Chapter 191: The Secret Martial Arts Manual of the Imperial Palace

Chapter 191: The Secret Martial Arts Manual of the Imperial Palace

The group returned to the Zhao household and started packing their things, going on a rampage through the Zhao house. They smashed pots, pans, and utensils, and even flipped over the coal stove and the sofa.

After thoroughly trashing the house, they took all the food from the kitchen and kicked down the Zhao family's door. Su An, with a face full of anger, then urged everyone to leave.

Despite the cold weather, the commotion attracted quite a crowd of onlookers.

Seeing Su An and her group carrying luggage bags, Liu Dama couldn't help but approach and ask, "Xiao Su, what's going on?"

Su An, with a sorrowful expression, replied, "Under my mother-in-law's meddling, Daxing and I finally got divorced. We couldn't make it work anymore. Liu Dama, Aunt Li, I'm leaving now. I probably won't have the chance to see you again. I really liked you both..."

Liu Dama and Li Baohua exchanged glances, their faces filled with concern. "What? You really got divorced?"

Su An sighed deeply, her face full of helplessness. "Yes, we're divorced. The Zhao family is no place for people. The previous sister-in-law lost her life there, and I've lost half of mine. I'm only eighteen, and now I'm a divorced woman..."

"Thankfully, my mother and brother are protecting me. Otherwise... I don't know if I would have made it out of this compound alive..."

Su An and Wang Xiaocui, carrying their belongings, stood downstairs and tearfully poured out their grievances to the loudspeakers in the compound, moving everyone to tears.

Indeed, a young girl, barely in her teens, married for just a few months, and now divorced. What will she do now? The Zhao family is truly harmful, allowing only themselves to abuse their daughters-in-law, and divorcing them at the slightest resistance.

As soon as Xiao Jiliang returned home and saw the mess, she nearly fainted on the spot. "Oh my heavens!"

Zhao Daxing, with a dark expression, turned and ran downstairs, shouting, "Su An, stop right there!!"

Su An, who had been sobbing in the crowd, suddenly looked up, her face lighting up with joy. "Daxing, do you regret it? Are you here to remarry me?"

"I knew you couldn't bear to part with me. You even chased after me. Come on, let's go. While they're not off work yet, we..."

Liu Dama and the others chimed in, "Exactly, getting divorced right after marriage? What's the big deal? Daxing, you're old enough now. You can't always listen to your mother. Every family goes through this..."

"Exactly, Xiao Su is such a good girl..."

Zhao Daxing's rushing steps suddenly halted, and he turned pale, running back upstairs.

Su An, seeing Zhao Daxing's cowardly demeanor, almost burst out laughing.

After bidding farewell to Liu Dama and the others with frequent glances back, the family marched grandly towards Fuqing Street.

This trip not only drained half the life out of Zhao Daxing and Xiao Jiliang but also sent two ungrateful children to Zhao Xiaoyu. They also enjoyed a comfortable month of free food and drink with their mother and brother, and most importantly, they gained two thousand yuan.

Wang Xiaocui wore Xiao Jiliang's padded jacket and carried two large quilts obtained from Su Jianjun. Su Ping donned Zhao Daxing's military coat, carrying a bag of grain and everyone's luggage. Ren San wore Zhao Long's new clothes and cotton shoes, with Zhao Long's liberation cap on his head, and carried a sack full of books, from volume one to volume three.

In Xicheng.

Zuo Zuying, with a book tucked under his arm, swaggered into a restaurant. It was Zuo Shangdang's birthday, and as usual, he had set up a table at the restaurant, inviting the foremen who followed him to a meal to celebrate his birthday and prepare for work the next day.

"Ah, Xiao Zuo is here. Quick, quick, come over here."

"Uncle Liu, Uncle Gai," Zuo Zuying greeted the two foremen in the private room, then nodded to Zuo Shangdang.

Foreman Lao Liu laughed to ease the atmosphere. "Youth is wonderful. Look at this energy! Xiao Zuo, what birthday gift did you bring for your dad?"

Lao Gai smiled, "Whatever it is, it's the thought that counts."

Zuo Zuying took out a book from under his arm and handed it to Zuo Shangdang. "I heard from Mom that Dad had a dream of being a young hero when he was young, wanting to be a martial arts master who robbed the rich to help the poor, and loved studying martial arts. This is something I collected at a high price from a descendant of the Manchu Eight Banners. It's for Dad to pass the time. I wish Dad eternal youth!"

Zuo Zuying then whispered mysteriously to Zuo Shangdang, "The seller said this is the real deal. Their ancestors produced several imperial martial arts masters!"

Zuo Shangdang's interest was piqued. "Really? Southern or Northern martial arts styles? Internal or external techniques?"

Zuo Shangdang is really into this stuff. His idol is Bruce Lee, and he firmly believes that even if it's difficult to achieve the feats seen in movies, like flying over rooftops and walking on walls, the most basic benefits of strengthening the body and prolonging life are still useful.

Zuo Zuying tilted his chin up slightly. "Check it out and you'll get it."

Zuo Shangdang looked at the book, which turned out to be a handwritten manuscript in brush calligraphy, with pinyin letters at the top.

"nO i i b O O k"

"What does this mean? So cryptic?"

Zuo Zuying pointed to the letters 'n' and 'O' and said to Zuo Shangdang, "These can't be read separately. 'NO' in our language means 'no' or 'not'."

"The next four letters together read 'bOOk', which means 'book'."

Zuo Shangdang pointed to the two 'i's in the middle and asked, "These are a bit apart, should they be read separately?"

Zuo Zuying nodded, "Exactly, it reads 'NO J J BOOK'!"

Lao Liu laughed, "Lou Ji Ji Bu Ke (a mysterious or humorous name)? What kind of secret manual is this? The name sounds so strange."

At the mention of this, Zuo Shangdang immediately started showing off, "Ah, Lao Liu, you wouldn't get it, you're not into this. Kung fu, or martial arts, is divided into Southern and Northern schools, and also into internal and external families. Like the Xingyi and Tai Chi I've collected before, they belong to the internal family. The external family is collectively known as Shaolin. This 'Lou Ji Ji Bu Ke' probably belongs to the Bagua category, which is the most miscellaneous."

As he spoke, Zuo Shangdang opened the book and started reading, "To achieve success, one must first castrate oneself..." (This is a humorous or exaggerated saying in martial arts lore.)

"What's that supposed to mean? Sounds deep."

Lao Liu and the others couldn't care less about this stuff; they were more concerned with eating meat and drinking. Seeing the waiter bringing the dishes, they quickly called out, "Hey, hey, food's here! Let's eat!" "Brother Zuo, you can study this at home. You're the star of the show today. Come on, let's drink until we drop!"