The next morning, Lin Zheyu spent the entire morning practicing the Golden Goose Technique in Liang Song's courtyard. With Master Liang's guidance, his understanding of the Golden Goose Technique had advanced by a few degrees.
Perhaps because he was about to leave, when Lin Zheyu asked if there were stronger medicinal prescriptions, Liang Song directly handed him two prescriptions. One was suitable for those in the Organ Forging Realm, while the other could only be used by those in the Blood Qi Realm.
Lin Zheyu skipped the prescription for the Organ Forging Realm and instead studied the one for the Blood Qi Realm—the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction.
The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction could replenish the body's blood qi, strengthening vitality, and its medicinal power was extremely fierce. If a martial artist below the Blood Qi Realm consumed it, it would damage their very foundation.
That evening, Senior Brother Han Mo came again. The two sparred in Liang Song's courtyard for more than two hours, and with Senior Brother Han Mo's wholehearted efforts, Lin Zheyu gained considerable insight into fighting opponents wielding cold weapons.
After these days of contact, he had come to understand Senior Brother Han Mo a little better. He was an honest man whose conduct gave off a sense of uprightness and integrity.
"All right, take a break. Don't train too late into the night," said Liang Song, stopping Lin Zheyu, who still wanted to continue attacking.
This boy trained with extreme ferocity. Even though he was already gasping for breath, he still launched attack after attack at Han Mo. But it was precisely this tenacity and perseverance that made Liang Song appreciate him so much and pass on the Golden Goose Technique to him.
Lin Zheyu stopped and leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
"You really are ruthless to yourself!" said Han Mo.
In the moonlight, dozens of bruises on Lin Zheyu's body could be seen, all struck by Han Mo's blunt blade.
"The outside is in chaos. Who knows when the rebel army might attack? While things are still relatively peaceful, it's crucial to raise our strength quickly. This little bit of pain is nothing," said Lin Zheyu, grinning.
After resting for a while, the two bid farewell to Liang Song and left. Under the moonlight, the two walked side by side.
"Don't go out of the city casually these days. Bandits are roaming everywhere," said Han Mo.
"Is it the rebel army making moves again?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"Mm. Anyi City has also fallen, and another wave of refugees has arrived outside the city," Han Mo nodded, with a trace of sorrow and pity on his face.
Songyi City could only take in a limited number of refugees, and it had already reached its limit. The refugees were placed outside the city, living under extremely crude conditions. The weather was growing colder, and every morning during his patrol, Han Mo could see many refugees frozen to death.
"Mm, I understand," replied Lin Zheyu, nodding. He rarely went outside the city and had not even visited the outer city. His daily life was simple—home, the teahouse, Master Liang's house, and occasionally, under the coaxing of Jia Yanyong and the others, a visit to the Flower Pavilion. Nothing more.
***
Back in his courtyard, Lin Zheyu took off his clothes and continued training. It had been several days since he last broke through his body's limits, and his essence, qi, and spirit had once again been nurtured to their peak.
Bang, bang, bang.
Late at night, banging sounds echoed from the courtyard. Even though the wooden stake was wrapped in thick layers of worn-out clothes, the sound was still loud, reverberating throughout the yard. Fortunately, there were few people around his small courtyard, and it was far from others; otherwise, complaints of disturbance would have come knocking.
Over two hours later, Lin Zheyu lay on the ground and panted heavily.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 6]
[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 4%), Golden Goose Technique (First Stage: 39%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Second Stage: 26%)]
***
The next morning, he rose early and did not go to Liang Song's house. Lin Zheyu took the prescription for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction and went to the pharmacy to buy herbs.
The herbs for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction were not easy to purchase. He went to many pharmacies before managing to gather them all, and a single dose of herbs cost him a little over 10 taels of silver.
"So expensive! One set costs as much as ten batches of ordinary medicinal decoction," muttered Lin Zheyu, feeling the sting in his heart. Suddenly, he realized that the 100 or so taels of silver he had saved up were not much, only enough to buy a little over a dozen sets of herbs.
Back home, he took out the three sets of herbs he had bought for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction and placed them all into the medicine cauldron to simmer. He needed to test the medicinal strength first. If one decoction was weaker than the usual ones, then it was not worth the cost.
Lin Zheyu boiled it five times in total, extracting every bit of medicinal power from the herbs, not leaving a single drop behind. Soon, the courtyard was filled with a thick medicinal fragrance.
Lin Zheyu took a small sip, and his face immediately wrinkled up as he said, "This stuff is way more bitter than the decoctions I had before!"
Holding his breath, he gulped the entire decoction down in one go. At once, an intense burning heat surged through him.
This medicinal strength is fierce!
Lin Zheyu was shocked. The moment the decoction entered his stomach, he felt the heat spreading. If a few more minutes passed, he guessed that nosebleeds would come spurting out.
He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, sending out a thought. Use three units of Origin Force to enhance the Tortoise Breath Grand Method.
In an instant, mysterious energy surged out, drawing the medicinal power from the decoction to circulate through his entire body. His mind entered a special state, beginning a long session of cultivation, as his comprehension of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method grew deeper and deeper.
Lin Zheyu's body was also undergoing tremendous changes. Although his strength and speed did not increase, his muscles and skin became firmer, and his aura grew more restrained. The greatest transformation occurred within his internal organs. As the Tortoise Breath Grand Method advanced, with the aid of its breathing method, Lin Zheyu's five viscera were further strengthened, carrying him through more than half of the Organ Forging Realm's path.
Hoo.
His breathing grew longer and steadier, and even the beating of his heart slowed. Under the subtle adjustments of the mysterious power, the density of his muscles increased even further. Although his strength had not increased by much, his appearance seemed to have subtly slimmed down.
The aura around Lin Zheyu diminished again and again, becoming smooth, plain, and without sharpness. The sharp edge honed from martial training gradually faded and made him look more like an ordinary scholar with no strength, not even enough to bind a chicken.
A few breaths later.
Hoo...
Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 3]
[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 4%), Golden Goose Technique (First Stage: 39%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 0%)]
I've finally reached the third stage. Even if I now advance my strength to the Blood Qi Realm, Master Liang won't be able to see through my cultivation, thought Lin Zheyu as a faint smile appeared on his face. At last, he could raise his strength without reservation.
After carefully examining his body's state, Lin Zheyu realized that when fully operating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, he appeared no different from a frail scholar who had never trained in martial arts. His skin had become much smoother, and his fists, once rough from martial training, now looked almost as they had before he ever practiced martial arts.
It even has this kind of effect!
Lin Zheyu was utterly astonished.
If he cultivated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to perfection of the third stage, wouldn't his skin become even smoother than a woman's?
After studying the improvements of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method for a while, Lin Zheyu gradually felt his body growing somewhat overheated.
The three decoctions I just drank still have medicinal strength left, and it seems there's quite a lot remaining, thought Lin Zheyu to himself, pleasantly surprised.
The constant waves of heat radiating from his body proved that a great deal of medicinal power still remained, more than a Bone Forging Realm martial artist like him could bear. It was no wonder a set of these herbs cost 10 taels of silver. The money was well spent.