infodatos Chapter 73 Leaving No Trace in the Snow
Chapter 73 Leaving No Trace in the Snow
Qianmen Street, the backyard of the Lu residence.
These past few days, it seems like the winds of Beiping City have been circling around this courtyard.
The night was deep and quiet, and the watchman's clapper had just sounded past midnight. There were no lights in the courtyard, only the moonlight shining down on the still-snowy ground.
Lu Cheng stood in the center of the courtyard.
His eyes were closed, and his breathing was barely perceptible.
The "Toad-Catching Strength" within the body was no longer the fierce, forceful inhalation and exhalation, but had become an extremely subtle tremor, like a hibernating toad, clinging to life with only a sliver of vitality.
But this hint of life was extremely vibrant.
"wind……"
Lu Cheng silently recited in his heart.
The essence of "The Ghost Walk" lies in the concept of "borrowing".
Borrowing the power of the wind, the power of the earth, and the power of all things.
Suddenly, a night wind swept up withered leaves, swirling and whistling past the top of the wall.
In that very instant.
Lu Cheng made a move.
There was no bending of the knees to gather strength, no explosive push-off from the ground.
He just stood there, as if he had been "sucked" away by the wind, and floated away without any warning.
It really floats.
With his feet three inches off the ground, his moon-white silk training clothes didn't even stir up a whistling sound.
"Whoosh!"
The next second, his figure appeared under the old locust tree three meters away.
Immediately afterwards, his figure blurred, turning into a fleeting afterimage.
Following the straight tree trunk, it winds its way up like a giant gecko.
Without using their hands to peel off the bark, they relied solely on the twisting of their spine and the "suction" from the soles of their feet.
In the blink of an eye, the person was already standing on the treetop.
The toes rested on a thin twig that was only as thick as a thumb.
The slender branch only sank slightly, without even shaking off the snow on it.
"It's done."
Lu Cheng opened his eyes, golden light swirling in his pupils.
This "Ghostly Shadow Steps" combined with the control of hidden force made his body, which weighed over a hundred pounds, feel as light as a feather.
If he were to go to that division commander's mansion now, even with machine guns and sentries all over the place, he was confident he could take that old bastard's head without disturbing a single sparrow.
"call……"
Lu Cheng exhaled softly, then stretched out his body and glided down like a large bird, landing silently.
As soon as I stood still, I heard a crisp "crack" sound.
The sound was coming from the corner.
Lu Cheng turned his head to look.
There stood Shunzi and Xiaodouzi, shirtless and covered in sweat, practicing their stances.
The tiger bone and dragon marrow soup in that big copper pot has been running non-stop for the past few days.
A dose of medicine costing three hundred silver dollars is like buying your life back with money.
Shunzi's face turned bright red, his veins bulged like earthworms under his skin, and his teeth were grinding together.
He was the eldest disciple, the one who trained the hardest, and also the slowest.
But he has a tenacious spirit.
"open!!"
Shunzi let out a low growl, the sound seeming to be squeezed out of his chest.
With that roar, his spine emitted a series of rapid crackling sounds.
"Crackling and popping!"
His back, which had been slightly hunched, straightened instantly, and he seemed to grow an inch taller.
A visible plume of heat rose from the top of his head.
Immediately afterwards, Xiaodouzi next to him also trembled. He practiced the monkey form and was very agile.
He did a somersault and landed with a stomp of his feet.
"Bang!"
His footsteps actually created two fine cracks in the blue bricks beneath his feet.
Full power!
Muscles and bones resonate in unison!
These two children, who had endured hardship alongside Lu Cheng, finally broke through the door to martial arts tonight with countless drops of sweat and mountains of medicinal herbs.
"Master, Master..."
Shunzi didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from her brow. She looked at her hands with an expression of disbelief.
"I feel like I have inexhaustible energy."
"It's as if all the bones in my body have been replaced."
Standing in the moonlight, Lu Cheng looked at his two overjoyed disciples, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.
He walked over and patted Shunzi on the shoulder.
"This is integrated strength, which is to twist scattered forces into a single rope."
"Having reached this level, you can be considered as highly skilled and accomplished martial arts practitioners in Beijing."
"but……"
Lu Cheng changed the subject, his tone becoming serious.
"This is just the beginning."
"Once you have strength, don't go out and cause trouble. A knife is only a knife when it's sheathed; if you draw it out and start slashing around, you're a butcher."
"Starting tomorrow, we'll continue with the standing meditation to smooth out this restlessness."
"Yes, Master!"
Both of their voices were loud and clear.
Lu Cheng nodded, turned around and went back into the house.
The foundation of the Qingyun Troupe has been firmly established.
……
The next morning.
Qianmen Street hadn't fully woken up yet, but the kitchen in the Lu residence was already steaming.
The pungent smell of rich, meaty dishes had dissipated considerably, replaced by a mellow aroma of rice and beans.
In the main hall, the octagonal table was polished to a shine.
Lu Cheng ate breakfast with his parents.
Today, instead of having servants wait on her, Feng San Niang cooked herself. The fried dough sticks were golden and crispy, and the millet porridge was topped with a thick layer of rice oil, which was both nourishing and fragrant.
"Chengzi, try this pickled vegetable."
Wearing a dark purple silk cotton-padded jacket, Lu Laogen was full of energy. He picked up a piece of thoroughly pickled mustard greens with his chopsticks and put it into Lu Cheng's bowl.
"This is from Aunt Li from our old tenement courtyard. She specially asked someone to deliver it to us yesterday."
"They say that even though we've become successful, we haven't forgotten our old neighbors. A while ago, you had someone deliver a bag of flour to every household in that courtyard, and they all remember your kindness."
Lu Cheng picked up some pickled vegetables and drank them down with a mouthful of hot porridge.
Crispy, salty, and fragrant.
It tastes just like that.
"Dad, as long as everyone can make a living, we'll help out as much as we can."
Lu Cheng said with a smile.
Wang Shi, standing to the side, looked much healthier, her complexion much rosier. The sickly cough she used to have was long gone, all thanks to those precious medicinal herbs.
She looked at her son with eyes full of love, yet also with a touch of caution.
"Chengzi, I heard from Shunzi that you've been practicing some new kung fu lately? And you even got a big iron cage?"
"Your mother is just worried... You're a star now, someone with status, so don't overwork yourself."
"We have more money than we could spend in several lifetimes. Being safe and sound is better than anything else."
Lu Cheng put down his chopsticks and held his mother's hands, which, although no longer used for manual labor, were still covered in wrinkles.
Those hands were warm; they were what he wanted to protect.
"Mother, don't worry."
Lu Cheng's voice was soft and steady.
"My son practices martial arts so that he can protect this family for longer."
"This world is not peaceful. Only when we stand up for ourselves will no one dare to bully us."
"Besides..."
Lu Cheng smiled.
"Your son is a grandmaster now. I'm the one who bullies others; who dares to bully me?"
Just then, the sound of children playing came from the courtyard.
Lu Feng, carrying a small pink schoolbag, was holding his younger sister Lu Yun's hand, preparing to take her to the newly found private school.
"Brother, slow down, my braids are all messed up!" the little girl complained in her childish voice.