Chapter 946
Why aren't you falling yet?
"These are the thirty-six sections of bone strength from the Black Rock Division."
Zheng Yi looked down.
The patterns on the bone fragments are rough, but not simple.
Each of the little figures has a strange posture; some twist their shoulders and waists, some slump their backs and hips, and some stand on one foot on a stone while their arms are spread out in the opposite direction.
As Zheng Yi watched, his gaze gradually became serious.
This is not an ordinary slamming or beating.
These movements are squeezing out the strength deep within the muscles and bones.
The old woman picked up the first piece: "Beginners, start by opening your shoulders. If your shoulders aren't open, you can't thrust the spear. If your back isn't open, you can't sink your power. People from the south like to practice their hands first, but we'll practice our backs first."
Zheng Yi asked, "Why practice back training first?"
The old woman tapped her back with her bone staff: "A person has to carry the wind, the flesh, the stones, and the corpses. If your back is weak, your life will be weak."
Zheng Yi said, "That makes sense."
The bone-mother pushed the first bone piece towards him: "Do it."
Zheng Yi stood up according to the diagram, spread his feet apart, tucked his shoulder blades in, and spread his arms out in front of and behind him.
This movement looks simple, but when you actually do it, the muscles in your back are immediately stretched to their limit.
As soon as Zheng Yi finished setting it up, the Bone Granny frowned.
"wrong."
She tapped his knee with a bone cane.
"It's sinking here."
Then he tapped my shoulder.
"It's loose here."
Then he tapped her back.
"Hold on tight here."
Zheng Yi made adjustments one by one.
The Bone Woman circled around him once, then suddenly reached out and pressed down on his back.
Her hands were thin, but she was incredibly strong.
This press actually made the two large tendons under Zheng Yi's shoulder blades bounce.
Zheng Yi's eyes flickered slightly.
The Bone Woman asked, "Can you feel it?"
"I felt it."
"That's snow back tendon. People in the south use it less, but we use it a lot. Once you've mastered it, you can carry heavy objects for a long distance, your spear thrusts won't lose power, and it's not easy to break if you get hit by a monster."
Zheng Yi maintained his posture and asked, "How long do we have to stand?"
The old woman said, "The first lesson is a quarter of an hour. You will stand for half an hour."
Zheng Yi said, "Okay."
The old woman sat back down by the fire pit, poured herself another bowl of soup, but didn't drink it; she just held it in her hands to warm it.
Half an hour later, she suddenly asked, "Does it hurt?"
Zheng Yi said, "It's alright."
"It hurts even more after 15 minutes."
"Ah."
“Cultivators can use air pressure to inflict pain.”
"I'm useless."
The bone woman looked down at his feet.
Snow water seeped from the edges of his boots.
Because the room was warm and the ground was slightly damp, his feet were steady, but there was no spiritual energy floating under his feet.
The Bone Woman nodded.
A while later, Chi Ya's voice came from outside the door.
"Bone Witch! I've finished running!"
The old woman didn't even look up: "Come in."
Red Fang lifted the animal skin curtain and crawled in, his body steaming hot.
He was taken aback when he saw Zheng Yi standing in the room in a strange pose, and then he laughed.
"This is only the first paragraph? I knew it when I was six years old."
The old woman said, "Then show me."
Chiya's smile froze: "I just finished running."
"Do."
Chi Ya reluctantly walked to Zheng Yi's side and struck the same pose.
It was fine at first.
After a moment, he couldn't help but steal a glance at Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi remained unmoved.
Chiya gritted his teeth, but didn't move.
After a while, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
The room was hot, and the effects of the herbal medicine were also surging through his body. The first stage of bone strength was the most torturous for his back and shoulders. He had just finished running twenty laps, and before he could catch his breath, he soon began to tremble.
Zheng Yi asked, "You knew how to do that when you were six?"
Chi Ya said firmly, "Meeting and standing for a long time are two different things."
The old woman sneered, "Still being stubborn."
Chiya's face turned red from holding it in.
Zheng Yi didn't laugh at him, but simply said, "Your shoulders are too tight."
Red Fang glared: "What do you know?"
Zheng Yi said, "Your old injury to your right shoulder hasn't healed yet. If you keep it tense, it will only cause the force to get stuck here."
He pointed to the back of Red Tooth's shoulder.
Chiya was taken aback.
Bone Granny also looked at Zheng Yi.
"You can tell?"
Zheng Yi said, "When he throws a punch, his right shoulder is half a step slower, and when he was carrying the meat just now, he used his left side more."
Chiya opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a rebuttal.
Bone Granny pulled Red Tooth over and pressed his fingers a few times.
His red tooth hurt so much he grimaced.
The old woman scolded, "When were you injured?"
Red Fang whispered, "I twisted it when I was moving the rock pillar the day before yesterday."
Why won't you say?
"It's not heavy."
The old woman swung her staff and said, "Not heavy? Wait until your shoulder is crippled, then you'll bite monsters with your mouth?"
Chiya covered his head, too afraid to dodge.
Zheng Yi asked, "Do you have any needles?"
The Bone Woman turned her head: "What are you going to do?"
"Clear the blood stasis for him."
Bone Woman stared at him: "A cultivator's needle?"
"A regular needle will do."
The bone-mother took a packet of bone needles off the wall.
Zheng Yi took it, picked out three thin ones, and then had Chi Ya sit down.
Chi Ya asked nervously, "Won't you stab someone to death?"
Zheng Yi said, "If you move again, it might..."
Red Fang immediately stopped moving.
Zheng Yi acted quickly.
The three needles were inserted into the Jianjing and Jianzhen acupoints respectively, avoiding the thicker fascia layer of the human body in the wilderness. A very thin strand of spiritual energy was used to guide the energy without releasing it, only causing vibrations, without treating the body.
Red Fang let out a muffled groan.
"hot!"
Zheng Yi said, "Bear with it."
The Bone Woman approached and looked closer.
She couldn't see the spiritual energy, but she could see the bluish-purple veins bulging under the skin of Chi Ya's shoulder slowly spreading out.
Not long after, Zheng Yi had the needles removed.
Chiya tried turning his shoulders, and his eyes lit up immediately.
"It doesn't hurt anymore!"
Bone Granny also reached out and pressed it, her expression becoming complicated.
"Can you teach me your acupuncture technique?"
Zheng Yi said, "I can teach you acupoints, but since you don't have spiritual power, the effect will be weak. If you combine it with hot soup and bloodletting techniques, it can also be used."
The bone-wielding woman immediately replied, "I'll teach you tomorrow."
Zheng Yi nodded: "Okay."
Chiya looked at Bone Granny, then at Zheng Yi, and suddenly whispered, "Um... I owe you one just now."
Zheng Yi said, "No need."
Red Fang frowned: "The Wasteland People don't receive benefits for nothing."
Zheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "Then tomorrow you teach me how to track in the snow."
Chiya immediately looked up: "I know how to do this!"
The old woman sneered, "This is the only thing you can show off."
Red Fang retorted, "My tracking skills are naturally superior!"
Zheng Yi said, "Then we'll see tomorrow."
Chiya nodded vigorously: "Fine, I'll look."
……
That night, Zheng Yi stayed in a guesthouse arranged by Wu Chen.
It was called a guest room, but it was actually half an empty animal skin shed, with thick hay and fur rugs on the floor and a small brazier in the corner.
When the wind squeezes in through the crack in the door, it will suppress the flames.
Occasionally, the sounds of dogs barking, children crying, and the sound of night watchmen's bone spears striking the stone walls could be heard outside.
Zheng Yi sat cross-legged on the leather rug, not having cultivated to a very deep level.
He was recalling the first of the thirty-six sections of bone strength.
It's very thick.
It's quite a coincidence.
It is crude because it does not talk about meridians, spiritual energy, yin and yang and the five elements.
Its ingenuity lies in its ability to make the most of the natural load-bearing points of the human body's muscles and bones.
For ordinary people, this is forcing their bodies to adapt to the wilderness.
For cultivators, however, it can make up for many physical details.
Especially for cultivators like him whose spiritual foundation is far stronger than their physical body.
After a while, someone approached from outside the door.
"Zheng Yi".
It was Wu Chen. Zheng Yi opened his eyes: "Come in."
Wu Chen lifted the curtain and entered the room, carrying a piece of roasted meat and a bag of wine.
"Want to eat?"
Zheng Yi accepted it: "Thank you."
Wu Chen sat down by the brazier and handed him the wine bag.
Zheng Yi took a sip.
The liquor was very strong, like a knife scraping down my throat.
Wu Chen asked, "Isn't the wine like this in the south?"
"I'm not that impulsive."
“Our wine is weak and useless here,” Wu Chen said. “A sip at night will help me sleep. If the wind is too strong, my bones will crack if I don’t drink.”
Zheng Yi tore off a piece of meat.
The Snow Nightmare meat was roasted until very dry, yet it still retained a chilling quality and was quite chewy.
Seeing that he was eating calmly, Wu Chen asked, "Do you really want to learn?"
"True learning."
What happens after you learn it?
"Continue north."
Wu Chen paused for a moment, then said, "Going north is not an easy route."
Zheng Yi said, "I know."
“You don’t know.” Wu Chen looked at the fire. “Further north are White Bone Lake, Broken Wind Gorge, and the Old Ice Plains. There are not only demonic beasts there, but also other things.”
"what?"
Wu Chen shook his head: "It's hard to say. Some people heard someone singing in the mountains, followed them, and never came back. Some people saw a light in the snow, went closer, and were left with only skin the next day. Others say that there is a moving city buried under the old ice field."
Zheng Yi asked, "Have you seen it before?"
Wu Chen said, "I have seen Xue Deng."
He raised his head, his eyes deep and serious.
"That's not a lamp, it's an eye."
Zheng Yi remained silent.
Wu Chen took a sip of wine: "Most of you cultivators go north in search of something. Those who came before did the same. Some looked for ice lotuses, some for ancient cultivator caves, some for spiritual veins. What are you looking for?"
Zheng Yi said, "We're looking for demonic beasts, but also for opportunities."
Wu Chen smiled and said, "That's as good as saying nothing at all."
"I really can't explain it more clearly right now."
Wu Chen nodded: "Then don't say it."
He tossed a domino to Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi caught it.
A black rock pattern is engraved on the dominoes.
“Take it with you,” Wu Chen said. “If other tribes see this near the Black Rock tribe, they will at least ask questions first, instead of immediately firing their spears.”
Zheng Yi asked, "Are there any other tribes nearby?"
"Yes. The Gray Deer Tribe, the Firemane Tribe, the Snowtooth Tribe, and even further afield, the Frozen River People."
"Do you all work out like this?"
“They all endure hardship, but they are different,” Wu Chen said. “The Gray Deer tribe is fast, the Fire Mane tribe is strong, the Snow Fang tribe is the best at killing, and the Frozen River people can stay in icy water for a long time.”
Zheng Yi's eyes lit up slightly: "They don't have any cultivation methods either?"
“No,” Wu Chen said. “We don’t have that concept of spiritual roots. Bone Granny said that our path is in the flesh, in the blood, and in the bones.”
Zheng Yi said softly, "Flesh, blood, and bones."
Wu Chen looked at him: "Are you interested?"
"Very interested."
Wu Chen suddenly laughed: "Then you'll be very tired tomorrow."
……
The next day, before dawn, the bone bells rang.
Low and rapid.
When Zheng Yi walked out of the house, the open space was already full of people.
It was still dark, and several fires were lit in the snow. The boys, shirtless, stood in a row, their breath steaming in the air.
Red Fang was among them.
As soon as he saw Zheng Yi, he waved and said, "Here!"
Zheng Yi walked over.
Chiya handed him a rounded black stone: "Hold it."
Zheng Yi accepted it.
The black stone was heavier than it looked, weighing about a thousand pounds.
Chi Ya had hoped to see him make a fool of himself, but Zheng Yi held him firmly without even shaking his wrist.
Red Fang muttered under his breath, "Monster."
Zheng Yi asked, "What are we practicing today?"
Chiya said, "Let's run."
How long will it take?
Red Tooth grinned: "Run until Bone Granny says stop."
The old woman stood by the fire, leaning on her cane, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"run!"
At a command, everyone rushed out of the tribe at the same time.
Instead of going around the open space, they rushed directly towards the snow slope outside the tribe.
The snow slope was very steep, and there were also broken ice and rocks buried under the snow crust. It was difficult for ordinary people to walk, but these teenagers carried the black stones and ran uphill.
Chiya ran ahead, glancing back at Zheng Yi every now and then.
Zheng Yi followed in the middle.
He still didn't use spiritual power, relying only on his physical body.
With the black stone pressing against his chest and the cold wind whipping his face, Zheng Yi had to be careful not to slip with every step. When he reached the third slope, he finally felt his chest begin to warm up.
I haven't felt this way in a long time.
Cultivators are accustomed to using spiritual energy to regulate their breathing, which makes it easier to mask the physical sensations of panting, heat, soreness, and pain.
Now, without using spiritual power, those sensations are gradually returning.
When Chi Ya saw that his breathing had finally become heavier, he immediately became smug.
"Southern cultivators also breathe, right?"
Zheng Yi said, "Of course."
"I thought you didn't need to breathe."
"Aren't you tired of talking so much?"
Just as Chiya was about to retort, the snow under his feet slipped, and he almost fell.
Zheng Yi walked past him and said, "Watch where you're going."
Chiya was so angry that he gritted his teeth and chased after him.
After running the fifth hill, two boys couldn't hold on any longer and knelt down in the snow, hugging stones.
The hunters watching over them didn't curse; they simply dragged them aside and gave them a mouthful of hot soup.
The Bone Woman watched from afar and shouted, "Those who can't stand up are not allowed to eat meat today!"
The two boys immediately struggled to their feet and continued running.
Zheng Yi asked Chi Ya, "Do you do this every day?"
Chiya, panting, said, "It wasn't like that when we were kids. Back then, the stones were smaller and there were fewer slopes."
"From what age should we start?"
"Five or six years old."
"So early?"
Red Fang glanced at him: "It's getting late. Snow Wolf doesn't care how old you are."
Zheng Yi didn't say anything more.
As dawn broke, the Bone Woman finally called for a halt.
When everyone returned to the open space of the tribe, the sound of stones being placed down was continuous.
Chiya was covered in sweat, but his hair was covered in ice beads.
Zheng Yi also broke out in a sweat.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to cheer Chiya up a bit.
"You're not immune to getting tired too."
"I am a human being."
Chiya curled his lip: "Are cultivators even considered human?"
Zheng Yi said, "Yes."
Chi Ya thought for a moment: "After a demon beast transforms into human form, is it considered human?"
Zheng Yi said, "It depends on itself, and also on whether others recognize it."
Chi Ya frowned: "I don't understand."
Zheng Yi said, "I haven't figured it out either."
Chiya was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Bone Woman walked over and struck Red Tooth on the back with her staff.
"What are you laughing at? The second part!"
Red Fang's laughter stopped abruptly.
The second section on bone strength is more difficult than the first.
You should place your feet on two ice stones, lower your waist and hips, round your arms, and keep your back taut like a fully drawn bow.
When the old woman corrected Zheng Yi's movements, she was ruthless.
"My back has collapsed."
"This isn't a place for cultivators to meditate, so don't put on that prim and proper air."
"Sink down."
"Sink again."
"Are your legs made of wood? Make them come alive."
Zheng Yi did as instructed.
Chiya watched with great interest.
"The old woman curses you more fiercely than she curses me."
Zheng Yi said, "That shows she teaches diligently."
Chiya was taken aback and muttered, "You're really boring."
But half an hour later, he couldn't laugh anymore.
Because the Bone Woman made him stand with her.
By the time the sun rose, many of the boys in the open space had already collapsed.
Zheng Yi was still standing.
Chiya was still standing, but his legs were shaking like a leaf.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Why aren't you down yet?" (End of Chapter)