Internal Breathing

"Close your eyes, feel the rhythm, and try to breathe along with it."

Liang Song said.

At his words, Lin Zheyu closed his eyes. He calmed his mind and shut out the noise around him, until the sound of his master's breathing grew louder and louder beside his ear.

He followed the rhythm, but his breathing was somewhat uneven. It was his first time trying abdominal breathing, and he found it very unfamiliar.

"Don't rush. The Internal Breathing Method is difficult to learn the first time you try it."

"Calm your mind and focus all your attention on the rhythm and cadence of my breathing."

Liang Song said.

He placed a hand on Lin Zheyu's abdomen and pressed gently in time with his breathing. His fingertips shifted slightly, making subtle adjustments to the movements of Lin Zheyu's muscles.

As time passed, more than an hour went by.

Lin Zheyu's expression grew increasingly serene, and a rhythm gradually emerged in the rise and fall of his chest.

With Liang Song guiding him, Lin Zheyu's breathing began to take on a peculiar rhythm and cadence, and a magical feeling rippled through his heart.

"Very good. That's the feeling."

"Remember it. Once you get used to it, combining the Breathing Method with your boxing practice will double your results with half the effort!"

Liang Song said softly.

Lin Zheyu learned quickly. With Liang Song's help, he had grasped the basics in just over an hour.

"You've mastered the basics of the Breathing Method in just over an hour. Your comprehension is truly astonishing."

Liang Song praised him as he watched Lin Zheyu's breathing settle into a steady rhythm.

He hadn't expected to come across such a promising student in Songyi City.

By the time Lin Zheyu left Liang Song's home, it was almost lunchtime.

He wanted to invite his master out for a meal, but Liang Song declined.

On the way back, when he was still about half a mile from the small courtyard, Lin Zheyu sensed that something was amiss.

"Is someone following me?"

Lin Zheyu furrowed his brow.

After advancing Bull Fist to the proficient level, his senses had improved considerably, making him extremely alert to anything happening around him.

Just now, he'd felt a gaze repeatedly settle on him. Some sneaky fellow was following behind him.

Lin Zheyu's pace faltered for a moment before he continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Who's following me, and what do they want?"

Lin Zheyu's thoughts churned as all sorts of possibilities flashed through his mind.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out who had set their sights on him.

Since arriving in the Inner City, he'd kept a low profile and hadn't gotten into any conflicts with anyone.

Lin Zheyu turned a corner and headed down another street, making his way toward the bustling market.

Once there, he browsed the stalls, touching this and looking at that, and haggling over prices. By keeping a close eye out, he finally spotted the person following him.

"It's him!"

"I've moved into the city, and he's still haunting me!"

Lin Zheyu was speechless.

The sneaky fellow had changed his appearance somewhat, but Lin Zheyu recognized him at a glance.

Back when Lin Zheyu lived in Baishan District, a gang of thugs had robbed him of his food money. This guy had been one of the four.

He hadn't expected them to keep haunting him even after he'd moved to the Inner City.

Did they really think he was easy to bully?

Back then, he'd been weak, frail, and malnourished. Whenever he ran into them, all he could do was steer clear.

Now that his Bull Fist had reached the proficient level, his strength had leapt forward. He no longer took these petty thugs seriously.

These guys had never trained in martial arts and knew nothing but how to throw their weight around. Lin Zheyu wasn't bragging when he said he could take on ten of them.

"A thief may go a thousand days without stealing, but a man can't guard against one for a thousand days. I'll find a chance to investigate what this guy's up to."

Lin Zheyu said to himself.

After telling stories, he'd had another bountiful day.

Lin Zheyu had earned nearly three hundred copper coins in tips that day.

On his way back, he realized he was being followed again.

Without letting on that he'd noticed, Lin Zheyu returned home, quickly changed into plain clothes, and quietly followed after the other man.

With his current strength, his tailing skills weren't particularly good, but he kept his distance, and the other man didn't notice him.

"They've switched the person following me. It's still one of their gang."

Lin Zheyu followed the man from far behind.

He reached Baishan District.

It wasn't as prosperous as the Inner City, and many places were deserted. It wasn't unusual for a murder to go undiscovered for more than ten days.

The man threaded his way through the alleys of Baishan District, taking one turn after another until he reached an ordinary-looking house.

He knocked on the door. Someone inside opened it, and after he went in, the door shut again.

"Strange. Why all the secrecy? Are they planning something big?"

Lin Zheyu muttered and hurried after him.

These guys usually squatted at street corners, chatting and shooting the breeze. Now they were secretly holed up in a house, plotting something. Lin Zheyu felt there was something wrong with that.

Since the matter involved him, he was very concerned.

Lin Zheyu wasn't a villain, but he wasn't exactly a good person either. Good people had a hard time surviving among refugees.

The sky grew dark.

Lin Zheyu carefully approached the window and took out a piece of black cloth to cover his face.

He pressed his ear against the window, eavesdropping on the conversation inside, hoping to find out what these men were plotting against him.

After growing stronger, Lin Zheyu's hearing had become extremely sharp.

Even though the people inside were speaking quietly, he could still hear their conversation clearly through the window, which did little to block out sound.

"Wen Biao, how did it go today?"

Gao Yu asked the man who had just come in.

"Same as always. That kid spends every day either telling stories or staying at home. Even when he goes out for a stroll, he only visits busy places."

"Besides, I've never seen him go out after dark. He probably got scared after fleeing here, and now he's very protective of his life," Yan Ling added.

They had been following Lin Zheyu for over ten days, trying to learn his daily routine and find a chance to attack him in secret. They wanted to avenge Skinny Monkey and make off with a pile of silver.

Based on their observations over the past ten days, the kid had plenty of money.

He earned at least two hundred copper coins in tips every day. Add in his wages, and his daily income exceeded three hundred copper coins—enough to make the group green with envy.

A down-and-out scholar who'd come as a refugee had managed to make such a good life for himself in such a short time.

"These guys have been following me for this long!"

Lin Zheyu felt a chill of fear.

From their conversation, he could tell they'd been following him for quite some time.

If his senses hadn't grown sharper after he got stronger, he might have been ambushed without ever knowing why.

Fortunately, he'd been extremely cautious lately. He never went out at night, and he never took deserted backstreets.

A man may have no intention of harming a tiger, but the tiger may have a heart set on devouring him.

The thought of being targeted for no reason infuriated Lin Zheyu. A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

Once a man carried a blade, the urge to kill came naturally.

His courage had grown along with his strength.

"By the way, Brother Yu, I found out he's learned martial arts from somewhere. Every day, I hear the sound of fists hitting wooden posts from his courtyard."

Wen Biao hesitated. "Are we really going to attack someone who's trained in martial arts?"

He wasn't keen on the idea. Although he and Skinny Monkey had called each other brothers, they'd only been drinking buddies. Wen Biao wasn't willing to risk his neck for Skinny Monkey.

But the man was a fat sheep, and he was alone, with no one to rely on. That made Wen Biao tempted.

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if he started learning martial arts as soon as he arrived in Songyi City, he's only had a couple of months."

"A couple of months is enough to lay the groundwork, if that. What else could he possibly have learned?" Gao Yu said disdainfully.

Yan Ling curled his lip and laughed in agreement. "Exactly. Wen Biao, you're such a coward."

"Since we haven't had a chance to make a move, we'll sneak in at night."

"Yan Ling, go buy some incense. Get a strong dose to knock out the dog in his courtyard."

"Wen Biao, get everything ready for climbing over the wall."

"We'll make our move in another ten days or so. Let that kid earn a little more silver first. Heh."

"..."