Chapter 20: The Infinite Divine Fist

  Yue Fei asked Fan Wenhu why the bed crossbow on the border was smaller in size.

  Qin Tingyu replied, "There are no craftsmen on Qilin Mountain, so all the crossbow carts have to be purchased from outside. However, the water in Dangma River is turbulent and there are no large ships on it either. Normally-sized crossbow carts can't be transported in, so we can only order smaller ones for easier transportation."

  "Oh, I see." Yue Fei thought for a moment and then pointed to the nearby crossbow cart, saying to Zhou Tong: "Teacher, the current crossbow carts are very large and heavy, with four-wheeled bases, making them slow to move. What if I make the crossbow cart smaller than this small model, so that even ordinary soldiers can carry it? In that case, wouldn't the combat effectiveness be greatly improved?"

  "Being able to lift it is one thing, but being able to walk normally after lifting it is another matter altogether. It's not as easy as you think."

  Yue Fei's eyes twinkled a few times, and he asked Zhou Cong in return: "Teacher, the principle diagram of Zhuge Kongming's invention of the wooden oxen and flowing horses that you taught me two months ago, have you forgotten?"

  Zhou Tong's heart skipped a beat as he said, "Do you want to...?"

  Yue Fei nodded slightly. The master and apprentice looked at each other with their eyes, smiling triumphantly. While beside them, Luan Tingyu was completely bewildered.

  Ladies and gentlemen, the basic strategic approach of the Yue Family Army, which has been renowned for centuries and made the Jin people tremble with fear, has just been outlined in the conversation between the two masters. It is difficult for later generations to understand how the small private armed forces of the Yue Family Army could repeatedly defeat the main forces of the Jin country and win the highest praise from the Jin people - "Shaking a mountain is easy, shaking the Yue Family Army is hard". The reason lies in that the Yue Family Army was the world's first mechanized force (of course, this kind of machinery refers to wooden mechanical devices). The detailed situation will be described in later chapters.

  Zhou Tong bid farewell to Yue Fei and Yuan Tingyu, crossed the Dangma River, and returned to Qilin Village. Before parting ways, Zhou Tong specially instructed Yuan Tingyu that once Sun Li came up the mountain, he must inform their master. Upon hearing his master's words, Yuan Tingyu felt a surge of wild joy in his heart, as his master had not forbidden him from doing something.

  Just after crossing the river, Yue Fei proposed to Zhou Tong that they try a test of footwork. Originally, on that day when he fought with Ruan Tingyu, although they only exchanged four moves, but what kind of person was Ruan Tingyu? Thirty years ago, he was already a top-ranked master, and his "Evil Tiger Pounces on Prey" move - one pounce, one sweep, one clip - was extremely ferocious. Although that day he cheated, with his teacher warning him beforehand, Yue Fei could only barely dodge. After this battle, Yue Fei had a new realization. So he wanted to try out (his skills) with his teacher.

  Zhou Tong naturally agreed, and the two of them hurried along the mountain path together.

  ……

  Yue Fei walked and walked, finding himself in a brand new experience he had never had before: his pores were closed all over his body, and his breathing was somehow directly connected to the soles of his feet. His inhalations and exhalations became long and drawn out, his muscles tensing and relaxing in rhythm as he ran swiftly, his lower body seeming to be wrapped in a cloud that supported him as he walked... As he walked, Yue Fei himself couldn't even tell whether he was breathing through his nostrils or the soles of his feet.

  The sky was not yet dark, and the master and apprentice had already returned to the entrance of Qilin Village.

  Yue Fei suddenly stopped and stood up straight, his hands forming a yuan shi seal in front of his chest.

  Zhou Tong had long known that Yue Fei was in a mysterious state and carefully guarded him at all times.

  Yue Fei's handprint changed, his body shape transformed into the Eight Trigrams stance, he sidled up to Zhou Tong, slowly encircling him in a circle.

  Yue Fei walked extremely slowly, his breathing becoming increasingly labored. When he exhaled, his nostrils emitted white mist like winter, and his skin turned red as if blood was about to seep out; when he inhaled, his skin tightened, blue veins bulged, and protruded high, making his entire body seem to turn black again.

  Yue Fei walked two circles, not only did the sound of steady breathing come from his mouth and nose, but also the bones on his body made a series of "cracking" sounds, from the nape of the neck, spine, hip bone, thigh root, knee joint, shinbone, toe bone, arm, finger bone, the crackling sounds were like firecrackers going off continuously.

  Yue Fei walked into the third circle, and the sound of bones became dull like thunder drums, rumbling from small to large, from far to near.

  At the fifth lap, the sound of gurgling water came out, and Zhou Tong knew that it was the sound of Yue Fei's blood flowing.

  As he walked to the seventh circle, several strange sounds almost simultaneously came from Yue Fei's abdomen. Zhou Tong knew that the sound like a cow croaking was the sound of the large and small intestines moving, the sound like the wind was the sound coming from the lungs, and the "thud thud" sound like a heavy hammer hitting the wall was the heartbeat...

  "The zither and se sing in harmony." Zhou Tong knew it was time, and with a surge of energy to the dan tian, a long "humming" sound seemed to come from the sky, a white light burst out from the top of Zhou Tong's head, covering Yue Fei's head. Yue Fei's body came to a stop, his hands in front of his chest like holding a lotus flower, his feet firmly planted, unmoving as an unshakeable pillar.

  Zhou Tong continuously changed several hand seals, and the faint "Ah Ah" sound seemed to come from the vast earth. A red light burst out of Zhou Tong's throat and wrapped around Yue Fei's throat.

  Zhou Tong squeezed several hand seals in a row, and a low, thick "huff" sound came, Yue Fei felt himself back to the riverbank of Dangma River, the long river water emitted a cool blue light, pouring into Yue Fei's chest.

  Suddenly, Yue Fei threw a silent and colorless punch at Zhou Tong's head. Zhou Tong dodged his head to the side, and the fist hit nothing but air, making a dull "peng" sound, as if the air itself had been exploded by this punch.

  Yue Fei didn't stop, changing his fist into a palm, slanting and chopping down towards Zhou Tong's neck.

  The palm of his hand was accompanied by a "whooshing" sound, under the reflection of the sunset glow, as if it had turned into a cold and sharp knife.

  Zhou Tong's hands were raised flat, his body wrapped in a bundle, and his body seemed to be a sand dune in the desert that had encountered strong winds, softening and collapsing, flowing away to the side. This move was a secret hand of Tai Zu Chang Quan - Qiu Liu Shi.

  Yue Fei's first kick missed, and taking advantage of Zhou Tong's unstable body shape, he kicked his right foot diagonally towards Zhou Tong's waist.

  Zhou Tong felt a numbness in his waist, and he knew something was wrong. His body suddenly changed, and he turned into a swallow, flying out two zhang (about 6 meters) away.

  Yue Fei threw out three moves in a row, one punch, one chop and one kick, as fast as lightning, with precise control of the force and direction. Although he was ambushed by Yue Fei, it had been many years since he had been beaten so badly. Zhou Tong was furious, but seeing that Yue Fei did not pursue him, he stood in the circle, practicing his fists and legs with great relish.

  With a steady gaze, Yue Fei's eyes were half open and half closed, his face calm and composed, without the slightest hint of guilt for ambushing his master. As he swung his fists and feet, sometimes floating and agile, sometimes steady and powerful, every move and style had a certain charm, as if it was naturally perfect.

  Zhou Tong thought carefully, could it be the legendary "Wuji Divine Fist"?

  Ladies and gentlemen: According to the theory of Chinese Taoism, when a person enters a state of stillness and quietude to the extreme, one's mental state is in a state of clarity and serenity. At this time, many inexplicable things will happen, such as suddenly understanding an unheard-of language; suddenly having a breakthrough in writing, with words flowing like divine inspiration; suddenly mastering medical skills, able to cure diseases and save lives... This is also what the Tao Te Ching says: "Reach the ultimate emptiness, maintain stillness and quietude, all things will be accomplished."

  In the late 1980s, I read a book written by Mr. Que Aishui, a successor of Shaolin Neijin Yizhen, which mentioned that when Neijin Yizhen is practiced to a deep level, one will involuntarily start punching, and this kind of punch is called "Shaolin Divine Fist", meaning that this punch can only be performed after becoming enlightened. It should be noted that this type of punch is completely different in nature from the so-called "spontaneous movement".

  To know what happens next, look at the next episode.