The technique of condensing finger power isn't complicated. Bai Zhan Tang taught Lu Yu once, and he learned it.
Bai Zhan Tang was dumbfounded by this.
Although he knew Lu Yu was incredibly talented, seeing him learn so quickly in person still shocked him a bit.
Perhaps Lu Yu really could master the Sunflower Acupuncture Hand.
After watching Lu Yu condense his finger power, Bai Zhan Tang went back to the inn.
He was afraid he would be too stimulated if he stayed any longer.
After seeing Bai Zhan Tang off, Lu Yu also went home.
Sitting on the bed, looking at the condensed finger power in his hand, Lu Yu smiled slightly, satisfied.
He casually struck out with a palm, extinguishing the candle, and drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, when Lu Yu went to the Tongfu Inn to deliver fish, Bai Zhan Tang gave him the Sunflower Acupuncture Hand manual he had just copied.
“Brother Bai, did you stay up all night copying this?”
Lu Yu was surprised, looking at the manual with the ink not yet completely dry.
“Yeah, I couldn't sleep anyway, so I just finished it. If it wasn't for the fact that the manual is something my mother left me, I would have just given it to you, no need for all this trouble.”
Seeing Bai Zhan Tang's slightly haggard face, Lu Yu was touched.
“Thank you.”
“Hey, why are you being so formal with me? You just focus on practicing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
Bai Zhan Tang smiled.
He felt a long-lost sense of chivalry in Lu Yu, and that was a big reason he was willing to help him.
“Okay.”
Lu Yu said softly.
“Well, I'll go get busy.”
Looking at Bai Zhan Tang's departing figure, Lu Yu felt a little guilty.
After all, the matter of the Jade Pendant of the Thief Saint was him taking advantage of Bai Zhan Tang.
He decided, once he helped Bai Zhan Tang get the Amnesty Jade Token, he would confess everything to him. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll get up in the middle of the night and slap myself, saying I'm such a fool.
Lu Yu sighed, greeted Huang Rong, and then left with the manual.
By the West Liang River, Lu Yu continued to fish, but he only held the rod with his left hand, his right hand constantly gesturing as if practicing something.
Naturally, he was practicing the Sunflower Acupuncture Hand.
In less than half an hour, he had already made some progress.
If Bai Zhan Tang were here, he would be astonished to find that Lu Yu had already reached the Small Accomplishment stage of the Sunflower Acupuncture Hand.
The speed was simply shocking.
He had spent a year reaching this level.
“Hm?”
Seeing Lu Yu's movements, the old man, Hua Lao, who was walking towards him, was quite surprised, seemingly recognizing the martial art Lu Yu was practicing.
He didn't pay much attention to it, just chuckled.
And with this soft exclamation, Lu Yu also noticed Hua Lao's arrival.
“Hua Lao, you're here. You haven't come fishing for a few days.”
Lu Yu glanced at Hua Lao and said with a smile.
“Hahaha, I was lazy for a few days and didn't come, but you little fella are here every day. Any luck? How's the catch today?”
“Not bad. Six in the morning, three just now.”
“Oh, that's good.”
“But no golden carp.”
“The golden carp isn't that easy to come by. You were lucky to encounter one before. You'll have to wait and see me catch one.”
Hua Lao said, sitting down.
“Alright, I'd like to learn from you, old man.”
Lu Yu laughed.
“This little fella, you're quite good at talking.”
Hua Lao was quite pleased to hear this.
“It's almost noon. Hua Lao, are you hungry? I'm planning on grilling a fish.”
“Yes! Of course I'm hungry! Let me see your skills.”
“Okay, I'll grill one for you too.”
Lu Yu smiled and took two of the fattest fish from the fish basket. Then he took out a small knife and began to slice the fish.
Soon, the two fish were stripped of their gills, scales, and insides. Even the tiny bones on their bodies were picked out by Lu Yu's small knife, and several cuts were made on the fish for flavoring.
“Your fish-processing skills are quite impressive. It looks like the Butcher's Knife Technique used by chefs.”
Hua Lao was surprised to see this.
With his keen eyes, he could naturally tell that these clean and swift movements weren't simple.
Lu Yu was also stunned, not expecting Hua Lao to have such sharp eyes, able to recognize this.
“Hua Lao, your eyesight is amazing!”
“Are you from a chef family?”
Hua Lao said, both surprised and delighted.
“Not really. It was my cheap master who taught me.”
“So you learned cooking from him?”
“A little bit.”
“Great! I'm looking forward to your grilled fish.”
Lu Yu could feel that Hua Lao was a little excited, and he was even salivating.
In the chef family, those who know the Butcher's Knife Technique are truly good chefs.
Their skills are better than those of the imperial chefs in the Imperial Kitchen.
To encounter such a person is a stroke of great luck.
“You say that, but I'm under a lot of pressure.”
Lu Yu joked.
“Hahaha, you don't look like you're under pressure.”
Hua Lao laughed.
Hearing this, Lu Yu didn't argue. He took out the seasonings he brought with him and began to marinate the fish he had just cleaned.
Since he got the Butcher's Knife Technique manual, he had been making different dishes every day.
It wasn't to satisfy his appetite, but each dish he made, the Butcher's Knife Technique would improve significantly.
It could improve his martial arts skills and he could eat delicious food, a temptation he couldn't resist.
Half an hour later, the marinated grilled fish began to release a captivating aroma over the flames from the dry branches.
“It smells so good.”
Hua Lao took a deep sniff, his eyes full of fascination.
This was bound to be a delicious lunch.
“Hua Lao, the fish is done. Would you like to try some?”
“Yes!”
Hua Lao couldn't wait any longer, he immediately took the grilled fish and took a bite.
Tender and juicy, crispy and fragrant!
The boneless fish meat was already a delicacy, but combined with the perfectly grilled fish skin and the fragrant spices that had already been marinated in, it was simply perfect.
Hua Lao couldn't stop eating, soon, the over-a-pound grilled fish was devoured, leaving him feeling a little unsatisfied.
“What great grilled fish! I didn't expect to be able to taste such a delicacy in my lifetime. Indeed, the older you live, the more likely you are to encounter good fortune.”
Hua Lao laughed.
“That's a funny thing to say. I wonder, Hua Lao, how old are you this year?”
Lu Yu asked curiously.
“Me? Hehe, to scare you, little fella, I'm one hundred and five this year.”
“How old?”
Hearing this, Lu Yu was shocked.
One hundred and five?
Wow, he thought Hua Lao was at most sixty, but he's already over one hundred.
“What do you think? Can't you tell at all?”
Hua Lao saw Lu Yu's surprise and couldn't help but laugh.
“Indeed, I couldn't tell. It seems Hua Lao's cultivation is even more extraordinary than I thought, otherwise, how could you be so energetic at over a hundred years old.”
“That's right, I'm very powerful. What do you think? Want to be my disciple? I'll consider it if you beg me.”
Hua Lao looked at Lu Yu and smiled.