Gateway of Immortality

Qin Sang remained silent, touching his chest as he fixed his determined gaze on Bai Jianglan. "Brother Bai, you still haven't answered me. If I start learning martial arts now, can I master it?"

Bai Jianglan was a bit surprised and smiled. "What do you consider mastering it?"

Qin Sang hesitated before suggesting, "Cultivating internal force?"

Bai Jianglan shook his head. "Difficult."

Recalling the moment when Bai Jianglan had insisted on keeping him, Qin Sang asked, "Then, could I at least defeat evil bandits?"

"Even bandits can possess great martial skills, but..."

Bai Jianglan’s expression shifted slightly. "It’s rare to see such determination. If you truly wish to learn, I can teach you a few moves of the Tiger Subduing Long Fist. It’ll give you some ability to protect yourself. This isn’t advanced martial arts—it's one of the most common hand-to-hand styles in the martial world and can be used with spears and staves. Most bodyguards can perform a few of its forms."

Overjoyed, Qin Sang immediately knelt down and bowed. "Thank you, Master!"

"No need for such formality!"

Bai Jianglan smiled as he helped Qin Sang to his feet. "We’re nearly at the City of Three Witches, so I can only teach you three moves. After this, we may part ways in the vast world, with little chance of meeting again. I dare not take the title of teacher—you and I will still be brothers. The Tiger Subduing Long Fist has ten moves in total. If you truly persevere, you can later find a martial arts academy or an escort agency to learn the remaining seven. Don’t underestimate this simple martial art, though. If you practice diligently and have sufficient insight, it can lead to great achievements. There’s a legend in the martial world about a prodigy who, through the simplest Arhat Fist, cultivated a powerful true qi. But of course, he was the only one."

"Watch carefully!"

"The first move: Raging Sea Dragon..."

"The second move: Heaven Striking Fist..."

"The third move: Tiger Subduing Vajra..."

The Tiger Subduing Long Fist was indeed straightforward, especially the first three moves. Bai Jianglan demonstrated them twice, and Qin Sang memorized the movements and their accompanying incantation.

When it was Qin Sang’s turn to practice, although he could only assume the stances due to his injured leg, he quickly realized that there was more to it than met the eye. The same move, when performed by him and Bai Jianglan, looked identical, but he couldn’t quite grasp the correct use of force.

What followed was a process of guiding his strength and correcting mistakes. Fortunately, the first three moves of the Tiger Subduing Long Fist focused on arm and fist strength, relying on upper body force without requiring footwork. Qin Sang braced his injured leg against the ship’s side, concentrating solely on learning the stances and methods of exerting force, with little impact on his progress.

"Focus! Do you call that a Vajra stance?"

"The move is the surface, the strength is the internal aspect. If your fist strikes crookedly and you use the wrong force, you’ll never cultivate internal force in your lifetime!"

…

Bai Jianglan showed no leniency when teaching, with scolding being the least severe reprimand.

The other men, having finished their training, gathered around to watch and laugh. Qin Sang received a few hard hits on his back and dared not lose focus again. By the time the meal was ready, he had mastered all three moves.

After they ate, the sun had risen, and the fog over the river was visibly thinning. Suddenly, someone at the bow shouted, "The City of Three Witches is in sight!"

Qin Sang gripped the railing and stood up, watching as the thin mist on the river dissipated into the green mountains, revealing a river teeming with boats of all sizes, stretching as far as the eye could see. The golden rays of the rising sun flowed across the water, creating a breathtakingly majestic scene.

In the midst of the gathering boats, the shore ahead must be the first dock. Though called a dock, its size was more akin to that of a town, much larger than the small town where Qin Sanwa once worked.

It was hard to imagine how grand the City of Three Witches must be beyond the dock!

Their ship sailed quietly forward as Water Monkey scampered to the bow, signaling with flags. After a small boat came alongside, he loudly negotiated a fare with the boatman before turning and shouting, "Brother Qin, it’s time to disembark!"

The moment had come to leave.

"Until we meet again!"

Though his time with Bai Jianglan and the others had been short, Qin Sang felt a deep sense of reluctance. After bidding farewell to each of them, he was lowered onto the small boat in a basket tied with ropes and watched as the larger boat sailed away.

Water Monkey continued waving from the bow.

…

"Young Master, is this your first time visiting the City of Three Witches?"

The small boat glided smoothly through the river, gradually approaching the dock. The boatman, an elderly man, noticed Qin Sang gazing intently at the dock and struck up a conversation.

Qin Sang snapped out of his reverie and looked at the old man, jokingly saying, "My surname is Qin; I'm no young master. I'm here to seek out immortals. You've been navigating these waters for many years, haven't you? Have you ever seen an immortal?"

The old man burst into hearty laughter. "Brother Qin, don't tease an old man like me. I've been running boats on this river since I was eight, over fifty years now, but I've never seen an immortal. So, what brings you to the City of Three Witches, Brother Qin? Are you here for business, visiting friends, or looking for work? I've been all over the City of Three Witches, inside and out. Maybe I can help you out a bit."

"Look at my leg." Qin Sang lifted his injured leg slightly, smiling bitterly. "I can't even stand properly right now. I'm not thinking about anything else; I just want to heal my leg first. Do you know where I can find a divine doctor[1] at the dock? Please, give me some guidance."

"Oh?"

The old man glanced down at Qin Sang’s leg, then shook his head. "The divine doctors are all in the city, treating the wealthy. They wouldn't stay at the dock. It's still thirty li[2] from here to the City of Three Witches... But I do know a few old physicians with good reputations at the dock. If you trust me, I can take you to one of them."

As they spoke, the pier came into view. The dock was crowded with people, most of them dressed in rags, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.

Qin Sang was surprised, "So many people at the dock?"

"You wouldn't know, Brother Qin..."

The old man sighed with a look of pity. "The dock wasn't this lively before. Recently, many refugees have come from the north, saying there's been a great drought followed by a locust plague. The crops in the fields have been wiped out, and I've heard rumors of people raising flags in rebellion, with wars breaking out everywhere. These poor folks couldn't survive in their hometowns, so they fled south. To be honest, Brother Qin, I'm nearly sixty, and I've seen hard times before, but never like this. It’s not just the first dock; all the docks downstream are packed with people trying to stay alive. Even the most grueling job, like pulling towlines, has dozens of people competing for it. And outside the City of Three Witches? Well, they say the new emperor is foolish and incompetent..."

The old man suddenly fell silent, casting a cautious glance at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang didn’t seem to mind and continued observing the dock. As the old man had said, nearly ninety percent of the people were impoverished and gaunt.

Realizing his words might have been inappropriate, the old man quickly changed the subject. "Brother Qin, speaking of the poor, I just remembered something. I may have never seen a real immortal, but I've heard that there's a living immortal at the Qingyang Temple on Cuiming Mountain!"

Qin Sang raised an eyebrow. "What kind of living immortal?"

Seeing that Qin Sang was indeed intrigued, the old man continued with a hint of pride, "This living immortal is quite famous around here. I'm talking about the Daoist Master Jixin, the abbot of Qingyang Temple. There are many temples and monasteries on Cuiming Mountain, but Qingyang Temple was never well-known until this Daoist Master appeared, and its reputation soared. People call him a living immortal, and they’re not exaggerating. He's best known for his saintly compassion. Truly, he lives up to the name of a living immortal."

1. Divine doctor is a title used for doctors who are really good and can treat almost any sickness ☜

2. Li, also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. The li has varied considerably over time but was usually about one third of an English mile and now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer. ☜

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