Chapter 5: Squatting and Rising, the Body Like a Galloping Horse (Part II)

Hoo.

Hoo-hoo.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

The autumn wind blew, causing the leaves in the courtyard to rustle.

A faint medicinal scent drifted through the air.

Lin Zheyu sat on the ground, leaning against the wall and panting, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He had been exercising for over an hour, and his legs felt as if they no longer belonged to him.

"The Horse Stance isn't working; it hasn't appeared in the skill bar."

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness; there was no information about the Horse Stance in the skill bar.

He wasn't disappointed, though.

The Horse Stance was not a complete martial art; it was merely an exercise technique used to build a foundation.

The first batch of medicinal soup had finished brewing. Lin Zheyu rested for a moment before drinking it, feeling a wave of warmth spread through his stomach.

"I'll boil some hot water to soak in, then continue exercising when I wake up tomorrow."

Lin Zheyu prepared to rest.

If he continued to exercise, he would reach his physical limit and require several days to recover.

During that time, he wouldn't be able to continue his training.

After soaking in hot water for half an hour, Lin Zheyu felt much better.

Having exercised for several hours, he fell into a deep sleep that night.

Early morning.

He was once again awakened by the raucous, grating voice of a rooster.

"Eh!"

Lin Zheyu sat up from the bed, letting out a cry of surprise.

Waking up early in the morning, there was surprisingly little soreness in his legs and waist.

"Is the Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing Soup taking effect?" Lin Zheyu pondered.

...

The storytelling didn't start until the afternoon, so he didn't have to worry about anything else in the morning.

After breakfast, Lin Zheyu continued to practice the Horse Stance.

This time, he lasted for over ten minutes before he felt he couldn't go on.

After resting for a while, he got up to practice the stance again.

If he couldn't reach the level of holding the Horse Stance for an hour within a month, Liang Song would not teach him martial arts.

Time passed slowly.

The order in the Inner City was excellent, unlike the chaos of the Baishan neighborhood in the Outer City.

After moving into the Inner City, Lin Zheyu's life returned to a state of tranquility.

As the days went by, apart from storytelling, he spent all his remaining time practicing the Horse Stance.

In addition to the Horse Stance, Lin Zheyu also added push-ups to his routine.

The Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing prescription given by Liang Song was very effective.

Expensive things had their benefits.

One dose of the prescription could be brewed over three days, with one bowl consumed each day, and by the next morning, all fatigue would be swept away.

...

In the blink of an eye, twenty-some days had passed.

With high-intensity exercise combined with a diet rich in fish and meat, Lin Zheyu's body had become much sturdier.

Beneath his skin, one could faintly see the smooth lines of his muscles.

In the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu squatted with his legs, his body rising and falling like a galloping steed.

For these twenty-some days, he had worked diligently without fail, gritting his teeth and exercising until his legs grew sore and trembled.

Gradually, he became addicted to the Horse Stance.

Whether eating or storytelling, whenever he had a spare moment, he would stand for a few minutes or half an hour.

He even incorporated the Horse Stance into his walking, which made his posture look somewhat peculiar.

The time he could hold the stance also grew longer, from less than ten minutes at the start to being able to hold it for half an hour.

Now, he had already been standing in the courtyard for nearly an hour.

Sweat soaked his clothes.

Lin Zheyu breathed steadily, his chest rising and falling.

His legs had begun to tremble uncontrollably, and beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down his forehead.

"Hold on!"

"The time is almost up."

Lin Zheyu encouraged himself in his heart.

His eyes were fixed on the clepsydra in the courtyard, a tool used for keeping time.

It showed that there were less than ten minutes left until he reached the one-hour mark for the Horse Stance.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The cold wind blew; the weather was getting a bit chilly.

As he rose and fell, the trembling of his body began to increase; he was reaching his limit.

"Come on, hold on for a few more minutes, and while I'm at it, break through my physical limit to earn one unit of Source Power."

Lin Zheyu kept encouraging himself.

For these twenty-some days, he had maintained a balance, not daring to exercise too violently or break his physical limit for fear of affecting his subsequent training.

Until today, seeing that the Horse Stance was nearing an hour, Lin Zheyu simply gritted his teeth to hold on, deciding to break through his physical limit in the process.

Time passed slowly, and another twenty minutes went by.

Lin Zheyu had already held the Horse Stance for an hour, but he did not stop.

He was not far from breaking through his physical limit.

His face turned pale, the trembling of his body became more pronounced, and his legs began to shake violently.

"Hiss—"

Lin Zheyu's face twisted, appearing somewhat ferocious.

He held on for a few more minutes.

Finally.

He felt as if he had broken through a certain barrier in his body; his essence, energy, and spirit seemed to sublimate, twisting into a single strand.

In his consciousness, the Source Power increased by one unit.

【Heaven Rewards Diligence】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skills

The moment he broke his limit, Lin Zheyu let out a breath, and his entire body collapsed onto the ground.

He looked at the sky, a smile of post-exertion satisfaction appearing on his face.

"Finally, I did it!"

Lin Zheyu was overjoyed.

He had successfully managed to hold the Horse Stance for an hour within a month and could now learn martial arts from Liang Song.

After resting for over ten minutes, once his muscles stopped trembling, Lin Zheyu rolled over and stood up, beginning to stretch his tendons and bones.

After stretching and resting for another thirty-some minutes, he immersed himself in a hot water tub, feeling a sense of comfort throughout his body.

In the afternoon.

Lin Zheyu arrived at the teahouse, walking with a shaky gait.

"Are you alright?"

Seeing Lin Zheyu walking strangely, Manager Wu asked with concern.

Over the past month, they had become much more familiar with each other.

Because of Lin Zheyu, the popularity of the Bidan Teahouse had been rising, catching up to the Yixiang Teahouse. It was estimated that it would surpass them before long.

The Yixiang Teahouse was the most famous teahouse in Songyi City; catching up to them was something Manager Wu had never dared to imagine.

"I'm fine, I just overdid it with my morning exercise," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

Compared to a month ago, his body was much sturdier, and he was full of vigor; one could no longer tell he had once been a refugee.

"Can you hold the Horse Stance for an hour now?" Manager Wu asked curiously.

He knew about this because Lin Zheyu had told him.

"Almost there. In a few days, once I've recovered, I'll reach it."

"Then congratulations," Manager Wu said with a smile, feeling happy for Lin Zheyu.

The time for storytelling soon arrived.

Amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the guests, Lin Zheyu walked up.

*Clack.*

He struck the gavel, and the storytelling began: "As we were saying last time..."

...

Time passed, and another five days went by.

His body had recovered from the muscle-tearing sensation of breaking his limit.

"It's a good thing the guests are generous; the tips are quite substantial, otherwise, I wouldn't have enough to spend."

Lin Zheyu sighed inwardly.

This past month, money had truly flowed like water.

As his popularity increased, Manager Wu raised his wages to two hundred wen per day.

Including the daily tips, he had nearly five hundred wen coming in each day.

Even so, he didn't have much silver left, as most of it was spent on eggs, meat, and the Qi-Replenishing and Blood-Nourishing medicinal herbs.

*Knock, knock.*

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Early in the morning, Lin Zheyu knocked on Liang Song's door.

The courtyard gate opened, and Liang Song was not surprised.

"Go into the courtyard and stand; let me see how well you've practiced," Liang Song said.

"Yes."

Lin Zheyu nodded and walked to the center of the courtyard.

He spread his legs slightly, squatted, extended his hands flat, and looked straight ahead.

Lin Zheyu's body began to rise and fall slightly, as if he were riding a galloping steed; the muscles in his waist and legs exerted force, and his center of gravity shifted with the movement.

Liang Song observed for a while and nodded with satisfaction.

The posture was very standard.

He didn't continue to watch Lin Zheyu hold the Horse Stance, but instead picked up a watering can and began to water the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

(End of chapter)