Chương 79: Lu County’s Strongest, Su Zhe’s Good Name Spreads Far and Wide

"The dragon form is the fusion of many beast forms."

"Ancient texts say that the dragon is the chief of all scaled creatures. Wang Fu once described its shape as having nine resemblances: a head like a camel, horns like a deer, eyes like a rabbit, ears like an ox, a neck like a snake, a belly like a clam, scales like a carp, claws like an eagle, and palms like a tiger."

"So the so-called dragon form isn't one beast form. It takes the strengths of all beasts!" Su Zhe's thoughts raced, and the words slipped out of his mouth without him realizing. Yushen looked surprised, her face full of wonder. After a long moment, Yushen said,"Your comprehension is quite excellent."

"In terms of innate talent, you already have the makings of a true disciple. And this comprehension of yours is even rarer." Su Zhe replied humbly,"Master praises me too much. As the saying goes, one who stays near vermilion turns red, and one who stays near ink turns black. This junior brother's character has only improved because he keeps company with the virtuous. It's all thanks to Master's blessing." Yushen rolled her eyes and laughed as she scolded him,"Smooth-tongued brat. That mouth of yours sure is sweet."

Then she explained further,"That's right. The dragon form is the gathering of many beast forms. In my Jade Body lineage, we have the Xingyi Twelve True Dragon Method. Once you take eleven beast forms into your own body, you can obtain the dragon form."

"That is also why martial artists value innate talent most when accepting disciples."

"With good innate talent, you progress extremely fast when cultivating all kinds of methods. Take you, for example. You have practiced martial arts for only half a year, yet you have already cultivated the Ox, Tiger, and Snake methods to full completion, the Flood Dragon Method to major completion, and the Dark Sickle Method to middle completion."

"An ordinary Class-A genius could train bitterly for an entire lifetime, and taking in three beast forms would already be their limit, let alone tool forms and art forms."

"Besides innate talent, comprehension is also extremely important. Some martial artists are dull in aptitude and have terrible innate talent, but their comprehension defies the heavens. They often fall into states of sudden enlightenment, and because of that, their cultivation advances by leaps and bounds."

"However, innate talent is like judging a horse. There are patterns to follow. Comprehension, on the other hand, is like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water. It's hard to judge." Yushen gave Su Zhe a deep look, wrinkled her cute little nose, and cursed,"You brat, you're a freak. You have a body that can alter its innate talent, yet your comprehension is also outstanding." With that, Yushen took an ancient book from her robes. Su Zhe respectfully received it with both hands.

Written across the cover were the words: Xingyi Twelve True Dragon Method.

"This method complements the Flood Dragon Method you practice."

"If you cultivate this method, your progress will definitely be impressive."

"Your master thinks highly of you. Condense the dragon form. Once you enter Zhu Jian Shanzhuang (Sword-Forging Mountain Villa), your master will teach you Yu Shen Zhuang's (Jade Body Manor) hammer techniques." Yushen spoke. Su Zhe opened the ancient book. The complete Xingyi Twelve True Dragon Method. A Spirit Art. Su Zhe knew that a Spirit Art was an existence above a Treasure Art. Grades one to three were the lower three grades. Grades four to six were the middle three grades.

Grades seven to nine were the upper three grades. To become a martial artist, one needed a Mortal Art. To step from the lower three grades into the middle three grades, one needed a Treasure Art. To step from the middle three grades into the upper three grades, one needed a Spirit Art. That Wang Shan had begged bitterly for a Treasure Art and never obtained one. Yet Yushen casually granted Su Zhe a Spirit Art. People were the same, yet what differed most between them was fate.

"This disciple will definitely not disgrace the sect!" Su Zhe replied respectfully.

"Go back to Lu County. I'll stay a few more days and guide you in cultivating the Twelve Xingyi Forms."

"If you really fail to live up to expectations, then even this old lady can't do anything about it." Yushen chuckled, her eyes full of provocation. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Su Zhe raised his brows. Little girl, looking down on this Su? Just wait until this Su makes your jaw drop. When the time comes, don't forget to put on another face!... Lu County. Inside the teahouse, figures filled the room. The fragrance of tea curled upward, misty and rich.

On the stage, the storyteller wore a long robe, his bearing calm and unhurried. The startling block in his hand slammed down hard. The sound rang out like thunder, startling everyone's hearts.

"Let us speak of the jianghu, where storms rise and heroes emerge one after another. There are wandering swordsmen who roam the world with blades in hand, settling grudges as they please. When they see injustice, they draw their blades to help. Truly, their righteousness reaches the clouds." The crowd listened, entranced, as if they had stepped into that jianghu of flashing blades and clashing swords.

In a daze, they seemed to see a swordsman galloping on horseback, his long sword like a rainbow, cutting down every injustice beneath the heavens.

"Now, on that day, Lu County shook as if an earth dragon had turned. A sea of blood rose to the sky, and a demon god descended upon the world."

"With one casual grab of his hand, seven or eight families were forced to don mourning clothes. The villa master of Yu Shen Zhuang, from Zhu Jian Shanzhuang, known as the Asura Child Matriarch, fought a great battle against the demon god. Alas, the demon god was cunning and escaped."

"On Yandang Mountain, heroes gathered from every side. There was a young hero who wielded a heavy hammer in one hand, smashing apart all the injustices beneath the heavens. In his other hand, he held a sickle, cutting through every path of unfairness in this world. That youth has only just passed the new year, and by nominal age, he is merely seventeen."

"He slew the gang traitor Wang Shan, destroyed the corrupt government official Wang Hai, and with an invincible bearing, suppressed the evil cult's Ghost-Masked leader. Even when immortals themselves fought, this youth was still able to aid the Ghost-Faced Asura and furiously behead the demon god!"

"The fortune of Lu County gathered for a thousand years, and only after a thousand years did it give birth to a qilin."

"Honored guests, if you were to ask me: what is this youth's surname and name? Where is he from? Which sect did he join?" The storyteller slowly lifted the startling block and brought it down heavily.

"Pa!" All the listeners pricked up their ears, afraid they might miss even a single word.

"Who? A youth? Our Lu County has a young hero like that?"

"Yuan Ba of the Canal Gang? Or Su Zhe from the Blacksmith Gang?"

"How could Yuan Ba stand shoulder to shoulder with Su Zhe? Su Zhe is a dragon and phoenix among men!"

"Come on, hurry up and say it! Keeping us hanging like this, aren't you afraid your son will be born without a handle?" Some people guessed. Some people declared with certainty. Others laughed and cursed the storyteller's shameless tricks.

"That youth was born extraordinarily handsome, with a great sun in his left eye and stars in his right. His talent shook the world. He came from a small fishing village, yet carried great ambition in his heart."

"He braved thorns and thistles and actually achieved peerless merit. This man appeared like a comet, his light dazzling to behold. His courage and wisdom make others sigh in admiration. He is truly a hero of this age, a legend of the jianghu. If you ask this humble one what he is called?"

"He breaks through ten thousand hardships and marches onward. This is Su. His bravery is like the might of a tiger; he turns the tide at the moment of collapse and saves the common people from peril. This is Zhe. The name Su Zhe is destined to become legend. A hero who saves the world, shaking the ancient and dazzling the present!" Seeing that the atmosphere had heated up, the storyteller finally spoke the name "Su Zhe." He drew the crowd in, leading them deeper and deeper into the tale.

Then he spoke endlessly, his mouth flowing like a river, taking Su Zhe's experiences along the way, constantly embellishing and refining them before slowly narrating them aloud. The crowd listened in constant amazement. When they heard of his poverty, their hearts felt stifled. When they heard of his sudden rise to fame, they laughed wildly, their eyes full of heroic spirit. When they heard how he turned the tide, admiration filled their hearts.

Inside the small teahouse, listeners gathered in all their varied forms: women, men, every face of the common world, and no self at all. The teahouse remained noisy, but that stretch of jianghu, that feeling of a wandering hero, that song of grudges and that dream of greatness, lingered in everyone's hearts for a long time, impossible to erase. Yu Yi silently set down his teacup, his gaze complicated.

He perfectly embodied one saying: You fear your brother is suffering, but you fear even more that your brother is driving a luxury carriage. The sickly youth Yuan Ba, whose face resembled a golden-winged great peng, frowned. As a fellow genius, he had been overshadowed by Su Zhe, and that truly displeased him.

"Aiya, you're praising Su Zhe way too much. Let me tell you something."

"When Su Zhe first joined the Blacksmith Gang, he was downright pitiful. Even the clothes he wore were given to him by me."

"My little junior brother is good in every way, but his nature is like a mouse. He likes to hide, and he's greedy for money..." Xiao Xunhuan had ordered a pot of tea. The setting sun was dim and yellow, and with his shadow, they made three. He was not deliberately trying to belittle his own little junior brother. After all, Su Zhe was his lifesaving benefactor. It was just that this fellow was unruly by nature and had a bit of a wicked sense of humor.

Seeing everyone praise Su Zhe so highly, he could not help revealing his own relationship with Su Zhe to attract attention. Maybe he might even win the favor of a few beauties.

"What the hell are you? You dare slander Su Tianjiao!"

"Exactly! You look like a person, but the moment you open your mouth, sour stink pours out. You're just jealous!"

"Hurry up and get lost. Listening to you makes my stomach churn. I'm about to vomit up last night's dinner!"... When the crowd heard him, they all shouted and cursed at once. Xiao Xunhuan became the target of everyone's anger, but he did not dare oppose public outrage. He could only pat his butt and slink away in disgrace.

"Ah! You lecher! Why are you patting my butt?" The plump, sexy proprietress put her hands on her hips and cursed at Xiao Xunhuan's retreating back....

"Little Zhe, the Canal Gang sent over a chest of gold and a chest of mortal weapons. They invited you to visit their gang so they can host a grand banquet for you!"

"Little Zhe, people from the Firewood Gang came. They sent a chest of gold and a chest of mortal weapons too. They want to invite Lu County's number one genius, number one expert..." During this period, Su Yuan was truly miserable! On one hand, he had to take care of Lin Xia, who had begun suffering from morning sickness. On the other, he had to deal with the powerful figures of Lu County coming to their door.

"Not going, not going. Uncle, just turn them down for me." Su Zhe shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"You little bastard! All you know is how to be a turtle hiding in its shell!" Su Yuan cursed angrily, grabbed his dry tobacco pipe, and swung it at Su Zhe. Su Zhe slipped away in a flash. Not even his ghost could be seen.

"You little bastard. Raised you for nothing. The moment something happens, you push me out front..." Su Yuan watched that monkey brat leap up and fly over the high wall out of sight. Still angry, he kept cursing under his breath. But as he cursed, he started laughing again.

"Those martial artist lords who usually stand high above everyone all call me Lord Lin now. Hehe, Lord Lin... Sounds pretty good..." Su Yuan happily took a puff from his dry tobacco pipe.

"What does that little bastard know? If I hadn't gone every Qingming, Chongyang, Zhongyuan, and New Year's to repair the graves of the Su family ancestors, would he be this amazing?"

"Aiya, these martial artist lords too. They keep trying to introduce girls to Little Zhe at every turn... My child is one who appears once in a thousand years. How could he possibly take a liking to such common rouge and powder?"

"A princess of Da Qian, I suppose, would barely do..." When scolding him, he was a disgrace to his ancestors. When praising him, there was no one like him below the earth and few like him above the heavens. This fellow Su Yuan was getting older, and he was becoming more and more long-winded...