Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 23: Able To Defend When Retreating

Chapter 23: Able To Defend When Retreating
The Golden Goose Technique mainly trained the muscles and bones of the legs. It was an extremely difficult technique that required both aptitude and sharp comprehension.
With the foundation laid by the Barbaric Ox Fist, Lin Zheyu's muscles and tendons were well-tempered, and his skin was firm. He had also already reached the Bone Forging Realm, making the practice relatively easier for him.
The Golden Goose Technique had a total of eight stages. Reaching Perfection in the third stage was enough to push one's strength to the peak of the Organ Forging Realm, while cultivating to the fourth stage allowed one's power to step into the Blood Qi Realm.
From then on, with each stage advanced, the body's blood qi would undergo a qualitative transformation. If one could cultivate the Golden Goose Technique to Perfection in the eighth stage, their blood qi in the Blood Qi Realm could reach the stage of four transformations[1].
Among leg techniques, martial artists who attained proficiency were exceedingly rare. In particular, leg techniques refined to the level of Four Transformations of Blood Qi were incomparably precious.
Though only considered mid-tier among second-rate martial arts, in terms of value, it could rival even the top of the second-rate arts. When leg techniques were cultivated to profound depths, they could help the practitioner attack, defend, advance, or retreat with ease. The martial artist would learn to move like the wind and naturally stand in an unshakable position.
In the courtyard, Liang Song had drawn dozens of circles of various sizes and placed more than a dozen wooden stakes about 20 centimeters thick on the ground, upon which Lin Zheyu moved swiftly. From time to time, he leapt down from the stakes, shuttling back and forth within the circles with strange footwork. This was the distinctive footwork of the Golden Goose Technique.
To master the Golden Goose Technique, one first had to learn its unique steps. Under Liang Song's instruction, Lin Zheyu spent over three hours before he could firmly memorize all the movements. Yet when applying them, he was still clumsy, so it would likely take a great deal of hard practice to refine them.
"Rest for a while. Haste makes waste, you see. Martial cultivation cannot be rushed; it requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Take a break, go back, and prepare for your storytelling. Come back tonight and we'll continue with sparring practice," called out Liang Song, halting Lin Zheyu.
Breathing heavily, Lin Zheyu stopped. He glanced at the data panel in his consciousness, seeing that his progress with the Golden Goose Technique looked promising.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 6]
[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 3%), Golden Goose Technique (Dormancy: 68%)]
After a morning's practice, he was just 32 points away from reaching Initiation in the Golden Goose Technique. With more effort in the evening, he would be able to enter Initiation.
With the experience of training in the Barbaric Ox Fist, Lin Zheyu could no longer be considered a novice in martial cultivation, so he picked up the Golden Goose Technique with remarkable speed. But this was only the beginning.
The difficulty of cultivating the Golden Goose Technique was far greater than the Barbaric Ox Fist. Once he advanced to the second stage, progress would slow down significantly. He would need to spend a great deal of time honing the flexibility of his legs—training them until they were as nimble as his arms.
The Barbaric Ox Fist can wait. For now, I should raise the level of the Golden Goose Technique,
thought Lin Zheyu.
As a technique specializing in leg martial arts, the Golden Goose Technique could both attack and defend. If he encountered a powerful opponent, it could at least allow him to escape with his life.
It had been more than ten days since his last improvement. Lin Zheyu had now saved up 12 taels of silver. What limited the speed of his improvement was not the amount of Origin Force he possessed, but the lack of silver. Without enough silver to purchase medicinal herbs, he would have to spend a vast amount of time replenishing his blood qi to strengthen his body after using Origin Force to advance.
I need to find a way to expand my sources of income,
thought Lin Zheyu silently as he walked home. He needed to change his attire before heading to the Jade Pill Teahouse to tell stories.
***
When Lin Zheyu arrived at the Jade Pill Teahouse, the place was already packed with people. He noticed many unfamiliar faces, and among them, one group in particular caught his attention.
"Manager Wu, who is that middle-aged man?" asked Lin Zheyu, pointing toward the man seated at the central table.
The man looked rather refined and was flanked by several beautiful women, with burly men standing guard around him. Among them was Jia Yanyong, whom Lin Zheyu had seen just yesterday. Jia Yanyong's eyes were bloodshot, his tiger-like gaze narrowed to slits as his vision had not yet fully recovered.
"That is Xu Jingwu, the leader of the Feihong Gang," said Manager Wu.
Hearing this, Lin Zheyu revealed an expression that said, "Just as I thought." He had beaten Jia Yanyong yesterday, and today his boss had come looking for him. Fortunately, the Jade Pill Teahouse was his own territory, so he felt little fear. After all, Liang Song was here too.
Lin Zheyu glanced at Liang Song by the window, who was gazing blankly outside.
"Is he very strong?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"You didn't go and provoke him, did you?" said Manager Wu, looking at Lin Zheyu with some nervousness.
If it were only Jia Yanyong, Manager Wu wouldn't be worried at all. He had only suggested that Lin Zheyu stay temporarily in the Wu Family Village because he feared the young man might be bullied if he were alone. But provoking the leader of the Feihong Gang was an entirely different matter. The Feihong Gang had many members and also a powerful backer. If Xu Jingwu were truly offended, it would spell big trouble.
"I don't think I really provoked him," said Lin Zheyu.
"That's a relief." Manager Wu exhaled in relief and asked, "But how did you end up entangled with Leader Xu?"
"Yesterday, after storytelling, I ran into Jia Yanyong on the way home. He told me that Leader Xu enjoyed my stories and wanted me to come to the Feihong Gang this morning to perform for him. Of course, I was glad to hear that. After all, if someone wanted to invite me to tell stories, that meant I could earn a good sum of money.
"But when I asked how much I'd be paid, Jia Yanyong actually said there'd be no payment and that it was an honor for me to tell stories for Leader Xu. I thought to myself, how could I go tell stories for nothing? So I refused," said Lin Zheyu, explaining the incident innocently.
Listening to Lin Zheyu's account, he opened his mouth but suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
"Sigh, I really don't know what to say about you. Leader Xu is not just anyone. Even without pay, countless storytellers would be eager for the chance to perform for him. If you could make him happy and win his appreciation, your future would be set," said Manager Wu with a regretful tone.
Glancing toward Xu Jingwu, he whispered a reminder. "Make sure you tell your story well today. If you manage to please Leader Xu, your great opportunity will arrive."
Manager Wu was genuinely kind. Although he worried about the teahouse losing Lin Zheyu, who was the biggest draw for customers, he was still thinking of Lin Zheyu's future. This was why Lin Zheyu had chosen to stay at the Jade Pill Teahouse from the start. Manager Wu treated him sincerely, and Lin Zheyu repaid that sincerity in kind.
"By the way, apart from this matter, you don't have any other grudges, do you?" asked Manager Wu.
"Oh, Jia Yanyong tried to beat me up and drag me away, so I had no choice but to defend myself. During the scuffle, I threw a handful of chili powder in his eyes. I don't know if he went blind," said Lin Zheyu while glancing at Jia Yanyong, who was squinting as his eyes were still red and swollen.
Manager Wu was speechless upon hearing that. He really didn't know what to say anymore. It was one thing to refuse the invitation, but beating the man on top of that? That was practically a slap in the face.
In the world outside, fights often broke out simply over face and pride. Manager Wu sighed. Young men were always reckless; always resorting to force in such matters was never wise. He patted Lin Zheyu on the shoulder, urging him to focus on telling his story well.
If things spiraled out of control, he could only ask the owner to step in and mediate. That should resolve it. But afterward, quite a bit of silver would likely have to be paid as compensation.
"Don't worry. Master Liang is here, too. It won't be a big problem," said Lin Zheyu with a smile.
Manager Wu glanced at Liang Song and shook his head slightly in his heart. He knew Liang Song was formidable, but even strength had its limits. In his mind, if Liang Song could take on ten men at once, that was already impressive. But against the Feihong Gang's many members, plus their powerful leader, what could Liang Song really do?
1. The fourth transformation of the Nine Transformations of Blood Qi. ☜