Chp 18: Qi-body

Mo Hong, enduring the pain and pleasure course, was panting like an old dog in heat.

It had been more than five minutes. However, it was not in vain. Yun Zhi could feel his Qi veins being cleared out. This was why yesterday, she told him to invite everyone here. She calculated and figured out, that she might be able to help him break past that wall…

The wall between a common person and a martial artist.

What wall she was thinking about?

When a common person became a third-rate warrior, he would feel a certain sensation – Qi. This change was subtle, but his movement later would not. After such a breakthrough, he should be able to show the change through his fighting moves. His senses would become sharper; his body controls better.

If before, he could only handle two guys at once, right after the breakthrough…

He should be able to handle five, no problem!

If they could witness Mo Hong breaking through, then, it would be easier to have them submit to her. Having a leader with such ability? Only a complete fool would reject!

With this kind of incentive on hand, she would rope the thugs in. They just needed to see something higher, better of becoming than continued being lowly thugs…

Martial artists!

That was the dream of the collective masses. Who wouldn’t be jealous, seeing their peers able to glide through the air or jumped from building to building? Also, able to take down beasts or showed off in front of the ladies? With the prevalence of the internet, more and more people realized how awesome it was to be a martial artist…

Sure, she could just beat all of them up, and that would be the quickest way. But, she had concern if that might raise deep loathing. Some people could tolerate their face being stepped on, others… not so much. As they said, what goes around comes around.

If she could avoid using force, she would.

Why incite violence, or give incentive for revenge?

That would be utter foolishness!

Still, this brown bear called Don bro…

Hehe, ah, there’s always an exception, no?

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A complete five more minutes.

When she hit him hard that one time, he howled like a wolf in heat…

Calling out, for his life companion…

For a short while, the few visitors in the park wondered where could that wolf-like howl come from, in the city? While the park was vast, it could not possibly be a home for a wolf? Thinking that it was just a dog in heat, people then ignored it.

His howling voice, however, made the thugs surrounding him shuddered.

His whole body, as if ripped subtly, began to crackle. His eyes, twitching. A certain light was flickering within. His breathing went in deeper. It was as if the air in the surroundings was not enough. Qi within him continued to nourish his body. It was the very sign of breaking through…

Awakening a Qi-body.

“Small talent? Ah, a Qi-body?”

In her cultivator world, it was a sign of small talent, something all cultivators had to possess. However, it was enough for anyone to reach Foundation, given the right condition. While it was considered not much, it was still shocking. She had only expected him to activate his Qi sense, but…

For this goon of hers to actually awaken his Qi-body in one go…

What did that mean?

Activating Qi-sense meant that he had just stepped into the level of third-rate. However, awakening Qi-body meant… He jumped straight into a second-rate warrior, the same level as that Fang Shen, the leader Fang they were all afraid of!

“Dang… He just crossed level… in this world too,”

Yun Zhi did not expect it.

For this guy to actually have talent!

And she had just hit him for around, hm, twenty minutes? No, that old random stick shouldn’t be counted… Five yesterday, ten today… Only fifteen minutes, and he managed to jump two levels?

How is this possible? She had heard his story. He had practiced a little martial art and built some flexibility when he was younger. He also practiced horse stance for at least thirty minutes a day back then, so that was why he was stronger and more stable than his peers. However, he still was not qualified to practice ‘real’ martial arts.

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His teacher deemed him unsuitable.

His Qi veins were too poor.

Too poor, he said?

What nonsense was this?

His Qi veins should be quite good!

Yun Zhi pondered, did the teacher make a faulty judgment?

Or could it be that his Qi veins were blocked by something, toxin, cholesterol, heavy metals, or bad blood perhaps? It could also originate from his organs. And the current Murim know-how had no way to help him out. That was her theory… It might just be an honest mistake on the teacher’s part.

Well, without any Qi layer, she had no way of checking for sure. Checking through the veins required an adequate amount of Qi and delicate Qi control, it could not be done by the current Yun Zhi. Too risky.

She would only be able to do so after she recovered some Qi layers, preferably past the 3rd layer. After that layer, the senses of a cultivator would be enhanced so much that they could check one’s Qi veins by checking their pulses.

Still, without even checking thoroughly, there was no mistake…

This Mo Hong managed to awaken a Qi-body. The cells within his body vibrated and had a cooperating resonance with the Qi she had channeled into him.

What was this so-called Qi-body?

One could say it was the very dirt-basic of starting cultivation. With this Qi-body, the body started to be able to accept Qi better. She herself got this body while she was still a baby, a crucial condition to qualify as a genius. Among the talented in her world, they reached this kind of body while they were still toddlers.

For this world, however, having such a body before eighteen could already qualify one as a genius. This world’s surroundings had such a thin Qi, making it harder for anybody to nourish this basic Qi-body. Any martial clan would cultivate such a genius without fail.

However, achieving Qi-body was still the most basic to be called a Murim person. It barely qualified someone to be the foot soldier of Murim, second-rate. Common Murim person reached this level in the late twenty, when their body turned strong enough through external stimulation. Many of them relied on ginseng and other Qi-rich herbs to successfully cultivate a Qi-body.

The cost was not cheap too.

Many of them got stuck as a second-rate, breaking through to first-rate only after forty. To reach master-level? Only the most battle-hardened, or talented could do so.

After wrecking her rusted brain for a good minute, she decided to let it be, for now.

“Oh well, it’s a good thing, so…”

Who cares how it happens!

Time for the second victim… eh, patient!

Hehe…

Calling the big bear over, she could see his dread from far away.

“Hey you, one called Don bro! Come over!”

“M-me?!”

When his name was called, Don bro felt the fear of his life.

He was big and looked intimidating, but right now, he was no different than a teddy bear…

A terrified teddy bear.

Damn Mo Hong, what have you done?!

If you wish to die, die yourself, why drag us with you!

Wu wuu, for some reason, this little sister is too sinister!

I’m outta here!

“Ah, y-young miss… This brother suddenly had a stomach ache… Must be my chronic diarrhea… Ah, I’m ashamed… please excuse me—”

“Diarrhea? Good, what a coincidence…”

“G-good? Nuohh??”

Don bro, finding the excuse of going to the toilet to escape, got caught on the neck by Yun Zhi!

And for some reason, Don bro, who had the strength of three men, could not escape!

He was like a little mouse, caught by a big cat.

Eh, more like a big mouse, caught by a small cat...

That small arm, managed to lock him in place…

With a menacing smile, she said with a jolly laugh;

“Hehe, this little sister, happens to know just the right treatment for diarrhea… be thankful,”

Dread filled his face, as dumb as he was, he finally knew what offended the young miss!

Don bro could only lament, the fact that…

He did not keep his words to himself.

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Uwooooohhh---

A roar.

Much like a bear, a roar filled with pain…

What did it do wrong? How could a human be so strong?

Don bro, with his large body on the ground, got hit non-stop on his bum. While Yun Zhi seemed a bit furious or annoyed while doing it to Mo Hong, this time… She seemed to enjoy it.

And enjoyed it fully, she did.

“Ha ha ha ha--- press, I told you, press!”

“F-forgiveness, young miss! Mercy--- I’m dying~”

“Young miss? There’s no young miss here! This little sister is just disciplining her naughty, older brother!”

Pa!!

Another hit!

Filled with sisterly love!

“Uwoooohhh---”

“Press your pelvic muscles, you scummy bro! You wanna die? Direct the Qi up!”

For some reason, Don bro was getting special treatment.

Mo Hong could only stare with envy, at how Yun Zhi was willing to spend a good ten minutes hitting, no, cleansing his Qi veins…

What did Don bro do? Why is he getting this special treatment? I wanna do that too! Not fair, I found her first!

ROAR----

Soon enough, with him roaring out loud, Yun Zhi stopped.

Her stick, already deplete of Qi, also reminded her to stop. Her breathing was a bit erratic, she was tired. No wonder, she had all her pent-up frustration out, all at once.

Wheww---

She took a deep breath, calming her nerves…

Soon, Don bro’s roar died down… leaving behind a twitching lump of flesh. His goons, watching with eyes filled with terror, dared not utter a word of rebellion. They could just pray their boss would survive this ordeal.

This cruel, nasty ordeal.

“Ah, aiya… I didn’t kill him by mistake, did I?”

Thinking about it, she did go all out. She had not been able to exercise at all since her cursed state. So… Ah, he didn’t die. That’s good. She still wanted to hit him more. For now... Satisfied?

No, it was more than that… what would the word be?

Ah yes, refreshing…

What is refreshing?

This is, refreshing!

She aired her robes, letting the cool wind caress her sweat-covered skin.

Meanwhile, Don bro, with his back still stepped on by Yun Zhi, was trembling erratically. His breathing was getting deeper, his eyes clearer. It was a sign…

“Qi sense activating… Hmph, no cross-level this time?”

Finding it amusing, she pondered.

Though there was no cross-leveling, this bear-like person had an easier time reaching Qi sense. However, considering she had just used the same amount of time with this superior stick, Mo Hong did do better. Then again, she had a feeling that this bear might be able to allow more Qi to flow through his veins, compared to normal martial artists. His Qi veins seemed to be larger, and more stable.

It would be a pity if he continued being a normal civilian.

Even worse, a thug all his life.

SUPPRESSED THUGS: 6/1000

Oh, nice!

The notification pleased her. At least, she knew she was heading in the right direction. Suppressing the leader and sub-leader meant that she would suppress the whole gang. It should be thirty or so soon. She just had to take their pledge later. It won’t be long now…

Welcome, new goons!

I love you all!

“All right… now that we’re done, both of you! Hey, I told you to keep pressing your pelvic muscles! You need to direct whatever Qi you still have, up your spine, into your crown! You wanna waste my effort? Breathe the way I’ve taught you, you— hm?”

Shaaa---

A tingling feeling. Was it the wind? No…

Just as she was about to again instruct them on the proper way of breathing, she sensed something… from a distance. There was no mistake, she even knew which direction.

“This feeling…”

Someone was peeking.

And it was not close.

Her eyes peeked from her side, past her own hair…

Her vision traveled, piercing to more than a few kilometers away… From the hill, past the lake, onto another hill on the other side of the lake. And on that hill, an old man with a familiar white Tai Chi attire was eyeing their way, right on top of a tree. For some reason, that thin tree seemed stable enough to support the elder, tip-toeing on its very top.

‘Ah… So it’s that elder. Did the shouting attract… Well, no wonder,’

How troublesome.

For trouble to come so early, so uninvited.

She sighed.

It was a mistake on her part.