Strange Dream At Night

More than two hundred smiths of various specializations were currently staying inside the Weaponsmiths Quarter. There was also a platoon of more than fifty men stationed there to protect it. Lastly, more than twenty maidservants serving in the quarter lived there as well. Taking everyone into account, the total number of people within the quarters did not exceed three hundred. And Qian Su was the head of everyone there.

For tonight’s special sumptuous feast, the Quartermaster had requested that Boss Song from the Joyous Cloud Inn deliver four roasted lambs as well as twenty Sichuan pepper chickens. The maidservants also prepared many side dishes in the Weaponsmiths Quarter’s kitchen. When it was time for dinner, almost all the people of the Weaponsmiths Quarter appeared in high spirits in the large compound of the kitchen where they usually ate.

There was a canopy in the large courtyard and under it was a lengthy table. A large brazier was then taken out and a whole roast lamb was mounted over it on a spit rack. One after another, the Sichuan pepper chickens were served on plates after being sliced up, followed by pots full of Cloudy White Wine being broken open. In the blink of an eye, the aroma of the meat wafted all over the courtyard and the smell of the wine assailed their nostrils. The entire atmosphere was lively beyond measure.

It was because of this kind of atmosphere that Qian Su had brought Yan Liqiang here to announce that Yan Liqiang was his nephew and to get him acquainted with everyone. The sumptuous feast that they were having today was all a reception held in honor of his nephew, Yan Liqiang.

Upon taking in what Qian Su said, everyone present in the Weaponsmiths Quarter was grinning from ear to ear as they glanced towards Yan Liqiang.

In the middle of this lively meal, Yan Liqiang stood up to actively toast the Weaponsmiths Quarter’s chieftains under Qian Su, addressing them as uncles and big brothers. When they saw that Yan Liqiang was such a well-mannered and thoughtful child, each and every one of them felt their impression of Yan Liqiang improve significantly. They immediately treated Yan Liqiang as one of their brothers within the quarter. Some had quite a bit of wine, and with their faces flushed red, they hammered their chest proclaiming their desire to find a beautiful wife for Yan Liqiang.

Having seen that in just one meal, Yan Liqiang was already getting along with every smith and soldier in the Weaponsmiths Quarter, Qian Su was caught by surprise. It was only in this moment that he realized that Yan Liqiang’s method of treating people and handling affairs might be on par with his. Also, due to the fact that Yan Liqiang was young and innocent, he seemed more sincere and humble when interacting with people, which in turn made it more likely for him to win the favor of others.

By the time Yan Liqiang had returned from making a round to toast everyone, each and every one of the men from the Weaponsmiths Quarter had already begun addressing Yan Liqiang as Young Master Yan.

Qian Su found himself completely relieved upon seeing Yan Liqiang at ease in the limelight. However, he found it puzzling as to how Yan Dechang could have brought up a son like this. Could it be that whatever Yan Dechang had told him before was just to deliberately sound modest or did Yan Dechang not even understand his own son?

...

The flavor of Joyous Cloud Inn’s whole roast lambs and Sichuan pepper chickens was pretty good and could even be described as delicious. Compared to the so-called delicacies he had eaten in his past life that were made from ingredients like leanness-enhancing agents, artificial hormones and chemical additives, the meal he had here was better by at least a hundred fold.

This safe place that his old man had found for him to avoid trouble was really great. There was food, drink and even entertainment. Haha….

Yan Liqiang didn’t even hesitate to let himself go, and ate and drank to his heart’s content. By the time the curtain of night had completely fallen, and the sky was filled with stars, everyone had finally dispersed after enjoying themselves to the fullest. And only then did he leave, satisfied, with Qian Su.

"Burp…" On the way back to the house, Yan Liqiang rubbed his belly in contentment and burped loudly.

"How do you find it here?" Qian Su asked while smiling.

"Naturally, Uncle Qian’s territory is superb!" replied Yan Liqiang emulating the Zhenhuan Style [1].

"Back home, apart from learning martial arts, did you also learn blacksmithing from your father ?"

"Initially, my father didn’t allow me to learn and wanted me to focus only on martial arts training. But while I was training, I would always drop by my father’s workshop to fool around. Sometimes, I would roll up my sleeves and help him out. In recent years, I’d often head directly to the blacksmithery to forge ironware, drawing air using bellows and building up my strength. What my father knows, I basically know as well. The problem is that I’m just not as proficient as him! As a blacksmith’s son, if I don’t even know how to forge ironware, then won’t I be forgetting my roots?"

"Good! Good!" Qian Su nodded his head in satisfaction, considerably touched by his statement. "In this world, although martial arts can help you rise, not everyone has the aptitude for it and can build their foundation successfully. Just like your father and I, when we were young, we wanted to train in martial arts as well. However ultimately, we went down the path of the blacksmith instead. In this world, the absolute majority live out their entire lives as ordinary folk. It was like our encounter with the boatman that saved someone down at the wharf today. Back when he was young, it wasn’t that he didn’t have lofty aspirations or goals, but that fate enjoyed working against him. So for the sake of surviving, he could only make a living on the water, replacing the great spear that he’d once held in his hands with a pole. While you’re recuperating here, if you have spare time, you should visit each of the courtyards here. If you want to learn something, they will never selfishly conceal it and will definitely give everything they can to teach you and help you out. It’s not a bad thing for young lads to learn more skills and increase their own knowledge and experience. Even if you can build up your foundation in the future and walk the path of a true Martial Warrior, broadening your horizon and mind will also be advantageous to your cultivation!"

"Alright! I’ll take this to heart!" nodded Yan Liqiang.

As Qian Su looked at Yan Liqiang, he suddenly thought of a question, "What do you think of my position?"

"Here, Uncle Qian is living a comfortable life no different from a fish in water!"

Qian Su burst into laughter. "Like a fish in water! Comfortable lifestyle! What you said is interesting! Interesting indeed! It’s precisely so. Within the Pingxi Prefecture, every Weaponsmiths Quarter’s Quarter Master is a lucrative position. There are countless numbers of craftsmen working under the Military Governor’s Office, and it’s needless to say that we’re not lacking in blacksmiths who can forge ironware. Do you know how I managed to steadily climb to this position?"

The question that Qian Su was asking now was too deep and seemed to conceal a greater motive. Yan Liqiang didn’t answer him immediately. As he was mulling over it, he cast a glance at Qian Su and noticed that Qian Su was staring right at him. In the moonlight, the gaze of his old man’s Junior Brother was gleaming and somewhat abstruse.

This scene appeared to be more like an elder’s test.

"Don’t play dumb with me..." Qian Su reminded him in all seriousness.

Yan Liqiang smiled in embarrassment. He could only answer truthfully in the end, "How Uncle Qian reached today’s position and remained firmly seated as the Quarter Master, I believe that is because Uncle Qian was able to work hard enough to plough through your set path without losing sight of your goal..."

"Able to work hard enough to plough through my path without losing sight of my goal!" Qian Su repeated Yan Liqiang’s words again, his entire body frozen in shock. Never did he ever imagine that he would hear such serious words with profound knowledge from a fourteen year old. Furthermore, he had said it so implicitly. Naturally, Qian Su knew in his heart the answer to the question he asked. The answer was more or less the same as what Yan Liqiang said, but it wasn’t nearly as incisive as Yan Liqiang’s words. It had vivid form and gave careful consideration to his honor. Yet Yan Liqiang had captured the true essence of the matter in just a short phrase.

Judging by Qian Su’s expression, Yan Liqiang knew he was right. The words he uttered earlier weren’t invented by him. Instead, it was the most profound summary of a life experience he had heard in his past life. Regardless of whether one had gone through the bureaucracy or their career, this phrase was already close to being the truth. Now that it had been said out loud meant that there was no room to nitpick about it anymore.

There were several aspects in this world which was different from his previous life on Earth. However, the hearts of the people as well as their nature wasn’t the least bit different at all.

"Alas…" sighed Qian Su suddenly. "Since you can say something like this, I really have nothing to teach you anymore!"

"No, I still have a lot of areas that I need to learn from Uncle Qian..."

"Haha! Don’t be modest about it! For Yan Dechang to be able to have a son like you, is truly something of an oddity! He should be content in this lifetime..." Qian Su said ruefully. Then, he took out a bottle of medicine, passing it to Yan Liqiang. "During these few days, it should be good enough to apply this medicine on your wounds. It’s getting late. You should head back and rest early!"

...

Yan Liqiang carried the medicine that Qian Su gave him back to the small courtyard. Once the gate of that courtyard closed, the entire place became his own little world.

Apart from him and the large tree within the small courtyard, there was only a sky full of moonlight and stars.

Having just eaten, it was inadvisable to go straight to bed, so Yan Liqiang wandered around the small courtyard to aid his digestion while he admired the resplendent starry sky.

To a reincarnated person, the sight of the resplendent starry sky in this world was quite stunning. It was ten folds better than in any blockbuster movie he had seen in the cinema before. In that short while, he couldn’t get enough of that sight.

Just by lifting his head to gaze at the starry sky, Yan Liqiang had felt that was a form of enjoyment.

After an hour had passed and the night sky had gradually darkened, the air started to feel a little chilly. After letting out a yawn, he was starting to feel sleepy. Yan Liqiang cleaned himself up in the courtyard before heading back to his room in the loft. He applied the medicine, changed into his night clothes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The effects of the medicine Qian Su had given him was truly vastly different than the medicine from the medical hall. When the bottle was opened, the surge of an odd but sweet scent assailed the nostrils. The medicine had only just been applied to the wounded area, but Yan Liqiang could instantaneously feel a cooling aura making its way into his skin. The discomfort that the Iron Palm had brought him was reduced by a lot as well.

Speaking of which, Yan Liqiang also hadn’t slept for two days so he already felt sleepy earlier on. His body was feeling more comfortable by the moment, and within a short while, Yan Liqiang soon slipped into his own sweet dreams.

...

In his dreams, a verse suddenly emerged somewhere from the depths of his consciousness. Eventually, the verse distinctly appeared in his thoughts.

‘I was born weak, constantly sick. Before the age of ten, I have not been taking care of my diet and was always plagued by diseases such as pathogenic cold. After the age of ten, I became alcoholic and was diagnosed with a variety of skin diseases. Until the age of nineteen, I was addicted to opium. At the age of thirty, I was plagued by illness for days, too alarmed and afraid to move, trapped between the heat and the cold. I felt restless throughout, feeling both hot and cold every day and night. During the days I’d been suffering from my illness, my body felt like it was on the verge of death...’

Following the appearance of these scripts, more and more lines of script began to surface from the depths of Yan Liqiang’s consciousness. Akin to an animal that had been reawakened after hibernation, they gradually appeared in Yan Liqiang’s mind.

...

‘The teachings instructed orally were knowledge imparted from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the Divine Heavenly Kings, the Great Grandmasters of Luohan. Though the techniques were different, each had their own uniqueness and were difficult to fully grasp and absorb. They were simply too complicated to be studied in detail, yet also too simplified if only one was selected to be studied.’

...

‘During the Taihe period under the Xiaoming Emperor’s reign of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Grandmaster Damo (Bodhidharma) left the Liang Empire, moving to Wei and faced the wall in meditation as he resided in the Shaolin Temple. One day he told his disciples, "Why don’t you tell me what you have understood and what I should observe about your current attainment in learning?" Each disciple then reported to him what it was that they had been cultivating. He said, "A certain disciple has gained my skin while the other, my flesh. Another gained my bones." Only to Huike, he said, "You have obtained my marrow." The later generation misinterpreted. They thought this was referring to the depth of the disciples’ Dao, and were unaware that this was in fact true and had not been randomly said by Damo. It wasn’t until nine years later, after he’d succeeded in his achievement and ascended to immortality. He was buried at the foot of Xiong’er Mountain having almost vanished, leaving only one straw sandal behind.’

Afterwards, the stele at the wall where Damo had faced in meditation was destroyed by the storm. While the Shaolin monks were repairing it, they found an iron chest. Although it didn’t have a lock, they weren’t able to open it regardless of what they used. A monk comprehended and explained, "This must be solid wax. We should use fire." The chest was opened successfully, causing the melted wax to splatter all over. Hence, they obtained two hidden manuscripts. One was the "Muscle Tendon Changing Manual" and the other, the "Marrow Cleansing Manual". The "Marrow Cleansing Manual" mentioned that a man’s body was affected by carnal desires which would then take shape in a bodily form, contaminated by filth. To continue to desire cultivating the profound truth of Buddha and remove obstruction to obtain thusness, one must first cleanse and purge their five viscera and six bowls, the four limbs and the hundreds of bones within their body. Once one is purely cleansed and is able to see peace clearly, only then can one have truly cultivated and attained the wisdom of Buddha….’

...

‘He had obtained the strong physical body of the vajra, gradually attaining the wisdom of Buddha, allowing him to build up the foundation of tendon strength. The will of this monk was strong and sincere. And since he did not want to fall into worldly affairs, he followed through with the teachings of the holy monk and travelled along the mountains and seas, where his whereabouts became unknown. The guest Xu Hong met him overseas and obtained the sacred truth. He passed on the teachings to the Bearded Warrior and the Bearded Warrior returned it to me.’

...

‘Tang, Duke of Wei, Li Yaoshi….’

...

‘I am a warrior. I cannot read a single word. I am adept in the techniques of the long spear and great sword, and find great joy in riding the horse and drawing the bow. It was when the Central Plain was lost, and the Hui and Qin emperors went up North. The muddy horses crossed the river and many events happened to the south of it. Because I was recruited under Marshal Shao Bao (Yue Fei), and assigned as an assistant commander-in-chief, I often won wars and eventually became a great general. I recalled a time when I was ordered to war by Marshal Yue, the army later returned to the state of E. On the journey back, I suddenly came across a travelling monk, whose appearance was strange and old, akin to a Arhat. He carried a letter in hand and entered the camp. He requested for me to deliver it to Shao Bao. I asked for the reason and the monk said, "Does this general know that Shao Bao has divine powers? I said, "I don’t know but I saw that Shao Bao has the ability to draw a bow of hundred picul." The monk asked, "Was Shao Bao’s divine strength bestowed by the heavens?" I said, "Yes." The monk replied, "That’s wrong. I was the one who taught him. Shao Bao used to train under me and was successful in employing his divine strength. I then implored him to follow me to achieve enlightenment together."’

...

‘Song, Shao Xing 12th year. The great general of E under Marshal Shao Bao (Yue Fei). Hong Yi General Niu Gao, Tang Yin, He jiu Fu.’

...

‘The great meaning of Buddha was that the one who wished to advance and obtain proper results must begin with one of two primary foundations: one is to be pure and empty, while the other one is to shed and change. Those who can be pure and empty, will have no barriers. Those who can shed and change, will be unhindered...’

‘What was being said: for the ones that are pure and empty, it is marrow cleansing and for the ones that shed and change, it is muscle tendon changing…’

‘The Marrow Cleansing spoke of a man’s body who was born from flesh and was affected by the pleasures of the flesh, which caused carnal desires to take form. The five visceras and six bowls, the limbs and the bones were tainted by filth and must be cleansed and purged thoroughly until not a single impurity was left behind. Only then would one be able to transcend through the door of enlightenment. There was no other foundation in entering the Dao apart from this. One who does Marrow Cleansing was cleaning their internals. One who does Muscle Tendon Changing was strengthening the externals. If one was able to achieve inner peace and external strength, then advancing into the holy domain was as easy as turning one’s palm. There’s no need to worry about achieving nothing.’

‘It is said to those who practiced "Muscle Tendon Changing", that the constitution of a man’s body was formed when they were just fetuses. Some muscles and tendons are loose while some are shrivelled. Some are withered, some are weak, some are cringing, some are strong, some are stretchable, some are sturdy and some are harmonious. There are all different kinds and they all depend on the quality of the fetus. If the muscles and tendons are loose, then one is sick. If the muscle and tendons are shrivelled, then one is thin. If the muscles and tendons are withered, then one is weakened. If the muscles and tendons are weak, then one is sluggish. If the muscles and tendons are cringing, then one is dying. If the muscles and tendons are strong, then one is vigorous. If the muscles and tendons are stretchable, then one will grow. If the muscles and tendons are sturdy, then one is firm. If the muscles and tendons are harmonious, then one is healthy. If one cannot even be pure and empty, and is flowing with impurities, they cannot be strong externally, and has obstructions. How can such a person ever be permitted to enter the Dao? Therefore, to enter the Dao, one must first change their constitution to strengthen the body and the internal, to support the external. Otherwise, the Dao will be difficult to attain. Talking about those who practiced "Muscle Tendon Changing", the change is said to be profound….’

...

One by one, these writings continuously emerged from within Yan Liqiang’s mind...

After these writings had completely finished appearing, what then emerged from Yan Liqiang’s sea of consciousness, were a series of training diagrams.

Finally, those writings and drawings merged together, turning into a book. The name of the book had large words that were all sparkling in gold, titled "Performing the Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Internal Cultivation Manual". Soon after, the book assimilated into Yan Liqiang’s sea of consciousness...