1. Resignation
One day during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Mansion posted a notice on the streets of Anfu County: Recruiting masters with high salary and iron leg skills. Han Wei, who had just returned from Wugong Mountain to attend the funeral, had spent all the few taels of money he had on his father's funeral, and owed the rich man a debt. If he could not repay it when it was due, his sister would have to repay the debt to the rich man, so he boldly Go apply for a job.
Liu Chang, who came out to greet him, had a smile on his face and said softly: "A master is here to visit. Can you try your skills to open the eyes of a young man?" Han Wei said cheerfully: "Okay, then let's practice a few times in this courtyard. Let's do it." It was too late to say it, but it was so fast at the same time. His hands and legs flew up, and the wind swirled into gray. Liu Chang looked on and was dazzled. When Han Wei stopped, Liu Chang said: "Strong man, please come back and compete again in three days."
Three days later, Han Wei came to Liu Chang's courtyard again, where more than a dozen tough men had already gathered. Liu Chang didn't say much. He first took them to the backyard, faced a heavy closed courtyard door, and said: "You come in order, one by one, and see who can kick open the courtyard door." After speaking, Start kicking the door in order. One didn't move one leg, two didn't move two legs, three didn't move three legs… Han Wei secretly laughed in the back: Someone really tried to make ends meet and make a living in Liu's house. When the first round of competition was over, only three people kicked the iron door open, including Han Wei.
The Liu Mansion only hired one master, so the selection entered the next cruel round. Liu Chang took the three of them to a camphor forest in the back mountain, where there were camphor trees three feet thick. Liu Chang did not gossip, but just ordered: "You take turns, who has better foot skills, Zhangshu has the final say." The iron plate was nailed head-on, and the three of them all knew that the time had come to decide success or failure. The first one rushed up, and after three kicks, the camphor tree remained motionless. The second one went up, holding his breath, closing his eyes and thinking deeply, his energy sinking into his Dantian. He exerted all his strength and kicked hard with three kicks, only a large leaf fell. The third one, Han Wei, came up. I heard him shout loudly, like a tiger coming out of the mountain and a thunderbolt from the blue. With just one kick, the camphor tree broke and fell with a crash.
Han Wei was very proud. Needless to say, this job belonged to him. However, unexpectedly, Liu Chang chose second place in the end. Han Wei was very suffocated and asked face to face: "Mr. Liu, the opponent's kicking skills are not as good as mine, why did you choose him?" Liu Chang said frankly: "Young student, to tell you the truth, on the surface, his kicking skills are indeed better than yours." But if you are not convinced that he has internal strength, can you kick him and only the leaves will fall off the trunk?" Han Wei sneered and said, "What's so difficult about this?" After saying that, he flew up with a kick, but the leaves were not removed. The painting ghost's legs fell off, but the tree trunk broke and fell to the ground. Liu Chang said: "Young students, keep practicing. As long as your skills are perfect, I will still reuse you. I am only short of talents and not positions. The emperor's favor is great. You are in good times. Heroes are of great use." The land of martial arts. Come back next year, okay?"
2. Show off your power
I don’t blame heaven or earth, I just blame myself for not being good at it. Han Wei bowed and hugged his hands, turned around and climbed up the high martial arts mountain again.
After the master's guidance, Han Wei's leg skills improved again after four seasons.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed, and he came to Liu Chang's door again and unveiled the notice. Liu Chang did not break his promise, and indeed he was still recruiting masters of leg skills.
This year, during the martial arts competition, Liu Chang strangely required the applicants to wear three-inch thick shoes and boots to compete. Han Wei's family was poor and he had never seen or worn thick boots like this. Therefore, although his leg skills had improved, he could not adapt to kicking in thick boots. He would wander around when wearing them. In this way, three times five divided by two , after three rounds, he was eliminated again.
If he is willing to admit defeat, Han Wei has nothing to say. Liu Chang then carefully comforted him and said: "Young man, don't be anxious. Come back next year. Real gold is not afraid of fire. With your good skills, are you afraid that no one will come to invite you? How about I introduce you to Prince Zhu's Mansion as an errand?" Han Wei said: "Wherever I fall, I will get up. No matter how much money I have, I will not go anywhere else. A tree is like a skin, and a person is like a face. When I walk in the world, my reputation is the first. This is not me. His face is more related to the reputation of Wugong Mountain."
Han Wei was wiping tears as he walked. Little did anyone know that back then, Han Mei was snatched away as a girl by his creditor because he failed in a martial arts competition and could not earn enough money to pay off his debts. Thinking of this, Han Wei was heartbroken and immediately decided to practice hard in thick boots and come back next year.
Spring comes and autumn passes for another year. On this day, Han Wei came to Liu Chang's door again.
However, Han Wei never expected that this year, Liu Chang's recruitment competition rules would be changed to bare feet! The masters who came to compete this time were dumbfounded. They kicked doors and trees with their bare feet, and some of their toes and foot bones were broken. Possibly, but for the sake of money, everyone still gritted their teeth and took the risk. Han Wei was secretly happy because since he started practicing Kung Fu at the Wugong Mountain since he was a child, his master has always asked him to practice leg kung fu barefoot, first kicking mud blocks and sandbags, then kicking adobe bricks, bamboo poles, and then kicking door panels and tree trunks… Han Wei hit him crookedly. Develop a pair of iron feet early on. At the beginning of the competition, everyone else's mouth was so painful that some even broke their toes, and some simply quit the competition when they saw this. Finally, Han Wei came on the stage, barefoot, and everyone was shocked when they saw it. It turned out that his pair of iron feet were as thick and flat as the five toes, like a flat shovel. When he kicked them away, the camphor leaves fell one after another and scattered all over the ground. Liu Chang clapped and applauded: "This is an iron foot, the best foot in the world! I admire it."
Naturally, this year, Han Wei was officially appointed and his salary was much higher than that of the previous terms. Han Wei was so happy that he finally had money to redeem his sister from the sea of misery and stayed up all night. One month later, Han Wei received the money and set off back to his hometown in Wugong County, determined to bring his sister who was in dire straits back home.
3. Return to the fields
The Korean girl’s name is Xuemei. On this day, I saw my brother coming to pick me up, and I was very surprised: "Brother, where can you get the money to redeem me?" Han Wei only said: "Sister, my brother works as an errand in the county government and is rich. You have suffered a lot in the past two years. My brother didn't take good care of you. Go home and you won't be bullied again." The bitterness of the past two years suddenly flooded into her heart, and Xuemei hugged her brother and cried.
Han Wei took his sister home, and her sister began to worry about her brother again. She asked around and wanted to give her brother a family. However, when all the women in the family heard that Han Wei was getting married, they all refused. Xuemei thought this was very strange.
One day, when Han Wei was on duty at the Yamen, Xuemei came to him and said, "Brother, please stop doing this errand and come home with me to work in the fields. Even if you beg for food, we won't earn such unethical money." Han Wei listened. , Monk Zhang Er was confused: "Sister, why are you doing this?"
"Are you really ignorant, or are you just pretending to be confused? What's wrong with you?"
"Kangtou level (warehouse cashier)."
"That's right. Your bad reputation has spread to your hometown. When the county magistrate collects taxes from the people, he asks you to kick every dendrobium tree. Do you know that if you kick it, the farmers who have worked hard for a year will be How much more tax should I pay?”
"It is the rule of the court to kick the dendrobium with its tip. The rice dropped by kicking the dendrobium is a loss."
"If you kick, you will receive one bushel more for each dendrobium, and the people will pay one-fifth more tax. In name, it is a loss, but in fact it goes into the pockets of corrupt officials."
Han Wei was shocked after hearing this. What a "cangdou class", it turned out to be an accomplice of corrupt officials. No wonder the people who had resigned themselves to it hated him so much! When the news reached his hometown of Wugong County, all the women in the neighborhood shunned him. Han Wei, who had come to his senses, regretted it very much. .
In order to find out the truth, Han Wei approached Liu Chang and asked sternly: "Why do you recruit samurai with leg skills for the county government every year? If you are not honest, I will kick your ribs."
Seeing Han Wei's angry face, Liu Chang was afraid that he would hurt his body, so he had no choice but to tell the truth: "It's just a Cangdou class."
"In the first year, you have to recruit people who kick the trees to remove leaves. In the second year, you have to kick the trees with thick boots. In the third year, you have to kick the trees with bare feet. Why is this?"
"In the first year of the county government, there must be young people with internal skills. If they kick it hard, not only will the rice on the top of the dendrobium fall off, but the inside of the dendrobium will also be lowered. In this way, the people will have to add more rice to level the dendrobium. Chapter 1 The reason for the second generation to wear thick boots to kick dendrobium is because county magistrates found out that if they wear thick official boots to kick dendrobium, the Cangdou-level officials dare to use force and kick no matter how many times a day without hurting their feet, so they can kick more Some rice came down. In the third year, the younger generation changed to kicking dendrobium with bare feet. It was the emperor who sent the upright official Hai Rui. He kicked the dendrobium with bare feet to prevent it from harming the people. The old rules of the court could not be changed, so he could only give the order. When the Dou class kicks the dendrobium with bare feet, it hurts their toes, and the Cang Dou class does not dare to exert force. Warriors, this is called having policies from above and countermeasures from below. The county officials have many clever ideas."
Han Wei suddenly realized that it was only because he had gone to the martial arts mountain to study martial arts since he was a child and did not know the twists and turns of the dark officialdom that he took the wrong path for a while.
After understanding the truth, Han Wei immediately resigned and followed his sister back to his hometown in Wugong County, where he lived by farming and collecting firewood. Although life was a little harder, the villagers knew that Han Wei was upright, and after three months, women started coming to get married.
The following year, Han Wei opened a martial arts gym in his hometown and taught young people from around the world. The true skill of the best iron foot in the world can be passed down from generation to generation.