Bone and Sinew Reshaped

Winter passed, Qingming came and went, and time flew by. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

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

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique +1]

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

Chen Han's steps were steady, his center of gravity low. He formed one hand into a palm and gently pushed it forward in a bow stance.

Compared to three months ago, his complexion had improved greatly. It was now hard to tell that he had once been gravely wounded and stood on the brink of death.

Chen Han's movements were light as a swallow, his body perfectly coordinated, his motions mysterious and wondrous. As he pushed and pulled, he even seemed to possess the bearing of an immortal. Watching him was a pleasure.

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique +1]

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

An elusive bottleneck shattered on its own as his proficiency increased. The faint sounds of bones shifting and tendons twitching followed.

For a moment, Chen Han felt a profound change come over his body. Every movement was more coordinated and comfortable, more in tune with his will.

Even the air seemed fresher.

A delighted smile spread across Chen Han's face.

Then he assumed the proper stance and began practicing the next stage of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

But little by little, he began to struggle. The flush faded from his face, leaving him somewhat pale.

And his proficiency still showed no sign of increasing.

"What's going on? Why has just a few minutes of practice consumed so much of my qi and blood, and why hasn't my proficiency increased at all?"

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

He murmured to himself, "My health is far better than it used to be, but I'm still a long way from being an ordinary adult man."

"According to this book, the beginner stage builds up the body's foundation and nourishes qi and blood. Minor achievement might mean that the muscles and bones are reforged, transforming me from the inside out.

"The previous stage only needed ordinary food to sustain it. But at my current stage, I need medicinal tonics and Exotic Beast meat that replenish qi and blood much more powerfully."

Once he understood the cause and effect, Chen Han found it quite troublesome.

The proficiency panel could give him astonishing insight and eliminate all bottlenecks, but it couldn't change objective reality.

Practicing this stage of the Health Preservation Technique required sufficient qi and blood. Without that, it was like trying to build a house without a foundation.

It simply wouldn't stand.

"Medicinal tonics and Exotic Beast meat are both necessities for martial artists, and they're expensive. Thinking I can keep supplying myself with them without a great deal of silver is pure daydreaming."

Exotic Beasts were ferocious creatures found in the wilderness. They came in all varieties, from birds to beasts, and were fiercer and stronger than ordinary animals.

A single one could often destroy a village. It was difficult to hunt one without several armored cavalrymen working together.

Of course, a martial artist who had achieved some skill might be able to handle one alone.

The flesh of an Exotic Beast was even more valuable than medicinal tonics, and replenished qi and blood with far greater force.

To ordinary people, it was a rare delicacy they might never even see. Only the major martial arts schools and martial lineages had the means to buy it.

Chen Han was an ordinary man, so there was no need to say more: even if he had the silver, he couldn't buy any. Besides, he had no silver to begin with.

"But if I can reforge my muscles and bones, then with the martial arts foundation I built in the past, I can quickly return to my peak. If only I have enough time..."

Chen Han thought of the Lineage's Martial Arts Grand Ceremony.

If he could achieve a good result at the ceremony, he would enjoy many privileges from the Lineage.

"Chen, come eat!"

Before he could sort out his thoughts, an old woman with graying hair came out of the house and shouted impatiently at him.

"Coming!"

The old woman was his mother-in-law. She often gave him the cold shoulder, but Chen Han couldn't very well talk back.

The old couple had no children of their own. Now that they had finally gained a live-in son-in-law, he spent every day neglecting his proper work to tinker with that Health Preservation Technique, even letting it interfere with his ability to earn silver.

That alone would have been bad enough. Even more infuriating, he refused to have children.

That was a taboo for the old couple.

They had brought it up with him several times, but each time he had managed to "put them off," and their efforts had come to nothing. As time passed, they had grown cold toward him.

It wasn't that Chen Han was so high-minded that he looked down on the woman he had married. It was just that losing his primal yang would greatly hinder his recovery, so he had no choice but to abstain.

During the meal, Chen Han smiled and served his mother-in-law several times. Her expression softened a little, but she remained cold.

His father-in-law and wife ate their lunch out and returned home late, having left early in the morning.

After eating, Chen Han headed to his employer's place to begin his day's work. It was a small tavern in the inner city, where security was far better than in the outer city.

The tavern's food and wine were fresh and tasty, and well-to-do gentlemen would occasionally visit.

Chen Han worked there as a bookkeeper. The tavern keeper was a relative of the owner. He was tactful and smooth in his dealings, but illiterate, so Chen Han had been able to land the job.

"Mr. Chen."

The old tavern keeper greeted him with a smile. Chen Han nodded and returned it. "Tavern keeper."

The tavern keeper was a good man, always courteous to everyone. Chen Han had once seen him give leftover food from the gentlemen to the little beggars in the outer city.

Sitting beside the tavern keeper, Chen Han began sorting through the bills from the previous night and that morning.

There were a lot of them, and they were a real nuisance to organize.

It wasn't until the sun had set that he finally finished.

"Heading out, Mr. Chen?"

Just as he was about to leave, the tavern keeper called him over.

"Mm. I'm off."

"Take this with you."

The tavern keeper took something from beneath the counter and handed it to Chen Han, grinning from ear to ear.

It was wrapped in oiled paper, with the words Xu Ji faintly visible on it—the sign of a famous pastry shop in the city.

"Something good. The owner gave it to me, but this old man can't stomach it. Take it home and give it a try."

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

Watching the broad-shouldered man walk away, the old tavern keeper sighed, regret in his eyes.

"He's practiced martial arts, he's handsome, he can read and write, and he's good with numbers too. What a shame. One wrong step can bring a lifetime of regret..."

Chen Han didn't go home. Instead, he went to a small school where his little sister studied.

It was the end of the month, and the school was closed for a break. Since he was ostensibly the "laziest" person in the family, the task of bringing his little sister home naturally fell to him.

Before long, the school gates opened, and a group of children around twelve or thirteen came out.

Their clothes weren't particularly fine, but they were neat and unmended.

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

But children that age seemed to have passed the stage of learning their letters. They had begun studying etiquette and agricultural knowledge instead.

Chen Han quickly spotted Xiao Mei among the people coming and going. Her eyes were much like her eldest sister's, both of them bright and limpid.

The little girl had two companions with her, a boy and a girl. They seemed to be her friends from school.

Chen Han's gaze lingered a little longer on the boy. He was handsome and delicate, but for some reason, Chen Han didn't take to him.

"Big brother."

The little girl greeted him without much warmth. They weren't very close.

At fourteen, she already had her own ideas and a distinct personality. Perhaps she was uncomfortable with his status as a live-in son-in-law.

Chen Han naturally didn't mind. Affection couldn't be rushed; it had to be nurtured little by little. He held out the pastries in his hand to the girl. "Try some."

"This is... Xu Ji's flower cakes! Mother won't even buy these for me."

Shen Yue exclaimed, and the eyes of the two girls lit up at once.

The boy beside them crossed his arms and seemed unimpressed. He turned down their offer to share, putting on the air of a little grown-up.

Just then, a man dripping with sweat approached Chen Han. He had regular features and bronze-colored skin, and looked quite sturdy.

Chen Han could tell at a glance that he was a martial artist. Perhaps he had just been practicing. Judging by his appearance, he had probably reached the Bright Force level.