Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Two days later, the stack of white paper on the table was filled with drawings.

Chen Zhan pulled out the last sheet and looked at it by the light of a kerosene lamp. He circled the upward flow of the Du Meridian and the downward flow of the Ren Meridian with a pencil.

The small characters added next to it were densely packed, with three layers of ink, the newest layer on top, and the draft was finalized.

The last page features a simple line drawing of two people in a few poses, perfectly matching each other.

This was for Ye Ningzhen to see; he had already memorized it completely.

Ye Ningzhen has already found a suitable location.

The two stone houses on the eastern ridge were originally the residence of the forest rangers. They were vacated last year. The houses are sheltered from the wind and face the sun. A stream flows down the mountain in front of the houses. The village is about four or five miles away. The forest is deep, and even woodcutters rarely come here.

Dry food, water, kerosene, and a change of clothes—enough for half a month—were bundled into two loads, which Chen Li carried up the mountain.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Chen Zhan told him to put down his load.

"Go back. There's no need to bring us food or come to visit. We'll come down the mountain ourselves in fifteen days."

Chen Li slung the carrying pole across his shoulder and then unloaded it. He looked in the direction of the two stone houses, his throat bobbed, but he didn't say anything.

He watched his master and mistress enter the woods one after the other, their figures disappearing into the shadows of the trees until they were finally hidden by a bamboo grove before they turned and walked down the mountain.

Inside the stone house, one room was piled with supplies, and the other was covered with a thick mattress.

The window was covered with a cloth, leaving only a sliver of sunlight slanting in, casting a narrow white line on the ground.

The kerosene lamp was placed in the corner, the wick twisted to its lowest setting, and the flame reduced to the size of a bean.

into the night.

The mountains quieted down, leaving only the sounds of the stream and insects chirping, each sound making the stone house seem even more empty.

Chen Zhan had Ye Ningzhen change into some loose old clothes, then she sat cross-legged on the mattress with her back to him.

He sat down behind her, back to back, spine to spine. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the warmth of her back, her breathing rise and fall, and her shoulders moving gently in response.

Ye Ningzhen carefully studied the Qi circulation diagram several times and memorized it completely according to her own acupoints.

Chen Zhan first adjusted his breathing.

He brought the blood and qi throughout his body to a state of maximum stability. The dragon and tiger qi and blood coiled in his dantian remained completely still, drawing only the daily flow of energy from his meridians.

This amount of force would be several times greater than usual for someone else.

Regulating his breathing, Chen Zhan placed his palms on Ye Ningzhen's lower back, covering her Mingmen acupoint with his palms and his fingertips tapping on a soft piece of flesh on her side.

The heat seeped through the fabric into her skin, a completely different experience from the time she had her uterus ruptured and bled before.

Ye Ningzhen's body tensed for a moment, then relaxed, closed her eyes, regulated her breathing, and leaned her back against his chest.

Their breathing gradually synchronized, one breath in, one breath out, their chests and backs pressed together, rising and falling in unison.

Chen Zhan's consciousness spread out, covering the area within dozens of feet of the house, and he could hear all the chirping of insects and birds.

Afterwards, the two sat facing each other and practiced the technique according to the movements shown in the picture.

"Waaah."

Ye Ningzhen let out a soft cry, her face slightly flushed, but her body remained very calm. Chen Zhan had previously instructed her not to let her blood and qi fluctuate.

Chen Zhan showed no sign of joking; now was not the time for pleasure.

Begin applying the force.

The first burst of energy enters through the Mingmen point and climbs upwards along the Du meridian.

Ye Ningzhen's body jolted violently, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoa!"

Having practiced kung fu for over a decade, I've seen and experienced a lot, but this is the first time I've ever had someone's qi and blood invade my body.

Chen Zhan had already reduced his output to an extremely low level, using less than 10% of his normal strength.

When it entered her body, it was still a raging torrent. Her meridians had been dry for many years, and the riverbed had become silted up. When a volume of water far exceeded its capacity was suddenly poured in, the dikes on both banks trembled.

She gritted her teeth, straightened her back, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Only now did Ye Ningzhen truly realize what Chen Zhan was hiding inside.

She knew he was strong, ridiculously strong. She had only observed him from the outside before, but tonight she understood completely.

A surge of energy entered through her Mingmen point, traveling less than three inches along her meridians. She felt her entire body tremble, and her internal organs were being pressed down by a warm and heavy force, making it difficult to breathe.

The dragon-tiger qi and blood in Chen Zhan's dantian didn't budge at all. If that qi and blood were to enter her body, her meridians would rupture on the spot.

The force reached the seventh thoracic vertebra and got blocked.

Ye Ningzhen's meridians have been branching out here for more than ten years. The side paths have become wider and stronger, while the main path has withered and narrowed.

Chen Zhan's energy was channeled into this area, but it couldn't pass through; it was trapped on both sides of the thoracic vertebrae, and a ball of fire burned in his spine.

Ye Ningzhen arched forward in pain, her back away from Chen Zhan's chest, her hands gripping the mattress, her fingers digging into it, her lips bleeding from being bitten.

Chen Zhan grabbed her shoulder with one hand and pulled her back, so that her back was pressed against his again.

Instead of withdrawing his strength, he added a bit more with his other hand, pushing it in forcefully.

His voice fell close to her ear, his breath brushing against her earlobe.

"Hold on, you'll get through this."

Ye Ningzhen gritted her teeth, her whole body trembled, and cold sweat soaked through her clothes, which clung to her skin.

Chen Zhan increased his strength, pushing the force inch by inch through the blockage, stretching open the meridian walls, and a dull pain spread up his spine.

Ye Ningzhen let out a muffled groan, but didn't cry out.

"Snapped."

With a very faint sound, the string that had been taut for over a decade finally loosened.

The blocked meridian cracked open, and Chen Zhan's energy squeezed through the crack, continuing upwards along the Du meridian.

Ye Ningzhen's body went limp, and she leaned into his arms, panting heavily. Her hair was disheveled, sticking to her forehead and neck, and sweat dripped from her chin onto her clothes.

She breathed heavily in his arms for a long time.

With her back pressed against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat, steady and clear, distinct from the frantic pounding of her own chest.

Chen Zhan placed one hand on her shoulder, the warmth of his palm seeping through her damp clothes, his energy slowly flowing through her body, gently nourishing the stretched meridian walls along the newly opened suture.

Ye Ningzhen closed her eyes, beads of sweat clinging to her eyelashes, her breathing gradually calming down.

On the first night, only the section from the Mingmen point to the Jiaji point was opened, which was already the limit of what she could bear.

Starting the next day, he practiced martial arts at night and rested during the day.

The skill deepened day by day, and the two became increasingly coordinated in their movements.

They changed positions several times, from back to back to face to face, and their breathing gradually synchronized, making them indistinguishable from one another.

The section from the Jiaji point to the Dazhui point is just as difficult to clear.

Chen Zhan slowed down, taking twice as much time, and divided his strength into smaller streams, slowly sending them in, which greatly reduced the impact.

From the sixth day onwards, the meridians gradually opened up, and the Qi and blood began to circulate on their own.

Her health improved day by day, visibly so.

His complexion changed from pale to light red, his breathing became longer and deeper, and he felt a surge of energy gathering in his dantian.

Over the past few days of dual cultivation, the two have developed a deeper and deeper understanding of each other.

When their forces converge, Chen Zhan doesn't need to deliberately guide them; her Qi and blood will naturally rise up, yin and yang harmonize, flowing smoothly back and forth.

As night deepened, the sound of the stream mingled with the breathing of the two people.

The kerosene lamp flickered, and two shadows overlapped on the wall, making it difficult to tell whether they were practicing martial arts or something else.

Every inch of skin touching felt powerful, heat flowed from one end to the other, breaths were in sync, and heartbeats were in rhythm.

From the eleventh to the fourteenth day, all her meridians were fully opened, and she entered a deeper stage of Qi and blood conditioning. Ye Ningzhen began to try to circulate the alchemical technique on her own, one cycle after another, steadily progressing.

Day 15, early morning.

Ye Ningzhen opened her eyes.

The wind lifted a corner of the curtain in the stone house, and the morning light slanted in, falling on her face.

She sat on the mattress and felt her body. From her dantian to her limbs and bones, every meridian was fully filled. The energy flowed freely everywhere, without any impurities or stagnation.

She raised her hand and looked at the back of her hand.

The skin has changed, becoming moisturized from the inside out. The withered, pale skin from illness has faded, replaced by a healthy, rosy complexion underneath.

The scars on his wrists from the handcuffs were almost invisible.

She stood up, walked to the stream, and squatted down.

A face was reflected in the water.

Ye Ningzhen was stunned. Her facial features hadn't changed, but her skin and flesh were firmer. Most of the fine lines at the corners of her eyes had faded, her lips were moist, her eyes were bright, and she looked five or six years younger, back to her appearance of being under thirty.

This is already a huge surprise. Who wouldn't want to stay young forever, especially since Chen Zhan still looks so young?

Although she never said it, it was impossible for her not to care.

It's not just that face.

She straightened up and moved her arms and legs. A surge of energy emanated from her dantian, traveled along her meridians, and returned without any stagnation, even more smoothly than before she was injured.

His strength has been fully restored, and his Qi and blood are abundant.

To her even greater surprise, a faint, indistinct mass of something rose from the depths of her dantian, too small to grasp.

When the force reaches its limit, there is indeed another layer above it.

The threshold of Baodan.

Chen Zhan walked out of the stone house and leaned against the door frame to look at her. Ye Ningzhen turned her head away.

The morning light shone from behind her, enveloping her in a glow.

"how do you feel?"

"It's better than ever before," Ye Ningzhen replied, then asked, "Shall we go down the mountain?"

Chen Zhan smiled and said, "I'll stay one more night. I've been busy healing you. Tonight, I'll teach you an ancient dual cultivation technique to help you stabilize your cultivation level."

into the night.

The moon climbed over the mountain ridge, and a sliver of light peeked through the gap in the curtains of the window, landing on the edge of the mattress.

The kerosene lamp had gone out, leaving only moonlight and the sound of the stream in the room.

Tonight is different from the previous fifteen nights.

Previously, she was healing, and the force was being directed at her blocked meridians, causing her to grit her teeth and endure the pain.

Tonight, her meridians are open and her qi and blood are full. What Chen Zhan is going to teach her is a section on stabilizing one's realm from the ancient dual cultivation technique.

Men are associated with Yang, and women with Yin. When these two energies meet, they circulate throughout the body, nourishing the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit. In the past few nights, Ye Ningzhen had to suppress the fluctuations in her qi and blood, not daring to relax even slightly. Tonight, she can relax her mind and cooperate with the exercise.

Chen Zhan pulled her into his arms from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, and placed one hand on her lower abdomen, the warmth of his palm seeping through her thin clothes.

Ye Ningzhen paused, then slowed and evened her breathing, pressing her back against his chest inch by inch.

Chen Zhan held her hand with his other hand, interlacing his fingers and pressing them on her acupoint.

The two people's breathing was initially staggered, one long and one short, before slowly merging together.

She turned around, pressed her forehead against his neck, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their breaths met, and heat flowed from one end to the other, making it impossible to tell whose was whose.

Chen Zhan guided her breath, starting from her perineum, passing her coccyx, and ascending along her spine, segment by segment.

Her breath met his and they became one.

The two streams of Qi and blood circulated through one cycle after another, becoming more and more integrated, and warmer and warmer, until eventually it became impossible to distinguish which one was one's own.

The sound of the stream has faded into the distance, and so have the chirping of insects.

The only sounds left in the stone house were the mingled breaths and the faint sounds of skin touching.

As the moon shone high in the sky, the two streams of energy merged to their peak. Ye Ningzhen trembled all over, let out a muffled groan, and dug her fingertips into his back.

A hazy thing deep in his dantian came alive, his qi and blood surged to his limbs and bones, and warmth emanated from between his bones, spreading throughout his body.

She lay limp in his arms, motionless for a long time, her sweaty hair clinging to the side of his neck.

A sudden gust of wind blew all night, and rain lashed against the banana leaves.

As dawn broke, Ye Ningzhen awoke from a warm embrace, feeling refreshed and relaxed, with every bone in her body feeling loose and comfortable.

Chen Zhan had already gotten up, tucked a few loose pages back into the book, and placed it by the door.

"Get up if you're awake, it's time to go down the mountain."

Ye Ningzhen sat up, tidied her disheveled hair, and reached out to explore her dantian.

Qi and blood are full, flowing from the dantian to the limbs and bones, one meridian after another, probing the end of the strength. Above the end floats a hazy thing, clearer than yesterday, round and ethereal.

The threshold of Baodan.

“Three years is too long,” Chen Zhan said, looking at her from the doorway. “If we cultivate like this, we can reach the level of Core Formation within a year.”

Ye Ningzhen smiled but didn't reply. She got up, dressed herself, and walked to the door to pick up a bundle.

With the hundred-pound camphor wood box on her shoulder, she took two steps, her feet steady and her shoulders steady as well.

The two left the stone house and walked down the mountain path.

The morning mist hadn't dissipated, dew clung to the grass blades, and the sound of the stream followed along the way.

Ye Ningzhen walked ahead, her steps light and silent. After more than ten years of practice, she had made further progress, and even her pace was several degrees faster than when she was climbing the mountain.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, a person emerged from the woods.

Chen Li was squatting on a rock at the crossroads, counting the days. Today was the sixteenth day. Someone was looking for his master and mistress at the foot of the mountain, but he didn't dare to go up the mountain to disturb them, so he waited at the foot of the mountain.

His gaze fell on Ye Ningzhen, and he paused for a moment.

Is the woman who was sent up the mountain half a month ago the same person as the person coming down the mountain now?
"Master's wife..." Chen Li opened his mouth, but the rest of the words stuck in his throat.

Ye Ningzhen put the box down, stretched her shoulders, and chuckled at his appearance.

"What are you standing there for? Take the box."

Chen Li responded and stepped forward to take the box.

New slogans were painted on the earthen wall at the entrance of the village. The slogans were red with black characters: "Joining the army is an honor, defend the liberated area." The ink was not yet dry.

Several young men were squatting at the base of the wall, waiting to register. They had rolled-up bedding tied to their backs and bags of dry food at their feet.

The militiamen, carrying old-fashioned slingshots, were checking passes at the intersection. When they saw Chen Li, they nodded and let him pass.

On the threshing floor, members of the Women's Salvation Association were busy making military shoes. The sound of hemp rope threading through the soles of the shoes filled the air. The sewn shoes were stacked on the mats, one pair at a time, reaching half a person's height.

As the weight on the scales struck the beam, they distributed the grain and kept accounts, adding line after line of names to the notebook.

The fighting has started in the south, and the situation is getting more intense every day. These shoes and provisions are for those who need to cross the river and go to the front lines.

Several women working looked up and gazed at Ye Ningzhen for a moment. It took them a while to recognize her, and they stopped what they were doing.

During Ye Ningzhen's time recuperating in the village, everyone saw what she looked like before.

Less than two weeks later, a different person took over.

Someone put down their shoe sole and stood up, wanting to greet them, but then swallowed their words and just stared.

Ye Ningzhen nodded to them and followed Chen Zhan into the courtyard. (End of Chapter)