fynovel Chapter 9 The Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 9 The Beginning of Cultivation
After what just happened, Su Changming lost interest in visiting his new home.
He put his suitcase in the living room and started cleaning.
In fact, the old man had already had the property thoroughly cleaned after purchasing it.
The letter also mentioned that if he was busy with teaching and coursework, he would hire two servants to take care of his daily life.
But during those years studying abroad, I had already made it a habit to do everything myself.
What's more, now there's an extra bell.
Inviting outsiders in is ultimately inconvenient.
While Su Changming was cleaning, Ling strolled slowly inside and outside the small villa with her hands behind her back.
She walked slowly, with a certain air of authority, as if she were surveying her territory.
The main purpose is to investigate whether there are any other unclean things hidden.
Fortunately, after searching around, nothing else was found.
Therefore, she shifted the focus of the "investigation" indoors.
She first walked to the leather sofa in the living room, reached out and pressed it, feeling the soft texture. She seemed to want to lie down and try it, but in the end, due to some kind of restraint, she only glanced at it briefly and then looked away.
Then, she went into the separate shower room and looked up at the shiny metal showerhead on the wall.
She even reached out and turned on the tap, watching the clear water gush out, like a curious kitten tentatively extending its slender, jade-like fingers before quickly withdrawing them.
Throughout all of this, she maintained an indifferent expression, as if none of it mattered to her.
……
By the time the cleaning was finished, it was already afternoon.
Su Changming leaned against the wrought iron railing of the second-floor terrace, gazing at the iconic clock tower of Nanyang Public School in the distance.
The winter sun shines on me, warm and comforting, dispelling the chill that seeps into my bones.
Having a place to call home, the weariness of a long period of wandering seemed to have dissipated considerably.
But when his gaze fell back on the crooked old locust tree in the courtyard, the image of the "Nightbringer" that had been killed with a single sword strike resurfaced in his mind.
Who is targeting me, or is it just a coincidence that I ran into them?
The house was bought by the old man, so there shouldn't be any problem. There were also no issues with the correspondence. So where exactly did things go wrong?
Recalling the events of the past few days, Su Changming realized that his peaceful life was probably gone forever.
A strong sense of urgency welled up inside me.
Without further hesitation, he turned and went downstairs to find Ling.
When they found her, the girl had already naturally taken the main seat in the living room.
She pulled out a tea set from somewhere and was brewing a pot of hot tea, looking completely at ease, as if she were the owner of the place.
Su Changming was a little thirsty, so he picked up an empty cup from the coffee table and handed it over.
Ling didn't even lift her eyelids.
Su Changming had no choice but to awkwardly take back his cup, go over and pour himself a cup, and then very consciously refill the cup in front of Ling.
He sat down on the sofa opposite the girl, blowing on the scalding hot tea as he went straight to the point and asked:
"You said last time that I needed to replenish my Qi and blood before I could cultivate with you. Specifically... how should I replenish them?"
Upon hearing Su Changming's question, Ling, holding a teacup, gently blew on it, took a small sip, and then slowly spoke:
"The so-called martial arts are nothing more than cultivating one's inner energy and strengthening one's muscles, bones and skin."
"Although you have not lost your vital essence and your body has not been depleted by wine and women, you are, after all, a scholar who spends all year hunched over his desk. Your spine is stiff and your fascia is contracted."
Can we please stop bringing up the "undamaged yang" thing? Su Changming covered his face.
"Then...where should we begin?"
"Open up the muscles and pull out the bones."
Ling got up and walked to the open space in the center of the living room, where a thick carpet was laid out.
"Take off your coat and come here."
Su Changming did as instructed and walked over wearing only a thin white shirt.
The bell circled around him, its fragrance lingering.
Suddenly, the girl reached out and pressed her fingers on the Dazhui acupoint on the back of his neck.
Su Changming instantly felt a cool and soft touch that slid down his spine to his tailbone.
Before he could fully appreciate the girl's softness, he heard a cold, disdainful voice.
"If your back isn't straight, you won't be able to breathe properly."
Then, before he could react, he heard Ling continue speaking.
"Bear with it."
Before he could finish speaking, Su Changming felt a knee press against his lumbar spine!
Immediately afterwards, the girl grabbed his shoulders with both hands and pulled him back sharply!
"Crack—!"
A crisp sound echoed in the living room.
"hiss--!"
Su Changming gasped, almost crying out, feeling as if his spine was about to break.
Ling shouted, "Inhale! Open your chest!"
Su Changming subconsciously took a deep breath, and felt that his chest, which had been somewhat heavy, suddenly became clearer.
"This is called opening the dragon's spine."
Ling Song released her grip, giving Su Changming no chance to catch his breath.
"Now, stand at attention."
"Stand with your feet apart, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes gripping the ground as if tree roots were embedded in the soil."
"Knees slightly bent."
Despite the soreness in his back, Su Changming followed her instructions and assumed a seemingly strange posture.
"Raise your arms and hug your chest."
"Chin slightly tucked in, head seemingly suspended in mid-air."
Is this... stance training?
At first, Su Changming thought that apart from the slightly embarrassing posture, there was nothing difficult about it.
However, less than five minutes later, he realized he was wrong.
Big mistakes.
This seemingly ordinary posture is actually forcibly altering the muscle memory he has developed over the years.
The waist, which normally tends to sag, now demands to lift; the shoulders, which are usually raised, now demand to sink.
Two forces within the body are constantly fighting.
"Relaxed but not slack, tense but not rigid."
Ling, holding the sword sheath, slowly paced around him.
"Smack."
The scabbard gently tapped Su Changming's inner thigh.
"Inner thigh wrap".
"Smack."
The scabbard is placed on the back.
"Stand up straight!"
ten minutes.
Large beads of sweat began to appear on Su Changming's forehead, dripping down his nose onto the carpet.
His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, accompanied by a feeling of soreness, numbness, and swelling.
"The soreness you are feeling now is because the stagnant blood and qi in your body are impacting those stiff muscles."
The sound of the bell was calm.
"Breathe. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Inhale into your abdomen, exhale as softly as a silken thread."
"Listening to your heartbeat."
Guided by the bell, Su Changming began to pay attention to his heartbeat, which was as loud as a drum.
Boom, boom, boom...
I don't know how much time passed.
The sky outside the window had completely darkened.
Su Changming has reached the limit of his limits.
His shirt was already soaked through and clung tightly to his back.
My consciousness began to blur, and I lost feeling in my legs. I was only holding on by sheer willpower.
Just as he felt his vision going black and he was about to faint,
suddenly.
A strange, burning sensation rose from the soles of his feet.
The heat spread upwards along his calves, and wherever it passed, the muscles that were originally sore and numb began to feel an indescribable tingling sensation.
An abnormal flush appeared on the skin's surface, as if the pores had been forcibly stretched open at that moment.
"call……"
Su Changming subconsciously exhaled a long breath, which actually formed a faint white mist.
Ling walked up to Su Changming, reached out her hand, and felt the temperature of his body from a distance.
"The skin is congested with blood and steam is rising."
"The fact that I was able to revive all this bruises on my first attempt at standing meditation shows that I have some resilience."
Ling withdrew her hand, her voice losing some of its coldness.
"Alright, that's enough. Slowly straighten your legs, don't sit down abruptly."
Upon hearing those two words, Su Changming felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
He tried to straighten his legs, but found them to be as heavy as lead. It took him a long time to move them stiffly, and then he collapsed onto the carpet as if his body had fallen apart.
"Don't lie down." Ling, wearing black leather shoes, kicked his calf. "Your pores are open right now. If you lie on the ground, the cold air will seep into your body, and even a god couldn't save you."
"Go take a hot shower, make sure the water is hot, so you can lock the heat in your skin."
After she finished speaking, her figure gradually became ethereal, turning into a stream of light and returning to the mark on Su Changming's chest.
"Eat more meat tonight, and continue tomorrow."