The Eunuch's Marvelous Skill, "Spring Return Skill"

Lin Xiaosu's father was working as a security guard in Shengcheng, and his mother had gone to his maternal grandmother's house to help with his cousin's wedding. No one was home. It was just a book anyway, and she'd bring it to him tomorrow…

A martial artist traveling far to Shengcheng to be a security guard.

From this, one could see how decadent ancient martial arts had become in modern society.

However, Lin Xiaosu's heart was filled with anticipation: "Not today?"

"Look at you, so eager… I have to pour some cold water on you first. That senior disciple back then spent five whole years and couldn't achieve anything, which was actually very normal. I spent thirteen years before I could even step through that threshold. I just hope you won't call me a liar after you practice!"

"If I call you a liar, you should kick me a hundred feet away. Getting hit by that transcendent kick would be more convincing than anything! Hey, speaking of which, your dad is too rigid. Didn't people question him? Why didn't he just deal with that person by force? Let them personally experience the lethality of ancient martial arts; that's what we call facts speaking louder than words…"

A faint smile touched Miao Ruolan's lips. "Get on the bike. I'll tell you on the way…"

Hopping on the electric scooter and taking Lin Xiaosu with her, they headed home along the mountain road to the west of the county town. The mountain west of the county town was called Dangjiashan, and along with Tashan, it was the two guardian mountains of the county town.

Originally, Dangjiashan held a higher status in the hearts of the county town residents than Tashan because Dangjiashan was closer to the city center. However, the county town expanded southward, not westward, and the city center also shifted south. As a result, Tashan became a secluded paradise in the development center, while Dangjiashan remained in its original state.

A light breeze brushed past their ears as Miao Ruolan's voice carried over, explaining the cultivation technique.

This "Spring Return Skill" was very special, unlike the cultivation techniques passed down in other ancient martial arts families.

What was the biggest difference?

It was that its initial purpose wasn't a martial arts classic, but a technique for "healing illness and mending deficiencies."

Its founder was a eunuch.

He had everything, except for his root.

This was his greatest regret. He had served people for half his life, building a foundation sufficient for dozens of generations of his descendants to squander and live in leisure, but he had no root, no descendants to inherit it.

An ordinary person would probably just leave it as a regret and end it there, but this eunuch had a tenacious will. Once he set his mind on something, he had to accomplish it. He wanted to create a method to mend deficiencies through various imperial palace texts. He wanted his descendants' roots to grow back. He wanted to continue his glory. This eunuch's surname was Miao, and his name was Miao Renjie.

From this name alone, one could tell what kind of person he was. Even though he lacked his root, he still wanted to be a man of distinction!

Lin Xiaosu listened to the words carried by the wind, his heart churning like waves.

Lacking the root for descendants, he created the "Spring Return Skill"? Damn! You could play it like that?

Wait, this eunuch's surname was Miao…

No way? Your Miao family are descendants of that eunuch?

Did he really succeed?

Miao Ruolan rode the bike, navigating through hills and valleys, recounting this legend…

This legendary figure, Miao Renjie, truly succeeded in creating the "Spring Return Skill," and he successfully grew his root, thus continuing his foundation, his legend, and this unique family heirloom.

The Spring Return Skill, starting from a special point, generated True Qi of Spring Return. Wherever the True Qi reached, it strengthened the body's capabilities.

From this aspect, it was no different from other ancient martial arts.

Where was the difference?

It lay in its infinite plasticity.

What kind of plasticity?

The human body had two main meridians, twelve regular meridians, and eight extraordinary meridians. These were just conventional meridians; in reality, there were countless subtle meridians. The way these subtle meridians were unblocked and combined created different "Qi domains." Theoretically, the combination methods were infinite…

No one could find all the combinations, but everyone could freely choose a certain combination.

If the heart was weak, a specific pathway could be designed to protect the heart.

If the kidneys were failing, a specific pathway could be designed to protect the kidneys.

If the hands lacked strength, a specific pathway could be designed to strengthen the arm's power.

If the legs were weak, a pathway could be guided, allowing a cripple to walk as fast as a flying person.

If the brain was weak… If the brain was weak, forget it. A fool probably couldn't design a complex pathway to protect their own brain…

In summary, the Spring Return Skill was actually the art of medicine, not the art of martial arts.

And the patient was oneself!

It was very miraculous, and very awkward, wasn't it?

To call it miraculous?

Its effects were truly miraculous; it could even regrow a severed root. How incredible was that?

But so what?

It took you over ten years to get started, and you spent your entire life cultivating yourself into a super doctor. For your entire life, you could only treat one patient, and that patient was yourself!

Who was this applicable to?

It was probably only applicable to people like Miao Renjie.

What were the characteristics of such people? They had great perseverance, a great foundation, and a great illness. This illness also couldn't be too severe—if it was too severe, they wouldn't have enough time, and they'd die before the skill was mastered…

With so many characteristics gathered, the target audience was too niche, and the cultivation technique became a niche technique, leading to a situation where, in modern society, the technique had reached a point where it "needed to be put online."

If Miao Renjie, who created this cultivation technique back then, knew about this, he would probably rise from his grave…

The electric scooter sped along the mountain road. Miao Ruolan's face was flushed, and even though the mountain breeze in early May was quite chilly, it couldn't dispel the blush on her face.

There were many reasons…

Perhaps the most important one was her unique nature.

She was plain-looking; if she were left on the street overnight, her parents would probably only worry if she'd go hungry.

She had a quiet personality, more accustomed to distancing herself in crowds.

Therefore, she had never been this close to a man before.

Even more unnerving, she was talking about the root of descendants.

This topic was unavoidable.

She swore on her preserved purity that she had used the most euphemistic "Spring and Autumn Annals" style of language…

Fortunately, Huashi Bridge arrived.

Miao Ruolan practically leaped off the tram, breathing in the cool mountain air, and slowly turned back, "This is my home!"

"It's nice! Better than mine!" Lin Xiaosu looked around.

A small bridge, flowing water, green grass pond, a clean and tidy village, small buildings built by the pond, a few large trees at the village entrance, and a newly built bus stop. The bus service had been connected, which was the county town's biggest benefit to this suburban village.

There weren't many houses in the village, but compared to other villages in the countryside that were "heading towards death," it was clearly considered populous.

"Let's go inside!"

Lin Xiaosu entered the house. Inside, it was also a standard rural cottage, with a cement floor, a large wooden table, and exposed wires on the white walls. However, the backyard offered some novelty.

The backyard was large, with a dirt floor, backed by a high bank. Behind the bank was a bamboo forest. To the right stood a tall crape myrtle tree, its lush branches forming a right screen for the backyard.

To the left was a stone. The surface of the stone wasn't natural; it was inlaid with many pebbles, forming a flower pattern, adding a touch of elegance to the rustic backyard.

Beneath the crape myrtle tree, a pile of scattered pebbles was laid out on the dirt ground, with a small table and a lounge chair beside it. It was quite pleasant to think that sitting in this lounge chair during summer would surely be cool.

"Sit down, I'll go boil some water. I didn't boil any when I left this morning," Miao Ruolan said.

"Okay!"

Lin Xiaosu sat down on the lounge chair. It was indeed quite comfortable. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the flower opposite him.

It was a flower made of inlaid pebbles.

His first impression upon entering was this.

But now, his feeling had changed…

This wasn't inlaid with cement; the holes were directly drilled into the stone.

He tapped his foot, positioning the lounge chair, and stared at the pile of pebbles at his feet, his heart stirred by a great wave…

Impossible?

Sitting here, idly skipping stones, and the stones directly hitting the large rock, leaving a flower made of pebbles on its surface!

Such a feat would be impossible even for a master like Chang Ye. At best, he could shatter the large stone opposite, but he certainly couldn't keep the pebbles intact.

When an egg collides with a stone, if the speed is fast enough, it can indeed damage the stone. But no matter how capable you are, you can't prevent the egg from being damaged!

It was like a bird hitting an airplane. Everyone was astonished that the airplane's glass could be shattered by a fragile bird. But who had ever seen a bird hit an airplane and survive?

Miao Ruolan came in, holding a teapot. Beside the teapot was a thread-bound book.

She smiled gently, "I brought the book for you. Have some tea and read it slowly. I'll go make lunch."

Lin Xiaosu's entire focus was immediately captivated by the book.

He picked it up. The cover bore three ancient characters: Spring Return Skill.

He opened it to the introduction: "The human body is like the universe, with countless secret realms and the universe within. The circulation of blood within the body, the flow of qi, are all manifestations of creation…"

Lin Xiaosu read at a speed of ten lines at a glance…

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

Half an hour passed, and he closed the book.

Ancient texts were like this; they didn't contain many words, but they were obscure and difficult to understand. However, were any of these problems for Lin Xiaosu?

Once read, he could recite it backward. After being integrated by Humanity Orchid Heart, it was quickly digested.

Everything was done so casually, but that didn't mean it wasn't earth-shattering.

This book deified the human body infinitely.

It stated that the human body had countless secret realms, and opening each secret realm was a gateway to creation.

It might sound like nonsense, but wasn't it said that the end of science is metaphysics!

Don't modern people also have a conclusion?

Less than 8% of the human genome has been decoded!

The human body has never truly been deciphered!

This was the theoretical part…

The practical aspects were incredibly complex: the meridians of the human body, the names of acupuncture points, the very spot where the first wisp of true qi was born…

Everything was crystal clear in his mind…

But that's just how things are in this messed-up world. Lin Xiaosu felt like it was one of those things that you understand perfectly just by looking at it, but completely fail at when you try to do it yourself.

That spot, how could true qi be born there?

He'd been at it for a full two hours with no clue.

True qi, you couldn't see it or touch it. How could it just appear out of nowhere?

Miao Ruolan brought over the food. While it was all simple home-style cooking, it was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

Lin Xiaosu ate heartily and praised her a few times, which made Miao Ruolan's cheeks flush with embarrassment.