Chapter 50: The Neutrality-Breaking Spear Strike

How does that saying go again? Every man harbors a martial arts dream deep in his heart?

As the saying goes, brandishing a sword to roam the rivers and lakes; taking a life within ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles; moving amidst a myriad of blooming flowers without a single petal sticking to one's robes...

Fei Qian was naturally no exception, but this dream suffered a heavy blow over at Lü Bu's side—judging by Lü Bu's implication, was this physique of mine basically good for nothing?

Fei Qian turned his hopeful gaze toward Zhang Liao instead, only to find Zhang Liao turning his head away, holding a bowl of wine and drinking continuously. He drank for a long time, but simply refused to put the bowl down...

Understood.

Fei Qian sighed, feeling utterly dejected. After all this fuss, I was apparently destined to be a civil official, completely unrelated to the battlefield... Oh, my dream of taking the head of enemy generals amidst a sea of a thousand armies...

Zhang Liao comforted Fei Qian, saying, "Ziyuan, set your mind at ease. If you truly go to the battlefield, civil officials all have personal guard units, and idlers cannot easily approach them. Besides, if civil officials all took up spears and clubs to go to the battlefield, what use would there be for martial officials like us?"

Lü Bu nodded and said, "What Wenyuan says is true. Ziyuan, your bones and muscles are lean and weak, whereas my martial arts lean toward the fierce and powerful. If you were to practice them, you would inevitably suffer injury and needlessly shorten your lifespan. Rest assured, purely on the account of Ziyuan helping me find this halberd, if anyone dares to seek trouble with you—"

Lü Bu snatched up his Heavenly Halberd, let out two huffs, and said, "They'll have to see whether my Heavenly Halberd agrees to it or not!"

Fei Qian lowered his eyelids and thought to himself, forget it. Right now, you, Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian, are indeed glorious, but by the later stages, even self-preservation will be a problem for you. How could you possibly protect me... After all, relying on anyone is never as reliable as relying on oneself...

Seeing that Fei Qian still looked as if he genuinely wanted to learn, Zhang Liao pondered for a moment. Not wanting to dampen Fei Qian's enthusiasm too much, he said, "If Ziyuan truly wishes to learn martial arts, I can teach you a single spear technique here. I wonder if Ziyuan is willing to learn?"

Before Fei Qian could reply, Lü Bu glared at Zhang Liao and said, "Wenyuan, your path is also somewhat fierce and forceful. Be careful not to lead Ziyuan astray!"

Fei Qian quickly chimed in, "It's fine, it's fine! I want to learn, I want to learn!"—No matter what it was, Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan, was a top-tier warrior after all. Whatever he brought out couldn't possibly be too bad. I'll learn it first; if my body truly can't handle it, I just won't practice...

Zhang Liao said, "I know what I'm doing. The Marquis of Duting can just watch and understand." With that, he called Lü Bu and Fei Qian to the backyard, went to the corner to fetch two ordinary long spears, and walked back.

Zhang Liao handed one of the long spears to Fei Qian and personally demonstrated how to hold it, how to grip it, how to exert force, and how to utilize the strength of the waist, torso, and legs. After demonstrating a few times and finding that Fei Qian actually learned quite quickly, he smiled and said, "Ziyuan's comprehension is quite good. In the future, if you manage to find a spear technique that combines both hardness and softness, you might even give it a try."

Zhang Liao walked over to a tree in the backyard, turned back to Lü Bu, and said, "Marquis of Duting, I'd like to borrow this tree for a moment."

Lü Bu waved his hand, indicating that Zhang Liao could do as he pleased.

Zhang Liao stood firm, signaling Fei Qian to pay close attention. Then, with a sudden forward stride, he thrust his spear straight ahead. It was like a streak of lightning—the long spear pierced directly through the tree, punching a clear hole right through the middle of the trunk!

Zhang Liao walked to the side of the tree, stood side-by-side with the pierced trunk, and beckoned Fei Qian to come closer. Pointing at the newly made hole in the tree, he asked Fei Qian, "If Ziyuan were to regard this tree as a person, which part of a person's body do you think this hole represents?"

Fei Qian looked at the tree hole, then at Zhang Liao standing beside the tree, compared the two, and said, "The dead center of the chest?"

Zhang Liao nodded and said, "This form is called 'Zhongping' (Center Level), and it is the foundation of all spear techniques. If Ziyuan truly wishes to practice spear techniques, you may start from this form."

Fei Qian clicked his tongue and asked, "Do I need to practice until I can pierce straight through a tree with a single spear thrust like you?"

Zhang Liao laughed, shook his head, and casually thrust his spear into the tree once more. This time, only the majority of the spearhead sank into the trunk before he pulled it back out, saying, "If you are dealing with ordinary people, Ziyuan only needs to practice up to this level. But if you encounter a master..."

Zhang Liao left the sentence unfinished, but Fei Qian understood the implication. If he truly encountered a master, knowing only a single move wouldn't help him no matter how well practiced it was...

At this point, seeing that Zhang Liao was teaching the most fundamental of foundations—the Center-Level Thrust—Lü Bu set his mind at ease. He walked over and said, "Ziyuan must not underestimate this form. Spear techniques are ever-changing, yet the majority of them evolve from this very form. Back when I first practiced spear and halberd techniques, I also started from the Center-Level form."

Zhang Liao had Fei Qian practice the thrust a few times, then taught him hand-over-hand how to set his posture and how to generate power, even having Fei Qian place his hands on his shoulders and waist to physically feel how the various parts of the body coordinated to exert force...

Lü Bu also offered occasional pointers from the side until Fei Qian was able to firmly memorize the essential principles of power generation for the Center-Level thrust. Only then did they stop.

Fei Qian couldn't remember how many times he had thrust the spear outward. He only knew that by the time he finished practicing and Lü Bu and Zhang Liao deemed it barely acceptable, there wasn't a single spot on his entire body that didn't ache and soreness...

Watching Fei Qian wince, bare his teeth, and walk with a limp, Lü Bu followed closely beside him with a mocking smile and asked, "Does the younger brother still want to learn martial arts? You might as well just be a civil official."

Fei Qian was aching all over, but he gritted his teeth and stubbornly replied, "I want to learn!"—Are you kidding me? This concerned his own little life, didn't it? There would be wars wherever he went over the next few decades, and there was no telling when he might end up isolated. If he didn't learn now, was he supposed to wait until the blade was actually coming down to start learning?

Lü Bu burst into laughter, reached out, grabbed Fei Qian, hoisted him directly onto his shoulder, and strode toward the inner chambers. As he walked, he said to Zhang Liao, "Wenyuan, come along and lend a hand, otherwise Ziyuan won't even be able to get out of bed for at least three days after getting back."

Zhang Liao nodded and followed along, saying to the utterly powerless Fei Qian, "Ziyuan, you've really struck it rich. This is a treasured method of the Marquis of Duting..."

Oh dear, where are they taking me? Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan, can you make yourself clear? Why does this feel somewhat ominous...

Just as not a single spot on Fei Qian's body was free from aches and soreness, not a single spot on Dong Zhuo's body was currently anything less than utterly blissful...

Two days prior, before the deposition of the emperor, Minister of the Masses Wang Yun had paid a personal visit. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, he subtly hinted in his words that he would look to Dong Zhuo as his leader, and subsequently sent over all sorts of precious treasures along with ten song-and-dance courtesans from Jiangnan...

That was why Dong Zhuo had so audaciously declared the deposition of the emperor today without the slightest worry that any officials would object. Though he hadn't expected Lu Zhi to step forward, he was merely a single individual after all and could not turn the tide against the grand momentum.

Ha! Starting from today, I, Dong Zhuo, am the Chancellor—second only to one person, yet above tens of thousands!

The sweet taste of power intoxicated Dong Zhuo and filled him with an inexplicable excitement. Thus, before dusk had even fallen, he pulled several of the newly arrived Jiangnan courtesans sent by Wang Yun to indulge in unbridled revelry...

Women from Jiangnan were indeed different from those of the northern lands. Their skin was fair and delicate, their figures petite and supple. Under Dong Zhuo's large hands, they could be contorted into any posture at will. What made Dong Zhuo feel even more gratified were their panting, gasping cries that sounded as though they were constantly on the verge of losing their breath, adding a distinct sense of sadistic pleasure that Dong Zhuo had never experienced back in Xiliang.

What surprised Dong Zhuo even more was that these well-trained courtesans didn't even require him to lift a finger after the affair concluded. Several delicate heads bowed down between Dong Zhuo's thighs, using their soft tongues to meticulously clean him until he was spotless, while some playfully teased in low, seductive murmurs, wondering if such a precious treasure would ever fall to their turn...

Dong Zhuo gradually felt his masculine vigor rising once more. With a bizarre, cackling laugh, he grabbed one of the courtesans who was busy working below, and amidst her charming cries of feigned pain, he shouted, "Today, this treasure of mine has a share for everyone!"