Volume 1 Chapter 20: Laughing about the difficulty of resolving the crisis
Lin Jianlan glanced at Qin Tianxiong and saw that he was so angry that his hair and beard stood up. Although he respected him very much, he still sighed secretly: "Uncle Qin's whole life, he was just an extraordinary 'martial arts'." Seeing that he was staring at him, he had to say: "Grandpa Cheng, if I practice both internal and external skills now, how likely is it that I will be able to defeat Yin Yin in a few years?" Doctor Cheng was actually paused for a moment. Seeing that he did not answer, Lin Jianlan said again: "If I only practice external skills and weapons now, how likely is it that I will win? Alas, Grandpa Cheng, I know you are doing this for my own good. You hope that I can have a skill to protect myself and avoid killing people in the future."
Doctor Cheng said, "I don't know how many times I have told you these words. It's a pity that even if you can practice internal energy now, it's probably too late. What's more, you haven't practiced hard yet. What nonsense did you say this morning?"
Lin Jianlan could only look at the falling snow outside the door and answered: "I just watched the snow fall from the sky and asked Uncle Qin what he thought of the snowflakes in the sky."
Qin Tianxiong said, "At that time, I wanted to use the snowflakes to advise the young master, so I said, 'The snowflakes are just like the weaklings in the rivers and lakes. In the air, they are inevitably disturbed by the cold wind and cannot keep their bodies steady. When they fall to the ground, they will melt. This is the most undesirable.' I didn't expect that the young master didn't understand what I heard. I said some nonsense there, but I don't remember it."
Everyone in the room nodded slightly, thinking that although Qin Tianxiong was a rough man, what he said made a lot of sense. Fang Zheng said, "What Protector Qin said makes sense. Lan'er, why don't you listen?"
Lin Jianlan slowly withdrew his gaze from the door and said, "I don't think so. Rising and falling with the clouds, drifting with the wind, giving things images, and taking the shape of the earth, this is exactly in line with the meaning of martial arts."
Doctor Cheng was a little unhappy and said, "You are so young and have only studied for half a year. What do you know about martial arts?"
Lin Jianlan sighed like an adult and said seriously, "How come Grandpa Cheng has forgotten what he said before? 'When it comes to learning martial arts, it only matters how soon you comprehend it, not how much time it takes.' Lan'er has always kept this sentence in mind and deeply believes it. Lan'er feels that if you uncles continue to teach me, I'm afraid I will never be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. The more you focus on the rules and regulations of the moves, the further you are from martial arts. At most, you can only be 'good at martial arts', let alone 'enlightenment'."
Everyone was speechless. Doctor Cheng was very unhappy. The veins on his temples jumped a few times. He said, "You arrogant boy, the members of the Kuang Yi Gang have always practiced hard to become famous. There are also many outstanding figures in the martial arts world. How dare you talk nonsense about martial arts?"
Zhang Hufa also showed a disappointed look on his face and said, "If you continue to be obsessed like this, I think it will be difficult for you to save your life, not to mention defeating Yin Yin! It seems that what your uncle Qin said is right. There is no need to teach you. I just need to save your life when the time comes!"
After hearing what Doctor Cheng said, Lin Jianlan felt disappointed and said, "I originally hoped to explain that Grandpa Cheng might approve of Uncle Qing's statement, but they took it as my arrogance." But he was very stubborn and said in his heart, "I want to save my own life and not trouble you. Not only do I want to live well, I will also surpass you." He only said these in his heart, because he understood, "I used to think that Grandpa Cheng and the others were good to me, so I could tell them anything. But now it seems that this is not the case. Some things can be said, but some cannot. " He also said in his heart, "Grandpa Cheng fought for it from my aunt and finally taught me. Naturally, he wants me to learn martial arts obediently. After all, they still have good intentions for me. Besides, if they get angry and ignore me, who can I rely on here?"
Thinking of this, he was a little scared in his heart. He bowed deeply to everyone and said sincerely: "Lan'er really knows his mistake. I will humbly ask for advice in the future and never dare to make my uncles and Grandpa Cheng angry again. Please forgive me." After saying this, his voice trembled slightly.
Before, when everyone saw Lin Jianlan apologizing, he had a smiling face and was not very sincere. Today, they saw that he was truly repentant and his voice was trembling with fear. It was obvious that he was really afraid of getting angry. Their expressions immediately softened and they said, "It seems that you really know you are wrong. Remember not to do this again in the future." "You have to control your impetuous and arrogant temper." Lin Jianlan agreed to all the requests one by one. However, Qin Hufa and others did not know that several thoughts had already gone through Lin Jianlan's mind at that moment, and they all left with satisfaction.
Seeing Doctor Cheng and the others leave, Lin Jianlan breathed a sigh of relief. He just felt that it was too tiring to promise insincerely. But if he insisted, he was afraid that the situation would become awkward and Grandpa Cheng and the others would be disappointed. He secretly made up his mind: "Although I am still learning martial arts, if I have any ideas, I must not say them to their faces. I will go back to the house and write them down and think about them slowly." Thinking of this, he ran to the desk, rummaged through it to find a stack of papers and put them in a neat place, but stayed there, asking himself in a daze: "Can you beat Yin Yin? Alas, I don't think so." He was a little discouraged, and still took a book left by Lin Longqing, and walked into the inner room while watching and gesturing.
But outside, Cao Quan called out in a hurry, "Young Master, Young Master!" Lin Jianlan had become very familiar with them over the past six months. He put down the book and ran out, saying, "Hey, Second Brother Cao, didn't you see I was scolded for a long time? I just had some peace and quiet. What's the matter?" Cao Quan grinned and said, "Someone came to see you. He said you would be happy to hear about it."
Lin Jianlan was puzzled and asked, "Who? I don't know anyone except Uncle Qing. Who else would come to see me?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, Cao Quan said, "Could he be wrong? If so, I will tell Master Yue that the young master doesn't remember it."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jianlan asked anxiously, "Master Yue? But Master Yue of the Jiangning branch?"
Cao Quan said: "It is the head of the Jiangning branch, Yue Lingfeng."
After hearing this, Lin Jianlan cheered, "It's really Brother Yue!" He ran out, leaving Cao Quan behind and wondering, "Brother Yue...? He is also a close friend of the leader of our branch... This young master is really capable."
Lin Jianlan was already very familiar with the path in the main hall. He trotted all the way and soon arrived at the entrance of Kuang Yi Hall. He was still panting. He looked inside. There was no one in the hall. There were faint voices on the second floor. They must be discussing gang matters. Lin Jianlan walked to the couplet, looked up and looked carefully, and then walked to the door, looking up and down, his hands still following the strokes in the air. He heard footsteps on the stairs. He turned around and saw Yue Lingfeng, wearing a bamboo green robe and holding a long sword, walking down the stairs step by step. Lin Jianlan happily greeted him and said, "Brother Yue!"
Yue Lingfeng said: "You have the leisure time to write in the air here."
Lin Jianlan blushed slightly and said, "Uncle Qing's handwriting is really wonderful, the strokes are vigorous and powerful, and it seems like the sound of metal ringing in my ears when I see it, but I can't describe it no matter how hard I try."
Yue Lingfeng laughed and said, “You are also a fool. If you saw the original of this couplet, you would be even more amazed!”
Lin Jianlan was surprised: "Why wasn't this calligraphy originally written by Uncle Qing? Oh, I thought this calligraphy was already very good!"
Yue Lingfeng said, "Your comments were not bad originally. The couplet you posted now has a murderous aura and sharp strokes. The original couplet has better characters, but it is not suitable. I have seen it several times. The strokes of that couplet are ethereal and hidden, with a hint of otherworldliness. Therefore, your foster father wrote a couplet of his own to replace the previous one." Lin Jianlan said envious, "When Uncle Qing comes to see me, I will ask him to show me the couplet."
Yue Lingfeng saw his innocent tone and sighed in his heart: "We don't know when the leader will return. We naturally hope that the leader has nothing to do with that matter and comes back soon, so that we don't have to be in a dilemma between gratitude and loyalty, which will only make Brother Lin suffer." But he said: "Of course, remember to tell Brother Yue to come and watch."
The two chatted and laughed until they were almost at the waterside pavilion. Yue Lingfeng said, "I came here in a hurry this time, so I didn't bring you some books to relieve your boredom." Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "Brother Yue is obsessed with books, so he thinks that others would be bored all day without books to read." So he replied, "Brother Yue's kindness is good. In fact, I don't feel bored at all after such a long time. I live in the place where Uncle Qing used to live. Uncle Qing left a lot of books, and I often read them."
Yue Lingfeng clapped his hands and said happily: "So you live with the gang leader, then you are really destined to be together. The boxing and sword techniques in your adoptive father's room may look broken, but they are all treasures!" Lin Jianlan asked in surprise: "Brother Yue, do you know?" Yue Lingfeng nodded and said: "Because the Jiangning branch is not far from the main hall, it can be regarded as an outer barrier of the main hall, so I often come here to discuss important matters, and occasionally come here to sit. The gang leader is not an ordinary person. He often has insights into martial arts, so he records them in books, but he puts them everywhere without avoiding people. I have read all these books."
Lin Jianlan nodded, pushed the door open, let Yue Lingfeng in and said, "Yes, Uncle Qing is amazing. I often can't figure out a move at first, and then I often have to spend a whole night to understand how wonderful it is." Yue Lingfeng said, "It's quite good to figure out a move in a whole night. It seems that you are also a good seedling for learning martial arts. Doctor Youcheng and others are teaching you. You should have a glimpse of the tricks now, right?" But Lin Jianlan looked frustrated. He roughly talked about his experience in martial arts for more than half a year and sighed, "That's it, so there is no progress."
Yue Lingfeng pondered, "You told them all this, which is like throwing a pearl into the dark. The two guardians Qin and Zhang hate this kind of flowery stuff. Doctor Cheng is so old, how can he allow you, a young man who has just started learning martial arts, to point fingers at him? It is a great fortune for you to see the experience left by the leader, but it is a great misfortune for those who learn martial arts to be unable to practice internal skills. With Doctor Cheng helping you find a way to save you, there should be a way out. But Doctor Cheng is right. You must never tell anyone else that you can't practice internal skills, understand?"
Lin Jianlan nodded and said, "Brother Yue, don't worry about me. Alas, I just complained to you when you came here. I shouldn't have done that. Brother Yue, are you here on official business?"
Yue Lingfeng looked solemn and said, "Yes, the matter is quite urgent, so I came here in person. Half a month ago, we received news that our two branches near Chang'an were wiped out by the Dongdu Yukousi, and the whereabouts of the two hall masters are unknown." Lin Jianlan asked, "Dongdu Yukousi, what is that?" Yue Lingfeng said, "Dongdu Yukousi is an organization of the court. It is full of some inner court masters, and it has also recruited a group of people from the martial arts world who are willing to surrender to the court. Humph, Empress Wu was licentious, so she set up a special Control Crane Mansion for her enjoyment. She was also worried that the world would not be peaceful, so she gathered these people to work for her to deal with the martial arts world... By the way, do you know the three branches closest to the main hall?"
Lin Jianlan said: "Yes, I have seen their branch hall masters come here before, from the Taizhou branch, the Huangshan branch, and the Jiangning branch where you, Brother Yue, are."
Yue Lingfeng nodded and said, "Well, these three branches were set up by the gang leader himself, and the hall masters were also selected and appointed by him. They are closest to the main hall and are surrounded on three sides. Therefore, if there is any disturbance, our three branches will definitely know in advance and warn the main hall in time, and we will make precautions and deployments here." After saying that, he smiled and said to Lin Jianlan, "This is naturally what your adoptive father intended."
Lin Jianlan supported his chin with his hand and said, "I know this. Since the Kuangyi Gang is the largest gang, it is natural that people will envy it. To guard against other gangs and maintain its reputation, the effort it takes is no less than when it was first established. It's like conquering the world and ruling the world."
Yue Lingfeng smiled and said, "We don't have such big ambitions. What's the use of the world? That's a bit too much. Just like the couplet written by the gang leader, it's just to uphold justice and settle scores." As soon as he finished speaking, his expression became serious and he said, "But you are right. The current situation of the Kuangyi Gang is not only jealous of other gangs in the martial arts world, but also the court is eyeing us covetously. This time, our Jiangning branch was the first to notice that many masters of the Dongdu Yukousi were active in the Jiangnan area, and a small number of troops were stationed in the surrounding towns. I was afraid that the investigation was wrong, so I specially asked people to contact the Taizhou and Huangshan Second Halls, and it turned out that they were the same."
Lin Jianlan was shocked and asked, "Could it be that the government will come here to attack?"
Yue Lingfeng shook his head and said, "I just discussed with Madam Cao, Doctor Cheng and others, and they may not be coming for our Kuangyi Gang. Our three branches are surrounding the main hall, but they just happen to be surrounding a place, and that place is not peaceful."
Lin Jianlan's eyes widened and he asked, "Where?"
Yue Lingfeng said: "Taihu Lake!"
Lin Jianlan said: "I have never heard of it. Is there any gang more powerful than the Kuangyi Gang?"
Yue Lingfeng said, "No, the people in Taihu Lake are just ordinary people." He sighed deeply and continued, "In Jiangnan, we have silk, rice, paper, ink, and tea. But since Empress Wu took power, the richer the place, the worse it is. There are constant heavy taxes and oppression, and the royal relatives bully the people. Taihu Lake was originally a wealthy and peaceful land of fish and rice, but now more than half of the people are displaced. In the past few years, there have been constant mutinies, and the court has repeatedly sent troops to suppress them."
