Chapter 14: The Great Achievement of Boxing
Another bright early morning.
Han Ye woke up early to a breakfast prepared by the servants.
Meat bun, soy milk, rice noodle rolls; nothing was missing.
This was a treatment he had never experienced before.
As a martial artist, how could he have the strength to train if he didn't eat till he was full?
After filling up, Han Ye headed to the dry, smelly stable, intending to lead the well-fed horses to the front of the mansion.
Because Liu Lingqi had a habit of horse riding in the morning, taking a ride outside the village to breathe the fresh air. She had informed him the day before.
Luckily, he was a stableman and not a slave to the horse.
He wouldn't do this kind of hard labour of feeding the horses.
"Brother Han, how are you settling into the mansion?"
On his way to fetch the horse, Han Ye ran into Liu's smiling steward.
As soon as the steward opened his mouth, he referred to him as Brother Han, being incredibly polite.
"Not bad, it's more comfortable than the farmhouse outside the manor," Han Ye replied.
Ever since passing the selection, he transformed overnight, becoming a martial artist within the manor. He was now by Miss Liu's side and naturally held with respect by others.
He even got to switch from the farmhouse he lived in to a separate bedroom in Liu Manor.
His treatment greatly improved.
"You're heading out to work the fields, aren't you, Mr. Steward?" Han Ye remembered that this was the time to water and till the farmland.
The steward nodded and said, "Yeah, that bunch are waiting for me to yell at them. Han, you've got a bright future ahead of you. You better work hard with the young mistress!"
The flattery in this statement was quite apparent.
Han Ye smiled slightly and said, "I certainly will. I'll never forget the favour Mr. Steward has done for me."
Hearing this, the steward grinned in satisfaction.
"By the way, I have something to tell you, but don't spread it around..." the steward looked around cautiously.
"Oh?" Han Ye became curious.
"Our young mistress was kidnapped by bandits when she was eight. They demanded a ransom, which left a deep scar in her heart. She is very cold toward men. You'll have to be careful with your behavior."
The steward warned him quietly.
After hearing this, Han Ye got it, "I didn't know that the young mistress had such an experience. So, she, being a girl, practices martial arts so diligently to protect herself?"
The steward nodded.
"Guess you could say that. After that incident, young miss seems like another person. Her temperament has changed drastically..."
"You should go. I need to leave."
"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Steward."
Han Ye bowed with a smile.
Watching the steward leave, he led the horse to the entrance.
"Just in time."
A moment later, Liu Lingqi walked out of the courtyard, accompanied by a maid and several intimidating bodyguards.
Liu Lingqi glanced at Han Ye, immediately got on the horse, and left a brief command:
"You go to the inner courtyard to practice boxing first. I'll be back soon."
With that, she galloped away from the mansion.
Watching her retreating figure, Han Ye noticed a detail.
Unlike other young girls who liked wearing dresses, she always wore practical training clothes, never put on make-up, and tied her hair into a simple ponytail.
But even so, she was still pretty.
"Hoo ha!"
"Hoo!"
When Han Ye arrived at the inner courtyard, the sounds of martial arts practice had already filled the air.
Wang Da Niu was practicing the first move of the Tiger Arm Fist.
He was training his arms, coordinating with his breath, and each hit on the wooden stake generated a dull thud.
"When you start learning the Tiger Arm Fist, the most important thing is the clever use of arm strength. Merely using brute force won't work."
Han Ye offered a piece of advice from one side.
Upon hearing these words, Wang Da Niu immediately turned around. Seeing Han Ye, his face lit up:
"Brother Han, you're here!"
"Wait...how come? I studied all night last night, and I still didn't get the hang of it."
He was somewhat puzzled.
They had only just started learning the Tiger Arm Fist, but Han Ye seemed to have already grasped the essentials and understood the style well.
"I started early, so I picked it up quicker," Han Ye responded with a light smile.
"Tiger Arm Fist mainly targets the arms, fists, shoulders, and back. You have to be good at using clever strength."
"I got it."
Upon hearing this, Wang Da Niu nodded and launched again into his training.
Han Ye then walked over to the group of martial artists.
They were all old men who had been following Liu Lingqi closely. The close bodyguards.
If he wanted to glean skills, he had to get along well with them.
"My name is Han Ye. I am new here and have been practicing Tiger Arm Fist for a while. Why don't we spar? After all, actual combat is the best way to improve one's skill."
Before, he could only sneak peeks from the artificial mountains, but now he could stand in the inner courtyard and converse with these martial artists openly.
"Oh? You dare to spar with us just after starting your training. You have quite the nerve. Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?" a man with a scar on his face smirked.
"What's an injury when progression is at stake?"
The scar-faced man laughed, "Good, since you're eager to improve, I'll spar with you. I'll feed you my moves, whether or not you can hang on is up to you."
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Han Ye's arm bones produced a series of vibrating sounds, and veins bulged all over his arms. His muscles were twitching like a piece of iron that had been hammered, utterly oppressive!
The scar-faced man clenched his fists; his arm muscles bulged like winding dragons, mobilizing the strength of all his muscles and threw a punch.
His fist flew out fast like lightning.
Han Ye also immediately raised his fist to block.
Their punches stirred waves of qi-energies, showing impressive might.