Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

When a few young men gathered together, the conversation alternated between women and national affairs. From their talk, Lin Zheyu picked up quite a bit of the latest news about the rebel army.

”My father mentioned that you’re still unmarried, but is it true?”

Xu Qinyi suddenly shifted the topic to Lin Zheyu, leaving him momentarily stunned.

”Uh... yes. Marriage comes by parental command and the matchmaker’s word. With my parents and kin gone, I’ve no mind to think about such things now,” replied Lin Zheyu, still using the excuse of his late parents.

He had no wish to marry so soon and step into what he considered the grave of matrimony. The Hundred Flowers Pavilion was far too much fun! Not to mention, he still had no idea what had become of his body’s original parents and kin. After that bandit raid, had they managed to escape alive?

”Haha, I was only asking. I have several cousins who are all quite pretty. I could introduce them to you sometime. Naturally, there’s no need to rush into marriage. First get acquainted with them, and if true feelings arise, then consider such matters,” said Xu Qinyi with a smile.

His father, Xu Jingwu, had brought this up before, so he had come this time specifically with this in mind. He wanted to see for himself what kind of appearance and character Lin Zheyu had. Having met him today, his impression was favorable.

”Don’t listen to his nonsense. The Xu Family girls can’t compare to ours in the Ren Family. My elder sister is a famed beauty of Songyi City. How about I introduce her to you?” said Ren Qingfeng with sudden enthusiasm.

”Your sister is...?” asked Lin Zheyu curiously.

”My elder sister’s name is Ren Qingying, a famous beauty of Songyi City. Many young masters have coveted her for a long time, but she pays them no mind,” said Ren Qingfeng with pride.

With such a beautiful elder sister, he gained plenty of prestige wherever he went. The young masters who sought to pursue Ren Qingying would go out of their way to flatter him, hoping to ingratiate themselves with the potential brother-in-law.

”Get lost! My father has his eye on this man. Don’t try to steal him away. Brother Lin, let’s not bother with these two. In a while, the Xu residence will be hosting a banquet. I would like to invite you to attend. I hope you will honor us with your presence,” said Xu Qinyi, casting Ren Qingfeng a glare.

”Of course! Certainly!” replied Lin Zheyu.

***

He chatted with them until nightfall before leaving. By then, Jia Yanyong and the others had already gone home, so Lin Zheyu returned to his own courtyard.

This Xu Qinyi... most likely Leader Xu sent him to draw me in, thought Lin Zheyu to himself.

He had figured it out by now. There were no such coincidences. He had gone to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and Xu Qinyi just happened to be there and spotted him?

”Leader Xu has treated me well. Helping him with what I can is no problem, but marrying this early... forget it,” muttered Lin Zheyu to himself.

He had no intention of marrying unless he truly met a woman who stirred his heart. But as the years had passed, it had been more than a decade since he last felt such a thing.

Cultivation, cultivation. Why think so much about other matters? The effects of cultivating blood qi are truly astonishing. Using blood qi to temper my bones, the efficiency of the Barbaric Ox Fist has grown, and my progress has become faster and faster, murmured Lin Zheyu inwardly as he glanced at the data in his consciousness. Lately, he had spent all his time on improving the Barbaric Ox Fist, and his progress was gratifying.

Returning to the courtyard, Lin Zheyu took off his outer robe and began practicing his fist technique. The sound of fists pounding against wooden stakes echoed through the courtyard. As his strength grew, the stakes in the courtyard had been replaced several times. The latest set was made from the iron birch tree, known for its hardness.

The iron birch stakes were hard as iron. No matter how much force Lin Zheyu used, he could no longer smash them apart. Such stakes were extremely expensive, but he had not spent a coin on them as they had been a gift from Leader Xu.

Circling the stake, Lin Zheyu launched attack after attack, unleashing the Barbaric Ox Fist in tandem with the Golden Goose Technique. The power of blood qi surged into his arms, his muscles bulging and veins standing out.

Each strike on the stake sent blood qi power reverberating, hastening the tempering of his muscles, skin, tendons, and bones. At the Blood Qi Realm, training earlier-stage martial techniques became vastly more efficient; his progress was three or four times faster than before.

Under the bright moonlight, he was drenched in sweat. He stomped heavily, and his leg muscles suddenly exerted force. The strength of his legs was transmitted through his waist into his arms. His torso leaned slightly, and his fists burst forth with overwhelming force, like the charge of two bull horns.

Barbaric Ox Charge!

A savage, overwhelming, and indomitable aura surged from him. His fists crashed forward, and he did not stop, striking again and again in succession. The aura around him grew even stronger. A faint aura of brute force and wildness began to swirl around him.

If someone with a weak will were present, just seeing this aura would frighten them into losing half their strength. This was the deeper meaning that he had sensed before during practice, hidden within the fist technique.

After days of hard training and contemplation, he had finally grasped a faint trace of fist momentum. This was something he had never experienced in the Golden Goose Technique. The creator of the Barbaric Ox Fist had fused fist momentum into the technique itself. Only those with sufficient comprehension could perceive it through practice. And only those who comprehended this momentum could cultivate the Barbaric Ox Fist to Perfection.

This was why Liang Song had said the Barbaric Ox Fist was easy to learn but hard to master. Because most people could not comprehend its momentum.

Lin Zheyu stopped after practicing the fist technique for an hour. He had made it a habit to practice for an hour before sleep every night. In the beginning, after practicing his fists, he would be so excited that he couldn’t sleep, only to get up and train another hour before exhaustion finally forced him into slumber. Now that was no longer the case. The moment he touched the bed, he fell asleep.

Barbaric Ox Fist... Barbaric Ox Fist... brute force, wild charge, pressing ever forward...

Lin Zheyu sat by the stone table, gazing at the sky while pondering the faint trace of fist momentum he had just comprehended. This was his first true encounter with momentum.

Master Liang had once said that momentum was the embryo of intent, and intent was the very foundation of a martial artist’s strength at the Force Transformation Realm. To break through the Marrow Refining Realm and step into the Force Transformation Realm, one had to comprehend at least one form of intent. If he could comprehend the fist momentum within the Barbaric Ox Fist, his path to the Force Transformation Realm in the future would be much smoother.

Lin Zheyu pondered late into the night but gained no further insight. He stopped overthinking, bathed, and went to bed. Martial cultivation could not be rushed, and comprehending fist momentum even less so.

***

The next morning, Lin Zheyu was woken early by the crackle of firecrackers. He pushed open the window to find the sky still dark and the cold wind whistling. In the nearby houses, candles burned brightly, firecrackers rang out in bursts, and families lit incense to worship the gods. Children had also risen early, chasing and playing about.

Oh, today is the Little New Year[1]! In the blink of an eye, I’ve been in this world for over four months already. Time truly flies.

In Songyi City, every household would rise early on the Little New Year, slaughter pigs, chickens, and ducks, and offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. But this year’s Little New Year was somewhat sorrowful. The adults’ faces were full of worry, and only the children, in their innocence, could still laugh and play freely.

He wondered how Senior Brother Han Mo was doing outside the city, and whether he would be able to return for the new year. Since Lin Zheyu was already awake, he did not linger in bed. With his strength, going several days without sleep was nothing. He rose, washed up, and went to the courtyard to continue his practice. Perseverance was everything in martial cultivation.

1. Little New Year (Xiǎo Nián) is a traditional festival held a few days before the Lunar New Year to worship the Kitchen God and prepare for the coming celebrations. ☜