Chapter 28 - 28 28 s of Grand Ancestor Long Fist

Chapter 28: 28 Chapters of Grand Ancestor Long Fist Chapter 28: 28 Chapters of Grand Ancestor Long Fist In the afternoon, Chen Jie was there sorting herbs.

It was not an easy job, though. The herbs Doctor Bai selected were those particularly easy to mix up.

Some were dried.

While others were fresh.

And on top of that, he required the fresh and dried ones of the same category to be placed together.

This made the task enormous.

The fresh astragalus and the dried Huang Qi slices were completely different things.

On top of that, Chen Jie had to separate Fangfeng, codonopsis, Banlangen, Radix Ginseng, bellflower, Qianhu, astragalus, and licorice from one another.

If someone didn’t have basic knowledge of herbs, just dealing with these few items would be enough to make their head spin.

Fortunately, while Chen Jie wasn’t particularly well-learned, the herbal knowledge he’d picked up during his childhood—courtesy of his grandfather’s forced teaching—came in handy.

It was tough, but after two hours of hard work, Chen Jie finally finished sorting everything.

Meanwhile, Wu Hong had been training for two hours. Chen Jie stretched his sore muscles and looked at him, saying, “Brother Wu, what kind of training are you doing?”

Wu Hong saw Chen Jie had finished sorting and smiled, saying, “You’re pretty efficient. I thought you’d take until nightfall.”

Chen Jie replied, “I’ve got a bit of a foundation.”

Wu Hong said, “I’ve been building strength. Interested in this, Jiu Si?”

Chen Jie replied, “Yeah, I lack regular exercise. Sometimes when I go up the mountain and run into a wild animal, it can be quite dangerous.”

Wu Hong reflected on his grandfather’s past, saying, “Hmm, the hills out back are connected to Dahei Mountain, which is part of the Daba Mountain Range. There are some fierce wild animals in there. As a doctor, you’re bound to go into the mountains to gather herbs. Learning some self-defense is definitely necessary.”

Listening to this, Chen Jie said, “Exactly! Brother Wu, can you teach me?”

Wu Hong didn’t respond immediately, prompting Chen Jie to quickly add, “Of course, Brother Wu, if it involves sect secrets or anything like that, then don’t worry about teaching me.”

Wu Hong laughed and said, “There’s no such restriction. Come over here, let me feel your bones.”

Thrilled, Chen Jie quickly approached him. Wu Hong checked Chen Jie’s bones and said, “Hmm, I just checked your bone structure. You’ve got some talent, but not much. You’re pretty average.”

“Achieving Great Success in martial arts might be difficult, but learning some self-defense won’t be a problem.”

Wu Hong continued, saying, “Alright, let’s start with a set of boxing moves. The rest will involve building physical strength, which can come gradually.”

He positioned himself and said, “Come on, follow me with one round.”

Without hesitation, Wu Hong struck a pose, ready to teach Chen Jie.

Chen Jie was taken aback; he hadn’t expected martial arts to be taught so casually.

The truth was that Chen Jie’s past act of saving Doctor Bai set off a chain reaction, coupled with the good rapport between him and Wu Hong.

Besides, what Wu Hong was teaching wasn’t some profound martial arts technique. It was a basic set commonly learned by martial artists, called the “Grand Ancestor Long Fist.”

Although the boxing technique wasn’t precious—one could purchase it in a bookstore for about five silver taels—learning it firsthand from Wu Hong was an entirely different experience.

The Grand Ancestor Long Fist is said to have been created by Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song dynasty, also known as the “Mother of a Hundred Fists.”

This doesn’t imply the technique is profound; in fact, it’s remarkably simple and primarily used by martial artists as a foundational practice. Hence the name.

Back in his early training days, Wu Hong also used this technique as his foundation.

The entire set contains thirty-two moves. After practicing twice with Wu Hong, Chen Jie felt his whole body heat up—energy was being awakened within his muscles.

Wu Hong asked, “Got it memorized?”

Chen Jie replied, “Yes, I’ve got it.”

Wu Hong said, “Alright. Whenever you have some spare time, practice these moves. After that, work on carrying grindstones to build your strength. While this boxing technique isn’t sophisticated, it’s effective for the first two steps in martial arts: Skin Buff and Refining Body.”

“Practice regularly and devote yourself to it—you’ll reap significant benefits.”

As Wu Hong finished speaking, Chen Jie immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Brother Wu, I’ve learned a lot.”

Wu Hong replied, “Mm. As for fighting techniques, there aren’t any fixed moves. Everything relies on your ability to adapt to your opponent. Beyond that, it’s up to your own training.”

Chen Jie listened carefully and clasped his fists in acknowledgment, saying, “I understand.”

Wu Hong said, “Alright then, practice more whenever you can, and feel free to ask me if there’s something you don’t understand.”

“Got it.”

Chen Jie promptly agreed. At that moment, the door to the room swung open. Doctor Bai, who had been watching Chen Jie and Wu Hong practice boxing, finally made his appearance. He hadn’t come out earlier to stop them.

In this era, things were chaotic. Even if you aspired to be a good doctor, you needed some self-defense skills—not necessarily to be highly skilled, but at least strong enough to protect yourself.

During these times, learning martial arts was absolutely the right choice.

It’s like how, in later eras, there’s no harm in reading a few books, no matter what profession you’re in—it’s always the right thing to do.

Doctor Bai stepped outside, and Wu Hong immediately grabbed a chair for him. Once seated, Doctor Bai asked Chen Jie to bring over the herbs he had sorted.

He inspected them seriously, taking a full fifteen minutes.

Suddenly, Doctor Bai’s expression hardened. He shot a glance at Chen Jie and pointed to a small herb among the sorted pile.

“Take a closer look. What is this?”

Chen Jie quickly picked up the herb in question and examined it. The herb appeared slightly indistinct—it looked somewhat like Fangfeng and somewhat like Qianhu.

He truly found it difficult to differentiate between the two at that moment. Doctor Bai then spoke, “The first lesson in medicine is identifying herbs. The methods of differentiation boil down to four principles: observing, smelling, touching, and tasting.”

“Study its shape; if you can’t determine it, smell its scent. If that’s not enough, taste its flavor.”

All at once, Chen Jie understood. He sniffed it—the aroma differed. Tasting it revealed that each had its own distinct bitterness.

“It’s Fangfeng!”

Chen Jie concluded confidently. Doctor Bai spoke sternly, saying, “Fangfeng is warm in nature; Qianhu is cold. Using warm medicine to address cold symptoms and vice versa can kill someone!”

“Master, I was wrong.”

Chen Jie admitted his mistake instantly. At this point, Doctor Bai began imparting wisdom, saying, “Jiu Si, what I’m teaching you today isn’t just herb differentiation—it’s a principle. In this world, anyone can afford to be careless, anyone can make mistakes, but a doctor cannot. Every mistake a doctor makes might cost someone their life!”

“Yes, Master. I understand.”

*Chen Jie humbly accepted his mistake and made a mental note of this critical lesson.*

Finally, Doctor Bai said sternly, “Go fetch paper and a pen, and copy the contents of the medicine classics related to these herbs twenty times. Make sure to ingrain it in your heart.”

“Understood! I’m on it now.”

*Chen Jie, wholeheartedly convinced, went off to start copying the text.*

Off to the side, Wu Hong watched the scene with amusement, his expression resembling that of a mischievous school buddy when caught for messing up.

Seeing this, Doctor Bai shot a look at Wu Hong and said, “I didn’t say you’re excluded—go copy the book as well!”

“Ah, Grandfather, I don’t even study medicine! Copying the medicine classics won’t be useful for me.”

“The medicine classics won’t help you? Then go copy the acupoint map—twenty times, no less.”

“Ah, Grandfather, I—”

Wu Hong’s face was filled with bitterness, but Doctor Bai stood firm, saying, “I can’t make you behave now, can I?”

“Alright, alright—don’t get angry. I’ll copy it, I’ll copy it now.”

Wu Hong, his expression crestfallen, dragged a small stool over to sit beside Chen Jie. “Shift over a bit.”

Chen Jie moved his stool slightly, and Wu Hong sat down with a sour look on his face, hunching over the table to copy the meridian map, feeling utterly aggrieved.