The Eunuch's Extraordinary Art: "Rejuvenation Technique"

Miao Ruolan let out a giggle. "My dad works as a security guard in Sheng City, and my mom went to my grandma's place to help arrange my cousin's wedding. No one's home. Anyway, it's just a book—I'll bring it to you tomorrow..."

A martial artist had traveled all the way to Sheng City to work as a security guard.

That alone showed just how badly Ancient Martial Arts had declined in modern society.

Yet Lin Xiaosu felt as if a cat were clawing at his heart. "Not today?"

"Look at how anxious you are... But I have to pour a basin of cold water over you first. Back then, that senior brother spent a full five years practicing and achieved nothing. That was actually perfectly normal. It took me thirteen years just to cross that threshold. I only hope that after you practice it, you won't call me a liar!"

"If I call you a liar, then kick me ten zhang away with one foot. Getting hit by that transcendental kick would prove everything better than words! Hey, speaking of which, your dad was too rigid. Didn't someone doubt him? Why didn't he beat that person into submission with martial arts? Let him experience the destructive power of Ancient Martial Arts firsthand—that's what they mean by facts speaking louder than eloquence..."

A faint smile touched Miao Ruolan's lips. "Get on. I'll tell you about it on the way..."

She mounted her little electric scooter, took Lin Xiaosu along, and headed home on the mountain road west of the county town. The mountain west of town was called Dangjia Mountain; together with Tashan, they were the county town's two guardian mountains.

Dangjia Mountain had originally held a higher place in the locals' hearts than Tashan, because it was closer to the town center. But the county town expanded south rather than west, and its center gradually shifted south as well. After all that, Tashan became an isolated paradise at the heart of development, while Dangjia Mountain remained where it was, preserving its original ecology.

The breeze brushed past their ears as Miao Ruolan's voice drifted over, telling him about this cultivation art.

This "Rejuvenation Technique" was very special, unlike the cultivation arts passed down by other Ancient Martial Arts Families.

What was its greatest difference?

Its original purpose was not to be a martial arts classic, but an art for "healing illness and making up for deficiencies."

Its founder was a eunuch.

He had everything—except his root.

That was his greatest regret. He had served others for half his life and built a foundation sufficient for his descendants to squander in carefree luxury for dozens of generations. Yet he had no root, no descendants to inherit it.

An ordinary person would probably have simply carried that regret to the grave. But this eunuch possessed an unyielding temperament; once he set his sights on something, he had to accomplish it. He wanted to comb through every kind of ancient text in the imperial palace and create a method to make up for deficiencies. He wanted to regrow his root, to continue his glory. This eunuch's surname was Miao. His name was Miao Renjie.

His name alone revealed what sort of person he was. Even without a root, he still wanted to be an outstanding man!

Listening to those words carried on the wind, enormous waves churned in Lin Xiaosu's heart.

No family jewels, and he created the "Rejuvenation Technique"? Fuck! You could do that?

Wait, that eunuch's surname was Miao...

No way? Your Miao Family descended from that eunuch?

He actually succeeded?

As Miao Ruolan rode over ridges and through hills, she continued recounting the legend...

That legendary outstanding man, Miao Renjie, truly succeeded in creating the "Rejuvenation Technique." He even successfully regrew his root, thus continuing his foundation, his legend, and this extraordinary family tome.

The Rejuvenation Technique began from a particular part of the body, producing Rejuvenation True Qi. Wherever the true qi reached, it strengthened the body's physical abilities.

From that perspective, it was no different from other Ancient Martial Arts.

So where was the difference?

In its limitless malleability.

How was it malleable?

The human body had two main meridians, twelve regular meridians, and eight extraordinary meridians. Those were merely the conventional meridians. In truth, there were countless tiny meridians as well. When these fine meridians were opened and arranged in different combinations, they formed different "Qi Domains." In theory, the possible combinations were infinite...

No one could find every combination, but everyone could freely choose certain combinations.

If the heart was weak, one could specially design a route to protect it.

If the kidneys were failing, one could specially design a route to protect them.

If the hands lacked strength, one could specially design a route to strengthen the arms.

If the legs had no power, a route could draw them along, allowing even a cripple to walk as swiftly as if flying.

If the brain was no good... then forget about the brain. A fool presumably could not design the complicated route needed to protect his own brain...

To sum it up, the Rejuvenation Technique was actually a medical art, not a martial art.

And the patient was oneself!

Pretty miraculous, pretty awkward, wasn't it?

Why call it miraculous?

Its effects truly were miraculous. Even a severed root could regrow—how unimaginable was that?

But so what?

It took more than a decade merely to get started. One spent a lifetime's effort turning oneself into a super doctor, only to treat one patient for one's entire life—and that patient was oneself!

Who was this suited for?

Probably only people like Miao Renjie.

What traits did such people possess? Great perseverance, a great foundation, and a serious illness. Yet the illness could not be too serious—if it was too serious, they could not afford to wait. Before the art was mastered, the person would already be gone...

With so many requirements gathered together, its audience became far too niche. The cultivation art itself became a niche art, and by modern times, it had played itself into the state of "needing to be listed online."

If Miao Renjie, who had created this cultivation art back then, knew about this, he would most likely rise from the grave...

The little electric scooter sped down the mountain road. Miao Ruolan's face remained faintly flushed. Even though the mountain wind in early May still carried a biting chill, it could not disperse the blush on her cheeks.

There were many reasons...

The most important was probably her own unusual nature.

Her appearance was ordinary. Even if she were left overnight on the street, her parents would probably only worry whether she had gone hungry.

She had a quiet temperament, and amid crowds, she was more accustomed to exiling herself far away.

Therefore, she had never been this close to a man before.

More fatally, she was talking about family jewels.

There was no way around that subject.

She swore upon the purity she had preserved to this day that she had used the most euphemistic Spring-and-Autumn phrasing...

Fortunately, they reached Flowerstone Bridge.

Miao Ruolan practically leaped off the scooter, drew in the cool air of the mountain village, then slowly turned around. "This is my home!"

"Pretty nice! Better than mine!" Lin Xiaosu looked around.

A little bridge over flowing water, a pond bordered with green grass, a clean and tidy village, a small building constructed beside the pond, several large trees at the village entrance, and a newly built bus stop. The buses had already connected this place; that was the county town's greatest benefit to this suburban village.

There were not many households in the village, but compared with other rural villages that were "walking toward death," it was clearly still rather populated.

"Come inside!"

Lin Xiaosu entered the house. It was also a standard rural home: cement floors, a large wooden table, exposed electrical wires against white walls. But the backyard had a touch of novelty.

The backyard was large, with bare earth underfoot and a high embankment behind it. Beyond the embankment was a bamboo grove. To the right stood a towering crape myrtle tree, luxuriant in branches and leaves, forming the backyard's right-hand screen.

On the left was a stone. Its surface was not natural; it had been embedded with many pebbles arranged into the shape of a flower, lending this farmhouse backyard a touch of elegance.

Under the crape myrtle tree, a scattered layer of pebbles covered the earth. A small table stood on top, with a reclining chair beside it. In summer, sitting in that chair would surely be cool and comfortable.

"Sit down. I'll boil some water. I didn't boil any before leaving this morning," Miao Ruolan said.

"Alright!"

Lin Xiaosu sat down in the reclining chair. It truly was rather pleasant. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the flower opposite him.

It was a flower made from embedded pebbles.

That had been his first impression when he entered.

But now, his impression had changed...

The pebbles were not set in cement. Holes had been directly carved into that stone.

He tapped the ground with his foot, fixing the reclining chair in place. Staring at the scattered pebbles beneath his feet, enormous waves rose in his heart...

Could it be?

Someone had sat here, idly tossing stones, and the pebbles had struck directly into the huge rock, leaving behind a flower made of pebbles on its surface!

Even a master like Changye could not accomplish such a feat. At most, she could smash the huge rock opposite to pieces, but she absolutely could not keep the pebbles intact.

When an egg collided with a stone, if its speed was fast enough, it could possibly damage the stone. But no matter how heaven-defying one's abilities were, it was impossible to leave the egg unharmed!

It was like a bird hitting an airplane. Everyone was amazed that the airplane's glass could be shattered by such a fragile bird, but who had ever seen a bird collide with an airplane and survive?

Miao Ruolan came in carrying a teapot. Beside it lay a thread-bound book.

She smiled softly. "I brought you the book. Drink some tea and take your time reading it. I'll go make lunch."

Lin Xiaosu's entire attention was immediately pulled toward the book.

He picked it up. Three ancient-style characters were written on the cover: Rejuvenation Technique.

He opened it. The preface read: "The human body is like the cosmos; hidden realms contain heaven and earth. The movement of blood within the body, the flow of qi through its channels—all are creation..."

Lin Xiaosu scanned ten lines at a glance...

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Half an hour passed, and he closed the book.

Ancient texts were like that. They did not contain many words, yet they were obscure and difficult to understand. But was any of that a problem before Lin Xiaosu?

Once he had read something, he could recite it backward with perfect fluency. After Humanity Orchidheart integrated it, he rapidly digested it.

Everything seemed as effortless as a light brushstroke, but that did not mean it was not earth-shaking.

This book elevated the human body to infinite heights.

It said the human body contained countless hidden realms, and opening each hidden realm was a Gate of Creation.

It sounded like nonsense, but hadn't it been said that the end of science was mysticism?

Didn't modern people also have a settled conclusion?

Less than 8% of the human genome had been deciphered!

The human body had never truly been deciphered by anyone!

That was the theoretical portion...

The practical portion was very complicated: the body's meridians, the names of its acupoints, the point where the first wisp of true qi was born...

Everything was clearly explained...

But things in this world were just so damned frustrating. Lin Xiaosu felt it was like something that looked easy enough to understand, yet fell completely apart the moment one tried doing it.

How was true qi supposed to be born from that point?

He struggled for a full two hours and still had no clue.

True qi was something one could neither see nor touch. How could it arise from nothing?

Miao Ruolan brought over the food. Though they were all ordinary home-cooked dishes, they had color, aroma, and flavor.

Lin Xiaosu ate with great relish and praised her a few times, making Miao Ruolan's cheeks flush crimson.