The Legend of the Condor Heroes 11-20

Chapter 11 of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber:

The Immortal Old Rascal":
The Kunlun Mountains are vast and rugged, covered in ice peaks. Yang Zhuyu, lost and confused, wandered aimlessly through the snow and ice. Realizing he didn't know the way and that Zhu'er was nowhere to be found, his initial excitement gave way to loneliness. After wandering aimlessly for a while, he suddenly saw a small town in the distance, its noise suggesting a commotion. Yang Zhuyu's heart leaped with joy. Since he was wandering aimlessly anyway, he decided to explore the town.
Just as he started walking, he saw an old man lying asleep in the snow. The old man's head was resting on his hands, his legs were crossed, and he was sighing repeatedly.
Seeing the old man lying in the snow and ice, seemingly unaffected by the cold, Yang Zhuyu was filled with curiosity. Looking at the old man, Yang Zhuyu noticed his head was entirely silver-white, with a large, messy tuft of white beard reaching his chest. His face, however, was ruddy, round, and plump, making it impossible to guess his age.
"Hey, old man, why are you sleeping here alone, sighing? Aren't you cold?"
The old man, seeing someone speak to him, immediately glared at Yang Zhuyu with his small eyes, which darted around a few times before his face fell, his brows furrowing in worry. His eyes narrowed to slits, and he kicked his legs erratically, then looked up at the sky and sighed, "Boring, boring, so boring. No fun, no fun, so no fun. Depressing, so depressing!" His tone was filled with boredom and frustration, as if he had lost all interest in life.
Seeing that the old man ignored him and continued grumbling, Yang Zhuyu found it somewhat amusing. He thought to himself, "This old man's hair and beard are all white, yet he talks and acts like a child!" He chuckled and shamelessly asked, "Old man, why are you so bored?" Seeing that Yang Zhuyu hadn't left but continued talking to him, the old man glared at him and snapped, "Little brat, what's it to you? Do you think I want to die? There's nothing fun in this world. I'm tired of living, so I just want to lie here in the snow and freeze to death. But I can't die even though I want to, and I've been lying here for two days and two nights. Sigh! Boring, frustrating!"
Hearing the old man call him a little brat, Yang Zhuyu couldn't help but chuckle, thinking, "This old man is quite humorous. It's not unreasonable for someone his age to call me a 'little brat.'" Hearing him say he was lying in the snow waiting to die but couldn't, he found it even more amusing. Having no ulterior motive, he squatted down next to the old man and started joking, "Old man, if you want to die, it's easy. I'll give you an idea: just don't eat for ten days or half a month, and I guarantee you'll be dead, never to come back to life."
"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" the old man suddenly jumped up from the snow and cursed repeatedly. The old man circled Yang Zhuyu a few more times, wailing, "This is actually a good idea, but I... I'm most afraid of... afraid of starving! If I don't eat for a few days, I'll get so hungry I'll definitely go looking for food. So this way, I won't die. Little brat, what do you suggest?"
"Afraid of starving!" Yang Zhuyu almost fainted, laughing loudly, "Since you want to die, you don't even want your life, so why worry about starving?"
The old man squinted, scratching his hair and beard like a scolded child, and said earnestly, "That makes sense, that makes sense." He paused, then added, "Even if it makes sense, it's useless, I'm just afraid of starving." His tone was full of shamelessness.
Encountering such an old man, Yang Zhuyu was both amused and speechless. Shaking his head, he could only mimic the old man's worried expression and sigh, "Alas! There's nothing I can do! Depressed, depressed!"
"Why are you depressed with me? Do you want to die too? When I was your age, I was never depressed. I was happy every day until I turned 200." The old man, unaware that Yang Zhuyu was mimicking him, suddenly stared at him curiously and asked.
"What, 200 years old!" Yang Zhuyu exclaimed, then quickly looked the man over carefully. Although his hair and beard were all white, his face was ruddy and healthy. He didn't look like a 200-year-old at all. Yang Zhuyu couldn't help but wonder, "Could this old man be a martial arts master?" He quickly mentally ranked the "old heroes" of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: "Zhang Sanfeng, the three great monks of Shaolin, Kongxing, the White-browed Eagle King, Cheng Kun, the Xuanming Elders... None of them seem to be 200 years old, right?" Completely confused, he asked, "Old...elder, are you forgetful? Are you 200 years old? What's your name...?"
The old man glanced at Yang Zhuyu with boredom and cursed, "Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! I, the Old Urchin, have a good memory. I'll be 209 years old this year!"
"Old Urchin Zhou Botong!" Yang Zhuyu's mind exploded, immediately recalling this figure. "Could he be Wang Chongyang's junior brother, Old Urchin Zhou Botong? Impossible! How could he not be dead yet!" Staring blankly at the old man shaking his head for a while, he said, "You say you're the Old Urchin? The Old Urchin of the Quanzhen Sect?"
"Huh? My Quanzhen Sect has been extinct for almost a hundred years, and you, a little brat, know about it!" The Old Urchin patted Yang Zhuyu's hair and chin without any politeness, and said in confusion, "Your hair and beard aren't even white, you're clearly only in your early twenties. Did you practice the Rejuvenation Skill? Actually, you're about my age, I just can't tell!" He paused, thinking he had guessed correctly, and hurriedly said, "I've only heard of the Rejuvenation Skill, but I've never seen it. Haha, little brat, can you teach me?"
Yang Zhuyu saw that his answer was irrelevant, but his words clearly admitted that he was the Old Urchin Zhou Botong, and he was trembling with fear. He coughed twice and said, "I've never practiced the Rejuvenation Skill, but I suspect that you have."
"You haven't practiced the Rejuvenation Skill! Sigh! Boring, boring, no fun!" When the Old Urchin heard that Yang Zhuyu didn't know the Rejuvenation Skill, he slumped his head and resumed his dejected look, no longer caring how he knew about the Quanzhen Sect.
Although Yang Zhuyu had arrived in the world of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," he had also read "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes." He knew that while the Old Urchin was playful by nature and retained a childlike innocence even in his old age, his martial arts skills were unmatched. Even the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and the great heroes Guo Jing and Yang Guo were slightly inferior to him. A thought flashed through his mind, and he thought to himself, "If I want to learn earth-shattering martial arts, besides this Old Urchin and Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang, I'm afraid no one in the world can teach me a peerless disciple." Thinking of this, he had the idea of becoming his disciple, but he was hesitant because he didn't know if the Old Urchin would refuse him after he asked.
The old rascal muttered dejectedly for a while, then, seeing Yang Zhuyu seemingly deep in thought, he grew curious and, unable to bear the loneliness, leaned close to his ear and said, "Hey, little brat, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing the old rascal's comical expression, Yang Zhuyu suddenly thought, "If I want him to teach me martial arts, I must first win him over and make him like me. Maybe then he'll be happy and teach me unparalleled martial arts." So he laughed and said, "I'm quite bored by myself, and I was just looking for something fun. Old rascal, how about I play with you for a bit?"
Yang Zhuyu initially thought that... Upon hearing this, the Old Urchin would surely have clapped his hands in delight, but to his surprise, he remained listless, grumbling, "I've been playing for over 200 years! My senior brother Wang Chongyang, who was my age, played with me. Then Guo Jing and Huang Rong, who were thirty years younger, played with me. Next, Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu, who were sixty years younger, played with me. Finally, Guo Xiang, who was eighty years younger, played with me. Alas! But now they're all dead, and I'm all alone. I'm tired of everything; there's nothing new or fun anymore." After saying this, he burst into tears.
Chapter 12: First Miscalculation
Seeing the old man sobbing uncontrollably, Yang Zhuyu felt a mix of amusement and a desire to comfort him. He thought, "This old man has been playing for over 200 years; he's arguably the most playful and skilled person in history. Finding a game he hasn't played is incredibly difficult! No wonder he's so frustrated, he's practically dying from playing!" Seeing his utterly dejected expression, he thought, "If I could come up with something fresh and exciting, a game he's never played before, maybe I could rekindle his interest." He deliberately let out an exaggerated laugh and said, "Old man, you don't need to cry anymore. Even though you've been playing for over 200 years, I doubt you can play as well as I can."
"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" The old rascal immediately stopped crying, jumping and cursing, "You little brat, bragging! You dare to say 'play' in front of the old rascal? You're just showing off your skills in front of an expert! How laughable!"
Yang Zhuyu knew the old rascal was innocent and carefree, and it would be easy to fool him. He deliberately boasted, "Do you know who I am?" The old rascal asked curiously, "Who are you?" Yang Zhuyu laughed and, in order to get closer to him, said, "I'm known as the Little Rascal. For twenty years, I've traveled all over the country and haven't met anyone as playful or as good at playing as me. Once, I went to the palace to play, and even the emperor liked me so much that he was willing to give me his most beloved concubine so I could have 18 nights of pleasure, on the condition that I spend one day playing with him."
"18 Nights! Mom, wow, really? You're such a playful little devil! That's a nice name, it sounds like we're family." The old man, who wasn't very patient to begin with, couldn't resist the temptation after hearing his rambling. He hastily wiped away his tears and asked, "So tell me what fun things there are, see if I've played them before."
Yang Zhuyu was secretly pleased to see that the old man had indeed taken the bait and said, "Of course I can play with you, but if we play together, there will always be a winner and a loser. Since there's a winner and a loser, there needs to be something to do." "Betting is the only way to make the game more interesting." The old rascal, having played all his life, naturally knew how to make games exciting and fun. As soon as Yang Zhuyu finished speaking, he readily agreed, "Of course! Winning and losing, with stakes, makes it even more fun." After saying this, fearing Yang Zhuyu might not come up with any new or interesting games, he hurriedly asked, "What game are you talking about? That depends on whether I've played it before. If I have, then I won't play with you."
Actually, Yang Zhuyu was secretly pondering this matter. Although he had tricked the old rascal into agreeing to play a game with him, he really couldn't think of any sophisticated game. Suddenly, an idea struck him: "The old rascal has been playing for 200 years. It's practically impossible for him to come up with a sophisticated and exciting game he's never played before. Heh heh, I'm a vulgar person by nature, so why not play the most vulgar and dirty game? Maybe that will pique his interest." Having made up his mind, he patted his bottom, swayed his hips back and forth, and said, "Old rascal, how about we play a warm-up game first?"
Seeing him preparing for the game, the old rascal quickly patted his bottom and swayed his hips back and forth, eagerly asking, "Tell me, tell me, what's the warm-up game?"
"We'll have a peeing contest to see who can pee the farthest," Yang Zhuyu said, deliberately feigning eagerness to pique the old rascal's interest.
"Let's have a peeing contest!" the Old Urchin shouted, his small eyes widening in surprise before he clapped his hands and laughed. "What a wonderful warm-up game! I've never played this before. Brilliant, brilliant! Let's have a peeing contest!" Although the Old Urchin had played games with many people throughout his life, those around him were either proud figures like Huang Yaoshi and Yang Guo, serious and upright like Wang Chongyang and Guo Jing, or renowned figures in the martial arts world like Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng. None of these people would stoop to such a vulgar game with him. Women like Huang Rong, Xiaolongnu, and Guo Xiang were even less likely to play with him. He lived to be over 200 years old before encountering Yang Zhuyu, a vulgar man almost comparable to a rogue, and thus had the opportunity to play this game.
"Haha, this game is pretty good, isn't it? Let's agree on what we're betting on first." Yang Zhuyu had managed to pique the old man's interest with a simple, crude game, and he chuckled slyly, eager to lead him step by step into his trap. The old man, only interested in having fun, didn't suspect any tricks and blurted out, "Do you think I'd lose to a little brat like you? Whatever you say, we'll bet."
"Alright, if you lose, you teach me a set of martial arts; if I lose, I'll teach you a set. How about that?" Yang Zhuyu thought to himself that this 200-year-old man was probably already shrunk to a tiny speck, and even if he strained, he couldn't urinate very far. But he was in his prime, with the strongest and most complete kidney function, and could easily urinate a long distance. So, although he didn't know martial arts, he dared to boldly state his idea because he believed he had no chance of losing.
The old rascal didn't care whether Yang Zhuyu had martial arts skills or not, and readily agreed. He didn't care about saving face at all, and as if he couldn't wait, he took off his pants first, shouting, "I'll go first! We'll piss on the snow, and the farther we piss, the farther the snow will melt. No one can cheat
!" Although Yang Zhuyu could come up with such a wicked game, seeing the old rascal's disrespectful appearance, he couldn't help but bend over and laugh heartily: "Okay, I'll count to three, and we'll piss together." Since the old man wasn't afraid of being embarrassed, why should he be? So he also took off his pants, stood in line with the old rascal, and prepared to piss a large amount of urine.
One…two…three…
The old man and the young man shouted simultaneously, and two streams of urine shot through the air, flying far away.
Yang Zhuyu, naturally, had put in all his strength to win the martial arts prize. His piss traveled more than three meters and still had plenty of momentum, as if it would advance several more centimeters. Just as he was feeling smug, he turned his head and looked at the old rascal, only to be shocked. The old rascal's urination had been like "a silver river falling from the heavens," covering a distance of five or six meters. Now, wanting to catch up and make a final push, he found his stomach empty; there was no more urine to urinate.
"Haha, haha, the old rascal won! The little rascal lost! So much fun, so much fun!" Seeing that Yang Zhuyu hadn't urinated as far as him, and seeing his dejected look after losing, the old rascal danced and jumped for joy.
"Damn it, I actually lost to a 200-year-old man! How pathetic!" Yang Zhuyu dejectedly pulled up his pants, feeling utterly ashamed of his miscalculation. Little did he know that although the old rascal was over 200 years old, he could sleep in the snow for two days and two nights without feeling the cold because his internal energy had reached its peak, a level that was unfathomable. After gathering his inner strength in his dantian, he unleashed a torrent of urine, naturally unmatched by anyone.
"Haha, little brat, I won! You have to keep your word!" The old rascal, in his joy, didn't forget their previous agreement.
Yang Zhuyu's head buzzed, and he secretly panicked: "I don't know any martial arts at all! I wanted to trick him into revealing his skills, but now I have to teach him! What am I going to do? This pee has really gotten me into trouble!"
"Wow! Little brat, are you trying to cheat? I won't let you get away with it!" Seeing Yang Zhuyu's troubled expression, the old rascal immediately jumped up and down, shouting.
Chapter 13 Another Setback
"Who said I was going to cheat? I was thinking of teaching you some martial arts!" Yang Zhuyu naturally didn't want to admit it, so he just answered casually. Suddenly, he thought of something else: "I only said that if I lost, I had to teach the other person a set of martial arts, but I didn't say that I had to teach them any profound or powerful martial arts." He chuckled and shamelessly said, "I'll teach you a set of grappling techniques now."
"Grappleling techniques? What kind of martial arts are you talking about? I've never heard of them before!" the old rascal exclaimed in surprise. Yang Zhuyu blushed and blurted out, "Officer Ma taught me." In fact, he didn't know any martial arts at all. This so-called grappling technique was just a few fake moves that the instructor taught him during his military training when he first entered university.
"Hurry up and demonstrate it for me!" Upon hearing the unfamiliar "Qin Na Quan" (Grappling Fist), the old man thought it was some powerful martial art he had never seen before, so he urged him impatiently.
Helpless, Yang Zhuyu could only demonstrate the Qin Na Quan moves he vaguely remembered in front of the old man.
With his exceptional martial arts skills, the old man could tell before Yang Zhuyu even used two moves that this was a set of fist techniques far inferior to any he had ever seen. "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" he spat three times, winking and saying, "What kind of dog shit fist is this? I'm not learning it anymore, I'm not learning it anymore! Let's continue playing games. Come on, let's see who can pee the farthest."
Yang Zhuyu was overjoyed to hear that the old man wasn't going to learn his "fist techniques," and quickly withdrew his hands, wiping them away, saying, "I just peed, how can I pee now? Let's change the game." The old man smiled sheepishly, scratching his beard, "Hehe, I forgot, I just peed all that. Hehe, then give me another idea, let's see what we play." Yang Zhuyu pondered for a moment, then came up with a game he had never played before: "Haha, old man, this time let's go to the small town ahead and play a game." "What game? Tell me quickly, tell me quickly!" the old man urged impatiently.
To whet his appetite, Yang Zhuyu deliberately didn't say anything, instead laughing, "Come on, you'll see when we get to the town." The old rascal eagerly replied, "Okay, okay, okay, let's go quickly."
The two hurried to the town, only to find it wasn't very lively; it was just an ordinary small mountain town in Kunlun Mountain, with only a few farmers going to the market and doing some business. The two walked to an old tree, where it was even quieter, with only a meat stall that had no customers and a child playing under the tree.
"Little brat, what new game have you come up with this time? Tell me, tell me!" the old rascal said impatiently. Yang Zhuyu smiled slyly, not expecting that his simple game of urinating would ignite the old man's passion. He thought, "This old man seems to have deep inner strength. I need to think of a game that only requires talking, not actual skill. That way, I'll definitely beat him." Thinking this, he laughed, "Let's have a competition in town to collect protection money, and see who can collect the most."
"Protection money! What's that?" The old man scratched his head blankly, as if he'd never heard of the term before. Yang Zhuyu explained with a grin, "Protection money, in our current terms, is pretending to be a bandit and robbing others. Haha, how about that, exciting or not?" The old man beamed, praising, "Great game! I've never played this before. Fun, fun! I'm going now!" He was eager to start, not caring about politeness, and went to find someone to rob.
"Wait, wait, wait! I haven't even said we're playing yet!" Yang Zhuyu, not expecting the old man to be so impatient, hurriedly grabbed him, saying, "Anyone can rob someone if they have the guts. What's so exciting or fun about that?" The old man immediately stopped, puzzled, "Didn't you say we were going to rob someone?" Yang Zhuyu said seriously, "Of course we're going to rob someone, but my robbery game is a little different. The two of us will go ahead and randomly pick someone to rob, but we can only talk, not touch, and we can't even touch the person we're robbing. Whoever can get the person they're robbing to willingly hand over their money wins. What do you say?" The old man was even more puzzled: "We can't touch them, so how about the others?" "Would they willingly give you money?" Yang Zhuyu chuckled. "That depends on your own abilities."
The old man, having learned his lesson, quickly pushed Yang Zhuyu forward, saying, "Alright, we'll do as you say. Little brat, I won't bully the weak; you can go first." Yang Zhuyu chuckled, thinking to himself, "You old rascal aren't stupid. You're clearly not afraid of being taken advantage of if you go first and fail to rob anyone, so you want to learn some experience from me. Haha, but in my game, the first one to go actually benefits." He grinned again, "Then I'll go first."
Yang Zhuyu saw that the only other person nearby, besides a burly butcher, was a seven or eight-year-old boy with a topknot and a longevity lock around his neck. A cunning smile crept across his face as he thought, "Hehe, old rascal, the butcher with the full black hair on his chest is yours." So, he brazenly walked towards the boy.
Yang Zhuyu stopped in front of the child, who was only about his crotch height. Standing before the child, Yang Zhuyu felt like a towering giant. He carefully observed the child and noticed the longevity lock hanging around his neck was flawless, made of ordinary metal plated with silver. While not pure silver, it still contained a few coins' worth of silver scraps. He let out a strange laugh, glaring with his eyes and eyebrows, striking a fierce and domineering pose. He then shrieked, "Little brat, the King has something to discuss with you." Having been repeatedly called "little brat" by the old rascal, he now recognized the child as at least ten years younger and addressed him with the same term.
The little boy looked up at Yang Zhuyu with a blank expression. He was initially afraid, then gave a timid grin and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you want with me?" A farm boy who had grown up in the Kunlun Mountains, he had never seen the world and didn't know the difference between good and bad people. So when Yang Zhuyu said, "Your Majesty has something to discuss with you," he assumed Yang Zhuyu's name was truly "Your Majesty."
Before studying abroad, Yang Zhuyu had worked as a petty thug for six months, so he was quite familiar with how to intimidate others and extort protection money. Seeing the little boy's clumsy expression, seemingly frightened, Yang Zhuyu widened his eyes even more, deliberately grinding his teeth to make a "hissing" sound, and threatened, "Little brat, give me your lock, or else I... hehe... hehe..."
The little boy looked at Yang Zhuyu, seemingly realizing that the "king" before him wanted to take his things, and trembled as he whispered, "My father made this lock for me. He said I can't lose it or give it to anyone else."
Seeing the fear on the little boy's face, Yang Zhuyu thought that if he scared him a few more times, he would definitely give him the longevity lock. So he said in a strange voice, "Hmph, your father's word doesn't count. Give it to me or not, or I'll catch you and throw you into the mountains to feed the wolves." The little boy didn't know that... Why would the "King" want to take his lock for no reason? Tears welled in his eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying, "I... I don't want to be fed to the wolves. My father said that if I lose the lock, he... he'll throw me into the mountains to be fed to the wolves too."
Yang Zhuyu's mind went blank, and he almost fell to the ground. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it, how can his father be so scary? Just like me! I'm so unlucky!" He couldn't help but lose his temper and shouted, "Give it to me or not! If you don't, I'll throw you and your father into the mountains to be fed to the wolves." Unexpectedly, although the child was timid, he was very protective of his money. No matter how he was threatened or intimidated, he would rather die than give up his longevity lock. He burst into tears and hugged the lock tightly to his chest.
Faced with this situation, Yang Zhuyu couldn't resort to violence and was utterly helpless. He smiled bitterly, "Sigh! I wonder whose child this is. His parents must be misers who value money more than life, otherwise how could they raise such a child? I truly admire them!"
Chapter 14 Robbery
Yang Zhuyu was initially full of confidence, but he never expected to encounter such a greedy child. Seeing the child crying with tears and snot streaming down his face, he knew he couldn't lose to the old man again, so he hardened his heart and launched into another round of threats and intimidation. But the more he was threatened, the louder the child cried, and the tighter he clutched the silver lock to his chest. No matter how much Yang Zhuyu shouted until his throat was dry and his eyes were bulging, he ultimately failed to rob the child. He was so angry that his eyes were practically green with rage. If it weren't for his own rule of "only verbal, no physical violence," he would have had the urge to rush up and beat the child to a pulp.
This outcome was completely unexpected. Yang Zhuyu muttered to himself, "Damn it! Am I that handsome, dashing, and approachable? I can't even steal something from a little kid! Damn it, I'm a hero of my generation, and I can't even handle a kid in open-crotch pants. I'm so unlucky and down on my luck!" After grumbling for a while, he saw that the little kid was still clutching the silver lock and crying loudly. He was filled with hatred, anger, and disgust. He could only walk dejectedly to the old man's side like a loser. Although his expression was dejected, his mind was still calculating: "Now there's only one butcher left, as strong as an ox. If I can't just physically rob him, with that adorable rosy old man's cute face and his comical winking, I definitely won't get a single penny. In that case, we're just even, and I can think of another way to beat him."
Seeing Yang Zhuyu's defeat, the old man was itching to try his luck. He quickly said, "Little brat, you failed at robbing him! Haha, watch this!" He rolled up his sleeves, rubbing his hands together, ready to strike.
"Hey, hey, we agreed beforehand, only words, no violence!" Yang Zhuyu, afraid the old man would use his superior martial arts to rob someone of their money, quickly added. The old man impatiently replied, "I know, only words! Humph, I've played games my whole life, I never cheat, do I need you to remind me?" Then he strode over to the butcher.
The butcher, with his burly physique, bulging muscles, and a large tuft of black down on his chest, constantly rubbed his butcher knife against the pile of pork. He looked every bit the predator, ready to rob someone, and no one would dare rob him. But today, he'd run into this unpredictable old rascal who was determined to rob the butcher.
The old rascal approached the butcher with a grin, puffing out his chest like Yang Zhuyu, then deliberately raised his eyebrows and sternly shouted, "Hey, butcher, you're robbing me!" Unfortunately, his comical appearance only made him seem more like a rascal than a serious man.
The butcher glanced at the old rascal and said, "Old man, if you want meat, pay up. Otherwise, get lost. Nobody wants to mess with you." He then ignored him and continued chopping his pork. The old rascal exclaimed "Huh?" and jumped up and down, waving his arms wildly, yelling, "Robbery! Robbery! Robbery! Didn't you hear me?" After shouting for a while, the butcher finally looked up and carefully examined the old rascal. He scratched his dark chest hair, stared blankly at him, and asked, "Old man, what did you just say? Say it again so I can hear you." The old rascal puffed out his cheeks and muttered, "Are you deaf?!" Then, in a drawn-out tone, he said, "Robbery... you... heard... it...?"
"Haha, haha..." The butcher slammed his pig-slaughtering knife on the stack, looked at the old man with utter contempt, and laughed as he said, "You really want to rob someone? Haha, don't you even know your own worth? You dare to come out and rob people? Forget it, old man, you should just go back to sleep. Humph, you're practically buried in the ground, and you're still trying to rob people. If I didn't see how old you are, I would have already chopped you down with one blow."
The old man was furious that the butcher didn't take him seriously at all, but he always respected the rules of the game. He could have easily stepped forward and knocked the butcher down with one blow, but he refrained from doing so. He paced back and forth in front of the pork rack a few times, shouting like a defiant child, "Just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't rob people! I'm going to do it anyway, I'm going to do it anyway. Robbery! Robbery!" But no matter how much he shouted, the butcher remained unmoved, shaking his head and scoffing, "Old man, even if you shout until your voice is hoarse, no one will be afraid of you. I don't think robbing is a possibility. If you're really just too hungry, and you say a few kind words to me, I might take pity on you and give you two ounces of meat to take home."
The old rascal listened to the butcher's words... Ridiculously, the old man puffed out his beard and glared, arguing, "What did you say? Bullshit, utter nonsense! I just ate breakfast this morning, how could I be hungry? You actually say that even if I shout until my voice is hoarse, no one will be afraid of me? Bullshit, bullshit, I just don't believe it!"
Seeing the old man stubbornly clinging to him, the butcher grew increasingly impatient and shouted, "That's right! Nobody's afraid of you, what more do you want? You old geezer, get out of here. Otherwise, I'll really show you what a real robbery is."
Yang Zhuyu, standing at a distance watching the old man's failed robbery attempt, jumped around on the ground in frustration. Jumping and shouting, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, secretly gloating: "This butcher is no child. If this old rascal stubbornly refuses to leave, he might anger him and get himself into trouble. Haha, I'd like to see how he handles this."
But the butcher's words gave the old rascal a sudden idea. He thought, "I can't use my hands or feet, I can only use my mouth. So I'll use my profound inner strength to scare this butcher. If I use my inner strength and shout loudly, the whole town will probably be in chaos, and then the butcher might be scared." Thinking this, he congratulated himself on his cleverness. The old man, secretly pleased with himself, then put on a grin and said, "Well, I, the Old Rascal, am going to really start yelling! Listen up!"
The butcher, not expecting such a rogue, could no longer contain himself. He raised his butcher's knife and roared, "What the hell are you yelling for? Are you going to get lost or not?"
Just then, the Old Rascal opened his mouth and started yelling and shouting incoherently. The whole town buzzed with a deafening roar. Everyone felt dizzy, their scalps tingled, and they almost lost their balance, instinctively crouching down and covering their ears, thinking it was an avalanche or an earthquake. His shouting even made the ground tremble slightly, and the snow on the ground was shaken into a whirlwind, as if the earth were about to collapse.
After yelling and shouting for a while, the Old Rascal suddenly shut his mouth, but the buzzing echoed in the sky, and snowflakes trembled wildly.
The butcher, who was standing closest to him, was stunned by the earth-shattering sound and stood there motionless for a moment. Suddenly, blood streamed from his nose and ears, and he ran away like a madman, abandoning his meat stall. As he ran, he shouted, "My God! An old immortal has descended to earth! My God! Lao Tzu has descended to earth!"
The old rascal, seeing that he had scared the butcher away, chuckled and said to himself, "See if you still dare to say no one is afraid of me! Hehe, this butcher seems to have lost his mind. This town might have another madman from now on. Humph, serves you right for looking down on me." He didn't even bother to look for the money on the butcher's stall, but just casually picked up a small piece of lean meat from the pile of meat and walked towards Yang Zhuyu with a smug look on his face.
Chapter 15 Winning a Set of Seven Star Sword Techniques
The Old Rascal, carrying a small wad of lean meat, chuckled as he approached Yang Zhuyu. He stuck out his tongue, made a face, and struck a victorious pose, boasting, "Little brat, how about that? You didn't rob anything, but I robbed half a pound of fresh lean pork! Hehe, you lost again. I didn't lay a hand on him, just used my mouth. Are you convinced or not?" Yang Zhuyu's head was buzzing, still reeling from the Old Rascal's shout. Seeing the Old Rascal flaunt his spoils, he didn't care whether he was convinced of the victory or not, but he was utterly impressed by the Old Rascal's profound internal strength. He nodded repeatedly, saying, "I'm convinced, I'm convinced! You're amazing! I admire you to the core!"
Seeing his sincerity and certainty, the Old Rascal didn't realize he was impressed by Yang Zhuyu's martial arts skills, not his victory. He clapped his hands and laughed heartily, like a child who had won a game of marbles, spinning it around on the ground.
Yang Zhuyu, realizing he had lost despite his meticulous planning, felt a mixture of admiration and frustration. He knew that betting and playing games with the Old Rascal required rules and conditions, so he brazenly said to the Old Rascal, whose martial arts were a thousand times stronger than his own, "Ahem, Old Rascal, I'll teach you a set of boxing and kickboxing techniques now." The Old Rascal repeatedly said, "Teach me quickly, teach me quickly, and then we can continue the game." He knew the Old Rascal couldn't demonstrate any particularly impressive martial arts, but since the conditions had been set, he couldn't break the rules. If he didn't watch the Old Rascal demonstrate, it would be as if he had broken the rules and felt guilty.
"This boxing routine was taught to me by Mike Tyson, and I'll only do it once," Yang Zhuyu said, keeping his word. Then, mimicking the mannerisms of boxers on TV, he awkwardly and with a flushed face began to practice.
He'd only been practicing for less than half a minute when the old man impatiently shouted, "Okay, okay, I've learned it! You don't need to practice anymore, let's continue playing!" He acted as if he'd completed a difficult task. In reality, he didn't care about Yang Zhuyu's boxing technique; he just wanted to play with him. Yang Zhuyu, naturally aware of the old man's thoughts, withdrew his fists, his face red. He awkwardly said, "Alright, I've just finished practicing this routine too."
"Little brat, tell me, tell me, what other games are we going to play?" the old man urged again after dealing with the boxing match he'd won.
Upon hearing this question, Yang Zhuyu began to rack his brains. He thought to himself that the Old Urchin was no ordinary person, and with his skills, he was afraid that no matter how he played against him, he would eventually lose. Losing would be embarrassing, but he would never be able to trick the Old Urchin into revealing even a trace of his martial arts. Seeing the Old Urchin's impatient look, his mind raced, calculating: "If I can't beat him in terms of physical strength, internal energy, or explosive power, then I might as well compete with him in terms of intelligence. That way, I'm sure I can beat him. Hehe, I, Yang Zhuyu, can't beat him in other aspects, but I refuse to believe that I'm even dumber than him! If I'm not even as smart as him, then I might as well just die." Thinking of this, he regained his fighting spirit and said, "How about we play a brain teaser game?"
"What is a brain teaser?" the Old Urchin asked blankly. In their time, they only knew word puzzles; they hadn't yet developed the more challenging brain teasers. "Hehe, a brain teaser is when I ask a question, and you have to answer it correctly within a very short time. If you answer correctly, you win; if you answer incorrectly, you lose," Yang Zhuyu chuckled mischievously.
"Okay, okay, let's play brain teasers," the old rascal said happily.
Yang Zhuyu immediately thought of the riddles he had seen on the internet in the 21st century and eagerly said, "Then I'll go first." The old man, though playful, wasn't particularly clever; he wasn't good at coming up with good riddles. Hearing that he would give a riddle to answer, he quickly replied, "Okay, okay, hurry up and give me the riddle."
Yang Zhuyu, confident of victory, chuckled, "Since we're in a betting competition, I'll give you the simplest riddle first. Remember, you have to answer it quickly; taking too long to think won't count." The old man said anxiously, "I know, I know, hurry up and give me the riddle." Yang Zhuyu pretended to think for a moment and said, "Then tell me, what kind of competition does the winner get nothing, while the loser always gets a prize?"
"Fighting! The winner gets nothing, but the loser gets a head full of bumps," the old man blurted out.
"Wrong!" Yang Zhuyu quickly denied.
The old rascal panicked after answering only once, and without thinking about the question anymore, he started answering rapidly and randomly:
"Running!"
"Wrong!"
"High jump!"
"Wrong!" "
Playing chess!
" "Wrong!
" "Eating!"
"Wrong!" "
Taking a dump!"
"Wrong!"
...
Seeing his answers getting more and more absurd, Yang Zhuyu couldn't help but burst into laughter, shouting, "Time's up! Time's up!"
The old rascal stopped his rapid-fire answers, scratched his messy hair, and chuckled foolishly, "Little brat, what is it then?" Yang Zhuyu laughed until tears streamed down his face, scolding, "Idiot, it's simple, just play rock-paper-scissors and drink! The winner doesn't get a prize, the loser gets a drink!"
"Oh dear! Such a simple answer, how could I not have thought of that!" The old rascal slapped his head hard, crying out in despair.
Yang Zhuyu, seeing that he had finally won, thought his wish was about to come true, and his heart was bursting with joy. Knowing that the Old Urchin wouldn't cheat after losing, he eagerly said, "If you lose, you have to teach me a set of martial arts." The Old Urchin, true to his word, blinked and said, "I don't know your low-level martial arts. How about I teach you the Seven Star Sword Technique of my Quanzhen Sect? The Seven Star Sword Technique is the most prized sword technique created by Wang Chongyang, the senior brother of my Old Urchin Zhou Botong. He left it specifically for Quanzhen disciples to use against their enemy, Ouyang Feng."
Yang Zhuyu was naturally eager to accept and excitedly said, "Haha, Wang Chongyang's masterpiece, of course! After learning it, I'll be able to brag about it!"
The Old Urchin casually picked up a branch under the tree and briefly explained, "The Seven Star Sword Technique evolved from the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Formation of the Quanzhen Sect. If cultivated to the highest level, its power is no less than that of Yang Guo's Xuan Tie Sword Technique." Then he picked up the branch and quickly swung it once. In a flash, after finishing his dance, he rushed to Yang Zhuyu and said with a grin, "Alright, alright, I'm done teaching. Come on, let's continue the game."
Yang Zhuyu saw that his movements were incredibly fast, like shooting stars and lightning, shattering the sky. He could only see a series of figures and snowflakes swept up by branches; he couldn't see anything else clearly. He shook his head blankly, troubled, and said, "No way! This counts? I didn't even see clearly. Does this count as finishing the lesson?" Actually, the old rascal only wanted to play. He had no intention of slowly teaching others kung fu. He thought that Yang Zhuyu was learning his kung fu just like he was learning his "kung fu"—a few quick moves and it was over.
The old man scratched his itch with a twig and said, "Of course it's over! I only watched for a short while when you taught me."
"That...that won't do. My martial arts are easy to learn; you can learn them in a glance. But your martial arts are too difficult...too difficult to learn. You have to teach me several times. If I don't learn it, it doesn't count." Yang Zhuyu, determined to learn, had to swallow his pride again. The old man scratched his head, thinking that what he said seemed to make sense, and said, "Alright, I'll show you again." After saying that, he quickly began to wield his "sword."
"Slow down, slow down! At least let me see clearly!" Yang Zhuyu shouted anxiously.
The old man stopped and impatiently stomped his foot, but he couldn't break the rules of the bet, so he patiently performed the Seven Star Sword Technique at the slowest speed.
Yang Zhuyu knew that the old man's temper meant he wouldn't teach him slowly, so he thought he could only take this opportunity to memorize every move he made, and then study and refine it later. Fortunately, he was clever. The Seven Star Sword Technique only had forty-nine moves, not particularly complicated. The old rascal only had to demonstrate it once, and he managed to memorize it all.
The old rascal finally finished demonstrating the moves, threw down the branch, and shouted, "Is that enough now? Come on, let's play again."
Chapter 16 Unusable Sword Moves
Yang Zhuyu had just memorized the Seven Star Sword Technique when he saw the old rascal urging him on again. He thought that if he continued playing with him, he would probably forget the moves soon. Seeing that it was getting dark, he pretended to be tired, yawned, smiled wryly, and frowned, saying, "I've played with you all day, I'm not playing anymore, I need to rest! We'll play again tomorrow."
The old rascal, seeing that Yang Zhuyu wouldn't play with him anymore, pouted and was very unhappy, so he pulled and coaxed him, wanting him to play with him a little longer. To memorize the sword moves, Yang Zhuyu deliberately ignored him. Seeing only a simple inn in the town, he headed straight for it. The old rascal, having finally found a playmate who suited his taste after so many years, was naturally reluctant to leave. So, with a pout, he followed Yang Zhuyu, muttering to himself all the way.
Upon arriving at the inn, Yang Zhuyu was about to pay for his stay when he reached into his pocket and found it full of paper money. A wave of confusion washed over him: "Paper money doesn't seem to be common in this era yet, this is terrible!" He then remembered that gold and silver were used, and sighed with worry. Seeing Yang Zhuyu's bewildered expression, the old man grinned and whispered in his ear, "Little brat, I could tell you didn't bring any silver. Hehe, come on, let's go rob someone again." Yang Zhuyu, seeing that the old man only wanted him to accompany him, said helplessly, "Hey, how did you know I didn't bring any silver?" The old man said smugly, "Whenever I, the old man, forgot my silver at an inn, I always looked like this." He then showed no shame whatsoever.
“This town is full of poor people, we won’t get much money even if we rob them!” Yang Zhuyu naturally didn’t want to play along with his nonsense anymore. He chuckled and deliberately provoked him, “Old rascal, don’t make fun of me. I can tell you’re broke just by looking at your shabby, poor appearance.”
“Who says I don’t have any money? Haha, you’ve misjudged me.” The old rascal hurriedly pulled a silver ingot from his pocket, waved it in front of Yang Zhuyu, and teased, “Look, look, what else could this be but silver?” Yang Zhuyu smiled slyly, seeing that his scheme had succeeded again, and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s good that you have silver. You can pay for our lodging.” The old rascal immediately stuffed the silver into his pocket, shook his head, and said firmly, “No, no! If you don’t come with me, I won’t pay for the lodging.”
Seeing that he was determined not to pay, Yang Zhuyu knew that the old rascal’s childish nature made him susceptible to provocation, so he said, “Old rascal, we’ve played together for so long, wouldn’t you say we’re friends?” Tong nodded and said, "In recent decades, you've been the person I've had the most fun with. Of course, we're friends." Seeing that he'd been led astray, Yang Zhuyu said seriously, "Today I have no money for a hotel, like I'm in dire straits. But you see a friend in trouble and don't offer help. You're so unrighteous and not a true friend."
The old rascal jumped up and down in a panic, yelling, "Nonsense! Nonsense! Who said I wouldn't help when I'm in trouble? I, the old rascal, am the best friend!" To prove his loyalty, he reached out and took out the silver, rushing to the innkeeper and shoving it into his hand, as if he'd become an unrighteous person if he didn't get rid of the money quickly.
Yang Zhuyu's provocation worked. He laughed heartily, put his hands behind his back, and strolled leisurely upstairs to his room. Seeing him laugh, the old rascal, unaware that he'd been tricked again, mindlessly chuckled a few times and hurriedly followed him upstairs. 　　After entering room 0, Yang Zhuyu completely ignored the old man's attempts to bother him. He sat by the window, slowly reviewing the moves of the Seven Star Sword Technique that the old man had taught him, trying to master them completely. The old man, seeing that Yang Zhuyu was ignoring him, grew increasingly irritated. After rummaging around the room for a while, he lost interest and lay down on the bed, sulking.
Two 　　hours passed in this way. Yang Zhuyu had memorized the Seven Star Sword Technique more than a dozen times, almost to the point of reciting it backwards. But realizing that theoretical knowledge was ultimately useless, he pulled a two-foot-long window slat from the wooden window and began practicing on his own in the room. While 　　memorizing the moves of the Seven Star Sword Technique was easy, truly mastering them, using them freely and effectively in combat, was far from simple! Yang Zhuyu lacked internal energy, while the Seven Star Sword Technique was a superior martial art, relying entirely on profound internal energy to unleash its power. Although he had managed to grasp some of the swordplay's secrets through his intelligence and even figured out how to practice the moves, he was completely unable to execute them with his "wooden sword." No matter how he practiced and demonstrated, his movements were clumsy and awkward, unable to flow freely. After several attempts, he was drenched in sweat, yet he couldn't use a single one of the forty-nine moves of the Seven Star Sword Technique. 　　The old rascal lay on the bed, legs crossed, fuming. But being the impatient child he was, he couldn't contain himself any longer. Seeing Yang Zhuyu frantically trying to master the technique, he gloated, "Haha, little brat, you don't even have a shred of internal energy, yet you want to use the Seven Star Sword Technique! Amusing, truly amusing! If you could actually use the Seven Star Sword Technique like that, wouldn't you infuriate my senior brother Wang Chongyang?" 　　Yang Zhuyu, hearing the old rascal's mockery, suddenly realized, "He's right. Legendary martial arts masters must first possess profound internal energy. Just like the Six Meridians Divine Sword and One Yang Finger, which are powered by internal energy; and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and Toad Stance, which are also powered by internal strength—they all follow the same principle." "I have absolutely no internal energy at this moment, so naturally I can't use this profound martial art." Thinking this, he hurriedly approached the old man with a forced smile, flattering him, "Old man, I know you must have some powerful internal energy cultivation techniques, could you teach me some?" 　　Seeing that Yang Zhuyu was finally willing to talk to him, the old man deliberately pouted, turned his head to the other side, and said angrily, "You won't play with me, so I won't teach you." 　　Yang Zhuyu was about to ask him again when suddenly an idea struck him: "If I want to learn anything from you, old man, I have to rely on my own skills!" He chuckled, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, if you won't teach me, then I won't. I'll play with you now. Same old rules, whoever loses teaches the other a set of martial arts." 　　"Alright, you promised!" The old rascal shouted happily when he saw that Yang Zhuyu was finally willing to play with him. He quickly turned his head back and asked, "What game do we play now?" Yang Zhuyu only wanted to win against him quickly so that he could learn his internal energy cultivation method. He didn't want to think about those time-consuming and laborious games anymore, so he said loudly, "It's dark now, and it's not convenient to play outside. Let's continue playing riddles indoors." The old rascal had been holding back for the past two hours, and he was happy as long as Yang Zhuyu was willing to play with him. He readily replied, "Okay, let's play riddles. Little brat, you give me the riddles." He knew that he couldn't come up with any profound riddles, so he was willing to let Yang Zhuyu give him the riddles from the beginning. 　　Yang Zhuyu smiled slyly, thinking, "Aren't you just asking for trouble!" He stomped his foot on the bench, rolled up his sleeves, and shouted, "Haha, you'd better clear your head quickly, I'm about to give you a riddle!" 　　Chapter 17 Innate Skill vs. Nine Yin Manual 　　"Haha, my riddle is: A bridge can only bear 150 jin (75 kg). If it's even half a jin (25 kg) heavier, the bridge will collapse. But a person weighing 140 jin (70 kg) walked across the bridge carrying two 10-jin (5 kg) iron balls, and the bridge didn't collapse or cause any problems. Hehe, what's the reason?" Yang Zhuyu's mind raced, and the riddle came out immediately. " 　　140 jin plus two 10-jin equals 160 jin (70 kg). Since the bridge can only bear 150 jin (75 kg), how could it possibly allow someone to cross it!" The old man looked bewildered, utterly confused. 　　Yang Zhuyu knew he couldn't answer, and chuckled, "Old rascal, hurry up and answer! This is a riddle, we can't waste time." The old rascal's eyebrows furrowed tightly, and he hesitated, "Could it be that the person was lucky, and the bridge just didn't break?" 　　"Damn it, you call that an answer!" Yang Zhuyu almost spat blood, urging him, "Answer quickly, answer quickly, I'm asking you, not you asking me. If you can't answer, just admit defeat." 　　The old rascal was most afraid of being urged; when someone urged him, his brain would panic. He said hastily, "One ball fell!" 　　"Wrong!" Yang Zhuyu said decisively. 　　"That ball is fake, it doesn't actually weigh ten pounds!" 　　"Wrong, the ball weighs exactly ten pounds!" 　　... 　　The old man guessed seven or eight answers, all of which Yang Zhuyu immediately rejected. He looked miserable, unable to answer, but still very eager to know the answer. He conceded, "Little brat, then tell me what the answer is?" Yang Zhuyu laughed, seeing that his wish was about to be fulfilled, and clapped his hands, saying, "Idiot, idiot! I gave you the simplest question, and you still can't answer it! Hehe, let me tell you the truth, it's because that person was juggling the ball left and right with their hands. Haha, haha..."

"Oh dear, it really is a simple question, how come I didn't think of it again? What a pity, what a pity." The old rascal sighed deeply, utterly dejected.
Yang Zhuyu, however, didn't care about his dejected mood and said impatiently, "You lost! Quick, I want to learn a set of internal energy cultivation techniques, you teach me!" The old rascal was only focused on having fun and hadn't considered that Yang Zhuyu was intentionally trying to trick him into revealing his martial arts skills. So, with a mournful face, he accepted his loss and said, "Alright, I'll teach you a set of Innate Skill. This is also an internal energy cultivation method created by my senior brother Wang Chongyang. He used this method to found the Quanzhen Sect, which was once all the rage and could be said to have dominated the entire martial arts world. Well, it wasn't until the Nine Yin Manual appeared in the martial arts world that it could rival his Innate Skill."
Yang Zhuyu felt a surge of excitement and asked curiously, "So, which is more powerful, the Innate Skill or the Nine Yin Manual?" "The True Scripture is powerful?" The old man blushed slightly and said embarrassedly, "Hehe, hehe, if we're talking about ordinary people, the Nine Yin Manual is naturally a little bit more powerful. However, the Innate Skill is a righteous divine skill of the Xuanmen, which emphasizes long-term cultivation, slowly transforming the internal energy into one's own internal force. The longer the cultivation time, the more internal force is gathered, and the deeper the skill becomes, until finally reaching the Five Flowers Gathering at the Top, transcending the mortal realm, and having the power to roar over mountains and rivers; the Nine Yin Manual is different. It is a strange and profound internal energy cultivation method, which mainly absorbs the external energy directly into the body, quickly forming an indestructible power, which can make one's internal force soar in a short time..."
"You didn't explain it clearly!" Yang Zhuyu was completely confused.
The old rascal himself became confused by the end, shaking his head vigorously. He continued, "To put it simply, the Innate Skill is the orthodox internal skill of the Xuanmen, while the Nine Yin Manual is a strange skill whose righteousness is hard to distinguish from evil. If one practices it for a short time, the Nine Yin Manual will definitely be more powerful. If both martial arts are practiced at the same time, after fifty years, the Innate Skill will definitely be purer and stronger." He paused, then said, "It's like Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Their martial arts were originally far inferior to that of the old poison master Ouyang Feng, but after only learning the Nine Yin Manual for a little over a year, they were able to fight him to a draw."
"Oh, I see!" Yang Zhuyu suddenly understood. He suddenly remembered that Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Ouyang Feng had all been dead for nearly a century. Looking at this almost immortal man, he asked, "Old Urchin, do you know the Nine Yin Manual?" The Old Urchin proudly replied, "Of course I do!" Yang Zhuyu then asked, "So, which do you think is more powerful, the Nine Yin Manual or the Innate Skill?" The Old Urchin chuckled, "Before I was 100, I thought the Nine Yin Manual was more powerful, but after I turned 100, I increasingly realized that the power of the Innate Skill gradually surpassed the Nine Yin Manual."
After hearing the Old Urchin's explanation, Yang Zhuyu began to think, "Damn it, I can't wait 100 years! I'm in a hurry to learn a powerful martial art in a short time. It seems the Nine Yin Manual is better." So he chuckled and joked, "Then I won't learn the Innate Skill, I'll learn the Nine Yin Manual instead."
The Old Urchin, in fact, had no... Just as he was about to agree, he seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly shook his head, saying, "That won't do. We've already agreed that you can only teach me one martial art if you lose. Since I said I'd teach you the Innate Skill, I can only teach you the Innate Skill. How can I break the rules of the game!"
Yang Zhuyu's mind immediately cleared, and he thought to himself, "Haha, I forgot I was playing a game with the Old Rascal, but he remembers it clearly!" Thinking of the word "game," a wicked thought arose in his mind: "The more the merrier. I might as well win against you again and have you teach me both the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill." Thinking of this, he slammed his hand on the table with joy and said, "Old Rascal, please remember this time, okay? We'll compete again. If I lose, I won't ask you to teach me the Innate Skill. But if I accidentally win again, then you have to teach me both the Innate Skill and the Nine Yin Manual at once."
When the Old Rascal heard that he wanted to play a game again, he didn't care about winning or losing and agreed immediately.
Yang Zhuyu knew the old rascal wouldn't come up with any questions, so he said bluntly, "Listen up, old rascal, I'm going to ask you a question again." The old rascal, afraid of losing again, stared intently at Yang Zhuyu, secretly praying that he would ask a question he could answer, so he could win this time. Yang Zhuyu chuckled, thinking, "Staring at me won't help; you definitely won't be able to answer my question."
"A scorpion and a crab played rock-paper-scissors together, and they played from morning till afternoon, and from afternoon till night, but they couldn't decide a winner. Why is that?" Yang Zhuyu's mind raced, and another mischievous joke slipped out.
"Really? They couldn't decide a winner all day!" The old rascal was simple-minded and didn't think in riddles; this riddle left him completely bewildered. After thinking for a long time, he finally found the answer he was most satisfied with, saying, "Did they agree beforehand to deliberately draw a tie?" Even after saying this, he didn't quite believe himself, and waited timidly for Yang Zhuyu's response.
Yang Zhuyu hadn't expected the old man he'd met to be so simple-minded, thinking like a ten-year-old. He burst into laughter, "Wrong!"
Seeing his hard-won answer rejected again, the old man looked disappointed and asked dejectedly, "Then what's the answer?" Seeing his tone of defeat, Yang Zhuyu still couldn't help but laugh, saying between laughs, "Actually, it's very simple. Because both the scorpion and the crab only know how to use 'scissors,' no matter how they draw, it's a tie. Haha, haha..." "
How could I not have thought of that! What an idiot!" Upon hearing the answer, the old man first angrily slapped himself, then, thinking about it more and more, felt a bitter laugh and slapped himself several more times.
Chapter 18 Innate Skill vs. Nine Yin Manual (2)
Yang Zhuyu felt a little sorry for the old rascal who lost so badly, but when he thought that he had to be patient if he wanted to learn good martial arts, he hardened his heart again.
After losing twice in a row, the old rascal angrily took out two yellowed leather books from his pocket, threw them on the table, and shouted, "I'm not playing today, I'll play tomorrow. The old rascal has a headache and is going to sleep. Humph, that's really unfair. He doesn't even give a slightly easier question. He always makes me lose." Then he walked to the bedside, lay down on the bed, grabbed the quilt and covered his head, and went to sleep angrily.
Yang Zhuyu shook his head and smiled helplessly. He picked up two leather books from the table. The first book had three dark characters written on it: "Innate Skill," and the second book had four characters written in cursive script: "Nine Yin Manual." Seeing two unparalleled internal energy cultivation methods in his hands at the same time was like a gift from heaven. He was so excited that he could not be compared to anyone else. The thought that once he mastered the martial arts within, he would be virtually invincible in the world, except perhaps for the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Great Shift of the Universe. He couldn't help but jump and shout with excitement.
Finally managing to control his emotions, he saw that the Old Urchin was indeed fast asleep and wouldn't play with him anymore. He thought it was best that he wasn't disturbing him. He first put the Innate Skill manual into his pocket, then opened the Nine Yin Manual and began to carefully study it.
After reading for a while, he realized that the Nine Yin Manual was actually quite extensive. Originally, the Nine Yin Manual was divided into two volumes, which were later copied and translated into one by the Old Urchin Zhou Botong, but the two volumes were still clearly distinguished. The first volume mainly recorded the initial methods of cultivating internal energy, while the second volume was much more complex. Besides more profound internal energy cultivation methods, it also touched upon many deep and strange martial arts, methods for healing injuries with poison and restoring one's original essence, and even strange techniques for bewitching the soul and mind. Yang Zhuyu found the contents of the manual vast and profound, dazzling him and making it impossible to understand everything in a short time. He thought that everything must be done step by step and not be too hasty. Building castles in the air was impossible.
After figuring this out, he carefully read through the first volume of the introductory internal energy cultivation method. "The way of Heaven is to take from the excess and give to the deficiency. Therefore, emptiness overcomes fullness, and deficiency overcomes excess..." He read on, and each sentence in the text was profound and full of mystery. It took him a long time to slowly understand each word. Once he felt he had mastered it, he couldn't wait to find a slightly spacious area in the house and sit on the ground to practice according to the instructions in the manual.
Following the methods of cultivating internal energy recorded in the scriptures, Yang Zhuyu circulated the energy within his body three times. He then faintly felt a slight warmth beneath his dantian. Overjoyed, he thought, "Could this be the internal energy the Old Urchin spoke of?" His mind wandered, and suddenly the energy in his dantian vanished without a trace. Slightly startled, he quickly cleared his mind of distractions and focused entirely on the method of circulating the energy. Sure enough, within a short while, he felt a faint flow of energy emanating from his dantian again.
After practicing this more than ten times, Yang Zhuyu consulted the annotations in the Nine Yin Manual and tried to slowly control the flow of energy in his dantian. After an unknown amount of time, he was able to gradually solidify the small flow of energy in his dantian, and even if he was slightly distracted, it would not dissipate. He couldn't help but wonder, "If I were to move around freely under normal circumstances, I wonder if I could easily gather the Qi in my dantian." So, he suddenly stood up, deliberately jumping around the room for a while, and then, following the Qi-raising method recorded in the manual, he circulated his energy. Instantly
, the Qi returned to his dantian. Overjoyed, he thought, "It seems I've already grasped a small part of the introductory techniques of the Nine Yin Manual!" At this moment, he couldn't help but think of another martial arts manual he carried, curious about the cultivation methods recorded in the Innate Skill. So, he took the manual out and placed it on the table to examine it. He saw that the Innate Skill was vastly different from the Nine Yin Manual, and the cultivation paths and methods were completely different. The text recorded in the Innate Skill was not complicated at all; it consisted entirely of simple breathing techniques and meditation methods.
Yang Zhuyu was surprised to find that the introductory method of the Innate Skill taught how to breathe, sit, walk, and sleep. The first sentence read: "Before sitting down, one must have a clear and empty mind, without a single thought. When thoughts are settled, emotions are forgotten; when the body is empty, qi circulates; when the heart is dead, the spirit lives; when yang is abundant, yin diminishes. Then, straighten your body and sit upright, breathing gently through your nose, so that the soul does not wander inward and the spirit does not wander outward..." He was slightly startled and tried to practice according to the book. At first, his thoughts were turbulent and difficult to control, but he continued to follow the slow and deep breathing method described in the book. After a long time, he gradually felt his mind settle down, and a warm qi gradually rose in his dantian. After lying quietly like this for an hour, Yang Zhuyu suddenly stood up, feeling refreshed and his mind much clearer than before.
He glanced out the window and saw that the sky was beginning to lighten; it was already morning. He realized that he had been so engrossed in the two great skills that he had spent the whole night in a flash. He shook his head vigorously, feeling no fatigue whatsoever, attributing it to momentary excitement. Little did he know, it was the energy-restoring effect of practicing the Innate Skill.
Yang Zhuyu had practiced the introductory techniques of two divine skills consecutively, feeling a slight increase in the flow of energy in his dantian. He suddenly remembered the Old Urchin saying that the Nine Yin Manual was slightly evil, easy to master quickly, and at its highest level, allowed one to generate power from the dantian, unbreakable, like a copper wall or iron barrier, as if penetrating rotten soil. The Innate Skill, however, was a legitimate internal skill of the Xuanmen sect. While its speed of internal energy increase was not as fast as the Nine Yin Manual, its potential was limitless and indescribable. In other words, once mastered, one could cultivate anytime, anywhere—while sleeping, walking, breathing—meaning one's internal energy would gradually increase every day. Thinking of this, Yang Zhuyu thought, "Hehe, if I cultivate both the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill at the same time, then the righteous and the evil will be integrated, and the speed will complement each other. I'm sure I can increase my internal strength much faster."
"Heh..."
Just then, the Old Urchin let out a long yawn and then suddenly stood up from the bed. He chuckled, "I slept so well! In my dream, Yama sent the Black and White Impermanence to take me to the underworld. I fought two of the impermanence little devils, and then I fought Yama himself! Haha, they couldn't beat me, so they let me go!" He woke up, having completely forgotten yesterday's unpleasantness. He stared at Yang Zhuyu with his small eyes and continued chuckling, "What a pity, a little brat didn't sleep all night. Poor thing!"
Yang Zhuyu was slightly startled and asked, "You slept so soundly, how did you know I didn't sleep all night?" The old rascal blinked and said helplessly, "I can't help it. Anyway, once I'm asleep, I'm perfectly aware of everything that moves within a few feet of me." It turned out his inner strength was unfathomable, to the point that his mind was as sharp as when he was awake, even in his dreams.
Seeing that Yang Zhuyu, despite not having slept all night, showed no signs of fatigue but instead radiated health, the Old Urchin exclaimed in surprise, "Little brat, not bad! You actually managed to learn both the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill in one night! Amazing, amazing! Your talent is comparable to that of Huang Rong and Yang Guo back in the day!"
Chapter 19 The More the Merrier
Yang Zhuyu was quite pleased with the Old Urchin's praise of his talent, but also curious, he asked, "How did you know I cultivated both the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill in one night?" The Old Urchin replied, "That's easy to see. I noticed a faint aura of concentrated energy between your brows, which I knew couldn't be formed by just one internal energy technique. This proves that you have two different internal energy sources within you." "Our strengths intertwined, and I know you've been practicing those two martial arts simultaneously." After saying this, he naturally thought of playing with Yang Zhuyu again, grabbing his arm and saying, "Let's not worry about martial arts for now. Come on, come on, let's continue playing."
Yang Zhuyu's divine skills were just beginning to develop, so he had no mood to play with him, declining, "I need to continue practicing the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill. I'm not playing with you now." Seeing that he was being rejected, the old rascal said angrily, "What's so fun about practicing alone so early in the morning? I'll get angry if you don't play with me!" Yang Zhuyu smiled faintly, knowing the old rascal's childish temper, and didn't care whether he was angry or not, sitting upright on the ground again, preparing to practice the Nine Yin Manual one more time.
"Wow, wow, little brat, you really aren't going to play with me?" The old rascal yelled angrily, scratching his ears and head, but there was nothing he could do. The old man paced restlessly around the room, remembering that Yang Zhuyu was simultaneously cultivating the Innate Skill and the Nine Yin Manual. Suddenly, a mischievous idea struck him. He laughed loudly, "Little brat, get up, get up! With your meager internal strength, all your training will be useless. In three to five years, you'll only be a third-rate character at best. If you play with me and can beat me, I'll teach you a much more powerful martial art that will instantly double your skills."
Yang Zhuyu knew that while the Nine Yin Manual could be mastered quickly, it still took at least a few years to achieve any significant progress. Hearing the old man mention such a powerful skill, he was greatly intrigued and immediately stood up, grinning, "There's no such powerful skill! You're lying to me!" The old man feigned anger, "How am I lying to you? I created a set of ambidextrous fighting techniques. Once you learn it, it will instantly double your martial arts skills." In his heart, however, he thought, "Hehe, I..." "This ambidextrous fighting technique can only be learned by fools; the smarter a person is, the less likely they are to learn it. I was just trying to trick you into playing with me. You're so smart, even if I taught you, you wouldn't be able to learn it."
But Yang Zhuyu's thoughts were far more cunning than he imagined. His ideas were a hundred times more ruthless. He suddenly thought, "If we're talking about seniority, this Old Urchin is probably the highest in the martial arts world. Even Zhang Sanfeng, the most revered figure in China, is several generations below him. The martial arts he possesses are unparalleled in the world; he's like a treasure trove of martial arts, filled with countless peerless skills. Just learning one of them would allow one to dominate the martial arts world. Hehe, since that's the case, why don't I be ruthless and empty this treasure trove completely, gathering it all for myself!" Thinking this, he laughed heartily and said, "Haha, alright, it's a deal! I'll play with you now."
The Old Urchin thought he had fallen for his trick and jumped for joy. After losing several times yesterday, he was very dissatisfied and asked Yang Zhuyu to play a riddle game. Yang Zhuyu was overjoyed, thinking that he was asking for trouble. "Come on, let's play a game, riddles it is!" He had many wicked thoughts in his mind, wanting to trick the old man out of his mind. However, the old man didn't care if his martial arts skills fell into someone else's hands, as long as someone could make him happy.
Thus, both were willing participants, and Yang Zhuyu spent three days and three nights playing with the old man. Yang Zhuyu posed strange and unusual riddles, such as, "What's the fastest way to extinguish a fire?" The answer was to add a horizontal stroke to the character for "fire." Another example was, "Why did Qin Shi Huang take so many terracotta warriors to the underworld as burial goods?" The answer was, "He was going to stage a coup in the underworld." The old man, being simple-minded and unable to think outside the box, naturally suffered repeated defeats, while Yang Zhuyu was invincible.
The old man lacked patience, and after each defeat, he would only teach Yang Zhuyu perfunctorily, often only demonstrating once or twice at most. If asked to practice more, he would scratch his head, jump around, and yell. Fortunately, Yang Zhuyu possessed an exceptional memory. Although he couldn't immediately grasp many parts, he memorized every single martial art the Old Urchin taught him, intending to study it more thoroughly later.
After three days, Yang Zhuyu's wish was fulfilled. The Old Urchin taught him a new martial art each time he lost, and eventually, he lost everything to Yang Zhuyu, from his most powerful Ambidextrous Technique to his most prized Empty Fist, then to the superior Quanzhen Swordplay, and finally even various miscellaneous ordinary fist techniques, sword manuals, and palm techniques.
Whether the martial arts taught by the Old Urchin were profound and difficult or simple and easy to learn, Yang Zhuyu could usually grasp about 70-80% of them after memorizing them and then practicing them. However, the Ambidextrous Technique, with its simple eight characters "draw a square with the left hand, and a circle with the right hand," remained completely beyond his grasp. After dozens of attempts, he still couldn't calm his mind. He thought that only someone like the Old Urchin, who was completely free of guile and distractions, could learn this skill! Eventually, he had no choice but to give up.
After three days, Yang Zhuyu saw the Old Urchin's utterly miserable defeat. Seeing him slumped on the ground, his face ashen, seemingly unable to move, Yang Zhuyu felt a mixture of pleasure and pity. The Old Urchin was indeed pitiful; his martial arts skills had been completely swindled away. Now, as if his brain had overworked, he kept complaining of a headache, and finally lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep, refusing to play with Yang Zhuyu for two days.
During the two days the Old Urchin slept, Yang Zhuyu took the opportunity to diligently cultivate the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill. However, two days was too short a time; besides gaining more control over the flow of energy in his dantian, it didn't increase much. Yang Zhuyu had memorized far too many fist techniques to practice them all at once. Therefore, he set aside miscellaneous or less special martial arts and focused on practicing the Seven Star Swordplay and the Empty Fist.
Since gaining internal energy, practicing the Seven Star Swordplay became much smoother for Yang Zhuyu. He executed all forty-nine moves in sequence with surprisingly little effort. However, the power of his execution was vastly different from that of the Old Urchin! It was at this time that Yang Zhuyu gradually discovered that each move of the Seven Star Swordplay was incredibly profound and concealed countless deadly traps. The Empty Fist differed from the Seven Star Swordplay; it consisted of sixty-two moves, all controlled by internal energy. The higher one's internal energy, the greater the power of the fist technique.
Chapter 20 Playing with the Old Rascal
The Old Rascal slept for two days straight. When he woke up, he still looked a little tired, but his face had regained its usual cheerful smile. Seeing Yang Zhuyu still diligently practicing martial arts, he playfully pestered him again, wanting him to play with him.
When Yang Zhuyu saw him coming to play again, he thought about how the Old Rascal had unwittingly imparted all his martial arts skills to him without any regret. Suddenly, he felt quite guilty. So he stopped practicing, thinking that since the Old Rascal loved to play, he would play with him and make him happy. On a sudden impulse, Yang Zhuyu thought of a riddle he found most amusing and disgusting, and laughed, "Old rascal, I'm going to give you another riddle now, but this time I won't rush you to answer. You can think about it slowly until you figure it out."
Hearing that Yang Zhuyu was going to give him another riddle, the old rascal perked up and said, "Alright, if you don't keep urging me and I have enough time, I'm sure I can guess it." Since Yang Zhuyu wasn't going to compete with his martial arts skills, he didn't care whether he answered correctly or not; he just wanted to amuse him, so he laughed and said, "Alright, I'll give you the riddle now."
"A young couple checked into an inn. They were both perfectly healthy when they arrived, but after one night, both of them fell ill. The woman was inexplicably weak and unable to even walk; while the man suffered from abdominal swelling and severe indigestion. What could be the reason?" After posing the question, Yang Zhuyu found the answer too difficult. He chuckled and thought, "When the old rascal can't answer and admits defeat, I'll tell him the answer. It'll definitely make him laugh out loud."
The old rascal lowered his head and pondered for a long time before hesitating, "Could it be that they stayed in a shady inn and were poisoned at night?" Yang Zhuyu shook his head and smiled wryly, thinking to himself, "This old rascal has been playing brain teasers with me for so long..." But his mind still couldn't process it!
The old man, seeing he'd answered incorrectly, sighed softly, pondered for another half an hour, and replied, "Could it be that this man and woman were originally enemies, and they ambushed each other at night, which is why they were both injured?" Yang Zhuyu was getting sleepy from waiting, but he hadn't expected such a childish answer. He shook his head helplessly and reminded him, "Old man, since it's a riddle, then think outside the box, let your imagination run wild! Don't always give those answers that anyone could come up with, those completely unoriginal answers." The old man knew he'd answered incorrectly again and cried, "But no matter how hard I try, I can't come up with those witty answers you mentioned!" But he wasn't discouraged and buried himself in deep thought.
Seeing him deep in thought again, and finding it boring to sit alone, Yang Zhuyu practiced the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Skill again. After finishing, he saw the old man's eyebrows tightly furrowed, his once smooth face seemingly now wrinkled, and he was still listlessly thinking. Suddenly, he let out a long yawn, a wave of drowsiness washing over him. He realized he hadn't rested for days and nights, so he lay down beside the old man and fell asleep…
＊＊＊＊
Yang Zhuyu slept for a whole day. When he woke up and looked up, he was horrified, almost screaming. The old man beside him was still sitting on the ground, deep in thought. The difference was that his full head of silver hair had fallen out, strewn all over the ground and his body. His once ruddy face was now covered in wrinkles, as if he had aged 100 years in an instant. His once bright and lively eyes were now empty and lifeless.
"Old rascal, you...how did you change...how did you become like this?"
The Old Rascal weakly raised his head, seemingly unconcerned about his transformation. He gave a slightly bitter smile and said dejectedly, "Little brat, this question is too difficult. I've been racking my brains for a whole day and night, but I still can't figure out the answer. In my distress, I even lost all my hair."
It turns out that the reason the Old Rascal could live to be over 200 years old was not only because of his profound inner strength, which allowed him to extend his lifespan beyond that of ordinary people, but also primarily because of his clear and bright mind. He never thought about complicated and troubling things, and coupled with his carefree and joyful life, he lived without any pressure, thus extending his lifespan to an almost unimaginable level. However, in the past few days, playing games with Yang Zhuyu had required him to rack his brains every time, leaving him almost mentally exhausted. He lived to be over 200 years old entirely because his mind was free of pressure. Naturally, he couldn't withstand that. He spent a whole night racking his brains, exhausting his energy, becoming weak and frail, losing all his white hair, and developing wrinkles all over his face.
Yang Zhuyu never expected that his attempt to amuse him would backfire so badly. His heart ached, and he no longer wanted to let him struggle with his thoughts. He whispered, "Old rascal, stop thinking about it. I'll tell you the answer now!" What he had initially found particularly funny now held no humor at all.
The old man was utterly exhausted, and said dejectedly, "You've told me the answer, so I've lost again. I have no more martial arts to teach you now, what should I do?" Yang Zhuyu quickly replied, "I don't need you to teach me martial arts." Not wanting to see him worry any longer, he hurriedly gave the answer: "Actually, the couple had a huge sexual urge at night, and the man fucked the woman all night long. As a result, the woman was so weak from ejaculation that she couldn't walk, while the man ate until he had indigestion and his abdomen was swollen." He used to laugh heartily every time he told this joke, but today, sitting in front of the old man, he couldn't even manage a smile.
Although the old man was almost completely exhausted, he couldn't resist his curiosity and asked with renewed vigor, "Kung! What does that mean?" Yang Zhuyu forced a smile and carefully explained this 21st-century term to the old man.
After hearing this, the old man's expression turned strange, as if a mix of emotions welled up inside him. Then he burst into a loud, broken laugh, saying, "You little brat, why didn't you tell me this funny joke sooner? Haha, haha..." Yang Zhuyu felt a pang of sadness and helped the old man up, saying, "You should rest first. I have many more jokes to tell you. Once you've rested, we won't use any more riddles. I'll tell you them all for free." The old man shook his head and said, "I've played games my whole life and never cheated. How can I break the rules today?" He paused, then added, "I've lived for over 200 years, and only today do I truly feel a bit tired. I'm so happy to meet you, a little brat, to play with me at my age. Cough, cough, since I don't have any more martial arts skills to lose to you, I'll give you all the remaining internal energy I have."
"How could that be! You've painstakingly gathered so much internal energy over the years, how could you just give it to me so easily?" Yang Zhuyu exclaimed, his heart pounding. But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a numbness in his back; the Old Urchin had struck his pressure points, rendering him immobile.
The Old Urchin leaped into the air, suddenly positioning his head, now completely bald, directly above Yang Zhuyu's, continuously channeling his internal energy into him. Yang Zhuyu's mind was in turmoil; he wanted to refuse but was powerless. He felt endless surges of internal energy pouring into his body, and his internal organs burned like fire. After letting out a long howl, he immediately fainted.
Half an hour later, the Old Urchin, exhausted, collapsed to the ground, revealing a final smile: "I, the Old Urchin, have played for over 200 years, and in the end, I've lost my life. It was truly worth it!"

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