Legend of the Heavenly Dragon

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I. A Mischievous Child Finds a Strange Treasure at Lao Jun Temple

Not far outside Beijing, there was a small town called Shili Pu. Though small, it

was very prosperous due to its location on a major road to the capital. Within a five-mile radius,

there journey to Beijing took a day on foot, many travelers stopped here, making the town even wealthier.

The town had few residents, but most were well-off; even the few poor families could manage to make ends meet.

Not far to the east of the town was a Lao Jun Temple. For some reason, it was rarely visited; few people came to

burn incense during festivals, and there wasn't even a temple keeper. The dilapidated walls and broken tiles became the playground for the town's children. One noon, at the entrance of

the Lao Jun Temple , on a bare branch of a large cypress tree, a small child lay reading. The branch was only

about the size of an arm, and the child lay there with his legs crossed, looking completely at ease.

Suddenly, three children, two boys and a girl, all around ten years old, came along the path.

They reached the cypress tree, and one of them cried out, "Boss, come down quickly! Something terrible has happened! Fourth Brother has been beaten so badly he can't get up

!"

"What?" The child in the tree suddenly leaped several feet high, then gracefully descended. "Who beat him

?"

"It was that chubby kid! He wanted to play house with Fourth Brother, but Fourth Brother refused, so he attacked him," the

girl said.

"That chubby kid! So bold! He even dares to mess with the Five Evil Gods? Let me see how tough he is!" the child

in the tree said angrily, then said "Let's go," and led the way into town.

The Five Evil Gods were five children from a poor family in Shili Pu. The second oldest, Jin Baozi, was thirteen years old. The third oldest, Bi Hu, was also

thirteen , two months younger than Jin Baozi. The fourth and fifth oldest were girls named Zou Fenglai and

Zou Fengyi, sisters, one eleven and the other ten years old. The eldest of the four was Shang Tianlong, who was only twelve years old. Because of his intelligence and

extraordinary bravery, he was respected as the leader. When

Shang Tianlong heard that the fourth oldest had been bullied, he immediately set off for the fat boy's house. He walked like the wind, and in no time, he left the other three far behind. When he reached the tall gate of the fat boy's house, he realized he shouldn't be so reckless and stopped to wait for his companions. After a while, Jin Baozi and the other two arrived, panting . "Boss, you're so fast!" Bi Hu exclaimed. 　　"Boss, why don't we rush in and smash him to pieces?" Jin Baozi roared and was about to rush in. 　　"Don't go in!" Shang Tianlong grabbed him. 　　"What, aren't you going to avenge Fourth Brother?" 　　"Who said we weren't?" Shang Tianlong beckoned them over, whispered a few words in his ear, and the three men quickly hid. The youngest, Zou Fengyi, however, leisurely entered the gatehouse. A short while later, she emerged with the arrogant little fat boy. 　　The two walked towards the countryside. After a while, the little fat boy, seeing Fengyi constantly heading out, hurriedly asked, " Where going to play?" 　　"Soon, to Lao Jun Temple." Fengyi walked on without turning her head, with Shang Tianlong and the other two secretly following behind. 　　Soon they arrived at the old cypress tree at Lao Jun Temple. "We're here, let's play!" Fengyi suddenly turned around and said. 　　"Okay, okay." The little fat boy stretched out his chubby paw, wanting to grab Fengyi's small hand, but Fengyi dodged and appeared behind him. When he turned around, he was startled: Shang Tianlong, Jin Baozi, and Bi Hu stood in a row, ahead of Fengyi . 　　"You fat pig, how dare you bully our fourth brother?" Bi Hu roared at the chubby boy. 　　The chubby boy had heard of the Five Evil Gods before, but relying on his age and size, he stood there nonchalantly, saying, "What Five Evil Gods, Five Death Gods? Who have I ever been afraid of? Come on, bring it on!" 　　"Ha, a dead crab still dares to act arrogantly? Brothers, beat him up!" Shang Tianlong shouted, and the three men rushed forward, surrounding the chubby boy. Although the chubby boy was big, he was no match for Shang Tianlong. After a few punches and kicks, he was knocked to the ground. Jin Baozi, Bi Hu, and Feng Yi then took turns punching and kicking him, making the chubby boy scream like a pig being slaughtered. 　　Soon, the screams subsided, and Shang Tianlong waved his hand, saying, "Alright, don't kill anyone." The three men stopped . 　　Shang Tianlong took out a pill from his pocket and handed it to Feng Yi, saying, "Take this back to our fourth brother, he'll be fine tomorrow ." 　　"Is it really that effective?" Feng Yi didn't believe it. 　　"Didn't you eat it and grow stronger? What, you don't even believe your elder brother's words anymore?" Shang Tianlong roared . 　　The story of this pill is quite interesting! Shang Tianlong was originally the son of a private tutor. His mother died in childbirth , and when he was ten, his father also passed away, leaving only his grandparents and him to depend on each other. Fortunately, his father had some savings, and with the frequent help from neighbors, they hadn't suffered from hunger or cold. To allow Shang Tianlong to learn something, his grandfather sent him to work as a medicine boy at a doctor's house outside town. 　　Shang Tianlong was intelligent and eager to learn. While his father was alive, he had already mastered the Four Books and Five Classics, and at the doctor's house, he was even more favored. But fate is unpredictable; half a year ago, the doctor fell to his death in the deep mountains , and Tianlong returned home. That day, halfway there, he was caught in a heavy rain and took shelter in a dilapidated temple. 　　The rain was torrential, lasting for an hour before the clouds parted and the sun shone. Water was already accumulating everywhere in the temple, dripping from the rooftops. Just as Tianlong was about to leave, he heard a loud splash. Turning around, he saw that the statue of Laozi on the altar, soaked for so long, had collapsed, revealing a dark box inside. Tianlong , puzzled by its contents, picked it up. 　　The box was about a foot long, a little over five inches wide, and about five inches high, made of fine sandalwood and lacquered. Opening it , he found several bottles of pills and a thin silk scroll with the four seal characters "Yin Yang True Scripture" written on the cover. Tianlong didn't know what the Yin Yang True Scripture was, but upon opening it, he realized it was a martial arts manual, containing six chapters: internal energy cultivation, lightness skill, sword and palm techniques, strategy, disguise, and formations. From the silk, he learned that the pills were holy medicines for training and healing. 　　Tianlong didn't think much of it at the time, simply wrapped it in his bundle, and took it back to his room. One day, having nothing to do, he took out the true scripture and began practicing internal energy cultivation according to its instructions. He was already very knowledgeable, and he had learned the location of the meridians . In addition, the true scripture was illustrated and easy to understand. Therefore, although he did not have any reaction at first, after ten days, he felt a small mouse thrashing around in his dantian, and he could command it to move to various parts of his body. His body also became stronger and more powerful.

He didn't know if it was due to practicing internal energy cultivation, but attributed it to taking one pill daily. He gave

one to each of his grandparents and four younger siblings, and indeed, they saw some effect. His grandparents became healthier, and the four younger

siblings gained considerable strength. Therefore, he dared to say that Zou Fenglai would recover quickly after taking the pill.

Half a year passed, and Shang Tianlong, having nothing to do, came to the Lao Jun Temple every day to read and practice his skills. Thanks to his

diligent , the little mouse inside him grew larger and larger, making him feel stronger, yet his body felt much lighter; he could leap ten feet high and

ten feet far. Today, while reading, he witnessed his fourth brother being beaten, and thus gave the chubby boy a severe beating

.

Fengyi left with the pills, and Shang Tianlong gave Jin Baozi and Bi Hu some instructions before letting them go.

He glanced at the groaning chubby boy lying on the ground, spat, and then went home.

II. The Wise Men of the Loyal and Righteous Hall Recognize a Talented Man

Shang Tianlong returned home, not dwelling on the day's events. That evening, he meditated and practiced his martial arts as usual. Before

dawn, he went to the countryside to practice his lightness skill, returning close to midnight. Before he even reached home, he heard

a commotion. Listening closely, he realized it was the little fat boy's father—the jewelry merchant Huang Shigui—interrogating his grandfather about his

whereabouts. He quickened his pace and entered the house.

"You little rascal, I thought you were hiding!" Huang Shigui

said aggressively as soon as he saw Shang Tianlong.

Shang Tianlong ignored him and walked up to his grandfather, asking, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

The old man turned his head away angrily and didn't speak. His grandmother, standing nearby, asked, "Long'er, did you

hit Huang Daren?"

Huang Daren was the little fat boy's real name. Shang Tianlong nodded. His grandmother said tremblingly, "Fine, fine,

you beat him almost to death! It was only thanks to the efforts of Li Junbang, the head of Zhongyi Hall, that he was saved. But

he demands a thousand taels for treatment!

Where are you going to get a thousand taels, Grandpa?" Shang Tianlong had no idea how powerful his internal energy was. He thought Huang Shigui was behind it all,

but then he heard Chen Liang, the eldest disciple of the head of Zhongyi Hall, say, "A thousand taels is too little. My master spent five years of

his cultivation to save his life, and it will take at least five months for him to fully recover."

After some back and forth, they finally agreed that Shang Tianlong would work at Zhongyi Hall for five years to pay off the debt. Shang Tianlong wanted to

refuse, but he was afraid of upsetting his grandfather, so he had no choice but to give in. The next day, Shang Tianlong followed Chen Liang into the Zhongyi Hall.

The two elders repeatedly warned him before letting him leave.

Zhongyi Hall was a renowned martial arts school in town, and its headmaster, Li Junbang, was also famous in Beijing. He

was kind and easy-going man, and most of the students he taught were from respectable families who wanted to learn self-defense and physical skills. Therefore, although

there were many disciples, few achieved significant success. His eldest disciple, Chen Liang, was considered one of the more skilled.

After was assigned to work as a flower boy under Uncle Zhong, the Flower King. From then on, he followed Uncle Zhong every day, carrying water, watering the flowers,

and weeding.

Growing flowers is a skill, and Shang Tianlong, being both intelligent and innovative,

mastered all of Uncle Zhong's techniques in less than six months. He even had a unique approach to pruning flowers, so Uncle Zhong was reassured and let

Shang Tianlong . Shang Tianlong worked tirelessly, cultivating flowers that grew exceptionally lush and unlike any other. Li Junbang, seeing this,

couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up in praise.

One morning, as Tianlong was watering the flowers, someone behind him suddenly asked, "Did you plant these flowers?"

The voice was as melodious as a nightingale's song.

Tianlong turned around and saw a very pretty girl of about thirteen or fourteen standing beside him. He quickly replied

, "Yes."

The girl was Li Junbang's daughter, Li Bifang. Seeing Tianlong's surprised expression, she comforted him, "You

planted them so well! I didn't know there was so much to learn about growing flowers, especially cutting them."

"Actually, it's nothing special," Shang Tianlong replied. "I just draw pictures and cut them according to the patterns in the pictures. The more you do

, the more you'll find what you like." Seeing that Li Bifang didn't seem to be blaming him, Shang Tianlong felt reassured and

began to describe .

Li Bifang was both surprised and delighted. She said, "So you can draw! Will you teach me?" Without waiting for

Tianlong's reply, she grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

The two passed through numerous houses and arrived at the study of the head of the hall at the back. Shang Tianlong saw that it was full of

books and thought to himself, "How wonderful it would be if I could read here!" Li Bifang, however, pulled him back and pointed to a painting on the table,

asking, "Look, how is my painting?" Shang Tianlong looked at it and exclaimed , "Good heavens! It's not a painting at all! It's practically a child's

scribbles!" But he dared not say anything and pretended to admire it carefully. "Tell me, what do you think?" Li Bifang pressed. 　　Shang Tianlong had no choice but to say, "Not bad, you have some skill." 　　"That's wonderful, thank you! My father always says my paintings are terrible." Li Bifang was overjoyed, pulling Tianlong 's hand and shaking it incessantly. After a while, she stopped and said, "By the way, draw one for me to see." 　　"This... what should I draw?" 　　"Anything is fine." 　　Shang Tianlong thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands and said, "That's right, come, sit down, I'll draw you." 　　Upon hearing this, Li Bifang also clapped her hands in praise, immediately found a place to sit, and assumed a pose. Shang Tianlong spread out the paper and looked at Li Bifang, dressed in green. Although young, Shang Tianlong couldn't help but be moved. 　　"Are you done yet?" Li Bifang quickly became impatient and called out. 　　"Alright, sit up straight again, let me see." Shang Tianlong said, scrutinizing Li Bifang from head to toe. After a moment, he said, "It's done, here you go." Shang Tianlong handed over the painting. 　　Li Bifang looked at it and praised, "It's so beautiful." Then she asked, "Do you think I'm really that beautiful?" 　　"Of course you are! Even my painting can't compare to your own beauty!" Shang Tianlong said sincerely. 　　What girl doesn't like to be praised? Li Bifang felt a sweet warmth in her heart and couldn't help but feel a fondness for the handsome flower girl in front of her. She blushed and said, "You're talking nonsense, I'm not that beautiful." 　　"Of course my daughter is that beautiful." Suddenly someone spoke up, and Li Junbang appeared in the study. 　　"Master." Shang Tianlong stood respectfully. 　　Li Junbang waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities." He looked at the painting and said, "It's very well , Tianlong. How many years of schooling have you had?"

"Reporting to Master, I've been studying with my late father since I was old enough to understand," Shang Tianlong replied, unsure of Li Junbang's

intention in asking.

"No need for formalities," Li Junbang said. "I was just looking for someone to keep Fang'er company. Tomorrow, you don't need to tend the flowers and plants

anymore ; come and keep Fang'er company while she studies."

"Father, you're so kind!" Li Bifang exclaimed happily, jumping over to hug her father's neck and laughing.

Shang Tianlong was naturally delighted as well, because he could finally read the books in the study.

The next day, Li Bifang helped Shang Tianlong move his bedding to a room next to the study. Seeing

how simple Tianlong's bedding was, she said angrily, "Really, why use something like this? I'll have someone change it for you tomorrow."

"No need, Miss."

"Look at you, calling me 'Miss' again. Can't you just call me by my name?" Li Bifang chided.

"Yes, Miss," Shang Tianlong smiled, and Li Bifang smiled back.

That same day, Shang Tianlong taught Li Bifang to paint. Li Bifang possessed a natural talent for this, but had previously lacked

guidance . Now, with Shang Tianlong's instruction, she grasped concepts like rendering and outlining, meticulous brushwork and freehand style, instantly understanding everything

. After Shang Tianlong explained it once, she began reading on her own. The study was filled with books, mostly martial arts texts, originally intended by

Li Junbang for his disciples. These books contained detailed annotations, making them easy to understand

. By comparing them with the Yin-Yang True Scripture, one could achieve a comprehensive understanding .

Another six months passed, and the little mouse within Shang Tianlong's body grew larger, moving

wherever . He learned from books that this indicated he had reached a high level of skill, which pleased him greatly, and he studied even harder.

One day, he suddenly thought of his family and said to Li Bifang, "Bifang, I want to go back and see

Grandpa and Grandma."

By this time, Li Bifang had completely changed from her former tomboyish nature, appearing

dignified and serene in Shang Tianlong's presence. He replied, "Go ahead, and give my regards to the elders."

"Thank you!" Shang Tianlong said.

"Why are you thanking me? By the way, do you want some money to take back with you?"

"No need." Shang Tianlong walked out of the study, out the front door, and headed home.

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