldest daughter of the Sky Eagle Sect. I am indebted to you. This token can reduce the price of salt by 15%. Give the token to the Prince of Zhennan, and he will know what to do."
Duan Yu had not yet learned the art of governing a country, but he knew that Dali's salt supply largely depended on smuggled salt, and that reducing the price by 10% would greatly benefit the people.
Duan Yu bowed respectfully and said, "I know nothing about martial arts. I only stumbled upon the manual by chance. Without Brother Xu's guidance, I'm afraid I would never have been able to master it in this lifetime. I am deeply grateful for my sister-in-law's kindness to Dali."
Yin Susu laughed and said, "Good brother! Just for calling me 'sister-in-law,' you deserve this token!"
Zhong Ling chuckled, "Brother Xu, Brother Duan and I are far inferior to you in martial arts. If you were to forcibly take our things, or simply kill us to silence us and dump our bodies in the valley, who would be able to find us? We can't stand your politeness any longer!"
Zhong Ling is naive and inexperienced, but Zhong Wanchou and Gan Baobao are both ruthless and vicious characters. She has witnessed murder, robbery, and the destruction of evidence several times.
Gan Baobao had told her that people in the martial arts world often fought bloody battles to seize martial arts manuals. For two simpletons with low martial arts skills to find a manual was not a blessing for them, but rather a great disaster.
If it weren't for Xu Qingya's handsome appearance and kind smile, and Cheng Lingsu's aura of compassion, Zhong Ling would have been terrified to tears by Yin Susu and Hua Baifeng long ago. Faced with these two witches, Zhong Ling appeared weak and helpless.
"Hey! Gotcha!"
Cheng Lingsu's voice came from the corner of the wall.
Upon closer inspection, Cheng Lingsu was holding a long silver needle with a large black centipede on it. The centipede was about two feet long, with a thick, black shell that resembled the fish-scale armor worn by a general. It had a pair of thin wings on its back.
This centipede seemed to have become a spirit; even with Cheng Lingsu's martial arts skills, it would be extremely difficult to defeat it.
Fortunately, Tangdun'er was on Cheng Lingsu's shoulder. After Cheng Lingsu found the centipede's trail, Tangdun'er charged at it, its sharp beak and claws working together to easily cut open the centipede's shell, revealing its snow-white tender flesh.
Cheng Lingsu acted swiftly, her silver needles piercing the centipede's joints, and then she easily dug out the venom sac.
Just as Tangdun'er was about to enjoy her meal, the sound of an old ox drinking water suddenly came from the crack, like the beating of a large cowhide drum, followed by a toad jumping out.
Cheng Lingsu exclaimed in surprise, "A Manggu Toad!"