Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 14: Great Success in the Health Cultivation Technique
The words had barely left his mouth when Shan Wuju recalled what Li Yaozu had mentioned in his letter about Wei Tu’s background. Suddenly, it all made perfect sense.
A servant from the Li Mansion... The only Martial Arts he could have possibly encountered would be a common, run-of-the-mill Health Cultivation Technique.
Every advanced Fist Technique has a clear and verifiable lineage that cannot be faked.
A Martial Artist only needed to state the name of their fist technique, and other Martial Artists could guess which prefecture and which famous master had accepted them as a Disciple.
The world of Martial Artists wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either.
"For now, just work hard as a long-term laborer. If you perform well, I’ll teach you a few Fist Techniques."
"It’s getting late,"
Shan Wuju said, glancing at the color of the sky.
Hearing this,
Wei Tu felt a slight sense of disappointment, but he didn’t dwell on it.
’If Shan Wuju were to teach me Fist Techniques right now, it would mean he truly regards me as a Direct Disciple.’ He didn’t believe a single letter from Li Yaozu could have such a powerful effect.
’If it did, Li Yaozu wouldn’t have just given such a valuable favor away to me for nothing.’
Then,
Shan Wuju, sitting in a straight-backed chair under the eaves, narrowed his eyes. He puckered his lips, placed them on the stem of his water pipe, and blew forcefully.
Ash scattered onto his robes. Shan Wuju brushed it clean, then used a paper spill to light the tobacco. After taking a few puffs, he turned and walked into the third courtyard.
Wei Tu was still holding the Stone Lock he’d used to test his strength. He froze for a moment when he saw Shan Wuju leave, unsure of what he should do.
The third courtyard was the Shan Family’s inner residence, home to the women of the family. The rules for large households like this were all the same: men who were not family members were forbidden from entering without permission.
However, before Wei Tu could give it much thought, a beautiful young woman in her twenties walked out of the courtyard gate and greeted him.
The woman had fair skin and a long, oval face. She wore a blue jacket and trousers with black trim, and her hair was styled up. A pair of silver earrings completed her affluent-looking attire.
"My surname is Gao. You may simply call me Third Granny."
"Come with me. I’ll arrange your living quarters. I’m in charge of all the long-term laborers in this household; the Matron hasn’t managed these affairs for a very long time."
After this brief introduction, Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family had Wei Tu follow as she led the way.
Hearing that the young woman was Shan Wuju’s Concubine, Wei Tu immediately lowered his gaze and stopped looking her over.
A short while later, Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family led Wei Tu into the first courtyard and over to the western rooms.
She pushed open the door.
Inside, a long-term laborer in his forties was already settled in. Upon seeing Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family enter, he immediately scrambled off the kang bed and called out, "Third Granny."
"Deng An, you’ve been working for the Shan Family for some time now. Look after Wei Tu."
"I’ve only hired the two of you as long-term laborers this year. The wheat harvest begins in a few days, so get some rest. And when the time comes, don’t even think about slacking off."
After a few words of admonishment, Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family left the room with a sway of her hips.
Once Mrs. Gao had left, the laborer named Deng An got off the kang bed. He hurried to the spot where she had been standing and greedily took several deep breaths.
Wei Tu watched this happen in silence. He didn’t stop the man, nor did he run out to report Deng An’s disrespectful behavior to Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family.
Shan Wuju was an old man who had married a young woman. A beautiful woman in her twenties like Mrs. Gao of the Shan Family was like a pretty widow in a village full of bachelors; it was only natural for men to covet her.
Although Shan Wuju was full of vigor and walked with a steady gait, Wei Tu could tell he was likely in his sixties or seventies. He simply didn’t look his age, thanks to his Martial Arts practice.
After a moment, Deng An finally snapped out of it and greeted Wei Tu.
The two exchanged names and told each other which town they were from.
"You’re from Changming Town? That’s a fair distance from Sanyuan Town."
Deng An sounded surprised.
It was unusual for someone from Changming Town to come all the way to Sanyuan Town for long-term work. Long-term laborers weren’t like seasonal Wheat Harvesters; they usually found work in their own towns and rarely traveled so far from home.
"A two-day journey."
Wei Tu nodded and replied casually.
He didn’t tell Deng An about his plan to take the Military Examination this year.
’You can know a person’s face, but not their heart.’
Based on that one scene alone, Wei Tu knew Deng An was not a particularly decent person.
’I have to be wary of him.’
’Some people might not be good at achieving things themselves, but they’re certainly good at sabotaging others.’
After stowing his luggage, Wei Tu stepped outside. Bathed in the moonlight, he began to practice the Pile Skill of the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique.
The journey these past few days had been exhausting, but as the saying goes, excellence is born of diligence and lost to idleness. Wei Tu had no intention of letting his Health Cultivation Technique go to waste.
Besides, the Health Cultivation Technique’s instructions specified "nine practices a day." Wei Tu didn’t know if this was an absolute requirement for entering the Qi Sensing Realm, but he wasn’t willing to risk it.
He had to complete at least nine full sets of the Health Cultivation Technique every single day.
’If I bet wrong...’
’Even though these past five years weren’t a complete waste and my Physique has improved tremendously, the feeling of falling short at the final hurdle would be unbearable.’
In the courtyard, Wei Tu took his stance and began with the opening move of the Health Cultivation Technique. His movements were slow and meticulous.
If Martial Artist Ruan had been there, he would have noticed that Wei Tu’s movements were identical to the diagrams in the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique manual, without the slightest deviation.
One set.
Two sets.
After the third and fourth sets,
Wei Tu began to perform the moves of the Health Cultivation Technique from muscle memory. His consciousness sank deeper, immersing itself in the rhythm and essence of the Health Cultivation Pile Skill, tracing the path of every wisp of warmth flowing through his body.
Gradually...
Wei Tu’s mind began to empty.
His footwork became a blur, the moves he executed growing faster and faster. He condensed the warm current in his body into a single surge of energy that shot down from his spine to his leg bones, then flowed back and forth between his chest and abdomen.
WHOOSH!
As his fists and feet flew, the air around him vibrated, producing a humming, whistling sound like the legendary Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound.
[Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique (81/100): Practice nine times daily, achieve Great Success in five years.]
"A breakthrough?"
Fifteen minutes later, Wei Tu finished his practice and habitually checked the progress of his Health Cultivation Technique.
He froze when he saw it.
The progress of his Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique had skyrocketed from 63% yesterday to 81% now, a jump of more than ten percentage points.
In other words, the short session he had just completed was equivalent to several months of Hard Work.
’It must be a breakthrough from a long period of accumulation. I wonder if I can bring my Health Cultivation Technique to full completion ahead of the five-year mark and enter the Qi Sensing Realm.’
A look of joy spread across Wei Tu’s face.
Ever since he started the Cultivation of the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique, he hadn’t slacked off on his Pile Skill practice for a single day. He practiced not just nine times a day, but more than ten, far exceeding the requirements of his "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart.
Now, only halfway through the five-year period, he had already reached 81% completion. How could he not be overjoyed?
’I can’t let my guard down!’
’The later stages of the Health Cultivation Technique are where the real difficulty begins. It’s entirely possible that I could practice for months without seeing the slightest bit of progress.’
Wei Tu cautioned himself.
In any field, getting started is easy, but becoming a master at the top of that field is incredibly difficult.
It meant he would have to put in even more Hard Work.
It was easy to become a painter, but difficult to become a master artist; the principle was the same.
It was precisely because the Health Cultivation Technique was easy to learn but difficult to master that it was disdained by Martial Artists, and very few people chose to pursue its Cultivation.
