Health Cultivation Technique

Wei Hong's unspoken meaning.

Wei Tu understood.

What his Second Aunt meant was that he should watch his words carefully. She would help with small matters, but not with big ones.

"Your nephew came this time to ask Second Aunt to let me learn a few martial arts moves from the Huang Residence's guards, so I can keep my body healthy."

Wei Tu pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Practice martial arts? Since ancient times, studying literature has been cheap, while learning martial arts has been expensive. You are already too old; martial arts will lead nowhere for you." Wei Hong frowned.

She had hoped that her nephew would ask her to help him secure a good position at the Huang Residence. But after thinking it over, Wei Tu had already sold himself into service at the Li Residence, so she could not bring herself to say it.

Only with family from her maiden home did an outwardly married daughter have a firm footing, but unfortunately, the Wei Family was mud that could not be plastered onto a wall and could not offer her the slightest help.

"Learning a Health Cultivation Technique to strengthen the body would still be good."

Wei Tu softened his request somewhat.

Compared to exclusive martial arts, Health Cultivation Techniques were commonplace among martial masters and were hardly precious.

"Since you insist, I will put in a word with Martial Master Ruan and have him teach you a few moves." Seeing Wei Tu's stubbornness, Wei Hong sighed and agreed.

After saying that, Wei Hong no longer had any desire to chat with Wei Tu in the side room. She cast the maid a sidelong glance, casually found an excuse, then rose to leave.

"Second Aunt, this gift..."

Seeing Wei Hong about to turn and walk out the door, Wei Tu hurriedly reminded her.

"Qing He, take the gift." Without turning back, Wei Hong gave the maid an order and continued toward the corridor.

Only after a while did Wei Tu, still in the side room, understand. By not taking the gift directly when she left, Wei Hong had secretly told him not to come looking for his Second Aunt again.

Their bond ended here.

"Second Mistress has already spoken to Martial Master Ruan. Young Master Wei, please come this way."

That afternoon, the maid named Cui Liu came to the side room and led Wei Tu to another courtyard in the front compound.

The moment he entered through the courtyard gates, Wei Tu saw a burly man with a saber at his waist teaching two young masters dressed in brocade in the open space.

Of the two young masters, one was thirteen or fourteen, while the other was only seven or eight.

He thought to himself that this burly man must be the Martial Master Ruan Wei Hong had mentioned.

"You are Wei Tu?" Martial Master Ruan glanced at Wei Tu, a flicker of contempt passing through his eyes, though none showed in his words.

"Yes, Martial Master Ruan."

Wei Tu clasped his fists and bowed.

A guard martial master was an honored guest in a wealthy household, not the same sort as servants.

"The second madam asked me to teach you a Health Cultivation Technique. I happen to have a Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique that I obtained in my younger days. Keep it safe."

Martial Master Ruan took a yellowed illustrated manual from his sleeve and tossed it to Wei Tu.

"Memorize the moves of this Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique. In seven days, hand it to the gatekeeper and have it returned to me..."

he said.

After speaking, Martial Master Ruan waved his hand, signaling Wei Tu to leave.

He had no intention whatsoever of personally teaching Wei Tu.

Seeing the disdainful looks from Martial Master Ruan and the two young masters of the Huang Family, Wei Tu did not grow angry. He offered his thanks and strode away.

At that moment, the conversation of the two brocade-clad young masters drifted over from behind him.

"Yuan Shan, was that your cousin just now? Why didn't you greet him?"

"He isn't my cousin. My mother has never even let me meet him..."

The trailing voices gradually faded. By the time the burning heat on Wei Tu's face subsided and he lifted his head, straightened his back, and stared ahead, he suddenly realized that he had already left the Huang Residence some distance behind.

"Was it because I had this Golden Finger that courage rose in my chest, that I gained self-respect? That I was no longer numb..."

Wei Tu laughed at himself.

As early as last night, when he had considered going to the Huang Residence to seek out his Second Aunt Wei Hong, he had already expected that something like this might happen today.

But there was no other way. Apart from the Huang Family, where Wei Hong lived, he could scarcely gain access to Health Cultivation Techniques anywhere else, much less martial arts.

Health Cultivation Techniques being commonplace was only relative to the sons of wealthy families and martial masters.

Even if he could gain access to one, the price he would have to pay would be far greater than these few barbed remarks.

"One step at a time."

"With a Health Cultivation Technique, if I persist, I will sooner or later become someone above others."

Wei Tu clutched the illustrated manual to his chest, quickened his pace, and headed toward the Li Residence.

He could hardly wait to cultivate this Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique.

Though Health Cultivation Techniques were not as lethal as ordinary martial arts, that did not mean they possessed no fighting ability at all.

A strong and sturdy body was always more formidable than that of an ordinary person.

Moreover, after achieving success in a Health Cultivation Technique, cultivating other martial arts alongside it would yield twice the result with half the effort.

After returning to the Li Residence,

Wei Tu added feed to the half-grown black horse, then picked up the stable's oil lamp and hid himself in the side room where he slept, beginning to study the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique manual Martial Master Ruan had given him.

This Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique was not complicated. It contained only seven Stance Training forms, with thirty-two illustrations in total.

Two or three hours later, Wei Tu began following the illustrations of the Health Cultivation Technique, standing in stance and practicing.

He spread his feet apart, first hollowing his chest and straightening his back, sinking his shoulders and dropping his elbows. Then he filled his abdomen and tucked his hips, controlling every inhale and exhale.

His movements were extremely stiff. He could not achieve the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique's Stance Training principles of "empty above, solid below," "the body empty, the stance solid," and "emptiness and solidity giving birth to each other."

Fortunately, this Stance Training was not complicated. Through repeated practice, his movements gradually became more familiar.

Once.

Twice.

On the thirty-second repetition.

Wei Tu's vision flickered, and a line of writing appeared upon his Golden Purple Destiny, as though it had been engraved there.

"Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique (1/100): Practice nine times a day; mastery in five years."

"Five years... That is far too long. It will take me five years to cultivate this basic Health Cultivation Technique to great mastery..."

Wei Tu did not even have time to rejoice at discovering the use of this destiny. His expression darkened instead. Though he had long suspected the limits of his talent, needing five years to master even a basic Health Cultivation Technique still left him unwilling to accept it.

Ordinary people needed only a few months to become proficient in a Health Cultivation Technique.

Who would need as long as five years?

"Wait. 'Mastery in five years'—the important thing is not the five years, but the word 'mastery'..."

Wei Tu opened the manual and saw a sentence in the preface to the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique.

Once the Qi Cultivation Technique reached mastery, qi would arise from the meridians, allowing one to enter the Qi Sensing Realm.

Combined with the Late Bloomer destiny, this meant that although he would spend longer than others cultivating the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique, he would certainly achieve success and develop qi sense.

Or rather, what he cultivated might not necessarily be inferior to others'—it was only that others seemed proficient, while they had not truly reached great mastery.

"I only wonder what level this Qi Sensing Realm is within the Martial Way..."

Wei Tu sighed.

Limited by his background, he still knew far too little about this world.

He had only heard scattered bits of information through hearsay.

Still, he guessed that this realm must be extraordinary. Otherwise, it would not have been specifically emphasized in the preface to the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique.

"Five years is not long. Once five years have passed, whether this Golden Finger matches my guess will be as clear as day."

Wei Tu had the patience to wait.

At this moment, he was only seventeen. Five years from now, he would still be merely twenty-two.