Chapter 7: Bone Adjustment and Meridian Activation

That night, Wang Sheng finally discovered what his master meant by "side jobs."

He also realized why he had been asked to painstakingly carry the two cases of bottled water up the mountain.

Under the dim light, Wang Sheng stood silently, watching his carefree master delicately use a soft brush to inscribe "Wudang Mountains' Sacred Spring Water" onto the bare plastic bottles.

Speechless, Wang Sheng could only tilt his head back and sigh.

To his surprise, however, his master managed to sell over ten bottles the very next day, with prices ranging from twenty to a hundred yuan each.

Qing Yanzi was genuinely skilled in the Five Arts of Daoism, but not in a typical way. He could see someone’s fortune with just a glance, and when he came across wealthy, carefree patrons, he would sometimes give them outrageously high prices.

In the evening, Qing Yanzi decided to reward Wang Sheng a little.

In the yellow glow of the door lantern, Qing Yanzi demonstrated a basic set of martial fist techniques, consisting of just seven or eight moves. He made Wang Sheng practice each one repeatedly until he mastered not only the movements but also how to break and combine them seamlessly.

Though the techniques were simple, a few moves required careful thought and precision. After completing a set, Wang Sheng felt a warm heat spreading through him—it was unexpectedly effective.

With his senior sister watching and giggling softly from the side, Wang Sheng practiced in the courtyard late into the night. His senior sister eventually dozed off, leaning against the doorway. Hence, though his mind still buzzed with thoughts, Wang Sheng finally prepared to head back inside.

"Senior Sister. Senior Sister. You should head back to your room."

"

Mmm... Oh.

" Mu Wanxuan mumbled something in her sleep, leaving Wang Sheng momentarily stunned.

She can actually say something other than ‘mmm’?

Instead of dwelling on it, he watched his sleepy senior sister shuffle back into the house, her big, blurry eyes half-closed and her lips slightly pouting. The sight made him smile fondly, almost like a proud parent.

Having a senior sister isn't so bad.

Unfortunately, the moment she climbed onto the earthen bed, she immediately prepared to sleep without a second thought. Wang Sheng hurriedly dragged the chair inside, closed the door, and bolted it before retreating to his room.

Do not touch what is improper; do not look at what is improper

[1].

His senior sister never put her guard up around him. As her "soon-to-be" junior brother, he knew he couldn’t take advantage of that trust.

Thinking about it, he realized that his senior sister still looked as though she hadn’t hit puberty yet, even though she was already eighteen. He began having serious doubts about whether his senior sister would transform into a "fairy" once the primal qi resurged in the next year or two.

Bed...

Wang Sheng collapsed onto it and groaned a few times, aching and throbbing all over. He had planned to take this time to meditate and practice a basic mantra, but just as he remembered it, exhaustion took over and drifted him off to sleep.

Not long after, Qing Yanzi entered from the outer room and lowly asked, "Still awake?"

Wang Sheng groggily opened his eyes, catching sight of his master. Thinking it was a dream, he yawned and muttered a faint response.

"Go back to sleep and relax. I’ll adjust your bones and activate your meridians."

Qing Yanzi chuckled softly as Wang Sheng, still half-asleep, mumbled a few incoherent responses.

Rolling up his sleeves, Qing Yanzi formed a sword finger[2]. He then slowly and methodically pressed various points on Wang Sheng’s body.

Wang Sheng woke up gasping in pain.

“Master...” he groaned.

“Bear with it,” Qing Yanzi replied calmly. “Since you started a bit late, your body is too stiff, and your meridians are blocked.”

Qing Yanzi pressed his palms on Wang Sheng's thighs and gently slid them down. Wang Sheng felt a tingling numbness spreading through his muscles and bones.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he could distinctly feel a stream of alternating warmth and coldness flowing from his master’s palms.

This must be internal qi, which martial artists strive for,

Wang Sheng thought in amazement.

Even though the world’s primal qi hadn’t yet resurged, his master had already reached such a high level through years of rigorous training. His master using his precious internal qi to adjust his bones and activate his meridians filled Wang Sheng with gratitude.

After half an hour of work, Qing Yanzi breathed out slowly.

"Since I took a nice 'persuasion fee' from your parents, I'd rather not send you back empty-handed if you do end up crying to go home."

He floated away, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Thank you, Master! I will pass the trials!" Wang Sheng remarked. He then grinned as drowsiness washed over him. He quickly fell asleep again.

It seemed Qing Yanzi didn’t want him to give up halfway, either.

Wang Sheng faced a test revolving martial fist techniques the following day. Thankfully, he had accumulated about ten years of cultivation experience in his past life. Although his conditions back then were far from ideal, he still put some effort into martial arts. Hence, his form during the test was at least decent enough to pass.

Wang Sheng wasn't sure if passing the test had a psychological effect, but he felt lighter on his feet and more energetic than he had been the morning before. He figured that he could also just be feeling the effects of having his bones adjusted and his meridians activated.

As he looked at his master and senior sister, a bittersweet thought crossed his mind. In his past life, they had only been characters in videos stored on hard drives. He sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of defeat.

I'm still nowhere near their level. I can’t slack off; I have to work myself to the bone.

Clearly pleased with Wang Sheng’s progress, Qing Yanzi offered him some encouragement.

“I was just helping you get used to things yesterday. Today, I won’t give you much rest. A cultivator should seek tranquility, detach from worldly desires, and, most importantly, put in hard work. Let’s see how you do.”

"Understood, Master."

Although Qing Yanzi said that he would increase the difficulty of Wang Sheng's training, he didn’t push him beyond his limits. He simply made sure that Wang Sheng was thoroughly exhausted and felt a deep sense of fatigue. Nevertheless, over the next three days, Wang Sheng didn’t utter a single complaint. Instead, he pushed through it all with a grin.

Every three days, Qing Yanzi helped Wang Sheng with bone adjustments and meridian activation. After just two sessions, Wang Sheng was surprised to find that he could already roughly sense the positions of his meridians. Thinking it over, he realized what was happening: his master’s internal qi still lingered in his meridians.

Taking advantage of this unexpected opportunity, Wang Sheng continuously practiced a basic mantra. Although he still hadn't noticed significant results, he was now expelling impurities from his body more frequently and efficiently.

The only downside was that the improvement made his little senior sister, who always came to play with him in the mornings, pinch her nose and roll her eyes in disgust. A few times, she even almost fainted from the smell.

***

In the blink of an eye, the day his parents were set to leave the Wudang Mountains arrived. To send them off, Wang Sheng took half a day off and headed down the mountain to share a meal and walk around with them.

When it was finally time to part, his mother clung to him tightly, unable to let go. His father, setting aside his usual pride, said, “If I’ve done anything wrong before, just tell me. I’ll change.”

Wang Sheng smiled and shook his head, quietly wiping the tear from the corner of his eyes.

I'm sure watching me risk everything to pursue this path has hurt my parents. Still, if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

Wang Sheng didn’t know what to say; he didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep. All he knew was that he needed strength—strength to protect his family in the future.

While waiting for their ride at the hotel entrance, Wang Sheng noticed a nearby fruit stand. He quickly ran over, bought some oranges, and stuffed them into his father’s hands, knowing how much he loved them. It was a small gesture, but it ensured that they’d have something to snack on during the trip.

It was the only way he could express his filial piety at that moment.

After seeing his parents off, Wang Sheng felt a hollow emptiness in his chest. Nevertheless, he smiled and waved goodbye, sending them back to their everyday city life.

As the car pulled away, Wang Sheng knelt behind the vehicle and kowtowed deeply several times, ignoring the curious stares of passersby. Then, he picked up the two brand-new suitcases that his parents had left behind and strode up the mountain.

Inside the suitcases were some of Wang Sheng’s favorite snacks and another batch of daily necessities. It'd probably take him a year to use all the massive packs of briefs and boxers that his mother had bought for him.

Ding!

His phone chimed softly a few times. When Wang Sheng finally reached their small courtyard, he glanced down and saw a new string of digits in his bank balance. His nose tingled with emotion as he stood at the doorway, head lowered and motionless for quite some time.

“Back already?” Qing Yanzi greeted from the side, snapping Wang Sheng out of his daze. He quickly wiped his eyes and brought the suitcases inside.

“Master, should we get a new gate for the courtyard?”

“I’m only a guest here. How it was when I came is how it’ll be when I leave,” Qing Yanzi replied with a calm glance at the sky. “There’s still some time before sunset, which leaves you free for half the day. Your senior sister has gone to the back of the mountain to do laundry. You should go too.”

“Thanks, Master!” Wang Sheng said with a grin. He had been pushing himself beyond his limits the past few days and was starting to worry that his body would soon break down.

He dropped the suitcases off in his room, rolled up his sleeves, and ran toward a small stream near the mountain.

Watching his unofficial disciple leave, Qing Yanzi chuckled and then sighed deeply. He had a slightly complicated look on his face.

“At the end of the day, Little Xuan is still a girl. She might get married someday. We’ll need a male disciple to carry forward the teachings passed down by the forefathers.

Haaaaa...

Forefathers, it’s been a thousand years. How much longer—how many more generations—must we guard this legacy?”

With a light leap, Qing Yanzi landed gracefully on the crumbling courtyard wall. Standing with his hands behind his back, he gazed into the distance, where he could just make out the scene by the stream.

"Senior Sister, I’ll take over from here!"

From so far away, Wang Sheng's and Mu Wanxuan's laughter drifted faintly with the wind, carried away to places unknown.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

***

After sixteen sessions of bone adjustments, Wang Sheng spent forty-seven days in the secluded courtyard at the back of the Wudang Mountains.

By September 2, the official start of the school year had passed. Aside from his hair being slightly longer than when he had first arrived, Wang Sheng's looks hadn't changed much. Still, he knew that with the help of his master, he had already begun to transform!

Every day, he would send his parents a message to check in, and once a week, they would have a video call. Aside from reassuring them, Wang Sheng also kept persuading them, hoping to ease their concerns about him cultivating on the mountains.

After over a month of trying to convince him against it, his parents finally gave in. They even pulled some strings at his high school, using the excuse of seeking medical treatment abroad to secure him a year of absence.

They also planned to visit the Wudang Mountains during public holidays to see their son and formally meet Qing Yanzi, Wang Sheng’s "martial arts mentor." Considering their son's behavior as an obsession with martial arts made the situation more acceptable and easier to understand for them.

In the evening, after finishing dinner in the small courtyard with his master and senior sister, Wang Sheng eagerly cleaned the dishes and brushed his teeth. He then prepared to practice the third set of the beginner fist art that his master had taught him.

“You’ve passed the trials with flying colors,” Qing Yanzi said solemnly. “Today, I must ask you: Wang Sheng, do you wish to formally become my disciple?”

After freezing for a moment, Wang Sheng quickly nodded. His throat tightened as he struggled to find the right words.

The satisfaction of knowing that his nearly two months of hard work hadn’t been in vain nearly brought him to tears.

“Tomorrow, I’ll invite a Daoist elder to witness the ceremony and pass on the teachings to you. You will rise at dawn to purify yourself and officially join the sect at noon,” Qing Yanzi instructed.

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Sheng knelt to kowtow, but Qing Yanzi sidestepped with a smile, clearly refusing to accept the bow until the ceremony had made him an official disciple.

Nearby, with her chin resting on her hands, his senior sister smiled brightly while watching the scene. Her eyes crinkled with joy and sparkled with delight as she realized that Wang Sheng would soon officially become her junior brother.

1. This is translated from the saying “非礼勿亲，非礼勿视." It's a Confucian teaching that urges people to avoid inappropriate physical contact and improper gazes, promoting respect and self-discipline. ☜

2. Refer to Translator's Thoughts. ☜