Jiang Liechen coldly said, "That's more like it. Every time you make a move, you don't have enough strength and your positioning is also very bad. It's as if you're deliberately avoiding your opponent's vital points. In addition, your moves are clumsy and full of flaws. In front of an expert, it's easy to see through. And if you succeed in one move, you'll be complacent for a long time, not knowing that your opponent will take advantage of this gap to counterattack. There's another thing you're lacking the most. Your movements are too stiff and the range is too large. For someone with weak internal energy like you, it's exhausting your physical strength. It won't be long before you can't hold on anymore. You didn't feel it during the fierce battle just now, but now you should concentrate and see if your whole body is sore. "
Xuan Shuang tried to relax his limbs. Sure enough, waves of soreness surrounded him like thin threads. He sighed, "According to what you're saying, it's as if my martial arts are useless? Ay, my physical strength is weak, so what can I do? "Jiang Liechen coldly snorted," You really know how to find excuses. Do you know why your physical strength is weak? " Xuan Shuang said, "Probably because I'm young. How can I compare to you … assassins who have received many years of 'specialized' training?"
Jiang Liechen disdainfully said, "What young? Those are all excuses! I think it's because you've been pampered too much. A rich young master like you who only knows how to enjoy life all day and can't even bear the slightest bit of hardship, what kind of future can you have? Right now you're weak and powerless, so how can you talk about practicing martial arts? You'll have to pass this obstacle first. There's a pond nearby, so go and fetch me thirty buckets of water. You'll have to run at full speed to and fro, with no breaks in between. "
Xuan Shuang heard his exaggeration, but didn't take it to heart. He snorted, "Are you crazy? Are you trying to kill me? "
Jiang Jianchen said, "What's the big deal about this? Didn't you just say that as long as you're not asked to kill, you'll do anything? You said it so lightly, but now that you've implicated yourself, you want to back out? The path of literature can be faked, but martial arts is different. Every move and style is real martial arts. If you can't afford to sweat, then you might as well not practice martial arts in the first place! You see a martial arts expert leaping over eaves and vaulting over walls as if he were walking on flat ground. Or you see someone who is invincible throughout the world, so awe-inspiring. Do you think this is something that can be easily obtained? There's no free lunch in the world. Everything has to be exchanged with certain sacrifices. "
The Xuan Shuang reluctantly stood up and patted the dirt off his body. He said, "I only asked one question, and you gave me this long-winded lecture. I didn't say I wasn't going. He could wash his hands while he was at it. However, there are no buckets nearby. What should we use to carry it? "
Jiang Liechen said, "Think of a way yourself! If he can't even handle such a trivial matter … "Xuan Shuang continued," He's not qualified to be your disciple, right? Ay, your disciple knows how to do everything. He's proficient in everything. He must be a genius! "As he said this, he turned around and ran to the side of the pond. Jiang Jianchen furrowed his brow as he looked at the back of Jiang Jianchen's hopping figure. It took him a while to realize that the "genius" he'd just said was just him blowing his own trumpet. The corners of his mouth curved into a playful smile.
Sure enough, the Xuan Shuang found two buckets from somewhere and strung a slender bamboo pole across his shoulders. For the first few laps, he was still able to smile mischievously and run as if he was flying. But after a while, his waist and back began to ache, and he couldn't smile anymore. His spine was bent more and more under the weight of the bamboo pole, almost turning him into a hunchback. After a few more laps, he was already panting like an ox. His entire body looked as if he had just been fished out of a pond. His thin clothes were soaked with sweat. Rather than saying that he was running while carrying water, it would be better to say that he was a snail carrying a heavy shell.
Jiang Liechen was still picky. This time he said, "Straighten your back! If the enemy sees you in the future, they'll think you're begging for mercy. "The next time he said," Raise your head! When you're fighting, you must pay attention to the changes in your opponent's moves. There's no money on the ground for you to pick up. "
After more than twenty laps, the Xuan Shuang's vision was a blur. He was only relying on his remaining breath to support himself as his legs continued to move. Sometimes his chest felt stuffy, as if there was a large rock pressing down on it. Other times he felt a sharp pain. This time, he crawled in front of Jiang Jianchen with great difficulty and squeezed out a wry smile from his exhaustion. Just this small movement of his facial muscles had actually used up all the strength in his body. Another sentence had even squeezed out all the energy in his body. He sighed and said, "Only now do I know that I didn't know how lucky I was before. It turns out that learning martial arts from Master Li is such a blessing! "
Jiang Liechen said, "That's why you're still a good-for-nothing even after learning from him for so many years. 'Born in hardship, die in peace and happiness.' It's just like how much effort you put into sowing seeds, how much you'll reap in the future. Comfort and pleasure can only dull a person's fighting spirit. "
The Xuan Shuang opened his eyes wide and said, "Huh? So you've also read 'Mencius'? " Jiang Liechen was disdainful of his surprise and said, "Nonsense, which one of the Hundred Schools of Thought haven't I read?"
The Xuan Shuang said, "Looks like there's an exception to everything. You're right. You've read so many books by the sages, yet you're still so cruel. You're worse than an illiterate watermelon peddler. Next time I'll have to tell Master Tang that character is innate, it's not something that can be easily changed by studying. "Jiang Liechen was angry and said," What did you say? "
The Xuan Shuang stuck out his tongue and made a face. While talking and laughing, his spirit was greatly boosted, and his strength poured into his body. He got up and picked up the bamboo pole and bucket again, then turned around and fled. Jiang Liechen still wanted to curse him, but he threw it all to the back of his mind.
The Xuan Shuang was extremely persistent in his work. Either he didn't do anything at all, or once he started, he would persevere to the end. He would rather torment himself until he was exhausted. Jiang Liechen was different from his teachers in the palace. When he trained him, he made sure that he passed the test without the slightest bit of heartache. He was a hundred times harsher than the strictest master. The Xuan Shuang relied on his tenacious willpower to endure. But as soon as he counted to thirty, he flipped the bucket over and collapsed on the ground like a pile of mud. He gasped for breath and couldn't get up for a long time.
Not long after, the Xuan Shuang was forced to stand up by Jiang Liechen. But his hands still couldn't leave the tree trunk. He had already placed all his remaining strength on it. He sighed and said, "After tonight, I'm afraid I won't even be able to crawl tomorrow. Li Yijie, don't even think about asking me to practice martial arts again, ha … "
Jiang Liechen coldly said, "As soon as you hear that you can't practice martial arts, you're overjoyed. This kind of thinking is the worst! You're a good-for-nothing. Other than being lazy, what else do you know? I advise you to behave yourself and don't show the slightest bit of abnormality. Otherwise, if he asks, how are you going to explain yourself? "
The Xuan Shuang said, "I'll say that I had a sudden epiphany and suddenly wanted to practice martial arts. I got up in the middle of the night. But I fell behind too much, so I had no choice but to practice as if my life depended on it. Now I'm so tired that my waist and back hurt. I have to rest for several days. "
But when he heard these words, he didn't feel good either. It wasn't because he felt guilty after telling a lie, but because his story was full of loopholes. At first, it sounded like he had done something unusual last night, but it wasn't suspicious at all. It sounded more like an excuse for being lazy. Thinking about how he used to ask for leave from Li Yijie every two or three days, with all kinds of strange excuses, some of which were more reliable than this one.
The problem was that he could only make empty promises about whether his legs were sore or not, but he couldn't produce any evidence. If he wanted to pretend that he was in 'pain with a bitter face', it wouldn't be a problem for anyone. Furthermore, if a person who had a 'sudden epiphany' was able to 'practice martial arts without any regard for his life', he must be completely unafraid of suffering. How could he easily ask for leave because of some small soreness and pain?
Jiang Liechen saw that Xuan Shuang's face showed a look of understanding, but then he immediately puffed up his cheeks in anger. He had already guessed seventy to eighty percent of Xuan Shuang's narrow-mindedness. But he didn't mention anything about it. He directly asked, "How do you feel now?" Xuan Shuang was so distracted by his idle chatter that he completely forgot about the topic. It took him half a day to realize that Jiang Liechen was referring to his condition. With a cold laugh he said, "I'm tired! I'm so tired that I'm about to fall apart. Are you satisfied? What else can you feel? "
Jiang Liechen said, "The reason why you're so tired is because your body is too weak. The Crown Prince is used to living a good life in the Palace, he indeed needs more tempering. Right now you have to start from your lower body. If you can't even stand steadily, how can you defend against the enemy? "
Xuan Shuang complained incessantly, "Who said I can live a good life in the Palace? As a descendant of the Manchurian people, I have to learn how to ride a horse and hunt since I was little. But that Li Yijie, other than telling me to do the horse stance, he only taught me several basic fist techniques, which are completely useless. You want me to practice my lower body martial art, but don't test me on this! I'm tired of doing it! "
Jiang Liechen said indifferently, "I don't need you to do the horse stance." Without waiting for Xuan Shuang to cheer, suddenly he raised his hand and knocked on his shoulder. Xuan Shuang was startled; he felt a strong force suddenly poured into his body, pushing him down so hard that he sat down on the ground. Jiang Liechen raised his leg and hooked it forward, then kicked it backward. His front leg slid down the trunk of a tree, so that he hit the tree stump on the ground. His back leg connected with his heel, so that he met the same fate as his front leg; he hit a tree behind him.
At first Xuan Shuang thought this position was very novel, but not too long afterwards, cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his countenance rapidly changed. Every time he did the horse stance, he ended up in the same situation. But this time he was acting up with an unprecedented urgency. He remembered that the thing he did not want to do the most in his life was to lose face in front of other people. Clenching his teeth, he asked, "Shifu, previously Li Yijie always told me not to move or talk for half a sichen. You can't be that heartless, can you? Can't you change the time limit? "
Jiang Liechen said, "There is always a change." Xuan Shuang had not opened his mouth to cheer when he heard Jiang Liechen said, "What's wrong with half an hour? Six hours! Since this is your first time practicing, I'll be lenient for the time being. Later on, I'll gradually change it to the whole night. " Xuan Shuang was so angry that he almost cursed out loud. He was tongue-tied, "Three … three …" He imagined himself falling down, vomiting blood, and dying miserably. Let alone six hours, he would not be able to hold on for even half a minute.
Jiang Liechen continued, "This matter is based on self-awareness. There's no need to keep an eye on you. I'm going to take care of something first. You stay there and hold on. Don't let me catch you slacking off, otherwise I'll double the punishment. "Finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Xuan Shuang had the urge to faint on the spot. After enduring for a short while, his legs were sore and numb, as if they no longer belonged to him. His knees on the ground were in excruciating pain. The friction seemed to be much stronger than before, as if two steel knives were stabbing into his body. But because of Jiang Liechen's might and pressure, or perhaps because he was scared out of his wits by the words' double the punishment ', he did not dare to move. He was worried that no matter what he did, Jiang Liechen would find a way to understand.
At this point, even his mind was completely subdued by Jiang Liechen. This was the deepest form of being enslaved. Even though he knew it was lamentable, there was nothing he could do. He could only stare blankly at fate and see where it would take him. Sweat poured down his forehead like crazy. Before long, it had formed a small puddle by his side.
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