"This kid."
The man who had joked saw that Zhang Lingshan wasn't cooperating with his humor at all, immediately felt bored, turned around, and said, "Come with me."
Rounding the screen and entering the courtyard, Zhang Lingshan saw over a dozen figures standing in various places, striking different poses, their breathing either long or short, each with a different expression, some relaxed, others quite pained.
"Wait here, I'll go call Master."
The man said this, walked through the main hall, and called out loudly, "Master, that kid who headbutted the wall is here again. This time his Father didn't come with him, but I don't know if he'll cause trouble later. Are we accepting him?"
"Accept him, why wouldn't we? The little fellow is determined to learn martial arts. If I don't agree again and he kills himself by hitting his head right in front of me, wouldn't that ruin my reputation?"
A voice like a great bell rang out from inside. Then, a burly old man with a bushy beard strode out, sized up Zhang Lingshan, and said with interest, "I heard you almost killed yourself by hitting your head last time, and spent all the money you had for apprenticeship here on healing. How did you get spare money again?"
"Replying to Master, my Father and I worked at Hongye Temple for half a year and advanced some of our wages to painstakingly earn these twenty taels."
Saying this, Zhang Lingshan quickly reached into his chest and presented the two banknotes.
The burly old man took them, felt them, and sniffed them. "There's a bit of a bloody smell. It seems this money isn't clean."
However, he didn't mind. A banknote passes through many hands; it's normal for it not to be clean, as long as it can be spent.
He casually handed it to a scholarly young man behind him and said, "Take it and spend it."
"Yes!"
The scholarly young man immediately took the money and left.
The burly old man continued to look at Zhang Lingshan and said lightly, "I've taken the money. You are now a member of my Hong's Martial Arts School, but don't call me Master, call me Hall Master. Only after you can properly perform the Zhengyang Stance within three months will you be considered my registered disciple, and you may call me Hong Zhengdao 'Hong Shi'. Understand?"
"Understand!"
Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily.
"After three months, if you still haven't mastered the stance, I will refund you ten taels, and you will have no further connection with my Hong's Martial Arts School. Do not mention the name of my Hong's Martial Arts School. Understand?"
"Understand!"
"Mm, good that you understand. Little Stone, you teach him the stance technique. I'll watch."
Hong Zhengdao waved his hand casually, and immediately a servant brought over a table and chair. Tea and snacks were placed on the table for Hong Zhengdao to enjoy.
And the one called Little Stone was the man who had just joked with Zhang Lingshan. He looked burly and rough-faced; calling him Stone was fine, but adding "Little" felt a bit strange.
"My name is Shi Lei, and I will now teach you the stance technique. The stance technique of our Hong's Martial Arts School is the Zhengyang Stance, which follows the Righteous Path of the world and cultivates the world's Zhengyang Qi..."
This person spoke extremely exaggeratedly, rattling on and on, making the Zhengyang Stance sound like a unique peerless divine skill under heaven.
"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. That Xiao Shan hit his head against the wall; his heart for learning martial arts is incredibly tough. He came specifically for my name, Hong Zhengdao. Teach him properly, don't slack off, or I won't spare you."
Hong Zhengdao spat his tea onto Shi Lei and snorted.
Shi Lei quickly admitted his mistake, having flattered him and hit a sore spot. He quickly cleared his throat and looked at Zhang Lingshan, saying, "Our Zhengyang Stance has a total of eighteen forms. I will now teach you the first form, the Sun-Facing Form."
Saying this, he spread his legs in an outward stance, squatted slightly, stretched his hands above his head as if holding a plate, and tilted his head back to look at the imaginary plate.
"Imagine your hands are holding a ball of fire. When you practice until your hands feel hot, this Sun-Facing Form is considered mastered. This form is best practiced under the scorching sun for twice the results with half the effort."
When not talking nonsense, Shi Lei was actually a reliable teacher. While speaking, he reached out and patted Zhang Lingshan's body, correcting his improper posture.
Hong Zhengdao saw that he was teaching quite well and was rather pleased. If Little Stone was trained a bit, specializing in teaching the stance technique in the future would save him a lot of effort.
But seeing the posture Zhang Lingshan struck, Hong Zhengdao immediately became furious. He darted in front of Zhang Lingshan and cursed, "You're not using any strength! If you have this attitude, I'll give you your money back and you can roll as far away as possible!"
*Slap!*
He had a fiery temper, and as he spoke, he slapped him.
Although the force looked great, the old man held back his strength. But even so, Zhang Lingshan was still slapped to the ground, wincing in pain.
"What the hell? Are you made of paper? You fall over with just a touch?"
Hong Zhengdao was speechless, but seeing that Zhang Lingshan didn't seem to be faking it, he pulled open his clothes and saw faint red marks on Zhang Lingshan's body.
After examining him for a while, Hong Zhengdao frowned and said, "Who did you offend? Were you tied up and whipped?"
"No, I accidentally offended someone while working at Hongye Temple and was punished. But it's fine now. Hongye Temple is finished, and I don't need to go out of the city to work anymore."
Zhang Lingshan answered immediately, his heart sinking.
Hall Master Hong Zhengdao is a dignified martial arts expert. With his knowledge, he couldn't even tell how these red marks on my body were formed. What kind of suffering did I endure?
"Alright."
Hong Zhengdao saw that Zhang Lingshan was in pain with every movement due to the red marks on his body. He waved his hand and said, "Since you are still injured, wait until later to practice. Go back and rest first."
"Hall Master, I still want to practice. I want to learn the Zhengyang Stance first," Zhang Lingshan said hastily.
Hong Zhengdao's Face darkened. "Hmph, foolish! Although the stance technique can strengthen the body and qi and blood, you are injured. Your body can't recover in time, and practicing will only injure you more. Come back when you are healed!"
After saying that, he couldn't be bothered to waste words with Zhang Lingshan and turned to leave.
Zhang Lingshan's heart was filled with anxiety.
Although he knew Hong Zhengdao was right, he was different from others. He just wanted to quickly add the Zhengyang Stance to his panel; how could he keep delaying?
Heaven knows what these red marks on his body are. If they never disappear, does that mean he'll never practice again?
"Brother Shi, the Hall Master is gone, you teach me, I'll give you money."
Zhang Lingshan quickly grabbed Shi Lei and stuffed a piece of broken silver, which he had taken from Li Hu, into his hand.
Shi Lei originally didn't want to bother with him, but seeing the silver, he immediately put on a smiling Face and chuckled, "Kid, you really don't care about money or your life for the sake of practicing martial arts. I heard that strong people all have an indestructible heart for martial arts; today I've seen it. Come on, since you want to practice, can I stop you?"
It must be said that this Shi Lei was a man of principle. Although he liked to talk nonsense and joke with others, he got things done when paid, which was quite reliable.
So for the rest of the time, he demonstrated all eighteen forms of the Zhengyang Stance from beginning to end.
He also carefully guided Zhang Lingshan, correcting his mistakes and omissions.
After Zhang Lingshan had memorized all the postures, Shi Lei said, "I think you're not stupid. Your practice is basically fine, it's just that you can't use enough strength, which makes your movements not solid enough. But this is because of your injury. When you're healed, practice diligently. I think mastering it within three months won't be a problem."
This was polite talk.
As for whether Zhang Lingshan would succeed after three months, it had nothing to do with him.
"Heh."
Seeing Zhang Lingshan enduring the pain to practice the stance, Shi Lei had an idea. He leaned towards Zhang Lingshan and chuckled, "I see you're eager to practice. I have a medicinal soup that can help you recover faster. It's more affordable than what's outside. How about three qian of silver for a bowl?"
"Okay."
Zhang Lingshan agreed immediately without thinking.
Because he discovered that there had already been a change on the panel.
Name: Zhang Lingshan
Martial Arts: Zhengyang Stance (Not Started +)
Energy: 0.3