46: Chapter 46 Characteristics: Endless Regeneration

"And not out of breath, not a drop of sweat."

This was the real foundation of confidence.

In these chaotic times, reason, law, and human sentiment were all less substantial than having a hard fist.

Chen Mo glanced out the window.

The moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, deepening the night.

"Li Ya definitely won't let this rest."

"And that thing watching from the mass grave..."

"That madwoman from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Jiang Hongli..."

A whole pile of trouble.

But Chen Mo's heart was unusually calm at this moment.

He brushed the stone dust from his hands, a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth.

"As long as I live long enough and train fast enough, I can solve all these troubles eventually."

He blew out the oil lamp and lay down in the darkness.

He should be able to get a good night's sleep.

The faint light of dawn, passing through a hole in the paper window, pierced Chen Mo's eyelids like a golden thread.

Chen Mo woke up.

Unlike usual, when his whole body would feel sore and stiff, forcing him to linger in bed to piece his skeleton back together. Today, the moment his eyes opened, he was clear-headed and sharp. It felt like pouring high-quality lamp oil into a rusty bearing—smooth as could be.

He rolled over and sat up, his movements as light as a cat's, not even causing much rustle from the tattered cotton padding beneath him.

From the inner room came Little Grass's faint snores. The girl had been frightened enough last night and was still catching up on sleep.

Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry to put on his shoes. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the floor and turned his gaze to the panel in the Void Realm.

[Five Animal Frolics (Perfection 1%)]

[Trait: Perpetual Cycle]

He had fallen asleep too quickly last night to examine it carefully. Now, looking closely, he saw a line of small explanatory text following the words 'Perpetual Cycle':

Qi recovery speed doubled, self-healing ability greatly increased.

Chen Mo stroked his chin, his stubble prickly.

"Self-healing?"

He fished out a small pedicure knife from under his pillow, the one he usually used to clean dirt from under his fingernails. Without much thought, he drew it across the pad of his left index finger.

Hiss.

It really hurt.

A bloody gash opened up, and beads of blood immediately welled up.

Chen Mo ignored it, just kept watching.

Normally, a cut like this would require pressing for a while to stop the bleeding. It would take at least half a day to scab over and two or three days to heal completely.

But now, something uncanny happened.

Just as two beads of blood emerged, the flesh around the wound seemed to come alive like tiny worms, wriggling slightly and squeezing toward the center. In less than ten breaths, the bleeding stopped.

After another short while, a thin, transparent scab had formed over the wound's surface.

Chen Mo tried moving his finger. Apart from a slight tightness, it hardly hurt at all.

"Good stuff."

Chen Mo put the knife away, a grin spreading across his face.

And this was just a health-preserving exercise. What would a combat-oriented martial art give upon reaching Perfection?

A slash that causes endless bleeding? Or a punch that can shatter internal organs?

This System's approach was even more unorthodox than he had imagined.

Having tasted the benefits, Chen Mo's drive to 'grind' surged.

"The Five Animal Frolics reaching Perfection means the foundation is laid. Now it's time to build the house."

He turned his gaze to the dusty name in the corner of the panel — 'Turtle Breathing Technique'.

This was an Internal Skill.

According to this world's martial arts framework, external training strengthens the muscles, bones, and skin, while internal training cultivates a single breath. Although the Five Animal Frolics touched upon internal aspects, it was fundamentally a dynamic exercise for strengthening the body. To truly cultivate the legendary 'Internal Energy', one needed a proper breathing and meditation method like this.

"Train!"

Chen Mo adjusted his sitting posture, aligning his five centers towards the heavens, his tongue pressed against his palate.

The Turtle Breathing Technique emphasized 'though the divine turtle lives long, its time too must end'. It imitated an old turtle's breathing—long, deep, holding a breath in the Dantian and turning it slowly like a millstone.

Inhale...

Fine as a gossamer thread, continuous and unbroken.

Chen Mo felt the air in his chest being slowly emptied, then slowly refilled.

Exhale...

This exhalation had to expel all the turbid air from the lungs.

Chen Mo sighed, his stomach growling twice.

Martial training was a major energy consumer, especially after the earlier exertion. The hard steamed bun he ate last night had long been digested.

"Alright, need to get some food first."

He glanced at Little Grass, still asleep, and couldn't bear to wake her. He scraped some broken rice from the rice jar, boiled a pot of watery gruel thin enough to see one's reflection, left half warming in the pot, drank half himself, pocketed two cold cornbread buns, and pushed the door open to leave.

...

The sky outside was gloomy, looking like it might snow.

Chen Mo tightened his Runner's uniform around him. It was his only decent piece of clothing, even if the cuffs were frayed; at least it blocked some wind.

He first headed to the black market in the southern part of the city.

It was a hidden alley behind a stinking ditch, usually a chaotic mix of all sorts, selling anything and everything. Chen Mo had obtained his copy of the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' here.

He wanted to try his luck, to see if he could find diagrams of Meridians and Acupoints, or more detailed notes on Internal Skills.

But just as he reached the alley entrance, he saw several City Defense Army thugs in uniform setting up a checkpoint.

Several overturned stalls lay on the ground, rotten vegetable leaves and scrap metal scattered everywhere.

"Scram! Scram! What are you looking at! Crackdown these few days. Get lost if you don't want jail time!"

One of the thugs brandished his spear, shouting in Chen Mo's direction.

Chen Mo paused, lowered the brim of his hat, turned, and walked away.

"Seems the incident at the mass grave last night caused quite a stir,"

he thought to himself.

Even though Jiang Hongli said she hadn't found any demons or monsters, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's involvement would surely prompt official action. This black market being raided was probably collateral damage.

The path was blocked.

Chen Mo felt a knot of frustration.

Without Secret Manuals, without guidance, just relying on blind fumbling, he'd probably train the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' to death without producing a fart.

...

Wandering his way to the yamen, it was already mid-morning.

As soon as he entered the courtyard for roll call, a wave of heat mixed with the stench of sweat hit him.

A group of Runners were gathered around a stone table in the middle of the courtyard, bragging and shooting the breeze with flying spit.

"Well, well! If it isn't our great detective Chen!"

The sharp-eyed, pockmarked man spotted Chen Mo immediately, his voice loud as a broken gong. "How was it yesterday, going out on a case with that Imperial Astronomical Bureau lady, Jiang Hongli?"

"Go on, get out of here, speaking such bold truths," a fat man next to him said with a wink. "Was that a case? That was a 'deep exchange'. Chen Mo, is that woman's waist thin? Are her hands soft?"

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of raucous laughter erupted in the courtyard.

These guys usually just patrolled the streets or idled away their days, their mouths incapable of uttering anything decent. For a woman like Jiang Hongli, high above them and devastatingly beautiful, they only dared to fantasize in secret. Now that Chen Mo had actually managed to speak with her, their jealousy and gossip-fueled fire were burning fiercely.

Chen Mo walked over expressionlessly and slapped his waist knife onto the stone table.

*Thwack!*

The laughter subsided slightly.

"Brothers, let's have some mercy with your words." Chen Mo clasped his hands in a slight salute, wearing his trademark simpleton's smile. "She's an official of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Crushing us would be like crushing ants. If such talk gets out, me losing my head is a small matter. But implicating you brothers? That would be a grave sin."

The words were soft yet carried an edge.