Hu Qi had finished evaluating the bones and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Since I've learned bone evaluation, this is the first time I've seen such a standard 'bee waist, ape arms, mantis legs.' How old is Junior Brother Liang?"
"Fifteen, almost sixteen."
"Then you'll definitely grow taller, at least six feet in the future."
In Dashun, one foot is roughly thirty-three centimeters, so at least six feet means over one meter eighty.
Upon hearing this, Liang Qu sighed in relief, his former self hadn't been well-nourished, and he wasn't very tall, so he had been worried about not growing taller.
Li Libo listened beside him, his face contorting, "Damn it, I've nearly broken my teeth in frustration. Mom's life, you've got both handsome features and good bones—how come all the good things happen to you? If you don't treat me to a meal today, I'll never let it go!"
Liang Qu casually brushed it off, "Next time for sure."
Hu Qi continued, "You're also suited for the main practice of Ape Fist and also for archery. If there's a chance in the future, Junior Brother Liang could learn them."
Upon hearing this, both were stunned.
"Hold on, Senior Brother Hu, why am I suitable for Ape Fist with above average bones, and he with good bones, also Ape Fist?"
Hu Qi explained, "There are many types of good bones, not only the 'bee waist, ape arms, mantis legs' kind. This type is most suitable for Ape Fist, to accumulate power like drawing a bow and to release power like shooting an arrow, with force quick, far-reaching, and ferocious. Of course, Tiger Fist is not bad either; Crane Fist is somewhat inferior."
"Junior Brother Li's other features might be a little lacking, but he has a long reach, and without the advantage of Tiger Stance's power or Crane Stance's lightness, you are also suitable for Ape Fist."
Liang Qu suddenly understood; he was suitable for Ape Fist due to his talent, whereas Li Libo was suitable for Ape Fist because he was even less suited for the other two styles.
Thinking about it, his suitability for Ape Fist could also be related to the Water Monkey Ze Spirit, right?
Having merged with the Water Monkey Ze Spirit, Liang Qu could feel changes in his body, maybe that's what had altered his bones.
Li Libo felt somewhat disheartened; martial arts training wasn't quite what he had imagined it to be.
Seeing this, Hu Qi consoled him, "Junior Brother Li, don't be disheartened. Inferior bones don't really mean anything; they don't limit our future. It's not a given that those with inferior bones will breach the limits slower than those with superior bones. Junior Brother Liang, having good bones is no cause for arrogance or complacency; they likewise do not determine our future."
"Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother Hu."
Hu Qi nodded, then took out two books from his bosom, "These are Teacher Yang's Three-Fist Technique, Ape, Tiger, and Crane. You can study all of them, but it's best to focus mainly on what I recommended.
Can you read? If not, it doesn't matter, there are illustrations; just practice according to the sequence, and I'll correct you on the side."
How considerate. Liang Qu flipped through the manual, feeling that everyone at the Yang Family Martial Arts School was talented, and they spoke so kindly—he loved this place.
The manual had six sections, detailing the training and fighting techniques for the Ape, Tiger, and Crane styles. Liang Qu mainly looked at the training methods to lay the foundation.
The training methods mainly relied on Pile Exercises, with each of the three forms of martial arts having thirty-two stances. Some were the same, others similar, and a few differed significantly.
Sixteen taels of silver to learn three forms of martial arts was quite a bargain.
Liang Qu knew that taking advice led to prosperity, so he focused on the Ape Fist, starting his practice with the stances illustrated.
He spread his feet apart, chest in and back pulled up, shoulders sunk and elbows dropped. Then, he steadied his abdomen, relaxed his waist, retracted his buttocks, loosened his hips, and controlled his breath, gathering and releasing it within the Dantian.
"Your feet are wrong, they should contain emptiness at the sole. They're too stiff."
"That's right, no mistake."
"Junior Brother Li, don't tense up; relax, your movements are too stiff."
"Upper body light, lower body solid, the body light but the stance solid—yin and yang give life to each other... Keep still and try to let your body memorize this posture."
Hu Qi was directing on the side, moving on to the next movement only after confirming one was done correctly.
In one morning, Liang Qu had learned three pile exercises, while Li Libo had only managed two.
It was past noon, and the tuition of seven taels didn't include meals, so the two of them could only go out to find food, making do at a small eatery before returning to find someone carrying a large wooden tub out from the back yard, filled with hot medicinal liquid.
Some of the students approached the tub, each taking a bowl and finishing it in one gulp.
Li Libo craned his neck, "Is that the medicine? I heard that our martial arts techniques come with matching medicinal recipes, right? Why haven't we seen any?"
"Maybe the value of the recipe is higher? Does the Martial Arts School make money from the recipes?" Liang Qu guessed.
"Alas, you only realize you don't have enough money when you need it."
"Can't help it, we were born at the bottom. If we want to change our fate, we have to rely on ourselves. We can only work harder this afternoon and learn a few more moves."
In the afternoon, Liang Qu learned five more Pile Exercises, managing to smoothly execute them without any guidance, while Li Libo only learned three.
By the time they left the Martial Arts School at six o'clock, it had already grown dark. The two didn't take a carriage, choosing to walk back to Yixing City instead.
The journey of more than ten miles took almost half an hour. Once they reached the streets, the two parted ways.
Liang Qu once again resorted to a small eatery for his dinner, but this time, instead of the usual three basic dishes, he had two meat and one vegetable dish with rice. Having taken up martial arts, he needed to nourish himself more.
Days passed by.
With a foundation established, Liang Qu's learning accelerated. Devoted entirely to his training, he had hardly any social interactions and only knew Senior Brother Hu and Xiang Changsong at the Martial Arts School.
With such efforts, it took him just under four days to learn all of the Ape Fist Pile Exercises, while Li Libo, who started at the same time, only reached the twentieth, significantly behind, just as Senior Brother Hu had said.
Seeing Liang Qu complete the last movement, Hu Qi nodded, "To finish all the Pile Exercises in less than four days is the fastest I've seen. Go ahead and try flowing through them once more."
"Yes."
Responding, Liang Qu began with the first Pile Exercise and practiced up to the last, taking nearly half an hour. His movements were smooth and effortless.
And as he reached halfway, a trace of qi began to slowly gather inside Liang Qu, spreading throughout his body with each movement, as if he were soaking in a hot bath. While drenched in sweat, he was also thoroughly exhausted.
This was a completely new experience for him. In the past, after training, he only felt tired and his body heated up.
"How is it? Did you feel a trace of qi?"
"Mhm."
"To feel the qi in one attempt indicates that you, Junior Brother Liang, have abundant vital energy and talent. The presence of qi means your vital energy is growing. The day when the qi is as thick as a finger and your vital energy is like a tide, it will be time for Skin Refinement. Once the Skin Pass is broken through, that's a true rebirth!"
Liang Qu immediately asked, "As for breaking through, how exactly is it done?"
"That involves medicine again. When the time comes for you to truly break through, I'll explain it all to you. For now, Junior Brother Liang, just focus on your diligent practice," Hu Qi said with a smile, without revealing everything.
In fact, he didn't really believe the two Junior Brothers had any hope of breaking through.
It wasn't out of contempt, but rather, a matter of fact and experience.
He himself was a butcher from Pingyang Town, whose family has slaughtered who knows how many pigs to achieve his current success.
As for two background-less fishermen whose income was even less than that of ordinary farmers, talking about it would just add to their worries for no reason. Better left unsaid.
Liang Qu wasn't the kind to insist on getting to the bottom of things. He simply requested to learn the Tiger Fist Pile Exercises. While he had his focus, it didn't prevent him from learning more to broaden his horizons, and since there were commonalities with the other two techniques, learning them would be faster.
As long as he mastered all the Pile Exercises, he would be able to practice on his own before Skin Refinement, avoiding wasting time on the road to and from the Martial Arts School, a journey of over an hour each way. That would be the time for three more rounds of Pile Exercises.
Senior Brother Hu was unsurprised, "Alright, then I will teach you the different twenty-four Pile Exercises of the Tiger Fist."
By three in the afternoon, Liang Qu had learned one Tiger Fist Pile Exercise and immediately took leave from Hu Qi, then hurriedly left the Martial Arts School under Li Libo's puzzled gaze.
The Fat Catfish in the spiritual link told Liang Qu that it had discovered another Treasure Fish!