Chapter 47: Zhao Xing learns the Overlord Spear

  The Zhao family's backyard, which was already bustling with the arrival of Xu Wanlin and Hu Lian, became even more lively with the addition of Zhao Yu. It was as if thousands of ducks had descended upon the courtyard, foraging everywhere, creating a commotion that drove Zhao Xing to spend his days on the city square's stage, without any intention of returning home.

  Every night, he secretly looked for his wife, and had to tread carefully, as if he was a thief, afraid of being seen by Xu Wanlin who often lingered around Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing was so angry that he could cry, but instead, he turned his sorrow into strength, enduring the double blow that Zhao Yun brought to his body and mind on the arena, learning real gunplay and archery techniques one move at a time.

  In the several days of trials, as Shifu's one by one eccentric actions were constantly exposed, Zhao Yun had the urge to cry.

  "Brother Zhao is really not easy to deal with, without a master's guidance, relying solely on himself to imitate the secret book. Although he has messed up the entire set of Tong family gun techniques, he has actually grasped the essence of the gun technique. Seeing his moves, there are no fancy ones, just fierce and cunning thrusts, all targeting the vital parts of the human body, from the eyes and temples on the head to the throat, heart, dantian, and joints of the limbs. In short, every move is fatal, either you don't get hit or one stab will create a hole. Although he has an abundance of ferocity, his defense is clearly insufficient. Once he encounters an experienced opponent, he will definitely suffer greatly."

  "Brother's open and closed fist method is actually suitable for practicing the 'Eight Mother Spears' (Overlord Spear), just learn the essentials, avoid complexity, and let me teach him this trick..."

  Another round of competition has ended on the arena, and the result is self-evident. Zhao Xing's "Wind Demon Chaotic Strike" gun technique, which had made Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao cry out in distress, seemed to land on a big bundle of cotton when faced with Zhao Yun. No matter how fast his movements were or how tricky the angles were, every time he almost touched Zhao Yun's sleeve, he was met with Zhao Yun's swift and agile spearhead, which would either lightly tap, or sweep horizontally, or randomly swing, rendering all his strength useless and losing direction.

  Zhao Yun's attack, however, left Zhao Xing speechless and unable to defend himself. Clearly, it seemed like a single spear sweep was coming his way, and he raised his hand to block it, but when it reached him, it had transformed into a finger pointing at his face. Clearly, it seemed like his own spear had been entwined by the opponent's path, but in the blink of an eye, the opponent's spearhead had flipped over, pointing at his vital spot. Zhao Xing was thoroughly convinced; he remembered listening to storytellings about how Zhao Yun created a unique spear technique called "Seven Explorations Dragon Spear" after becoming a master. With a loud thud, it was clear that this person was a top-notch expert who could establish their own school of thought, and his innate talent and mastery of spear techniques were definitely beyond his reach.

  "The spear is characterized by four aspects: first, it is light and swift; second, it is entwining and hard to disentangle; third, it is elusive and unpredictable; fourth, its power is like a rainbow that pierces through the air. It is completely different from the bold and fierce weapons such as the big knife and halberd. I watched Brother Zhao wield his spear with great ferocity and momentum, but he lacked follow-through and left himself open to attack. This kind of fighting style, which can lead to mutual destruction with the enemy, cannot be sustained for long and is prone to self-inflicted damage on the battlefield. I wonder who taught Brother Zhao this style?"

  "No one taught me, I just figured it out by fighting with Guan Yu. Guan Yu was used to wielding a large knife, and he was invincible in battle!" Zhao Xing replied truthfully.

  "Is that Guan Yu, the red-faced man of Qingfeng Ridge?" Zhao Xing's words stirred up both Zhao Yun's competitive spirit and his curiosity.

  "Indeed! Guan Yu, also known as Changsheng, is from Xie County in Shangdang. He currently serves as the Commandant of Shangdang Prefecture and resides at Wohu Village's 'Flying Tiger Camp'. He has earned the reputation of being the 'Number One Ferocious Tiger of Shangdang'." Zhao Xing introduced with intention.

  "I don't know why this man disguised himself as a mountain bandit on Qingfeng Ridge. On the way here, these mountain bandits saw that my white horse was very good and had the intention of robbing it. When Guo Changzi took action to rob me, I was about to take his life with my long spear when the red-faced man intervened with a single knife and saved my life," said Zhao Yun.

  Zhao Xing heard this and felt a surge of joy in his heart. In his past life, he had heard that Guo Changzi was killed by Zhao Yun's spear, so to prevent the tragedy from happening again, Zhao Xing deliberately arranged for Guo Changzi to hide in the Taihang Mountains. Unexpectedly, he still couldn't avoid Zhao Yun. Fortunately, Guo Changzi followed Guan Yu and thus escaped his fate of death.

  "The bandits saw that my martial arts skills were formidable, so they came forward to ask questions. The red-faced man was very polite after I reported my name and title, and he sent Guo Changzi to lead the way to find Wohu Manor." Zhao Yun continued.

  "Guanyu knows your name, but it's not surprising. I've often mentioned you in front of my family at home. I've already sent someone to find him in the Taihang Mountains, and he'll arrive in a few days. If you're interested, brother, you can spar with Guan Yu more, and from now on, you can both be the brave generals of Wotou Village!" Zhao Xing replied with a smile, but thought to himself: "It seems that young people all have a competitive spirit, even someone as calm and composed as Zhao Yun has also been stirred up by the desire to compete with a master."

  After hearing Zhao Xing's words, Zhao Yun was puzzled. "This brother is indeed difficult to fathom. I studied martial arts in Changshan for eight years, from being a country boy when I entered the mountain to not having any remarkable achievements after leaving the mountain, how did he know to send someone to find me?" Although puzzled, it didn't hinder Zhao Yun's thoughts of teaching others tirelessly. "Brother, I will now teach you the 'Eight Mother Gun Method', also known as the 'Overlord Spear'. It is the ancestor of all spear methods, created by the Overlord of Western Chu in the past. Once mastered, water cannot penetrate and arrows and stones cannot destroy it. In a crowd of ten thousand horses, one can come and go freely!" Zhao Yun said with a serious and solemn expression.

  "But what about the 'Eight Essentials of Gun Technique'?" Zhao Xing asked. Although Zhao Xing had used firearms in his previous life, it didn't prevent him from having a superficial understanding of the eighteen traditional Chinese martial arts weapons, and he had heard people mention this "Eight Essentials of Gun Technique" before.

  Zhao Zilong was fearless and brave, but surprisingly, he didn't have a single scar on his body throughout his life. This shows how exquisite his spear skills were and how tight his defense was. If he could teach himself, that would be the best! If I couldn't learn the "Seven Explorations of the Coiling Dragon Spear", learning the "Overlord Spear" wouldn't be bad either. Just hearing the name is impressive enough!

  "Exactly!" Zhao Yun replied, "The spear is long and sharp, light and agile, the way to win is subtle and precise, as long as you grasp one of its key points, you can derive countless variations from it. That's why it's called 'the king of all weapons', other weapons are hard to find a match for it! The eight essentials of spear technique are: 'lift, sweep, block, grab, entwine, flip, circle, and coil'..."

  Zhoa Yun explained to Zhoa Xing while demonstrating the corresponding moves. Zhoa Xing's actual combat experience and theoretical foundation were both relatively lacking, so it was inevitable that he would struggle to keep up, making slow progress. However, Zhoa Yun was not impatient in the slightest, repeating the same movements over and over again for Zhoa Xing to follow, but only allowing him to learn the next move after he had mastered each one with both form and spirit.

  Under the guidance of Zhao Yun, a patient, meticulous and good-tempered teacher, Zhao Xing, who came from a humble background, finally took solid and systematic steps in martial arts. From now on, with his eight-foot-long spear in hand, Zhao Xing will create his own glory.