Chapter 13

13. An unbearable smell filled the air.

The Golden Turtle Leisure Technique I am cultivating is a martial art created by a master named Jixingzi, which originally started as a strange martial art derived from the method of training fighting cocks.

Although Jixingzi was an outstanding master, he was not the kind of man who would parade his skills around the martial world like the ancient sages.

This is because most Taoist masters cultivated martial arts not to harm others but to seek immortality. Jixingzi, who was not intimidated even before the king of the Zhou dynasty, left behind the Golden Turtle Leisure Technique, but few people have mastered it since.

This is because achieving great success in it is extremely difficult.

Because the ultimate goal of the Golden Turtle Leisure Technique is immortality.

In the narrow view of the martial world, it is the realm of invulnerability to blades and swords. In other words, the meaning of this martial art is that a turtle, having achieved invulnerability to blades and swords, roams the world freely.

This Golden Turtle Leisure Technique consists of five stages:

Wooden Cock (木鷄, Muge).

Flame Cock (炎鷄, Yamge).

Fighting Cock (鬪鷄, Duge).

Transcendent Cock (超鷄, Choge).

Golden Turtle (金龜, Geumgu).

Each stage has a secret technique, and in detail, there are palm techniques and sword techniques. Since I had not lost my memory, I only needed to focus on the cultivation method divided by the level of internal energy.

When I first learned about this classification, I was confused.

Why would a wooden cock, upon achieving enlightenment, transcend its own limits and become a steel turtle (金龜, Geumgu)...?

Jixingzi's original hobby was creating fighting cocks, and it seems he thought that martial artists and fighting cocks were similar.

Just as I think of martial artists as mad monkeys.

In any case, whether it's mad monkeys or fighting cocks, from my perspective, this classification appealed to me.

In the Wooden Cock stage, the key is to focus on cultivating an unmoving mind (不動心, Budongxin) to fully control one's emotions, which I actively used to resolve my mental disturbances.

Starting from the second stage, Flame Cock, when internal energy is infused, the hands or weapons are enveloped in heat.

This is because the Golden Turtle Leisure Technique is based on extreme yang internal energy.

In fact, I began to gain a notorious reputation when I broke through to the Flame Cock stage, and by the time I reached the Fighting Cock stage, I had acquired the skills worthy of a master.

To be precise, I had broken through to the Transcendent Cock stage but had not yet reached the Golden Turtle stage, and I had caused a ruckus in the martial world before returning to the past. This is my personal martial history.

The Transcendent Cock stage is characterized by free breathing, unimpeded movement, and the ability to fight by freely transforming the rules rather than adhering to them.

I always strived to reach the final stage, the Golden Turtle, but reaching it was a truly arduous and tedious process, just as it is impossible for a normal human body to be impervious to swords and spears.

However, this time is different.

It was just a premonition, but the feeling was very good.

I had only repeated the first stage of the Grand Circulation a dozen times in a small room, yet the level of the Wooden Cock stage was rising at an astonishing speed.

If given enough time, it seemed I could enter the Flame Cock stage in no time.

I continued the ruthless repetition of the Grand Circulation in the small room and then opened my eyes.

It was dawn again.

The surroundings of the Zixia Inn felt unusually quiet.

As the true energy began to circulate through my blood vessels, my senses became more acute. I relied on my senses to check if there were any signs of people or breathing sounds around me before entering a light sleep to rest.

Since there were still enemies in this place, I did not expect to sleep comfortably for a while.

While in a light sleep, the strong warriors from my previous life kept coming to mind, one after another, in a disorganized manner.

Even those who were active before I became strong...

Thinking about them, I felt my lips curling upward.

I intended to help those who had shown me any kindness and mercilessly crush my clear enemies.

To do that, I had no choice but to continue meditating, skipping meals and holding back my bowel movements, as tedious as it was.

Internal energy, in fact, only blossoms through the endurance of days of holding back one's bowel movements.

The analogy may be strange, but it is true.

* * *

After taking a light sleep, I opened my eyes at noon and felt hungry.

The snacks I had bought yesterday were all cleaned up by Chae Seongtae last night.

Perhaps due to hunger, I suddenly thought of the soup rice from Chunyang Restaurant, my regular place.

'I should have a bowl of soup rice.'

Suddenly, when I searched inside Chae Seongtae's robe, a heavy money pouch appeared. Given its unfamiliar shape, it was clearly not mine but Chae Seongtae's.

'Good luck.'

After roughly rubbing my eyes and washing my face, I headed to Chunyang Restaurant while carefully observing the neighborhood.

Despite the ascension of Jo Ilseom and Jo Yekyul last night, Yangyang County was as quiet and peaceful as if nothing had happened.

However, the rumor that I had killed Jo Ilseom had spread widely last night, and the townspeople looked at me with wide eyes as if they had seen a ghost whenever I appeared. No one greeted me, and everyone just kept their mouths shut.

When I entered Chunyang Restaurant, the owner, Zhang Deshui, was startled to see me.

"Hey, you're here?"

"Brother Deshui, soup rice."

"Ah, sure. Sit over there."

A short while later, a large bowl of soup rice with an enormous amount of ingredients was served. This soup rice, made with various meats and thinly sliced vegetables, seasoned with spicy condiments, is simply called Chunyang Soup Rice.

I hadn't had such soup rice since leaving Yangyang County.

It wasn't a dish from the Central Plains but a noodle soup mixed with rice, popular in the Baiyue region where the Yue people lived.

I almost shed a tear, not exaggerating, while eating the soup rice that I could only get at Chunyang Restaurant in Yangyang County.

Since Zhang Deshui was watching, I said,

"Is it a bit spicier today? My eyes are watering."

"Ah, really? I put in a bit more seasoning. Was it too much?"

"Just right."

Zhang Deshui smiled.

Indeed, it was spicier, warmer, and more delicious than I remembered.

While eating the soup rice, Zhang Deshui whispered,

"By the way, did you really kill that Jo guy?"

"I did."

Zhang Deshui said, as if he couldn't believe it,

"How did you kill him? Jo Ilseom was the strongest here."

"How else? He was wielding a sword and got killed."

Zhang Deshui and I chuckled.

"What about Jo Yekyul?"

"That guy came to the inn to kill me, but he ended up in the grave he had his subordinates dig."

"Damn, he was going around killing people at night, and now he got what he deserved. Got what he deserved. When Jo Sam-pyeong comes back, I'll definitely let you know. I should also tell the other shop owners. In such a peaceful neighborhood, who would have thought there were human traffickers. You did a good job. Want more rice?"

"No, thanks."

When I took out the money for the soup rice from Chae Seongtae's money pouch and placed it on the table, Zhang Deshui's expression showed surprise.

"What? You always ate for free."

"When did I always eat for free? I paid sometimes."

"Didn't we agree to count it as the free noodles?"

I suddenly remembered the old days and smiled.

"Ah, you said they were so bad you couldn't eat them. Then you should have paid in money."

"Hey, you really have changed. Got it. Take care."

After eating the soup rice and leaving, I patrolled Yangyang County as if on a round. My intention was to check on the safety of the townspeople and to ensure there were no variables that could interfere with my personal cultivation.

I thought nothing would happen until Jo Sam-pyeong returned. Everyone, thinking that if the Jo brothers formed a gang, they would regularly extort protection money, welcomed their deaths, as confirmed through Zhang Deshui.

Therefore, I locked myself in the small room at Zixia Inn and devoted myself to the Golden Turtle Leisure Technique.

I also considered retreating to a quiet mountain for a while, but considering the variables, this shabby Zixia Inn was safer.

I spent the whole day cultivating my internal energy and then fell into a light sleep. When I was hungry, I went to Chunyang Restaurant and had soup rice for my meals.

Cultivating internal energy, eating, and defecating.

The path to becoming a master is this difficult.

How could a normal person not go mad?

Sometimes, when I felt my waist and legs were too stiff from meditation, I would take a walk and carefully observe every corner of Yangyang County.

In this way, I focused on cultivation with my emotions deadened, like a 'wooden cock (木鷄, Muge).'

During this time, my internal energy accumulated steadily and rapidly.

Compared to the past, the speed at which my internal energy was accumulating was so fast that it was almost confusing.

After being locked in the small room for over twenty days,

Although I was somewhat tired from the continuous light sleep, I had completely mastered the Wooden Cock stage and entered the Flame Cock stage.

It was truly a miraculous speed.

Of course, it was fast because I had rigorously trained in my previous life.

However, the state of the small room where I was staying was as messy as a beggar's den due to the waste products excreted from my body during the transition from the Wooden Cock to the Flame Cock stage.

Sure enough, a hellish smell permeated the small room.

But this unbearable stench was a great reward for me.

It meant my body was becoming cleaner.

As I progressed through the stages, my body would become as clear as clean water, so I wouldn't have to experience this stench again.

Upon checking, my skin was glowing, my hair was softer than before, and most importantly, my eyes were clearer, and my vision had improved significantly.

As I broke through the stages, the level of my five senses (五感, Wugan) also improved.

Unlike internal or external power, the five senses are closely related to situational judgment and survival, so it was necessary to improve them to survive in the perilous martial world.

When I clenched my fist and infused it with internal energy, a tingling sensation ran down my spine.

'I've become much stronger than expected.'

I used to think the Golden Turtle Leisure Technique was just a good martial art for treating mental disturbances, but now my thoughts have changed.

'I will become much stronger than before.'

Indeed, a martial artist feels a greater sense of satisfaction from the rapid achievement of martial arts than from any other joy.

I was even worrying about becoming a deity and what I would do then.

At that moment, Chae Seongtae's voice came from outside.

"Ugh! What is this smell? It's like a rotten stench. Ugh..."

When I came out of the small room, Chae Seongtae stepped back with a look of shock, as if he was about to faint.

"Did you poop? Ugh..."

Chae Seongtae quickly covered his mouth as if he was about to vomit and ran out of the inn.

"That guy is really something. Ugh..."

I was momentarily speechless.

Watching Chae Seongtae retching outside the inn, I thought,

I should live this life to torment that guy.

At that moment, Chae Seongtae let out a "Ugh" and vomited.

"..."

Feeling a deep-seated murderous intent welling up, I went outside.