Overconfidence

"Close your eyes and sit cross-legged."

Ye Mo grabbed Li Wuya's wrist, and soon, she felt a warm stream flowing from her wrist. It rapidly surged through her entire body.

"Pay attention to your breathing!"

"Remember the places where you paused, those are the acupoints of the extraordinary meridians."

As Li Wuya felt the warm flow circulating within her body, she used her mental power to observe the changes in her body and silently memorized the acupoints Ye Mo mentioned.

After the warm flow had circulated once, Ye Mo released Li Wuya's wrist, "I used my internal energy to guide you in sensing the movement of the technique just now. Take your time to experience it."

Saying that he walked towards Li Qilang and repeated the process.

Li Wuya had decent comprehension, but she hadn't grasped the internal martial art after just one demonstration. She felt somewhat puzzled but curious. As for Li Qilang, he wore a completely confused expression.

The two siblings exchanged glances, then looked at Ye Mo. However, they found him looking a bit pale, with sweat on his forehead.

"Master, are you alright?"

Ye Mo didn't respond immediately, he just sat down and started to meditate to recover.

Someone had severed his meridians, rendering his internal energy useless. By forcibly using his energy to guide the siblings' familiarity with the technique, his meridians were backlashed.

After a couple of moments, Ye Mo opened his eyes, "Alright, you can go back now."

Li Wuya seemed bewildered, "Master, is that it? Aren't you going to teach us something else?"

"And what else would you want? Internal martial arts rely heavily on natural talent. Go back and recite the technique frequently. The more you read it, the deeper your understanding will become. Meditation will become easier too."

"The internal energy I guided you to sense earlier is related to the extraordinary meridians. Remember, only by connecting all the acupoints of the extraordinary meridians, completing the full-body circulation, can you be considered to have grasped the basics of internal martial arts."

Thinking about the resistance points she had felt earlier, Li Wuya assumed that breaking through them shouldn't be too difficult. She replied, "Alright, Master. We'll try it tonight and if we have any questions, we'll come and ask you tomorrow."

As she watched Li Qilang, who was confidently leaving alongside her, Ye Mo couldn't help but feel speechless and a bit amazed. Truly, ignorance is bliss!

Where could internal martial arts be so easy to learn?

Even he, who was said to be a once-in-a-century martial genius, took several months to fully open the extraordinary meridians.

Keep in mind, when he began practising internal martial arts, the Ye family was still around, providing him with all kinds of body-enhancing baths and herbal diets. These favourable conditions allowed him to open various acupoints in a short amount of time.

From what he knew, many people practised their whole lives and might not achieve such a breakthrough.

Furthermore, whether it was internal or external martial arts, to truly progress, one's body must be able to keep up. But the Li family's conditions...

Well, he had shared the technique with them, and whatever progress they could make depended on their own efforts.

Ye Mo sat back on the hearth, looking at the ashes on the ground. He couldn't help but be impressed by Li Wuya's excellent memory. She remembered the technique after just one read.

Having such an exceptional memory, if born into a wealthy family, with proper nurturing, she could have a promising future. It's a pity, though. Born into this remote and backward region, such potential went to waste.

When Li Wuya and Li Qilang returned to the Li family, Li Changsen and Li Sanlang had already come back.

In the eastern room, Jin Yue'e lay on the kang, her body trembling. Li Changsen stood by the kang, rubbing his hands together in a helpless manner.

In a corner, Li Sanlang and Li Er'ya stood side by side. Li Sanlang looked serious, while Li Er'ya was silently shedding tears.

Clearly, they were aware of Li Changsen's impending departure to the Dieling Pass vanguard camp.

"Wuya, Qilang, you're back!"

Li Liulang rushed over, a bit mischievous, and looked at the two, "You don't know yet, do you? Let me tell you, Grandfather is dying. You won't have a father anymore."

"Second uncle is the one dying!"

"You're the one who won't have a father!"

Li Wuya and Li Qilang retorted and glared fiercely at Li Liulang. Startled, Li Liulang quickly dashed back into the main room.

"Dad, Wuya and Qilang said you're going to die."

Li Changlin, infuriated, stormed out and pointed at Li Wuya and Li Qilang, scolding, "You two brats, cursing me? I'll teach you a lesson."

Before he could get closer, the door to the eastern room opened, and Li Changsen walked out.

Looking at Li Changsen's expressionless face, Li Changlin instantly wilted, "Elder brother, I was just playing around with the kids."

Li Changsen's face was icy, and he glanced at the silent room. With a sneer, he looked at Li Changlin, "Second brother, if I were you, I would pray to the heavens to keep me alive. If I die, who do you think will be the next to serve in the military?"

This statement hit Li Changlin like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned.

At this moment, Old Madam Li's rushed out, "Eldest son, don't listen to rumours. Everyone in our family hopes you'll be fine."

Li Changsen's smile was ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying, "Mother, when I go to the Dieling Pass, you have to take good care of Sanlang and the others. If I find out they're being bullied when I come back..."

Saying this, he picked up a thick wooden stick from the wall, and with a 'snap', he broke it into two pieces.

Old Madam Li's face stiffened, unsure of what to say.

Li Changsen paid no further attention to them and gestured to Li Wuya and Li Qilang.

The two quickly ran over.

"Dad, you have to be okay. Otherwise, they'll bully us." Li Qilang pouted, complaining.

Li Changsen's expression grew serious. Seeing the worry in his youngest son and daughter's eyes, he forced a smile, "Don't worry, Dad will be fine."

Whether he could come back alive, he truly had no clue.

In every war, the vanguard units suffered the most casualties.

If possible, he didn't want to die. He wanted to see his children grow up, get married, and have children.

"Dad~"

Sensing the negativity radiating from Li Changsen, Li Wuya quickly pulled him.

Li Changsen snapped out of his thoughts, looking at his concerned daughter. He hastily reassured her, "Don't worry, Dad will be fine."

"Promise?"

Li Changsen smiled and nodded, "Dad promises."

After returning to their room, the four siblings didn't disturb Li Changsen and Jin Yue'e. They gathered in Li Erya and Li Wuya's room.

"Brother, have you arranged the job at the horse farm with the village chief?" Li Wuya asked.

Li Sanlang nodded, "Yes, after the fifteenth of the Lunar New Year, Changsheng and I will head to the horse farm together."

He understood that their father was afraid of something happening to him. The elders and uncles at home weren't reliable, and their father worried that they'd be mistreated at home. That's why he quickly found a job at the horse farm.

As long as he worked diligently there, and with their mother working at the post station, it wouldn't be easy for their grandparents to control them.

Seeing that the matter at the horse farm was settled, Li Wuya didn't ask more. She changed the topic, "Brother, Uncle Ye is willing to teach us internal martial arts."

"Really?!"

Li Sanlang and Li Erya both looked over.

Li Wuya nodded, "Yes, I've memorized the internal martial arts technique. He just taught me and Sevenlang how to activate it."

Li Qilang quickly nodded in agreement.

Li Wuya continued, "Brother, I'll tell you and sister the technique right away. Learn it quickly, then go to Uncle Ye's place tomorrow while he's still here. Get him to guide you too."

Soon, Li Sanlang and Li Erya started reciting the internal martial arts technique along with Li Wuya, word by word.

Even Li Qilang on the side was trying to recite along.

When the three could remind each other while reciting, Li Wuya went to the kitchen, found a piece of charcoal, and began drawing on the floor.

If Ye Mo were here, he would instantly recognize that Li Wuya was drawing a diagram of the human body's extraordinary meridians and acupoints.

"Brother, remember these acupoints. Tomorrow, when Uncle Ye guides you in the technique's activation, pay special attention to these points."

To deepen their memory, Li Wuya even pressed on the acupoints on their bodies.

The next day, when Li Sanlang and Li Erya returned to Ye Mo's house, he guided them in activating the technique with his internal energy, and both of them felt a deeper understanding and experience.

"Master, if there are acupoints in the human body, does that mean there's something like acupuncture kung fu?"

After Ye Mo instructed Li Sanlang and Li Erya, Li Wuya immediately posed a question.

Ye Mo glanced at her and nodded, "Of course."

Li Wuya's eyes lit up, "Master, can you teach us how to target acupoints?"

Ye Mo snorted, "You, little brat, you've just started with internal martial arts, and you already want to learn something else? Your ambitions are quite grand. Let me tell you, you'd better not get ahead of yourself, or you'll end up achieving nothing."

Li Wuya defended herself, "Master, I'll definitely master the internal martial arts. Think about it, you and my father will be at the Dieling Pass for months. During this time, we have to learn something other than just meditation, right?"

Ye Mo snorted again, "The next time I come back, even if you've only sensed the circulation of true qi, I'll call you all martial geniuses. Do you still want to learn something else? Hmph!"

Li Wuya fell silent for a moment, then took a step back, "Alright, let's forget about learning acupoints for now. But, Master, can you teach us light-footed skills? My brother is going to work at the horse farm. In case we miss him, wouldn't it be convenient for us to visit if we know light-footed skills?"

Ye Mo felt a bit weary and rubbed his forehead.

What kind of disciples did he take in? These ones, with their lofty aspirations, couldn't even meditate properly, and they wanted to learn about acupoints and light-footed skills.

"Master!"

Seeing Ye Mo remain silent, Li Wuya shook his arm.

Seeing Li Wuya's "I've already taken a step back, so you can't back out either" look, Ye Mo was speechless.

"Whether you want to learn about acupoints or light-footed skills, you need to first open the extraordinary meridians. Until you achieve that, everything else is futile."

Li Wuya immediately reassured, "Master, I'll definitely open them quickly. You can trust me on this."

This time, Ye Mo really didn't want to talk anymore.

He had met countless people and encountered the arrogant and the overconfident. But most of those people had the skills to back up their attitudes.

Yet here was this little girl with not an ounce of ability, still so confidently talking. It was truly the first time he had seen such a thing.

"Light-footed skills focus on being 'light' and 'steady,' relying on the buoyant energy in the body. Once you truly cultivate inner energy, you won't need to run and build momentum. Just push off with both feet to achieve height and distance. When taking off, you'll be like a flying swallow, and when landing, like a dragonfly skimming the water."

After saying this, Ye Mo began urging the four Li siblings.

"Master is really something. I still have many questions left, but he hurriedly sent us away," Li Wuya muttered as she left.