Reborn

Upon asking, they learned that Zhao Datou had arrived.

According to the rules, outsiders were not allowed into the training field, so Meng Yuan and Tie Niu quickly left the field and met Zhao Datou at the entrance.

Zhao Datou's face showed signs of hardship, but he couldn't hide his joy. He carried two bundles on his back.

"Tie Niu! Little Meng!" Zhao Datou was overjoyed. He grabbed Tie Niu's waist and lifted him up. "You've really gotten strong. If you went to shovel cow dung, you wouldn't get tired all day! Why are you wearing such thin clothes?"

"Dad, we're practicing martial arts, we're not afraid of the cold!" Tie Niu was also happy.

"Uncle Datou, why are you here?" Meng Yuan asked.

"I haven't heard from you two, and I've been worried sick. Old Man Jiang has also been concerned. I originally came on New Year's Eve, but they wouldn't let me see you. They told me to come back after the New Year. I had some free time today, so I came to see you, but they still wouldn't let me. A little girl saw me and specifically led me here!" Zhao Datou said.

Meng Yuan knew that the little girl was probably Hu Qian.

"How are Old Man Jiang and Jiang Yatou?" Meng Yuan asked with concern.

"They're all good." Zhao Datou was very happy. He pulled Meng Yuan to the corner and whispered, "Did the yellow fur come looking for you?"

"No." Meng Yuan smiled.

Zhao Datou didn't believe him and looked at Tie Niu. Seeing that Tie Niu also said no, he finally believed it.

"You have to be careful. You're young and practicing martial arts, full of vigor. Demons like to prey on people with strong yang energy like you." Zhao Datou was very serious. "I thought about it when I got back. Yellow fur is afraid of dogs. You should get some dog poop and smear it on your hands."

"..." Meng Yuan knew that Zhao Datou meant well and that he couldn't explain it to him, so he didn't object and just agreed.

Zhao Datou took off the bundles on his back, one for Tie Niu and one for Meng Yuan. "This is from Jiang Yatou for you!"

Meng Yuan took it and squeezed it, knowing there were shoes inside. He opened it and saw two pairs of shoes.

The shoe uppers were neat, and the soles were tightly stitched, clearly made with care.

There was also a middle garment.

The so-called middle garment was actually the inner clothing worn next to the skin.

Poor families used hemp cloth to make them. Although a bit rough, they were strong, durable, and cheap. Of course, cotton cloth was better, soft, comfortable, and absorbent, but a bit more expensive.

This middle garment was made of cotton cloth.

"Why is it made of cotton cloth? Does the family still have money?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Old Man Jiang gave a gift to Manor Head Li about the martial arts training, and the money was returned." Zhao Datou saw Tie Niu wanting to touch the middle garment, so he quickly slapped his hand and said to Meng Yuan, "The little girl said you were making a living in the city and needed to be presentable, so she asked me to buy cloth at the town market. She stayed up several nights to make it for you. She originally wanted to give it to you on New Year's Eve, but it was delayed until now."

The middle garment was worn underneath, so others couldn't see if it was presentable or not, but Meng Yuan could feel the little girl's thoughtfulness.

He tied up the bundle, held it in his arms, and didn't say much more.

Zhao Datou then pulled Tie Niu aside and asked in detail about his recent life. After learning that they ate beef for lunch, Zhao Datou even made Tie Niu kneel and kowtow several times towards the Royal Residence.

"I have to go, it'll be dark if I leave any later." Zhao Datou talked for a while. When it was time to part, he looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "Do you have anything you want to tell your little wife?"

"Tell her to wait patiently. Practice the characters I taught her at night and don't do any needlework. In a few days, I will definitely bring her to the city." Meng Yuan said.

"Dad, I'll bring you to the city too!" Tie Niu added.

"Okay, I understand!" Zhao Datou agreed. Seeing Tie Niu's eyes red, he patted Tie Niu's shoulder and said seriously, "Little Meng doesn't have to worry about marriage. Didn't you say there are girls practicing martial arts with you? Pay attention."

He looked at Meng Yuan again and instructed, "Little Meng, keep an eye out for Tie Niu. If there's an honest and capable girl, we don't care about looks, you can help him out."

"Okay." Meng Yuan agreed with a smile.

After seeing off Zhao Datou, Meng Yuan and Tie Niu returned to the training field. They wanted to thank Hu Qian, but they couldn't find her.

They returned to the dormitory, but there was no one there either.

Meng Yuan carried two large buckets of water back to the men's dormitory and then had Tie Niu stand guard outside, stopping anyone who entered.

The Essence Flame was already complete. Meng Yuan stroked the middle garment, knowing he couldn't wait any longer.

He focused his mind and saw a large ball of flame, dark red in color.

"Come forth, fire." With a thought, the flame burst out.

For a moment, Meng Yuan felt a fierce fire burning his body from the outside in, as if his flesh, bones, limbs, and internal organs were all being scorched.

The flames surged and roared within his body, but many places inside were like blocked waterways. This Essence Flame circulated within his body for a long time, impacting the blocked areas.

After a few breaths, the Essence Flame receded like a tide. It didn't break through any of the blocked areas, but Meng Yuan could vaguely feel that those blocked areas had loosened.

He opened his eyes and felt his vision brighten. He could see even the smallest details from over ten feet away.

Looking at his body again, it was sticky and wet, clinging to his clothes, with a foul smell.

But his body felt as if it had been washed clean. His muscles and bones seemed stronger, and he felt as light as a swallow.

At this moment, Meng Yuan was confident he could lift a three-hundred-pound stone roller.

Thinking of the Essence Flame, only a small amount the size of a soybean remained.

He took off his clothes, washed away the dirt on his body, and at the same time thought about the effects of the complete Essence Flame.

Undoubtedly, after being washed by the Essence Flame, one feels reborn and cleansed of marrow. The body and limbs become light, and strength and reaction speed are greatly increased, which is of great benefit to martial arts training.

This was the superficial effect of the Essence Flame. Another effect was impacting the blocked areas within the body.

Although this time the Essence Flame did not break through the blocked areas, it had already loosened them.

"Master Nie said today that practicing the Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art helps with opening acupoints. Could those blocked areas be the unopened acupoints?"

Meng Yuan knew too little about the path of martial arts and lacked relevant knowledge, so he really couldn't judge.

"Also, the Essence Flame, after being absorbed by me, is now the size of a soybean again. I wonder if it will take more time to cultivate it to perfection? Do I need to eat better?"

Meng Yuan washed his hair with soapberry, quickly washed away the dirt from his body, and then rinsed with clean water. His skin was delicate, smooth, and resilient.

Seeing that there was no strange smell on his body, Meng Yuan didn't put on clothes and practiced a set of Horse Stance Punches in the male dormitory to soothe his blood and qi.

Then he practiced the Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art, clearing his mind of distractions, calming his heart and qi, relaxing his breathing, and imagining a large river that was blocked.

After a while, Meng Yuan felt his flesh, organs, tendons, and bones vibrate. For a moment, it was as if countless water channels were flowing within his body, but most were blocked and obstructed.

Suddenly, the large river he was imagining broke through the blockage, and Meng Yuan felt a surge of blood and qi rush straight to the top of his head.

This feeling was extremely strange, as if his body had opened some kind of vital point. Then his ears couldn't hear external sounds, as if he were deaf; his eyes couldn't see people, as if he were blind. Even his nose couldn't smell anything.

Soon, Meng Yuan returned to normal, feeling refreshed all over and clear in his mind.

His vision restored, he looked out the window and saw three magpies chasing each other above the training field. One of them had colorful feathers on its neck.

His hearing was sharp, and he could clearly distinguish the calls of the three magpies.

His nose twitched slightly, and a faint smell of blood drifted in with the north wind. Meng Yuan focused his gaze and saw a female student by the well, lowering her head to draw water, looking very shy.

His sense of smell, sight, and hearing were far superior to ordinary people.

"Is this opening acupoints? How many need to be opened?" Meng Yuan murmured.

After thinking for a while, Meng Yuan remembered that he was still naked, so he quickly put on the inner garment and cloth shoes made by Jiang Tang.

"New clothes are not as good as old ones, and new people are not as good as old friends. If this girl keeps this up, I'll really be tied down by her!"

He tied up his hair, put on his clothes, and stretched his body. Meng Yuan felt that the new clothes fit well and were comfortable.

He wanted to look in the mirror, but there wasn't even a mirror. He was doing worse than that little weasel.

When he went out, Tie Niu was greatly surprised, "Brother, why do you look like a different person after taking a bath?"

"What's different?" Meng Yuan asked.

Tie Niu looked carefully again and said, "Your face is whiter, and your eyes are very bright."

"I could clearly rely on my beauty to be a male concubine, but I still chose the most difficult path of a martial artist!"

With a sigh, Meng Yuan went to pour out the dirty water and drew water to wash his dirty clothes.