Chapter 37: Wudang Cotton Palm

  Zhou Zhiruo nodded repeatedly and said: "Then please Master teach me internal skills first."

  Song Qing shook his head and said, "Don't be in a hurry yet, I still have something to say."

  After a pause, Song Qing said, "Although that's the case, my Wudang Sect's internal skill is somewhat biased towards yang gang, and you are after all a woman, so when it comes to cultivating it will be twice as hard."

  "Ah!" Zhou Zhiruo exclaimed when she heard Song Qingshu say that, now Zhou Zhiruo was no longer the ignorant fisherman's daughter she used to be.

  "Hehehe," seeing Zhou Zhiruo's flustered appearance, Song Qingchu said with a smile, "Don't worry, since I've taken you as my disciple, I'll naturally find a suitable cultivation method for you."

  "Moreover, the profound martial arts of my Wudang Sect, such as 'Pure Yang Child's Skill' and 'Wudang Nine Yang Skill', although not suitable for you, but the basic 'Wudang Internal Skill' does not have this concern."

  After listening to Song Qing's explanation, Zhou Zhiruo's face suddenly turned red and she stuttered, "Master, I..."

  As for Zhou Zhiruo's reaction, Song Qingshu was not surprised at all. After all, in ancient times, a master was not comparable to a modern teacher. A master is a master, and once you become a master, you are like a father for life. Sometimes, the disciple is even more intimate with the master than their own son, so basically whatever the master says, the disciple will follow without question. It's absolutely forbidden to talk back or disobey, otherwise, it would be considered unfilial and would lead to being shunned and hunted down by everyone. However, Song Qingshu didn't take this too seriously, after all, he wasn't a native of this land.

  Song Qing Shu waved his hand and said: "Alright, no need for formalities. Next, I will teach you the Wudang Internal Skill."

  When Song Qing heard that he was about to start teaching, Zhou Zhiruo immediately sat up straight and looked at Song Qing with a nod of approval. This attitude alone is commendable.

  "When a Wudang disciple first enters the door, they all start by learning Wudang internal skills. This set of skills is divided into twelve layers. The first layer is to lay the foundation, cultivate fist and footwork, familiarize yourself with your body. Generally, Wudang cultivates Wudang cotton palm. The second layer is the skill of breathing and exhaling, walking, sitting, and lying down all have coordination, until you feel the energy in your body. The third layer is to move the small heavenly cycle, the fourth layer is to move the big heavenly cycle, the fifth layer is to refine the skin with internal power. The sixth to ninth layers are respectively to cultivate flesh, change tendons, forge bones, and cultivate organs. The tenth layer is to refine the orifices, the eleventh layer is to change blood, and the twelfth layer is to wash the marrow. I will now pass on to you the oral formula and mental method of this set of skills, you must remember it carefully."

  "Yes." Zhou Zhiruo responded with a single word, concentrating her attention to listen carefully.

  "Listen carefully." Song Qingyu then slowly recited the oral formula and mental method of Wudang internal strength.

  Zhou Zhiruo indeed did not disappoint as the disciple that even Shi Miao would use to pass on her clothes and broom, having a great memory, almost to the point of being unforgettable. After hearing it just once, she had already memorized everything. She then recited it silently to herself again without error, before saying: "Master, I've already remembered everything."

  "Okay, then you recite it once and let me hear."

  Zhou Zhiruo opened her mouth and recited it from start to finish, indeed not a single word was wrong, and she recited it very fluently.

  Song Qingxue had long known from the book that Zhou Zhiruo's innate talent was almost on par with Zhang Wuji, who possessed the main character mode. As for Zhou Zhiruo, she only listened once and remembered everything, without showing too much surprise, but still praised her a few times. Then he said: "These internal skills are not many in words, but every word is precious, so you must remember them firmly, otherwise, when practicing qigong later, if you practice the wrong way, the problem will be big. Next, I'll teach you my Wudang Clan's entry-level martial arts, Wudang Cotton Palm."

  As he spoke, Song Qingchu began to teach Zhou Zhiruo this set of fist techniques. Although it was only an introductory martial art of the Wudang Sect, Song Qingchu, who possessed memories from a later generation, knew that these seemingly soft and fluffy palm techniques were actually the foundation of all Wudang Sect martial arts, including the Taiji Fist and Sword that would come later. This was just like the Arhat Fist of Shaolin Temple, which was also the foundation of all martial arts.

  And don't underestimate Wudang Mian Zhang as an introductory martial art, if it's really cultivated to a high level, it's absolutely not inferior to those advanced martial arts.

  The purpose of this set of palm techniques is purely for strengthening the body and laying a foundation, not for fighting. This set of fists is just like the Tai Chi fists practiced by those old men and women in the square that Song Qing saw in his previous life.

  However, there are some differences, but this set of Wudang Mian Zhang still incorporates a lot of palm theory. In conjunction with the heart method of Wudang internal strength, it can lay a solid foundation for people.

  This set of palm techniques is much more complicated than just memorizing the oral formula, but it's not that simple. It requires coordination between hands, eyes and feet, and a slight deviation from one move to another can't achieve the expected purpose. Otherwise, how would there be the saying "knowing is easy, doing is hard"? That's why Song Qing taught everything by hand.

  Although it was only the first time practicing, with Song Qingxue's serious teaching and Zhou Zhiruo's originally extraordinary talent, Zhou Zhiruo soon mastered a set of Wudang Mian Zhang. Although the performance was still a bit clumsy and not as smooth as Song Qingxue's, many actions were not done properly. However, it was already quite impressive.

  If Song Qing Shu had done it himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to do any better. Thinking of this, Song Qing Shu couldn't help but feel grateful towards his predecessor for laying such a solid foundation for him.

  Watching Zhou Zhiruo's meticulous and repeated display of Wudang Mian Zhang, Song Qing Shu couldn't help but nod his head in satisfaction.

  Martial arts are not like other things, it's not just about being clever or talented, you have to study hard and practice diligently. The idea that you can become a master overnight by obtaining a secret manual from a senior expert is simply a rumor spread by mediocre people. If such a thing existed, then Shaolin Temple would have dominated the world long ago.

  Practicing martial arts, practicing martial arts, the first word "practice" makes everything clear. Since it's about practicing martial arts, then one must practice. Practice in the three periods of nine days in winter and three periods of ten days in summer. Don't think that people in Jianghu are just wearing white clothes floating around, eating meat with big mouthfuls, drinking wine from large bowls, seeing injustice on the road and drawing swords to help, doing nothing all day long.

  A true master can endure loneliness and bring a single practice to its ultimate point.

  Moreover, if you don't practice martial arts to the point where it becomes a natural reflex of your body, then when facing an enemy, no matter how high your skills are, you won't be able to bring them out. Once you panic and forget what moves to use, the enemy won't give you time to think about it, and by the time you remember, you'll already have been killed by the enemy. You must practice martial arts until they become a natural reflex of your body, so that when facing an enemy, you don't even need to think, and as soon as the enemy attacks, you can counterattack naturally. It's just like when your hand is pricked by a needle, it will immediately withdraw without anyone needing to tell it to do so after being pricked. This is what we call a natural reflex of the body. So in the end, it all comes down to one word: 'practice'.