Chapter 20: The Demeanor of a Master

  Liu Xiu's fists danced in the wind, striking continuously as if his blows were driving back an invisible enemy. He felt a strange sense of exhilaration. Over the past few days, Gong Sun had taught them many techniques, and after finishing his daily long run, he would practice these martial arts. It was ironic that in his previous life, he had looked down on these warriors, but now he enjoyed this sweaty feeling. After practicing his punches, he felt like his blood circulation had accelerated, as if he could hear the sound of his blood vessels humming, and his heart beating strongly, making him feel full of power.

  Unlike the spiritual pleasure that art can bring, physical exercise brings a more tangible sense of fulfillment, which is the security and confidence that strength gives to people. Liu Xiu has always thought that if he had such a good body in his previous life, he would not have died so miserably.

  "Hey! Ha!" Liu Xiu's hot blood surged, and he let out a loud roar, throwing two straight punches in succession. The testosterone-filled battle cry reverberated back and forth through the valley, lingering on and on, as if the mountains themselves were cheering him on.

  "Not bad!" A few scattered applause came from behind him.

  Liu Xiu turned his head to look, Wu Junhou was walking over while clapping his hands. He quickly put away his stance and greeted him politely. Wu Junhou took a glance at Liu Xiu's chest, which was emitting heat, and nodded in approval. He stopped three or four steps in front of Liu Xiu, sizing up his rapid breathing and slightly embarrassed expression: "Just learned?"

  Liu Xiu touched his head, somewhat shyly nodding: "It's Gongsun Zan's teachings, I'm just a beginner, and it's laughable to show it to the military officers."

  "Haha...” Wu Junhou smiled warmly, the rising sun shining on his dark face, casting a golden glow, even the scar above his eyebrow seemed more pleasing to the eye. He had been observing Liu Xiu for several days now, watching him run up the mountain road with a stone in hand, watching him practice his fist techniques from awkwardness to proficiency. It could be said that every bit of progress Liu Xiu made was under his scrutiny. Now he no longer had any doubts about Liu Xiu, because it was clear to him that although Liu Xiu had a good physique, he didn't have any foundation in martial arts, just an unpolished gem, without worry, only temptation - who would send a young man with not even the most basic martial skills to the village to stir up trouble?

  Although Wu Junhou was only a gate guest, he had followed Mao Kai to fight in the past and had a very close relationship with the Mao family. He had seen the decline of the Mao family over the years. Mao Jie insisted on inviting Lu Zhi to give lectures and forced Mao Zong to move out and live with Liu Xiu and others. He understood all the reasons behind this. However, unlike Mao Jie's preference for Gongsun Zan, he preferred Liu Xiu, who was not very talkative, not very active among his classmates, but more diligent, more stable, and had a youthful air that inspired trust.

  "You're doing great." Wu Junhou smiled and said: "As a newcomer who has only been practicing for a few days, it's not easy to make such progress."

  Liu Xiu's heart moved slightly, and he immediately said sincerely: "There is still a flaw in the military law, please instruct me."

  Wu Junhou smiled with satisfaction. The reason he was so concerned about Liu Xiuzi and not Gong Sunzong, who was very prominent among the students, was that Gong Sunzong not only had a good foundation but also was a proud person who could be interacted with but absolutely couldn't be favored - he was recommended by the Liaoxi Taishoufu and would definitely return to Liaoxi in the future. Moreover, he had already placed himself in a position equal to or even higher than the Mao family, so it was impossible for him to humble himself and join the Mao family.

  Liu Xiu was different. He was a local, and currently had no prospects to speak of. Although he was closer to Lu Zhi due to his good calligraphy skills than the other students, his academic foundation was too poor, making it unlikely for him to become one of Lu Zhi's indoor disciples. More importantly, although he had a good physique, he had no foundation in martial arts. If he were given some help at this time, he could gain greater returns, and might even become a guest of the Mao family.

  Apart from considering the interests of the Mao family, there is another reason why Wu Junhou is willing to help Liu Xiu: Liu Xiu treats him with respect. As a pure martial artist in the Han Dynasty where martial artists are often discriminated against, Wu Junhou finds it difficult to gain genuine respect from others, and even the Mao family's attitude towards him is more utilitarian than respectful.

  These two words look similar but are actually quite different, at least in Wu Jun's view.

  "Movement... is just superficial, the purpose of martial arts is to kill, to knock down the opponent. As long as you can achieve this goal, it doesn't matter what movement you use. You can use your fists to punch, or your feet to kick, or even your teeth to bite. The difference is actually not that big." Wu Junhou fell silent for a moment, and said lightly: "As long as your strength can cause enough harm to the opponent."

  Liu Xiu seemed to understand and yet not understand, looking at Wu Junhou with a dazed expression. He had originally thought that Wu Junhou would teach him some powerful moves, just like the ones he used when facing Gong Sunzhan - Gong Sunzhan had said that his specialty was spear techniques, not hand-to-hand combat, but Wu Junhou turned out to be an expert who could kill with his bare hands. Unexpectedly, however, Wu Junhou spoke to him in a vague and mysterious way, like a philosopher.

  Wu Junhou smiled and stopped talking, his legs slightly apart, then demonstrated a forward punch that Liu Xiu had just practiced, but the movement was much slower. As he demonstrated, he said: "You see, this move's first step is to take a step forward, the purpose is to get closer to the enemy, then it's the punch, sending your fist out to hit the enemy, but have you noticed that these two actions are separate, and in between, an important action was omitted."

  Wu Junhou said as he twisted his waist again. Liu Xiu's eyes narrowed, and suddenly understood what he was going to say. The same advancing punch, he took a step forward with one foot, and punched with the other, but Wu Junhou had an additional twisting motion when taking the step, and the timing of his punch was almost synchronized with the step, in other words, he was actually performing three actions simultaneously.

  "Power starts from the feet, the waist is the axis, through the abdomen to the shoulders, straight to the fist, only then can the whole body's power be gathered in one strike, and nothing can withstand it." Wu Junhou said while demonstrating again, at the same time, what was originally just a fancy move in Liu Xiu's eyes, his left hand lifted up with full force: "Left is defense, right is offense, left and right interchange, both offense and defense are ready, one move forward without hesitation."

  In the midst of his shouting, Wu Junxiong strode forward with a swift and powerful movement, his actions clean and efficient. In an instant, he had launched three consecutive attacks, advancing three steps forward. When he finally stopped, his fist had just struck Liu Xiu's chest and abdomen, less than an inch from his clothes. The turbulent air generated by the punch fluttered Liu Xiu's shirt, allowing him to truly feel the power contained within that blow.

  Liu Xu had no doubt that if Wu Jun's punch really hit him, he would be afraid of losing his combat effectiveness even if he didn't die.

  Originally simple moves, unexpectedly produced an unprecedented momentum in Wu Jun's hands, this is the difference between a master and an ordinary person. Just like painting, it's the same brush, the same line, but the lines drawn by ordinary people are just a line, while the lines drawn by such masters are full of strength and momentum.

  Liu Xiujing admired him greatly, her eyes shining brightly. It was as if a door had suddenly opened before her, and the few moves she thought she was already familiar with suddenly took on a new understanding.

  "Thank you for your guidance, General." Liu Xiuxiu bowed respectfully.

  "Hahaha……" Wu Junhou's momentum was withdrawn, and he burst out laughing loudly. He saw from Liu Xiu's shining eyes that Liu Xiu had already grasped the essence of what he wanted to say, and his mood was extremely pleasant. Although he didn't read books, he knew that sages also liked Yan Hui, who could understand ten things by knowing one, and having a student who could see through everything with just a hint was indeed a delightful thing for teachers.

  "The moves are fake, the power is real. If there's no power, it's not a killing technique, but a dance at a banquet." Wu Junhou smiled faintly: "Young man, you have great insight, but it's easy to learn boxing and hard to change it. Don't be impatient, don't be greedy, one move mastered is like mastering a hundred moves, slowly experience it."

  "Yes." Liu Xiu cupped his hands together and bowed his head, stepping aside to the edge of the road, watching as Wu Jun's entourage departed with a flourish.