Chapter 47: Chapter 47 The Dilemma of Weapons (Requesting Yue Tickets, Requesting Followers!)
In fact, many martial arts include the use of weaponries; it’s not just about relying on the fists alone.
After all, these forms of martial arts were originally devised for genuine life-and-death struggles, where in the face of armed opponents, the physical body naturally falls short.
The creators and proponents of martial arts often used weaponries as well.
Some even say that martial arts evolved from weapon skills.
But no matter which theory one subscribes to, it represents one fact: martial arts and weapons are inseparable.
The form of Bajiquan that Wang Sheng practiced naturally included weaponries, with a variety of them at that—sabers, spears, swords, staffs, and other types of weaponries included.
However, no matter which weapon skill he trained in, it would certainly match the fighting techniques of Bajiquan. After all, using weaponries was meant to strengthen one’s own martial art, not to limit or discard what one was best at.
Wang Sheng felt he didn’t have much choice.
Because he had only learned a couple of weapon routines, and back when he was in the countryside, it wasn’t easy to come by swords and sabers; picking up a wooden stick or a bamboo pole to practice staff and spear techniques was still feasible.
The staff technique of Bajiquan is known as the Shaking Mountain Stick, also referred to as the Monk’s Staff, which is a form of Shaolin Kung Fu. It implies the meaning of splitting a staff on the ground to shake the mountains, with its energy being versatile and changeable.
Then there were the spear techniques like the Six Harmonies Spear, Six Harmonies Flower Spear, and Zilong Spear, among others.
Martial arts and weapon skills generally share many commonalities.
Which one you practice depends on what you are good at.
After some consideration, Wang Sheng ultimately decided to practice spear techniques.
Not for any particular reason— he simply thought they looked cool, a plainly simple reason.
In his past life when he practiced Bajiquan, the weaponry he trained with was the Six Harmonies Spear. Of course, he was far from mastering it, not even proficient by any standard.
He could only say that thanks to his good memory, he still remembered the basic techniques and could slowly improve his proficiency by using the progress bar.
“I still need to find a weapon first!”
The Great Zhou dynasty didn’t allow for the possession of armor but did permit the carrying of weapons, so obtaining a long spear was quite easy, but that was before the war came.
Nowadays, with chaotic times outside, it had become a challenge.
Not to mention Qingshan Village, a small village without a blacksmith.
Lijiang Town did have one, but with people fleeing and shops closing, it was extremely difficult to find a master who could forge weapons.
“Could it be that I have to practice with a staff first?”
Wang Sheng thought for a moment but still found it unsuitable.
If he had been an ordinary person, using a strong and flexible stick for training would not have been an issue, but his strength now was so immense that during practice, unless he kept the stick off the ground, not touching anything, otherwise it would likely shatter on impact.
He had the same trouble with spear techniques.
“It seems even finding a blacksmith might not guarantee finding the right weapon!”
He knew that martial artists in this world definitely used weapons, and their weaponries were mostly made from materials unique to this world.
Only such materials could withstand the robust physical fitness of martial artists.
Otherwise, wielding a weapon that weighs but a few pounds against one’s own strength of thousands or tens of thousands of pounds would feel like holding a toothpick, naturally leading to discomfort and impacting performance.
Wang Sheng had just realized that when it came time to choose a weapon, the issues he faced were far from simple.
He hadn’t even started training and was already stalled by the weapon’s manufacturing.
“Alas, there’s no other way, I’ll have to make do for now!”
For the time being, he could substitute a common staff for a spear, even though the consumption might be somewhat high. Without access to the right weapon, this was the only option.
Having considered these questions, he went to look for the village head to inquire about nearby wood that was both resilient and sturdy.
“Yun Sheng, are you looking to craft a weapon?”
Zhou Zhengwen guessed his purpose right away.
Wang Sheng simply nodded, further detailing his needs.
“Yun Sheng, you’re a martial artist; the timber suitable for ordinary people may not be suitable for you!”
“There’s no helping it if I can’t find the proper materials in a short time; I can only make do with a temporary substitute.”
Wang Sheng also felt helpless. If he could find the right materials, why would he have to make such a choice?
Zhou Zhengwen knew of Wang Sheng’s predicament and after some thought, he said, “If I really had to say, there actually is a type of wood that would be suitable for you, called Iron Wood. The tallest Iron Wood grows no more than two zhang, with a thickness no greater than that of a hand grip.
Iron Wood’s main advantage over other woods is its unparalleled toughness and heft; many people use it as the base material for weapons. Of course, for martial artists, it might still be insufficient.
But since you, Yun Sheng, lack a proper weapon, perhaps you could temporarily resort to using this Iron Wood.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng felt the wood was indeed well-suited for his current situation.
“Village head, do you have any here…”
“What are you thinking? This kind of wood isn’t so practical for those who don’t practice martial arts; it isn’t tough enough to serve as a house beam, after all—too slender, so no one in the village keeps any.”
Although no more than two zhang at its tallest and indeed suitable as a weapon, it was still not as good as a sharp blade for many people.
Thus, naturally no one stocked it.
“Then, village head, where can this timber be found?”
Wang Sheng knew that if there were no news, the village head wouldn’t bring it up.
“Haha, I happen to have a tip: in the mountains near Qingshan Village, there is plenty of Iron Wood. The journey is tough, with a high chance of encountering fierce beasts—if not for that, I would have ordered it to be chopped down for sale long ago. However, this shouldn’t pose much of a problem for someone like you, Yun Sheng…”
Village head Zhou Zhengwen gave Wang Sheng a location.
After expressing his thanks, Wang Sheng took his leave.
Not one to procrastinate and seeing there was still plenty of daylight, he prepared some items and got ready to head into the mountains.
Since the Mountain Lord was guarding the food and wasn’t wandering near the area, Wang Sheng could only find someone from the village to guide him.
The person he sought was naturally the familiar Li Yongfeng, whose physical fitness, enhanced by cultivation, helped them reach their destination in no time.
“Here we are, Yun Sheng!”
Knowing about Wang Sheng’s slight lack of directional sense, Li Yongfeng made a point to remind him only after they had arrived.
Wang Sheng remained composed and began looking for signs of Iron Wood.
The characteristic features of Iron Wood were quite evident, making them easy to spot in such mountainous woods.
Quickly, Wang Sheng found an Iron Wood tree.
It was almost exactly as Zhou Zhengwen had described, except the one he found was just over one zhang, its color like cold iron—it was no wonder it was called Iron Wood.
The roots of this Iron Wood were not deep, so, without hesitation, Wang Sheng grasped the trunk and pulled upwards.
Under his strength, the Iron Wood was soon uprooted, still clumped with soil.
“Not bad at all!”
The weight of the Iron Wood was genuinely impressive, comparable to certain iron clubs—worthy of being from a world that could give birth to martial artists.
Just as Wang Sheng thought of collecting a few more, Li Yongfeng also found an Iron Wood sapling.
Approaching the sapling, Wang Sheng suddenly had an idea…