Chapter 38: Nine Realms

Wang Gu'an looked doubtful, Ning He glared at him, pointed at the string of words, "Really read 'roll'! This fist was inspired by watching the rain in Dali. The fist rolls away, and the fist force is like a heavy rain of ink. After falling to the earth, it rolls away on the dragon wall of the Dali Palace and pours down!"

Wang Gu'an stared at the fist pictures that were completed in one go. They were squeezed into one page like a battle formation, so the picture of each fist-waving man was not big, and the charcoal drawing was not very detailed. Fortunately, Wang Gu'an had good eyesight and could still see it clearly under the dim light. After hearing Miss Ning's words that he didn't quite understand, the boy murmured, "It sounds like this fist is very powerful."

Ning He leaned his head slightly, looked at the pictures, and nodded, "There is a fist method that has been passed down in the world for thousands of years and has not been lost. It is somewhat similar to this fist method."

Wang Gu'an turned his head and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

In the dim light, the girl's eyebrows were slightly curved, like a bunch of peach branches bent by the spring breeze.

She suppressed her smile and said, "There is a set of boxing techniques suitable for both young and old in the Jianghu, called the Turtle Fist. If you swing it randomly, you can definitely beat the master to death with random punches."

The young man said helplessly, "How can you say that?"

Wang Gu'an imagined it in his mind. Isn't this Gu Can's forte and famous skill? In his memory, Gu Can's mother seemed to have had a not-so-nice dispute many years ago. It was at the door of a powder shop in Xinghua Lane. At that time, Gu Can had just learned to walk. Gu Can's father, because he was a foreigner and had been away from home for many years, had long been forgotten by the neighbors in Niping Lane. At that time, the women began to worry that their men would slow down involuntarily when passing by the door of the widow Gu's house. Just the women's clothes hanging on the bamboo poles could easily seduce the man's soul. Later, Granny Ma called five or six women together to block the gate of Gu's courtyard. Gu suffered a lot in that battle, but Granny Ma and her women didn't gain much advantage. Both sides suffered losses. However, as time went on, Gu was outnumbered and her clothes were torn. Her clothes were thin, so it was inevitable that her spring light was exposed for a while, which made those women who were ashamed of themselves go crazy, scratching and biting, and did everything they could, which made the men around the alley drool.

Fortunately, Wang Gu'an happened to return to the town from Longyao at that time. He had been taken care of by Gu for so many years, so he went up to help Gu Can's mother block many insidious moves. From beginning to end, the straw sandal boy didn't dare to fight back. Wang Gu'an was not afraid of causing trouble, but was afraid that he would kill someone with one punch.

The boy at that time had walked through countless mountains and rivers amid the shouting and scolding of old man He. At the age of twelve or thirteen, he had walked through the paths of many small town elders for several lifetimes.

At that time, the boy and the woman were sitting at the gate of the courtyard. Gu Can was always locked inside the gate. Perhaps she didn't want the child to see his mother's miserable appearance.

The boy turned his head and pointed to the corner of his mouth to the woman.

The woman curled her lips casually, then stretched out her thumb and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

The child cried heartbreakingly in the yard, calling for his mother again and again.

The woman first smiled at the boy in straw sandals, and then tears rolled out of her eyes.

The next day, there was an unwilling burden beside the boy in straw sandals.

Ning He's question interrupted Wang Gu'an's deep thoughts, "What are you thinking about?"

Wang Gu'an asked, "Do you think that after Gu Can and his mother left the town and followed Jie Jiang Zhenjun to the Shujian Lake, they could really live a good life?"

Ning He asked back, "Do you think they are not living well in Niping Lane?"

Wang Gu'an thought for a while, "Gu Can has no conscience and is young, so he must not feel that life is hard, but Gu Can's mother... probably doesn't think the town is a good place, especially the women in Niping Lane and Xinghua Lane, she doesn't like any of them. And I think Gu Can's mother, it seems that she was born not to be in the town, she always feels very unwilling, if according to what old man He said, it is that the heart is not stable, the man's heart is not stable, it is called the ambition to go far away, the woman's heart is not stable, she will have an affair, I think this is not right..."

Ning He suddenly straightened up and slapped the table, "What are you talking about, do you still want to learn the boxing manual?!"

Wang Gu'an was startled, "Miss Ning, please continue."

Ning He said unhappily, "It's meaningless to talk to you about cultivation, because you are destined not to be able to cultivate. So I can only talk to you about martial arts and martial arts."

Wang Gu'an was about to say something, but the girl had already gone on to say, "The martial arts in the world are divided into nine realms. Of course, some people also say that there is actually a tenth realm above the nine realms, just like all the dynasties would raise a group of chess players..."

At this point, the girl's mood improved a lot, and she asked with a smile, "Wang Gu'an, do you know what a chess player is?"

Wang Gu'an shook his head honestly of course.

The girl's face was full of brilliance. "For Go masters, the highest rank is the ninth dan, which is equivalent to the first-rank official in the officialdom. However, there are some geniuses who appear once in a century and are praised as 'tenth-dan national players'. Then these people will have all kinds of fancy and unique titles. You, the chess players of the Dali Dynasty, are particularly embarrassing. It is said that your ninth dan is only equivalent to the seventh dan of the Sui Dynasty. In the whole Dali, there is only one guy nicknamed 'embroidered tiger' who is regarded as a real rival by the Sui Dynasty chess world. Oh, by the way, do you know what Go is?"

Wang Gu'an nodded and said, "I know, and I know some rules, but I can't play. Ye Dan and Shi Hui have chessboards and chess pieces at home."

The girl was full of disappointment, "Is that so."

The girl talked around for a long time, but the boy still didn't know what the "ninth realm" was.

The girl seemed to realize that she was a little unreliable. She coughed and said solemnly: "My mother said that the nine realms of martial arts are one step at a time, but even if you reach the top of the ninth realm, the final scene is like being on a mountain and looking up at another mountain in the distance, but only seeing the halfway point of the mountain."

Wang Gu'an thought, "I understand."

Because the boy had seen this scene with his own eyes.

The girl didn't care whether the boy really understood it, and said: "The nine realms of martial arts are divided into body refining, qi refining and spirit refining, each with three levels. You have to climb to the top step by step, and you can't make a mistake in one step. The more solid you walk, the better. It's not so important whether you walk fast or slow. This is different from practice."

"The first level of the three realms of body refining is the mud embryo realm. Just from the meaning, you can tell that it is as rough as the mud bottle lane where your house is located. However, when you cultivate to the peak, you are like a clay Buddha. Although it is a clay sculpture, it has some good aura. The qi sinks into the dantian and is as immovable as a mountain. It can be regarded as the real entry into the martial arts. In short, the essence of this level lies in the word "scatter" and the word "sink". The talent and understanding of a martial artist can be seen at a glance by the master who leads the way."

"The second level, the Wood Embryo Realm, means that your body will gradually become finer and finer. When it is fully developed, the texture of your skin will be precise and orderly, as if talismans are engraved all over the body, just like... yes, just like this snake gallstone that was found in the stream, which is completely different from ordinary pebbles. The profound meaning of this level is to 'open up the mountain', to widen the meridians, and to turn a narrow meridian like a goat's path into a sunny road that can accommodate carriages. The quality of a martial artist's bones will be judged in this realm."

When saying these words, the black-clothed girl held up the stone given by the boy.

She stared at the beautiful stone under the light and whispered, "The last stage of body refining is called 'mercury mirror'. The blood is as thick as mercury, but lighter, and the qi and blood are condensed and united. To break through the threshold, you need to go through a catastrophe, called 'clay bodhisattva crossing the river'. Whether you can successfully pass the last threshold, like a carp jumping over the dragon gate, depends on the luck of the martial artist."

Wang Gu'an was confused and stared at the oil lamp. The light swayed, and his mind swayed with it.

The girl yawned, lying on the table, and said lazily: "That's about it. The third level of body training has already stopped 80% of the first-grade warriors. It's difficult to go further. You should know that the principle of poor people learning literature and rich people learning martial arts is the same in the rest of the world except for my hometown. According to your family background and your understanding, I estimate that if you can reach the second level in this life, you should burn incense."

Wang Gu'an asked: "Then how to practice this boxing manual?"

The girl raised her eyebrows, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. I'm a little sleepy."

Wang Gu'an hummed, "Then I'll take the basket to pick up stones, and come to Miss Ning tomorrow."

The girl said: "If you are assured, leave the boxing manual, I will see if there are any loopholes, whether it is a trap or something."

Wang Gu'an smiled and said: "Okay, but Miss Ning, remember to be careful. I will return this Shaking Mountain Manual to Gu Can in the future."

The girl turned her head and frowned, "How many times do you have to say it before you feel assured?!"

The young man smiled and went to the corner to pick up the basket. When he left the house, he reminded her, "Miss Ning, don't forget to lock the gate."

The girl lay on the table, without turning her head, waving her hands, and said weakly: "I know, I know, how come you talk more than my father."

The young man was as light as a swallow, and his figure disappeared into the alley.

When Wang Gu'an had left Niping Alley, the girl immediately stood up, stared at the Shaking Mountain Book with an enemy's eyes, and then collapsed instantly, lying on the table again, frowning, and muttering to herself: "How can I teach this thing? I was born with the world's first-class sword immortal body, why do I need to walk the distance to the foot of the mountain. I can't even remember the names of the 365 acupoints. How to circulate the breath naturally, I have known it since my mother's womb..."

The girl scratched her head with both hands, feeling extremely angry.

Suddenly, a voice sounded timidly outside the door, "Miss Ning?"

Ning He turned around slowly with a stiff body and saw a dark face that looked extremely annoying.

She frowned and said nothing.

The young man swallowed his saliva and apologized, "I was afraid that you forgot to lock the door, so I came to remind you. Also, if Miss Ning is hungry at night, I can go to Ji Chenru's house to make some midnight snacks and bring them to Miss Ning, and then go to the stream."

The girl waved her hand.

The young man ran away immediately.

Along the way, Wang Gu'an's mind was filled with the picture of the first form of the boxing manual.

The boxing moves, the man moves, his feet do not leave the ground, like wading in mud, the momentum is like heavy snow up to the knees, walking slowly.

The young man himself did not realize that when he tried to practice the boxing posture according to the diagram, he could not help but change the speed and length of each breath.

The young man even had a wild idea, wouldn't it be better to practice boxing in the stream?

————

In front of Liu Chunshui were two seals, carved from the finest snake gallstones, neither of which was large, and neither of them had been engraved with seals.

During the day, the young scholar with a gentle temperament like jade visited the school, and then the two had a private conversation. The Confucian gentleman who came from afar asked him a question, "Sir, do you want to inherit someone's last wish and continue to bring peace to the world?"

Liu Chunshui replied at the time: "Let me think about it."

This is obviously not a very satisfactory answer, but the young gentleman who is famous in half a continent did not push him. He talked with Mr. Liu, who had long admired him, about the customs and changes in the town and the changes outside the town, and then said goodbye and left.

From beginning to end, the young gentleman did not ask how to deal with the jade tablet.

But Liu Chunshui knew that the gentleman from the Dongbao Pingzhou Confucian Academy could tolerate it, but the Taoist couple, the Buddhist sutra protectors, the ascetic monk who was famous overseas, and the representative of the military strategist, these three forces were unlikely to care about the face of the Shanya Academy, especially not to listen to Liu Chunshui's wishes, and would definitely take back the winning items of their respective forces without hesitation.

But these were all expected.

Liu Chunshui sat upright, holding the carving knife in his hand. He was a little embarrassed for the first time. He didn't know how to write the seal characters. "Sacrifice one's life for the sake of righteousness. For this child, it seems too big, inappropriate, and unlucky. Peace of mind and uprightness, isn't it too empty? But if it is three hastily chiseled seals, it seems too insincere?"

Liu Chunshui turned his head to look at the night sky outside the window. In the night, the stars were dotted, like night pearls hanging on a black curtain.

Liu Chunshui was stunned and lost for a long time before he came back to his senses. He picked up the seal with one hand and started to carve.

Finally, the four simple seal characters "静心得意" were carved out, especially the first word "静", which was the most full of spirit and all-encompassing.

Liu Chunshui gently put down the seal in his hand, with the bottom side facing up.

Liu Chunshui felt relieved.

The scholar with white hair on his temples was moved, and he waved his sleeves casually, and the desktop soon became "flourishing", with mountains and rivers rising and falling, unfolding one after another.

Finally, Liu Chunshui looked intently and saw a young man and a young girl sitting side by side in a dilapidated ancestral house in a small alley, chatting about the general situation of the nine realms of martial arts.

Above the nine realms of martial arts, there is the tenth realm.

Liu Chunshui had read thousands of books long ago, and was not unfamiliar with the temple and the world, so he naturally knew about martial arts.

A smile appeared on Liu Chunshui's almost old-fashioned face.

So this Confucian saint who sat in charge of a piece of heaven and earth made a harmless joke.

He engraved three words on the second private seal.

Wang Shiyi.