Chương 115: Passing on Martial Arts

Late at night. A figure darted out from the Plum Garden, heading toward the Black Iron Stronghold at Eagle's Sorrow Ravine not far away. Dressed in night-traveling clothes and wearing a ghost mask, Lord Impermanence walked openly through the main gate of the stronghold, welcomed by the bandits.

"Greetings, Grand Chieftain!" Song Que nodded and asked:"Where are Ox Head and Horse Face?"

"The two Chieftains are at your villa midway up the mountain. Allow this lowly one to go report your arrival."

"No need. Continue your guard duty and do not slack off. I will find them myself."

"Understood, My Lord!" It seemed Old Nie was quite capable of managing things. The security of the entire stronghold was much better than during their previous raid. Satisfied, Grandee Song headed up the unnamed mountain. Hearing the commotion outside, Nie Feng and Xiong Ba came out. Seeing the figure in the black robe and ghost mask, they were initially overjoyed but maintained their vigilance as they probed:"Impermanence?"

"It's me!" Song Que nodded in satisfaction; one could never be too careful.

"Young Master!"...

"Young Master!"

"Mm, let's talk inside." The two completely relaxed and immediately stepped aside to let him enter. Entering the room, Song Que noticed Xiong Ba holding two massive iron sledgehammers. If he wasn't mistaken, these were Old Xu's custom weapons. Grandee Song asked curiously:"Xiong Ba, what are you doing holding those hammers?"

"Hehe, Young Master. They felt comfortable in my hands, so I thought I'd just use them." So this kid's true love is a giant hammer! Should I rename him 'Brother Thor' later and buy him a Mjolnir to make it a perfect match? Thinking of 'Thor' instantly brought up the image of the dark, burly, and simple-minded Xiong Ba wearing a tank top and fake rabbit ears. Grandee Song shuddered and immediately forgot about the name change!

"If you like using hammers, then you can use them from now on. It just so happens that among the assets confiscated from Xu Shicai, I found a hammer technique manual suitable for your temporary use."

"Hehe, thank you, Young Master!"

"Young Master, is there a specific reason for your visit tonight?" Only then did Old Nie curiously ask about his purpose.

"There is. In a day or two, we will organize a merchant convoy to transport goods back to Yellow Leaf Town. I came to take Xiong Ba back. After all, we'll be relying on him for escort duties in the future, so he needs to go to get familiar with the route." Xiong Ba naturally had no objections; whatever the Young Master said, went. Nie Feng felt entirely capable of controlling the Black Iron Stronghold on his own and replied easily:"I can manage things here alone.

Please feel at ease taking Xiong Ba back, Young Master."

"Mm, it will be hard on you, Old Nie."

"It's no hardship at all. Sharing the Young Master's burdens is our duty!" Nie Feng hurriedly waved his hand to express his loyalty. Nodding, Song Que continued:"There is one more thing."

"Please speak, Young Master!"

"During the previous encounter with Xu Shicai, you both witnessed the power of his external hard-body martial art. I want to ask, are you two interested in practicing this art?" Hearing Grandee Song's words, Nie Feng was profoundly moved! A master like his Young Master must truly be one-of-a-kind in this world! When others found treasures, secret manuals, or fortuitous encounters, who didn't hide them away like a cat hiding its sh*t to cultivate in secret?!

Who would dare selflessly pass them on to their subordinates?! Weren't they afraid the subordinates would surpass them, climb over their heads, and usurp their position?! Cases of servants overthrowing their masters were not uncommon. Having been part of a noble family with centuries of heritage, he had long grown tired of hearing such stories. This was precisely why everyone guarded their family's inheritances so fiercely! Now look at Song Que—sharing everything with them!

He was truly treating them better than blood brothers! Nie Feng's heart was once again a complete mess of emotion! A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Speaking of broad-mindedness, not to brag, but Grandee Song truly believed his chest could embrace the oceans! With a 'cheat' active, he was eternally confident! Certain that he would never be surpassed by others, he could nurture people with complete peace of mind!

He continued explaining to the two:"This hard-body cultivation method is called the Thousand Hammer, Hundred Refined Body. I must warn you beforehand: practicing it will be incredibly arduous, involving daily torment and torture! Furthermore, you will end up looking like Xu Shicai! The description says that upon reaching perfection, one can restore their original appearance, but I haven't tested it and don't know if that's true." Who cares about that?!

As long as it's a martial art and powerful, Xiong Ba isn't picky about whether it's meat or vegetables! He happily agreed:"Young Master, teach me!"

"Young Master, I also want to learn!" Nie Feng didn't hesitate either.

"Have you both thought this through carefully?"

"Rest assured, Young Master, we absolutely will not regret it!" Seeing both of them agree, Grandee Song was satisfied. He smiled and said:"Xiong Ba, your face can't get any worse anyway, so you have nothing to fear. It's even more convenient for Old Nie—you can change your appearance! I guarantee that once you finish cultivating this, even if you stood right in front of your enemies, they wouldn't recognize you! But me, with a face so handsome it charms all the female heroes in the martial world...

I guess I'll have to sacrifice it! I wonder how many people will mourn its loss?" The simple-minded Xiong Ba didn't understand his humor and just chuckled honestly. Nie Feng, however, was struck completely speechless by his Young Master's narcissism, holding back his laughter until his face turned purple. Old Nie hurriedly changed the subject:"Young Master, do we need to go check on that item?"

"No need, I've been keeping an eye on it. It only needs a little over a month to mature! We'll have an easier time once it does." Looking at 'Half-Immortal Song', who seemed unfathomable and capable of calculating all the world's affairs, Nie Feng's head was full of doubts, but he didn't dare ask too much. As a subordinate, obeying orders was his duty; he absolutely should not be overly curious! His Chen Family had its rules in the past, and now he just needed to strictly follow Song Que's!

"Enough talk! Old Nie, get out some paper and a brush to make a copy of the manual. As for Xiong Ba, I will personally instruct him! It requires the coordination of several medicinal ointments, which I will bring to you in a few days."

"Yes, Young Master!" Without another word, Nie Feng respectfully took the Thousand Hammer, Hundred Refined Body manual from Song Que's hand, took out a brush and paper, and began carefully copying it. Waiting until he finished copying and verifying it several times against the original to ensure no mistakes, Grandee Song finally told Xiong Ba to get up. He didn't forget to advise:"Old Nie, it will be hard on you these next few days.

Without Xiong Ba and me here, some troublemakers in the stronghold might dare to act wildly! If you can suppress them, it's best to kill them without mercy! But if the situation is unmanageable, don't force it; you are permitted to flee! Your safety is the most important thing. I will still need your help with many things in the future!" Never forgetting to buy the loyalty of his subordinates! Grandee Song was truly meant to be an official! But the simple-minded Old Nie ate this up completely!

Moved to tears, he swore a solemn vow:"Rest assured, Young Master, I can manage well! Over these past few days, I've managed to recruit a group of loyal core members. I absolutely will not allow any underhanded schemes to occur in the stronghold!"

"Mm, I trust you. But remember to preserve yourself! Everything else is unimportant—merely worldly possessions!"

"Thank you, Young Master! I will be careful!" Rest assured, Young Master! Anyone who dares to touch your property must first step over my dead body! Nie Feng secretly swore in his heart. Bidding farewell to Old Nie, Grandee Song couldn't help but sigh as he looked at his handsome face. Thinking of how the future 'Son of the Wind', the great god Nie Feng, would become a tall, dark, and burly man wearing a sleeveless shirt, baring his chest... that image was simply 'too beautiful'!

He just hoped the real 'Storm Riders comic' characters wouldn't come looking for him to settle the score! It's purely a coincidence! This guy will be known as the 'Black Whirlwind' Nie Feng later, completely unrelated to the Wind God!... Stealthily returning to the Plum Garden with Xiong Ba, the simple-minded bear excitedly ran around their new residence to inspect it. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see at night.

After playing around for a bit, he quickly returned to his room to sleep, holding a secret manual—the hammer technique used by Old Xu! It was a bit unfortunate for Xu Shicai. Being ambushed by three people, he was caught completely off guard and didn't even have time to use his weapons, depriving everyone of the chance to broaden their horizons. Deeply devoted to martial arts, Xiong Ba was naturally not the least bit sleepy. He eagerly took out the Tie Family Hammer Technique to study.

Flipping through it back and forth for a long time, he began to feel confused. He could understand the diagrams, and he recognized all the characters. Why is it that when they're put together in a sentence, I don't understand them anymore?! With his slow-witted brain, he thought hard but couldn't find the answer. He wanted to go ask his Young Master, but felt it was too late at night. He could only sit there with a belly full of worries, circulating his energy and meditating.... Early the next morning.

Feeling refreshed and clear-headed, Grandee Song opened his door to breathe in the fresh morning air, only to see the black bear-like Xiong Ba sitting crouched in front of his door, staring at him eagerly. He nearly scared Grandee Song into throwing a palm strike at him!

"Young Master, you're awake!" Having waited for the moon and the stars until morning finally broke, seeing his Young Master awake, Xiong Ba immediately flashed a wide grin, showing off his white teeth in greeting.

"Xiong Ba, you brat, why aren't you practicing your martial arts? What are you doing sitting here?"

"Young Master, I read that manual all night but couldn't understand it! Please explain it to me!" Xiong Ba rubbed his shiny bald head in embarrassment, chuckling sycophantically. Grandee Song immediately grew displeased. He raised an eyebrow and scolded:"You brat, you're slacking off on your studies! I taught you how to read, and now you dare forget it all?!" How is that possible? I remember all the words! The simple-minded bear hurriedly waved his hands to explain:"No, Young Master!

I know all the words; I just don't understand what they mean together!"

"Really? Then recite it for me to hear." Song Que, half-believing and half-doubting, ordered him to read. Xiong Ba didn't hesitate. He picked up the book, opened his mouth, and read:"The Tie Family Hammer Technique is derived from the ancestors of the Iron family's experience in the way of striking iron and refining tools. There are a total of..." It seemed the kid wasn't lying to him; it was just that his brain was too simple to comprehend the concepts expressed in the book.

'Nanny' Song sighed and said to him:"Come, give the hammers to me. I will demonstrate it for you once." Having studied it previously, 'Teacher' Song read while demonstrating, executing the moves systematically and logically. These hammer stances were more than fierce enough, but lacked versatility—they posed no difficulty for him. Just like that, holding his hand and teaching him step-by-step, the two didn't stop until Zhong Hong and Li Xin returned at noon.