Horizontal and Vertical Splits

"Oh, oh."

Lu Ming hadn't expected that this old man, who looked like he was on his last legs, was actually a hidden master.

But he quickly came to terms with it; in Shuofeng City, even a peddler going door-to-door wasn't an ordinary person.

Otherwise, how could one explain that he could walk as fast as flying through the dense crowds while carrying over a hundred pounds of goods?

"I didn't expect you to be so skilled, Uncle Zhao."

Lu Ming approached, carrying the water bucket.

"I'm old."

Old Man Zhao didn't say much more, pouring the water he held into Lu Ming's bucket.

"Thank you, old man."

Lu Ming said thankfully. Old Man Zhao waved his hand, "Alright, hurry back and get back to cleaning."

Lu Ming didn't stand on ceremony. He grunted and, carrying the full bucket of water, walked back with great effort.

He found that a bucket of water was much heavier than a bag of rice. It was very strenuous to walk while carrying it, but he believed that if it were a bucket of money, no matter how heavy, he could walk as fast as flying while carrying it.

"An interesting little fellow."

Watching Lu Ming's retreating back, Old Man Zhao chuckled and stroked his beard, then continued to draw water.

Lu Ming returned to the courtyard and began cleaning the kitchen. First, it was the pots, bowls, and plates, then the stove, table, and chairs.

He was busy for several hours, fetching water several more times, before he finally finished cleaning.

Now he was so hungry his back was against his stomach. Looking at the clean kitchen, he hurried to scoop a bowl of rice. He planned to cook a pot of meat congee with the cheap meat bones he bought from the butcher stall.

There were also some ready-made firewood stacked behind the stove, which saved him a lot of trouble.

After quickly starting a fire, Lu Ming first boiled the meat bones, giving them a simple blanch, then went to wash the rice. Once the rice was washed, the meat bones were blanched. He took them out, and then it was time to cook the congee.

When it was almost done, Lu Ming finally put in the blanched meat bones, followed by some salt.

Soon, the aroma filled the air.

"It's finally ready."

While the congee was cooking, Lu Ming went to tidy up the room. Smelling the aroma, he hurried back.

Impatiently, he scooped a large bowl full and began to eat heartily.

It was very hot, but he couldn't stand his hunger. It didn't take long for him to finish the bowl of congee.

Then, he scooped another bowl, this time with the meat bones.

He didn't drink it quickly this time. Instead, he went to the doorway, sat on the threshold, and slowly savored it while watching the sunset outside.

The day passed by so quickly.

"The little fellow is gnawing on bones?"

Suddenly, a voice called out. It was Old Man Zhao, walking over with his hands behind his back.

Lu Ming quickly got up and replied, "Yes, Uncle Zhao, have you eaten?"

"I have. I just came out for a stroll to aid digestion. You continue eating."

Walking past the fence, Old Man Zhao waved his hand and disappeared around the corner of the right wing room in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Lu Ming sat back down and continued to eat his congee and gnaw on the bones until he was full, then stopped with lingering satisfaction.

Seeing that it was dark outside, he washed up briefly and then eagerly got into bed.

He planned to continue practicing his cultivation.

Accompanied by the chirping of insects outside, he soon entered a state of meditation again.

After a short while, he felt the familiar sensation in his abdomen again.

He could clearly feel streams of energy being generated continuously.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Ming was forced to exit his cultivation state again due to hunger. Fortunately, he was prepared and had saved a bowl of meat congee.

"The congee hasn't completely cooled down yet. It seems I haven't been cultivating for long."

Lu Ming felt the temperature of the congee and shook his head helplessly.

Based on this rate of consumption, his bag of rice wouldn't last him the estimated month he had predicted.

However, he felt he could still hold on. As long as he could cultivate the Heavenly Saber Art to a certain level, he could leave the city to hunt Demonic Beasts, and then his life would improve.

After hastily finishing the meat congee, Lu Ming got back into bed and began to check the results of his cultivation this time.

After a thorough check, he found that although the training time was still short, his inner energy had grown significantly, about three times what it was before.

Moreover, he could now control it simply. As his inner energy moved, he instantly felt filled with strength.

"This inner energy is truly wondrous. I'll stop here for today."

Lu Ming didn't continue cultivating. His body was still weak, and he couldn't rush things.

So after testing it out, he went directly to sleep.

The next day, Lu Ming woke up early. After a simple wash, he started a fire and cooked the porridge. Then, while it was cooking, he went into the courtyard.

He planned to do some recovery training from his previous life, like calisthenics.

As for saber techniques, he wasn't in a hurry to practice them.

After all, his current body hadn't recovered to normal levels yet, making strenuous exercise unsuitable.

He decided to rest for a while longer.

Just like that, three days quickly passed.

During these three days, Lu Ming's activities were limited to cultivating inner energy and doing calisthenics.

Thanks to the exercise, along with ample food and sleep, the sallow complexion on his face finally faded, replaced by a hint of color.

Although he still hadn't reached a normal person's level, he could now handle a bit more physical exertion.

After careful consideration, Lu Ming decided to practice the Baji Quan he had learned in his previous life.

He had practiced this set of boxing techniques daily since he learned it, persisting for over a decade, and had it memorized by heart.

It was perfect for exercising his body right now.

"Yo, the little brat isn't jumping around anymore and is practicing boxing instead."

Just as Lu Ming struck his starting pose, Old Man Zhao appeared. He was already accustomed to the old man who wandered around morning and evening, and simply replied:

"It's a family heirloom, Foundation Establishment boxing, used to train the physique."

"Oh? You don't mind an old man taking a look, do you?"

Old Man Zhao stopped, looking quite interested.

"Then I shall make a fool of myself."

Lu Ming didn't mind. Baji Quan was just an ordinary set of boxing techniques. Compared to the martial arts of this world, it didn't even have an energy circulation route, so he wasn't afraid of anyone coveting it.

Besides, even if he didn't want him to watch, the fence wouldn't stop him.

"It's fine, you just practice your own thing."

Old Man Zhao waved his hand.

Lu Ming didn't delay and began to practice his boxing.

"Gathering the spirit and regulating the breath, the Wuji stance; stepping forward with a hammer strike that shakes the heavens. Two sheep elbowing, unknown to men; hands clasped together in a fist salute. Stretching into an invincible hard-skill stance, drawing the bow, scooping the top, and the cannon in the pocket."

He was very familiar with every move, but as he performed them, they were shaky and uneven.

This was because his current body was very stiff, and he couldn't execute some movements properly. For example, with a step forward, he couldn't spread his legs fully.

After performing a few more moves, he found he couldn't continue and stopped.

"Why did you stop?"

Old Man Zhao asked with a smile.

Lu Ming explained helplessly, "My body is too stiff. I plan to stretch my muscles and bones first."

"Good idea, and the boxing is decent too, taking a fierce and powerful approach. However, it appears to be an external martial art without an energy circulation route," Old Man Zhao stroked his beard as he commented.

Lu Ming wasn't surprised that the other party could tell. Just as he was about to speak, he heard him continue:

"But remember, stretching muscles and bones can easily injure the body, and you don't have any Spiritual Medicine to aid recovery. Don't overdo it."

Lu Ming had of course considered this, but he still thanked him, "Thank you for the reminder, old man. I'll keep it in mind."

"Alright, then you practice slowly."

Old Man Zhao didn't linger any longer and soon ambled around the corner.

Seeing this, Lu Ming began to execute his plan and stretch his muscles and bones.

Martial arts require practice, and the foundation of practice lies in the waist. A stable waist depends on the lower body, which means the legs.

This was what the master who taught him Baji Quan had told him.

Therefore, he intended to start by opening his hips, at least to the point of achieving splits, both horizontally and vertically.

This would significantly improve his flexibility.

This wouldn't cause excessive harm to his body. After all, he had tried it in his previous life. Although it felt like tearing for a moment, it would gradually recover naturally.

Now that he was penniless, this was the only way.

So, Lu Ming began to grit his teeth.