Chapter 819 - 819 Practicing Martial Arts
Shen Da and his two companions came over, which was just a formality to prevent trouble at this time. It must be said, Heavenly Lord Shen had thought things through very thoroughly.
After lunch, the three of the Shen Family left first. The affairs on Xingyi School's side were now completely settled, and everyone was quite excited.
The martial artists who came here were excited to see the People of the Shen Family, feeling that their trip was well worth it. Even after they left, they were still discussing the matter. Undoubtedly, the appearance of these three from the Shen Family would be a topic of conversation for many people for some time, and the renown of Xingyi School would resound once again.
Ye Qing sent off the three from the Shen Family and went straight back to Tian Sheng. This evening, he has to meet with the people from the Chen Family, which is a very big deal for him, determining whether he can continue to have a firm foothold in Shenchuan City.
Mad Dog had arranged for fifty people early on, who were now at the hotel. Most of them were settled and resting up for the night. However, Ye Qing knew that this was far from enough. These fifty people were no match for those from the Western Province and the Chen Family; their presence was merely for sentry duties. They would be of no use in a real fight.
Ye Qing had already contacted the people from the Killing Gate, for tonight's event he must seek the assistance of those from the Killing Gate.
The Killing Gate was naturally not going to refuse matters concerning Ye Qing. Moreover, Ye Qing's meeting with the people of the Chen Family was originally to discuss how to deal with Wang Tian'an, which was in line with the Killing Gate's intentions. Hence, without a second word, they agreed to help out that night.
Actually, the current strength of the Killing Gate was also far from its peak. The Killing Gate Seven Hidden were originally extremely formidable, but without any of their members, they couldn't form the Seven Kills Formation. Netherworld Scholar and the Right Protector Blood-Sealed Throat have been out of sight since leaving the Shen Family Manor, leaving only six people of the Killing Gate, naturally unable to restore its former glory. Moreover, Cui Yulong, the strongest member of the Killing Gate, was out on a mission and not present. Thus, the current capacity of the Killing Gate had declined too much, and it was no longer a match for Wang Tian'an's forces. Otherwise, given their grudge against Wang Tian'an, they would've made a move against him long ago.
After contacting the people from the Killing Gate, Ye Qing let everyone leave and went up to the rooftop alone. He had a shelter specially built on this rooftop, enclosing it to serve as his training area.
After returning, Ye Qing placed a Wooden Dummy here and practiced for three hours every day to hone his reflexes. Although Heavenly Lord Shen had taught him Wing Chun Fist, he only gave Ye Qing the theory and never the actual techniques. According to Heavenly Lord Shen, the essence of Wing Chun lies in the theory, not the techniques. The real techniques must be comprehended through one's own insight. Hence, he did not teach Ye Qing any specific techniques, asking him to practice on the Wooden Dummy and discover the truths he had mentioned.
Ye Qing, having a quick mind, grasped many key points from Heavenly Lord Shen, earning his high praise. However, as Ye Qing practiced on the Wooden Dummy increasingly more, he found that many areas he thought he understood had significant flaws. Gradually, he also realized that a few words from Heavenly Lord Shen contained profound truths. And these truths could only be slowly comprehended during actual combat and through practicing on the Wooden Dummy, rather than something that could be suddenly understood overnight. Thus, Ye Qing practiced daily to comprehend the truths spoken by Heavenly Lord Shen.
Taking off his jacket, Ye Qing began his practice as usual in front of the Wooden Dummy. As his body gradually adjusted, he began to speed up. Eventually, the Wooden Dummy spun as if it were a real person. Despite there being only one dummy, its rapid rotation made it seem as though several people were attacking Ye Qing. His hands moved faster and faster, constantly controlling the rhythm. When practicing on the Wooden Dummy, it is crucial to lead it rather than being led by it. The same is true when fighting an opponent; only by controlling the rhythm can one gain the upper hand and win. If you are led by your opponent, defeat is only a matter of time.
As Ye Qing's speed increased, the rotation of the Wooden Dummy also quickened. In the end, the entire hall was filled with the rapid slap-slap sound of his hands striking the Wooden Dummy, indicating Ye Qing's swift attacks.
After a full three hours of practice, Ye Qing finally stopped, drenched in sweat. Although practicing on the Wooden Dummy might seem easy, it is extraordinarily exhausting, much more so than running or weight lifting. This is why boxers in the ring need to rest every three minutes – because it is incredibly exhausting.
Using a towel to wipe off his sweat, Ye Qing simply tore off his shirt, revealing his impressive muscles underneath. Despite the cold weather, he did not feel the slightest chill. After returning the Wooden Dummy to its original place, Ye Qing casually picked up a Longsword that had been placed nearby and drew it from its sheath with a clang.
Ye Qing took the Longsword and walked straight to a Soybean Shooter nearby. This was a small machine made especially for Ye Qing by a toy factory at Liu Yuan's request. Using this machine, soybeans could be shot out at high speed, similar to a toy gun. However, the strength and speed were much stronger than those shot by a toy gun. Sometimes, it could shoot out several or even a dozen at a time, very finely made.
When Ye Qing was at the Shen Family Manor, Shen Tianjun had taught him a set of swordsmanship. However, that swordsmanship didn't have any formal techniques; Shen Tianjun would simply shoot soybeans at him for practice. Ye Qing, under such teaching methods, truly learned a lot, and he found it very practical. So, after returning, he specifically made this machine, which was the best for practicing.
In fact, after coming back and practising for two days, Ye Qing gradually understood Shen Tianjun's intentions. Shen Tianjun taught him martial arts, not specific techniques, but rather a concept. As for the specific techniques, he left Ye Qing to figure them out on his own. In truth, this "figuring out" meant letting Ye Qing experience it in real combat. Using the wooden dummy and these soybeans, was to train Ye Qing's speed and reaction ability. In essence, martial arts is just some skills, plus speed, reaction ability, and strength; the actual techniques are secondary. As the saying goes, in the world of martial arts, speed is unassailable; that's the principle behind it.
Even if your techniques are excellent, if your speed and reaction ability are not as good as your opponent's, in a real fight, you might fall before you can even execute your moves. What use then are your techniques? Only when speed and reaction abilities are matched can techniques be useful. But if your reaction ability and speed far exceed your opponent's, what's the need to discuss techniques?
Now, Ye Qing's main focus is to train his speed and reaction ability. Coupled with the concepts Shen Tianjun took fifty years to comprehend, Ye Qing's progress is exceptionally fast. His current state can indeed be described as advancing a thousand miles in a day. Today, he could even be a match for a top expert like Wang Tian'an!
After training under the Soybean Shooter for an hour, the ground surrounding him was scattered with soybeans, some of which were cut into two by Ye Qing's longsword, showing that his accuracy with the sword was getting better and better. However, there were still many spots on his body hit by the soybeans, indicating that his speed and reaction ability were still lacking, necessitating further intensive training!
After finishing his sword practice, Ye Qing put the longsword back in its place, drank two glasses of water, entered the bathroom next door for a quick shower, changed clothes, and then went downstairs. Black Bear was already prepared downstairs, waiting for Ye Qing to come down and head to the hotel together.
Ye Qing could see that there were some dry tree bark on Black Bear's shoulder. It seemed that Black Bear had not been idle in the afternoon, most likely he had been hitting trees again.
While opening the car door for Ye Qing, Black Bear said, "Captain, just got news, that old guy Old Wang Ba has run off again."
"Where did he go this time?" Ye Qing was quite surprised; he had been very good to Old Wang Ba ever since the last incident.
In Shenchuan City, Old Wang Ba had his eating and drinking supplied by Ye Qing. Here, he could say that he lived and ate well; Ye Qing even gave him lots of VIP cards, allowing him to spend freely at various venues. Logically, with such a good life here, given his swindler nature, he should enjoy himself in this place. However, since Ye Qing returned from Xi Hang, Old Wang Ba seemed to have suddenly become very busy, often not to be seen. And now, even better, he had run off again. So, where had he run off to this time?
"Probably left the province," said Black Bear.
"What do you mean?" asked Ye Qing curiously. "What do you mean by 'probably is'?"
"Well, he originally went to the airport wanting to take a flight, but the airport authorities found out that he was wanted elsewhere too, and almost got him arrested. Luckily, Cheng Shuang made a call to help him out of the predicament, he ran back here, then went to the bus station, and took a bus to leave." Black Bear explained, "Since he wanted to take a flight, he certainly wasn't going to somewhere close by; it's very likely he had to leave the province."
"This old guy, he's indeed full of trouble," Ye Qing muttered to himself. "He's wanted in many places, and he still dares to leave the province? If he actually gets caught in another province, I'd like to see how he gets back!"
"Being caught is unlikely though," Black Bear said with a naïve expression. "Old Wang Ba is slipperier than an eel. After so many years of cheating and deceiving, he has never been caught; it's certainly not easy to catch him."