NABC Chapter 5 Gao Qiaoniang
Chapter 5 Gao Qiaoniang
Zhang Tieyi circled around to Chen Ye's front and, with his fingers like swords, pressed on the key acupoints above and below Chen Ye's dantian.
"The key to breathing techniques lies in sinking the breath to the dantian while standing in a stance, and then dividing the breath into three paths from the dantian. One path ascends along the spine, while the other two paths flow into the legs. When inhaling, the breath is stored at the Guanyuan point, and when exhaling, the energy flows to the Yongquan point."
Before he finished speaking, he pressed down hard with two fingers.
A powerful surge of energy suddenly crashed into Chen Ye's meridians.
The medicinal power of the Blood Ginseng Pill, which had been rampaging through the body, was immediately dissipated by this external force. It no longer ran aimlessly, but instead slowly sank down along an unseen meridian.
The burning pain subsided, transforming into a warm current that slowly spread throughout the body.
"Close your eyes and focus your mind on the tip of your nose, clench your teeth and press your tongue against the ground, tighten your anus and lock your breath, and let your mind travel from the anus along the spine to the top of your head."
Chen Ye dared not delay and did as instructed.
The first few steps went smoothly, but when the mind began to move up the ridge, it was like carrying a mountain through a swamp, with each step heavy and difficult.
Large beads of sweat appeared on Chen Ye's forehead and slid down his temples.
But as he continued to try, this difficulty was gradually worn away.
The medicinal power scattered throughout the body was gradually activated by the rhythm of breathing and circulated accordingly.
Suddenly, a thought broke through the shackles and pierced through the crown of one's head.
The warm current in the dantian surged up with a roar, rushed up the spine, split at the top, poured into the limbs, circulated through the chest and abdomen, completing a full cycle.
At that moment, Chen Ye felt a strange sensation.
My body is like a dark room with its doors and windows closed for many years, and suddenly a window is pushed open.
A breeze blew in from outside.
There's a kind of energy moving around.
There was no sound behind me.
Zhang Tieyi stared at Chen Ye's sweat-soaked but motionless back, neither saying it was good nor bad.
"If you can persist with this breathing method, it can temper your entire body and flesh. The most direct result is an increase in strength. Even if you only have a basic grasp of it, you can still have one or two hundred pounds more strength than an ordinary person. If you can fully comprehend it, you may even undergo a complete transformation."
"Practice hard, I'll check on you again tomorrow morning."
After giving his instructions, Zhang Tieyi didn't linger and turned to leave the courtyard.
The door closed with a dull thud.
Chen Ye did not stop.
The medicinal power of the Blood Ginseng Pill had not yet dissipated, and the warmth continued to surge from his dantian, causing him to suffer.
He maintained the stance, using breathing techniques to regulate the body's energy and gradually digest the medicinal effects.
My thighs gradually went numb, but the soles of my feet were burning hot, as if I were stepping on two hot iron plates.
The sun had moved from his shoulder to his head, and he had finally absorbed most of the medicinal effects of the Blood Ginseng Pill.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and feel much more comfortable.
Chen Ye slowly relaxed his stance and straightened up.
He sensed something subtly changing deep within his dantian.
It didn't feel like the burning sensation of Blood Ginseng Pills; it felt more like a piece of charcoal buried in ashes, silently glowing.
He stood silently in the courtyard.
Sweat dripped from his chin onto the blue bricks.
Just then, the sound of bellows blasting in the courtyard interrupted his thoughts.
Chen Ye turned his head to look.
Wisps of blue smoke rose from the chimney on the kitchen roof.
Gao Qiaoniang is preparing lunch.
He exhaled a breath of stale air, returned to his room alone, sat on a bench, calmed his breathing, and waited quietly.
The bellows stopped after a short while.
Gao Qiaoniang poked half her body out of the kitchen and called out, "Wait a moment, the food will be ready, I'll bring it out for you."
Chen Ye looked up at the courtyard.
The sun was scorching, and the air was thick with heat, emanating from a square patch of sky.
"No need to bring it out. It's sunny outside, I can just grab a bite in the kitchen."
"It's even hotter in the kitchen because there's a fire burning inside."
Gao Qiaoniang spoke softly, but her movements were swift and efficient.
A moment later, she carried a tray into Chen Ye's room and placed a plate of boiled vegetables and a plate of roasted meat on the table.
After putting down the dishes, she turned around and brought out a bowl of white rice piled high with rice.
This time, she skipped the tray and walked over holding chopsticks in one hand and a bowl in the other.
Chen Ye noticed that she was wearing a carved silver bracelet on the part of her wrist that was exposed from her sleeve.
It's probably been around for a few years, and the patterns are a bit blurry.
"Thank you for your hard work, Qiaoniang."
Chen Ye did not become complacent because of his martial arts training, and quickly got up to receive it.
Both of their hands touched the large yellow pottery bowl at the same time.
His fingertips accidentally touched the few slender fingers at the bottom of the bowl.
It feels slightly cool to the touch.
Chen Ye felt something was amiss and quickly pulled it back.
Gao Qiaoniang, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
She said softly, "Eat first, and I'll give you more if you're still hungry. Head Guard Zhang instructed that for martial arts practitioners, seven parts training and three parts nourishment are essential. From now on, I'll give you meat every day."
After serving Chen Ye his meal, she served herself a bowl of rice, picked up a few pieces of pickled vegetables, moved a chair to sit by the kitchen door, and ate slowly and deliberately.
She ate very elegantly, and her posture was even quite graceful.
Chen Ye glanced at her; because she was working, her sleeves were rolled up, revealing her smooth, white wrists, as white as lotus roots.
She sat there alone, as quiet as the small courtyard.
"Qiao Niang, come and have something to eat?"
"You can eat yours, I'm not greedy."
Gao Qiaoniang spoke calmly and did not move.
Chen Ye picked up a piece of meat, then squatted down a few steps away from her, holding the bowl. He casually chatted, "Qiao Niang's cooking is excellent; this meat is so flavorful. I just noticed the silver bracelet on your wrist; it's very delicate. Was it a gift from the ladies of the manor?"
After carefully chewing her food, Gao Qiaoniang shook her wrist and said, "This? My mother left it for me."
"No wonder, I noticed you cherish her so much. Where is your mother now? Is she still in the manor?"
"The people in the manor said she went back to her hometown." Gao Qiaoniang paused, "I think she's probably dead."
Chen Ye's expression froze.
He looked up.
When Gao Qiaoniang said this, her expression was calm, and her voice was completely unwavering.
It's not indifference, but rather a calm acceptance of having let go.
"Then you must be having a hard time living alone in the manor." Chen Ye withdrew his gaze and sighed softly, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have sent a delicate girl like you to take care of a rough man like me."
Upon hearing this, Gao Qiaoniang looked up at him, her gaze seemingly flickering slightly, but she quickly lowered it and did not reply.
The two chatted idly in the courtyard until the food was almost gone.
Chen Ye suddenly asked, "Qiao Niang, do you think anyone lived in this courtyard before and learned this set of boxing techniques?"
Gao Qiaoniang paused for a moment as she was putting away the chopsticks.
The silver bracelet struck the rim of the bowl, producing a very short and soft crisp sound.
She stopped talking.
She gathered her chopsticks, stood up, and turned her back to him.
"I don't know. Would you like more rice?"
Chen Ye did not ask any further questions.
"No need, I'm full."
The water in the wooden tub made a splashing sound.
Chen Ye glanced at Gao Qiaoniang, who was silently washing up, and seemed to be deep in thought.
She didn't answer just now.
But silence itself is the answer.
Others have visited this courtyard.
That person had also practiced this so-called fixed stance.
Then that person disappeared.