The Inverted Dragon's Scale

Some Taoist priests were very capable doctors originally. For example, the Ziyang Taoist priest who came to examine Li Muyang. Even though Li Muyang was struck by lightning and inflicted with such a strange disease, he could still cure him. This clearly demonstrated his remarkable ability.

At this moment Li Muyang was situated inside Xiahou Qianbai’s healing hut. Misty smoke curled and swirled inside, mixed with the bitter taste of herbs and the fragrance of the finished concoction.

The smoke didn’t make people dizzy, and instead feel refreshed and energetic.

Xiahou Qianbai looked at the pitiful Li Muyang, saying: “Since I’m willing to help you build your foundation, I obviously took this into account. Because you have previously practiced Ziyang Shishu’s ‘Art of the Breaking Body’, your body has accumulated a certain amount of qi. So, I just need to guide the essential qi within your body with my functional activities of qi and direct the essential qi to accumulate, rather than entirely rely on my own power. This way, the side effects on you will be minimal.”

“I have to trouble Teacher Xiahou.”

“What I find hard to understand is that since you have ‘The Art of Breaking Body’, such a peerless sacred text, why have you not made much progress in cultivation in all these years? You could not even build a foundation yourself—If Ziyang Shishu knew you are this stupid, he would have regretted his choice, right? Our Taoism’s lost knowledge is wasted, it really is heart-wrenching.”

“——”

Xiahou Qianbai stared across at Li Muyang sitting opposite him: “Cross your legs and concentrate, focus.”

Li Muyang immediately obeyed. Sitting cross-legged, he shut his eyes and eliminated the thought of wanting to strangle Teacher Xiaohou, as well as various distracting thoughts, directing his brain into a completely blank state.

Xiahou Qianbai also gathered up both feet, sat cross-legged and began to meditate. His right hand stretched out from inside his wide, flowing sleeve and a faint, white light surfaced in the middle of his palm. The white light quickly condensed into an entity that looks like a glass light bulb.

Xiahou Qianbai let his hand hover above Li Muyang’s head. The glass ball of light slowly descended, drilling into the top of the skull of Li Muyang’s head.

A blue ray of light, like the tail of the glass light bulb, connected Xiahou Qianbai’s palm with Li Muyang’s head.

“Ahhh—”

Li Muyang let out an anguished howl. His body slightly trembled and immediately sweat breaks out all over his body.

As though a pot of boiling water was poured over his head, Li Muyang felt like his scalp was being scalded.

And then, via the bloodstream, hot water flowed through the entire body, his whole body becoming warm and cozy.

It was only at that moment that Li Muyang felt better and more comfortable.

Suffering from one extreme of pain to one extreme of comfort, this all happened in a split second.

“Relax.” Xiahou Qianbai said aloud: “Do not resist, let the essential qi in your body follow my guidance.”

“How can I make my essential qi follow your lead?” Li Muyang tired to connect his mind with his body, keeping his body in a very comfortable state. He imagined himself situated away from Jiangnan in the beautiful Xiangshan, where he and his sister Li Shinian found a natural hot spring, and persuaded by Li Shinian, they leapt into the pool and bathe to their heart’s content. Little sister kept splashing him with sulfur-rich hot water and after evading for a while he began to fight back——

He really missed Li Shinian. The time with her was always full of fun.

More importantly, when he’s with her, Li Muyang ignored the fact that he’s ill, nor cared about his poor academic performance and was never bullied in school——because Li Shinian won’t care about these at all.

When he’s with her, it’s difficult to think of any sad things.

“Leave it.” Xiahou Qianbai sensed that Li Muyang had finally relaxed his body and mind, which is what he wanted. “You don’t need to do anything, just wait for me to guide you. Your qi activity is too weak, as long as I instill essential qi into your body and run a few laps around your body, your qi will also follow running after it.”

“——” Li Muyang felt very sad. He was always bullied but now even the essential qi in his body do not have the ability to make its own decision and turned traitor after being led for a couple of laps——

Just as Xiahou Qianbai had said to him before, once he crossed the blue bridge there would be a powerful surge of qi activity entering into Li Muyang’s body.

Then, like a long snake, that surge of essential qi would roam all around the meridians of Li Muyang’s body, and after circulating a few times, the pathetic little essential qi inside Li Muyang’s body would fuse with it and finally become a part of the long snake. Then, they would run lap after laps, cyclesafter cycles.

Most of the time, these laps and cycles made Li Muyang very comfortable.

With the warm flow of qi circulating his body, Li Muyang felt his whole body becoming warm and comfortable. Like a cup of hot water in the cold winter, like a bunch of wildfire in the middle of a snowstorm.

It can bring light and warmth.

Bring realistic and strong emotions.

When the body of qi entered into Li Muyang’s body, even though he clearly knew it’s not his and would only temporarily exists in his body and be gone soon—he still likes the feeling of being filled up.

Everyone wants to be a hero, becoming a power in control of everything.

Li Muyang felt he finally accomplished something at that moment.

He liked that feeling.

Of course, sometimes he also felt discomfort and pain.

Like there was a stone in a ditch, water tries to break through but no matter how forceful it is, the stone is too big and hard. Although water and the stone fought against each other, in the end, only the ditch was injured.

“If there is pain, there is a blockage; if you don’t feel pain, it is not obstructed.” Xiahou Qianbai said aloud. “Endure it for a while.”

This sounded very familiar to Li Muyang. After a brief ponder, he finally realised when he had heard this before. When he was in Jiangnan, every time he helped his mother with cupping therapy, he would hear this phrase——He thought of his mother again.

After nine-nine eighty-one little cycle of qi, then nine-nine eighty-one big cycle of qi, all of the meridians of Li Muyang’s body had been unblocked. It was not only cleared but many were even stronger than before.

Xiahou Qianbai’s face grew serious: “Now, we shall begin to build your foundation–I will lead all of the essential qi to attack your sea of qi and then the valley will take shape. It might be painful, so endure for a little while.”

Li Muyang voice was vehement when he said: “Thank you teacher Xiahou, do not hesitate, I can endure any pain.”

Rumble——

An even more majestic strength came gushing over; Li Muyang felt as though his bladder was being torn and ripped apart.

Li Muyang’s eyes drooped, everything in front became dark, and then he lost consciousness.

“Idiot, do you think you’re made out of wood?” Xiahou Qianbai used one hand to support Li Muyang’s body while his other hand still maintained the stance of instilling qi. He used his activity of qi as a host and Li Muyang’s essential qi to help form a giant snake, which then repeatedly pounded against Li Muyang’s sea of qi.

Only when the sea of qi bursts open could a real valley forms.

Bang——

Bang——

Bang——

Time and time again ——

Regaining consciousness, Li Muyang found himself lying inside the cottage before.

Outside were birds singing and flowers giving forth their fragrance as he woke up to a bright light beam shining through the window onto his bed. This was another good day.

More importantly, he was still alive.

Li Muyang stretched out his arm and clenched his fist; it was more powerful than ever before.

After cautiously feeling his bladder and discovering that besides a little discomfort, there was no longer an immense pain that made him lost consciousness.

The feeling of pain that suddenly struck him was like an unrealistic nightmare. The moment he opened his eyes, it had left without any signs.

Li Muyang sprung up from the bed, carefully examined all over his body; there was no abnormality.

It was only then that he could finally relax. Whether or not he was successful in building his foundation, at least he’s safe for now.

However, was he successful in building his foundation?

Creak——

The wooden door was pulled opened from the outside. Clad in a broad robe with long, flowing sleeves, a proud and gorgeous Xiahou Qianbai strolled in carrying a bowl of medicine.

Seeing Li Muyang standing in front of the bed, he examined him with an odd expression, before handed over a bowl of medicine and said: “drink the medicine.”

“Thank you Teacher Xiahou.” Li Muyang reached out to receive the bowl and gulped down the entire bowl of medicine in one breath.

After he finished drinking the concoction, Li Muyang asked aloud: “Teacher Xiahou, what did I just drank?”

“Tonic.”

“Thank you Teacher Xiahou. I had to trouble Teacher Xiahou once again.” Li Muyang said happily. Holding the bowl and standing at the window, he cautiously asked: “Teacher Xiaohou, now have I——successfully built my foundation?”

Xiahou Qianbai looked at Li Muyang with a ruminative gaze, asking aloud: “How do you feel now?”

“Feel?” Li Muyang thought for a moment before he replied: “I feel my fist is more powerful. Other feelings–are not obvious.”

“What about in your lower dantian?” Xiahou Qianbai asked.

“Lower dantian?”

“Taoists say the human body has three dantian: the flat area of forehead between the eyebrows is the upper dantian, area under the heart is the middle dantian and the area under the navel is the lower dantian.” Xiahou Qianbai explained.

“It doesn’t hurt now.” Li Muyang said with a simple and straightforward smile. “It must be because of Teacher Xiahou’s medicine, right?”

“No.”

“Then my valley——has formed?” Li Muyang asked in a worried tone. This is what he was most concerned about right now. He has suffered so much and drank a bowl of bitter medicine, wasn’t it all to build his foundation?

“It has formed.” Xiahou Qianbai nodded.

“Is it big?” Li Muyang’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy; I finally built my foundation? Finally I’m not a layman standing outside the martial arts door. I can finally aim to climb the summit of a higher mountain, now it’s the Empty Valley but soon it would be the High Mountain, Free Clouds, Withering Glory, and finally Dragon Slayer——He has fulfilled the fundamental requirements to become a strong person of Starry Sky.

“As vast as the sea.” Xiahou Qianbai said in a deep voice.

Even until now, he still found it difficult to digest this bizarre and shocking incident.