"Take off your clothes."
A Ming took off his clothes.
A Ming lay down on the wooden board.
At this point, Blind Bei turned his head, looked at Ding Hao, and asked, "Do you need to prepare the skin?"
Ding Hao, who was sitting on the chair, asked with some confusion, "What does ’prepare the skin’ mean?"
This group of people is very strange, Ding Hao thought, both in personality and behavior. But right now, he was at their mercy, so he could only try his best to fit in, not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb.
"’Preparing the skin’ means cleaning it and shaving off any unsightly and troublesome hair."
A Ming, lying on the wooden board, silently raised his middle finger at Blind Bei. Up yours!
"Uh... no need, no need." Ding Hao quickly shook his head.
"Oh, no need, huh?" There was a hint of wistfulness in Blind Bei’s tone.
Then, Blind Bei must have sensed the angry "glare" from A Ming on the wooden board beside him. He pressed his hand down slightly and said, "This is for my lord to understand and learn better. We must eliminate all distractions and strive for perfection. Please, understand."
"Indeed. I always believed in your perceptiveness. Alright, Siniang, are the needle and thread ready?"
"Choose a thicker needle, so my lord can see more clearly."
"Alright, Mr. Ding, you can begin your explanation now."
Ding Hao craned his neck forward, wanting to point with his hand, but it was difficult due to his severed tendons.
"No problem, you can just describe it verbally."
Blind Bei opened his palm, and a silver coin from a Western merchant caravan floated up and began to circle A Ming’s body.
"Mr. Bei, are you a magician?" Ding Hao was shocked by this sight.
"Mr. Ding, you can think of it that way. However, the few of us here are all a bit special. You might find it unsettling at first, but rest assured, after a while, you’ll grow numb to it."
"Oh... okay, alright."
"Mr. Ding, can we begin now? Please describe your method of refining the body and circulating energy once more. We’ll make notations here."
"Alright, I’ll only speak about the aspects I understand."
That’s for the best, Blind Bei thought. After all, you’re replaceable. Once you’ve taught us what you know, and after my lord has entered the ranks, with everyone benefiting from the rising tide, we can happily go to Goat Village and catch the next goat.
"The first step for a martial cultivator is to refine the body. As a child, one starts with basic training."
Hearing this, Siniang seemed somewhat disheartened and said, "So, there’s no hope for my lord, is there?"
Not to mention that my lord is already so old, just think how many years it would take to temper the bones and muscles from childhood?
"No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Childhood is mainly for laying a foundation. We don’t encourage overly strenuous cultivation then because a child’s bones haven’t fully developed. It’s fine to practice basic stances, but forcefully starting intensive cultivation at that age, unless one is an exceptional disciple from a great clan with access to abundant heavenly materials and earthly treasures for supplementation, is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs for most martial cultivators."
Blind Bei cautioned Siniang, "Did you hear what the teacher said? Listen carefully and don’t interrupt."
"I understand," Siniang replied, curtsying perfunctorily.
"The foundation of a human being lies in Qi and blood. For the nine ranks of a Martial Cultivator, entering the ranks means refining out this Qi and blood. Each lineage has its own martial cultivation methods, and ways of circulating energy also vary greatly. What I will describe next is the method of my lineage. First, Qi gathers in the ’Empty Valley’."
"The ’Empty Valley,’ is it here? Or here?" The other party’s terminology differed from the acupoints of traditional Chinese medicine in Blind Bei’s world, so Blind Bei could only use the silver coin to test different locations.
"A bit higher. Yes, right there, that’s it."
"Oh, here." The ’Empty Valley’ was located slightly above the navel.
Controlled by Blind Bei’s mental force, the silver coin landed there.
Siniang picked up a threaded needle and plunged it directly into A Ming’s body at that spot.
"Do you feel anything?" Blind Bei asked A Ming.
"What do you want me to feel?" A Ming retorted.
"Is there a slight... warm sensation?"
"Oh, apologies, I forgot." Then, Blind Bei "looked" at Ding Hao again and said, "Sir, what’s next?"
"Well... well, Mr. Bei, we could draw a diagram, there’s no need to do this..."
Such a large silver needle, thrust directly in, as if they were using a human body like embroidery fabric. Even Ding Hao, who had weathered many storms, felt his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. It’s like how even a brave police officer might fear a toothache. Yet, this man lying on the wooden board seemed completely unfazed, letting them do as they pleased.
"It’s fine. A diagram isn’t three-dimensional enough. Using a model would be time-consuming, and besides, there’s no better reference specimen than a living human body. Please continue."
"Oh, alright. After Qi is gathered in the ’Empty Valley,’ it divides into five paths, heading towards the four limbs and the head, entering Left Seclusion, Right Seclusion, Left Sink, Right Sink, and the Divine Platform."
"Here? Then here, and after that, here?"
"Yes, those are the five acupoints."
"Hmm, I see. Siniang, proceed."
Five more needle pricks appeared on A Ming’s body.
As Siniang embroidered near A Ming’s glabella, A Ming looked at her and reminded, "If my brain gets damaged, I’ll die. You can do as you please with the other parts, but the head is very delicate."
"Alright, I know what I’m doing." Siniang was clearly displeased that A Ming doubted her skills.
Ding Hao had already grown somewhat numb to seeing embroidery done on a living person. After Siniang finished, and before Blind Bei could ask again, Ding Hao proactively began to explain, "Next, the Qi and blood flow back, into the heart and lungs!"
Hearing this, Blind Bei signaled Siniang to continue embroidering the pathway diagram while asking, "So, this involves gathering all the Qi and blood within the body and then stimulating the functions of the heart and lungs? After this stimulation, the remaining Qi will then naturally gather back in the ’Empty Valley’ and be redistributed to begin a new cycle?"
Ding Hao considered Blind Bei’s words and nodded. "Yes."
Blind Bei pushed up the non-existent glasses on his face and continued his analysis, "This is a method of concentrating the body’s power, using the heart and lungs as an accelerator, and then further increasing the speed. Through repetition, all the body’s functions can be exponentially accelerated and enhanced. Is that what you mean, Mr. Ding?"
"Err... while I’m not sure what this ’accelerator’ you speak of is, Mr. Bei, it feels like what you’re saying is correct."
"Hmm, that makes sense then. Those martial cultivators who glow, that’s a manifestation of accelerated Qi and blood. What determines this glow? Is it based on their power attribute?"
"It varies from person to person, but the colors are differentiated based on the Five Elements and several other power characteristics."
"I see. So, for those whose glow disappears after a brief moment, their acceleration is likely short-lived and cannot be sustained. In contrast, those who can maintain a glowing state throughout a battle have fused their Qi and blood cycle into a dynamic equilibrium. As long as their Qi and blood are not depleted, they can keep the cycle going."
"Yes. Generally speaking, being able to emit light signifies that one has touched the threshold of the Martial Cultivator realm. In some minor clans, one could even serve as an Imperial Censorate Officer. In the military, one could become a minor leader. A true Ninth Rank Martial Cultivator, much like a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations, is considered to have truly made their mark, a prominent figure in the local area. When I joined the military, I studied martial arts for five years and reached the Half-step Ninth Rank. Another ten years later, I finally broke through to the Ninth Rank Martial Cultivator realm, a speed of progress already considered miraculous in the military!"
Whenever people spoke of their past glories, their faces would always light up with a radiant glow of reminiscence.
Blind Bei, however, couldn’t be bothered to indulge Ding Hao’s boasting. Instead, he patted A Ming’s shoulder and said, "Come on, give it a try. After all, the routes for circulating Qi are already embroidered on you. Just follow the diagram."
A Ming frowned slightly and said, "I still don’t understand what the ’Qi’ in ’Qi and blood’ means."
Blind Bei casually replied, "When you encounter an unfamiliar character, you often guess its pronunciation by looking at a familiar component, and you’re usually not far off. You might not understand ’Qi,’ but you can control blood. So, just control your blood and make it flow. If the blood flows fast enough, it should generate ’wind,’ and that’s essentially ’Qi.’"
"What you say is so reasonable, I can’t even refute it."
"You can’t just try it recklessly!" Ding Hao interjected. "You have to proceed cautiously, starting by gathering your Qi, then gradually distributing it. Martial cultivation must be approached step by step. First, you need to properly temper your body and build a strong physique. Only then can you circulate Qi to minimize the risks. You can’t rush it and expect to get fat from one bite... How... how is this possible!"
Ding Hao’s words caught in his throat because he saw that A Ming, lying on the wooden board, was now emitting a red glow from his body!
"This... this... this..."
Ding Hao’s mouth fell wide open. This military man, who had experienced so much, had never been as flustered as he was now. Everything he had encountered before had been within his realm of understanding. But the scene before him now completely overturned that understanding.
He had just lain on the bed and had some embroidery done on him, and now, immediately... he... he...
"Is this... Half-step Ninth Rank already?"
A Ming looked at the stunned Ding Hao with a smile, raised his hand, shook his wrist casually, and said, "Quite simple, wasn’t it?"