Health Cultivation Technique

Wei Hong's implication.

Wei Tu understood it clearly.

His second aunt meant that he should be careful with his words—she would help with small matters, but not with big ones.

"Nephew has come today to ask Second Aunt to let me learn a few martial arts moves from the Huang Residence's household guards, so I can strengthen my body."

Wei Tu said after a moment's deliberation.

"Practice martial arts? Since ancient times, it's been 'Poverty in Scholarship, Wealth in Martial Arts.' You're already past the right age; training in martial arts will lead nowhere." Wei Hong furrowed her brows.

She had hoped her nephew would ask her for a good position at the Huang Residence, but then she remembered that Wei Tu had already been sold into the Li Residence, so she held back those words.

Having family from her natal home gave her, a married-out daughter, more backing, but unfortunately the Wei family was beyond help and couldn't assist her at all.

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

Wei Tu yielded a little in his words.

Compared to exclusive martial arts, Health Cultivation Techniques were common as dirt among martial masters and not valuable at all.

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

After saying this, Wei Hong had no desire to chat further with Wei Tu in the side room. She cast a sidelong glance at the maidservant, casually made an excuse, and rose to leave.

"Second Aunt, the gift..."

Wei Tu quickly reminded her as she was about to turn and walk out the door.

"Qing He, take the gift." Wei Hong didn't look back. She gave the order to the maidservant and continued walking down the corridor.

It took Wei Tu a moment in the side room to realize that Wei Hong's refusal to take the gift directly when she left was her silently telling him not to come looking for her, his second aunt, again.

Their bond of affection ended here.

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

In the afternoon, a maidservant named "Cui Liu" came to the side room and led Wei Tu to another separate courtyard in the front compound.

Stepping through the courtyard gate, Wei Tu saw on the open ground a burly man with a saber at his waist instructing two young boys in brocade robes.

One of the young masters was thirteen or fourteen, the other only seven or eight.

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

"You're Wei Tu?" Martial Master Ruan glanced at Wei Tu, a flicker of contempt in his eyes, though his words didn't show it.

"Yes, Martial Master Ruan."

Wei Tu clasped his fists and bowed.

Household Guard martial masters were honored guests of wealthy families, not servants.

"Second Mistress asked me to teach you a Health Cultivation Technique. I happen to have the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique I obtained in my youth. Take it."

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

"Memorize the moves of the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique. In seven days, give it to the gatekeeper to return to me..."

He said.

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

He had no intention of teaching Wei Tu anything.

Seeing the disdain in the eyes of Martial Master Ruan and the two young masters of the Huang Family, Wei Tu felt no anger. He thanked them and walked away.

Then, from behind him came the voices of the two brocade-clad young masters.

"Yuan Shan, wasn't that your cousin? Why didn't you greet him?"

"He's not my cousin. Mother never even let me meet him..."

The voices faded. By the time the burning sensation on Wei Tu's face subsided and he lifted his head to look straight ahead, he realized he had already been out of the Huang Residence for a short while.

"With this Golden Finger, I've gained courage and self-respect? No longer numb..."

Wei Tu laughed bitterly at himself.

As early as last night, when he was thinking about going to the Huang Residence to find his second aunt Wei Hong, he had already anticipated that today might play out like this.

But there was no choice. Aside from the Huang Family, where Wei Hong lived, he had no other way to get his hands on a Health Cultivation Technique, let alone martial arts.

Health Cultivation Techniques being common as dirt was only true relative to wealthy sons and martial masters.

Even if he could access them, the price he'd pay would be far greater than these few cold, sarcastic words.

"One step at a time."

"With a Health Cultivation Technique, if I keep at it, I'll eventually rise above others."

Wei Tu hugged the manual tightly against his chest and quickened his pace toward the Li Residence.

He couldn't wait to start cultivating the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique.

Even though a Health Cultivation Technique wasn't as lethal as ordinary martial arts, that didn't mean it had no combat ability at all.

A strong, healthy body was still far better than an ordinary person's.

Moreover, once the Health Cultivation Technique was mastered, cultivating other martial arts would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Back at the Li Residence.

After adding feed to the half-grown black horse, Wei Tu lit the oil lamp in the stable and slipped into the side room where he slept, beginning to study the "Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique" that Martial Master Ruan had handed him.

This Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique was not complicated—it consisted of only seven stance postures, with a total of thirty-two stance diagrams.

Two or three hours later, Wei Tu began to stand in the postures and practice according to the diagrams of the Health Cultivation Technique.

He spread his feet apart, first drawing in his chest and arching his back, sinking his shoulders and dropping his elbows, then firming his abdomen and tucking his hips, controlling each breath he took in and let out.

His movements were stiff and rigid, utterly failing to achieve the "empty above, solid below," "body empty, stance solid," and "interplay of emptiness and solidity" required by the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique's stances.

Yet fortunately, the stances were not complex, and with repeated practice, his movements grew increasingly familiar.

Once.

Twice.

On the thirty-second repetition.

A flicker appeared before Wei Tu's eyes, and a line of text emerged on his Golden Purple Destiny, as if carved into it.

"Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique (1/100): Nine practices daily, completion in five years."

"Five years—that's too long. Five years just to master this one Health Cultivation Technique..."

Wei Tu set aside the surprise of discovering this application of his destiny and his expression turned grim. Though he had long suspected his own aptitude, spending five years just to perfect a basic Health Cultivation Technique still left him unwilling to accept it.

Ordinary people would become proficient in a Health Cultivation Technique within a few months.

How could it possibly take five years?

"Wait—'completion in five years.' The key isn't 'five years,' but the word 'completion'..."

Wei Tu opened the booklet and found a line in the preface of the "Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique."

"Once the Qi Cultivation Technique is complete, qi rises from the meridians, and one may enter the Qi Sensing Realm."

Combined with the Late Bloomer destiny, this meant that while he would take longer to practice the "Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique" than others, he would surely achieve success and generate a sense of qi.

In other words, his practice might not necessarily be inferior—others might appear proficient, but they had not truly reached perfection.

"I just wonder what rank the Qi Sensing Realm holds within the Martial Way..."

Wei Tu sighed.

Limited by his background, his understanding of this world was still far too shallow.

He had only picked up bits and pieces of information through hearsay.

Still, he guessed that this realm must be extraordinary; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so prominently mentioned in the preface of the "Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique."

"Five years is not a long time. When those five years are up, it will be clear whether this Golden Finger and my guess match up."

Wei Tu had the patience to wait.

At this moment, he was only seventeen. In another five years, he would be just twenty-two.