Body Refinement for Longevity: From Health Cultivation Exercises to Overcoming All Techniques

"I once handled family affairs with this woman. What's wrong?"

Chen Lei explained, "Isn't there a martial arts competition in the family a year from now? All the young martial arts apprentices in the family will participate, which will also be a major reshuffle of the family's resource allocation."

"The family is mainly divided into three major forces, and Chen Qiuyu's grandfather is the leader of one of them."

Although I am not exceptionally talented in martial arts, I am still quite skilled. This woman came to see me a few days ago, subtly and overtly trying to recruit me, and the conditions she offered were quite tempting.

I was already planning to agree to this, and today this woman's scheme conveniently involves you. I'll put in a good word for you then, but whether you can profit from it is up to you.

Chen Han's gaze immediately became complicated, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally agreed.

Therefore, the chances of success remain slim. This woman is no kind person; in fact, she could be described as cunning and treacherous.

Besides, Chen Lei was already planning to accept the offer, and bringing me along was just a side thing, not a condition.

However, given my current situation, I am already very grateful that he is still helping me like this. If I have any complaints, it would be ungrateful of me.

Whether this matter succeeds or fails is entirely up to fate.

······

As dusk fell, the setting sun on the horizon was like blood, and the chill of late autumn seemed to seep into one's bones.

When people returned home from work, they would close their doors tightly, and the streets would become even more chaotic at night, with murders and robberies occurring frequently.

Chen Han tightened his coarse linen clothes, his frail body feeling a chill.

With all industries in decline, martial arts must stand firm.

Previously, I was a martial arts apprentice with excellent talent and a promising future in the Chen family. Now, I even have to beg people for food and medicine for a month or two of martial arts training.

"This feeling is really awful."

But looking at the impoverished people along the way, living hand to mouth, dressed in coarse cloth and with prominent cheekbones due to long-term malnutrition, Chen Han felt somewhat fortunate.

At least I still have a chance, so that I won't start out in dire straits, or be one of those suffering amidst the devastation outside the city.

Chen Han and Chen Lei arrived in front of a luxurious restaurant. Chen Han's first thought was, "We've accidentally wandered into the imperial palace."

The large, gilded signboard of "Tianxianglou" hangs in front of the main gate. Beautiful women in silk dresses and light makeup walk gracefully, their captivating fragrance lingering in the air.

It's so much better than the high-end clubs of my previous life.

Chen Han's eyelids twitched. "Damn rich people!"

Upon entering, a beautiful woman with skin as smooth as jade greeted them, swaying her hips. After exchanging a few words with her, the woman led the two to a private room.

Chen Lei pushed open the door first and entered, followed closely by Chen Han.

"Brother Chen Lei, you're here."

Before them stood a stunningly beautiful young woman, with a graceful figure, fair skin, and bright, sparkling almond-shaped eyes that drew everyone's attention.

This is a stunningly beautiful face that is both cold and captivating.

Like a celestial being descended to earth, a moon reflected in water, a fairy in a painting.

Even though this was only their second meeting, Chen Han was still amazed.

The woman stood up with a perfectly timed smile, but her gaze darkened when she saw Chen Han following closely behind Chen Lei.

Before Chen Qiuyu could even speak, or perhaps she hadn't intended to speak at all, Chen Han brazenly stepped forward and bowed.

"My name is Chen Han. I have long admired your unparalleled talent, Miss. Today, I have come with Brother Chen Lei to pay you a visit. I hope you will not find me unworthy."

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite gift box and handed it over. Seeing that the latter still had a cold look on his face and did not take it, he awkwardly placed it on the table.

He spent almost all of his remaining savings and even asked someone to inquire about his preferences before buying it.

"Brother Chen Lei, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat."

Chen Qiuyu ignored Chen Han in front of him and turned to look at Chen Lei with a smile, while waving his hand to signal the female musician playing the zither to come forward and pour tea.

Chen Han smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything more.

"I never imagined this woman would be so disappointing. Does she even realize that if it weren't for what happened before her, she might already be dead!"

Ultimately, it's just about not wanting to take responsibility and ruining one's reputation.

"But why repay kindness with enmity? Why? By what right?!"

Chen Han was furious, but dared not speak out. The fusion of memories from his two lifetimes made him feel deeply for his predecessor, and thus he felt indignant on behalf of his predecessor.

Just then, he noticed that the courtesan paused as she was about to pour him tea, then put down the teapot and waited to the side.

Chen Han followed his gaze and saw Chen Qiuyu's cold eyes.

Clearly, the lady's unusual behavior was at the behest of this young lady.

In that instant, he felt as if his heart had been squeezed hard, and an unprecedented sense of humiliation, from both his past and present lives, swept over him.

I wanted to flip the table right there and then!

But he knew that doing so would mean being beaten to death on the spot by the young lady in front of him.

Chen Han grew angrier the more he thought about it, his face turning ashen. Unable to utter another word, he turned and left the private room.

As soon as the door closed, a cold female voice came from inside the private room, "Brother Chen Lei, stay away from these shady characters in the future..."

······

Unsurprisingly, Chen Han lost the family's supply of martial arts training resources within just a few days.

A few days later, he was forced to leave the family. The only saving grace was that the family found him a decent way out.

A son-in-law marrying into his wife's family... that is, a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family...

Although it was a bit embarrassing, the offer was really good, and I could get six taels of silver.

It may not sound like much, but this was in a chaotic world; three taels of silver could buy a maid.

This is a family that is neither rich nor poor. The father-in-law used to practice martial arts and worked as a head guard in a wealthy family. His daughter is a cook in a restaurant, and his younger sister is still young and learning to read at school.

Maybe we can eat meat every few days.

Chen Han did not refuse and acted quickly. A few days later, they went through the wedding ceremony and got married. On the day of the wedding, ten people from the groom's side came: the clan's steward who was in charge of handling affairs and was also in charge of Chen Han's affairs, and Chen Lei.

The others were there to add to the group and make it less deserted, so that the Chen family could save face.

The steward, representing the family, gave two taels of silver as a "bride price." Chen Lei secretly slipped five taels of silver to Chen Han and expressed his deep apologies for what had happened a few days ago.

The bride was a year younger than him. She was pretty with delicate features and big, watery eyes. Despite being born into a poor family, she had fair skin and looked even more beautiful with makeup and rouge.

The wedding ceremony and the bridal chamber were kept simple. To outsiders, it seemed that Chen Han would spend the rest of his life in this small courtyard.

In this chaotic world, it is more likely that one will die tragically in the streets during some upheaval or accident.

But there's always a way out; there are no truly hopeless situations, only people who despair of their circumstances...

Chen Han found a job managing the accounts thanks to his decent math grades and literacy skills from his previous life.

The work was originally quite easy, but Chen Han proposed the condition of resting early in the morning and late at night, which made the employer very dissatisfied. They originally planned not to hire him and to find someone else.

But after Chen Han assured them that he could complete his daily tasks as usual and that his wages would only be half of what they used to be, the employer reluctantly agreed, but threatened to fire him at any time if he did not perform well.

This resulted in him having a heavy workload and very low wages, but the advantage was that it wasn't physically demanding, so his body could handle it, and he could dedicate a lot of time each day to practicing Tai Chi for health.

[Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise +1+1]

From that day on, my body gradually became stronger...

With time and the added benefit of the proficiency panel, he believes that he will be able to return to martial arts in the near future and make up for what he has lost many times over!