Bone and Sinew Reshaped

The harsh winter passed, Qingming came and went, and as time flowed by, three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

At noon that day, Chen Han was in the small courtyard practicing the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique +1]

[Skill: Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Entry) 49/50]

Chen Han's footsteps were steady, his center of gravity pressed low, and he pushed out a single palm in a bow stance with fluid grace.

Compared to three months ago, his complexion had improved significantly; it was now difficult to tell that he had once suffered injuries that left him hovering between life and death.

Chen Han's movements were as light as a swallow, his body perfectly coordinated and profoundly mysterious. As he moved through the motions, there was a hint of an ethereal, sage-like quality to him that was quite pleasing to the eye.

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique +1]

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Minor Achievement) 1/100]

A subtle, intangible shackle shattered on its own as his proficiency increased, followed by a faint sound of bones shifting and tendons snapping into place.

For a moment, Chen Han felt a major change occur within his body; every movement and action felt more coordinated, comfortable, and obedient to his will.

Even the air felt fresher.

A look of deep joy surfaced on Chen Han's face.

Afterward, he set his stance and began the next stage of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

But gradually, he began to feel overtaxed; the healthy flush faded, and his face turned somewhat pale.

Yet, the proficiency bar showed no signs of increasing.

"What is going on? Why is my blood and qi being consumed so rapidly after only a few minutes of practice, and why hasn't the proficiency increased at all?"

Chen Han opened the book on the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique to check, and after pondering for a moment, he arrived at a possible answer.

He muttered to himself, "My physical condition is far better than it was before, but I am still some distance away from a normal adult man."

"According to this book, the Entry stage is for nourishing the foundation and tempering blood and qi, while Minor Achievement likely signifies the reshaping of bones and a rebirth of the body."

"The previous stage only required the nourishment of ordinary food, but my current stage requires medicinal soups and the meat of exotic beasts to provide a more potent boost to my blood and qi."

Once he understood the cause and effect, Chen Han felt quite troubled.

Although the proficiency panel allowed his comprehension to reach the heavens without any bottlenecks, it could not change objective facts.

The prerequisite for practicing this stage of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique was sufficient blood and qi; without this foundation, it was like building a house without a base.

It simply could not be built.

"Medicinal soups and exotic beast meat are both necessities for those who practice martial arts. They are expensive, and to think of maintaining a steady supply without a mountain of silver is nothing but a pipe dream."

Exotic beasts were fierce creatures that existed in the wilderness. They came in various forms—birds, beasts, and everything in between—all of them more ferocious and powerful than ordinary wild animals.

Often, a single one could destroy an entire village, and it was difficult to hunt them without the cooperation of several heavy cavalrymen.

Of course, if it were a person with accomplished martial arts, perhaps they could do it alone.

The flesh and blood of these exotic beasts were even more valuable than medicinal soups, and their ability to nourish blood and qi was far more intense.

In the eyes of commoners, these were rare goods that they would never even see; only major martial arts schools and martial families had the channels to purchase them.

As a commoner, it went without saying that Chen Han couldn't buy them even if he had the silver, and besides, he didn't even have the silver.

"But if I can reshape my bones, I can rely on my past martial arts foundation to return to my peak very quickly. If there is still time..."

Chen Han thought of the family's martial arts tournament.

If he could achieve results at the tournament, he would be able to enjoy many family privileges.

"Chen boy, come eat!"

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a graying old woman walked out of the house and shouted impatiently at Chen Han.

"Coming, I'm coming."

This old woman was his mother-in-law, who often gave him cold looks, but Chen Han found it difficult to argue back.

The old couple had no children of their own, and now that they finally had him as a son-in-law, he spent his days idling away, tinkering with that health technique, which even interfered with his ability to earn silver.

But that would have been one thing; what was even more infuriating was that he was unwilling to have children.

This was a taboo for the old couple.

They had talked to him about it several times, but he had always "stalled" his way through it, and they returned empty-handed each time. Over time, they began to treat him with cold indifference.

It wasn't that Chen Han was arrogant or looked down upon his wife; it was simply that the loss of his primordial yang would be extremely detrimental to his physical recovery, so he had no choice but to act this way.

During the meal, Chen Han smiled and served his mother-in-law vegetables several times. Her gaze softened slightly, though she remained cold.

His father-in-law and his wife were out working for their midday meal, leaving early and returning late.

After the meal, Chen Han set off to the East House to begin his day's work. It was a small restaurant located in the inner city, where the security and management were much better than in the outer city.

The restaurant's food and wine were fresh and tasted good, and occasionally wealthy gentlemen would come to dine.

Chen Han worked there as an accountant. The manager was a relative of the owner; he was slick in his dealings but illiterate, which was why Chen Han was able to secure this job.

"Mr. Chen."

The old shopkeeper greeted him with a smile, and Chen Han nodded back, "Shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper was a good man, courteous to everyone; Chen Han had once seen him give the masters' leftovers to the little beggars from the outer city.

Sitting beside the shopkeeper, Chen Han began to process the bills from last night and this morning.

There were many bills, and organizing them was quite a chore.

It wasn't until the sun dipped behind the western hills that he finally finished.

"Off you go, Mr. Chen."

Just as he was about to leave, the shopkeeper called out to him.

"Mm, off I go."

"Take this."

The shopkeeper pulled something from under the counter and handed it to Chen Han, grinning broadly.

The item was wrapped in oil paper, with the characters Xu Ji faintly visible on it; this was the signature brand of flower cakes in the city.

"Good stuff, given by the boss. An old man like me isn't used to it, so you take it back and have a taste."

Chen Han accepted it, thanked him with a smile, and then departed.

Watching the sturdy man walk away, the old shopkeeper sighed, his eyes filled with pity.

"He's practiced martial arts, is a fine-looking man, and is literate to boot—a real talent with numbers, too. It's a pity; one misstep and a lifetime of regret..."

Chen Han did not head home, but instead arrived at a small schoolhouse where his little sister attended classes.

Today was the end of the month, and the school was on break. Since he was ostensibly the "idlest" person in the house, the task of picking up his little sister naturally fell to him.

Before long, the school doors opened, and a group of twelve or thirteen-year-old children walked out.

Their clothes were not luxurious, but they were neat and free of patches.

Their families were reasonably well-off; otherwise, their parents wouldn't have sent them to learn to read.

However, children of this age seemed to have passed the stage of basic literacy and were beginning to study etiquette and agricultural knowledge.

Chen Han quickly spotted his little sister among the crowd; her eyes were very similar to her eldest sister's, both bright and watery.

The young girl was accompanied by two others, a boy and a girl, who seemed to be her school friends.

Chen Han's gaze lingered on the young boy for a moment; he was handsome, but Chen Han found him instinctively displeasing.

"Big Brother."

The young girl called out in a lukewarm tone; she wasn't very close to him.

At fourteen, she already had her own thoughts and a distinct personality, perhaps even finding his status as a live-in son-in-law grating.

Chen Han naturally didn't mind; feelings, after all, could not be rushed and had to be cultivated slowly. He handed the pastry in his hand to the young girl, "Have a taste."

"This is... Xu Ji's flower cake. Mother wouldn't even bear to buy this for me."

Shen Yue exclaimed, and the eyes of the two young girls instantly lit up.

The boy beside the two girls stood with his arms crossed, looking indifferent. He declined their offer to share, putting on the air of a little adult.

Just then, a man drenched in sweat arrived before Chen Han. He had regular features and bronze-colored skin, looking quite robust.

Chen Han could tell at a glance that this man was a martial artist, perhaps having just finished training. Judging by his appearance, he should have reached the level of Ming Jin.