Chapter 15: Rebirth and Transformation

Chapter 15: Rebirth and Transformation

Upon inquiry, they learned that Zhao Datou had arrived.

Following the rules, outsiders were not allowed in the training ground, so Meng Yuan and Tie Niu quickly left the grounds and met Zhao Datou at the entrance.

Zhao Datou's face showed signs of age, but he couldn't hide his joy, and he carried two bundles on his back.

"Tie Niu! Xiao Meng!" Zhao Datou exclaimed, hugging Tie Niu's waist and lifting him up, "You've really built up your strength. You won't get tired even after a day of shoveling cow manure! Why are you wearing such thin clothes?"

"Dad, we're practicing martial arts, we're not afraid of the cold!" Tie Niu replied happily.

"Why did Uncle Datou come?" Meng Yuan asked.

"I've been so worried about you two, and Old Jiang is also concerned. I came on New Year's Eve, but they wouldn't let me see you, saying to come back after the New Year. I had some free time today, so I came to check on you, but they still wouldn't let me in. It was a young girl who saw me and brought me here!" Zhao Datou explained.

Meng Yuan realized that the young girl was probably Hu Qian.

"How are Old Jiang and Jiang Girl doing?" Meng Yuan asked with concern.

"They're doing well," Zhao Datou replied happily, pulling Meng Yuan to the corner and asking in a low voice, "Has the Yellow Fur been looking for you?"

"No," Meng Yuan smiled.

Zhao Datou didn't believe him, so he looked at Tie Niu, who also said no, before finally believing them.

"You must be careful. You're young and practicing martial arts, so you have a lot of vitality, which is what monsters like the most." Zhao Datou spoke with utmost seriousness, "I've been thinking, the Yellow Fur is afraid of dogs. When you go back, smear some dog feces on your hands."

"... " Meng Yuan knew that Zhao Datou meant well, and he also knew it would be difficult to explain to him, so he didn't argue and simply agreed.

Zhao Datou took off his bundles, giving one to Tie Niu and the other to Meng Yuan, saying, "This is from Jiang Girl for you!"

Meng Yuan took it, squeezed the contents, and realized there were shoes inside. Upon opening it, there were indeed two pairs of shoes.

The shoe uppers were clean, and the soles were tightly sewn, obviously made with care.

There was also an inner shirt.

The inner shirt, to be precise, was the underwear worn closest to the skin.

Poor families usually made them from hemp cloth, which was a bit rough but durable and inexpensive. Of course, cotton cloth was even better, being soft, comfortable, and absorbent, but slightly more expensive.

This inner shirt was made of cotton cloth.

"Why is it made of cotton cloth? Does your family still have money?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Old Jiang gave Li Zhuangtou a gift, and the money for martial arts training was returned." Zhao Datou saw Tie Niu reaching for the inner shirt, so he quickly slapped his hand and said to Meng Yuan, "The young girl said you're living in the city, so you should look more presentable. She asked me to go to the town market to buy the cloth, and she made this for you herself. She originally wanted to come on New Year's Eve to give it to you, but it was delayed until now."

The inner shirt was worn underneath, so others couldn't see how presentable it was, but Meng Yuan could feel the young girl's thoughtful gesture.

After tying the bundle, Zhao Datou asked Tie Niu about his recent life in detail. Upon learning that they had beef for lunch, Zhao Datou even made Tie Niu kneel and kowtow a few times in the direction of the Imperial Mansion.

"I have to go; it'll be dark soon," Zhao Datou said after a long conversation. As they were about to part ways, he looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "Do you have any messages for your little wife?"

"Tell her to wait patiently, and I'll definitely bring her into the city after some time. In the evening, I'll practice the characters I taught her, and she doesn't need to do any sewing," Meng Yuan replied.

"Dad, I'll bring you into the city too!" Tie Niu said.

"I understand!" Zhao Datou agreed, noticing Tie Niu's teary eyes. He patted Tie Niu's shoulder and said solemnly, "Xiao Meng doesn't have to worry about marriage, but you, look for someone honest and capable. We won't be picky about looks, so you can help arrange it."

"Okay," Meng Yuan smiled and agreed.

After seeing Zhao Datou off, Meng Yuan and Tie Niu returned to the training ground, intending to thank Hu Qian, but they couldn't find her.

When they returned to the dormitory, no one was there either.

Meng Yuan fetched two large buckets of water for the men's quarters and asked Tie Niu to stand guard outside, stopping anyone who tried to enter.

The Essence Flame had reached perfection, and Meng Yuan, stroking his inner shirt, knew he couldn't wait any longer.

With a thought, a large ball of flame appeared, dark red in color.

"Here comes the flame," he thought, and the flame burst open.

In an instant, Meng Yuan felt the raging fire burning his body from the outside in a scorching sensation, as if his flesh, bones, limbs, and organs were all being seared.

The flame raged within him, but many parts of his body felt like blocked waterways. This Essence Flame surged within him for a long time, impacting the blocked areas.

After a few breaths, the Essence Flame receded like a tide, but it hadn't broken through any of the blockages. However, Meng Yuan faintly realized that these blockages had already loosened.

Opening his eyes, he felt his vision sharpen, able to see even the tiniest details over ten feet away.

Looking at his body, it was sticky and wet, clinging to his clothes, with a putrid smell.

But his body felt like it had been washed, his muscles and bones seemed stronger, and he felt light as a swallow.

At this moment, Meng Yuan was confident he could lift a 300-catty stone roller.

Thinking of the Essence Flame, he realized it had shrunk to the size of a soybean.

Taking off his clothes, Meng Yuan wiped away the dirt on his body while pondering the effects of the perfected Essence Flame.

Undoubtedly, after being washed by the Essence Flame, he felt reborn, his body and limbs lighter, his strength and reaction speed significantly enhanced. This was the superficial effect of the Essence Flame.

The other effect was the impact on the blocked areas within his body.

Although this time, the Essence Flame hadn't broken through the blockages, it had already loosened them.

"Teacher Nie said today that practicing the Posture Cultivation Technique helps in opening acupoints. Could those blockages be the unblocked meridians?"

Meng Yuan knew too little about the martial path and lacked related knowledge, making it impossible for him to judge.

"And the Essence Flame, after being absorbed by me, has shrunk to the size of a soybean. I wonder if it will take more time to cultivate it to perfection again?"

Meng Yuan washed his hair with soap, quickly cleaned the dirt off his body, and then rinsed with clear water, leaving his skin smooth, supple, and resilient.

Seeing that the unpleasant smell was gone, Meng Yuan didn't bother to put on clothes. He went to the men's quarters and performed a set of Horse Stance Punching to regulate his qi and blood.

Then, he practiced the Posture Cultivation Technique, clearing his mind, calming his breath, and visualizing a blocked river.

After a while, Meng Yuan felt his flesh, organs, and bones tremble. Suddenly, the blocked river in his visualization burst open, and he felt a surge of blood and qi rushing towards his crown.

This sensation was incredibly strange, as if his body had opened some kind of vital gateway, causing his ears to become deaf to external sounds and his eyes to lose the ability to see, as if he had gone blind. Even his nose couldn't smell anything.

Soon, Meng Yuan returned to normal, feeling refreshed and clear-minded.

His vision restored, he looked out the window and saw three magpies chasing each other in the training ground, one of them with colorful feathers on its neck.

His hearing sharpened, and he could clearly distinguish the calls of the three magpies.

His nose twitched, detecting a faint bloody smell carried by the north wind. Meng Yuan focused his gaze and saw a female student at the well, her head bowed as if in shyness.

His senses of smell, sight, and hearing had surpassed those of ordinary people.

"Is this what it means to open meridians? How many do I need to open?" Meng Yuan muttered.

After a brief contemplation, Meng Yuan realized he was still naked, so he quickly changed into the inner shirt and cloth shoes made by Jiang Tang.

"New clothes are better than old, and new people are better than old. If this girl keeps this up, I'll be tied down by her!"

Meng Yuan tied his hair, put on his clothes, and stretched his body, feeling the new garments fit comfortably.

He wanted to look at himself in the mirror but didn't even have one, feeling worse off than a little yellow weasel.

Stepping out, Tie Niu was startled, "Brother, how did you change so much after a bath?"

"What's different?" Meng Yuan asked.

Tie Niu took a closer look and said, "Your face is fairer, and your eyes are brighter."

"I could have become a concubine with my good looks, but I chose the most arduous path of a martial artist!"

With a sigh, Meng Yuan went to pour out the dirty water and fetch more to wash his dirty clothes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end