Over the days that followed, I repeated the same routine every day.
Training every day, getting whipped every day.
Over a full month, the initial torment gave way to numbness, and I gradually grew used to it.
With daily practice, my body did change. I grew stronger than before, and my stance became much steadier.
At first, one kick from my master would knock me down. Now it took him two.
I had been at Qingyang Temple for a month. As time passed and my physique grew stronger, my training should, in theory, have become more intense. Instead, my master reduced its intensity and gave me time to rest each day.
According to him, the body needed time to adjust as it grew stronger. Human potential also had its limits, and pushing it too far would leave the body unable to withstand the strain.
That gave me time to read at the Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion was essentially a library, with many books you couldn't buy outside.
Most were Daoist scriptures and books on the ideas and theories of Taoism.
To my surprise, I also found many books about the Mohist School there, including some on Mohist School Mechanism Arts, Mohist mechanics, and logic.
These books filled an entire bookshelf.
Wasn't this a Daoist temple? Why were there so many books on the Mohist School?
Besides, many Mohist views conflicted somewhat with Taoist thought.
For example, the Mohist School opposed war, even taking personal action to stop it. If they couldn't stop it, they would personally kill whoever had started it.
Taoism, on the other hand, advocated tranquility and non-action. It did not oppose war and had made certain contributions in that area. Under special circumstances, its followers would even start wars themselves, which were called uprisings in ancient