He knew in his heart that in the past, Seventeenth Uncle James Smith hadn’t intentionally kept these things from him; his mind hadn’t recovered, so who would bother telling him all this?

Of course, Henry Smith thought that Seventeenth Uncle James Smith and the others’ explanations of the Coiling Python Fist could never reach the depth of Luke Lewis’s.

Fortunately, although he had always been clumsy, his character was exceptionally tenacious—or perhaps, incredibly stubborn.

When he was young, he couldn’t grasp the essentials of the Coiling Python stance; he only knew to imitate its form, using the muscles of his waist and hips to keep his spine straight.

Ordinary people would find it hard to persist in such training for long, and their bodies would suffer damage.

Although Henry Smith had gone astray, he was born with strong bones and long muscles. He persisted every day, even longer than Andrew Smith and the others, and after ten years of unwavering practice, he forged muscles like iron and bones that were exceptionally solid.

However, if he continued like this, not only would he remain stuck at the level of tempering muscles and bones for life, but by the time he reached his thirties or forties, his body would likely collapse rapidly from overexertion.

Now that he had a renowned teacher like Luke Lewis, Henry Smith would by no means let the opportunity slip by.

Perhaps the sudden flash of memory in his mind recently was meant for this moment, or maybe it was a reward he deserved?

Henry Smith didn’t know what he should do next. He didn’t want to keep being seen as a fool, nor did he know if he could make a name for himself after leaving Huaiyuan Town. But in any case, having formidable skills in this world would undoubtedly give him more leverage and choices.

As for the basic movements of the Coiling Python stance, Henry Smith was more than familiar with them. But to imagine a force above his head lifting his skull?

Henry Smith spread his legs slightly and stood loosely, gazing into the distance.

There were still lights on Hedong Street. Though dim, he could still vaguely make out the horizon. Henry Smith didn’t bother imagining a giant python in the mountains; instead, he recalled the lofty posture of Luke Lewis wielding his spear, and tried to direct his gaze as far as possible toward the dim horizon.

Naturally, a sense of rising and soaring welled up within him.

“Your comprehension is truly high. I only mentioned it, and you’ve already grasped some of the essentials!” Seeing this, Luke Lewis couldn’t help but praise him, saying, “Do the muscles on both sides of your back feel more relaxed than usual now?”

“They do, but it still seems lacking. What does it feel like for the python’s tail to support the ground?” Henry Smith asked, feeling rather pleased with himself.

After all, the most basic Coiling Python stance had two key points, and he was still far from mastering them.

“Charles Walker was in the army, where he summarized many military saber and spear techniques. He first created the Coiling Python Saber and Coiling Python Spear, and after integrating the strengths of various schools, he developed this set of fist techniques from saber and spear routines. I was fortunate enough to hear him explain the essence of this fist. When practicing the stance, the key is ‘the spine like a python’s body, harmoniously joined.’ You’ve done the first step right; the point of harmony should be here!” Luke Lewis reached out and felt around Henry Smith’s lumbar vertebrae.

Henry Smith felt a strange force coming from Luke Lewis’s palm, and his spine involuntarily made minute adjustments in response.

Where Luke Lewis’s palm finally rested was exactly in line with his body’s center of gravity.

Center of gravity?

A strange term, but in the Coiling Python Fist, this spot was called “body harmony.”

Perhaps he was now in the state of “body harmony.” At this moment, when Henry Smith imagined his tailbone extending like a python’s tail to support the ground, it was no longer difficult at all.

It was a subtle feeling. After Luke Lewis withdrew his hand, Henry Smith’s back instinctively arched forward a little, and he could feel each vertebra interlocking—neither completely curved nor completely straight. It was no longer like before, when his back was stiff as a spear, unable to sense any change in curvature.

So this is what “the spine as the root” means!

Whether it was imagining a force lifting the head, the tailbone extending to the ground, or a coiling python raising its head menacingly from the grass, the real purpose was to ensure the body’s center of gravity rested on the subtly curved spine. Integrating this principle into every change of the Coiling Python Fist, saber, and spear was the foundation of this entire military combat system.

So it really was just a thin layer of paper that needed to be pierced.

Yet Luke Lewis was even more shocked in his heart: aside from a physical foundation far superior to ordinary people, to comprehend such a complex principle after hearing it just once—did James Smith and the others really see Henry Smith as a fool?

Chapter 9: The Young Man’s Cunning

Although Luke Lewis’s guidance was brief, Henry Smith’s experience was completely different.

To raise his control over muscles and bones to a whole new level would still require a period of hard training, but this feeling of finding the right path and glimpsing the true essence was truly remarkable.

Thinking about it this way, being involved in this matter wasn’t all bad.

Henry Smith thought that if he had skills like Luke Lewis, or if he could master the Coiling Python Fist to Luke Lewis’s level—or perhaps even surpass him—why would he need to fear a few shady assassins?

And in such a vast world, was there anywhere he couldn’t go?

Seeing the confusion and surprise in Luke Lewis’s eyes, Henry Smith, now much less apprehensive, pondered for a moment and asked, “At noon, in the post station’s official courtyard, I caught a glimpse of the government notice. It said that Old Master Walker was exiled to Tangzhou, but is it possible for him not to go to Miyang City and instead stay in Huaiyuan Town? After all, Huaiyuan Town is still part of Tangzhou’s territory.”

The assassins and the mastermind Travis Carter were unlikely to let things go so easily.