Scholarship

Qin Fang carefully sensed his physical state, feeling an unprecedented lightness.

Last year's exile had nearly hollowed out his foundation, and although he had recovered somewhat after arriving at True Martial... truth be told, a body with a hollowed-out foundation is not so easily restored.

Shortness of breath, easy fatigue, weakness, listlessness, poor sleep...

These various symptoms, though not always obvious, had actually been with him all along.

He had simply forced himself to overcome them and struggled to adjust.

But to be honest, while it wasn't entirely ineffective... the results had been minimal.

Yet today, after consuming a Blood-Qi Pill and practicing the stance once, he clearly felt a new force within his body.

This force not only made him feel physically light, but it also significantly improved his mental state.

...Is this the effect of the pill?

Just standing in the stance yesterday didn't produce this result!

The medicinal efficacy of the pills in this world seems surprisingly astonishing...

Qin Fang swallowed hard and looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand again.

He felt an urge to take another one.

In the end, however, he suppressed the impulse.

"There are only nine Blood-Qi Pill in total, I still need to use them sparingly... there seems to be a bit of medicinal effect left in my body for now."

He could feel that although the warm current in his abdomen was no longer as violent as it was at the beginning, there were still faint traces of warmth surging up, which he could detect if he focused.

Qin Fang took a deep breath, set his posture again, and continued the stance...

Another half hour passed.

Wild Ox Qi Force Stance (Low-grade Fundamental) (Entry): 17/500

The warm current in his body had completely vanished. Qin Fang felt refreshed as he looked at the text on the panel.

He let out a long breath...

One Blood-Qi Pill had granted him sixteen points of proficiency.

However, his body also felt a sense of exhaustion.

...Standing in the stance itself was also very tiring.

His stamina was not enough to sustain it indefinitely.

He exhaled lightly, stretched his body, and looked up at the sky.

It was snowing again today. After a moment of thought, he went inside to change his clothes and then headed out.

...His master said that the scent of a refugee on him had mostly dissipated, and he was now allowed to go out.

He bought some food on the street and then, after several turns, arrived at an alleyway.

He knocked on the gate of a courtyard.

"Who is it? Coming."

His master's wife's voice came from inside.

Soon, the gate opened, and an old woman holding a broom appeared.

Seeing the old woman, Qin Fang smiled: "Master's wife."

"Oh, it's Little Fang... come in, come in quickly."

The moment the old woman saw Qin Fang, she revealed a kind smile and beckoned him inside.

Qin Fang responded and stepped through the gate, seeing that the courtyard was covered in a layer of snow, which the old woman had clearly been sweeping.

Qin Fang handed over the items he was carrying and naturally took the broom from her hands: "Master's wife, where is my master?"

"He went out early this morning... hey, let me do that, you go sit down."

"It's fine, I'll do it, you go rest."

Qin Fang smiled and began to sweep the snow.

The old woman paused for a moment, then smiled as well. She didn't insist, and her gaze toward Qin Fang grew even softer.

...Ever since he spent the New Year here, Qin Fang had been visiting every day or two.

He would bring some food or drink and help his master's wife with chores.

Although his master hadn't spoken of a formal apprenticeship, the fact that he had been invited over for the New Year, introduced to the family, and was now being taught cultivation...

It was effectively an acknowledgment of his status as a formal disciple.

It was just that no ceremony had been held.

His master's kindness to Qin Fang was as heavy as a mountain; without his master, it was questionable whether he would even be alive right now, so he naturally wanted to do his part.

Chatting casually with his master's wife, it wasn't long before the snow in the courtyard was cleared to the side.

Qin Fang's eyes brightened slightly; he clearly felt the difference.

Before today, after finishing this snow-sweeping, he would have been left with a sore back and aching limbs for quite a while.

But now, he didn't feel any discomfort at all.

The most crucial point was...

His back didn't ache.

Sweeping and mopping are actually most taxing because one has to hunch over, and prolonged hunching naturally puts immense pressure on the lower back; it doesn't take long—two or three minutes—before a distinct soreness sets in.

But now...

Not sore in the slightest.

It feels like... the way I exert force has changed. Although I'm still hunching, it seems like I've naturally integrated some of the sensations from the stance training...

Qin Fang subconsciously analyzed the feeling.

In the past, sweeping was just simple bending.

But now, as he swept, he seemed to subconsciously tuck his chest and straighten his back, lifting his waist... With his waist lifted, the pressure wasn't concentrated on his lower back, so naturally, it wasn't as easy to get sore.

And more importantly...

I've only been practicing the stance for two days... is the effect really this obvious?

Qin Fang was pleasantly surprised.

Although sweeping the floor was just a trivial matter.

Yet, this clearly perceptible positive change and experience made Qin Fang feel exceptionally joyful.

In truth, many people don't lack endurance when doing something; they just lack the ability to see immediate feedback.

If the feedback were tangible—if, while working out, you could see your body fat percentage change at every moment, or even immediately feel the positive sensations brought about by those changes—it's likely there wouldn't be a single overweight person left in this world.

It is precisely because the vast majority of good habits offer delayed gratification. Only by accumulating enough quantitative change can one reach a qualitative shift... and that is why so many people cannot persist.

But for Qin Fang right now, easily sensing the changes in his body gave him plenty of motivation.

Seeing that he had finished sweeping the floor, the Master's wife wore a gratified smile, her gaze toward Qin Fang becoming even more gentle: "I'm going to cook; stay and eat here in a while."

Qin Fang snapped back to reality and didn't stand on ceremony, responding, "Master's wife, you'll have to make a bit more then; my appetite is quite large now."

"Good, good," the Master's wife replied with a smile.

As she went to cook, Qin Fang finished up the remaining tasks, ensuring there was no snow left in the areas where the Master and his wife moved about, before putting away the broom and heading into the kitchen to offer help.

Seeing him enter, the Master's wife smiled and told him he didn't need to help. Qin Fang looked around and noticed a large pile of firewood in the woodshed, but because consumption was high during the winter, there wasn't much left that had already been split.

He simply grabbed a wood-chopping knife and carried some firewood outside to split it.

Seeing this, the Master's wife smiled even more warmly.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Qin Fang piled up some firewood at the kitchen entrance and began to chop.

It feels like the chopping motion is also more powerful than before... In the past, I just used the natural strength of my arms, but now, this chopping motion naturally incorporates the power from my waist and abdomen... though this way of exerting force feels a bit stiff...

By utilizing the power of the waist and abdomen, the force was naturally greater than using the arms alone.

But this kind of force felt a bit "dead"...

Qin Fang pondered as he chopped the wood.

Although it was just simple wood-chopping, it seemed there was some knowledge hidden within that he hadn't noticed before...

Just at this moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

The courtyard gate was rapped.

Qin Fang looked up, stunned for a moment.

The Master's wife's voice drifted from the kitchen: "Xiao Fang, go open the door."

"Oh."

Qin Fang replied, set down the wood-chopping knife, and wiped the sweat from his forehead... only then did he walk to the gate, almost subconsciously peering through the crack to look outside.

Then he saw a strange young man standing at the entrance, carrying some items.

And upon seeing the clothes the young man was wearing.

Qin Fang's eyes narrowed slightly...

A set of black robes...

This is... from the yamen?

Qin Fang's heart skipped a beat subconsciously.

After all... he was still a refugee.

But he quickly snapped back to his senses.

"Is this... the Senior Brother that Master mentioned?"

He thought to himself, then took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Mas..."

The young man smiled and called out instinctively as the door opened, but he stopped mid-sentence, looking at the tall, thin young man before him with surprise.

He was momentarily stunned.

"Who are you?"