Inhuman Training (Part Two)

When Daoist Jin came out of the house, he was holding a whip stick made of cotton cloth and gauze. The cotton cloth was tightly wrapped, so it was a little hard in his hand, but it was still soft to the touch.

Daoist Jin scooped the still-boiling black broth from the large pot into a wooden basin using a large ladle. Then he threw the snow-white whip in his hand into the basin. The gauze absorbed the water and quickly sank to the bottom of the basin.

"Let me ask you, are you afraid of pain?" Daoist Jin looked at Su Ziyang, who was earnestly practicing his qi circulation.

"How much does it hurt?" Su Ziyang, wearing only his underwear, blinked his eyes at Daoist Jin.

"Hmm--" Daoist Jin pondered for a moment, "It hurts slightly..."

"It's alright, please come!" Upon hearing that it hurt slightly, Su Ziyang feigned nonchalance.

"That's fine. I'll use this little whip, soaked in the medicinal juice, to whip you in a bit. You just need to focus on circulating your internal energy!"

Looking at the tone of Daoist Jin's voice, Su Ziyang suddenly felt that Daoist Jin's claim of "slight pain" seemed rather unreliable.

"Okay, let's begin!"

Daoist Jin took out a small whip covered in gauze soaked in the juice, and then began to apply the black medicinal juice all over Su Ziyang's body.

The medicine had a bitter, sour smell that made Su Ziyang feel nauseous.

"Yunqi!"

After applying the medicine to Su Ziyang, as soon as Daoist Jin speaking, a crisp sound erupted from Su Ziyang's back.

While Su Ziyang was circulating his qi, he felt a piercing pain strike his brain.

"Holy crap... this is... this is... a slight pain!!!" Su Ziyang couldn't help but swear.

Despite the excruciating pain, Su Ziyang dared not move and could only endure it through sheer willpower.

"Good job, lad! You've got guts!"

Daoist Jin completely ignored Su Ziyang's cursing and even praised Su Ziyang for his courage. While praising Su Ziyang, his hands did not stop, lashing Su Ziyang's back with the whip one after another.

If Su Ziyang could see his back at this moment, he would definitely admire the precision of Daoist Jin's technique. Each of Daoist Jin's whips was perfectly aligned with the previous one, just like painting a wall without leaving a single gap.

Before long, Su Ziyang's back was covered with bloody marks.

At this moment, the medicinal liquid prepared by Daoist Jin took effect. When the whip was just finished, Su Ziyang felt a piercing pain, which then turned into a burning sensation. As soon as the burning sensation appeared, Su Ziyang felt the medicinal liquid that Daoist Jin had applied to his body begin to emit a cool medicinal aroma, which quickly neutralized the burning sensation.

Su Ziyang only felt that his back was like a single piece of wood, without any particular pain.

"Kid, you've only just crossed one threshold. The hardest parts are the ribs and abdomen!"

Daoist Jin then soaked the whip in the medicinal juice and lashed it with a crack under Su Ziyang's armpit.

Su Ziyang felt his internal organs shudder, and then his heart suddenly seemed to stop. This suffocating feeling made Su Ziyang dizzy, and he almost fell off the well platform.

"The sides of your ribs are the hardest to endure, but you'll get through it! It's currently the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the time when the heavens open at midnight, the earth opens at 1-3 AM, and all things begin to grow at Yin! You can now use your internal energy to connect with the earth's energy in the well, which will better protect your internal organs. I didn't teach you your internal energy, so how you connect is up to you! I'm going to continue! This must be completed before 5-7 AM!"

Daoist Jin spoke casually, and then another whip fell.

When you're reading, try rubbing your sides vigorously with your palms. Whether it itches or hurts, the feeling is absolutely unbearable.

So when the second whip fell, Su Ziyang's mind went blank again for a brief moment.

"This can't go on..."

That was the only sentence left in Su Ziyang's mind.

The saying goes, "Where the mind goes, the spirit follows."

This means that in the cultivation of internal energy, the Qi within the body is guided by the mind; wherever the mind reaches, the Qi immediately follows.

Thinking of this, Su Ziyang once again roused his qi, then unified his mind and body, and assumed a somewhat unorthodox half-horse stance. As soon as he assumed this stance, Su Ziyang felt his True Qi instantly surge out of his Yongquan acupoint, merging with the earth qi that was constantly churning in the well.

Then, as if the earth's energy had some intelligence, it also noticed that Su Ziyang's True Qi was different. So, a large amount of earth energy quickly surged out from the hole made in the well cover and rushed directly into Su Ziyang's perineum.

The moment the earth's energy entered his body, Su Ziyang's body hair stood on end like spears. At the same time, Su Ziyang felt a chill rush from his spine to the top of his head, through the Dazhui acupoint, through the Yuzhen acupoint, and then out through the Baihui acupoint.

The feeling of clarity sent a jolt through Su Ziyang's body. Then, the earth's energy firmly fixed Su Ziyang's feet to the well cover, preventing Su Ziyang from moving an inch.

Then, apart from the rhythmic "slap... slap... plop... slap" sounds coming from the courtyard, the master and apprentice never spoke again.

Master Daoist Jin's ribs. Bloodstains instantly appeared, and even with the earth's energy protecting him, Su Ziyang still twitched in pain.

Whether it was due to the medicinal liquid that Daoist Jin applied to Su Ziyang, or because the weather was still a bit cold, Su Ziyang, despite being in excruciating pain, didn't break a sweat.

Unlike the ribs and back, Daoist Jin struck back and forth twice before starting to attack Su Ziyang's chest and abdomen.

While being beaten, Su Ziyang suddenly realized that Daoist Jin seemed to really hate him, as he gritted his teeth with each blow.

However, Su Ziyang dared not speak, fearing that if he dissipated his True Qi, he would truly lose his life.

After slapping Su Ziyang's chest, Daoist Jin soaked the whip again and aimed it at Su Ziyang's groin.

Daoist Jin like that, Su Ziyang couldn't help but swallow.

"If that whip falls, he'll be damned childless! Master, Master, you can't joke like that! The matter of our descendants is not to be taken lightly!"

Su Ziyang kept repeating to himself, but what was bound to happen would happen eventually. In just one moment, Su Ziyang almost knelt on the manhole cover.

However, the earth's energy circulated uncontrollably within Su Ziyang's body, preventing Su Ziyang from making any movements, not even passive ones.

Su Ziyang was clear-headed and watched as Daoist Jin whipped him forty-nine times.

"Practicing this kind of kung fu only brings suffering, there's no other way! Since we've made such a drastic decision, we have to train the whole body, leaving no vital points!"

As Su Ziyang looked at Daoist Jin with emotion, an image suddenly flashed through his mind of Daoist Jin being beaten by his master while he was young, pinned to the well platform. Thinking of this, Su Ziyang instantly felt at peace!

Finally, before dawn, there wasn't a single good spot on Su Ziyang's body. With the help of the viscous black medicine, Su Ziyang's entire body was black with red, red with purple, and purple with black—it looked beautiful no matter how you looked at it!

After finishing his business, Daoist Jin went straight into the house, completely ignoring Su Ziyang, who was being sucked in by the earth's energy.

"Master, I'm stuck here! Please save me!" After more than ten minutes, Su Ziyang shouted as he saw that Daoist Jin still hadn't come out of the house.

"What are you yelling about! Do you think everyone's so Yunqi as to be able to draw in the earth's energy to cleanse their bodies and bones? Just be happy!"

As Daoist Jin spoke, he took out a small flowerpot from the house, on which a cactus was planted.

Then Daoist Jin placed the small flowerpot on the small hole in the well cover.

Strangely enough, this small cactus instantly blocked the rising earth energy.

With the earth's energy dissipating, Su Ziyang's already weakened body could no longer hold on and he collapsed to one side.

Daoist Jin caught Su Ziyang, who was about to fall, and carried him into the house.

Inside the room was a large wooden tub, taller than half a person, filled with water. However, this water was not ordinary water; it was a pale yellow liquid with a pleasant fragrance.

Daoist Jin showed no gentleness whatsoever towards Su Ziyang, throwing Su Ziyang into the large bathtub with a plop, just like throwing away trash.

Then he took out a wooden lid and pushed it onto the large barrel, leaving only Su Ziyang's head sticking out.

After soaking for five minutes, Su Ziyang felt his strength returning. He whispered to Daoist Jin, "Master, if you had told me earlier that this kung fu was so painful, I would rather have been killed by that acupressure master on the street than fall for your trick and suffer like this!"

"Hehe."

Daoist Jin chuckled as he listened to Su Ziyang's complaints, "Look, you're someone else's disciple, but you're also my disciple. Since I'm teaching you, I'll impart all my knowledge without reservation! No one has inherited the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt skills, so I had to turn to you. To be honest, I'm worried you won't practice them anymore, right? Then they'll be lost! I can't let such a valuable skill be lost in my hands! Please understand!"

Su Ziyang rolled his eyes at Daoist Jin to express his protest, but it was clear that the protest was ineffective.

Daoist Jin, seeing Su Ziyang's expression, continued with a smile, "You young people always say, 'No pain, no Land Rover!' You're suffering now, but once you've mastered this Iron Cloth Shirt, won't it be incredibly useful? Excellent!"

"Practical my ass!"

Su Ziyang said irritably, "Master, we're doctors! Physicians! Doctors! Why am I suffering so much to learn this? Do you think I can expect to fight with people every day?"

"Don't get cocky just because you're given a little credit!" Daoist Jin changed instantly upon hearing Su Ziyang's complaint. "I'm telling you, you have to practice this skill whether you like it or not! You're going to defy me! If you dare not practice, I'll beat you to death!"

Seeing Daoist Jin's expression change, Su Ziyang smiled obsequiously this time, "Hehe, look at you. Your expression changes faster than flipping through a book! Why are you angry? Practice, practice, practice! It is the responsibility of my generation to pass on the excellent traditional culture of our Zhonghua! I must deeply reflect on this and work hard to improve!"

"Hmm, that's more like it." Daoist Jin stroked his beard, clearly pleased with Su Ziyang's words. "After using my medicinal bath, your injuries should heal within seven days. Then we'll have to go through the process again, but this time we'll use wooden sticks to whip you!"

Su Ziyang was sweating profusely from the medicinal bath. Hearing Daoist Jin's words, beads of sweat streamed down his forehead. Su Ziyang swallowed hard and stammered, "To be honest, Master, I feel that I'm still too inexperienced to shoulder the responsibility of carrying on the excellent culture of the Zhonghua. Perhaps you should find someone else!"

Daoist Jin chuckled at the fear in Su Ziyang's eyes, "Stop talking nonsense! After you master it, your master won't let you train for nothing. How about I reward you? I'll treat you to mutton soup!"

"Master, I want a different reward! I don't want to drink this damn mutton soup." Su Ziyang knew he couldn't escape, so he could only try to make up excuses.

"Alright, as long as you keep practicing, your master will agree to anything you ask!" Daoist Jin patted his chest and said confidently.

"Hmm! Master, your medical kit is quite nice. Why don't you take it out? I'd like to take it apart and make a bracelet for fun..." Su Ziyang squinted his eyes and chuckled mischievously.

Upon hearing Su Ziyang's words, Daoist Jin nodded in agreement, mimicking Su Ziyang's tone. "Hmm... I think you're right. As for carrying on the excellent traditional culture of the Zhonghua, I think I should find someone else! Your shoulders are indeed a bit too inexperienced, hmm, let's find someone else!"

As Daoist Jin spoke, he walked towards the door.

Watching Daoist Jin's departing figure, Su Ziyang gritted his teeth and secretly thought that Daoist Jin stingy.

Su Ziyang had no idea where Daoist Jin had gone out to do, so he could only obediently soak in the wooden tub. When the water had become a little cold, Daoist Jin returned.

"Hehe, Master, you're back! When will this soaking finally end?" Su Ziyang stretched his body, then touched his arms and back, finding that the bulging skin had healed. He just couldn't see how the bruises had changed!

"Get up!" Daoist Jin handed Su Ziyang a large bath towel, then removed the lid from the wooden tub.

When Su Ziyang emerged from the water, he found himself transformed into a tiny, purplish-red figure, his entire body, except for his face, was a mess of red and purple.

"Just wipe it off, stop looking. It'll be gone in a week. This formula is for beauty, your skin will get better and better with use, it won't stop you from finding a girlfriend!" Daoist Jin saw through Su Ziyang's worries at a glance.

"Hehe. Thanks, Master!"

Even with the most miraculous medicine, the injured skin would still hurt a bit. Su Ziyang didn't dare to rub it too hard; he could only dab the water droplets off his body with a towel before putting on his clothes.

"Master, did you suffer like this back then?" Su Ziyang asked, still dressed.

"Alas, you don't know how lucky you are. When I was learning this, I brewed the medicinal soup myself. I didn't have a wooden tub big enough for a medicinal bath. I could only rub the medicine on my body little by little. You—" Daoist Jin pointed at Su Ziyang and shook his head.

Playing around is playing around, and fooling around is fooling around. Daoist Jin's words made Su Ziyang feel a little guilty.

However, Daoist Jin said was indeed the truth. In ancient times, when people became apprentices, it was always the apprentices who served their masters. How could a master serve his apprentice like this?

Previously, Su Ziyang worked as a nanny for Lao Pang at Lao Pang house, which was nothing compared to the traditional apprenticeship system.

Seeing Su Ziyang Su Ziyang's head hanging low, Daoist Jin patted him on the head and said, "Hey kid. Times are changing, and some things are changing too. I'm very pleased that you like traditional things so much and can chat with us old folks!"

After saying that, Daoist Jin pulled out a 108-bead prayer bead bracelet from his pocket and handed it to Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang looked at the bracelet in surprise. "This is!"

"It's made of small-leaf sandalwood, just make do with it! It was a gift from your master!"

Daoist Jin finished speaking, he chuckled and patted Su Ziyang's head.

"Thank you, Master..." Su Ziyang gripped the bracelet tightly in his hand.