At this moment, Edward Wood walked over. Seeing that Samuel Bennett had gained quite a harvest, he praised, “Not bad, very skillful!”

“Master, what is this?”

Samuel Bennett noticed that his master’s basket was filled with a layer of fat white worms wriggling desperately, looking just like maggots, and he was startled.

“These are bamboo grubs. You eat them every day—didn’t you know?”

A wave of nausea swept through Samuel Bennett's heart. Had he really been eating these things every day?

Edward Wood chuckled, “These are good stuff. They’re only available at this time of year. Otherwise, how could your body recover so quickly?”

“But... but aren’t Taoists forbidden from killing living things?” Samuel Bennett finally found an excuse.

“Who said that? Taoists can eat meat too. It’s just that we have to trade our game for daily necessities, so we eat less of it. Remember your first day here? Didn’t you eat snake soup?”

Samuel Bennett was dumbfounded. There was actually snake in the meal he ate on the first day? How did he not know? That dark stuff—could it have been snake skin?

Seeing his astonished face, Edward Wood couldn’t help but laugh, “Cultivating the Dao isn’t like being a monk; there aren’t so many taboos. In ancient times, how many immortals were actually vegetarians?”

“Disciple understands.”

Edward Wood nodded. “I heard from Old Fourth that you had a conflict with the Taoists from Xuanhu Palace yesterday?”

“It was my fault, Master. We ran into some children from the old Reception Hall, and they bullied us. Luckily, Fourth Senior Brother saved me in time.”

Edward Wood neither confirmed nor denied it. “The Taoists of the Zixiao lineage are notorious for being narrow-minded and vengeful. Your old enemies will eventually master powerful martial arts. If you can’t keep up, next time you meet, you might not be as lucky as you were yesterday.”

Samuel Bennett understood what Edward Wood meant and immediately bowed, “Disciple is willing to learn martial arts from Master!”

“You’ve made up your mind?” Edward Wood stroked his beard and asked with a smile.

Samuel Bennett nodded. “If I don’t learn some skills to protect myself, how can I establish myself in the Tang Dynasty in the future!”

Samuel Bennett had indeed made up his mind. He could no longer return to the modern world. If he wanted to survive in the Tang Dynasty, he had to possess abilities beyond ordinary people. He had no background or powerful connections, nor was he from a noble family, so becoming an official was out of the question. If he could master martial arts, at least he’d have a chance to stand out.

Edward Wood gave him a deep look and continued, “There are two kinds of martial arts. One is the martial art of the chivalrous: lightness skills, hidden weapons, fist and sword techniques. You could become a bodyguard, an assassin, or roam the world with a sword, living as you please—this is called a wandering swordsman.

The other is the martial art of the general: wielding long halberds and broadswords, with simple and practical moves, relying on strength. Or you could train in riding and archery, fight a hundred battles in the desert, dominate the battlefield, resist foreign invaders, and serve the country. Which kind of martial art do you want to learn?”

In his previous life, Samuel Bennett had dreamed of mastering peerless martial arts and roaming the world with a sword. But when Edward Wood spoke of fighting a hundred battles in the desert and dominating the battlefield, his blood boiled with excitement.

He asked in a low voice, “Is it possible to learn both?”

Edward Wood smiled slightly, “You misunderstand me. I’m not asking about techniques, but about martial spirit. Do you want to be a chivalrous hero, or a mighty general?”

Samuel Bennett immediately understood his master’s meaning and replied without hesitation, “If poor, I’ll cultivate myself; if successful, I’ll help the world!”

Edward Wood burst out laughing. This was the most interesting answer he’d ever heard. This little rascal actually wanted to learn both—when he’s happy, he’ll serve the country as a general; when he’s not, he’ll hide in the martial world as a wandering swordsman.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll teach you some fundamental things. If you truly understand them, everything else will come naturally. Follow me!”

Edward Wood led Samuel Bennett to a clearing in front of the bamboo forest. He demonstrated a stance: standing on one leg, pointing at the bamboo forest with one hand, his gaze sharp and fixed on a certain spot, while the other hand gripped a hatchet raised above his head, motionless like a clay statue.

After a long while, he stopped and said to Samuel Bennett, “This move is called Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts. Practice it for three years, and then I’ll teach you other martial arts.”

Samuel Bennett thought for a moment and asked, “Master, do you mean that I should stand motionless like you just did, for as long as I can, to lay a foundation for learning martial arts in three years?”

“A teachable student!”

Edward Wood secretly praised Samuel Bennett's intelligence—he understood immediately. He nodded, “This is my own unique method of martial arts training. Don’t underestimate it. It trains your waist, legs, willpower, and arms, as well as your temperament. But most importantly, it develops your sense of balance. Balance is the foundation of all martial arts. With strong balance, you’ll find everything comes easily, you’ll get twice the results with half the effort, and you’ll reach the peak in whatever you practice.”

“Disciple understands!”

“The method I taught you is for practicing at night. During the day, you still need to chop wood. Also, your second senior brother has gone down the mountain. From today on, you’ll go foraging with your third senior brother!”

……

After returning from the bamboo forest, Third Senior Brother Robert Clark handed him a carrying basket and a small hoe. “Come with me! Today we’re going to the back mountain.”

Robert Clark wasn’t very old, about twenty or so, at least 1.8 meters tall, and weighed no less than two hundred jin. His face was full of flesh, his gaze fierce, and he looked like a very unfriendly big fat guy.

Samuel Bennett didn’t have a good impression of Robert Clark, mainly because of Robert Clark's negative comments about him on the first night. Plus, Robert Clark himself didn’t like Samuel Bennett, so the two had spoken little over the past month. Now, however, their master had assigned them to work together.