Luo Tongyun furrowed his brow. As for who this Luo Fang was, he naturally knew all too well.
The Steward of the Servant Room, with some power at his disposal, but not enough to reach him.
If we must speak of it, Luo Fang and he once worked together.
"Steward Luo, is there anything that cannot be spoken outside?" Luo Tongyun asked with a smile.
"Please, come in."
Luo Fang pushed open the door, turned sideways to invite him in, and offered no further explanation.
"Alright."
Luo Tongyun nodded with a smile; if there's something to ask for, there must be compensation. How could he refuse?
After sitting down in the room, Luo Fang poured a cup of tea and said, "You and I know each other well, so I won't waste words."
"Five taels of silver to get Li Xian back to the Servant Room."
Luo Tongyun replied nonchalantly, "But that Li Xian... Commander Pang is watching him; it's not easy."
"Heh." Luo Fang chuckled. "It's easy for you though. Didn't Commander Pang ask you to teach him the Four Directions Fist technique? Just slightly sabotage him so that in fifteen days, his performance will be a complete mess. That's all it takes."
"..."
Luo Tongyun just sipped his tea, remaining silent.
"Ten taels of silver." Luo Fang's face turned unpleasant.
Just to vent some anger, those ten taels of silver seemed not worth it.
Luo Fang was afraid that if Li Xian gained power in the future, it would threaten his own position.
"Deal."
Luo Tongyun said with a sly smile.
In just a few words, Li Xian was sold out.
...
[Four Directions Fist]
[Skill Level: 54/500 Beginner]
After a day of intense practice, the progress was not too slow. Li Xian only felt his muscles becoming more refined.
"It's a pity the Wild Bull Fist is just a remnant style, otherwise its power would be immense."
"Indeed… Commander Pang said during the day that martial artists mainly practice moves and power."
"Moves are naturally the routines of various martial arts, the angles of attack, techniques, and so on."
"Power... perhaps refers to Internal Strength and External Strength. External Strength could be simply understood as brute force."
"Internal Strength is then..."
He felt a warm current flowing in his lower abdomen.
Through the practice of "Wild Bull Fist," Li Xian had already cultivated some "Internal Strength." He vaguely understood the connection between martial arts and power.
Only when martial arts reach a certain level of mastery can one cultivate traces of power.
Through daily diligent practice, one can become a master of Internal Strength.
"Like Commander Pang, who can chop bamboo with air... I don't know how much Internal Strength is needed for that. And that Void Palm... what mastery has it reached?"
"Martial Arts are hard to pursue, with difficult paths. But now, I've at least touched some edges."
After finishing dinner, Li Xian went to the open space in the residence to practice "Four Directions Fist" again.
"Old Fourth, practicing so hard has no effect."
Zhao Han returned from his patrol shift and saw Li Xian still engrossed in his fist technique, so he couldn't help but advise.
"Practicing martial arts is not done overnight. If you practice too long, your body will become tired and resist. Continuing to practice might cause your martial arts to regress instead of progress."
"This is also why some people, despite being very diligent, only reach average levels in martial arts mastery."
Zhao Han indeed regarded Li Xian as one of his own.
These were words of experience.
But to Li Xian, they were completely useless.
[Skill Level +1]
Though his arms were sore and hard to bear, Li Xian persisted, smiling:
"Boss, I'm just occupying myself. Familiarizing myself a bit more won't hurt."
Zhao Han waved his hand dismissively, "Honestly, you're quite the workhorse."
"And indeed, if you weren't a workhorse, how did you get promoted from being a servant?"
"But as I see it, martial arts are useful enough as they are. We're just servants for the nursing home, and we don't need to roam the Jianghu."
...
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
After morning training, Li Xian, with a stomach full of questions, immediately went to find Luo Tongyun for answers.
Luo Tongyun's smile was as warm as the previous day, "Brother Li, you did an excellent job. These questions are very reasonable."
And so, he answered them one by one.
"Brother Li, demonstrate the sequence for me, and I'll teach you how to improve your fist movements."
Luo Tongyun requested.
Li Xian nodded, set up his stance, and earnestly completed a set. He thought that through his diligent practice, though progress might not be lightning-fast, at least it was steady and measured.
Unexpectedly, Luo Tongyun shook his head repeatedly, "Slow! Too slow indeed. Brother Li, your talent in martial arts is quite mediocre."
"Is that so?" Li Xian was puzzled. Yesterday, it didn't seem like this was said.
At this moment, another nursing home guard approached. "I said he only became a guard by luck."
This guard, named Qiao Dashou, had once had a minor encounter with Li Xian. When Li Xian was registering, he stopped him, speaking derogatorily to show his own superiority.
Later, he was beaten until he was flustered and embarrassed.
He began to pay attention to Li Xian, harboring a grudge against him.
Li Xian ignored it, only waiting for Luo Tongyun's answer.
"At this pace, fifteen days later… I'm afraid you'll find it hard to pass Commander Pang's test," Luo Tongyun said with concern.
Li Xian felt suspicious:
"Is this true? I didn't slack off yesterday, and my skill level increased steadily. Is it really as bad as he says?"
Luo Tongyun shook his head and sighed, "Alright, alright. Let me teach you some tricks, and you can practice according to these tricks in the future."
"This will ensure that you can satisfy Commander Pang."
With that, he demonstrated a set of fist movements for Li Xian.
Li Xian practiced it once.
[Skill Level +0]
Curiously, the skill level did not increase.
"This practice method is wrong. Luo Tongyun has ulterior motives against me," Li Xian thought, observing his opponent with clarity.
Luo Tongyun smiled gently, appearing concerned.
"Brother Li, have you understood? Practice according to this method in the future. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me again."
"Alright, go on with your work then."
Li Xian decided not to alert the enemy, pretending to comply.
As soon as Luo Tongyun walked away, he immediately reverted to his original fist techniques. Punch after punch, he increased his skill level and honed his physique.
[Four Directions Fist]
[Skill Level: 187/500 Beginner]
...
In no time, four days passed.
Morning runs for physical exercise, practicing martial arts for strengthening the body.
Since joining the nursing home, Li Xian was well-fed, well-dressed, with sufficient nutrition.
Just at the growing age, his height began to shoot up.
During this morning's training.
Everyone was already sitting down for a rest, except Li Xian, who was diligently practicing fist techniques against wooden stakes.
"Old Fourth, that workhorse, is still practicing fists."
"I say, just get by. Even if we practice to death, we'll just be guards. Why push ourselves so hard?"
"Old Fourth is a real tough guy. In my opinion, only Hua Hanying from Room 1 can compare."
"Hua Hanying? I heard the other day that he killed a small thief with one palm strike. Is it true or not?"
"It's true. With one palm strike, he shattered the guy's lungs. I heard he pleased the lady and was rewarded with a set of palm techniques. He's the most likely to take over Commander Pang's position in the future."
...
Zhao Han and the others joked during their leisure, enjoying their discussion.
Seeing Li Xian diligently practicing martial arts, they decided not to disturb him and quietly walked away.
Li Xian remained oblivious, suddenly launching a punch. In that instant, the meaning contained in the punch underwent a dramatic transformation.
His whole body trembled, and a flash of light glimmered before his eyes:
[Four Directions Fist]
[Skill Level: 1/1000 Mastery]
[Description: A blend of hardness and softness; hardness can shake all directions, softness can shift the heavens and earth. Through diligent practice of fist techniques, you've attained mastery and grasped its essentials, gaining the 'Ears Listening in All Directions' trait.]
"By concentrating, your hearing increases significantly. You can also use feng shui to simply discern the opponent's attack paths."
Li Xian was both surprised and delighted.
Heaven rewards diligence; as long as you work hard, rewards will surely come!
"Brother Li, long time no see. How is your fist technique practice going?"
At this moment, Luo Tongyun approached with the same warm smile on his face.