Chapter 3: Mei Family Manor Outside the City Mei Cheng'an came out of the dining hall and went straight to the martial arts arena which the butler had just prepared. Xie Bian was already waiting there with a sword in hand. After stepping forward and paying his respects, Xie Bian handed Mei Chengan a small wooden sword. "Learn from me!" Xie Bian said concisely. Mei Cheng'an was speechless. You, Xie Bian, are not so frugal with words even when you are with the Second Prince. Do you want me to be so reluctant? He complained bitterly in his heart and stared at Xie Bian's actions. First I followed suit and did it again. This time it took two hours. The movements are not complicated, and the steps divided by Xie Bian are reasonable. The truth is that Mei Chengan had no experience in practicing sword skills, and many of his movements were not performed properly. Xie Bian did not show any impatience and patiently spent a lot of time correcting his every move.
Near noon, Mei Cheng'an finally practiced the entire set of moves with difficulty. Xie Bian did not say whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied. After saying "continue in the afternoon", he turned and left. Mei Cheng'an thought this was a good idea and immediately went to have lunch. After lunch, he returned to his own courtyard and took a one-hour nap. It was called a nap, but in fact he was practicing internal skills. As usual, sit cross-legged with your five hearts facing the sky. I felt the heat flowing in my abdomen, which was many times bigger than last night. Close your eyes, recite the formula silently, and the true energy will begin to circulate along the meridians of the body. Mei Cheng'an fell into meditation again. The true Qi circulates in the body, and with each circle it circulates, the meridians are widened a little, and this cycle continues endlessly. An hour passed in the blink of an eye. After the exercise was completed, the heat from the abdomen spread throughout the body, and the whole body felt warm. Finish the training and go practice sword. When Mei Cheng'an arrived at the martial arts arena, Xie Bian was already waiting there. "Keep practicing!" He was still very frugal with his words. Mei Changan took the small sword and started practicing. By dinner time, Mei Changan no longer needed Xie Bian's guidance. He had memorized all the moves and could practice on his own. Xie Bian nodded: "Continue the day after tomorrow." The current arrangement is that Xie Bian and Wang Qinian will take turns teaching for one day, and tomorrow it will be Wang Qinian's turn. After dinner, Mei Cheng'an performed the trick three more times in his own yard, and his moves became more and more proficient.
After washing up, he sat cross-legged and continued to practice internal energy techniques. The night passed in the blink of an eye. In the morning, Mei Cheng'an felt it and found that his true energy had indeed grown stronger. After breakfast, Mei Cheng'an rushed to the martial arts arena, and this time the person he was waiting for was Wang Qinian. Unlike the taciturn Xie Bian, Wang Qinian is much more enthusiastic. "Hey, young master, I've been waiting for you for a long time." "I just finished breakfast, have you eaten?" "Eat, eat, let's get started." "Okay, how do I practice Qinggong?" "If you want to practice Qinggong, the first step is naturally to run." "running?" Mei Chengan was very disappointed. Do I need you to teach me how to run? "Do I need to tie sandbags to my legs later?" "Uh, what is this sandbag?" "Just tie something heavy to your legs!" "No, no, it's so inconvenient to tie something heavy on your legs. It's so heavy." Mei Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't as easy to practice as he had imagined. Otherwise, there would be no sense of novelty at all. "Okay, let's get started." Wang Qinian started running with Mei Cheng'an, all the way out of Mei's mansion until they were out of the city. Fortunately, Wang Qinian taught him some techniques of breathing in and out on the way. Otherwise, with Mei Chengan's limited physical strength, he would have collapsed before even leaving the city. Mei Cheng'an felt like he had been running for a long time. Although he had learned the method of exhaling and inhaling, he still felt powerless. His legs felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, his breathing became heavier, and his heart was beating as if it was about to jump out of his throat. "Keep running and follow the breathing method I taught you!" "Is it appropriate to run like this on the first day?" "That's right. I ran much farther than you on the first day. How far have you come? Hurry up! Don't stop! And breathe carefully!" "......." Mei Cheng'an didn't know when he fainted. When he woke up, he and Wang Qinian were at a tea stall outside the city. Wang Qinian was pressing his legs. "Why did I faint?" "Yeah, I was wondering too, how come I felt dizzy after running just a few steps?"
Mei Cheng'an came to his senses and was very angry. "I just recovered from my illness a few days ago, and I've only been practicing Qi for less than two days. Is it really appropriate to run so hard right away? Can you teach me, Wang Qinian?" "Oh, blame me, blame me. I didn't know. That's what my master taught me. I didn't expect it wouldn't work on you." Mei Chengan almost vomited blood. He roared, "It varies from person to person, don't you understand? It should be done step by step, don't you understand? How old am I? My body is so fragile!" When Wang Qinian saw that the young master was very angry, he quickly helped him calm down. "Yes, yes, I forced it. Who would have thought that you, young master, are so fragile." Mei Chengan was stunned. "Blame me?" "Don't blame you, blame me. I'll revise some teaching plans when I get back. Young Master, calm down and have some tea." Mei Chengan drank a large bowl of tea and felt a little better. I wanted to stand up, but my legs were so weak and I almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Wang Qinian was quick to catch him. "Young Master, shall I carry you back home?" "No need, I can just fly back." "Ah? Young Master, you can fly?" "......." Wang Qinian carried Mei Cheng'an back to the mansion. Everyone in the mansion was terrified. How could the young master become disabled in just half a day? Mei Zhili ordered the guards in the mansion to capture Wang Qinian. Fortunately, Mei Cheng'an covered up for Wang Qinian, saying that he had overexerted himself and would be fine in the afternoon. Only then did Mei Zhili calm down. Wang Qinian didn't dare to say much at this time, he just looked at Mei Chengan with gratitude. Had lunch. During the lunch break, Mei Cheng'an guided the internal energy in his abdomen to brush his legs several times, and the feeling of soreness and weakness immediately disappeared. This true Qi is really useful. When I saw Wang Qinian again in the afternoon, he seemed much more listless and not as lively as he was in the morning. "Hey, don't be so dejected. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your teaching method. Just don't be so aggressive. We don't need to rush. Just take it slow." Wang Qinian nodded in agreement. The afternoon session was indeed much milder. At the very least, Mei Cheng'an has been able to hold on.
On the third day, it was Xie Bian's swordsmanship class again. After practicing sword techniques several times, Xie Bian suggested practicing plum blossom pile. After listening to Xie Bian's introduction, Mei Cheng'an roughly understood Xie Bian's plan. The Mei Mansion is located behind the Kyoto government office. Strictly speaking, the private residences behind the government office are not small, but they are divided into different functions. There is not much open space, and it is already difficult to make room for a martial arts field. There is no place to put the plum blossom piles anyway. After consulting Mei Zhili, Mei Zhili hesitated for a moment and repeatedly asked about the necessity of the plum blossom pile. Xie Bian didn't say much, but he always insisted. For the sake of his children, Mei Zhili had no choice but to let Mei Cheng'an take Xie Bian and Wang Qinian to the farm outside the city. The farm outside the city is twenty or thirty miles away from Kyoto. The convoy for this trip is not small. In addition to four personal maids, there are ten servants and ten guards accompanying them. The daily necessities of these dozens of people are loaded into several large carts. The cooks in the mansion also travel with the car. The convoy left Kyoto in a mighty manner. Meijiazhuang is neither big nor small, covering an area of about 100 acres, with less than farmers, but it includes a hill called Meishan. The village also raised more than a dozen horses, thirty pigs, and countless chickens, ducks, and geese, each of which was raised by a dedicated person. The houses in the village are much more spacious and grand than those in Kyoto Prefecture. Over there, Mei, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum were tidying up the house, while over here, Mei Cheng'an was lying on a bamboo chair watching the people in the farm hammering in the plum blossom piles. Xie Bian was on hand to instruct on the specific details. Lying on the bamboo chair next to Mei Chengan was Wang Qinian. The two of them sipped their tea while pointing and talking in low voices at the plum blossom pile installation site. Until Xiaomei came over and said dinner was ready. Only then did Mei Chengan get down from the recliner. Looking at Wang Qinian, who was drooling as he slept on the other side, he kicked his bamboo chair in annoyance. "Wake up, Lao Wang." Wang Qinian opened his confused eyes. "Wipe your saliva and eat." "Oh, I fell asleep accidentally. Look, the recliner at the young master's house is so good. It's so comfortable to lie on!" Mei Cheng'an looked at Wang Qinian in surprise, and he realized Fan Xian's helplessness in advance. This can be praised. He turned around and greeted Xie Bian who was still supervising over there. "Old Xie, stop working and have dinner first!" Xie Bian looked back. "You guys eat first, we'll be done soon." Mei Cheng'an said no more and took Wang Qinian back to his residence.
The entire house had been cleaned spotlessly. Mei Chengan sat down at the dining table, which was filled with four dishes, a soup, and a bowl of rice. "Sister Mei and Sister Lan, please sit down and eat with me. I can't finish all these dishes." Before Xiaomei could say anything, Xiaolan had already spoken. "Master, it's against the rules." The voice is cool and unquestionable. Mei Cheng'an opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. It's useless to persuade her. Didn't you see that Xiaomei, who usually dares to make jokes, agreed with Xiaolan's words? "Then you guys go down and eat. I don't need anyone to wait on me." How could a maid who was serving her master a meal leave the table in the middle of the meal? Xiaolan wanted to continue to say that it was against the rules, but she saw the look in Mei Chengan's eyes that would not allow rejection. Xiaolan shut her mouth, bowed to Xiaomei and went away. Mei Cheng'an sighed. He just wanted to have a meal with his friends, but such a simple wish seemed so difficult. After dinner, Mei Cheng'an lay alone in the yard, looking up at the stars in the sky. It was probably around nine o'clock in the evening, and the night sky was already filled with stars. I drank a pot of tea under the starry sky, but it felt boring again. He stood up and went back into the house, sitting cross-legged and continuing to use his true qi to flush his meridians. Silent all night. The next day, it was still Xie Bian’s class. I only attended half of the swordplay class yesterday, so I’ll make up for it today. Xie Bian first taught him a set of footwork that matched the sword moves. After Mei Cheng'an became proficient in the practice, Xie Bian asked him to practice on the plum blossom pile. Now Mei Chengan's lightness skills are not yet mastered, so he can only climb the pole with the help of a ladder. Originally, he didn't think there was anything difficult about the outdated plum blossom pile. When he actually stood on it, he realized that he had thought everything was too simple. Not to mention practicing sword on a pole. Even standing still on the pole was extremely difficult for him. First of all, the distance between each pile of plum blossom pile is very wide, estimated to be 50 centimeters. Secondly, the height of each pile is different, and the lowest one is more than two meters from the ground.
Standing on the plum blossom pile, Mei Cheng'an felt his calves trembling. Mei, Lan, Zhu and Ju were worried that their little master might get hurt, so they laid a thick layer of straw under the pile despite Xie Bian's objection. Mei Cheng'an still gritted his teeth and persevered. Moving slowly on the pile. (End of this chapter)
