At the entrance of the village.

The B-class man "Zhou Yitong" was ordered to deliver a message.

He lingered at the village entrance, shouted a few times, and then waited in place. He knew Black River Village was a poor and perilous place and was reluctant to step in.

He spat lightly, thinking that if he waited for another half quarter of an hour and no one came out, he would assume the person was dead.

Such a great matter would then have nothing to do with him.

It didn't take long.

A figure came walking over.

"Ah, still alive."

Zhou Yitong was taken aback. It had been a long time, and Li Xian looked even more vigorous. His skin fair, his stature tall, neither burly nor emaciated, yet there was a sense of hidden strength...

"Brother Li, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Zhou Yitong greeted him with a smile, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Brother Zhou, it's been a while! I'm doing well." Li Xian returned the gesture and asked, "Brother Zhou, you say that Madam has summoned me back to the manor? For what purpose?"

Zhou Yitong replied with a smile, "It's certainly a good thing, Li Xian, I will explain on the way."

"Alright."

Li Xian called over Fu Bo, gave him a few simple instructions, and then followed Zhou Yitong back to the manor.

On the way, Zhou Yitong said, "This trip is not just to summon you back to the manor. All external nursing home guards have been called."

"You've been in the manor for less than half a year, so you wouldn't know. Every three years, Madam spends half a day instructing the nursing home in martial arts."

"The reason for calling you back today is precisely for this."

Li Xian was delighted, "This is indeed a very good thing."

Although Li Xian possessed the [Heaven rewards diligence] life chart, and improved with hard practice, guidance from a senior would be highly beneficial.

"Yes, so let's hurry back."

"It will be this afternoon."

Zhou Yitong impatiently said.

...

...

At Yihetang Manor.

Just past noon, there was an open grassy area in the manor where the A, B, C, and D class nursing home guards were all gathered.

Heads were bustling in the crowd, with many new faces among them.

Li Xian hurried back to the manor and made his way to the front of the line. His B-class nursing home badge was prominent, and guards of other classes sensibly made way for him.

"Since I started practicing martial arts, I've never had anyone guide me."

"Having reached the peak in Four Directions Fist, I don't need guidance. The Clear Wind Leg has also reached perfection, the Jade Palm is just mastered, but if there is Madam's guidance, I will surely benefit greatly from it."

After waiting a while longer.

The noisy environment suddenly became quiet; it was Madam who arrived.

Madam looked as ever, dignified and gentle, with an indescribable nobility. She wore only a thin veil silk dress, her figure's curves fully visible.

Her long hair was styled up, fixed with three hairpins, with crystal jade beads dangling at the tails of the pins.

As she walked, the jade beads clinked, making a crisp, ringing sound.

"It's her."

Li Xian saw that beside Madam, there was another woman. She wore a fox fur cloak, her lips red and brows delicate. Having less experience than Madam, she resembled a budding flower, less mature in elegance, but young and charming.

This was the woman he met the other day at the Pill Pavilion.

"She really is visiting the manor," Li Xian thought to himself, "This woman's identity is extraordinary."

Madam took her seat, and Qiuyue served hot tea. Madam took a small sip, lifted her brows slightly, Pang Long understood, and said to the crowd: "Begin!"

The A-class man Hua Hanying was the first in line, so naturally, he was the first to take the stage.

"Hanying, use that Fire Eagle Claw of yours," Pang Long said with a smile.

"Alright!"

Hua Hanying condensed his qi to make a move, thrust his hands forward, curving his fingers into claws, his joints crackling. He first executed a move "Hunting Eagle Pouncing Tiger," striking downward from a height, as if the cry of an eagle could be heard in the haze.

Then he carried out several sets of claw strikes, crossing and clawing vertically, full of lethal intent, immensely powerful.

All the nursing home guards exclaimed in awe, Pang Long also nodded with satisfaction.

However, Li Xian frowned slightly, "Though I have never practiced claw techniques, my fist techniques have already reached the peak."

"In Hua Hanying's claw technique, there seem to be traces of fist technique."

When the set was complete.

Madam raised her eyes slightly, said only one sentence, "Qi is not condensed firmly, qi scattered and mind unfocused, as if there is a shadow of a fist," and let Hua Hanying comprehend on his own.

Li Xian was slightly happy, the words "as if there is a shadow of a fist" validated his thoughts.

In martial competition, experience and knowledge are crucial. Knowing oneself and one's opponent, one can win a hundred battles.

Li Xian thought, with this rare opportunity, he could quickly accumulate martial knowledge. So he paid more attention, watched the nursing home guards make moves, and tried to analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

Madam was sparing with words but often went straight to the point.

For instance, there was a B-class nursing home guard, practicing the "Zhengping Fist" technique.

This boxing technique was balanced in form, difficult to go astray. But the guard's right leg had an auricular point obstruction, causing internal qi circulation to be hindered, the technique's achievement barely minor, but each practice resulted in shoulder pain.

Madam said, "Unblock the Three Yin, take hot medicine, and it can be resolved."

Not only pointing out flaws in the technique but also identifying old physical ailments, her achievement in martial arts made Li Xian hold her in high regard.

On the road to martial arts, if one could have guidance from a famous teacher, it truly felt like taking a shortcut. Twice the result with half the effort!

It was soon Jiang Yun's turn.

She performed "Jade Palm," yet the palm route was interwoven with a set of softness and mistake connections. Like a haphazard tangle, entangled thread ball.

The strikes were fast, but suddenly left, suddenly right. Somewhat chaotic.

Li Xian saw this, shook his head in secret. This Jiang Yun entered the Leisure Martial Pavilion, practicing "Jade Palm." But the number of entries into the pavilion was limited, and what she remembered and learned showed deviations.

Madam was slightly surprised, glanced at Qiuyue, and returned to her usual demeanor. After Jiang Yun finished her technique, Madam said, "The Jade Palm is my creation, you've veered off course, no need to delve deeply, switch to another martial art."

"This..." Jiang Yun's expression was grim.

She had poured immense effort into this palm technique, was it to be wasted?

But with Madam's words, how could she disobey?

After Jiang Yun, after three B-class nursing home guards, it was finally Li Xian's turn.

Pang Long nodded towards him and said, "B-class Nursing Home Li Xian, begin."

Li Xian launched his palms simultaneously, also performing the Jade Palm. The Madam let out a slight "hmm," thinking, "Another Jade Palm, though this martial art is mediocre, it was created by my Qixing."

Upon a closer look, Li Xian's proficiency in Jade Palm was not as refined as Jiang Yun's, yet he hadn't deviated. The palm technique had both slow and fast elements; it was vast as a mighty river and small as a gentle stream.

The Madam slightly raised her eyebrow and said, "Remarkable, your palm technique has no flaws."

She deftly pinched with her fingers, and from Pang Long's clothes, she drew a silk thread. With a gentle gust of wind from her palm, the silk thread landed in Li Xian's hand.

Li Xian focused his attention and looked at it.

The silk thread had been tied into a complex dead knot.

The Madam said nothing further, signaling Li Xian to step down.

Li Xian held the entangled thread, utterly puzzled. Regardless of the others' martial arts prowess, the Madam would always give verbal guidance. Only for him, she simply handed over a bunch of silk threads.

What did this mean?

"Could it be that the Madam's guidance is entirely within this tangled silk?" Li Xian observed the tangled silk, but couldn't see any clue for the moment.

So he simply put it in his pocket.

Planning to study it slowly in the future.

Time passed, and soon it was evening.

The Madam's guidance concluded, and Li Xian was still on outside duty, preparing to return to Black River Village.

Pang Long sent him off especially. Li Xian asked, "Commander Pang, what exactly do you think the Madam meant by this?"

He took out the tangled silk.

"I don't know either." Pang Long shook his head, patting Li Xian's shoulder, and reminded, "Be careful when you return to Black River Village. Zheng Xuezhang is seriously injured and won't recover for several months, but his son is not weak."

Li Xian nodded, suddenly asking, "That's right, Commander Pang, recently there have been quite a few casualties in the manor, haven't there? I've seen many new faces."

"You're quite observant." Pang Long said, "There should have been another six months before the Madam's guidance, but recently, there's been unrest in the county, so the Madam instructed earlier for peace of mind during her seclusion."

"There's unrest in the county?" Li Xian was startled.

Pang Long said, "Indeed, it seems a group of rebels have stationed outside Qingning County. The situation is complicated, and I can't make sense of it at the moment."

"Guarding Black River Village may not be a bad thing. After all, in recent days, two B-class Nursing Homes have died. It's very unsettled."

Li Xian asked, "What does the Madam think of this matter?" trying to gauge the importance of the matter from the Madam's reaction.

But he wasn't able to.

"The Madam is as usual," Pang Long said.

...

...

Li Xian returned home by the moonlight, his heart filled with emotion.

In times of chaos, how can there be a still lake?

Only by mastering the Madam's martial arts can one be safe and sound.

Black River Village.

Between the small wooden houses in the west of the village.

Li Xian held the tangled thread in his hand, unable to understand either way. He thought to himself, "Could it possibly be a method of Qi circulation?"

So he circulated his Qi, following the tangled thread. But the complexity of the thread caused the Qi to move chaotically within, nearly injuring him.

"Oh well, since I can't figure it out, I'll just use my simple method and practice bitterly over and over again!"

He immediately practiced his palm technique. Once, twice... His palm winds whooshing. Suddenly, in a moment of realization, Li Xian recalled the Madam drawing out a thread of clothing and sending it with a gust of palm wind, transforming it into a tangled thread...

"Could it be that I'm supposed to use palm wind to untangle this thread?"

Li Xian's heart pounded wildly. He took out the tangled thread and tossed it into the air.

It floated down slowly like a goose feather. Li Xian struck with his palm, and the palm wind blew the tangled thread away. "Not good!" Li Xian quickly leapt up, reaching to grab the tangled thread.

The ground was covered in white snow.

If it fell into the snow, even with great skill, Li Xian wouldn't be able to find it. He immediately returned to his cabin, free from the interference of accumulated snow, and resumed practicing martial arts.

"If the palm wind is too strong, it blows it away. If too light, the thread falls to the ground."

Li Xian used palm wind to lift the tangled thread. He controlled the strength precisely, keeping the tangled thread suspended without falling.

Yet the tangled thread was so intricate that even tugging with fingers couldn't untangle it. Let alone a continuous gust of palm wind?

"Swinging the hand must bring about wind. This kind of palm wind can be strong or gentle, but how can the tangled silk be undone? And how can it be untangled?"

Li Xian recalled the unique traits of the Jade Palm. It involved striking with a palm and simultaneously releasing over ten different types of Inner Qi.

Consider the palm wind as an extension of Inner Qi. One palm strike releases Qi from the palm, transforming into over ten agile gentle breezes, akin to undercurrents beneath the water's surface.

Perhaps that is the principle.

He immediately began experimenting.

[You initially grasp the knack of Jade Palm, skill level +12]

Indeed, the effect was immediate.

Li Xian was overjoyed and continued to practice diligently.

[You initially grasp the knack of Jade Palm, skill level +4]

...

Buoyed by this momentum, Li Xian once again practiced late into the night.

The next day, at noon.

Today, the sun was slightly intense, and the weather had warmed up.

According to the days, December was ending, and January was approaching.

The cold winter was more than halfway over.

Afterwards, the days would gradually warm up.

Although Li Xian still hadn't untangled the thread, his entry martial arts [Jade Palm] had broken through the shackles of mastery, achieving the [Minor Achievement] level in one stroke.

[Jade Palm]

[Skill Level: 124/6000 Minor Achievement]

[Description: Within the palm jade, secrets are hidden. Guided by a senior, you diligently practice the palm wind, and prematurely grasp the characteristics of 'Condensing Qi Like Silk' and 'Binding Silk like a Rope.']

Li Xian sat cross-legged where he was, his breathing long and continuous. He stayed up all night practicing diligently just for this moment of breakthrough.

With inner vision, he observed himself, the Inner Qi growing continuously...

The Qi Lake surged with waves, expanding constantly, from two zhang and two, to two zhang and three... until it reached two zhang and four, then it showed signs of stopping.

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