The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 85 Ascetic Training (Fifth Update)

Half an hour later, the four of them had devoured the entire table of food.

All four were satisfied.

Mu Dachun patted his round belly and stepped out of the room, letting out another satisfying burp.

"It's so delicious! I never dreamed I could live such a wonderful life."

"The ingredients in this meal must be quite extraordinary." Han Qingjing felt the changes in his body, as if a warm current was surging within him, making his blood and qi surge and his body nourished.

He had experienced this feeling before when he swallowed the Blood Nourishing Pill.

Hearing Han Qing's words, Xiao Qing smiled slightly and said softly, "Young Master, your guess is correct. The ingredients used in this feast include rare herbs from the mountains and exotic beasts from the sea. Even if a martial artist does nothing, eating the food in the mansion every day will increase his qi and blood, and make his physique stronger."

My young lady said that your treatment is the same as that of the other young masters of the Qi family, so every meal will be at this standard from now on, ensuring your complete satisfaction.

"I see." Han Qing thought to himself with emotion. Growing up in such an environment, even martial artists with ordinary talent and comprehension would grow at an extremely fast pace.

He felt even more grateful to Qi Yan, who had indeed taken excellent care of him in every way.

Li Tai suddenly said, "Han Qing, all of this is thanks to you. If it were just Mu Dachun and me, I'm afraid we would hardly enjoy such treatment."

“Brother Li, there’s no need for that. We three are from the same hometown, and we should look after each other,” Han Qing said gently.

Li Tai shook his head: "Young master, Mu Dachun and I are your guards. From now on, you can no longer call me Brother Li. Just call me Li Tai."

"Mu Dachun, remember this: when you're out and about, Han Qing is a young master; you must not address him by his given name. Rules are rules, and no matter how close you are, you must abide by them."

"Okay, I've got it." Mu Dachun nodded earnestly.

...

After finishing his meal, Han Qing did not return to his room, but went straight to Bi Chao Pavilion.

The books in the Qi family mansion are a valuable treasure, and Han Qing certainly cannot let them go to waste. He wants to read as many books as possible to broaden his horizons, so that he can have a deeper understanding of the world and it will also help him on his path of martial arts.

In a short while, Han Qing walked through a corridor and stood at the entrance of Bi Chao Pavilion.

It was the dead of winter, but the lake next to the Bichao Pavilion was not frozen. The lake water rippled and emitted a warm, moist atmosphere. Golden carp could be faintly seen swimming in the lake, which surprised him greatly.

The last time he came, he was preoccupied with his future plans and didn't get a closer look. Only today did he discover its extraordinary nature.

"Is it Young Master Han Qing?"

As Han Qing was pondering, an elderly man in a blue robe, with a withered appearance, walked out of the pavilion.

The old man carried a wine pot, his eyes were sunken, and his face was covered with wrinkles, giving him an impression of being deep and unfathomable.

"Yes."

"I am the guardian servant of this Bichao Pavilion. My name is Wei Kongshan. If you have any needs, please feel free to give me your orders." The old man's voice was hoarse, and as he spoke, the smell of alcohol wafted from his mouth.

"Alright, sir, why don't you take me inside for a look first, and then recommend some useful books for me?" Han Qing said.

"Alright, young master, please follow me."

Wei Kongshan, carrying a wine pot, pushed open the heavy, sturdy door of the pavilion and stepped inside.

Han Qing followed closely behind, and saw that the attic was filled with bookshelves and a vast collection of books, numbering no less than tens of thousands, far exceeding the size of Master Fang's small house.

“Young master, the pavilion, from the first to the fifth floor, contains a wide variety of books, including astronomy, geography, classics, history, philosophy, law, and military strategy. In my opinion, you might as well start with military strategy,” Wei Kongshan said.

"Then I'll listen to the old gentleman and help me choose a good military strategy book." Han Qing nodded slightly.

"Alright, follow me!" The old man then walked towards an area in the southeast corner of the first-floor pavilion. Half an hour later, Han Qing emerged from the Bichao Pavilion, carrying a scroll in his hand. It was titled "Collection of Military Strategies of the Great Yu," and was said to be the work of Bai Jing, the foremost military strategist of the Great Yu.

Wei Kongshan strongly recommended that Han Qing read this book. According to him, if Han Qing could thoroughly understand it, his ability to lead troops and deploy troops would be top-notch, if not the best in the world.

Qi Yan had previously said that if he had time, he should read more books, including military strategy. So, after a moment's thought, Han Qing decided to start reading this military strategy book.

...

in the afternoon.

After reading military strategy for an hour, Han Qing got up and went to the courtyard to continue practicing martial arts.

He first practiced archery, and then he practiced horsemanship.

With one-on-one guidance, Han Qing could get answers to any questions he had immediately, which allowed him to learn and comprehend things very quickly.

"Archery requires complete concentration, a mind free of distractions, focusing solely on the target, preserving inner and outer peace, overcoming restlessness, eliminating delusions, and calming the spirit, so that even amidst a thousand galloping troops, the mind remains undisturbed..."

On the training ground, the guard Xuan San patiently explained archery techniques again and again.

"middle!"

Under his patient guidance, Han Qing kept drawing his bow and shooting arrows.

At a distance of a hundred paces, the arrow was released and hit its mark precisely!
With the Great Perfection Moon Shadow Soul-Chasing Arrow by his side, his archery skills were certainly not bad.

However, the Moon Shadow Soul-Chasing Arrow cannot compare with the Sirius Seven Star Arrow in terms of quality. Even at its perfect state, it can only hit a target from a hundred paces away, while the Sirius Seven Star Arrow can fire seven arrows in succession.

One was only a third-rate archer, while the other was a first-rate archer; the difference was enormous.

Xuan San watched as Han Qing shot over a hundred arrows, almost every one hitting the bullseye within a hundred paces. He nodded slightly and said, "Young Master must have learned an archery technique before, so your foundation is solid. This will greatly shorten the time it takes to learn the Seven Star Arrow of the Heavenly Wolf."

However, the Seven Star Arrow of Sirius is much more difficult; you must take it seriously, young master.

"Alright, I will certainly dedicate myself to learning this archery technique." Han Qing nodded slightly.

Over the next two hours, Han Qing listened to Xuan San's explanation while shooting arrow after arrow forward, and his understanding of this archery technique continued to improve.

“Young master, let’s end the archery training here for today. Two hours a day is enough. Any more than that will only hinder your learning,” Xuan San said.

"it is good."

After Xuan San left, Han Qing rested for a while, then got up and followed Xuan Yi to the mansion's horse farm to practice horsemanship.

Besides him, Li Tai and Mu Dachun were also present this time.

Another hour passed, and under Xuan Yi's guidance, the three men's horsemanship skills began to improve rapidly.

into the night.

Han Qing was not idle either. After having dinner, he first read military strategy carefully for an hour, and then got up and sat cross-legged on a futon in the room to meditate on the "Stop War Sutra".

Beside him was a bronze incense burner with a lion-shaped head. Inside the burner, a grayish-white calming incense stick was lit, and the smoke drifted out, filling the room with a faint, pleasant fragrance that entered the nostrils and calmed the mind.

He had read in a book that this calming incense was specifically used to assist those practicing spiritual cultivation in meditation, greatly improving the efficiency of condensing spiritual thoughts and reducing the risk of going astray.

After such arduous training until late at night, Han Qing fell asleep exhausted. His eyes swept across the panel, and the proficiency of the third chapter of the Zhige Jing had reached 33%, a rather slow progress.

Of course, this slowness is relative. Han Qing is used to relying on the Seven Killings Stele to quickly improve his strength. Now, relying on his own cultivation, his proficiency is increasing little by little, which is naturally much slower.

"The advantage of being in the Qi residence is that I can learn all kinds of advanced martial arts and combat techniques, and I can enjoy all kinds of basic martial arts resources. The disadvantage is that I can't kill anyone, and the Seven Killings Stele can't be activated. If Qi Yan comes back tomorrow, let's see if he can solve this problem." Han Qing pondered, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)