After Zhao Mu handed his weapon to Duan Rong, he stretched lazily and strolled to the weapon rack, casually grabbing a discarded blade in his hand.
Zhao Mu stood in front of everyone, twirling the sword in his right hand, and said, "This technique, 'Antelope Offering Food', I will demonstrate it for you twice more. Watch closely!"
Zhao Mu performed the technique quickly at first, his legs leaping and blade spinning, his movements fluid and rhythmic, causing a group of servant disciples to watch with envy and admiration.
"Watch carefully!"
Zhao Mu shouted again, then performed it slowly, explaining the key points of the movement as he went along.
"Step forward with the right foot, placing it in front of the left foot, then raise the left foot and kick forward!"
"At the same time, swing the right hand with the blade in an arc from the front to the right lower area, and then lift it before you, with the blade facing up and the tip forward!"
"..."
After Zhao Mu's demonstration and explanation, he turned his head to see the group of servant disciples looking bewildered. He cleared his throat and said, "Come, each of you, do it twice so I can watch."
After Zhao Mu finished speaking, the group of servant disciples gathered around the weapon rack, pulling down blades in a clamor.
Zhao Mu turned and glanced toward the courtyard entrance, seeing Duan Rong sitting there dumbfounded. Zhao Mu took a few steps closer and called out, "Kid, have you finished polishing the blade?"
Duan Rong was momentarily stunned, lifted his head, his eyes seemingly unfocused, staring blankly at Zhao Mu.
Zhao Mu felt a bit infuriated, suspecting Duan Rong was dissatisfied with the task of polishing the blade and was deliberately showing a dazed expression to mock him.
However, at this moment, Duan Rong seemed to come to his senses, though his gaze was still somewhat vacant. He stood up, sheathed the blade, and respectfully presented it before Zhao Mu with both hands.
Seeing Duan Rong's actions, the anger that had surged in Zhao Mu's heart subsided considerably. He took the blade and placed the discarded blade in Duan Rong's hands, saying with mild irritation, "Get back in line!"
Duan Rong lifted his head to look at the discarded blade held with both hands, seeming to take a moment before realizing, then joined the group of servant disciples, holding onto the blade.
Zhao Mu observed Duan Rong's bewildered and absent-minded expression, murmuring to himself, "Could it be he was burnt out from the fever a few days ago?"
Duan Rong stood at the back of the line, just standing there blankly, unlike the other servant disciples, who had already begun to practice swinging their blades.
Today marked the second day Zhao Mu was teaching the technique 'Antelope Offering Food'.
The servant disciples weren't foolish, able to mimic the patterns after seeing it done, but only three of them could perform it with any meaningful understanding: Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng.
From the days Zhao Mu had been instructing these servant disciples, he had noticed these three, with Kong Bin having the best natural talent, executing the patterns with the most flair, while Li Chong and Zhang Zheng followed closely behind.
Zhao Mu only provided focused guidance to these three, correcting minor movements, while he merely glanced over the others.
After everyone had finished practicing, Zhao Mu said in a deep voice, "Good. Practice carefully, as familiarity breeds skill!"
"Now, stand on stance! Since ancient times, before practicing martial arts, stance comes first!"
"If your stance is not solid, you won't be able to generate force with your hands and feet! Without strength in your hands, any sophisticated technique is just for show and useless!"
The group of servant disciples placed their blades at their feet and began standing on stance.
The stance that Zhao Mu taught these servant disciples was an ancient one called the 'Hun Yuan Stance'!
With feet in a bow stance, arms loosely hugging in front of the chest, fingers slightly spread!
In this stance, the body must prepare five bows: the body bow, left and right arm bows, left and right leg bows.
The five bows are centered around the body bow, with arm and leg bows supporting. The body unifies with the five bows, forming a cohesive, unified strength throughout.
Aside from Duan Rong still holding the blade motionlessly, the other servant disciples were standing on stance.
Zhao Mu once again only guided Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng, patting their shoulders and elbows, adjusting their stance positions.
Other servant disciples watched this with great envy!
After correcting the three's stance, Zhao Mu tucked the Cow Tail Saber under his arm and walked away without turning back.
The time he spent every day instructing these servant disciples in training was just half of an incense stick's worth.
Throughout the entire time, Zhao Mu didn't glance at Duan Rong even once.
Duan Rong seemingly stood there in a daze, but his mind was actually quite clear, or rather, he could distinctly sense that his mind was becoming dull.
His brain felt as if stuffed with something, unable to operate, just like a stomach too full to move comfortably.
The last rays of the setting sun poured into the courtyard, illuminating the faces of sweaty, bulging-veined servant disciples.
Some tightly clenched their jaws, cheeks puffed, clinging to a breath of determination.
The strength gained from stance practice lies in its significant energy consumption.
When you perform a boxing form or engage in combat, various muscles are employed in rotation.
Rotating them allows for alternating rest, but stance standing requires all muscles to exert simultaneously, causing energy consumption to spike several times over.
After just half an incense stick's time, some couldn't hold on any longer; as their breath escaped, muscles ached, bodies went limp, unable to stand any longer.
The energy-expended servant disciples gazed enviously at Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng, shook their heads and sighed, leaving the courtyard disheartened.
In the remnants of twilight, one could faintly see the three's bodies exuding a gentle steam.
The more precise the posture, the greater the energy consumption. Their stances had been personally corrected by Zhao Mu, making their energy expenditure the highest among the servant disciples, yet they usually lasted until the end.
Seeing people leaving the courtyard one after another, even Duan Rong, though slow, understood and followed the crowd out.
These servant disciples were somber, devoid of any desire to chat, each walking silently on their own.
In tomorrow's martial arts practice, it's likely a few among them will be missing.
These servant disciples headed to the servant quarters' kitchen to collect their dinners.
The scent of food made Duan Rong suddenly aware of his hunger. He queued up and received a bowl of cabbage soup and two cornbread buns.
Duan Rong devoured the soup and buns, then staggered off to their usual sleeping quarters.
It was just getting dark, the communal bunks empty, and Duan Rong lay down immediately, falling asleep at once.
He felt the "thing" in his brain slowly melting like ice, merging into his divine soul.
In a secluded courtyard not far from Li Yuan Shun Escort Agency.
After dinner, Zhao Mu washed with the courtyard's well water, then picked up the Cow Tail Saber, half-naked.
It was Zhao Mu's routine to practice martial arts every evening, executing several routines and standing in stance for an hour.
His rise from servant disciple to apprentice, to his current role as an intern escort master, was not solely due to some talent but also his indispensable hard work.
Zhao Mu just started executing a few moves with the Cow Tail Saber when he suddenly halted in suspicion, examining the saber under the dim light streaming through the doorway.
He had been using this saber since becoming an apprentice, for two or three years now, forming a great attachment to it.
Even over the last six months, he'd felt a faint man-blade resonance upon grasping it.
Yet, tonight, that feeling had vanished without warning...
"Yes, it's my saber!" Zhao Mu gazed at the blade reflecting cold light in the lamp's glow, his expression peculiar.
He weighed the saber in his hand, swung it a few more times, and murmured, "What's going on? It feels so unfamiliar now... like I'm holding a new blade..."