Translator : HiddenNuffian
Editor (Temporary) : Rawuyu
Retired life Of the Martial King – Prologue
I’m a martial artist, or rather, I was a martial artist.
The reason I say “was” is because I'm now retired.
It was only after I had experienced many winds and bloody rains had I notice that the fighting and killing’s life of the Martial World wasn’t suited for me.
This point could be already seen during my training period.
I remembered when I first started martial arts, my Master had admonished me.
“My disciple, though you are our sect's head disciple, but among the disciples, your talent is the most mediocre. I'm afraid that what you will achieve in the future will be limited, inferior to that of your martial brothers. Your Master here has received several secret martial books gifted to me by fellow brothers of the Martial Community. Take them, and practice well.”
“Yes! Disciple won’t disappoint Master!”
Those days I was still young and naive, I had taken no notice of my Master's wretched and shameless smile on his face. Innocent as i was, I had trusted that old thief's gibberish. Foolishly practicing through the pictures in the books when I couldn’t read all the words.
The aftermath of practicing the first secret book is, I was lying down with serious injuries for a whole ten months. At that time I had thought it was because my talent was really too poor, unable to practice even a little martial arts, causing Master to lose his face. With a guilty and low mentality, I didn’t dare to laze around. Upon my injueries healed, I resumed my training.
My second practice went better, as I was bedridden for only half a year. It seemed that my childhood was spent with over a year unconscious in a bed.
Dazed, I vaguely remembered that at this moment my Master seemed to be cursing at a monk.
“You bald donkey, you dare to blame me still for the theft of your Shaolin Temple’s Yi Jin Jing*? Just look if your Shaolin Temple had anything good. To have injured my disciple so badly. Fortunately, this old man is smart enough to not practice your shitty martial arts.”
…….
Master?! It wasn't a present from your fellow brothers of the Martial Community?! What is the name of this martial art?! Yi Jin Jing?!
Three years later, having practiced the first book to seventy to eighty percent completion, I started the second book.
While practicing the second book in conjunction with the foundation learned from the first book, it should yield better. The result is.. I was wrong.
Training the second book made me enter into Madness**. The True Qi in my body was in chaos, quickly rushing out. My own True Qi made me fly out, bursting over a dozen walls. Even if our mountain has mud walls that need to repair once a month and provide us with no warmth during cloudy and rainy days, there are still dozens of walls, ah!
I can still remember the panicked expression of my martial uncle when he tried to sleep with my neighbor from the village. He barely entered the bed when the wall suddenly burst with his martial nephew yelling wawawa in a mania. Later, I heard that from that point on he had become impotent, never entering into any relations with girls, recently become a priest. Amitabha, heaven is immeasurable……
Thereafter my arms and legs remained broken for around two years. During that time, I endured the pain and continued my training, finally completing the second book.
But at that moment, seven priests had come to our house, with Master scolding me while pointing at my nose.
“Wudang’s Seven Heroes***, do you still respect any loyalty to your fellow brothers of the Martial World! Were you not boasting that your surpreme Yin Yang Fusion martial arts was the best, and able to be learned by anyone?! How come my disciple is became like that! If this old man had not been smart enough, I would have been tricked by you!”
I almost vomited blood from anger.
Master?! What is this book?! Buddhism and Taoist martial arts can’t be trained together!!
And so, upon starting practice of the third book, I was a ten thousand times more careful. I swear I was definitely a ten thousand times more careful!
But the third book had only contained a painting.
It should be okay?
Reality told me once again I had played too much with fire.
A short moment after having practiced from the painting, all my meridians were broken, completely becoming a waste. It wasn’t until a year later when Master’s wife brought me a spiritual mushroom that I was able to walk again.
Later, around thirty martial artists with varying appearances came, fighting with Master until the nightfall and finally this old thief was remained unbeaten. In the end, they ended up being scolded by Master.
"You people of the Devil Way! Do you not know any shame?! Your founder himself said this Spring Wind and Rainy Night Painting**** would belong to the strongest, the winner the king. This old man drugged the lot of you scoundrels to unconsciousness and easily won, justly and honorably taking it away, yet you demand it back?"
What did you say? Devil Way’s Spring Wind And Rainy Night Painting?! Why aren’t you in heaven yet?!!
……
……
Then I just gave up.
I'll just practice what Master gave me. Anyway my life isn’t so worthy. Even if I wasn’t trained to death, I'll be hunted down and killed by those sects.
Everyday, Master continued to give me the secret martial books "gifted" to him by his fellow brothers from the Martial Community. Training them one by one.
But still this is weird. After the completion of the third book, the next secret books never injured me. Moreover, it was becoming much easier. Finally, with a surprised expression on his face, Master said, "Disciple, you’re actually not dead?"
Hey!
Die your ancestors!
Anyway, my body had gotten stronger and stronger, to the point where even minor illnesses and small pains did not afflict me.
At the end, when I descended the mountain at 22 years old, I had finally discovered, i was.. invincible.
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TLN :
**走火入魔 (Zou huo ru mo) aka Qigong deviation, it meant a psychological disorder resulted from during or after qigong (=life energy cultivation) practice. For me “Madness” is a better word to describe this state.
****Spring Wind and Rainy Night Painting, probably an famous painting in wuxia novels.