Chapter 66: The Iron Daoist

"Whew! So tired! Why is it that it didn’t look difficult at all, but after practicing, I’m totally exhausted?"

"Baduanjin is for raising yang energy; it’s best done in the morning. And since you’re a beginner and a bit frail, you should first get used to the rhythm and adapt slowly, otherwise you might hurt yourself instead."

"Then why aren’t you exhausted?"

"How can I be the same as you? I’ve been practicing this since I was three."

Evening had fallen, and the sky was awash with sunset’s glow.

Leaving the activity room, Chen Shian and Wen Zhixia walked side by side down the campus path toward the cafeteria.

Perhaps out of pride, the girl had clearly overdone it. Her face was pale as if she’d just run five kilometers and was slightly faint, her head and shoulders drooping, sweat pouring off her in waves. She looked as if she’d lost all appetite, and at this rate, it wouldn’t be just dinner she’d have trouble with—her energy for evening study seemed in peril as well.

Seeing this, Chen Shian could only call to her helplessly.

"Hold on a moment. Let me help you regulate your energy; your breathing is all out of sync. Find somewhere to sit first."

"Why…"

"I’ll give you a massage. Otherwise, you’ll take two or three hours to recover like this."

Wen Zhixia blinked, and at the mention of a massage, she immediately recalled that magical technique of his on the road the other day. She had to admit, being massaged by him was a truly exquisite pleasure.

Hearing he’d do it again, her heart leapt with delight, though she replied a bit reservedly, "No, that’s not necessary… How will you do it? Like last time?"

"I’ll massage your shoulders and back. If you don’t want it, that’s fine too."

"Well, since you insist… let’s try it then…"

Wen Zhixia moved quickly, even a bit impatiently, and sat down cross-legged on a patch of grass at the edge of the sports field. There were no benches nearby, and many tired students would just sit on the grass after exercising, though one had to watch for stray soccer balls.

Seeing her already seated and waiting, Chen Shian followed and sat cross-legged behind her.

The sunset painted the horizon honey gold, and the evening breeze carried his voice softly to Wen Zhixia’s ear.

"Relax. Don’t tense your shoulders."

"Okay…"

"Sit cross-legged, palms on your lower abdomen."

"Alright…"

"Close your eyes."

Wen Zhixia obediently closed her eyes, her fatigue making her hunch over slightly, breath ragged and clammy sweat forming with each inhale.

With him behind her and her eyes shut, the uncertainty of what he was doing made her both nervous and expectant.

A pair of broad, warm hands gently settled on her shoulders.

She tensed instantly, her body shivering in surprise.

"Take a slow breath in."

Chen Shian began by pressing lightly along the edge of her shoulder blade with his thumbs, tracing slow arcs over her tense trapezius muscles.

"Now exhale slowly."

His technique bore the unique touch of Daoist energy practice—neither brute force nor random kneading, but skillful pressure along the meridians, gently unwinding the stiffness in her muscles like spring sunlight melting the last snow, all while helping her steady her breathing.

At first, the girl let out a soft hum of discomfort as the soreness set in, but as his fingers pressed and released at the Fengchi and Jianjing points, that familiar ache transformed into a gentle warmth, flowing slowly down her spine to her lower back and abdomen.

Wen Zhixia had no idea where her dantian was supposed to be, but she could distinctly feel a pleasant heat spreading through her lower belly—even though he was only working on her shoulders and back!

"Inhale deeply and slowly."

His hands glided over her delicate back, sometimes kneading with his fingers, sometimes pressing with the heel of his palm—every movement as precise as if he’d mapped her body a hundred times.

"Exhale slowly and deeply."

As Wen Zhixia exhaled, she realized at some point his hands had left her. The tension that had gripped her shoulders and neck now felt as though it had been soaked away in warm water, the soreness in her muscles replaced by a sense of deep ease. The heat that had built up from the Baduanjin practice softened into comfortable warmth, her cold sweat finally stopped, her pale face regained its rosy glow, and a gentle warmth suffused her hands, feet, and even her chest, as if a window had opened, letting her breathe more deeply and fully.

If the drowsiness she’d felt that morning was the result of the nervous tension between boy and girl, then this time, the way her fatigue melted and her breathing steadied truly astonished her.

What kind of technique was this? How could he so quickly restore her breath and energy after she’d been so exhausted and out of rhythm?

Her body felt light, as if a burden had been lifted!

If not for the emptiness in her mouth, she’d have wondered if he’d slipped her some strange elixir!

"How did you do that? I feel so light now! Don’t tell me you really have some special power? Did you transfer energy to me?!"

"What nonsense. If transferring energy were so easy, all martial masters would’ve been hereditary by now," Chen Shian said with a laugh. "I just regulated your breathing and unblocked your disrupted meridians. You feel better because the energy you built up during Baduanjin is now circulating smoothly."

"Hehe, I don’t get it…"

Wen Zhixia still found it magical, and almost believed he really did have some kind of power, yet all her education made her hesitant to accept it.

"I’ve seen that none of the teachers can do this. I thought maybe I was just too weak."

"They haven’t practiced as deeply as you have."

"Then by that logic, I’m better than them?!"

"Yes, yes, you’re so ‘good’ you almost hurt yourself with something so simple."

"Hmph."

"Though your talent isn’t much to speak of, if you keep practicing, it’ll do wonders for your health."

"I can actually feel it—it does seem useful!"

As they left the sports field, Wen Zhixia’s appetite returned with a grumble.

"What was that noise?" Chen Shian asked, feigning ignorance and glancing around in curiosity.

"Who knows!"

Because they’d spent time teaching Baduanjin, dinner was late that evening. By the time they left the cafeteria, it was nearly time for evening study.

"Just one more day of classes and then it’s the holiday!" Wen Zhixia’s spirits lifted at the thought, and she turned to Chen Shian. "Are you really going up the mountain this weekend to look for those herbs?"

"Yeah. I’m always either at home or at school. Since I’m finally down the mountain, I might as well take the chance to explore the area."

"Isn’t that a lot of trouble, and the mountain might not even have what you want. Why not just buy them at a herbal shop?"

"The effects are very different."

"But aren’t they the same thing?"

"Herbs that grow naturally, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, are nothing like those grown with artificial fertilizers."

"The components are the same, aren’t they?"

"Far from it."

"I’ve studied a lot of herbal medicines and pills. Even if the listed ingredients are the same, the effects are worlds apart. The decline of traditional medicine is partly because herbs today aren’t what they once were."

"You study medicine too? How do you do it—by running chemistry experiments?"

"I just taste them directly."

"What?!"

Wen Zhixia stared at him, speechless. Chen Shian didn’t look like he was joking, but how had he made it to eighteen with this kind of self-experimentation?

"Don’t try this yourself."

"Who would? You’re the one who shouldn’t be so reckless—it sounds terrifying!"

"I understand medicine."

"I thought you only ‘knew a bit’?"

"‘A bit’ is enough for me."

Wen Zhixia was lost at all this, but her curiosity got the better of her. "So, which mountain are you going to? There are so many around Yunqi. You’re not going to go off into the wilderness, are you?"

"I’m not sure yet. I’ll check the map later. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure!" she replied immediately, but then realized, a little disappointed, "Ah, but I can’t this weekend… I have to go home after school tomorrow—it's my mom’s birthday and I have to have dinner with her."

"Where do you live in the county?"

"Not far from the station. Just two stops from the school gate by bus to the main station, then a forty-minute coach ride and I’m home—about an hour and ten minutes altogether. Didn’t you take the bus with me that day?"

"Yeah."

"Then why didn’t you ride the bus with me after we got off? The bus was right there."

"How was I supposed to know we both went to No.1 High? I was thinking of asking you to walk over with me."

"You’re something else—wanted me to walk all that way with you!"

"Heh, I walk two hours down the mountain to the village, this is nothing."

They say when the sky falls, the tallest will hold it up. Wen Zhixia didn’t trust just anyone, but with someone as sturdy as Chen Shian around, she felt entirely at ease.

"By the way, Zhixia, after school tomorrow I won’t wait for you. You can just head home on your own."

"What are you doing?" Wen Zhixia blinked, curious.

"Principal Lin invited me to dinner at his house."

"Oh, alright. That works out—I’m heading straight home from the school gate tomorrow anyway."

"Okay, see you," Chen Shian nodded and left the stairwell, heading into Class Five’s classroom.

Only after he’d gone did Wen Zhixia’s cheeks puff out in silent protest…

Dinner at Principal Lin’s house…

Wasn't that just having dinner at Lin Mengqiu’s house…

Greedy little Daoist! May you eat till you burst!

Who knew if Chen Shian would eat himself sick, but Wen Zhixia was already puffed up like a little frog…

(Thanks to book friend 20220805230852763 for the Alliance Leader support—Boss Numbers, you’re so generous! May your fortune multiply! I always check the pickup code three times—typing this string of numbers is such a hassle…)