4: Chapter 4 Health Preservation Exercises

The team marched steadily under the morning light. The dirt path in the mountains was not considered flat, and the vegetation on both sides was lush. From time to time, the calls of birds and beasts could be heard, and the surrounding air was fresh, carrying a faint scent of grass, trees, and earth.

Lin Qing followed closely at the end of the group, not daring to relax in the slightest. His body was inherently frail, and he rarely walked such a long distance on ordinary days. After just less than half an hour, fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples, and his legs gradually began to feel sore and numb.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold on. With one hand, he tightly gripped the luggage on his back, and with the other, he supported himself against a tree trunk by the roadside to make minor adjustments. His gaze was always fixed on the figures of the team ahead, fearing that falling behind would delay everyone's schedule.

After all, he was hitching a ride with others; he was unwilling to slow down the pace of the entire herb-gathering team because of himself.

Just as Lin Qing was panting slightly, a slightly tender youthful voice suddenly came from beside him, and footsteps briskly approached his side.

Lin Qing turned his head to look. It was one of the four apothecary apprentices in the team, who looked to be around sixteen years old. His brows and eyes were clean, he carried a small herb basket, and his face still retained an air of childishness.

"This brother, looking at your slender build, you sure can persevere."

The medicine boy took the initiative to strike up a conversation, his tone very kind without a shred of contempt,

"We still have to walk for the better part of a day along this path before reaching the county town. If you can't walk anymore, you might as well slow down. Anyway, we aren't in a rush on our journey."

Hearing this, Lin Qing slowed his pace slightly, nodded slightly to the medicine boy, and spoke in a modest tone:

"Thank you for your concern. I can still hold on and won't delay everyone's journey."

The medicine boy smiled, walked side by side with him, swept his gaze over Lin Qing's slender figure, and asked casually:

"I see you are all alone. Earlier in the village, you begged to follow us into the city. What are you going to Qingyang County to do? Judging by your appearance, you don't look like a peddler roaming the streets, nor do you look like you're visiting relatives or friends."

Speaking of the purpose of this trip, a trace of determination flashed in Lin Qing's eyes. Without the slightest concealment, he spoke straightforwardly:

"I am heading to the county town this time with no other purpose than to take a master, learn martial arts, and forge a set of skills."

As soon as these words came out, the medicine boy immediately showed a look of surprise. He looked Lin Qing up and down, seeing that his Physique was thin and weak, looking like a gust of wind could blow him over. Indeed, he did not look like good material for practicing martial arts, but he didn't utter any taunts, only curiously pursuing the question:

"Martial arts? There are quite a few martial arts academies in the county town, but practicing martial arts has always been hard and extremely physically demanding. Can your Physique handle it?"

"I will try my best to persevere."

Lin Qing's tone was firm, and he then took the opportunity to inquire,

"I grew up in the village since childhood and have never been to the county town. I wonder if you, brother, know which reliable martial arts academies there are in the county town? If you know, I hope you can enlighten me a bit."

The medicine boy scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I do know some names of the martial arts academies, as those apprentices often come to our shop to buy potions. The ones that count are the Thunder Martial Arts Academy, Qingyun Martial Arts Academy, Panshi Martial Arts Hall, and Flowing Cloud Martial Arts Hall. These four are considered the most famous in the county town, and their masters are said to be the top-tier among First-Order Martial Artists. The other small martial arts academies have no fame, so I won't introduce them to you; there are too many."

Lin Qing silently remembered the names of these four martial arts academies in his heart. Just as he wanted to inquire further in detail, a burly guard responsible for guarding the pack horses not far ahead seemed to have heard the conversation between the two. He stopped to wait, and when Lin Qing and the medicine boy approached, he spoke up in a rough voice.

This guard had a stalwart figure, with firm muscles on his arms. At a glance, he was someone who had done heavy labor all year round and practiced superficial martial arts. His face bore the marks of wind and frost, and he spoke very straightforwardly:

"Kid, you're going into the city to learn martial arts? And you're asking about these four martial arts academies?"

"Indeed, I hope uncle can enlighten me."

Lin Qing quickly stepped forward, bowed to the burly man, and his attitude became even more respectful.

Seeing that his etiquette was thorough, the burly man was quite willing to say a few more words. While walking slowly with the team, he explained in detail to Lin Qing:

"These four martial arts academies each have their own methods in Qingyang County. If you want to learn martial arts, you must choose carefully. If you choose the wrong place, you will not only waste silver, but you also won't learn true kung fu."

"These four martial arts academies are all named after the Stance Training they teach."

"First, let's talk about the Thunder Martial Arts Academy. The Stance Training it teaches is the Thunder Stance. It emphasizes being as quiet as a virgin and moving like thunder. The transitions between motion and stillness in Stance Training are very frequent, and cultivating it is extremely harmful to the body, placing extremely high demands on Physique."

"Next is Qingyun Martial Arts Academy. I think you can forget about this one. The tuition is exorbitant, and those who enter this academy are all scions of wealthy families. Every day, apprentices not only have meat supplements rich in Qi and blood, but also Medicinal Baths to nourish their bodies. Even if you pay the tuition to enter, you won't be able to afford the subsequent daily expenses."

"Panshi Martial Arts Hall is the most down-to-earth; the master is a rough fellow. The Panshi Stake Technique highlights being as firm as a rock. Although the Cultivation Technique is not considered top-tier, it wins by being solid. The tuition is low, and there are no harsh demands on disciples; as long as you are willing to endure hardship, you can learn. Many men in the city who do coolie work or escort guards have learned a trick or two at this martial arts hall."

"Finally, this Flowing Cloud Martial Arts Hall takes the agile route. It doesn't practice rigid and fierce strength, but specializes in speed and adaptability, making it suitable for people with slender and small figures. It's just that its lethality is somewhat weak; self-defense is fine, but wanting to make a forceful breakthrough relying on this is a bit difficult."

Lin Qing listened very attentively, remembering every single word in his heart. He silently compared the strengths and weaknesses of the four martial arts academies, and gradually gained some clarity in his mind.

After finishing, the burly man looked him up and down, couldn't help sighing, and said bluntly:

"Kid, it's not that I want to pour cold water on you, but with your small frame, looking like you don't have a few ounces of strength and your bones haven't even fully grown yet, no matter which martial arts academy you enter, you will suffer greatly in the early stage. Practicing martial arts requires training the body first. Your body is too frail; let alone practicing Cultivation Techniques and sinking into horse stances, I'm afraid you won't even be able to persist through the most basic morning runs or carrying wooden stakes. If you aren't careful, you will even damage your own Foundation."

Although these words were straightforward, they were also the truth. Lin Qing understood in his heart, with not a shred of displeasure on his face; instead, he cupped his fists in thanks:

"Thank you for the reminder, uncle. I have already prepared myself to endure hardship. No matter how difficult it is, I will persist."

While the two were conversing, the elderly apothecary leading the way ahead had unknowingly slowed his pace, listening sideways to the conversation behind him. At this moment, he slowly turned around, looked gently at Lin Qing, and chimed in:

"Young man, this guard is right. Practicing martial arts must first strengthen the body. Your body is currently deficient, and rashly cultivating Stance Training will only yield the opposite result. Not only will you fail to master kung fu, but you will also drag down your own body."

Lin Qing quickly bowed to the apothecary and humbly asked for guidance:

"I ask Senior to clear my doubts. Junior is currently single-mindedly devoted to learning martial arts, yet I do not know where to start."

The apothecary stroked his beard and gave his suggestion in a peaceful tone:

"I see your temperament is steady, and you are someone who can accomplish things. In my view, you don't need to rush into a martial arts academy to Cultivate martial arts Cultivation Techniques. You might as well first find a basic Health Preservation Technique to regulate your body for a few months. Although this Health Preservation Technique cannot instantly strengthen your Physique, nor can it train Moves that harm people, it can slowly comb through the deficient Qi and blood in your body, nourish the five viscera and six bowels, improve your Physique, and completely rid your frail body of its deficient state, achieving a state of harmonious Qi and blood and all-around good health."

"Once your physical Foundation is well-laid, entering a martial arts academy later—whether practicing fierce Cultivation Techniques or agile Movement Techniques—will yield twice the result with half the effort, and you won't be unable to even sustain basic Cultivation because of a frail body."

Hearing this, Lin Qing was moved and quickly consulted him:

"I wonder where this Health Preservation Technique can be learned?"

Seeing that Lin Qing had truly taken his advice to heart, the apothecary couldn't help smiling:

"These Cultivation Techniques are not considered precious; you can find them for sale in some larger bookstores. They cost a few qian of silver each."

Hearing this, a warmth suddenly surged in Lin Qing's heart. Entering the city all alone and without support, he was originally full of confusion about his future path of learning martial arts. Now, having received the apothecary's guidance, it was like finding a ray of light in the darkness. He quickly bowed deeply, his tone full of gratitude:

"Thank you, Senior, for your unsparing instruction; Junior is endlessly grateful! Every word Senior said is reasonable, and I will definitely follow your suggestion to first regulate my own body before making subsequent plans."

"No need for formalities. When traveling away from home, helping each other out is only proper."

The apothecary smiled, said no more, turned around, and walked briskly back to the front of the team to continue leading the way.

The road ahead gradually became wider, and the outline of the Qingyang County city wall could already be faintly seen in the distance. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the road and onto the youth's slender yet straight figure.

Following the pace of the herb-gathering team, Lin Qing walked step by step toward the county town. In his heart, he had already planned the first step after entering the city, and he was filled with infinite expectations for the upcoming new life.