Chapter 32: Making Up for Shortcomings

After dinner, Miao Ruolan got to the heart of the matter and told him that the most difficult barrier in this cultivation method was the birth of true qi—something that could not be taught, but could only be realized through calm introspection. She had started practicing as a child, and it was only after thirteen long years that, on a spring night, she accidentally triggered and sensed the elusive feeling of qi, giving rise to her very first strand of true qi.

Afterward, this strand of qi circulated through the main meridians in her body, slowly growing stronger. She was not even considered slow; she had been three years faster than her father, who took a full sixteen years to give birth to his first strand of true qi. In the process, he had even questioned whether their ancestors had been lying. Thus, when his apprentice betrayed him back then, the old man felt nothing but frustration; he didn’t even raise a hand against the apprentice, because he could understand the disappointment of working hard for five years and achieving nothing.

Therefore, facing Lin Xiaosu, she spoke her true thoughts: he should not be anxious for quick results. After all, in modern society, almost no one practiced martial arts, and life went on just the same. He could take the book home, make a copy if he liked, and return the original to her later.

In response to her reasonable suggestion, Lin Xiaosu’s eyes flickered. “There’s no need to take it with me. I’ve already memorized it.”

He returned the book to her on the spot.

Miao Ruolan felt a small sense of relief, mixed with a little disappointment. She was glad that he knew when to retreat in the face of difficulty and wasn’t stubborn, but disappointed that she ultimately hadn’t been able to help him.

However, what Lin Xiaosu said next, Miao Ruolan couldn’t quite understand.

He said, “I’ve already memorized it anyway. I’ll give it a try…”

Then he sat cross-legged, motionless.

Miao Ruolan tidied up the dishes, washed them, and even washed the bedsheet she hadn’t gotten to yesterday. Time flew by, and before she knew it, it was after four in the afternoon.

She glanced toward the back courtyard, her thoughts beginning to drift.

Lin Xiaosu was still sitting there, unmoving.

It was almost five o’clock—wasn’t he going home?

She truly hadn’t meant to drive him away; in fact, she rather hoped he wouldn’t leave tonight. But if he really did stay, she was a little afraid. Never having had a man stay overnight before, she didn’t even have the concept for it in her mind—she felt a little scared, a little shy, a little conflicted.

Lin Xiaosu had no intention of leaving.

Five o’clock passed, then six o’clock…

Miao Ruolan finally let go of her inner struggle.

It looked like he was definitely staying the night.

The sky had already darkened.

In fact, Lin Xiaosu should have felt the same inner conflict. This was their very first meeting—could a man and woman really spend the night together? Normally, it would have been impossible.

But today was different.

Lin Xiaosu had completely lost track of time, pouring all his energy into wrestling with the cultivation method.

Wasn’t the Human Dao Orchid Heart supposed to be the strongest in terms of comprehension? Wasn’t cultivation all about enlightenment? If he couldn’t even begin to master a single method, what was the use of so-called insight?

He had to defend the honor of the Human Dao Orchid Heart!

He was brimming with defiance, but this cultivation method seemed to be made specifically to deal with stubborn types like him. A whole morning, an entire afternoon, and he hadn’t even come close to sensing the qi.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.

It was as if a silver fish had stirred up a wave.

Lin Xiaosu saw a new path.

This silver fish in his mind!

What was it?

The conscious body.

Consciousness itself was elusive and intangible, but after obtaining the Human Dao Orchid Heart, this formless consciousness seemed to have come alive, becoming something real.

At that point, no sensation of qi could be born.

Let me try leading this silver fish there…

With a single thought, the silver fish arrived at that mysterious “Rejuvenation Origin”...

It circled once, and Lin Xiaosu’s whole body shuddered. He sensed an invisible ripple rising…

A second circle, and a wisp of qi was born.

A third circle, and the wisp of qi traveled from that origin point all the way down, causing sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

The sensation of true qi was growing more intense.

But so was the pain. That silver fish was like a plough in his hands, breaking new ground in earth that had never been tilled before…

At some point, sweat was pouring off Lin Xiaosu, beads as large as peas rolling from his brow.

Finally, a tremendous roar sounded within him, as if a door sealed for decades had been thrown open. True qi, like a trickling stream, flowed through his two main meridians, the twelve regular meridians, and the eight extraordinary ones…

By the small back gate, Miao Ruolan stood holding a tray, her eyes wide with disbelief. The dishes on the tray clattered as she nearly dropped it, but she held on tight, gripping the stainless steel so hard it bent.

Lin Xiaosu slowly opened his eyes, an expression of utter relief and ease on his face, as if he had finally set down a heavy burden carried for hours.

Suddenly, he lifted his hand, staring in surprise at the layer of grime on his arm. He touched his backside and cursed inwardly.

His clothes were slick with oil and grime, as if the impurities inside his body had all been expelled at once.

“You did it! You actually did it!” Miao Ruolan’s cheeks flushed crimson, the plates on her tray rattling.

“I need a shower…” Lin Xiaosu said.

“Come!”

Lin Xiaosu spent a long time in the bathroom.

Miao Ruolan hung her father’s clothes on the doorknob and stood outside in the yard for a long while.

Her chest rose and fell gently, calming the turmoil in her heart.

Mastering the Rejuvenation Technique, cleansing the muscles and marrow, expelling impurities from the body—this was something she had never mentioned to him.

In her understanding, even if he was as calm as still water, even if he was a genius, it would take years before there was even a faint possibility of progress. It was far too soon to mention the manifestations of the technique.

Yet in just over half a day, he had broken through directly.

He had passed the most difficult entry barrier!

Was this his miracle? A miracle of the technique itself? Or a miracle they had created together?

When the bathroom door opened, Lin Xiaosu emerged wearing her father’s pajamas, and for a split second, Miao Ruolan thought he looked rather handsome.

It wasn’t an illusion.

It was a fact. With the Rejuvenation Technique mastered, impurities expelled, and his body optimized, beauty was part of the package.

Why else had Miao Ruolan kept at it for thirteen years?

At its core, her motivation had always been beauty.

Why had she never truly succeeded?

It was a story of sorrow—she did succeed! At first, she was quite ugly; after practicing the Rejuvenation Technique, she became merely ordinary. Wasn’t that success?

She couldn’t blame her mother for passing on the worst features, nor could she blame her ancestors for leaving behind a technique that didn’t utterly transform her. She could only blame her starting point for being too low; even with significant improvement, she was still below average…

“I think I’ve succeeded!” Lin Xiaosu said with a gentle smile.

“It’s not just ‘think’!” Miao Ruolan gathered herself and smiled radiantly.

“I feel like I might be able to create a miracle, just like you!”

“Like me?” Miao Ruolan was startled. “When have I ever created a miracle?”

Lin Xiaosu walked to the small table, picked up a stone…

Swish!

The stone shot out like lightning, embedding itself in the center of a large flower across the way, as if he’d marked its heart.

Miao Ruolan’s eyes lit up. “You could tell all along that the pebble inlaid in that stone was done this way?”

“Yes.”

“Is that your detective skill?”

Lin Xiaosu laughed. “That’s why our detective agency will never be short of business!”

“I—I already told you, I really have no detective skills. If you partner with me, you’ll just be supporting an idler.”

“You wish! Do you really think running a detective agency is easy? So many procedures and paperwork—it gives me a headache just thinking about it!”

“Then why insist on opening one?”

“Because… well, because of money. In this society, you can’t get by without it. My brother isn’t married yet, and my mom worries endlessly about our marriages. My dad works at a construction site, sweating under the sun every day. I want to use my own hands to free my dad from that.”

“Then I’ll have to free my dad too!” Miao Ruolan said. “And my brother. My mom says the only way he’ll get married is if we spend big bucks in Southeast Asia.”

“Did your brother ever manage to master the Rejuvenation Technique?” Lin Xiaosu asked.

“He’s too impatient for that. Back then, he said something that nearly drove my dad mad… He said that after ten years of practice, the only thing he could feel in his body was gas… But honestly, it’s just as well he didn’t succeed. If he’d had those skills, with his temper, we’d never have enough family wealth to pay for the trouble he’d cause…”

After dinner, Miao Ruolan immediately grabbed the clothes he’d changed out of and went to wash them.

With that, Lin Xiaosu stopped worrying about whether or not to go home.

Wearing someone else’s father’s pajamas and heading home in the middle of the night didn’t seem right.

Staying here for the night wasn’t a big deal either. After all, they were already business partners; if all went well, they’d both be living at the detective agency in town anyway.

He did the dishes.

In the backyard, the solar lamp cast a gentle light as he washed up and Miao Ruolan did laundry. It felt quite harmonious.

They chatted idly, growing more at ease with each other. Perhaps it was because they had both mastered the Rejuvenation Technique and become kindred spirits, or perhaps it was just Miao Ruolan’s gentle and intellectual nature. In any case, Lin Xiaosu found talking with her particularly comfortable, and their conversation grew ever more relaxed. By late night, they truly felt like old friends who had worked together for years.

That night, Lin Xiaosu slept in the guest room.

A gentle breeze drifted through the window, water rippled softly below, dogs barked a few times in the mountain village before falling quiet, and the starlight filled the sky, soon to be covered by drifting clouds…

He slept soundly. Perhaps that was the wonder of the Rejuvenation Technique—it brought an extraordinary peace of mind.

If he were to join a team like Long Night or Unit 88, at least in terms of sleep, he could keep up with them—able to sleep whenever he wanted.

As for his skills?

Could he match them?

Lin Xiaosu didn’t know, but it didn’t matter.

What mattered was he had already begun to mend his greatest weakness, and there were signs that the future held promise.

For those with genetically enhanced abilities, combat strength came in sudden bursts, reaching their peak the moment they left the operating table.

But for practitioners of ancient martial arts, cultivation was a gradual process. This was the source of Lin Xiaosu’s confidence…