Chapter 16: Internal Breath Cultivation

……

“Close your eyes, feel the rhythm, and try to follow it with your breathing.”

Liang Song said.

Lin Zheyu closed his eyes as instructed. With his mind calmed and focused, he shut out the surrounding noise, and the sound of his master’s breathing grew louder in his ears.

He followed the rhythm, though his breathing was somewhat erratic; it was his first time attempting abdominal breathing, and it felt very unnatural.

“Don’t be anxious. It is always difficult when first attempting internal breathing techniques.”

“Calm your mind and focus all your attention on the rhythm and cadence of my breathing.”

Liang Song said.

He reached out and pressed his palm against Lin Zheyu’s abdomen. His hand moved with the rhythm of his breathing, pressing gently while his fingertips twitched, subtly adjusting the movement of Lin Zheyu’s muscles.

As time passed, over an hour went by.

Lin Zheyu’s expression became increasingly calm, and a sense of rhythm gradually emerged in the rise and fall of his chest.

Guided by Liang Song, his breathing began to take on a special cadence, and a magical sensation rippled through Lin Zheyu’s heart.

“Very good, that is the feeling.”

“Remember this sensation. Once you adapt to it, combining this breathing technique with your fist practice will yield twice the result with half the effort!”

Liang Song said softly.

Lin Zheyu learned very quickly. With his master’s help, he had mastered the basics in just over an hour.

“To master the basic breathing technique in just over an hour—your comprehension is truly astonishing.”

Liang Song praised, watching as Lin Zheyu’s breathing grew more refined.

He had not expected to encounter such a promising talent in Songyi City.

……

When he left Liang Song’s house, it was nearly lunchtime.

Lin Zheyu wanted to invite his master out for a meal, but Liang Song declined.

On the way back, about a mile from his small courtyard, Lin Zheyu felt something was off.

“Is someone following me?”

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.

After his Savage Bull Fist reached the Mastery level, his sensory perception had improved significantly, making him extremely sensitive to movements around him.

Just now, he felt a gaze lingering on him, and there was a sneaky fellow following behind him.

Lin Zheyu paused his pace for a brief moment before continuing on, pretending that nothing was wrong.

“Who is following me, and what is their goal?”

Lin Zheyu’s mind raced, various possibilities flashing through his thoughts.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out who would be targeting him.

Since arriving in the inner city, he had kept a very low profile and had not come into conflict with anyone.

Lin Zheyu took a turn, heading down a different path toward the bustling market.

Upon reaching the market, Lin Zheyu wandered around, touching and looking at items, haggling over prices. By paying careful attention, he finally spotted the guy following him.

“It’s him!”

“I’ve already moved into the city, and they’re still like ghosts that won’t go away!”

Lin Zheyu was speechless.

Although the sneaky fellow was dressed differently than before, he recognized him at a glance.

Back when he lived in the Baishan district, he had been robbed of his food by a group of thugs, and this guy was one of those four.

Lin Zheyu hadn't expected that even after moving to the inner city, the other party would still be so persistent.

Do they really think I’m easy to bully?

In the past, his strength was low, his body weak and malnourished, so he had no choice but to walk around them.

Now that his Savage Bull Fist had reached the Mastery level and his strength had seen a leap in improvement, he no longer held these street thugs in any regard.

For guys like this who had never practiced martial arts and only knew how to be fierce and aggressive, Lin Zheyu wasn't bragging—he could take on ten of them.

“There is no such thing as a thousand days of defense against a thief. I’ll find an opportunity to investigate and see what this guy is up to.”

Lin Zheyu said to himself.

……

After finishing his storytelling, it was another bountiful day.

Lin Zheyu had received nearly three hundred wen in tips today.

On the way back, he discovered he was being followed again.

He returned home calmly, quickly changed into plain clothes, and quietly followed behind the other person.

With his current strength, although his tracking skills weren't great, he could trail them from a distance without being discovered.

“They’ve switched people, but it’s still one of their group.”

Lin Zheyu followed the person from afar.

They arrived at the Baishan district.

It wasn't as prosperous as the inner city; many places were silent and deserted, and it was common for a murder to go undiscovered for over a dozen days.

The man wove through the alleys of the Baishan district, taking several turns, until he arrived at an ordinary residential house.

He knocked on the door, someone opened it from inside, and after he entered, it was shut again.

“Strange, being so secretive—could they be planning something big?”

Lin Zheyu muttered, quickly following after them.

These guys, who usually squatted at street corners chatting and goofing off, were now hiding in a house secretly discussing matters; Lin Zheyu felt this was not normal.

Since the matter involved him, he took it very seriously.

Although Lin Zheyu wasn't a villain, he wasn't exactly a saint either. It was very difficult for a good person to survive among refugees.

……

The sky grew dim.

Carefully approaching the window, Lin Zheyu took out a piece of black cloth and covered his face.

He leaned his ear against the window to eavesdrop on the conversation inside, wanting to figure out what these people were plotting against him.

After his strength improved, Lin Zheyu’s hearing became extremely sharp.

Even though the people inside were speaking in low voices, he could clearly hear their conversation through the thin, non-soundproof window.

“Wen Biao, how was it today?”

Gao Yu said to the man who had just entered.

“Same as usual. That kid does nothing but tell stories or stay at home all day. Even when he goes out to wander, he only goes to the bustling areas.”

“And once it gets dark, I’ve never seen him go out. I guess he’s scared after fleeing as a refugee; he’s very protective of his life now,” Yan Ling added.

They had been tracking Lin Zheyu for over ten days, wanting to figure out his daily schedule to find an opportunity to strike in the dark, avenge "Skinny Monkey," and rob him of some silver.

According to their observations over the past ten days, this kid was quite wealthy.

Receiving at least two hundred wen in tips every day, plus his wages, his daily income exceeded three hundred wen, which made the group very jealous.

A down-and-out scholar who had arrived as a refugee had actually managed to do so well in such a short time.

“These guys have been tracking me for so long!”

Lin Zheyu felt a lingering fear.

From their conversation, he learned that these people had been following him for quite a while.

If it weren't for his heightened perception after his strength improved, allowing him to discover their tracks, he might have been ambushed without even knowing why.

Fortunately, he had been extremely cautious during this time, never going out at night and avoiding secluded paths.

*A man has no intention to harm the tiger, but the tiger has the intention to harm the man.*

Being targeted for no reason made Lin Zheyu extremely annoyed, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

*When one carries a sharp weapon, the desire to kill arises on its own.*

With his strength improved, his courage had also grown.

“By the way, Brother Yu, I discovered that he learned martial arts from somewhere. Every day, the sound of fists hitting a wooden post comes from his courtyard.”

Wen Biao said with some hesitation: “Are we really going to do this? Dealing with someone who has practiced martial arts...”

He wasn't very keen on taking action. Although he called Skinny Monkey a brother, they were just drinking buddies. He was somewhat unwilling to take risks for Skinny Monkey’s sake.

However, learning that this guy was a "fat sheep" who was all alone and had no one to rely on made Wen Biao tempted.

“What are you afraid of? Even if he started practicing martial arts the moment he arrived in Songyi City, he’s only been at it for two months.”

“Two months is barely enough to build a foundation; what kind of tricks could he possibly have learned?” Gao Yu said dismissively.

Yan Ling curled his lips and laughed in agreement: “Exactly, Wen Biao, you’re too timid.”

“Since there’s no chance to strike during the day, we’ll sneak in at night.”

“Yan Ling, go buy some incense to knock him out—get a strong dose to knock out the dog he keeps in the yard.”

“Wen Biao, you prepare the tools for climbing the wall.”

“We’ll make our move in a dozen days or so. Let that kid earn a bit more silver first, hehe.”

“……”

(End of chapter)