Chapter 9

The two talked through the night, and early the next morning, Wang Bozhang bid farewell to Zhang Xuan and set off for Chang'an with his wife and children.

The large house was now left with only Zhang Xuan. However, two months ago, during the war when Yang Xuangan attacked Luoyang, Wang Bozhang had stockpiled a large amount of food and pickled vegetables, enough to last Zhang Xuan for several months. Wang Bozhang also left him twenty strings of coins, so Zhang Xuan wouldn't have to worry about his living expenses for at least three months.

He enjoyed this kind of life—having a place to stay, food to eat, and peace without any disturbance. Although he might be called to testify against Yuwen Shu, Zhang Xuan chose not to think about it for the time being.

The next day, before dawn, Zhang Xuan ran out of the alley and along the坊wall, a habit he had developed since childhood. He ran five kilometers every day, and this was the same when he was a soldier and a trainee, except that he ran ten kilometers every day then.

The morning breeze was particularly refreshing, blowing against his dark scalp. His hair was still less than half an inch long, which was originally a source of烦恼. He didn't want to draw attention, but the deerskin cap Wang Bozhang gave him solved this problem.

By the distant pond, several women who had risen early to wash clothes were using wooden mallets to beat their clothes. They occasionally looked up in surprise at this strange young man and then smiled, thinking he was a newly secularized little monk.

Women would also be a problem Zhang Xuan would face after coming to the Sui Dynasty, but he didn't have the time to think about it much. Perhaps one day, Wang Bozhang would introduce his sister to him.

It had been over ten days since Zhang Xuan came to the Sui Dynasty, and he still lived in a narrow circle. Apart from Li Mi, the only people he knew were the Wang Bozhang family.

Of course, there was also Yuwen Chengdu. Zhang Xuan could never forget Yuwen Chengdu's extraordinary martial arts skills and the large phoenix-winged gold trident, which deeply stimulated and pushed him to constantly challenge his limits.

...

What is called "foundation building" is essentially a martial arts introductory practice, which involves adjusting the body's organs and tendons to prepare for subsequent high-intensity training.

Foundation building can take a year at most and half a year at least, depending on each person's talent. It usually starts when a child is six or seven years old. Almost every child undergoes significant changes after foundation building, becoming stronger, more enduring, and more flexible.

Some highly talented children can even achieve the initial effects of tendon transformation after foundation building, such as improved eyesight, sharper hearing, and significantly increased strength.

Zhang Xuan entered a youth martial arts class at the age of seven and underwent a certain level of foundation building, laying a solid foundation for his physique and flexibility. However, he lacked the internal physiological adjustments, which were the most critical part of ancient martial arts foundation building, crucial for achieving tendon transformation.

Wang Bozhang's foundation building technique involved using knife skills, and after taking the foundation-building medicine, the entire body's organs were stimulated. One had to use knife practice to release the internal heat and simultaneously undergo extreme training, pushing the body to its limits and then breaking through again and again.

Children generally couldn't withstand such intense pressure, so the dosage of the medicine was either reduced or another medicine was used to balance it, which extended the time.

However, Zhang Xuan didn't need this. He gradually adapted to the high-intensity foundation building and continuously broke through his limits, extending his knife practice from one hour to three hours.

After three months, he clearly felt the changes in his body. He became lighter and more agile, his knife speed was faster and more powerful, and his endurance was much greater, far surpassing the most famous endurance king in the entire army. He could easily run two marathons every day without feeling tired.

Despite undergoing two years of brutal special forces training in the past, such results were still unimaginable.

However, his strength seemed to have changed little, which made him feel a bit disappointed despite his joy.

But Zhang Xuan noticed that his appetite had increased. He ate three large bowls of rice per meal, and the rice jar at Wang Bozhang's house was almost empty.

As time passed, it was already late December, and the New Year was approaching. Every household was preparing for the New Year, cleaning their houses to remove the dirt of the past year, buying meat and pickled vegetables, preparing sacrificial items, and setting up tall bamboo poles for blessings. The children were excited about the new clothes and lucky money they would receive.

But for Zhang Xuan, all of this seemed irrelevant. However, he had also undergone many changes. His hair had grown long enough to wear a headband, and he had stubble on his lips and chin. The neighbors had gradually become familiar with him, thinking he was Wang Bozhang's younger brother.

Sometimes he would go to the market and the outskirts to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, slowly getting to know this era.

But he spent most of his time in the room, challenging his body's limits again and again.

He had even forgotten the conditions he had exchanged with Wang Bozhang, and no one had come to ask him to testify against Yuwen Shu.

That night, Zhang Xuan sat cross-legged under the eaves, the cold silver moonlight shining on him. Ice stalactites hung from the eaves, and the snow on the ground had frozen into ice chips. He wore only a thin cotton shirt but felt no cold.

He had taken a pill and was quietly waiting for the heat to rise in his chest and abdomen. He enjoyed the feeling of the heat surging, which made him feel as if he were floating in the air.

But strangely, after almost a quarter of an hour, his body still showed no changes, far exceeding the expected time. He wondered if the pill was ineffective.

Unable to resist, he took another pill, chewed it, and swallowed it. After another quarter of an hour, there was still no change.

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, slowly took out a third pill, and stared at the red pill, hesitating before putting it in his mouth and chewing it.

But the moment he swallowed it, an unprecedented heat surged from his dantian, quickly spreading throughout his body. It felt as if he were being consumed by a raging fire, and he let out a scream, leaping up from under the eaves and rolling in the yard, tearing off his clothes.

The ice chips on the ground briefly cleared his mind, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the intense heat again. He grabbed his knife and began chopping wildly in the yard.

At that moment, heavy snow began to fall, but he was unaware of it. He only focused on chopping and shouting, with all his pores releasing heat, but it was still not enough.

Unable to bear the intense heat inside his body, he ran a few steps and jumped into the well in the corner of the yard...

The sky gradually brightened, and the frozen, blue-black Zhang Xuan slowly climbed out of the well. If anyone who didn't know the situation walked into the yard, they would be terrified to see a naked man crawling out of the well like a ghost.

Zhang Xuan was so exhausted that he didn't even know where his hands were. He couldn't stand up and slowly crawled back to the room, wrapping himself tightly in a blanket.

After a long time, his body gradually regained some warmth, and he began to curse himself for being stupid, having taken three pills. In the midst of his curses, he fell into a deep sleep.

In his sleep, his body began to undergo changes. A thin stream of heat flowed from his dantian to his limbs and body.

He slept until the afternoon, feeling refreshed and full of energy. He stretched, leaped out of bed naked, and put on an old set of clothes that Wang Bozhang had left him.

Next to the box was a thirty-pound stone block. Every morning after waking up, he would lift it twice to check if his strength had increased, but there had been no change, and lifting the stone block had become a ritual.

Zhang Xuan fastened his belt, grabbed the stone block, and was suddenly stunned. He slowly put it down, then lifted it with one arm, put it down, and lifted it again, repeating this for over ten times. He suddenly shouted, threw the stone block, and ran barefoot to the back of the house.

The joy in his heart made him forget everything. He found Wang Bozhang's silver spear, which he had seen on his first day, weighing fifty pounds.

He had tried it before, and it was very difficult to wield, allowing him to swing it only a few times. But now, he could easily dance with the spear, the tip flying around the yard, accompanied by his hearty laughter.

After three months, his foundation building was complete. Not only had his physique changed significantly, but his strength had doubled. He was a person with extremely high martial arts talent, and even foundation building could achieve the initial effects of tendon transformation.

...

For the next three days, Zhang Xuan did not leave the house. He only stopped taking the foundation-building medicine after confirming that his increased strength was not temporary but had become permanent.

In the room, he lined up his belongings. This was Wang Bozhang's house, and the things that belonged to him were few: a knife, a leather cap, two long robes given by Wang Bozhang, ten strings of coins, and half a bag of flour.

Zhang Xuan began to consider what he should do next. He couldn't stay in Wang Bozhang's house forever. Clearly, Wang Bozhang wouldn't return. He and Li Jiancheng should have gone to the Wagang Fort and been warmly welcomed by Zhai Rang.

Li Jiancheng's difficulties would not come now but in one or two years. However, Zhang Xuan's difficulties were immediate. What should he do?

At that moment, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. This was the first time someone had knocked in three months. Zhang Xuan's first thought was that Wang Bozhang had returned.

He quickly gathered his things and ran to the yard, shouting, "Coming! Coming!"

When he opened the door, he was stunned. It wasn't Wang Bozhang but two old women.

"It's... Aunt Kang!"

He recognized one of them, a kind neighbor who often smiled at him when he returned from his morning run.

"Second Brother, this is also our neighbor, Aunt Ma."

Aunt Kang always thought Zhang Xuan was Wang Bozhang's younger brother and called him Second Brother. Zhang Xuan quickly nodded and smiled at the other woman, "Aunt Ma, hello!"

But since they rarely interacted, why were they visiting him? Zhang Xuan's gaze fell on their hands, and he saw that each of them was carrying a bamboo basket.

Aunt Kang smiled, "Today is New Year's Eve, and we guessed you hadn't prepared any food, so we brought you some."

"Ah!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed, scratching the back of his head. He realized it was New Year's Eve, and he had no idea.

"Don't be polite, take it!"

The two aunts pushed the bamboo baskets into his hands, and Zhang Xuan, feeling grateful, thanked them.

"We are neighbors, and it's not easy for a young man to live alone. If you have any difficulties, just let us know, and we'll do our best to help."

"Thank you, both of you, thank you!"

The two aunts smiled and left. Zhang Xuan carried the bamboo baskets back to the room, opened the lids, and found a bowl of meat, a bowl of fish, and even a bottle of warmed rice wine.

Zhang Xuan felt a warm feeling in his heart, and his eyes became a bit moist. These kind aunts knew he had nothing.

He opened the wine bottle and took a sip. The warm rice wine flowed down his throat into his chest and abdomen, and he suddenly felt a deep sense of loneliness and loss. It was New Year's Eve, and he was alone in the Sui Dynasty, with no family or friends, and no one to miss him.

He slowly walked to the window and gazed at the starry night sky for a long time. His eyes became a bit wet, and he sighed.

That night, Zhang Xuan spent his first New Year's Eve alone in the Sui Dynasty.

...

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