When Wu Ying finished his bath and returned to his room, Huimei had already cleaned it up.
Standing by the window, he watched the little girl in the courtyard practicing with a wooden saber, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips. After wrapping the soles of his feet in thick cotton cloth, he headed out to the courtyard as well.
Once he finished warming up, he went through sets of push-ups and other exercises, then practiced stepping on the water vat.
He repeated the morning's routine all over again in the afternoon, followed by saber technique practice. In the evening, he carved out some time to sketch various beauties in different outfits; how could he waste a master-level skill...
Every morning, he woke up and started the day with Huimei by working out their bodies. Time flew by, and seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Today, the steward brought over the weighted gear. Otherwise, Wu Ying might have actually found an excuse to slack off. After spending a few days going through this moderate-intensity training, the improvement in his physique was quite noticeable.
[Character: Wu Ying]
[Physique: 5]
[Spirit: 18]
...
After about ten days or so, the Basic Swordsmanship finally reached the beginner level. As for the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula, he didn't dare practice it, afraid of leaving hidden injuries in his body. However, he took some time to learn gambling techniques, purely to make it easier to approach Tsunade later. Dice, poker, and pai gow—during breaks, he would juggle them all with a flurry of dexterity.
As for movement techniques, he had purchased a copy of the Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Steps, and the opening chapter noted that the effect would be even better when paired with plum blossom piles. However, he wouldn't be able to try it out until tomorrow, as Instructor Yamada and his men were still finishing up clearing the grounds.
Huimei had also made tremendous progress; at least the movements of her basic saber techniques were smooth now, and her form was standard. Her body wasn't so fragile anymore, and an air of confidence radiated from her entire person.
Wu Ying suddenly recalled that this world seemed to have its own saber and sword techniques, though for now, it was just a thought. Like the samurai of the Land of Iron, they had formed their own unique skills, but they still lacked true overbearing power.
Patting his cheeks, Wu Ying cast aside his scattered thoughts. Having a strong spirit but a weak physique was simply no good; it made him prone to fatigue and overthinking.
He opened the weighted gear sent by the steward, inspected it, and set it aside for the moment. After dinner, he followed Steward Uesugi to inspect the vacant houses. Finally, he selected the ones to be fenced off and remodeled, ordering the old steward to rush the renovations and turn them into a brewing workshop.
Afterward, he dragged the steward to the study. He handed over the recently drawn swimsuit and cheongsam beauty portraits to the steward, entitling the collection *A Man's Pit Stop*. He ordered him to find someone to deliver them to a publishing house for release.
Dismissing the steward, Wu Ying returned to the courtyard. He strapped on the weighted gear and began a new round of grueling self-driven training.
His schedule for the upcoming days was packed to the brim. If he wasn't stepping on the plum blossom piles or practicing saber techniques, he was sparring with the dozen or so members of the guard unit...
Another ten days flew by in a flash. Today, Instructor Yamada came to find Wu Ying with great excitement. That batch of Tang sabers had been forged and retrieved.
Hearing this, Wu Ying was somewhat pleasantly surprised and took Huimei along with him to inspect them. He picked up a sheathed saber and weighed it in his hand; it felt around seven or eight catties, with a total length of about 80 centimeters and a hilt roughly 20 centimeters long.
Its shape was long and straight with fluid lines, resembling an unfinished musical movement with lingering, profound charm. Pulling the blade from its scabbard, the edge gleamed with a cold light that reflected the sun and moon, clear and translucent like an autumn lake under a vast sky. The hilt was crafted with a delicate wooden base, its grain clearly visible, and the touch was warm and smooth as jade.
Overall, the Tang saber was heavy without being clumsy, light without feeling flimsy. Gripping it in his hand, a righteous aura seemed to circulate through it. It was not only a collection of sturdy weaponry, but also a carrier of culture.
Wu Ying casually twirled the saber a few times before sliding it back into the scabbard. Taking the heaviest saber and two xiao flutes, he instructed Instructor Yamada to prioritize teaching the strongest batch of fighters. He also handed the Chakra Refining Technique over to Instructor Yamada, telling him to assign these Tang sabers to whoever had the most chakra when the time came.
Instructor Yamada immediately went off to arrange the matters.
Only then did Wu Ying hand one of the xiao flutes to Huimei, saying, "You'll need to make time to learn this from me from now on."
Huimei raised her head with wide eyes, staring blankly at her young master, completely bewildered.
"It's a musical instrument. In short, just study hard with me from now on."
Returning to the backyard, Wu Ying placed the sabers on the rack in the main hall, then pulled Huimei over to start teaching her. The seven basic notes of numbered musical notation, the basic fingering techniques of the xiao...
While teaching Huimei, he couldn't help but recall the embarrassing mishap from his past life when he first played "New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Dream"...
Youth is truly ignorant!
Back when he was performing, the female host was leaning forward so much that her microphone was practically shoved against his face. He had been completely scrambled by the fragrance coming off her body and had forgotten the lyrics to the very last few lines...
Sigh!
Just like those lyrics go:
Yesterday is like the eastward-flowing water,
Leaving me behind, impossible to make stay.
Today, it disturbs my heart,
So full of vexation...
Damn it!
Wu Ying fiercely rubbed his cheeks to steady his focus. He listened closely to Huimei practicing her fingering; she was actually getting the hang of it. It seemed her talent in all aspects was higher than his own!
After telling her to keep practicing diligently, he returned to the main hall, picked up his saber, and went back out to the courtyard to practice.
Feeling the momentum build, he tried to channel that tiny thread of internal breath within his body into his saber technique...
An imposing, overbearing aura surged out from him like an invisible torrent, spreading outward in all directions. This aura carried an unrivaled oppressive might, as if capable of overawing all things in heaven and earth.
Enveloped in this powerful field of energy, many previously hazy and incomprehensible concepts suddenly became crisp and clear. All those saber techniques he had witnessed and pondered upon in his past life were illuminated by a brilliant light, instantly opening up to him.
Countless pieces of knowledge, experience, and wisdom constantly collided and merged in his mind, naturally fusing into a unified whole. It was like countless streamlets converging into a wide, roaring river, surging forward endlessly.
The feeling was immensely gratifying, as though he had grasped the ultimate truths of the world and possessed infinite power.
He practiced over and over again until exhaustion finally forced him to stand still and shehehed his blade. He let out a long breath and pulled up his status panel for a quick glance—his experience points had increased by 10.
At this moment, Wu Ying finally realized something, and he couldn't help laughing up to the sky.
It seemed the deeper his comprehension, the faster his experience points grew. If that was really the case, once his saber technique and movement techniques both reached mastery, could he finally leave the beginner village?
His mind grew active again.
Before going to look for Tsunade, he would first sketch a few nice pictures of her. Hopefully, that *A Man's Pit Stop* would give her either a fright or a pleasant surprise...
Still, his money-making scheme had already begun; he should let that artbook fly for a while longer. The remodeling of the brewery was officially underway, and the clothing workshop was also starting to take shape. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
If, by the time he had enough strength, Tsunade was still in the Tanzaku Quarter, he would head over then and casually open a bar and a clothing store. Though that place was chaotic, it was indeed a pretty good spot.
Huimei stared wide-eyed at her young master with an expression of sheer disbelief, muttering to herself inwardly:
"What has gotten into young master this time? He seems to have gone a bit mad lately. Clearly, he's always preaching that girls should be raised in luxury, and that we can rest appropriately when tired from our studies, but in reality, he keeps stripping away and squeezing every last drop of my leisure time..."
At this thought, a trace of aggrieved confusion flashed in Huimei's eyes. She simply couldn't fathom why her young master would act with such contradiction—on one hand, advocating for care and understanding toward females, and on the other hand, relentlessly driving her to keep busy without a moment's rest.
Such self-contradiction made Huimei feel unprecedented pressure and helplessness!
Feeling a resentful gaze fixed on him, Wu Ying rubbed his nose and gave a dry cough.
"Just focus on practicing this instrument lately. As for the rest, just wake up in the morning and work out your body."
"Even though the medicinal bath uses a standard formula, you must stick with it."
"Once this year is over, depending on the situation, I'll be able to take you to find a master."
"And another thing, you don't have to call me young master anymore. You can call me big brother or uncle."
"Go on, let me hear you say it."
Finished speaking, he walked over to Huimei and gave her a rough tousle of her hair, earning himself another wave of complaints.