The World Online Chapter 59-60

Chapter 59 - Eight Extremities Fist - Bajiquan

Translator: TeamTWO

Editor: RED        

Having dealt with the matters of the Mulan Village alliance, Ouyang Shuo went on to the barracks. A hundred infantrymen had been recruited, and he needed to go to the barracks to get them transformed.

Coming out of the barracks afterwards, Ouyang Shuo headed over to the wall to see its progress and of the moat.

In just one day, the Construction Division had done a good job of beginning the walls of the city, arranging the workers to set up the foundation stonework. Endless streams of stone being carried on the wooden horse carts were flowing from the quarries and were being transported to the site.

The moat began at the Friends.h.i.+p River, through lands that would be part of the city capital in the future, and ended back into the merged stream at the canyon. The total length of the channel was 35 kilometers long, 8 meters wide for the entire distance, and 10 meters deep at its deepest. For such a huge project, even all of the basic measurements had not been completed yet.

Every day, more than half of the incoming immigrants were requisitioned directly into these two projects. Even so, , the projects would never be completed without at least a month or two.

On the way back from the building site, Ouyang Shuo heard a burst of system news.

"System Notice: Congratulations to player Qiyue Wuyi for the successful establishment of affiliated village - Beihai Village! Special reward of 200 merit points, 400 reputation points."

Hearing the news that Beihai Village had been successfully established, Ouyang Shuo finally calmed down. Beihai Village's further development would have to rely on the efforts of Xiuwen, it was beyond his reach.

Pa.s.sing the commercial street, Ouyang Shuo happened to see the martial arts dojo there to the east. The master of the place was Master Lin Yue. His brother Lin Yi was s.h.i.+ning bright in the army and was also becoming more and more popular, while his older brother was, as always, more low key.

For some reason, Ouyang Shuo felt the urge to watch some martial arts, and headed towards the dojo. The student outside greeted him personally in the front of the building, and hurried inside to inform the dojo president.

Having just entered the main hall, Ouyang Shuo heard a burst of martial arts shouts. Standing in the room were more than thirty students practicing punches. Lin Yue stood to the side watching, from time to time correcting the basic movements of each student. Hearing the student report that Ouyang Shuo had come to visit, he turned to tell his first disciple w.a.n.g Feng to continue supervising the practice of the students, and personally came to the reception room.

In the reception room, he saw Ouyang Shuo sitting there leisurely having some tea. He hurriedly bowed in salute. "The Lord came to visit and caught me unprepared, please forgive me!"

Ouyang Shuo put down the teacup and smiled, saying, "I was just pa.s.sing by. I was thinking that ever since the dojo was established, I had never taken the time to just come and see you. Did I disturb you?"

"My Lord has come in person to my house, how can I be disturbed?" Lin Yue said back to him.

"Well then, since we are in a dojo, let's not sit here drinking tea. Take me to the training room to see it!" Ouyang Shuo said directly, ending the greeting pleasantries.

Master Lin nodded, ushered his hand sideways and said, "My lord, please come with me."

They left the reception room, stepping through the narrow corridor, and came to the practice hall. Junior Master w.a.n.g Feng, seeing the Master leading Ouyang Shuo in, immediately stopped the practice and shouted, "Stop, let us welcome the lord!" The students immediately formed a line, uniforms straight and standing ready.

Ouyang Shuo smiled and greeted them all, turned to Lin Yue and said, "Master Lin, your students, this formation, it is quite impressive."

Master Lin modestly replied, "We are but here at the Lord's mercy to teach some basic skills of self-defense."

"The Master of this dojo need not have too much modesty. What punching skills are you teaching?"

"My lord, we are practicing The Eight Extremities Fist - Bajiquan1"

Ouyang Shuo was surprised, and bubbling with enthusiasm, said with admiration, "Bajiquan is extremely famous! Why not let everyone practice some, and open my eyes!"

Master Lin would naturally not decline, bowed and said, "This one would be honored!" Finished, he went to the forefront of the square of students, and began to lead all the students in practicing the Bajiquan.

In terms of appearance, the Bajiquan had good flexibility, was balanced and strong. Bajiquan was a short-range technique, with extremely aggressive hand movements. Its attacking technique included a strong stance, snapping the waist, flowing out through the fingertips, and generating a strong force.

Ouyang Shuo was awestruck, it was the first time he had seen the glory of the ancient martial arts, and he could not help but clap with enthusiasm. As Master Lin finished up the practice session, totally immersed in the atmosphere, he could not help but exclaim, "WELL DONE!"

Hearing Ouyang Shuo's applause, the students were very excited, even Junior Master w.a.n.g Feng was showing his joy. Master Lin, of course, was as calm as always.

Seeing Ouyang Shuo so excited, Master Lin said with a smile, "If you wish to learn some martial arts, I could teach you a thing or two."

The reason why Ouyang Shuo was so excited was because he knew now that Lin Yue's Bajiquan was a true art, not a mock-up. He could bring to reality the practice of this precious skill!

Seeing Lin Yue taking the initiative to mention this, Ouyang Shuo was not hypocritical and said, "Well, then, I thank the master, and will repay you in the future!"

Master Lin simply nodded calmly, and then led Ouyang Shuo out of the school to a small room, bidding him to wait a moment as he went away.

Soon after, Lin Yue returned to the room, holding a book in his hand. He handed this over to Ouyang Shuo, saying, "This is the Lin handwritten version of the , I now dedicate it to my Lord."

Ouyang Shuo took the book, and subconsciously looked at its properties.

Name: Bajiquan (King-Level Martial Arts)

Practice: Brace, Steady the Dragon, Subdue the Tiger, Split Mountain Palm, Long Horse Palm, Holding the Tiger, Bear Stance, Crane Step Push

Tricks: Underworld Three Hands; Tiger Claw Climbs Mountain; Three Unstopping Doors; Tyrant Guides the Horse; Windward Thundering Palm; Left and Right Hands Open the Door; Oriole's Double Talons

Master Blow: Cling to the Mountain

Weapons: Spear, especially the Liuhe Spear.

Evaluation: Bajiquan is a vigorous art, plain, fierce, with great bursts of force. Hits like thunder, kicks like an earthquake. As the saying goes, Tai Chi calms the world, Bai Ji stomps the universe.

Amazingly, Master Lin's Bajiquan were a real martial art. Coincidentally, Bajiquan was a great fit with the spear, and not only did it not conflict with Ouyang Shuo's planned practice system, it complemented it nicely.

No longer hesitant, Ouyang Shuo placed a hand on the book cover in front of him, and the system prompts sounded.

"System Notice: Congratulations to the player Qiyue Wuyi for acquiring the King-level Martial Art  'Bajiquan'. Do you wish to practice it?"

"YES!"

A hum, in his hands the book glowed with a white light, which dove in between his eyebrows. In mere seconds, all of the information needed to practice Bajiquan poured into his mind, waiting for him to slowly digest it.

Ouyang Shuo opened his eyes and rose to give Master Lin Yue a deeply formal bow, solemnly saying, "Thank you, Master Lin!" He knew that he was probably the first martial artist to learn the full set of Bajiquan. Even Master Lin's personal disciples probably did not have the qualifications.

Master Lin standing there, smiled and said, "About Bajiquan, not trying to boast, but I am considered quite knowledgeable. If sire is willing, I can tell you all I know." This was the repayment to Ouyang Shuo for not being haughty.

Ouyang Shuo knew very well that getting a Bajiquan master's guidance was incredibly valuable. It would save him a lot of time and detours. He smiled and said, "I am listening!"

Master Lin nodded, and began to explain to him the process. "Bajiquan takes the head as the center of universe, the limbs as the four directions, both front and back hands relative of each, the core gathers your spirit, your spirit channels the chi, your chi guides the force. The mighty momentum, strength, and sense from every muscle, every part of the body is a weapon. Every movement, every change, every transformation, every effect, its variety is limitless."

"Bajiquan is famous for its violent fist force, but is also well known for the move used by masters of the style. The most well known technique is Cling to the Mountain. Practicing this technique is like using your body against a wall, up against it like a tree. The key to this technique is you hit your opponent from extremely close range, shoulder to shoulder. It would seem weak, but in fact the torsion from your waist and groin combines with the power of the body to inflict great harm and bring people down. You break down their defenses, hit them with six blows as one, use the momentum to finish them off.

"And the next thing to work on is the Rubbing Kick, the important leg law of Bajiquan. Bajiquan pays attention to steps such as Trip to the Mud, but the knee is the embodiment of this step, as it requires kicking when the attack point falls below the knee of the opponent, especially at the foot. Therefore, although the kick is not as lethal as other styles' method of using them, it can break the opponent's balance, using less power to clever effect and knocking them down."

Ouyang Shuo listened eagerly to Master Lin's explanations, and in his ear from time to time the system tones went off.

"Congratulation to player Qiyue Wuyi for getting Master Lin Yue's instructions, Bajiquan achievement - Beginner."

"Congratulation to player Qiyue Wuyi for getting Master Lin Yue's instructions, Initial Comprehension, Bajiquan Trick - Close Contact Fist."

"Congratulation to player Qiyue Wuyi for getting Master Lin Yue's instructions, Initial Comprehension, Bajiquan Trick - The Rubbing Kick."

……

Listening to the system prompts, Ouyang Shuo was so happy he was almost dancing. Had he known he would get such a surprising benefit, he would have gone to the dojo long ago! It was okay, however, it was still not too late to begin.

Listening to Master Lin explain things, Ouyang Shuo stayed silent until he was done, and then took his leave. Lin Yue and several of his disciples sent him off personally, escorting him to the door and watching him go.

Eight Extremities Fist - Bajiquan1 八极拳 : Ancient China martial art that features short-range explosive power strikes.

Chapter 60 - New Year's Eve

Translator: TeamTWO

Editor: RED

Coming out of the dojo, it was already 4 PM. Coming to the front of the public square, the construction division had already set up the newly established building for the Security Division.

Back inside the Lord's Manor, Ouyang Shuo went to find Gu Sanniang. She was the head chef, but also a close friend to Little Sister Mu Qingsi. Gu Sanniang was basically playing the role of housekeeper for the Manor.

Speaking with Gu Sanniang, Ouyang Shuo did not put on any airs and said affectionately, "Sanniang, we have more and more room to take care of, and you also have a job to do. I can see you working hard, so I would like you to find some maidservants to help you. Also get Yingyu and Qing'er some maidservants to take care of their daily lives."

Gu Sanniang smiled and said, "I do think it is busy, but as sire has told me this, I believe there will be a large number of people applying for a position to work in the Manor. Should I arrange maids for yourself, my lord? You are also very busy, but having someone at the side to pour tea would be good."

Ouyang Shuo waved his hand and said, "I do not need one. You must remember, the maidservants must be kind and honest. I do not want the living area to not be peaceful."

"Even if my lord had not said this, I would be looking for such!" Gu Sanniang answered.

"Then I am relieved, and will let you get back to work!"

Going back to his office, Ouyang Shuo picked up a book, and sat down to read. Suddenly a burst of system music burst through his thoughts.

"System tip: Congratulations to player Qiyue Wiyu. For reading continuously, your Comprehension has increased by 1!"

It was a surprise. Since the beginning of the grade 2 village, Ouyang Shuo had read a lot of ancient books. Finally his hard work had paid off, and he had finally raised his Comprehension a little bit.

He hadn't looked at his own stats in a long time, and with a thought he did so now.

Name: Qiyue Wuyi
t.i.tle: Celebrity (Good impression on historical figures +10%)
Territory: Shanhai Town
Merit Points: 9000/12,800                
t.i.tle: Third Count
Occupation: Officer (part-time)
Level: 27 (3,946,600/4,341,060)        
Reputation: Well known (4300/10,000)
Body Structure: 18        
Comprehension: 21        
Qi: 5                        
Charm: 8
Command: 37        
Force: 10        
Intelligence: 10        
Political: 37

Talent: Not Open
Power Law: Bajiquan 'The First Glimpse of the Door'
Skills: Intermediate Collection, Basic s.h.i.+pbuilding, Basic Diplomacy, Intermediate a.s.sessment, Intermediate Weapons Proficiency, Basic Riding, Basic Marksmans.h.i.+p, Basic Archery

Mount: Black Tornado (gold)
Equipment: High Quality Fine Iron Spear (gold), Ring of Courage (black iron), Brutal Guardian (gold), Brutal Boots (silver), Brutal Gloves (Silver), Fine Iron Sword (silver)

Speaking of which, he was really blind to how he used his equipment. Since the last defense of the territory during the Siege of Beasts, he hadn't fought at all, safe all day in his territory, his body was almost moldy.

Seeing the Brutal armor set, Ouyang Shuo thought about when the last time Little Mu was promoted to Master Tailor, she still had not handed over the leather drops from the boss animals from the Siege of Beasts. She was heartless, didn't know how to take action proactively, he could have rewarded his officers...

"Big brother, it is time to eat!" Little Mu shouted outside, appearing just  when he was thinking of her.

"Little Mu, come in here a moment."

Little Mu bounced into the office, her little mouth protesting, "Why?"

Ouyang Shuo stared at her. "I ask you, the boss level furs that were given to you, how did you not give me anything, ah?"

Little Mu was not afraid of him anymore, and said a little uncertainly, "Hee hee, Big Brother is stupid. The equipment was already done, I have been waiting for you to open your mouth."

Ouyang Shuo smacked his forehead, reluctantly saying "So, you did not forget. Why did you not come over and tell me? This was expected to be done a week ago."

"Well, Big Brother, do not forget, you have not yet paid the tailoring fees, how can we get the equipment to you?!" Little Ming said with plausible confidence.

This little gold-digger, how had he not seen this before, she had such a characteristic? "Did not Big Brother give you a dark gold tailor kit set? Well, what else do you want…"

"How can that be the same, the toolkit is something Big Brother promised to get me on promotion to Master. It does not mean you can ignore the tailoring fees!" She definitely had a cool mind, that wasn't good.

Ouyang Shuo knew he was going to take a financial hit on this. "Fine, then, how much for your tailoring fees, I will give it to you now. Tomorrow, remember to bring me the equipment."

"Hee hee, not much, just two gold coins!"

Ouyang Shuo took out two gold coins, put them into her little hands indulgently, and said, "Come, you gold miser, let's go eat."

Little Ming grinned as she put the gold coins into her purse, bouncing along with Ouyang Shuo behind her. She had the look of a fox that had just stepped out of the chicken house.

After dinner, Ouyang Shuo went to his bedroom in the back of the Manor, and logged off.

------------------------------------------------

In reality it was February 28, tomorrow night was New Year's Eve. Ouyang Shuo thought he should go out and buy stuff for New Year's today, because tomorrow would be too late. But, Bing'er wasn't up yet. She had been really tired yesterday, today might not be the best day to take her shopping.

After going down to buy breakfast, Ouyang Shuo went into Bing'er's room. He opened the curtains and let the light in. With the sun, Bing'er opened her eyes, whispering, "Brother is bad, I want to sleep more…"

Ouyang Shuo leaned down and squeezed her cheek, saying, "Bing'er, though it is winter vacation, you cannot sleep late every day. Last night, going to sleep early and not getting up, sleeping for a long time will hurt your head."

Bing'er reluctantly got up, put on her cute little slippers, and went to wash up.

While eating breakfast, Ouyang Shuo mentioned to Bing'er about buying New Year's gifts. "Baby sister, yesterday you were tired enough to fall over, today your brother is going out to buy New Year's presents. You stay home and rest, alright?"

Upon hearing that he was going out shopping, Bing'er's eyes lit right up, her small head shaking like a rattle. "Bing'er is not tired. Bing'er will go with brother to buy New Year's Eve presents. Bad brother cannot let lovely Bing'er stay home!"

Nothing could be done to tame this miserable monkey. He wondered what sin he had done in his past life, there was a little sister Mu ingame and a little sister Bing'er in the real world. These two little sisters were indeed adorable, but at times bringing misery.         

They walked down a street that had the traditional side shops open with a variety of dazzling new products. Both sides of the streets were covered with festive red lanterns, and there were all kinds of colorful banners...along with a thick smell of food.

New Year's was inseparable from the word for eating, and New Year's food accounted for a large part of it. Traditional egg powder, crispy triangles, rice cakes, fried dumplings, as well as fresh meat, honey dates, almond cakes...these were the things most able to arouse people's memories of festival food.

People flocked to the shops on both sides of the street to buy New Year's food.

Compared to Ouyang Shuo's love of traditional food, Bing'er clearly liked candy. Crisp sugar cubes, fruit sugar, chocolate, jelly, lollipops, and hundreds of other candies; Bing'er looked over all of them hungrily, picking which to have. Fortunately the businesses were understanding and allowed all kinds of mixing and matching on the candy. Otherwise, Bing'er would have been sorely pressed to choose.

In addition to the finished foods, Ouyang Shuo also had to buy some food to prepare for the dinner. Oysters, shrimp, mushrooms, squid, scallops, and so on were the main ingredients. In addition, he also bought some fish maw, sea cuc.u.mbers, and some other high grade foods.

Of course, for this meal, there would also be Chinese preserved meats. In addition to the traditional sausage, things like wax duck kidney, roast duck, soy sauce, five bacons, and other foods must not be ignored.

When he was done buying all the various foods, Ouyang Shuo's hands already held five or six bags. They weren't finished, either. For New Years, he still had Chinese knots, zodiac dolls, and the other little things to buy.

The two of them had just come out of the grocery when they heard someone shout behind them. Ouyang Shuo turned around and saw two girls waving at him from a little ways away. After taking a look, he recognized them as his former junior high school cla.s.smates Tan Xiaoli and Meng Fei Fei.

It was really a big change after eighteen. In junior high school, they had been really slim. If not for Ouyang Shuo having such a good memory, he wouldn't have recognized them.

Ouyang Shuo holding Bing'er's hand, he went up and greeted the two. Tan Xiaoli was a little fat girl, with a cheerful character. Meng Fei Fei was more pet.i.te, with a shy character, just standing to the side.

"Hey, old cla.s.smate, I have not seen you for so many years, still so handsome!" Tan Xiaoli said with a smile.

Ouyang Shuo had long been out of junior high school when he was first excited about girls. "Well, I still look the same, but the two beautiful girls in front of me are even more pretty."

Tan Xiaoli's eyes lit up. "Oh, the then-innocent boy now knows sweet words, daring to flirt with the older sister already." She looked at Bing'er and hesitated. "This lovely little girl. Could she be your daughter-?"

Ouyang Shuo coughed a bit. "What? This is my sister, Ouyang Bing!"

He could not blame her completely. When Bing'er was born, he was already in his third year. His fellow students did not know about his sister. Thanks to modern medicine, women were far more free to choose their childbearing age. Having a second child at 34 was very common.

"The cla.s.s party has been set for first month, fourth day, will you be going?" Tan Xiaoli asked him.

"I might be going, I have not seen anyone for a long time, meeting them will be good."

"That's good, this street is not a place to talk, we will meet at the gathering!" Tan Xiaoli was a straight forwards person, she took Meng Fei Fei and was ready to leave.

Ouyang Shuo naturally wanted them to leave, he hadn't finished his New Year's shopping spree! He bid farewell to the two and the brother and sister continued their annual raiding trip for goodies.