Chapter 40

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Unable to contact Han Li and the others, Zhao Xinyu was quite helpless, but he also knew that dangers existed in the jungle at all times. As the sky grew darker, he began to look for a place to camp for the night.

Although he had never camped in the mountains before, his grandfather had taught him many survival skills in the mountains when he was a child.

When night fell, Zhao Xinyu found a place to camp. Under a broken wall, there was a sunken area of several dozen square meters. This sunken area was slightly higher, surrounded only by wild grass, with a wide-open view, making it perfect for camping at night.

After clearing the wild grass around the sunken area, Zhao Xinyu gathered a large amount of dry branches. When he had collected ten branches, Heifeng, Jinhen, and Jinyu brought back four mountain chickens and two wild rabbits.

After roasting and eating the mountain chickens and wild rabbits, Zhao Xinyu, who was camping in the mountains for the first time, had no sleepiness. He added some dry branches to the fire and looked around. The night was pitch black, and the jungle below rustled. He stroked Heifeng, who was lying beside him, and his heart stirred.

He thought of the ancient martial arts masters in movies and TV shows who could fly and dodge. If he were as powerful as them, he wouldn't fear any wild beasts in such a mountain.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered the Hongmeng Zhenjing that his grandfather had left behind. When he was a child, his grandfather had taught him some fitness methods, which seemed to come from the Hongmeng Zhenjing.

"Could it be...?"

He immediately took out the Hongmeng Zhenjing from his space and casually flipped to the first page. Just a few glances brought back that familiar feeling.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xinyu formally began to read the content of the book. He was stunned when he realized that what his grandfather had taught him were just fragments of the entire scripture. By connecting the unpracticed parts of the scripture, he could form the complete Hongmeng Zhenjing.

This discovery left Zhao Xinyu completely stunned. Why had his grandfather only taught him certain parts instead of the entire Hongmeng Zhenjing in order?

In movies and TV shows, it was often said that practicing martial arts without following a gradual progression could lead to mental and physical collapse. Why hadn't he experienced this?

Shaking his head, he put aside all thoughts and focused on the unpracticed parts, beginning to practice according to the methods his grandfather had taught him.

The night passed as Zhao Xinyu studied the Hongmeng Zhenjing. In the early morning, as the first light of dawn appeared in the east, Zhao Xinyu exhaled a deep breath and his eyes showed a hint of joy.

He had practiced a part of the scripture that he hadn't practiced before, connecting it with the parts he had already practiced. He could feel his body becoming lighter and more agile, and black impurities appeared on his skin. He also sensed a faint flow of energy within his body.

This reminded him of what his grandfather had once said: many ancient Chinese medical masters possessed internal energy, which allowed Chinese medicine to flourish for countless years. Now, true masters of internal energy were few, which was one reason why Chinese medicine had declined and been surpassed by Western medicine.

Now that he had a faint flow of energy in his body, it indicated that he was beginning to cultivate internal energy. What exactly was the Hongmeng Zhenjing, and why hadn't his grandfather told him about it, teaching him in fragments?

He thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. However, Zhao Xinyu knew that his grandfather had left the Hongmeng Zhenjing for him, likely to help him cultivate internal energy and revive Chinese medicine.

"Black Wind, Jinhen, Jinyu, let's go."

Knowing that the Hongmeng Zhenjing could help him cultivate internal energy, Zhao Xinyu no longer wanted to stay in the mountains. The main reason he had entered the mountains was to have Jinhen and Jinyu accepted by Han Li and the others. Now that the goal was achieved, and Han Tianliang had specifically warned him about the dangers, he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.

He had gathered most of the herbs on his way in, so the return trip was much faster. By the afternoon, he saw Xihan Ridge.

Zhao Xinyu looked up at Jinhen and Jinyu circling above him. "Remember what I said. Go back in a few days and be careful in the mountains. I'll go back first."

...

In the courtyard, Han Tianliang was pacing back and forth, his expression serious, often glancing at the gate.

Suddenly, the gate creaked open, and a black shadow rushed in. Seeing the black shadow, Han Tianliang let out a sigh of relief, his serious face relaxing.

"Xinyu, why did you come back so late? If you hadn't returned, we were planning to organize a search party from the village."

"Grandpa Han, on the way back, I encountered two injured large birds and helped treat them, so I was delayed. I didn't go far, just outside the village."

Han Tianliang nodded. "That's good. You mustn't go deep into the mountains. You must be tired. Go take a shower and get some rest. I'll go to the farm to let Han Li and the others know you're back."

For the next few days, Zhao Xinyu didn't go to the farm. He left it all to Zheng Min. Although the farm no longer had Zhao Xinyu's braised carp, it still had delicious river crabs, black fish, grass carp, and farmed chickens, ducks, and geese, so the business remained booming.

In the courtyard, Zhao Xinyu practiced the Hongmeng Zhenjing alone, connecting the parts he hadn't practiced. The energy within his body grew stronger with each day of practice.

After each practice session, impurities would appear on his body. Although Zhao Xinyu didn't know if he had cultivated internal energy, he could feel his body changing every day, becoming more agile and his mind clearer.

However, he encountered some problems while practicing the Hongmeng Zhenjing. In the past, his grandfather had taught him, but now he had to figure out the unpracticed parts on his own. Practicing a single part often took several days or even a week.

Although the practice was tedious, he was used to it, having been exposed to Chinese medicine from a young age. His grandfather had once said that one couldn't become a qualified Chinese medicine practitioner without enduring the tedium.

One day, Han Li and the others called Zhao Xinyu in advance, saying they would return for lunch to eat the braised carp.

At lunchtime, while eating under the grape arbor, they all looked up at the sky. Two large birds with almost entirely pale golden feathers appeared above the courtyard, each carrying a large wild rabbit in their claws.

"Look, what kind of birds are those? They're so big."

Han Tianliang put down his chopsticks and looked at the birds thoughtfully. "These seem to be the golden eagles that the elders spoke of, but golden eagles are usually not this large."

"Look, they're landing."

In Han Li's surprised gaze, the two large birds landed in the courtyard. Heifeng rushed to the two large birds, growling at them, which surprised Han Li and the others even more. They could tell that Heifeng seemed to recognize the two large birds.

"Xinyu, what are you doing?" Han Li and the others saw Zhao Xinyu walk towards the two large birds, who didn't fly away but tilted their heads to look at him.

"These are the large birds I treated in the mountains that day."

The next moment, something even more surprising happened. Zhao Xinyu walked to the two large birds, and they spread their wings, gently patting him a few times, each pat bringing a cool breeze.

After patting Zhao Xinyu a few times, the two large birds chirped at him and then flew into the sky, quickly disappearing into the distant Cailiang Mountain.

"Xinyu, you're in luck. They say birds of prey have a spirit. Look at their gift to you. We can eat wild game every day now. If we sell these two golden eagles, we could get a few thousand yuan."

Zhao Xinyu frowned. "Han Li, can you say something more appropriate? Golden eagles are a first-class protected species. You want to get me arrested?"

Han Li laughed and picked up the four wild rabbits. "We can improve our meals tonight."

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