Pawning lifespan, starting from a low-level martial arts world to transform into a dragon.

Chapter 49 Stealing the Cui Family's Martial Arts

After entering the Cui family's residence, Chen Ye quickly settled in.

For the first few days, Cui Xijun did not assign him any tasks, but only had him follow Cheng Defu around every day to familiarize himself with the environment of the mansion.

Chen Ye was not in a hurry and did not mention martial arts again, patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Five days passed in this way.

That morning, just as dawn broke, Chen Ye woke up precisely at his biological clock.

He reached for his clothes by the bedside in the darkness, put them on and fastened them, rinsed his mouth with a willow twig, and as usual stood guard outside the backyard.

As dawn broke, Cui Xijun, already dressed, led her two maids, Hongling, out.

Her outfit today was rather androgynous: a front-opening, long-sleeved, straight-cut dress worn open, which perfectly accentuated her figure.

"We're going to the private school today to teach the children of our clan. Let's go."

Chen Ye nodded in agreement, asked no further questions, and simply followed behind.

In accordance with the rules of the manor, he kept his gaze on the ground, avoiding staring at people in a rude manner.

Chen Ye followed them through the two covered walkways in the inner courtyard of the Cui family and headed towards the west side courtyard.

Soon, the group arrived at the private school inside the Cui residence.

As a second-class noble family, the Cui family had many members active in the capital, and a private school was specially built in the mansion for the family members to study.

Chen Ye originally thought that the private school was just a single room similar to a study, but when he arrived, he found that the private school in the Cui family was actually a separate two-story building.

The Cui family was very strict in managing their household.

As soon as Cui Xijun entered the room, the group of young men and women who had been whispering to each other immediately fell silent and sat back down in their seats.

This was completely different from what Chen Ye had seen at the Gao family's house.

He glanced around and saw that there were about ten low tables in the school, with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones all laid out on them. The children sitting there were all from the Cui family, aged seven or eight to twelve or thirteen, with more girls than boys.

Cui Kan sat in the middle of the first row, and when he saw Cui Xijun enter, his back suddenly straightened up.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Chen Ye following behind her, his serious demeanor tinged with a hint of curiosity.

He glanced at Chen Ye a few times, but didn't dare to make a sound, trying his best to maintain a sitting posture of listening attentively.

Just then, the sun rose in the east, and the sky became bright.

Cui Xijun sat down on the podium, and without any further pleasantries, immediately opened the book.

Today we will discuss the chapter on benevolence in the "Words of the Sages".

The sage said: "The unbenevolent cannot long endure hardship, nor can they long enjoy pleasure. The benevolent find peace in benevolence, and the wise find benefit in benevolence."

This means that a person without benevolence cannot endure hardship for long, nor can they live in comfort for long.

A virtuous person is content with virtuousness, and a wise person is good at utilizing virtuousness.

This is similar to learning martial arts. Those without a solid foundation become arrogant and impatient when successful, and utterly despondent when unsuccessful. Only those with genuine inner strength can remain calm and composed in the face of adversity.

She spoke in a simple and straightforward manner, without quoting classical texts to show off her knowledge. Instead, she broke down every word so that even the youngest child could understand.

When she talked about "the benevolent find peace in benevolence", she asked several of her older children to give examples.

When she talked about "the wise benefit from benevolence," she changed the subject and took the initiative to explain in detail: "What does 'benevolence' mean? It is not about using benevolence to take advantage of others, but about knowing what is right and having the means to make the right things happen."

When you travel in the future, having a kind heart alone will not be enough. You will also need skills, discernment, and decisiveness.

Otherwise, your benevolence will only be seen as weakness.

Chen Ye stood in the corner and listened slowly.

Perhaps it's because he's lived two lives, but he has an excellent memory.

He was able to memorize these texts in their entirety very quickly.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the school became increasingly quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside and Cui Xijun's voice explaining the scriptures in the entire Mingxin Hall.

After speaking for half an hour, Cui Xijun closed the book and began to test the students' knowledge one by one.

When it came to Choi Kan, the little guy stood up and recited it fluently, but when asked how to explain "Li Ren", he got stuck.

He stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Cui Xijun didn't scold him, but simply said, "Copy it three times and hand it in tomorrow."

Cui Kan replied dejectedly.

"Let's rest for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then we'll head to the martial arts arena."

The students in the school were overjoyed, and Cui Kan even jumped up from behind the low table, grabbed the sleeve of one of his companions, and ran out.

"Third sister, I'm going now, otherwise second sister will be getting impatient."

Cui Xijun was used to it, and after a while, he led Chen Ye and the others toward the Cui family's martial arts arena.

The Cui family's training ground was located behind Mingxin Hall; it was an open-air area paved with bluestone slabs.

Weapon racks were placed on both sides, complete with stone locks, sandbags, wooden stakes, and other items.

It was much brighter than the courtyards of most aristocratic families.

At that moment, a stern rebuke came from the center of the field.

"Straighten your back! Sink down further!"

"The sage speaks truthfully to the ruler; the key to destiny always lies in the true breath!"

"Remember this: the essence of cultivation lies in the true stillness of breath, which is the connection between this breath and the next!"

Chen Ye looked over upon hearing the sound and saw that the other person was wearing a black short shirt with a belt tightly around the waist, resembling a lithe female leopard, and her appearance was somewhat similar to Cui Xijun.

He recognized her as Miss Cui, the second young lady of the manor.

Cui Yingtang stood in the center of the field, holding a bamboo stick in his hand, correcting the postures of several disciples one by one.

At this moment, she stood on her own territory, like a general on the battlefield, issuing orders everywhere, and applying both kindness and punishment.

One of the disciples was not in the correct posture while practicing standing meditation, so she walked over and whipped him with a bamboo stick, causing him to wince in pain.

Chen Ye suddenly realized that this was the Cui family's training ground for martial arts, involving their family traditions.

It seemed inappropriate for him to be an outsider present, so he quickly prepared to leave.

But seeing that Cui Xijun didn't care at all while he and his two maids, Hongling, were present, he couldn't help but become suspicious again.

Since Cui Yingtang didn't try to hide it from him, it meant it wasn't some important secret, so he didn't need to meddle.

So he boldly stood aside, listening attentively and taking careful notes.

Chen Ye's gaze calmly swept over the postures of the Cui family members.

He wasn't deliberately staring at anyone; he was just observing their figures out of the corner of his eye.

Look at their posture and the way they breathe.

After giving him his instructions, Cui Yingtang turned around, looked him over for a moment, and asked, "You're the one who saved Third Sister, aren't you?"

Chen Ye quickly composed himself and respectfully replied, "My name is Chen Ye, and I greet the Second Miss."

Cui Yingtang said with great interest, "Let's spar sometime."

Cui Xijun knew that the other party's belligerent nature was flaring up again, and timely stopped him, saying, "Second Sister, he has other matters to attend to with me, he doesn't have time to spar with you. Besides, you are a Dragon Elephant Martial Master, your reputation is known throughout the capital, why bully a mere follower?"

Cui Yingtang smiled and didn't press the matter further.

"Second sister, we're here."

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Cui Kan finally arrived with a group of Cui family members.

Seeing that Cui Xijun was already in the training ground, he stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.

"Third Sister, you didn't leave?" Cui Kan shrank back and asked cautiously.

Seeing Cui Xijun staring at him with a half-smile, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Hurry up and practice your skills!"

Cui Kan quickly ran to Cui Yingtang to report.

As soon as he arrived at the martial arts arena, he immediately changed into a well-behaved demeanor, a stark contrast to his strained appearance in the classroom.

Cui Xijun called out to Cui Kan, "Go practice standing meditation. Yesterday you only stood for half an hour before complaining of leg pain. Make up for it today."

"oh!"

Caught red-handed, Cui Kan stood obediently in front of his usual bluestone slab, set up his stance, and looked utterly dejected.

Cui Yingtang walked over and corrected his posture, then turned to all the disciples in the room and said, "The Guiyuan Technique that I taught you a few days ago is for you to build a foundation. It is balanced and peaceful, without any fancy tricks, and it can nourish your body. If you master it, it will be much easier to learn the kung fu from the manor in the future. Learn it seriously."

Cui Xijun kept watching for a while, and seeing that Cui Kan was no longer trying to play tricks, she left the training ground without lingering.

A busy day begins.

The Liu family's affair still requires a lot of work to sort out.

Chen Ye stayed by Cui Xijun's side until evening, and after handing over his work, he returned to his residence.

There was no one around.

Chen Ye closed his eyes and recalled the scene in the courtyard, then began to try to relax his body. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and his center of gravity lowered, mimicking the postures of the Cui family disciples.

In his mind, he pieced together a rough outline of the cultivation method from Cui Yingtang's few words.

At first, it was a little awkward, but as his breathing gradually became more even, he felt a slight warmth rising from his lower abdomen and slowly moving up his back.

As Chen Ye practiced, he compared his technique with the one he had previously practiced diligently.

He was surprised to find that the Qi circulation method of the Cui family's martial arts was more complete than that of the Peiyuan Gong.

Peiyuan Gong only focuses on infusing Qi into the Dantian. Once the Qi is felt in the Dantian, it's like entering a dead end, stuck there, and you have to rely on your body to slowly refine it.

The Cui family's martial arts originate from the dantian, ascend along the spine, then branch out into the eight extraordinary meridians, and finally return to the dantian, repeating the cycle endlessly, forming a complete system for the circulation of internal energy.

Like the Dragon King spreading rain, and the wonder of all rivers flowing into the sea.

Chen Ye focused all his attention and kept trying.

A moment later, the pawn system panel suddenly appeared in sight.

Name: Chen Ye

Current martial arts skills: Peiyuan Gong (Perfected), Guiyuan Jue (Beginner)

Chen Ye's expression froze.

Did they successfully learn the technique?