While the others weren't paying attention.
Gu Cheng tried to pluck a fruit, but even after straining with all his might, he couldn't pull it off.
He was baffled.
Was this thing stuck on with superglue?
"Damn you, I refuse to believe this."
He drew Little Divine Edge and gave it a light swing. A fruit immediately dropped.
"You wouldn't take the easy way, so I had to do it the hard way!"
Gu Cheng snorted and put Little Divine Edge away.
Then he quietly ate the fruit.
It didn't melt in his mouth the way it did in novels.
Gu Cheng felt as though he were eating an apricot.
It was a little tart.
He covered his mouth with one hand and caught the pit as he spat it out.
He didn't throw the pit away.
He tucked it into his pocket.
Gu Cheng closed his eyes and waited for the fruit to take effect.
A little over a minute passed.
Warmth spread through his belly, and true qi began to form.
Gu Cheng immediately began practicing the Fetal Breathing Method.
Over and over, he absorbed the true qi and made it his own.
There was no earthshaking commotion.
Nor were there any surprises.
Half an hour later, Gu Cheng smoothly finished absorbing all the true qi.
The Fetal Breathing Method had actually advanced to the late stage of the second level.
Gu Cheng felt that his breathing had become much deeper and longer.
If he went underwater again.
There was no way he would reach his limit after holding his breath for just over a minute.
He clenched his fists.
His strength seemed to have increased considerably as well.
The headache and feverish feeling he'd had earlier were gone.
His body was back in peak condition.
"It really lives up to being a First-Rank Spirit Fruit!"
"This is freaking incredible!"
"It actually pushed the Fetal Breathing Method straight to the late stage of the second level."
Gu Cheng was ecstatic.
It also strengthened his resolve to explore Empress Dowager Xiao's tomb.
Perhaps there were more Golden Cup Longevity Fruits inside her tomb.
But he certainly couldn't go there yet.
Oxheart Mountain was clearly that Flood Dragon Serpent's territory.
This time, he had seriously pissed it off.
Until he found a way to deal with it, he couldn't go back.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be going treasure hunting.
He'd be delivering takeout straight to its door.
He used Little Divine Edge to cut off another longevity fruit and quietly ate it.
The Fetal Breathing Method advanced to the middle stage of the third level.
His breathing had become almost imperceptible. Unless someone listened closely, they wouldn't even notice him breathing.
Every pore on his body opened.
A great deal of stuff seeped out through his pores. It resembled sweat, but it was dark and greasy, giving off a foul stench.
His muscles and sinews felt as though they had been tempered, and his muscles grew firmer.
His strength increased again.
Gu Cheng was astonished by the changes in his body.
The Visualization Secret Slip said this Fetal Breathing Method was a breathing technique for the innate realm.
It's supposed to be a health-preserving technique.
Why do I get the feeling it's not that simple?
"Holy shit, why does it stink so much?"
Fatty Wang suddenly shouted.
"That smell is fucking overpowering."
"Yingzi, did you and your dad take a shit in the cave?!"
Gu Cheng's face immediately reddened.
Yingzi sprang to her feet in fury, her pretty face flushed red. She pointed at Fatty Wang and snapped, "Fatty, quit talking nonsense! Who took a shit in the cave?"
Fatty Wang pinched his nose. "If nobody took a shit, why did it suddenly get so smelly?!"
Hu Bayi also covered his nose, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Ahem."
Gu Cheng cleared his throat twice.
"Uh, sorry. It's me!"
All three immediately looked at Gu Cheng in surprise.
With his usual lack of a filter, Fatty Wang exclaimed, "Young Master Gu, did you shit your pants?!"
Gu Cheng nearly died of anger.
"Fatty, do you know how to watch your mouth? Who shit their pants?!"
"I had a breakthrough in the technique I practice!"
A breakthrough in his technique?
All three looked as though they had question marks stamped on their foreheads.
"Young Master Gu, the technique you practice... does it control shitting and farting?"
Fatty Wang suddenly blurted out another question.
"Piss off!"
Gu Cheng glared fiercely at him.
"This is a technique passed down in my family. It's called the Fetal Breathing Method."
"It's a health-preserving technique."
"Much like Tai Chi or the Five-Animal Exercises."
"Maybe tonight's brush with death triggered a breakthrough and made my body expel a lot of impurities. It's something like cleansing the body and marrow, so the smell might be a little unpleasant."
Gu Cheng explained.
Only then did the three understand.
"Yingzi, is there any water nearby? I want to find somewhere to wash up. All this greasy stuff feels awful."
Yingzi shook her head.
"The nearest water source is the lake on Oxheart Mountain."
"..."
Gu Cheng suddenly decided that smelling a little wasn't really a problem.
It was a manly scent, after all.
Was a man even a man if he didn't have a little odor?
Pinching his nose, Fatty Wang leaned closer and asked with a grin, "Young Master Gu, your family even has a cultivation technique? Is it powerful?"
Gu Cheng glanced at him. "Of course it is."
"Once you master the Fetal Breathing Method to a high level, you can breathe through the pores all over your body instead of your mouth and nose. It can also extend your lifespan and keep all illnesses at bay."
Fatty Wang's eyes lit up.
"Hehehe, Young Master Gu, what do you think? Can I learn it?"
Gu Cheng chuckled. "I already told you it's passed down in my family. I can't teach it to outsiders."
"Hey, you need to get rid of that feudal mindset. How many good things left by our ancestors were lost because of stupid rules like teaching sons but not daughters, refusing to teach outsiders, or holding something back?"
"Besides, we're brothers, and I'm your right-hand man. How could I count as an outsider?"
To all you handsome readers, writing a book isn't easy, and mine isn't one of those cookie-cutter tomb-raiding stories.
If you think it's decent, please send some flowers, ratings, and tips.
I'll also work hard to release extra chapters.