Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and summer arrived before anyone knew it.
The plum rains finally ceased, and a rare bright sun emerged, thoroughly baking away the dampness accumulated over the past days.
In the Shen family's small courtyard.
The chirping of cicadas drifted in from the old locust tree outside the wall, one after another, noisy yet full of life.
Shen Xiuhan stood in the middle of the courtyard, practicing the Golden Eagle Stance.
This stance work was born from the Golden Eagle Soaring Technique. Although its core originated from the Mystic Eagle Stance, its patterns and movements were far more advanced.
Shen Xiuhan stood with staggered steps, his arms like an eagle's wings poised to strike, appearing relaxed yet harboring hidden killing intent.
Whoosh!
Curving his fingers into claws with hollowed palms, a faint, elastic contraction pulsed through his tendons and bones, as if he could dig straight into the joints of his prey.
At the start of his movements, his actions seemed somewhat slow and heavy, like a falcon circling high in the sky, casual and unhurried.
But the moment his claws reached their furthest extent and were about to strike, the force hidden beneath the soft heaviness erupted violently!
Screech!
A sharp sound of tearing air rang out, like an eagle's claw ripping through silk.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Continuous whistling sounds filled the air, demonstrating the terrifying piercing and tearing force contained within his hands.
After completing a round of the Golden Eagle Stance, Shen Xiuhan slowly let his hands fall. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, standing firm once more.
“Hoo...”
Closing his eyes, he quietly felt the circulation of force within his body.
Within his three acupoints, the force was like three lurking flood dragons, rising and falling, poised to strike.
Especially the third acupoint, the Tinggong acupoint!
The force within was nearly at Great Perfection, surging and filling the acupoint like a butterfly about to break out of its cocoon.
“With a few more days of practice, I can begin to break through the Mingmen acupoint.”
Shen Xiuhan opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving upward in satisfaction.
The Mingmen acupoint!
The fourth of the nine acupoints!
Once opened, he would enter the mid stage of the Anjin Rank!
To make such progress in just a few days since his time in the pool—if anyone else were to find out, their jaws would surely hit the floor.
In the courtyard, the cicadas continued to chirp.
Shen Xiuhan exhaled a breath of turbid air and walked toward the well.
He drew half a bucket of well water and poured it over his head. The cool water cascaded down his hair, cheeks, and neck, washing away the sweat and sweltering heat.
Afterward, Shen Xiuhan returned to his room to change into clean clothes.
He put on a green robe with tight sleeves, hung Hanlin at his waist, and prepared to visit the Mei Courtyard.
Two days ago, Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting had already left with Zhao Zheng, heading to the border to serve in the Longxiang Army.
Before departing, the two had made a special trip to bid Shen Xiuhan farewell. They had spent the entire afternoon drinking tea in the courtyard and chatting for a long time.
Fourth Senior Brother Shen Huai's injuries had not yet fully healed, but he had a solid foundation. After taking the medicinal pills, his muscles and bones were already mending.
Zhao Zheng had permitted him to recover fully before reporting to the Longxiang Army, so there was no rush.
As for the Mei Courtyard, ever since Shen Xiuhan had placed in the top three of the martial feast, his fame had spread throughout both the Inner and Outer Cities. The academy's reputation was now even on par with the Zhendong Martial Arts Hall.
Over the past few days, a steady stream of people had come to pay their tuition fees and learn martial arts.
Even wealthy youths from Changshui County and several neighboring counties had brought ample silver and generous gifts, traveling dozens of miles just to join, drawn by his reputation.
However, Mei Shuangfeng had been in secluded cultivation to comprehend the Golden Eagle Soaring Technique, locking herself in the back hall all day. Even her three daily meals had to be left outside the door by Auntie Shi.
The entire Mei Courtyard was left in the hands of Jiang Qinghong alone.
She had to supervise the disciples' cultivation, handle the endless stream of new applicants, and manage the academy's chores, meals, and accounts. She was busy to the point of being run off her feet.
In between his training sessions, Shen Xiuhan decided to head over to the martial arts hall to lend a hand.
Before heading out, he turned into his family's street-facing eatery.
It was currently the hour of Wu.
Customers at three tables were burying their faces in their noodles. Steam rose from the hot broth, carrying the aroma of chopped scallions and filling the entire shop.
Madam Zheng was busy in the kitchen.
In the front of the shop, a plain-looking, slightly timid woman was bending over to wipe down an empty table.
It was Geng Weizhi's wife, Liang Xiuhe.
Running the place by herself had indeed left Madam Zheng short-handed, so she truly needed a helper.
Liang Xiuhe was hardworking, spoke little, and was neat and efficient. After just a few days, she had already gotten the hang of the work.
Seeing Shen Xiuhan enter, she quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and said nervously, “Young Master, would you like to have lunch?”
“Hmm...”
Shen Xiuhan thought for a moment, then said, “I won't be eating here. Have my mother make three bowls of noodles. I'll send a few junior brothers to pick them up later and bring them to the martial arts hall for my master and senior sister's lunch.”
“Understood, I will let her know.”
Liang Xiuhe nodded quickly and jogged into the kitchen to deliver the message.
Shen Xiuhan walked out and made his way to the Mei Courtyard.
From quite a distance away, he could hear the shouting inside, the sound of fists and feet tearing through the air, and Jiang Qinghong's scolding voice.
“Straighten your waist! If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, how do you expect to learn martial arts?”
“Your stance is floating, and your hips are loose! Plant your lower body firmly! Firmly! Are you listening to me?”
“And you! Why are you looking around instead of focusing on your stance? You'll practice for an extra two hours tonight!”
The scolded disciple felt a bit aggrieved and mumbled under his breath.
Jiang Qinghong didn't hear clearly and demanded sharply, “What did you say?”
The disciple shrank his neck, his voice dropping even lower. “First Senior Sister... Senior Brother Shen is here...”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Qinghong turned around in surprise.
Sure enough, she saw Shen Xiuhan stepping over the threshold and walking into the courtyard.
Her tense expression melted away instantly, and she stepped forward with a smile.
“Junior Brother, how do you have time to visit today?”
Shen Xiuhan clasped his hands and smiled.
“I couldn't bear to see Senior Sister so busy all by herself, so I came to lend a hand and share your burden.”
“Slick-tongued.”
Jiang Qinghong didn't give him any face, rolling her eyes, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
Shen Xiuhan laughed, not minding at all, and said, “Senior Sister, I had my mother make three bowls of noodles. Send a few junior brothers over to pick them up.”
“Blanket Noodles!”
Jiang Qinghong's eyes lit up, her phoenix eyes instantly sparkling.
Since learning by chance that Shen Xiuhan's family ran a noodle shop, she had visited once out of curiosity.
With just that single visit, Jiang Qinghong had been completely captivated by the chewy, springy, wide noodles in the rich, flavorful broth.
From then on, every few days she would find an excuse to have a bowl, using the opportunity to tease the adorable little girl.
As the two of them chatted and laughed,
not far away, a group of newly admitted disciples stretched their necks, their eyes shining as they peered in their direction, whispering and buzzing among themselves.
“Is that the Senior Brother Shen who defeated the genius of the Luo family with his sword?” a female disciple from another county asked excitedly.
“That's him!”
Beside her, a male disciple who fancied her nodded quickly, speaking with a distinct sense of pride, “I was right below the stage that day and saw it with my own eyes! Senior Brother Shen used an unparalleled sword technique to defeat numerous opponents and was crowned one of the Six Prodigies of Changyun! His sword-glow was so fast that the eye couldn't keep up. In just a few moves, he soundly defeated Luo Qiance...”
He spoke with flying spit and animated gestures, wishing he could describe every single detail he had witnessed.
However, the female disciple's attention was not on the latter half of his speech at all. She stared blankly at the tall, upright figure, her cheeks flushing as she murmured, “Senior Brother Shen is actually so handsome...”
The male disciple's words ground to a halt, his face instantly turning stiff.
Then, this stiffness spread to Shen Xiuhan's face as well.
Shen Xiuhan's smile froze. His eyelid twitched as he looked at Jiang Qinghong, who was holding back her laughter.
“The Six Prodigies of Changyun...”
Jiang Qinghong covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes curving like crescent moons as she whispered, “You don't know yet?”
“After the martial feast ended, the storytellers in the county's teahouses and entertainment houses wanted to attract customers. They embellished the exciting matches on the stage and turned them into stories. They spoke with such vivid flourish that the listeners' blood boiled with excitement.”
“So, some busybodies put together the top three of both groups from the martial feast and gave them a collective title, calling them the 'Six Prodigies of Changyun'.”
After hearing this, Shen Xiuhan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Well, whatever...
If there were only four, it would have been troublesome.
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