Chapter 8

The large red truck that collided head-on was so clear, the sound of the violent impact made Du Yu feel as if his head had been struck by a heavy object, and streams of warmth splashed out from his body.

Like a duck whose neck had been grabbed, he wanted to shout loudly but could not, the suffocating feeling made Du Yu unable to breathe.

The scene shifted, and Du Yu saw his stiff body standing upright, crackling in the raging fire. The skin on the surface of his body was vaporized by the high temperature, and scorching flames spewed out from within, like a burning piece of paper, his entire body quickly turned to ashes.

"Ah!" Du Yu suddenly opened his eyes, the suffocating feeling that he couldn't scream out was released with this terrified shout. Warm currents surged through his body, and he was drenched in cold sweat.

"Master, do you need any help?" The tired voice of the old butler came from outside the bedroom door, apparently his shout had woken the butler who was sleeping in the adjacent room.

"Nothing, you can go back to rest," Du Yu mumbled, still not fully awake from the nightmare. A gust of night wind blew through the castle's semi-circular window, and Du Yu felt a chill all over his body, realizing that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

"What's happening?" Du Yu suddenly felt a smooth, watery sensation on his skin, the feeling of the wind flowing around him. The invisible wind was like an intangible stream of water, clearly flowing around him, which left Du Yu, who was still dazed, staring in amazement.

Du Yu then noticed that the bedroom, which was as dark as ink, was now so clear that he could even see a fat rat gnawing on bread crumbs that had fallen during dinner, crouched in the corner.

The entire world felt different to Du Yu. Although he saw the same world, the various sensations from his body told him that this was a world he had never experienced before.

Recalling the indescribable suffocating feeling in his dream, the burning heat, and the struggle that made life unbearable, until he saw himself turn to ashes, and connecting it with the changes happening now, Du Yu felt a surge of joy. "Could this be the innate fetal breathing state achieved by practicing internal martial arts to perfection?"

It is said that when internal martial arts reach a certain level, one can achieve the innate state, a realm where one is reborn after death. This realm transcends the known, forming a self-sustaining system within the body, like the second world described by cultivators.

This is similar to the Daoist concept of achieving the Dao after death and the Buddhist concept of the body becoming a Buddha after death. Martial artists call this the fetal breathing state, believing that in the womb, one cannot breathe the air outside but can sustain life through internal fetal breathing, forming a self-sustaining cycle of vital energy.

From the moment one is born and starts breathing air, the body's internal cycle is disrupted, and the vital energy is cut off. Martial arts practice aims to stimulate the body's potential, re-establish the vital energy, and return to the fetal breathing state before birth, achieving unity with heaven and earth, the highest realm of harmony between man and nature.

"Who would have thought that I could achieve the legendary innate state in this world? Truly, misfortune and fortune are interdependent. I wonder if this is the heavens' compensation for my premature death."

The old butler stared in amazement as his young master leaped like a gazelle between the cliffs, bounding several meters at a time, moving like a wisp of smoke. If he hadn't been accompanying his young master in this practice, he would never have believed that the shadow flitting like a flying eagle on the steep mountain peak was his young master, known as the "idiot" and the fat boy.

"Master, Lord Kestalot is waiting for you in the hall," the old butler panted as he saw Du Yu finally land lightly on a protruding rock after a mid-air flip.

Standing on the rock, Du Yu exuded a serene and transcendent aura in the mountain breeze, leaving the old butler below marveling. He couldn't understand why today's young master seemed so different from before, but he couldn't pinpoint the difference.

After discovering that he had reached the innate fetal breathing state last night, Du Yu eagerly came to his usual training spot early in the morning. Indeed, he felt unusually light in the gentle mountain breeze, almost as if he could float away. With a thought, he found himself effortlessly gliding several meters, and before he knew it, he had spent the entire morning in the valley.

It was only after the old butler's reminder that Du Yu remembered he had almost forgotten about meeting his future father-in-law. He quickly landed with a light leap and took the prepared formal attire from the old butler.

...

Lord Kestalot was a tall, thin, and gaunt middle-aged man. Seeing the old butler of the Falcon family accompanying a slightly overweight young man into the hall, he hurriedly walked forward, waving his hands anxiously.

"Clan Leader Dusto, you've finally come! You must save the Kestalot family this time!"

Seeing only the anxious middle-aged man, Du Yu scanned the hall in confusion. Indeed, Lord Kestalot was the only one waiting for him, and his two betrothed sisters were not there. This disappointed Du Yu, who had come with high hopes, and his enthusiasm cooled.

The astute old butler, noticing Du Yu's strange expression, knew that his young master was unhappy because the Kestalot sisters were not there. He quickly supported the anxious Lord Kestalot and asked, "What is the matter, my lord? I believe the young master will help you through your difficulties. Where are the two young ladies?"

"It's all because the Kestoka family broke the alliance. The head of the Kestoka family, Kestokten, personally led thirteen knights and 130 bandits to raid two villages in my territory, killing over forty of my farmers and injuring my captain. They threatened to take back my two daughters, who are still in bed, recovering from the shock. That's why they couldn't come to meet you."

Lord Kestalot tearfully recounted the brutality of the Kestoka family, looking earnestly at Du Yu. Thirteen knights and 130 soldiers were a formidable force that he, a small lord with only three villages, could not resist. That's why he had thought of his future "idiot" son-in-law.

Although the Falcon family had declined, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and Du Yu held the title of marquis and a fertile basin. Even if he couldn't match the Kestoka family, he could at least mediate the conflict. The shocked state of his daughters was just an excuse provided by Lord Kestalot.

Seeing Du Yu's serious and contemplative expression, the old butler and Lord Kestalot looked at him speculatively, unaware that Du Yu was actually making his own calculations.

"My farmers have been training hard, but they have never seen real combat. An army that hasn't seen blood is always a greenhorn on the battlefield! This is a good opportunity to let these greenhorns get some practice."

"If you can make the Kestoka family withdraw, I will immediately send my two daughters according to the original marriage agreement and will compensate the Kestoka family with 500 gold coins," Lord Kestalot, seeing Du Yu's hesitant expression, thought his future son-in-law was thinking about his two beautiful daughters and quickly made promises.

In fact, it wasn't the Kestoka family that broke the alliance. It was the desperate Lord Kestalot who had set his sights on the Kestoka family's prosperous trade, organizing local villagers to disguise themselves as bandits to rob the trade caravans. They failed to rob the caravans and instead exposed their identities, leading to the Kestoka family's retaliation.

"Alright, I will send someone to talk to the Kestoka family. You can go back and wait for my good news," Du Yu, hearing the unusual tone in Lord Kestalot's voice, sensed something strange but didn't pay much attention, secretly deciding to send troops. He was no longer interested in who was right or wrong.

Watching Lord Kestalot leave the hall with hope, Du Yu turned to the old butler, whose face was awkward. Lord Kestalot must have given the old butler some benefits, or the butler wouldn't have spoken so much in his favor. Du Yu had the thought of replacing the butler.

"A new emperor, new ministers." He had always despised this practice, but now he found himself thinking the same way. Du Yu sighed inwardly, "Go and find Statuenko. Tell him I have something important to discuss with him."

...