I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Soon Liao Yong brought out three tiger-skin bath soups wrapped in oiled paper, and two waiters carried out bath tubs behind him.

After Liao Yong left, Xie An took out a cloth bag from his pocket, counted out nine taels of silver, and respectfully handed it to Zhan Ping.

After some refusals, Zhan Ping accepted the money. "Take off your clothes and sit in the bathtub. I will teach you the key to passing the test."

Xie An felt no shame whatsoever. He immediately took off his clothes and sat in the bathtub. In an instant, his skin turned red from being soaked in the scalding medicinal water.

Zhan Ping took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a vermilion pill, and handed it to Xie An.

"This is a calming pill, nothing precious. Taking it will calm your mind and stabilize your blood and qi, making it easier to enter the state during the medicinal bath."

"Thank you, Instructor Zhan."

Xie An took the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

The pill tasted slightly bitter upon swallowing, but then a warm sensation rose from my stomach, flowing through my blood vessels to my limbs and bones, making me feel as if I were soaking in warm water, an indescribable comfort.

Zhan Ping broke open a tiger-skin bath and poured the brown medicinal powder into the tub one by one. The powder dissolved immediately upon contact with the water, turning the hot water from clear to cloudy, and a pungent medicinal smell filled the air, making one's nose sting.

"Tiger Skin Yuan Soup is a special herbal decoction for refining the skin membrane. It is made by a pharmacist using more than ten kinds of medicinal materials, such as tiger bone, deer antler, and saffron." Zhan Ping picked up a wooden stick and slowly stirred it in the bath tub. "During the medicinal bath, the medicinal power will flow into the skin membrane through the skin pores and concentrate firmly in the skin membrane, refining it and making the skin membrane durable, supple, and firm."

"The first attempt is extremely important. It requires continuous application of the 'Yuan Tang' (a type of medicinal soup) for polishing, which can take anywhere from three to five days to one or two days. During this time, you need to not reject the medicinal effects, but rather circulate the power of your stance training and hammer strikes to absorb the medicinal effects as quickly as possible. If all goes well, with your foundation, you can succeed in polishing it in two days. If you fail, don't worry, just rest for three to five days and try again."

Xie An nodded, placing his hands on the edge of the bathtub, feeling the medicinal power seep into his pores.

At first, it was just a slight heat, like being in the sun. Gradually, the heat turned into a stinging pain, like countless tiny needles piercing the skin, or like millions of ants crawling under the skin.

He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Zhanping stood to the side, staring intently at him, occasionally reaching out to check the water temperature and adding hot water as needed.

"It's normal to feel a burning pain. Remember not to resist the medicine. If you resist, the medicine won't be able to penetrate your skin and will be wasted. Relax your whole body, like when practicing standing meditation, let your breath sink down, and let your body absorb it on its own."

Xie An closed his eyes, slowly exhaled, and shifted his attention away from the pain.

He began to recall the essentials of Hunyuan Zhuang (a type of martial arts stance) – standing upright, bending knees, raising hands, adjusting posture, and breathing.

Each breath is long and deep. The breath enters through the nasal cavity, flows down the throat, sinks to the dantian, and then spreads out to the limbs.

The pain was still there, but he didn't care about it as much anymore.

Upon hearing that he needed to go into seclusion for a day or two, Xie An remembered something. "Oh, right, Instructor Zhan, I have a younger sister at home. She works odd jobs in the kitchen in the backyard. Things haven't been peaceful in town lately, so if I go into seclusion here..."

Zhanping nodded: "Don't worry, I'll have someone take care of her these next few days."

After saying that, he turned around and pushed open the door to leave.

Xie An watched his figure disappear outside the door, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This bald instructor may look rugged, but he's actually very meticulous.

……

On the training ground, Mai Qiuyan is practicing her boxing.

Zhanping walked over and called out to her.

"Wheat Swallow".

Mai Qiuyan withdrew her fists and bowed respectfully: "Instructor Zhan."

Even though she was the daughter of the leader of the Grand Canal Gang, she dared not show the slightest disrespect to this Instructor Zhan.

Zhan Ping cut to the chase: "Xie An is at Chongguan refining leather, so he probably won't be able to go out these next few days. He has a younger sister named Xie Yu, who works as a handyman in the kitchen in the backyard. You're a woman, so taking care of her is always easier for you than for a man. Could you go and look after her for me, and make sure she's not hungry or cold?"

Mai Qiuyan paused for a moment, then looked embarrassed and expressed her apology tactfully, "Instructor Zhan, my Cao Gang is short-handed these days. After finishing the martial arts classes at the martial arts school every day, I also have to rush back to help out at home. I'm afraid I won't be able to spare the time. However, I can arrange for a maid from my household to take care of Xie Yu."

Zhan Ping was no novice in the martial arts world; he saw through Mai Qiuyan's little scheme at a glance. She simply didn't think highly of Xie An and didn't want to waste her time on Xie An's sister.

"Find a different maid to take care of her..." Zhan Ping thought it over and still felt it was inappropriate, so he said, "In that case, we should prioritize household affairs. I've already found someone."

After Zhan Ping finished speaking, he left.

No sooner had he left than Pang Tong, Liu Jiang, Ma Tie, Wei Dian, and Wu Wei surrounded him.

"Junior Sister Mai, does Instructor Zhan want to see you?" Pang Tong crossed his arms, adopting the air of an older brother.

Mai Qiuyan said calmly, "Instructor Zhan said that Xie An is refining skin at Chongguan and asked me to go and look after his sister."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the several people varied.

Pang Tong raised an eyebrow: "Xie An? The one who was promoted from the back courtyard? He's mastered the 'Supporting Hammer' technique too?"

Mai Qiuyan nodded: "Since he's already started practicing his stances and training, he must have mastered the 'Supporting Hammer' technique. But that's normal; he was already good at stance training in the backyard. Instructor Zhan recruited him, so he must have some talent."

Pang Tong shook his head dismissively: "Mastering the 'Supporting Hammer' technique is only the first step. To break through the barriers and refine the skin, the 'Supporting Hammer' alone isn't enough; you also need medicinal baths and Qi-blood-activating powders. These things are things a poor boy like him can't afford. Instructor Zhan is simply going through the motions. Junior Sister Mai, have you agreed?"

Mai Qiuyan shook her head: "I have no experience in taking care of people, and I don't like taking care of strangers. Besides, I don't think Xie An, a poor laborer from the backyard, can pass the test."

Liu Jiang pondered, "Junior Sister Mai is right. Wei Dian was able to succeed because of the Qi and Blood Powder sponsored by Senior Brother Pang. Ma Tie was able to succeed because of the medicinal bath from my family, and Wu Wei was able to succeed because of Junior Sister Mai's sponsorship. Without these things, relying solely on talent, the success rate of breaking through is very small."

Ma Tie nodded in agreement, "Senior Brother Pang is right. If it weren't for Senior Brother Liu's financial assistance, I wouldn't even have been able to afford a medicinal bath, let alone break through the barrier. As for Xie An... I'm afraid it's unlikely."

Wu Wei also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Mai Qiuyan.

Only Wei Dian remained silent.

For some reason, upon hearing that Xie An was also training in the wilderness, Wei Dian felt a strange sense of irritation and discomfort.

Pang Tong glanced at the silent Wei Dian and smiled, "Junior Brother Wei, you used to be quite close to this lad. Do you think he's capable of anything?"

Wei Dian's face remained expressionless; he simply said, "I broke off all contact with him a long time ago. Whether he succeeds or not is none of my business."

Pang Tong laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "You're right. Let's go, let's not stand here any longer."

The group walked away chatting and laughing.

……

"They're not very capable, but they all have quite a temper. Relying on the fact that they have the Grand Canal Gang behind them, they don't even give me any face."

Zhan Ping left the front courtyard martial arts arena listlessly and went to the middle courtyard martial arts arena.

Yong Sheng Martial Arts School occupies a large area. The front courtyard is used for teaching apprentices, and there is also a middle courtyard martial arts hall specifically for formal disciples, which ordinary apprentices cannot enter.

Zhan Ping glanced around and finally saw a tall, imposing woman carrying two axes as she entered.

This woman was a full 1.8 meters tall, with prominent muscles all over her body. If you didn't look closely... you wouldn't be able to tell that she was a woman at all.

Zhan Ping's face lit up with joy, and he quickly walked over. "Li Shengnan."

The muscular woman was taken aback for a moment, then tucked the two axes into her waistband and bowed, saying, "Senior Brother Zhanping."

Li Shengnan was not the name given to her by her parents. Her parents originally named her Li Yanan, but Li Shengnan felt that the name Yanan didn't mean much, so she changed it to Shengnan.

Zhan Ping smiled slightly: "Just got back from the river and lake management office?"

Although Li Shengnan was large, her voice was quite pleasant. "Hmm. Just finished inspecting the Huai River section. Senior Brother Zhanping, is there something you need?"

Zhan Ping explained that Xie An had broken through his cultivation but had a younger sister who needed care, and concluded by saying, "If Junior Brother Sheng Nan isn't too busy..."

Before Zhanping could finish speaking, Li Shengnan patted her chest and said, "It was Zhanping who introduced me to the River and Lake Management Office. I remember it. Leave this to me."

After saying that, Li Shengnan walked towards the backyard.

Although Li Shengnan's appearance is often criticized, Zhan Ping treats her well.

Therefore, she had to do what Zhanping asked her to do.

……

Two days later at noon.

Xie An, who was taking a medicinal bath in his meditation room, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a sharp and capable glint in them.

"I...did it!"