He Lingchuan began by using the body-tempering technique to have his true qi rise to the surface, allowing it to mingle closely with the spirit qi of heaven and earth, especially the essence of moonlight. Then, through precise control of his breath, he reabsorbed the qi, keeping the refined and discarding the impure.
Thus, with movement and stillness, exhalation and inhalation, drawing out and drawing in, the cycle was complete.
Of course, he could use the Guiding Art to perform a full circulation on its own. However, by starting with the body-tempering technique, he could first stimulate and expel the cold, filth, and illnesses from his body, resulting in a purer yield of true qi.
When his breathing cycle was finished, He Lingchuan felt reinvigorated. He grabbed a white towel, and went to take a soak.
The hot water had already been drawn by a servant—a simple, honest man in his thirties.
Soaking in the hot water, He Lingchuan let out a long, satisfied sigh. If only someone were here to scrub my back, this would be even more perfect.
Heishui City, as a transit hub for travelers from both north and south, naturally had public bathhouses. There, group bathing, back-scrubbing, and even pedicures were standard offerings. However, those were bathhouses. As the eldest young master of the He Family, He Lingchuan enjoyed no such services at home.
And this was simply because he had no maidservants.
Whether it be women in their teens, twenties, thirties, or even forties, there were none of them to be found in his residence.
Why? Because to reap the full, lifelong benefits of the He Family's ancestral technique, one had to maintain their virginity.
When He Lingchuan first began learning it, he had been too young and clueless to grasp the downside. But later, seeing his pack of carefree, dissolute friends happily chasing women and carousing, he had once confronted He Chunhua in protest. In response, his father simply thumped his chest and stamped his feet in deep emotional agitation.
However, He Lingchuan was devoted to martial arts. He was not about to throw in the towel halfway, so he endured.
That said, He Chunhua was not trying to test his son's restraint on purpose—he simply made sure not to place any temptation within his courtyard.
So now, sitting in the large wooden tub, He Lingchuan's mind wandered to the leopard monsters in the Western Mountains, to the Donglai Mansion guards that the Red and White Society had captured, and to the strange items hidden inside the leopard fang.
I wonder when Donglai Mansion will realize that the men they sent to Heishui City have gone missing.
I wonder how they'd respond.
What will Father do then?
He absentmindedly glanced at the necklace on his chest again, then abruptly yanked it off and hurled it toward the distant garden.
The necklace traced an arc through the air and sailed over the courtyard wall.
A few breaths later, he felt a strange sensation in his chest. He looked down.
The necklace had returned on its own, resting neatly once more on his neck.
Sure enough, no matter how many times he threw it away, the thing always came back.
He had examined it countless times. Though its surface resembled jade, it clearly was not. In fact, it felt more like ivory.
Still, when it came down to it, the material composition of ivory and bone was very similar.
That day he had fallen into the ravine, the leopard had roared a term he had never heard before: divine bone.
Was it referring to this necklace when it roared that? Could this necklace be made from divine bone?
* * *
After dinner, He Yue excused himself, and the He couple retired to freshen up.
It was only then that Ying Hongchan found an opportunity to chide her husband, "You're far too indulgent with Lingchuan. He alone accounts for the largest share of our household's monthly expenses! And did you see the way he slammed the table and walked out? The nerve!"
"That won't be the case next month," He Chunhua said in a soothing tone. "He just recovered from a serious injury, and now we're cutting his allowance. It's only normal for him to be upset."
Madame Ying opened her mouth to argue further, but He Chunhua had already changed the subject. "Have you noticed anything different about Lingchuan lately?"
"Lately?" Madame Ying thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Other than spending less, nothing comes to mind."