The world was divided into nine prefectures, and Yangzhou was the most bustling and fertile among them. Inside of Yangzhou, in the Jiangning prefecture of Yi City stands a huge mountain named Dayan Mountain. At the foot of Dayan Mountain, sprawls a village named Teng Jia Village. All the houses in the village stood close together, and it looked like a whole. Surrounding Teng Jia Village was a wall built of wooden barriers, standing as high as nine chi*. 

  (TLN: * Ancient China measurement unit. 1chi = 0.3333m) 

  With the protection of these wooden barriers, wolves from the mountain couldn’t easily enter the village to eat people. 

  Within the courtyard of one family in Teng Jia Village, there was a gathering of about ten people. Among them, a short, nearly thirty year old man prowled back and forth anxiously outside the door of the house. 

  “Yongfan, stop pacing back and forth.” A serious sound rang out. The speaker was a gray-haired but thickly built old man. 

  “Master, I……” The man dressed in a short gown did not know what to say. 

  It was impossible for him to not be nervous. His wife was giving birth inside the house. It was usually rather dangerous for women giving birth to their first child. There were cases of women in Teng Jia Village that died due to complications during labor. He had been married for nearly eight years, and yet his wife had only gotten pregnant now. Therefore, he valued this child greatly. At this moment, he was naturally anxious. 

  “Brother Fan, have you thought of a name for your child?” A lean man standing beside Yongfan changed the topic with a smile on his face. 

  “My child belongs to the ‘Qing’ generation. I already have names in mind. If it’s a boy, I will name him Qingshan, while a girl will be named Qingyu.” Teng Yongfan, the man dressed in a short gown, flashed a rare smile as he spoke. 

  As soon as he finished speaking, the loud and clear cry of a baby resounded from the room. 

  Everyone froze and looked towards the door at the same time. A creak sounded, and a woman ran out of the door with a baby in her arms as she shouted with a pleasantly surprised smile on her face, “Yongfan, it’s a boy. It’s a boy!” 

  “What about Lan?” The sturdy old man was the first to ask. 

  TLN: Lan is a something like a nickname. 

  “Chief, Yuan Lan is well. Both mother and baby are doing well,” The woman smiled happily. 

  At this moment, Teng Yongfan took the baby from the midwife and examined the baby carefully as he smiled radiantly “Haha, it’s a boy. Haha, I, Teng Yongfan finally have a son……” At this time, the sturdy old man near him took the baby from him. 

  “Master, you look after the baby and I will go check out Yuan Lan,” Teng Yongfan ran into the house immediately. 

  While the sturdy old man looked at the baby in his arms with a smile. 

  “The little boy’s cries just now were quite loud. Good, very good,” The sturdy old man smiled happily. 

  “Master, the little boy is staring at you,” A group of people looking beside the old man were also smiling. 

  “Look, these dark round small eyes are staring at me without a flicker. Haha ……”The sturdy old man laughed heartily and gently touched the baby’s nose with his finger, “My lovely grandson, Little Qingshan, come! Call grandfather!” As the old man spoke, he couldn’t help but laugh. 

  After all, how could a newborn baby speak? ……

  Laughter surrounded him, but Teng Qingshan’s mind was actually very chaotic. 

  “What’s going on? I…… I am dead, am I not?” 

  Teng Qingshan remembered clearly that after battling with two of God Kingdom’s giants, Shiva and Vishnu, on Moon Lake and killing Shen Yangming, he himself died. 

  When he regained consciousness, he was in a woman’s womb and was born soon afterwards. 

  “This old man is my grandfather? My mother’s father?” Teng Qingshan observed the old man carefully. “I can understand the language spoken by the people around me, so it’s also Chinese. The appearance of his clothing and the clothing of the people around me ……it’s obviously not a modern society. It’s the ancient society! I am……how did I arrive at the ancient world?” 

  Even though Teng Qingshan underwent the grueling hitman training, no matter how stable his mentality was, he was completely shocked at this very moment. 

  However, at this time, Teng Qingshan felt tired and sleepy, “A baby’s brain is not fully mature; I just pondered a little and am already tired out.” 

  Teng Qingshan closed his eyes and was sound asleep. ……

  It was the winter of the first year Teng Qingshan arrived into this world. 

  Feather-like snow cascaded without ceasing. The whole world seemed to be dressed in a silver cloth. 

  “Qingshan, is the snowfall beautiful?” The kindly faced women, Yuan Lan, held her son ‘Teng Qingshan’ as she enjoyed the view of the snowfall. 

  “Ah!” Teng Qingshan’s little face flushed crimson. 

  Having been born less than a year ago, his vocal cords had not developed fully, and so he could only babble. However, Teng Qingshan always looked like a little grownup, always nodding and making an ‘ah’ sound, but he could only make ‘ah, en’ sounds. 

  “It’s nearly lunchtime but your father still haven’t return,” Yuan Lan said. 

  “Hi, sister-in-law,” At this moment, a sound came from outside of the courtyard door, and the door was pushed open. A young man wearing rain clothes and holding a big hare, came in, smiling, “The hunting team that went up the mountain came back. This hare belongs to your family. Keep it well. I am going back. 

  With this, he placed the hare near the threshold. 

  “Thanks!” Yuan Lan replied with a smile. 

  “No problem.” The man said as he walked out. 

  Since Teng Qingshan had the wisdom of an adult, he had obtained quite a bit of knowledge concerning this Teng Jia Village within a short few months. Teng Jia Village is a self-sufficient village. There were often teams that went hunting on the mountain and the prey they brought back would be distributed according to the contribution of each family in the village. For example, Teng Qingshan’s father, Teng Yongfan is the master blacksmith in Teng Jia Village. 

  The weapons forged by him were very popular in Yi City. Naturally, he had a high rank in Teng Jia Village 

  Suddenly—— 

  The earth shook as if in an earthquake. 

  “Bandits have come to collect the annual tribute” Yuan Lan’s facial expression changed. She immediately tied Teng Qingshan on her back. She simply took a red tasseled spear from the house and ran out. 

  The whole Teng Jia Village, regardless of age or gender, were rushing out with spears and arrows in hand. 

  “Bandits?” Teng Qingshan was shocked. 

  “Qingshan, don’t be afraid. It’s okay,” Yuan Lan ran while comforting her son on her back. 

  In a short while, Yuan Lan arrived at the largest training field in Teng Jia Village. Both the length and width of the training field were 200 meters. At this time, the training field had gathered thousands of people, young and old. Almost everyone was holding a red tasseled spear while some were carrying bows. 

  “Yuan Lan,” A bare chested man, wearing a simple fur, came up with a spear in hand. The man was Teng Qingshan’s father Teng Yongfan. 

  “Brother Fan,” Yuan Lan ran close to him immediately. 

  (TLN: In ancient times a wife can call her husband brother if they trained in the same clan, sect, etc.) 

  Teng Qingshan looked at his father. In such a severe winter, his father only had some fur draped over his shoulder and both his thick arms and strong chest were revealed. It was obvious that he was a very strong man. Without sufficient muscle, it’s not possible to become an excellent blacksmith. 

  “Son, don’t fear,” Teng Yongfan touched Teng Qingshan lovingly. 

  “You two stay here and don’t run away,” Teng Yongfan instructed and immediately rushed to the front. 

  All the able men in Teng Jia Village were standing at the front of the training field, while the elderly, women, and children were behind them, all with weapons in their hands. 

  “Hello, little boys of Teng Jia Village,” A booming shout came from outside the fence. 

  Teng Qingshan looked through the crowd and saw the group of people outside the fence. All of the people in that group rode tall horses. The leader’s bare chest was full of black hair. He had a deep knife mark on his face. He shouted loud and distinctly, “It’s time to deliver your annual tribute. According to the old rules, each person gives half a tael!” 

  (TLN: Tael: 50 grams (1 ¾ oz). A former chinese monetary unit based on the value of a tael of standard silver.) 

  “This guy, he wears only unlined clothes in the severest winter, he is definitely a master,” Teng Qingshan judged with just a glance, “The number of robbers can’t be seen clearly, but there are definitely a few hundred.” 

  “However, the few hundred men in Teng Jia Village can’t be easily bullied,” Teng Qingshan could also see that all of the men in Teng Jia Village had undergone many years of training. While standing there, every one of them were like a beast. Although there were many fierce bandits, but it would also be difficult to defeat the men of the Teng Jia Village. 

  At this time—— 

  The crowd in Teng Jia Village divided into a path and a gray-haired but sturdy old man walked past. 

  “Grandfather,” Teng Qingshan identified him at a glance. 

  Teng Qingshan’s grandfather, named Teng Yunlong, was the chief of the whole Teng Jia Village. He held absolute prestige in Teng Jia Village. Teng Qingshan’s mother, Yuan Lan, was an adopted daughter of Teng Yun Long. 

  “Ha-ha, it’s actually the third leader here this time,” Chief Teng Yunlong laughed loudly, “We also know the rule. Each person is half a silver tael. Our Teng Jia Village has five hundred families, or two thousand people, so one thousand silver taels. Am I right?” 

  “Haha, Old Teng, you’re right! One thousand silver taels!” The scarred man laughed. 

  The population of Teng Jia Village was obviously not accurately two thousand. However, it was very close. The chieftain of the bandits, also would not mind that. 

  “Open the door,” Teng Yunlong shouted. 

  “Creak……” The high door of Teng Jia Village was opened with a loud bang. Simultaneously, two men holding two large crates went directly to the gate, then threw out the crates and let them hit the snow. 

  “Please count, third leader. There are five hundred silver taels in each crate,” Teng Yunlong shouted. 

  “Go count,” The scarred man ordered his subordinates. 

  Two men jumped off their horses immediately and ran to open the boxes. Inside the boxes, there was only part of the money which was silver. The others were strings of copper coins. Each string was one hundred copper coins. The two bandits apparently did this often, as they were very skillful. After just a moment, they had finished numbering them. They then turned back to the scarred man and nodded. 

  “Old Teng, you can go back and have your dinner. Haha, let’s go, boys!” 

  Hundreds of bandits rode their horses, and dashed away like the wind. ……

  On the training field in Teng Jia Village, every person dispersed one by one. 

  “Son, let’s go home and have dinner,” Teng Yongfan smiled and held Teng Qingshan with one hand, but Teng Qingshan was still pondering, “The bandits actually have thousands of horses even though the price of every horse is not low. To have the ability to purchase so many horses, it looks like they are also a very strong bandit group.” 

  Based on that scene just now, Teng Qingshan understood in his heart, “Pay annual money? Since it is annual money, it must be paid every year. This group is able to get Teng Jia Village to pay protection money every year, which means the dispatched hundreds of people are probably not the entire group.” 

  “So it was the White Horse Gang here to collect money. I thought it was other bandits,” At the side, the discussing voices of men from other families could be heard. 

  “If other bandits come offend our Teng Jia Village, it’s no doubt that they are seeking death,” The men talking were full of animal spirit. 

  But it was obvious that they couldn’t do anything to the White Horse Gang. 

  “How strong exactly is the White Horse Gang?” Teng Qingshan thought deeply. 

  However, since he was too young, his vocal cords hadn’t developed fully and so he couldn’t speak to ask. Even if he could speak, could he dare to ask his father——‘Father, how strong is the White Horse Gang?’ If he did, his father would probably be petrified, and the whole Teng Jia Village would probably be in an uproar.

  Book 2 Chapter 2 : The Difference Between the Past and the Present 

  In the blink of an eye Teng Qingshan turned three years old. 

  It was early in the morning. A boy with rosy lips and white teeths, dressed in cotton clothes was having breakfast with a kind-looking woman. It was Teng Qingshan and his mother, Yuan Lan. 

  “Qingshan, do you want a little brother or a little sister?” Yuan Lan looked benignly at her son. 

  “I want both.” Teng Qingshan opened his big mouth and gobbled up the whole bowl of porridge. 

  “Ah. Then I’ll give birth to twins.” Yuan Lan smiled while she touched her belly. Her belly bulged slightly; she was already four months pregnant. 

  “Mother, I finished eating.” 

  Teng Qingshan put down his bowl and chopsticks and ran out. 

  “Run slower, and watch your steps.” Yuan Lan hastily said. She then took a look at Teng Qingshan’s bowl and involuntarily shook her head while sighing, “Qingshan really has a huge appetite. He eats two loaves of bread and a big bowl of porridge in the morning. He is only three years old…… but is already able to eat as much as me.” 

  Teng Qingshan, a three year old boy, had a huge appetite. When mentioning Teng Qingshan, most of the people in Teng Jia Village would sigh in admiration at his immense appetite. ……

  “Eating more is better……” Teng Qingshan muttered to himself while walked down a small path, “It means that my internal organs are mighty, that my absorption ability is strong, and that the vitality of my body is powerful.” 

  After coming to this world, Teng Qingshan lived a relaxed life. There were no enemies here, only parents that loved and cared for him deeply. However, playing with other two or three years old children was absolute torture for him! 

  Teng Qingshan was relieved at the lack of enemies and began training according to his plan. 

  As the ultimate Hitman and a previous grandmaster of Internal Martial Arts, Teng Qingshan knew very clearly when and what to train. 

  Although he is three years old this year, babies turn one year old the moment they’re born here. Which meant that in this world, he was in fact only two years old. He did not dare to do any strength training during the past two years. The only thing he could do for now was train his body’s flexibility and accelerate the growth of his bones. 

  Teng Qingshan based this kind of training method on ancient Yoga and basic Internal Martial Arts training. 

  Since a child’s body has good flexibility, it’s easier to train his flexibility than to train his strength. 

  An adult would need to train a year or so before he could split his legs in a straight line. However, children would only need ten to fifteen days. This was because children’s muscles and bones were more flexible, which was also due to their natural stage of growth and development. 

  The more flexible one’s body is, the more powerful one’s bones and muscles become, which is beneficial for practicing Internal Martial Arts. 

  “Qingshan, are you going to play in the training field?” On the way, there were some neighbors that smiled as they spoke to Teng Qingshan. 

  “Yes.” Teng Qingshan nodded. 

  The training field was an empty field that was at least 200 meters long and wide. Every morning, the men of Teng Jia Village would train there. 

  “Ha!” 

  “Ha!” 

  The forceful and powerful “Ha” sounds that transmitted from the front were like the sounds of rolling thunder. 

  Teng Qingshan finally reached the martial arts field. In the center of the field, hundreds of people stood in an orderly fashion. Everyone was topless and covered in sweat. Each of them carried spears, from time to time they repeatedly thrusted it towards their front as they shouted their slogan. As Teng Qingshan watched this scene, he couldn’t help but feel his blood start boiling…… 

  On the edge of the training field, there were many kids staring with their eyes wide open. 

  “The top, shoulder, spear, feet and body should all be balanced!” A loud shout resounded across the whole training field. A thin and middle aged man with blazing eyes was walking in the center of the field. Suddenly, he lifted his foot and kicked the upper leg of a man holding a spear next to him, causing the man to stagger. 

  “Your body is wavering! Where is the strength of your waist? Did you waste all of that strength on some of your b*tches? Steady yourself now.” The thin man bellowed harshly. 

  “Yes, Master.” That man hastily stood still and did not dared to say even one word. 

  “We bear hardships now so that we bleed less when we face bandits and beasts in the mountain!” The thin man continued walking and spoke with cold voice, “When we face danger, all we can do is depend on ourselves!” 

  “Alright, shake your spears now.” The thin man shouted, “Hold it with your hand at the front and turn it with the hand at the back …… Aim and thrust. No matter if it’s for defense or attack, you can rely on this technique. If you practice it perfectly, you will all be able to save your own lives when you face dangers.” 

  Every man was familiar with this technique. 

  This skill had been practiced by them numerous times already. 

  As Teng Qingshan watched this scene, a smile crept up on his face. 

  “The men in Teng Jia Village train every day. Although the training is very simple, it is very effective. The two techniques, ’Center Thrust’ and ‘Trembling Lance, are enough for them to practice their entire life.” After all, Teng Qingshan was a Xing Yi Grandmaster in his previous life, and the fundamental of Xing Yi Martial Arts was exactly the Spear Fist. 

  Whether it’s Bursting Fist or Drilling Fist, both contained the implication of a long spear. 

  Teng Qingshan could see that with just a dozen men of Teng Jia Village, a spear array with powers that cannot be underestimated could be formed. 

  “Depending on the force of Teng Jia Village, an ordinary bandit group wouldn’t dare to offend us!” 

  However, Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but think of the White Horse Gang, the White Horse Gang is the biggest faction within the territory of Yi City. If you wanted to join the White Horse Gang, there was a high physical quality requirement. Even so, the White Horse Gang still had eight thousand core members!” 

  Besides those eight thousand core members, there were also a large number of fringe members. 

  The White Horse Gang was definitely the local despot of Yi City! 

  Teng Jia Village also had to hand over an ‘annual tribute’ to them every year to be safe. 

  Watching thousands of men practice, Teng Qingshan suddenly got an idea. 

  “The flexibility of my muscles and bones have been trained well enough. Although they are still not suitable for oppressive strength training, training Xing Yi Martial Arts should be fine.” Teng Qingshan watched on for a little while longer before he trotted home. 

  “Qingshan, you are back.” Yuan Lan was carrying dirty clothes, preparing to wash the clothes outside. 

  “Yes, Mom. I am tired and I want to sleep for a while.” Teng Qingshan entered his own room. It would be impossible for his family members to ask a three year old child to do any work. As for the excuse of sleep, his Mother, Yuan Lan, did not doubt it at all. 

  The door and windows were then closed. “It has been a long time since I last practiced Xing Yi Martial Arts.” Teng Qingshan did some exercises. He felt a little excited at this moment because he hadn’t practiced in it for several years. 

  After taking a deep breath, his heart became calm, Teng Qingshan then began to practice. He combined Twelve Forms, Xing Yi Five Element Boxing, Three Xing Yi Postures together and practiced them freely. He was like a fierce tiger going downhill for a second, a tangling python in the next, and a swimming dragon bursting out of the water after that again …… 

  Even if the normal kids with small arms and legs practiced Internal Martial Arts, it would just be a show with absolutely no effect. 

  Even if he possessed the consciousness of a grandmaster, he won’t be able to practice Internal Martial Arts if his body is too small and unable to fully stretch. Therefore, for the past two years, Teng Qingshan trained his flexibility and muscles. Now, his waist was able to bend backward, to the point that his mouth could touch his foot. In such a physical condition, it goes without saying that he could easily perform Internal Martial Arts. 

  Now that he met the physical requirements, and possessed the consciousness of a grandmaster, the result was obvious. 

  His body moved in coordination with the breathing method. The more Teng Qingshan practiced, the more energized he became. This practice continued on for two hours. Teng Qingshan was not a beginner, his consciousness was at the level of a grandmaster. 

  “He Ha!” 

  At the end of his practice, Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but excitedly shout out twice 

  “My whole body feels comfortable and refreshed. Every bone and muscle feels numbed, but it still feels so comfortable. It is obvious that the effect of Internal Martial Arts is a lot better than ancient yoga.” Teng Qingshan felt extremely happy. 

  Internal Martial Arts originally had the effect of strengthening the bones and muscles. In addition to Teng Qingshan’s memories of his previous life, his performance of the Xing Yi Martial Arts was naturally excellent. He could even feel that, after every practice of Internal Martial Arts, his bones and muscles would undergo changes. As his bones and muscles were dramatically improving, he obviously needed more energy! 

  Therefore, Teng Qingshan’s appetite became even bigger! 

  “Ha!” 

  Teng Qingshan did a flying leap in the yard of his house and then descended. He supported himself on the ground with just one hand, his legs flipped and strangled in the air. 

  “Inhale, exhale!” 

  Accompanied with the extreme exercises, Teng Qingshan also aided himself with the cooperation of a Breathing Method. 

  The secret of Internal Martial Arts was in fact the cooperation of the Breathing Technique and the Art of Body Form. This kind of breathing technique would strengthen the internal organs, as well as stimulate the bones and muscles. 

  Teng Qingshan would close the door and practice in the yard whenever his parents weren’t home. 

  “Eh?” 

  Teng Qingshan was so shocked that he stopped and bent down. He smacked the ground and a “Puchi!” sound rang as a hole appeared on the muddy ground. 

  “How is this possible?” Teng Qingshan paused and froze. He murmured, “I, I have only practiced Xing Yi Martial Arts for one month. How is it possible for me to generate internal strength? Plus, my bones and muscles are still growing and haven’t reach their limits. How is it possible to generate internal strength? 

  Just now, Internal Strength had been produced within Teng Qingshan’s body. 

  According to the levels of internal martial, the training of one’s body should be first. When the body muscles reached a certain limit, and if there were adequate levels of energy and blood, the transmutation of energy and blood into internal force would be possible. 

  However, Teng Qingshan was only three years old and had only practiced Xing Yi Martial Arts for one month. His body is still a long way from reaching its limit, so how was it be possible to generate internal strength? 

  “I practiced the same Internal Martial Arts during both ancient and modern times. How is it possible to have such drastic differences?” 

  Teng Qingshan’s face expression then suddenly changed, “Could it be ……” 

  Teng Qingshan did practiced the same Internal Martial Arts during ancient times and modern times. However, the ancient and modern times had different environments. During the modern times, the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth was already so thin that it could be ignored. What about during the ancient times? 

  “Legend says that during the ancient times, the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth could be absorbed and transmuted. This absorption of Spiritual Qi is actually a kind of breathing method.” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened as he spoke, “The exhaling and inhaling method of my Internal Martial Arts should be able to absorb the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth. Could it be that during this one month, I have naturally absorbed the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth as I practiced the Internal Martial Arts? And have just now transmuted the Spiritual Qi into Internal strength? 

  There are no other possibilities. 

  Teng Qingshan’s bones and muscles were still at the initial stage, so it would be impossible for the energy and blood within his body to produce Internal Strength. 

  There is only one explanation, producing internal strength by absorbing the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth. 

  “Being able to produce Internal Strength at the age of three is impossible in modern times. Teng Qingshan felt shocked. “People depended on eating and the energy absorbed was limited. However, now that I can absorb the Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and Earth, what level will I be able to reach?” 

  During modern times, practitioners relied on eating to absorb energy, because energy was limited. However, Internal Martial Arts grandmasters could still reach the realm of a SS-level Hitman. 

  As for ancient times, there is still an unlimited amount of spiritual Qi to absorb. So what realm would a grandmaster of an Internal Martial Art be able to reach? 

  Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened. 

  Suddenly, he felt a desire grow in his heart. A desire towards the future! 

  What level would he be able to reach in the future?! 

  “It looks like the training plan that I made for myself need to be changed.” As Teng Qingshan felt the internal strength within his body, he suddenly felt ambitious.