Squatting and Rising, Body Like a Galloping Horse (2)

Huff

Huff, huff

Rustle, rustle, rustle

The moon shone bright, and the stars were few.

The autumn wind blew, making the leaves in the courtyard rustle.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the air.

Lin Zheyu panted as he sat on the ground with his back against the wall, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He had already trained for more than an hour. His feet no longer felt like his own.

The Horse Stance won't do. It hasn't appeared in the skill panel.

Lin Zheyu looked at the data within his consciousness. There was no information on the Horse Stance in the skill panel.

He was not disappointed.

The Horse Stance was not a complete martial art, merely a training technique for laying foundations.

The first batch of medicinal decoction had finished brewing. After resting for a while, Lin Zheyu drank it down, warmth spreading through his stomach.

I'll boil some hot water and soak for a while. Tomorrow, I'll get up and continue training.

Lin Zheyu prepared to rest.

If he kept training, he would reach his physical limit and need several days to recuperate.

During that time, he would not be able to continue training.

After soaking in hot water for half an hour, Lin Zheyu felt much more comfortable.

Having trained for several hours, he fell into a deep sleep that night.

Early morning.

He was once again awakened by the rooster's broken-gong voice.

"Eh!"

Lin Zheyu sat up in bed, letting out a startled cry.

When he woke early in the morning, there was unexpectedly little soreness in his legs and waist.

Has the Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing Decoction taken effect? Lin Zheyu wondered.

Storytelling did not begin until the afternoon, so he had nothing else to busy himself with in the morning.

After breakfast, Lin Zheyu continued practicing the Horse Stance.

This time, he lasted for more than ten minutes before he felt unable to hold on any longer.

After resting for a while, he got back up and assumed the stance again.

If he could not train the Horse Stance until he could hold it for an hour within a month, Liang Song would not teach him martial arts.

Time slowly passed.

Order in the Inner City was excellent, unlike the chaos of Baishan District in the Outer City.

After moving into the Inner City, Lin Zheyu's life returned to being მშვიდ.

Day after day passed. Besides storytelling, Lin Zheyu spent all his remaining time practicing the Horse Stance.

Aside from the Horse Stance, Lin Zheyu also added push-ups to his training.

The Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing prescription Liang Song had given him was highly effective.

Expensive things had their expensive advantages.

One prescription could be brewed over three days. Drinking one bowl a day wiped away all his fatigue when he woke the next morning.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days passed.

With high-intensity training paired with nourishing himself on meat and fish, Lin Zheyu's body had become much sturdier.

Beneath his skin, faint yet smooth lines of muscle could be seen.

In the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu squatted on bent legs, his body rising and falling like a galloping steed.

Over these twenty-odd days, he had worked diligently every day without slackening, gritting his teeth and training until his legs were sore and trembling.

Gradually, he became addicted to practicing the Horse Stance.

While eating, storytelling, or whenever he had a spare moment, he would hold it for several minutes or half an hour.

Even while walking, he incorporated the Horse Stance into his movements, making his posture look somewhat strange.

The length of time he could hold the stance grew longer and longer, from less than ten minutes at the start to half an hour.

Now, he had already been standing in the courtyard for nearly an hour.

Sweat soaked through his clothes.

Lin Zheyu exhaled steadily, his chest rising and falling.

His legs had begun trembling uncontrollably, and bead-sized drops of sweat slid down from his forehead.

Hold on!

Time is almost up.

Lin Zheyu encouraged himself inwardly.

His eyes were fixed on the clepsydra in the courtyard, a tool used for keeping time.

It showed that there were less than ten minutes left before he had held the Horse Stance for one hour.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

A cold wind swept through, and the weather had turned somewhat chilly.

As Lin Zheyu rose and fell, the trembling of his body grew stronger. He was about to be unable to endure any longer.

Come on. Hold on for a few more minutes, and break through my physical limit while I'm at it to earn one unit of Source Power.

Lin Zheyu kept encouraging himself.

Over the past twenty-odd days, he had kept himself within limits. He did not dare train too fiercely or break through his physical limit, afraid it would affect his subsequent training.

Only today, seeing that his Horse Stance had nearly reached one hour, did Lin Zheyu grit his teeth and persist, intending to break through his physical limit as well.

Time slowly passed, and another twenty minutes went by.

Lin Zheyu had already held the Horse Stance for one hour, but he did not stop.

He was not far from breaking through his physical limit.

His face had turned somewhat pale, his body trembled even more violently, and his legs shook like sieves.

"Hiss—"

Lin Zheyu's face twisted into a somewhat ferocious expression.

He held on for several more minutes.

At last.

He felt as though he had broken through some barrier within his body. His essence, energy, and spirit seemed to undergo sublimation, twisting into a single rope.

Within his consciousness, Source Power increased by one unit.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skills:

The instant he broke through his limit, Lin Zheyu let out one long breath and collapsed limply to the ground.

He looked up at the sky, a post-climax smile spreading across his face.

"Finally, I did it!"

Lin Zheyu was overjoyed.

Within a month, he had successfully trained the Horse Stance to the point where he could hold it for an hour. He could now learn martial arts from Liang Song.

After resting for more than ten minutes and waiting for the muscles all over his body to stop trembling, Lin Zheyu rolled over and climbed up, beginning to stretch his muscles and joints.

After stretching, he rested for another thirty-odd minutes before soaking in a tub of hot water, feeling blissfully comfortable all over.

Afternoon.

Lin Zheyu made his way to the tea house on trembling legs.

"Are you all right?"

Seeing Lin Zheyu walking oddly, Steward Wu asked with concern.

Over the past month or so, their relationship had grown much closer.

Thanks to Lin Zheyu, Bidan Tea House had become increasingly popular and was rapidly catching up to Yixiang Tea House. Before long, it would likely surpass it.

Yixiang Tea House was the most famous tea house in Songyi City. Steward Wu had never dared imagine they could catch up to it.

"I'm fine. I overdid my training this morning," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

Compared to a month ago, his body had become far more robust, and he was brimming with vigor. No one could tell that he had once been a refugee.

"Can you hold the Horse Stance for an hour now?" Steward Wu asked curiously.

He knew about this as well, since Lin Zheyu had told him.

"Almost. Once I recover over the next few days, I'll be able to do it."

"Then congratulations." Steward Wu smiled, happy for Lin Zheyu.

Storytelling time soon arrived.

Amid the enthusiastic calls of the customers, Lin Zheyu stepped forward.

Smack.

With a strike of the wooden clapper, the storytelling began. "Last time, we spoke of..."

Time passed, and another five days went by.

His body recovered from the sensation of torn muscles caused by breaking through his limit.

Thankfully, the customers have been generous. The tips are substantial, or I simply wouldn't have enough to spend.

Lin Zheyu sighed inwardly.

Over the past month, money had flowed away like water.

As his popularity rose, Steward Wu raised his wages to two hundred coins a day.

Including daily tips, he earned nearly five hundred coins a day.

Even so, he had not saved much silver. Most of it went toward buying eggs, meat, and medicinal ingredients for the Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing Decoction.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

Early in the morning, Lin Zheyu knocked on Liang Song's door.

The courtyard gate opened, and Liang Song was not surprised.

"Go stand in the courtyard. Let me see how well you've trained," Liang Song said.

"Yes."

Lin Zheyu nodded and walked to the center of the courtyard.

His legs spread slightly, he lowered himself into a squat, extended his arms flat, and looked straight ahead.

Lin Zheyu's body began to rise and fall slightly, as if riding a galloping steed. The muscles of his waist and legs quivered and exerted force, while his center of gravity shifted with each rise and fall.

Liang Song watched for a while, then nodded in satisfaction.

His posture was very standard.

Rather than continue watching Lin Zheyu hold the Horse Stance, he picked up a watering can and began watering the flowers and plants in the courtyard.