Night 21: Practicing the Water-Standing Post Technique
Chen Jue had practiced stake exercises on the small boat at night before, but on those occasions, he always moored the vessel to the shore, tying it securely so it wouldn’t drift away. This time, he decided to challenge himself, taking advantage of the low visibility the night offered as he rowed the boat toward the center of the reservoir.
The evening breeze was indeed much stronger than in the morning, the water flowed more swiftly, and the boat rocked far more violently than it did in daylight. Fortunately, the Eight Immortals Stake was no ordinary skill—it was known to cross even the sea, so what fear could a mere reservoir inspire?
Chen Jue began his stake practice, his nerves tauter than they’d been in the morning. Although the reservoir’s perimeter was illuminated, the center of the water was pitch black, with only the sound of wind and rushing water in his ears; a careless move could send him tumbling into the water. Yet, with his current stamina, even if he fell in, he could swim safely to shore, so gradually his courage grew and he overcame his fear.
...
At the campsite, the group of middle-aged men were fishing, grilling food, and one even played guitar for entertainment; their activities were lively and varied. When the two young girls returned from the dam, their excited shouts drew all the family members over.
“Dad! That guy just rowed his boat into the reservoir!”
“He’s rowing? There’s a boat here?”
“Isn’t it dangerous to row out so late? The reservoir looks pretty deep.”
Everyone’s attention was captured. The middle-aged man with binoculars raised them, scanning the dark water. Soon enough, he glimpsed a shadowy figure aboard a small boat, performing strange movements.
He saw the figure leap and shift about the boat, stepping nimbly along the narrow edge, sometimes standing, sometimes moving, his actions quick and varied. The man exclaimed, “It’s that young fellow from earlier, right in the reservoir!”
“My goodness! Going out in the dark to practice martial arts on a boat? Isn’t he afraid of falling in?”
Hearing this, the leader—a middle-aged man wearing a gold watch—hurriedly took the binoculars and looked in the direction indicated. He watched Chen Jue practice his dangerous stake exercises for a while, then exhaled deeply and declared, “That young man must be practicing real martial arts!”
“Real martial arts?”
“Yes! Like the Shaolin monks—making a living by their skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be training on the water so late at night.”
“Shaolin Temple? Isn’t that from the movies we watched as kids?”
---
“Making a living by martial arts? Is it really so mysterious?”
“Let me have a look!”
“All that jumping around—what kind of martial arts is this? I don’t get it!”
“Fourth brother, don’t you remember that time we went fishing at sea? Just walking a few steps on the boat was enough to make us stumble. For someone to train like this so late at night, he must have real skill.”
The leader was evidently experienced, analyzing the situation with authority, and those around him listened in awe.
...
Chen Jue practiced for over an hour, and with the cover of night, his proficiency in the Eight Immortals Stake had reached (101/200). As for free attribute points, he had gained 0.02 in just an hour, and counting the three small points earned earlier at the dam, he had accumulated 0.2 over two days.
If he invested all the attribute points in the Twelve Forms of the Tendon-Changing Classic, he could raise the skill by another level. However, after a day’s training, his body was fatigued, and lacking proper supplements, Chen Jue wasn’t foolish enough to spend his points now.
He rowed back to the dam, then made his way around to take another look at the campsite.
These middle-aged men were having quite a time: some fishing, some grilling, others frying steaks, and some singing and drinking as they played the guitar. The atmosphere was excellent.
Seeing Chen Jue’s arrival, the man with the gold watch hurriedly offered him a large skewer of meat. “Young man! Come have a bite! We haven’t thanked you yet for helping us move things!”
With such enthusiasm, Chen Jue didn’t refuse. He took the skewer and inhaled its aroma—a blend of beef and barbecue spices—and after a bite, his mouth was flooded with rich flavor.
“This beef is delicious!”
“Ha! It’s 4A-grade wagyu, imported. Pretty good, right?” The uncle boasted proudly, then asked what martial arts Chen Jue practiced, and why he trained on the boat so late.
“Just messing around with a few moves—only started learning a few days ago,” Chen Jue replied with a grin, not revealing the truth but being honest nonetheless; he really had only practiced for a few days, not even a week.
“I don’t believe it! Going somewhere so dangerous at night—you must know real martial arts.” The uncle was skeptical. He had seen clearly through his binoculars: without years of hard training, it was unlikely anyone could move so nimbly on a small boat in the water.
“Have you seen real martial arts, uncle?” Chen Jue asked, intrigued.
“Of course! I once took my daughter to Shaolin Temple to pray. The monks could stand on their fingers, and one even broke a thick brick with his iron head skill. I handed him the brick myself—it was definitely real martial arts!” The uncle was clearly fascinated by martial arts, demonstrating the thickness of the brick with his fingers as he spoke.
“So it was the Shaolin monks! They must truly have real skills. I’ve seen their videos, too. Compared to them, I’m just a beginner, barely worth mentioning.” Chen Jue agreed.
---
The Twelve Forms of the Tendon-Changing Classic that he practiced were taught, step by step, by those Shaolin monks in the videos.
To have mastered such a skill that improved his physical constitution—there must be many hidden masters in Shaolin. If he ever had the chance, he would certainly pay a visit.
...
After spending some time at the campsite and chatting further with the uncle in the gold watch, he learned they were all family, surnamed Zhou, who had come from the main city of Wen, specifically on vacation. They’d heard online that An County’s countryside had a beautiful, secluded spot by the mountains and water, so they drove out as a group to enjoy a few days here.
Judging by their gold and jade accessories and luxury cars, it was only natural they could afford such leisure. When Chen Jue had worked in Hangzhou, his boss—also in his forties and fond of camping—had spent over a hundred thousand yuan on equipment alone; their wealth was beyond ordinary imagination.
After another brief conversation and a glance at the time, Chen Jue decided it was late enough. He ate a few more skewers, bade farewell, and went down the mountain.
He reached home at ten o’clock, took a hot shower, and before going to sleep, checked his attribute panel:
Player: Chen Jue
Age: 27
Health Index: 97%
Strength: 0.99
Agility: 0.96
Intelligence: 1.23
Constitution: 1.57
Skills: [Boat Fist Lv1 (132/200)] [Twelve Forms of the Tendon-Changing Classic Lv1 (10/200)] [Eight Immortals Stake Lv1 (101/200)]
Free Attribute Points: 0.20
“Tomorrow I’ll boil another pot of Ten Herbs Vitality Soup, then level up the Twelve Forms of the Tendon-Changing Classic and see what happens.”