Chapter 9: Customized (Part 2)

Zhu Daodong sneered at his behavior. If he could have helped, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state. He drank his wine by himself, and when he finished, he saw that the nameless Taoist was still in a daze. Not wanting to embarrass him, Zhu Daodong smiled at him and left on his own.

Perhaps it was sheer laziness, but the nameless Taoist felt as if his brain had rusted. For so many years, he had been unwilling to think much, let alone recall. Once the sealed memories were opened, a flood of emotions—bittersweet and bitter—rushed over him. The usually carefree nameless Taoist was momentarily entranced...

The next day, when Zhu Daodong came to the Sanqing Taoist Temple, the wine bottle had been open for a long time, but the nameless Taoist still hadn't arrived. Zhu Daodong was surprised. He listened carefully and could clearly hear the nameless Taoist's breathing. This old man couldn't be sick, could he?

The nameless Taoist's breathing was very distinctive—deep, long, and slow. Zhu Daodong was very familiar with it. Moreover, in the entire Sanqing Taoist Temple, there was only one person's breathing besides his own. It had to be him. Zhu Daodong, without drinking, quickly followed the sound of the breathing and found the nameless Taoist in a room in the back courtyard.

The old Taoist's sleeping posture was a bit strange. Under him was a pile of straw, and his body lay flat on it, lying on his back with his legs naturally stretched out, only shoulder-width apart. The strangest thing was his hands, which were bent upward and lightly pressed against his shoulders. Looking at the old Taoist's face, it was calm and transcendent. If it weren't for the glaring pile of straw beneath him, he would have looked like a true sage.

"Old Taoist, are you okay?" Zhu Daodong asked softly.

No response. The nameless Taoist didn't even move a finger. If it weren't for Zhu Daodong's clear hearing of his breathing, he would have rushed over to check if he was still alive. Zhu Daodong thought the nameless Taoist was just sleeping and smiled, not in a hurry.

He had brought two bottles of Laobai Gan, opened one and placed it next to the nameless Taoist, while he drank the other by himself. Zhu Daodong had intended to sit down, but seeing the messy pile of straw, his legs wouldn't bend, so he stood in the room.

Perhaps the wine bottle was placed too close, and the alcohol's stimulation was too intense. The nameless Taoist's large, red nose suddenly flared, and soon his cloudy eyes opened. Zhu Daodong had been watching the nameless Taoist and saw a flash of sharpness in his clear eyes, but it quickly faded, and he returned to his usual half-asleep look.

"You're here?" The nameless Taoist quickly picked up the Laobai Gan and took a big sip before noticing Zhu Daodong in the room.

"Are you feeling unwell today?" Zhu Daodong asked with concern. Although the nameless Taoist was not related to him, over this period, he had come to regard him as family, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Zhu Daodong felt this way, but the nameless Taoist felt the same. He had decided to reopen his sealed memories to help Zhu Daodong with his overly sensitive ears.

"After a night of deep thought, I finally came up with a solution for you." The nameless Taoist took several big sips of wine, burped, and then slowly said.

"What solution?" Zhu Daodong asked casually. He was thinking about whether he should go to the hospital for a check-up. As for the nameless Taoist, if he wanted to help, he couldn't refuse his good intentions.

"I've decided to create a simplified version of my improved Turtle Breath Technique for you." The nameless Taoist said.

"Wait, wait, what do you mean by 'customized'? What's this 'improved Turtle Breath Technique'?" Zhu Daodong was confused. Could it be that he had misjudged the nameless Taoist, and he really had some skills?

"The Turtle Breath Technique is a profound internal skill from Wudang. It's also known as 'Xuanwu Ding' or 'Turtle Breath True Skill.' After my improvements, it's even more powerful." The nameless Taoist boasted proudly.

"Are you still a Wudang disciple? That was decades ago, right?" Zhu Daodong didn't believe the nameless Taoist's "idle talk." If he were a Wudang disciple, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

"I was indeed a Wudang disciple back then, but because I was too lazy, my master 'prematurely' sent me down the mountain to find my own way." The nameless Taoist blushed for once.

"Oh, so you're a Wudang outcast. With your lifestyle of sleeping and drinking all day, it's impressive that you even learned the Turtle Breath Technique, let alone improved it. I'm really worried about you." Zhu Daodong was genuinely concerned. If he hadn't learned the authentic Turtle Breath Technique, how could he dare to improve it? It would be a miracle if he didn't harm himself.

"Don't underestimate me. Because of my lazy nature, I was the most suitable for practicing the Turtle Breath Technique. My master praised me a lot back then. Unfortunately, I only learned this. After my improvements, I can go up to seven days and seven nights without eating. Impressive, right?"

"Your words make me believe you. Without the Turtle Breath Technique, you would have 'ascended to heaven' long ago." The old Taoist used the Turtle Breath Technique to resist hunger. Only he could come up with such a method. To be this lazy was a kind of realm.

"I'm not exaggerating. I have decades of practice in the Turtle Breath Technique and can be called a master." The nameless Taoist looked very proud. He was proficient in the Turtle Breath Technique because it allowed him to sleep more, eat less, and slow down aging—exactly what he had always dreamed of.

"Alright, since you've been promoting it for so long, I can't refuse. As long as it doesn't harm my body, I'll give it a try." Zhu Daodong reluctantly agreed.

"You...?! You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a good heart!" The nameless Taoist gritted his teeth in anger but had no way to deal with Zhu Daodong. It seemed that to sell anything, one needed not only a good reputation but also a good image. His image was indeed a bit worrying. Realizing this, the nameless Taoist grumbled a few times but finally explained the practice method in detail to Zhu Daodong.

Actually, practicing the Turtle Breath Technique was very simple. One just needed to pay attention to the sleeping posture and control one's mind. But it was easier said than done; otherwise, everyone in the world would be able to practice it.

The original Wudang Turtle Breath Technique had already been "improvised" by the nameless Taoist. He liked practicing it because it slowed down metabolism. Over the years, the Turtle Breath Technique had been a great help to him. Sometimes, he could survive for ten to fifteen days without food, all thanks to the Turtle Breath Technique.

The customized Turtle Breath Technique that the nameless Taoist created for Zhu Daodong was even simpler. It involved only one posture, similar to the one he had just used, except that the hands were placed on the navel instead of the shoulders. Additionally, one needed to use the mind to control a few acupoints related to the ears, such as the Yamen, Tinggong, Ermen, and Yifeng points. For the Yamen point, one needed to activate it, while for the others, one needed to close them to prevent them from being too active...

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