Now Chen Yi spent two hours every day practicing the fist stance and the Longevity Skill, progressing at a steady and unhurried pace.
He still had three taels of silver left, and every ten days, he would ask Zhuiyue to help him buy a bowl of Bone-Strengthening Broth. Naturally, he would also keep his eyes sharp and his hands quick, helping Zhuiyue with whatever chores he could manage, hoping to minimize the favor he owed her.
Zhuiyue assumed that Chen Yi was currying favor with her just to get into the eldest miss's good graces, so she was quite willing to give him opportunities—though she would still put him in his place with a sharp remark every now and then, reminding him that even if he did become the eldest miss's man in the future, he would still rank below her, as seniority mattered.
At this, Chen Yi would just smile and let it go; he had never once harbored any intention of becoming the eldest miss's man.
Once, purely by chance, Chen Yi had even casually asked Zhuiyue for her opinion on whether she wanted to stay in the young master's bedchamber to warm his bed. Zhuiyue had spat out a curse, making it clear she had no such thoughts at all; she only stayed by the young master's side to keep an eye on him and prevent him from getting up to any mischief. She said she was simply looking for a steady, capable man of her choice to live a peaceful and settled life with.
Chen Yi had also hinted at whether she resented Caiyun returning. To this, Zhuiyue was indifferent—as long as the young master successfully entered the path of martial arts, she figured the eldest miss wouldn't object.
Understanding her stance, Chen Yi decided to wait for a proper opportunity later. It wasn't really because of the ten taels of silver Caiyun had promised him, but rather because over this past month, dining in the mess hall every day, the manager had always made sure the bottom of the ladle was packed with chunks of meat, bringing about a dramatic transformation in Chen Yi's physical condition. Chen Yi felt a deep sense of gratitude for this kindness of a full belly, and whenever it was within his power, he was willing to help bring about Caiyun's return as a small token of repayment.
However, that matter would have to wait until the young master successfully entered the path of martial arts.
He himself had only just grasped his Qi and Blood Power, mustering at most two hundred catties of strength in a single arm. Entering the path of martial arts required an abundant reserve of Qi and Blood Power—enough to reach five hundred catties in a single punch—along with the mastery of techniques to unleash a massive surge of Qi and Blood Power in an instant, achieving the effect of shattering tendons and breaking bones with a single blow.
It was only at this threshold that a martial artist could essentially control their own vital energy and blood, achieving a preliminary stage of locking in their vital essence and yang energy, thus no longer fearing the loss of their virginity.
Gong Qingyun had spent a month grasping his Qi and Blood Power. If he had sufficient medicinal supplements, his vital energy and blood would grow very rapidly. Coupled with the Gong Family's hereditary martial arts, it surely wouldn't be too hard for him to step into Ming Jin, perhaps even within half a year.
Chen Yi had a rough estimate of this in his mind.
His own martial arts progress was slower than Gong Qingyun's, but he wasn't in a rush; he simply practiced diligently and kept a low profile. In the eyes of outsiders, Chen Yi devoted all his rest time to practicing the stance and the Longevity Skill. The image of someone with poor innate bone structure, starting far too late, and merely wasting his effort in futile labor spread widely among the martial arts apprentices and estate guards.
"A servant will never escape a servant's fate, no matter how hard he tries."
"Son, you're young now and you have to get serious about martial arts. Otherwise, you'll end up just like Chen Yi—waiting until your bones and tendons are fully set at fifteen before starting martial arts, when it's already too late for everything. Look at him, he spends several times as much time practicing as everyone else, but he's still stuck doing stance work. He's a lost cause."
Every morning, Gong Qingyun would go to the martial arts training ground to practice boxing with the other apprentices of the Gong Family. Chen Yi would follow right by his side, able to do nothing more than hold his stances or practice the Longevity Skill.
Gong Qingyun would occasionally stroll over with his hands behind his back to offer Chen Yi some pointers: "Little Chen, you're supposed to stand in this posture. No, no, you need to hold it a bit longer. Look at me, like this—see? Ah, there you go, spot on."
Then he would pat Chen Yi on the shoulder and say, "Kid, keep up the good work! You've still got a long way to go!"
And off he would saunter, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Yes, yes, the young master is entirely right!"
Every time, Chen Yi would offer the young master an appropriate level of validation, leaving him completely satisfied.
Gong Qingyun was young and tasted early success. Mastering the stance work in a month placed him in the more talented tier, and he habitually used the opportunity of coaching Chen Yi to experience the joy of playing the mentor—an inevitable display of adolescent pride. Chen Yi understood this quite well and was more than happy to play along.
As for the opinions of the other apprentices and guards, Chen Yi merely smiled faintly whenever he heard them.
His ambitions lay elsewhere; he had no intention of bickering too much with the people of the Gong Family over such matters. As long as the mess hall kept supplying him with meat, and he had the silver to buy Bone-Strengthening Broth so he could cultivate in peace, that was enough.
Aside from practicing martial arts on ordinary days, Chen Yi used the pretext of accompanying Gong Qingyun in his studies to earnestly read and copy medical texts.
He found that as his progress in copying medical books increased, his understanding of medicinal properties, human meridians, and the like grew increasingly profound. The second time Chen Yi drank the Bone-Strengthening Broth—perhaps because the decoction was thicker and stronger, or perhaps because his medical knowledge had improved—he even corrected one of the primary ingredients in the formula. He was also able to make a preliminary analysis of the broth's formulation principles and the synergistic mechanisms among several of the medicinal herbs.
"If the dog bones inside were replaced with snake bones, this medicine ought to be somewhat milder..."
Of course, this was only Chen Yi's preliminary analysis; he was still some distance away from truly improving the formula or tailoring it precisely. Yet, having confirmed the direction, Chen Yi felt even more motivated when reading his medical books.
Another ten days passed.
Chen Yi was in his room going through his daily routine of stance practice.
Right as he began holding the stance this time, Chen Yi suddenly felt a stir within his heart. He was able to perceive with exquisite precision the flow of that single thread of vital energy and blood inside his body whenever he made any movement. Across the thirty-six stance postures, every time Chen Yi shifted from one to the next, a stream of Qi and Blood Power would course through his body, traveling precisely to where it needed to go.
This made holding the stances feel remarkably effortless for Chen Yi. Just yesterday, he could only manage a little over three quarters of an hour, but today, Chen Yi unknowingly stood for a full half-hour without feeling like he had reached his limit.
And right as he completed the full half-hour, finishing all thirty-six movements, he suddenly felt as though he had grown an extra limb. His consciousness was able to command that stream of vital energy and blood within him, guiding it to flow freely throughout his body. Wherever it went, his blood circulation became invigorated and his strength increased immensely.
"So this is grasping Qi and Blood Power..."
[Gong Family Fist Stance (50/2000)]
"So this is what it means to enter the threshold."
Chen Yi realization dawned on him.
Having grasped his vital energy and blood, Chen Yi went out to the courtyard to test a two-hundred-catty stone lock. In the past, it would have taken the combined strength of both hands to lift it, but today, gripping the stone lock with just one arm, he focused his intent and channeled that wisp of Qi and Blood Power into his right arm.
Up!
And with that, he easily hoisted the two-hundred-catty stone lock into the air.
Chen Yi tested it out: he could lift it with a single arm up to chest height at most. If he wanted to raise it above his head, he would still need to use his other hand to help.
Even so, Chen Yi was pleasantly surprised.
One had to remember that two months ago, he had been so frail and thin that a gust of wind could easily have blown him over. Now, after stuffing himself with hearty meals for two months, he had developed the beginnings of solid pectoral and abdominal muscles, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Though he lacked overwhelmingly massive bulk, his muscles were clearly defined and radiated a sense of strength.
In particular, his face had transformed from a sallow, emaciated look into something refined and sharply chiseled, his complexion both radiant and healthy.
He finally looked like a normal human being.
Chen Yi felt a great deal lighter and more at ease, yet he had no intention of immediately telling anyone that he had crossed the threshold of stance practice.
In any case, he could continue practicing the Longevity Skill and the fist stances.
As for the subsequent Nine Palaces Fist, it could only be learned by officially inducted martial arts disciples of the Gong Family, which required taking a master. That step necessitated the approval of either the eldest miss or Old Master Gong; otherwise, an ordinary household servant had no way of learning it.
Still, Chen Yi was in no hurry.
With the bitter cold of winter just setting in and the first snow falling outside, it was best to simply hide away within the Gong Family estate and steadily build his foundation. He would continue practicing the fist stances to steadily accumulate vital energy, blood, and physical strength, while practicing the Longevity Skill to refine his constitution.
As for martial arts combat meant for killing, Chen Yi had no use for it just yet.