This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 67 The Iron Man Taoist (Thanks to reader 20220805230852763 for being the Alliance Leader)
"Phew! So tired! Why am I so exhausted after practicing when it didn't look that difficult?"

"The Eight Pieces of Brocade is good for boosting Yang energy, so it's generally better to practice it in the morning. Since you're a beginner and your body is weak, you should first get the rhythm right and gradually adapt, otherwise you might get injured."

"Then why don't you know how?"

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

As evening approached, the sky was ablaze with the colors of sunset.

After leaving the activity room, Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia walked side by side on the school path leading to the cafeteria.

Perhaps driven by a desire to prove herself, the girl had clearly overdone it. Her face was pale, and she looked like she had just run five kilometers and was exhausted. Her head and shoulders were drooping, and she was sweating profusely. She seemed to have lost her appetite.

At this rate, forget about eating, I doubt I'll even be able to concentrate on studying during evening self-study sessions.

Helpless, Chen Shi'an had no choice but to call her back.

"Wait a minute, let me help you calm down. Your anger is all jumbled up. Let's find a place to sit down first."

"what……"

"Let me give you a massage. You won't recover from this for at least two or three hours."

"..."

Wen Zhixia blinked. When she heard "pinching," she immediately thought of Chen Shi'an's amazing technique on the way there that day. She had to admit that being pinched by him was a really enjoyable thing.

Hearing that he wanted to give her a massage, the girl's heart skipped a beat with delight, but she still said demurely:

"No, no need... How should I knead it? Like that day?"

"I'll give you a shoulder and back massage. Do you want it? If not, that's fine."

"Since you're so insistent, let's give it a try..."

"?"

Wen Zhixia moved quickly, even seeming somewhat impatient, and sat down on a grassy spot on the playground.

There aren't many chairs to sit on nearby, so many tired people after exercising will sit directly on the grass like this, but they have to be careful of the footballs that are being kicked from the field.

Seeing that Wen Zhixia was already sitting cross-legged and waiting to be pinched, Chen Shi'an also came over and sat down cross-legged behind her.

The setting sun painted the sky a honey color, and the evening breeze carried his voice from behind to Wen Zhixia's ear.

"Relax, don't tense your shoulders."

"Oh……"

"Sit cross-legged and place your palms on your lower abdomen."

"Um……"

Close your eyes.

"..."

Wen Zhixia obediently closed her eyes. Her body was so tired that she bent her back slightly, and her disordered breathing caused a thin layer of sweat to come out with each breath.

Chen Shi'an sat behind her, and she closed her eyes again. The feeling of not knowing what he was doing made her both expectant and nervous.

A pair of broad, warm hands slowly descended onto both shoulders.

Her body tensed suddenly, and she trembled involuntarily.

"Inhale slowly."

"..."

Chen Shi'an first gently pressed along the edge of the girl's shoulder blade with his thumb, and then drew a slow arc on her taut trapezius muscle with his fingertip.

Exhale slowly.

"..."

His technique carries the unique characteristics of Taoist meridians. It is not a brute force massage, but rather a skillful application of force along the meridians. By adjusting Wen Zhixia's breathing rhythm, it slowly melts away the stiffness in her muscles, like snow melting in spring.

The girl initially let out a soft moan due to the soreness, but as the boy pressed on the Fengchi and Jianjing acupoints one after another, the familiar soreness gradually turned into a warm current, slowly flowing down her spine to her waist and abdomen.

Wen Zhixia didn't know where the dantian was, but she could feel a warm and hot sensation in her lower abdomen, even though he was pressing on her shoulders and back!

Take a deep, slow breath.

"..."

His palms roamed over her slender back, sometimes pinching and pushing with his fingers, sometimes pressing and kneading with the heel of his palm, each movement precise as if measured a thousand times.

Exhale deeply and slowly.

"..."

Wen Zhixia exhaled deeply and slowly. Chen Shi'an's hands had left her at some point. Her tense shoulders and neck felt as if they had been soaked in warm water. The soreness in her meridians and muscles spread out with the relaxation of her bones, and she felt relaxed all over.

The heat that had risen from the Yang energy after practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade had turned into a gentle warmth. Her persistent cold sweat finally stopped, her pale complexion became rosy, and she felt a warm sensation in her palms and soles. It was as if a small window had been opened in her chest, and even her breathing became much deeper and longer than when she was calm.

If the drowsiness that morning was due to the excitement between a man and a woman, then Wen Zhixia was truly amazed by how she managed to overcome fatigue and steady her breathing this time!

What kind of technique is this?! How could it restore her erratic breathing and exhaustion to normal in such a short time?

My body feels so light and comfortable!
If her mouth hadn't been empty, she would have suspected that he had fed her something strange!
"How did you do that! I feel so light! You don't actually have magic powers, do you? Did you transfer your power to me?!"

"What the hell? If there were such a good thing as passing on skills, then masters would all be hereditary."

Chen Shi'an chuckled, "I simply straightened out your breathing rhythm and meridian disorder. The reason you feel better is because the energy you accumulated after practicing Baduanjin is now flowing smoothly."

"Hehe, I don't understand..."

Wen Zhixia still felt it was amazing, and even vaguely believed that he really had magic power, but the education she had received made her feel somewhat incredulous.

"I don't think Teacher Wan and the others know how to do it. I thought I was just too weak."

"Because they haven't practiced as much as you have."

"So, according to you, I'm even better than them?!" "...Yes, yes, so good that I almost messed up something this simple while practicing it."

"Humph."

"Although your talent is not much, if you keep practicing, it will be very good for your health."

"I can feel it too, it seems to be working a little!"

After the two left the playground, Wen Zhixia, who had no appetite at all, started to feel a rumbling stomach after Chen Shi'an's adjustment.

"What's that sound?" Chen Shi'an asked knowingly, looking left and right with curiosity.

"Who...who knows!"

……

Because we went to teach the Eight Pieces of Brocade, we ate dinner quite late tonight. After leaving the cafeteria, it was almost time for the two of us to return to the classroom for evening self-study.

"Just one more day of school tomorrow and then it's holiday!"

Thinking of this, Wen Zhixia became much more energetic and turned to ask Chen Shi'an, "Are you really going to go up the mountain to find those medicinal herbs this weekend?"

"Yes. I'm either at home or at school every day, so when I finally get to come down the mountain, I just take the opportunity to explore the surrounding area."

"It's too much trouble to find it yourself, and there might not be any in the mountains. Just go to a herbal medicine shop to buy it."

"The efficacy is very different."

Aren't they all the same thing?

"Can herbs that absorb the essence of heaven and earth in nature be the same as herbs that are artificially fertilized and forced to grow?"

"Aren't they all made of the same ingredients?"

"Not even close."

Chen Shi'an said, "I have also studied many Chinese medicine pills. Although the ingredients look the same, their effects are actually far different. The decline of traditional Chinese medicine today is partly due to the fact that the medicinal materials are not as good as before."

"...You also research medicine? How do you do it? Do you do chemical experiments?"

"Just eat it."

"???"

Wen Zhixia was stunned. Chen Shi'an didn't seem to be joking. How could he have lived to be eighteen years old by testing drugs on himself?!

"Don't try to do what I did."

"Who wants to learn this! You'd better not do it yourself! It sounds terrifying!"

"I understand medical principles."

"Isn't it that I know a little bit about it?"

"A little knowledge is enough."

"..."

Wen Zhixia didn't understand these things, so she asked curiously, "Then which mountain are you going to look for it on? There are so many mountains in Yunqi. You're not going to go to some desolate wilderness to look for it, are you?"

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

"Okay!"

The girl readily agreed, but then realized her mistake and said regretfully, "It seems like it won't work this week... I have to go home after school tomorrow. It's my mom's birthday, and I have to go back to have dinner with her."

Where in the county do you live?

"It's not far from the station. You can take a bus for two stops from the school gate to the city station, and then take a long-distance bus for about forty minutes. It will take about an hour and ten minutes to get home. You were with me the other day, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you take the bus with me when you got off the bus that day? The bus was already right in front of us."

"How was I supposed to know we were both from No. 1 High School? I was even thinking of having you come with me."

"I give up! You're going to walk this far, and you still want to drag me along!"

"Ha, it takes me two hours to walk down the mountain to get to the village."

"..."

Everyone says that if the sky falls, someone tall will hold it up. Wen Zhixia doesn't trust other tall people, but with the iron-willed Chen Shi'an holding it up, she can rest assured.

"By the way, Xiao Zhi, I won't wait for you after school tomorrow afternoon. You can go home by yourself after class."

Where are you going?

Wen Zhixia blinked and asked curiously.

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

"Oh, okay. Go ahead then. I'll just take the bus home directly from the school gate tomorrow anyway."

"Okay, let's go."

Chen Shi'an nodded, left the stairs, and walked into Class 5 classroom.

After he left, Wen Zhixia's cheeks began to puff up quietly...

Having dinner at Principal Lin's house...

It was just dinner at Lin Mengqiu's house...

You greedy Taoist priest! You'll eat your fill!

Whether Chen Shi'an was full or not, I don't know, but Xiao Zhi is about to puff up like a little frog...

(Thanks to reader 20220805230852763 for the generous donation! May the Boss of Numbers be very generous! I have to check the pickup code three times before typing this string of numbers...)
(End of this chapter)