Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path

From the very beginning, upon seeing Wei Dazui for the first time, Zhou Ping'an knew he couldn't win.

His training was in martial arts routines, which are meant to look elegant and dashing in a contest.

In that sense, he could outshine Wei Dazui by miles.

But when it came to facing off with real punches, kicks, swords, and spears, he stood no chance.

Wei Dazui practiced the art of life-and-death combat, while Zhou would be sent flying with a single touch...

He couldn't even take one punch from the opponent, and to try out moves would be nothing but self-humiliation.

Even if he wasn't severely injured, being taken in as a house servant afterwards would result in a loss of respect.

At best, the Lin Family might toss him some ordinary Shallow Blade and Spear skills and boss him around at will.

This was precisely why Tang Lin'er, completely disregarding her image, rolled in the dust, all to pass the ten-moves challenge.

Zhou Ping'an naturally wanted to pass as well.

This was when he had to employ strategy instead of brute force.

To utilize one's own strengths against an enemy's weaknesses.

First, it was to feign weakness.

Where were his weaknesses?

Blatantly obvious, his muscle and bone strength were lacking, and his Qi-Blood wasn't strong.

Even more so, he didn't possess Tang Lin'er's innate talent of seizing opportunities from countless life-and-death experiences.

The saying "Practicing martial arts without developing inner power will lead to nothing in old age" described him perfectly.

So where were his strengths?

Of course, it was his body's extreme flexibility, extraordinarily strong limb coordination, and a profound understanding of various complex moves.

No matter how difficult a maneuver, he could almost always perform it.

And moreover, he could make it look good.

If one must attribute it to talent, then it would be his exceptional body control and top-notch sense of balance.

Especially in leaping and tumbling maneuvers, his technique could almost rival that of Brother Monkey.

Thus, the tactic became clear, which was...

Make him fall.

"Please be gentle, Brother Wei. If I get too badly hurt later, the Lin Family will have to spend more on medicine for my treatment, which would be quite wasteful," Zhou Ping'an said as he clasped his hands and bowed.

He made his attitude clear from the start.

I'm not vying for a Guardian spot, just want to be a house servant, so brother, don't be too harsh...

"That's rather considerate."

"He's even worried about the Lin Family spending too much silver on his injuries."

"What a fine young man. If Wei Dazui caused him to spit blood too, that'd be utterly heartless."

People around were moved to tears.

Some even began to worry about Zhou Ping'an.

Falling elsewhere might be fine, broken bones could be healed...

But what if that handsome little white face got shattered? How would he find a wife then?

"So womanly, just fight if you want to fight, don't waste my time," Wei Dazui spat out disdainfully, irritation and contempt in his eyes.

With a "whoosh", his large frame, akin to a massive bear, reached Zhou Ping'an in an instant.

His fingers like hooks, ready to grab and lift, and once lifted, to smash...

As if he were about to toss a ragged sack.

However, everyone clearly saw that although Wei Dazui was fierce and vulgar, he had significantly reduced his strength in his hands, and his movements were somewhat casual.

"Bang..."

A muffled sound echoed.

No dust rose from the ground.

Instead, there was a dirty footprint on Wei Dazui's nose and two streams of bright red blood suddenly burst forth.

The large, bear-like body swayed and staggered.

Taking three or four steps back, the big man sat down heavily on the ground.

"That was a beautiful 'Inverted Kick Purple Gold Crown'."

"Does his body not have bones?"

"Good."

A chorus of exclamations erupted all around.

Just a moment ago, people had seen Wei Dazui lifting the young man up like a straw man, ready to slam him face down hard against the ground.

Half a foot off the ground, they realized...

The one being slammed had, at some point, hooked his hands tightly around Dazui's neck.

Instead of the young man hitting the ground, it was Wei Dazui who nearly got pulled into falling forward.

Having no choice, he had to stiffen his neck, exerting strength to lift his opponent, preparing to swing him over his head to smash down behind him.

It was at this moment that a leg, like a scorpion's tail, using the upward pulling force, struck heavily on his face.

Completely unguarded for this attack...

Wei Dazui was kicked so hard he saw darkness before his eyes, felt sourness in his nose, and tears kicked out of him.

"Again!"

Wei Dazui was fuming mad with rage.

His face, now a mix of black, white, red, and with glistening tears, all showed at once.

Angered to the point of confusion.

With his tough hide and iron-like muscles and bones, a kick to his face, aside from the dust and mud prints, wasn't even a minor injury.

He scrambled up, his eyes blood-red.

I was careless.

I didn't dodge.

Who would have thought that someone as weak as a chicken could have such a bizarre move?

"Thank you for the mercy."

Zhou Ping'an's figure sprang back two or three zhang, and he politely cupped his fists.

If I had another fight, it would be because I'm looking for trouble...

Am I here to fight?

No.

I'm here to learn.

As for whether the victory looks glorious or not, that's not important.

In this regard, Tang Lin'er had set an example early on.

"What just happened doesn't count, shall we try again?"

With his face smeared in mud and footprints lingering on his cheeks, Wei Dazui was especially unwilling, nearly roaring with a suppressed voice.

"Let's do it again."

"Let's do it again."

All around, the onlookers who loved a big scene cheered and laughed uproariously, making a clamor.

Zhou Ping'an still stood far away, with no intention of accepting a rematch, "If you say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count. With so many witnesses, I don't mind.

If people started saying the Lin Family can't accept defeat, that would sound quite unpleasant."

"Big mouth."

A cold shout came from behind him.

It was Lin Ziqi, the chief of the guards, who spoke.

He too had seen that the young man who came to accept the challenge had used various methods to steal a chicken.

But being able to steal a chicken was a skill in its own right.

Who asked you to be careless?

Can you explain to the King of Hell that you died because of carelessness on the battlefield?

Who cares?

"Alright, you win. The fight just now was too rushed, let's try again, slower this time." Wei Dazui said, his face showing his frustration.

He felt that not fighting back would be unbearably painful.

"I've already won, why would I fight you again? There's no benefit in it for me."

Zhou Ping'an, with the guidance of the old butler, registered his name.

Amidst the envious looks of the crowd, he secured his first job in this world, completely ignoring Wei Dazui's impotent rage.

As for those who followed behind him to apply for the job, how they would become the outlet for Mr. Dazui's frustrations was none of his concern.

After all, it was.

Too abysmal.

Too awful to witness.

Luckily, no matter how he won, whether it was a real or a false victory,

the treatment he received as a Protector remained completely undiminished.

After wrapping things up and signing the contract, he followed the Lin Family to their large estate in the eastern part of the city, which occupied over ten acres.

Because Zhou Ping'an had defeated an experienced guardian like Wei Dazui, his treatment was almost on par with that of a Strength-Training Martial Master.

He not only received a two-month salary of twenty taels of silver and ten bushels of rice but also received two pairs of light blue boots and was arranged to live in a large house in the East Cross Courtyard's medicinal fields.

His job was to guard the medicinal fields, to prevent thieves from causing trouble...

In times of need, to support the rear yard in dealing with external enemies.

On normal days, there was no need for patrolling or guard duty; it was very relaxing.

In the mornings, he even had the opportunity to go to the Lin Family's Martial Arts Ground to learn techniques and practice martial arts.

This was entirely voluntary; not studying was also an option.

Those with better treatment than him were several Protectors of the Lin Family; they were elders who came with The Third Miss Lin, not comparable for the time being.

Looking at Zhou Ping'an's brand-new clothes of a First-Rank Guardian, Tang Lin'er felt a sour taste in his mouth, "You're really cunning."

He was referring to the battle during the selection process.

Even though your muscles and bones weren't strong, your strength was lacking, and your martial arts weren't particularly impressive,

you managed to win by sheer fluke.

And what about me? Rolling and crawling, using every trick I knew, I finally survived ten moves, but I only managed to get a Third-Rank Guardian position.

A monthly salary of five taels compared to Zhou Ping'an's ten liang salary was not just a little bit different.

The key was I still had to patrol and report for duty; my personal time each day was not that abundant, nowhere near as relaxed as guarding the medicinal fields.

"This envy is unwarranted; it's true skill," Zhou Ping'an chuckled, not pushing further on the other's sore spot nor looking down on him for fighting dirty.

A move that secured victory was a good move.

Whether it targeted the upper body or lower body, or whether it was below the belt, it didn't really matter.

"Keep laughing, laugh all you want. You won't be laughing tomorrow," Tang Lin'er suddenly said nonchalantly.

"I inquired earlier, the Lin Family's Wave Subduing Blade Technique can be learned, but you must start from the Gentle Water Eight Stances' basic stance method. Guess who will be teaching us?"

"It's not Wei Dazui, is it?" Zhou Ping'an felt a sense of foreboding.

Today's battle almost knocked Wei Dazui's nose askew, severely offending that petty man.

"That's right, it's him. Plus, I have some inside information for you: the Gentle Water Eight Stances has a very unique secret. It requires the instructor to guide Qi and circulate the blood, familiarizing you with the flow of Qi-blood.

Without someone guiding you hands-on, it's extremely difficult to grasp the essence of the Eight Stances' footwork.

Surprised or not, unexpected or not?"

"Damn."

Zhou Ping'an's face darkened a bit.

The joy of having just obtained a cushy job diminished somewhat.

Am I here to work?

I'm here to learn martial arts...