novelraw Chapter 2 : Mingyu Martial Hall
Chapter 2 : Mingyu Martial Hall
Chapter 2: Mingyu Martial Hall（1 / 2）
Previous Chapter
Table of Contents
Next Page
“Little sister, what happened? Why are you so happy?”
Just as she stepped out of the front hall, a hearty voice sounded from not far away.
Li Yunqing raised her head and saw a tall, upright figure striding over with the bearing of a dragon and tiger. An elderly man followed behind him.
This was her elder brother, Li Shuo.
He had begun practicing martial arts at the age of twelve, and in just eight short years had already reached the upper tier of the Initial Realm.
Now, he had joined the Demon Suppression Division, becoming a squad leader, commanding over a dozen Demon Suppression Guards. He often went out to suppress demons and eliminate evil, making it rare to see him even once in ten days or half a month.
The old man behind him was Elder Xu, a guest elder of the Li Family. Since she could remember, he had already been in the Li Residence for over thirty years.
His strength was formidable, and he was currently responsible for protecting Li Shuo.
As the heir of the Li Family, his safety naturally had to be ensured.
Li Yunqing slightly bent her knees in greeting, smiling gently as she said, “Greetings, Elder Brother. Greetings, Grandpa Xu.”
Having been allowed to practice martial arts, she was naturally happy.
This was the beginning of taking control of her own fate. Though one year was short, she was confident she could become strong.
“So formal even at home.”
Li Shuo chuckled lightly as he stepped forward.
His eyes were filled with affection. Looking at Li Yunqing’s gentle and delicate face, he couldn’t help but reach out and rub her head.
Her neatly arranged hair instantly became a mess.
“Smiling so happily—what good thing happened?”
Li Yunqing’s lips moved slightly. She subconsciously stepped back two steps and raised her hand to smooth the hair on her forehead, feeling somewhat speechless.
Everything about her elder brother was good—except that he loved to rub her head at every turn, messing up her hair.
“What? Grown up now, and already starting to dislike your elder brother?”
Seeing her reaction, Li Shuo pretended to sigh. “Back when you were little, who was it that followed behind me every day, calling ‘Brother, Brother,’ and couldn’t be driven away?”
“Here, your favorite horseshoe cake.”
As he spoke, Li Shuo took out an oil-paper-wrapped package from his robe and placed it in front of Li Yunqing. A sweet, rich aroma wafted out.
“Thank you, Elder Brother.” Li Yunqing’s eyes brightened slightly as she reached out to take it, softly saying, “Father has permitted me to practice martial arts.”
“Practice martial arts?”
Li Shuo was momentarily stunned. Looking at Li Yunqing’s delicate and slender figure, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “You… practicing martial arts? Did Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting stop being fun?”
“Excuse me? Who are you looking down on?”
Hearing Li Shuo’s laughter, Li Yunqing’s lips twitched, feeling speechless.
Her father didn’t think highly of her, and now even her elder brother didn’t either.
Even Elder Xu at the side had a faint smile on his face.
What was with this whole family?
Could women not practice martial arts?
“I’m heading back.” Li Yunqing spoke, turning around and walking toward Ziyun Pavilion.
Watching her somewhat stubborn figure leave, Li Shuo laughed again and called out, “You can go out, but don’t trust people too easily. I’m afraid you’ll get tricked.”
“And if you encounter those White Lotus Sect or God-Worship Sect followers, stay far away from them.”
“Actually… Grandpa Xu, how about you follow the little girl tomorrow?”
Hearing those words of concern, Li Yunqing’s lips moved slightly, and her steps unconsciously quickened.
She wasn’t stupid—did she really need to be lectured like a fool?
She simply didn’t like going out, but she had still learned quite a lot from various biographies, storybooks, and texts.
Returning to Ziyun Pavilion, she began flipping through related books again. “I wonder which martial hall I should go to tomorrow?”
Qingzhou City was vast.
Aside from the Demon Suppression Division of the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, there were also martial sects of the Jianghu, as well as hidden sects in famous mountains and great rivers.
However, for the children of various families who wished to practice martial arts, they almost all trained in martial halls within the city.
Firstly, the city was safe. With family support, they could also befriend various prodigies. Secondly, there were skilled teachers in the martial halls.
Additionally, one could build relationships with the major martial halls.
For a martial hall to stand firm, the strength of its hall master ranked among the top in all of Qingzhou City.
Behind them were influences from the Demon Suppression Division, Jianghu sects, and hidden sects.
In this era, taking a master was an extremely close relationship.
Especially for true disciples and personal disciples of a martial hall, it was comparable to father and son.
Not only would they receive the protection of the martial hall, but they could even inherit its legacy.
The next morning.
A carriage slowly departed from the gates of the Li Residence. Aside from the coachman, there were twenty guards and four servants.
In a grand procession, they headed toward the martial hall.
Inside the carriage, Li Yunqing’s eyes were filled with anticipation. Through the small window, she observed Qingzhou City.
Since awakening her memories of a previous life, this was her first time going out. There was a trace of novelty in her gaze.
“Miss, why did you suddenly want to practice martial arts?”
Xiaolan sat at her side, leaning close, her eyes full of confusion.
Her young mistress had a delicate body—she couldn’t imagine what she would become after practicing martial arts.
“You’ll learn too!”
As soon as Li Yunqing spoke, Xiaolan’s face filled with helplessness.
Although she had never practiced martial arts, she had seen the guards and servants training—exposed to sun and wind, with darkened skin and rough physiques.
“Miss… can I not learn?”
Thinking of that scene, Xiaolan’s face was full of bitterness.
Why should someone suffer when there was no need?
“If you don’t learn, how will you protect me?”
“Or do you expect this young lady to protect you?”
Seeing Xiaolan’s bitter expression, Li Yunqing chuckled.
Xiaolan was stunned for a moment, then thought carefully before replying seriously, “I will practice martial arts well and protect Miss.”
Li Yunqing nodded, her eyes fixed straight outside the window.
Before long, the carriage came to a stop.
“Miss, we’ve arrived!”
Elder Xu’s voice sounded from outside. Xiaolan helped Li Yunqing out of the carriage.
“Mingyu Martial Hall!”
Seeing the vast courtyard before her, Li Yunqing’s eyes brightened slightly.
She was not unfamiliar with Mingyu Martial Hall—or rather, she had some understanding of many martial halls and factions in Qingzhou City.
“One of the top five martial halls in Qingzhou City. The hall master is a major figure in the Qi Realm.”
Recalling descriptions from various miscellaneous books and biographies, and looking at the massive area the buildings occupied, Li Yunqing had no doubt about the strength of Mingyu Martial Hall.
Qingzhou City was divided into the inner city and outer city.
The inner city was where major families, powerful officials, and wealthy households resided—every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
Any martial hall that could stand in the inner city was extraordinary.
“Stop right there!”
As Li Yunqing followed Elder Xu with Xiaolan, they were stopped at the gate by two figures.
The two men were tall and burly, their muscles knotted and bulging. Their arms were thicker than an average person’s thighs.
Their mere physiques were enough to intimidate.
Seeing such towering and imposing figures, a trace of envy flashed through Li Yunqing’s eyes.
She also wanted such a physique, but women were naturally weaker. In terms of vitality and physical strength, they were often inferior to men.
“Please inform your hall master that the young lady of the Li Family from the inner city has come to apprentice and study martial arts.” Elder Xu cupped his hands slightly.
The two strong men sized him up calmly, as if the so-called Li Family was no different from ordinary commoners in their eyes.
Clearly, they had seen such situations many times. Wealthy youths from the inner city, even direct heirs of major families, had come to seek apprenticeship.
Only when they saw Li Yunqing behind Elder Xu did their eyes flicker slightly.
Such a delicate young lady from a great family, with a waist thinner than their legs, coming to apprentice—this was extremely rare.
Even if she practiced martial arts, she likely wouldn’t achieve much. Perhaps she had other intentions, but that was not for them to comment on.
One of them turned and walked into the martial hall.
After a moment, the man returned and cupped his hands slightly toward Elder Xu. “The hall master invites you.”
Elder Xu nodded, then led Li Yunqing and Xiaolan inside, following the man through the gates into the courtyard.
As soon as they entered, a wave of heat rushed toward them, mixed with the scent of sunlight and sweat.
Twenty to thirty men, dressed in neat black clothing, were practicing拳 in the open courtyard. The sound of wind roared with each strike,啪啪响.
There were also quite a few figures lifting and swinging stone weights, their movements fierce and powerful.
Sensing their arrival, many people glanced over.
When they saw the young girl behind Elder Xu, quite a few were momentarily stunned, their eyes flickering.
The girl had delicate features, a slender and graceful figure, and a tranquil expression. Her hair was tied back with a silver hairpin.
A natural elegance like an orchid in an empty valley flowed from her, like bright moonlight that one could not look away from.
“What are you looking at? Keep training!” one man shouted loudly, snapping everyone back to their senses.
Yet some still glanced back repeatedly at the receding figure, muttering softly, “The skin of a young lady from a great family is really fair and tender—more beautiful than fine jade.”
“Her face is like a porcelain doll… tsk!”