Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

The deep darkness of night enveloped the dilapidated courtyard in Dog Tail Alley.

Lin Ji pushed open the creaking wooden door and led the distraught Bai Yu'er inside.

The courtyard contains only one main house and one side room used for storing miscellaneous items.

"You can sleep in this room." Lin Ji lit the oil lamp in the room, and the dim flame illuminated the furnishings.

There wasn't much furniture inside, but it was kept clean.

Bai Yu'er was pale. Whether she heard or not, she nodded without saying a word, walked unsteadily to the bedside, and collapsed onto the bed.

Lin Ji closed the door, and after taking only a few steps, he heard suppressed sobs coming from inside the room.

Standing in front of the door, Lin Ji shook his head and sighed.

Lin Ji turned around and walked to the earthen stove in the courtyard, taking out all the herbs he had collected during the day.

According to the dosage on the prescription, put the herbs into the clay pot one by one.

"Angelica sinensis, astragalus membranaceus, deer antler..."

Then add water and firewood.

Steam rose from the clay pot, making a bubbling sound, and the aroma of herbs filled the entire courtyard.

The crying in the side room gradually stopped. Smelling the medicinal fragrance wafting in from outside the window, Bai Yu'er stared blankly at the blackened roof beams.

She murmured softly to the air, "Father, Mother, what am I going to do now? I finally saw a chance for Xiaonian to get ahead, but the house is gone. What am I going to do...?"

Her voice grew softer and softer until finally only a long sigh remained.

Half an hour later, the medicine simmering in the courtyard was finally ready.

Lifting the lid of the casserole, by the light of the oil lamp, one can see that the medicinal soup inside is different from the usual dark brown color, displaying a light red hue.

The medicinal soup bubbled and churned in the pot, as thick as blood.

"It's done!"

Lin Ji ladled out a bowl of medicinal soup, blew on the rising steam, and drank it down in one gulp.

The warm medicinal soup slid down Lin Ji's throat and into his stomach, and a warm current flowed through his abdomen. However, after only a moment, this warm current dissipated, and that familiar feeling of emptiness in his body returned once again.

"Is the dosage insufficient?"

After a little thought, Lin Ji guessed the answer pretty accurately.

My body, which is over a hundred years old, has been depleted of blood and energy for who knows how long. It's not something that can be replenished with just a bowl of soup!

In addition to the previous depletion of his martial bones, the medicinal power of a bowl of blood-replenishing soup was simply not enough to satisfy him.

So Lin Ji simply poured out all the remaining medicinal soup from the casserole and ate it bowl after bowl.

He ate three large bowls of herbal soup.

Lin Ji felt a scorching flame burning inside his body, a wave of heat spreading out from his abdomen, and bursts of white steam rising from his body.

Suppressing the burning sensation from the inside out, Lin Ji let wave after wave of heat wash over his limbs and meridians.

The feeling of emptiness in his meridians gradually disappeared within Lin Ji's body as the waves crashed against him.

After about fifteen minutes, Lin Ji had a feeling that his meridians and muscles were like the earth after a spring rain, gradually recovering.

Lin Ji felt the abundant power in his body, as if every cell in his body was roaring, yearning to be released.

Without hesitation, Lin Ji walked into the courtyard.

After adjusting his breathing slightly, Lin Ji assumed the Tai Chi starting stance.

Lin Ji's movements were slow, each move fluid and graceful, without the slightest hesitation.

A night breeze swept by, stirring up a few fallen leaves from the ground.

As he danced, his movements swayed and undulated, fluttering and soaring.

I don't know when.

The scene before Lin Ji's eyes had changed.

It is no longer a dilapidated courtyard, but a mountaintop shrouded in mist.

An elderly man with a flowing white beard and an air of otherworldly wisdom stood on the edge of the cliff, his back to Lin Ji.

The old man wore a plain-colored Taoist robe and stood tall and straight, like a pine tree.

Suddenly.

The old man's body trembled.

Feet apart, neither pointed nor square.

Raise both hands slightly, and begin the Tai Chi posture.

The old man's movements were slow and steady, like a still well, yet they possessed a dynamic quality that flowed like clouds and water.

Every gesture, every step, embodies the great principles of heaven and earth.

It was as if he had become one with the surrounding mountains and clouds, and with every move he made, he caused the clouds on the mountaintop to shift and turn.

"Yin and Yang complement each other, and strength and gentleness are in harmony! Use gentleness to overcome strength, and stillness to control movement..."

The old man muttered incantations, his hands moving with a mixture of strength and gentleness, softness and strength.

As the old man danced, his body gradually became translucent.

Meridians appeared on the old man's body, and with each move he made, one could clearly see the acupoints and blood vessels through which the Qi and blood flowed.

"This is the essence of Tai Chi!" Lin Ji was shocked.

Without hesitation, Lin Ji assumed a stance and began practicing Tai Chi with the old man in front of him.

again and again!

One move after another!

The old man's movements were as if they were etched into his mind, and the two men's chests moved at the same frequency, and the meridian diagram clearly appeared before his eyes.

Lin Ji fought with increasing ease, his internal energy and blood surging with each move, and his originally withered meridians became crystal clear after being nourished by the medicinal effects.

Lin Ji was immersed in the world of Tai Chi, forgetting time, forgetting place, and even forgetting that he was a centenarian.

At the summit, the old man stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.

When facing Lin Ji, he reached out and stroked his beard, nodding and smiling slightly.

"Zhang Sanfeng!"

"oh--!"

A rooster's crow shattered the dawn.

Lin Ji suddenly opened his eyes.

The morning sun rises from the east, casting golden rays across the courtyard.

Lin Ji stood in the courtyard, breathing deeply and feeling refreshed and relaxed.

"Um?"

Listen closely.

Lin Ji could hear the hawkers' cries outside the alley, as well as the chirping of crickets under the corner of the wall inside the alley.

With a slight clench of his fist, a surge of immense power erupted from his fist, shaking up the leaves on the ground.

"It seems different again."

Lin Ji glanced at the tree stump not far away, stepped forward, and began to parry.

"Old buddy, let's try using you again!"

All the body's energy and blood gathered in the right fist, flowing through the meridians, and a punch was unleashed!

"drink!"

"Snap!"

A muffled thud.

The sturdy wooden stake broke in two!

The two wooden stakes flew out, hit the wall, and fell to the ground.

Looking at his fist, a glint of light flashed in Lin Ji's eyes.

That feels right! I've officially entered the meat-building stage!

From skin refining to flesh refining, it may take others three to five years, and those lacking talent may even need ten years.

And he, this centenarian, only took a few days.

What incredible talent! What heaven-defying martial spirit!

The next step is bone tempering!

If you refine your skin and flesh to build a solid foundation, then refining your bones is the bridge to achieving true strength.

It is necessary to strengthen the spine and major tendons through bone-strengthening, bone-circling, and tendon-strengthening exercises, so as to receive internal strength and achieve the ability to exert force through the bones.

This is not something that casual practitioners can easily figure out; it requires a more systematic approach to power generation and breathing techniques, as well as more precious qi and blood-nourishing herbs to build a solid foundation.

These are not things that Lin Ji can figure out on his own at the moment.

Lin Ji looked up towards the direction of Wutang Junior High School, his gaze resolute!

"It's time to go check out the martial arts academy!"