Sink the shoulders, raise the back, be aware of the spirit...
In the past, I couldn't practice martial arts, and even if I understood the insights, I couldn't apply them. Only when you truly practice martial arts can you appreciate the importance of these essentials.
The predecessors plant the trees, the later generations enjoy the shade.
Early in the morning, Lin Miao, dressed in short clothes, with muscles bulging, practiced martial arts in the front yard.
His inner energy was abundant, and his punches were powerful.
Beads of sweat dripped from Lin Miao's forehead onto the bluestone ground, evaporating into a faint mist.
He took a slow breath, then with a light shout, launched punches swift as lightning, each move as sharp as a sword leaving its sheath, slicing through the air with a subtle whooshing sound.
The strength was so mighty it seemed to make the air vibrate.
This is the Baji Fist.
A blend of offense and defense.
Actually, he had gotten up a long time ago; after helping Yun grind the beans, and make the tofu for the day, he finally had time to practice two sets of punches in the yard.
Now that he had acquired the Heart Method of the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Strength, combined with the authentic teachings of Yijinjing, once his comprehension barrier was lifted, his cultivation progress could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.
In just a dozen days, he had advanced to the pinnacle of the top grade of Yijinjing and could break through to the Bone Forging Realm at any time.
However, breaking through to the Bone Forging Realm requires accompanying medicinal baths, and the ingredients are more expensive, so it costs more money. Therefore, while honing his foundation, he researched alternatives to the medicinal bath formulas needed for the Bone Forging Realm to find affordable substitutes.
Accomplishing big tasks with small amounts of money has always been his guiding principle.
As for martial arts, the techniques in his mind were enough to practice and study for a lifetime. In this world of martial arts, at least so far, he hadn't yet encountered one worth noticing.
The business at the "Neighbor" shop was good, and Yun suggested hiring some people to help, given the larger daily output now.
Also, Lin Miao had more important things to do and couldn't afford to waste time on this.
Regarding hiring.
Lin Miao naturally had no objections, but he required that the hired people be of good character, even if they were not smart. After all, his tofu shop still had some trade secrets.
He also needed to earn enough to buy back the Sun Family's Herbal Hall and his master's "medical practitioner" token.
So, Yun went to the broker, had them find three people, and since the house had space to live, and offered room and board with not low wages, there were people willing to work even if they had to stay in a so-called "haunted house."
Besides, the Lin Miao family of three had lived there for half a month with no incidents, perhaps the so-called ghosts had long left.
If not, how could Lin Miao's family be doing well?
They even opened the "Neighbor" tofu shop and made money!
The recipe knowledge was in Yun's hands, so the labor-intensive work was naturally given to the hired help. This saved time and effort, doubling the production of both tofu and other soy products.
Thus, Lin Miao had Yun negotiate supply deals with vegetable and fruit shops in various districts, so that the "Neighbor" shop's tofu and soy products would appear on the store shelves, with payment after sales, and any unsold items being counted as inventory from the "Neighbor" shop.
To avoid vicious competition, they negotiated with only one distributor per street, choosing the pace of expansion based on production capacity.
Consequently, Yun's business potential was instantly tapped.
From not making any deals in a day, to making deals with three, five, ten clients a day, eventually she had to select which shops to partner with.
The product quality had to be solid, with a varied range of products, especially the "fried stinky tofu" snack, which was becoming a trend throughout Dongshan City.
The expansion was so rapid, if not for Lin Miao stopping her, she might have become the founder of a pyramid scheme in this world.
The profits quickly doubled from two taels of silver a day, then doubled again, and after a month in Dongshan City, the daily earnings, after deducting costs and all necessary expenses, generated nearly thirty taels of silver in profit.
This meant in just half a month, they would have enough to buy back everything they had pawned at "Yuanheng."
And after six months, they could purchase the house, making it their private property.
Yun was the most excited; she had never thought a small piece of tofu could become such a large business in Lin Miao's hands.
Something she'd never dared imagine, and they'd successfully established a foothold in Dongshan City.
In just one month!
Though they couldn't compare to those wealthy and powerful, their daily income exceeded ninety percent of the population in Dongshan City.
Yun owned forty percent of the shop, as agreed before, Lin Miao gave her not a penny less, and even drew up a written contract, registering it with the authorities for protection under the law.
Since the "Neighbor" shop's business was on track, Lin Miao focused more on behind-the-scenes work, leaving the front-end operations to Yun.
Yun, though she hadn't read much, was clever with a high commercial aptitude, grasping many principles intuitively.
Plus, being a woman, she had certain advantages in negotiating business deals, though her beauty also attracted unwanted attention and gossip.
Following Lin Miao's advice, in business dealings outside, she matured her appearance and was careful, not giving ill-intentioned people any chance.
Having been married with a deceased husband, now partnered in business, they presented themselves as sister and brother (Sun Youwei and Lin Miao to outsiders).
There were rumors that the siblings' father had an ambiguous relationship with Yun, and he too had died recently.
Her reputation of being unlucky spread, and many who had previous intentions gave up.
Playing with women was one thing, but risking one's life? Not worth it.
Of course, this was a persona Lin Miao deliberately crafted for Yun, to ensure her safety outside.
And if someone truly dared take a gamble, then let this "persona" prove itself, it wasn't impossible to achieve.
If anyone dared to threaten those around him, why keep them alive?
Lin Miao had a hundred ways to make someone die without even the best coroner being able to find the cause.
From the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Miao spent five days copying down the medical texts word for word, using over a thousand sheets of ephedra paper.
Of course, he skipped some useless parts, not to waste paper.
The medical essentials were bound into volumes by Sun Youwei, each ranging from dozens to over a hundred pages, culminating in twenty-one volumes.
You could barely call it rough, so Lin Miao titled it "Lin Clan Medical Lectures," primarily for his senior sister, Sun Youwei.
Of course, he often flipped through it himself, constantly making revisions and additions based on his own knowledge.
However, he kept these revisions and additions in another volume, temporarily not for Sun Youwei, as it might affect her "medical practitioner" exam.
Applications for the medical exam closed a month before the exam, so if she wanted to apply, she had half a month left.
His senior sister wasn't lacking in talent, only in clinical experience, especially with pulse diagnosis, where she had none.
Even if she could pass the written test and get a chance for clinical assessment, she'd fail, which was a common hurdle for many women studying medicine.
Studying medicine requires direct patient interaction, and theoretical excellence without practical ability is futile.
From his time, medical doctors sometimes weren't as good as barefoot doctors; capability doesn't always equate to high academic degrees.
A doctor's clinical experience is far more critical than his theoretical knowledge.
...
Earlier that day, Lin Miao was practicing martial arts in the secluded back courtyard.
His inner energy surged, breath like pearls on a string, Lin Miao felt he could crush an ox with one punch; this Dragon Elephant Wisdom Strength was truly miraculous.
This cultivation technique was clearly extraordinary and was given to him so easily, not that he shouldn't have received it, considering he saved two lives.
Amidst his delight.
"Xiaoyin, don't…"
Lin Miao was about to finish his practice, take a bath, and have breakfast before heading to the Xinglin Institute when he heard a woman's scream from next door.
Turning his head.
A girl in a purple gauzy dress, with disheveled hair and vacant eyes, leapt from a third-story window.
It was from Huaye Tower, a suicide jump?
Not good!
The girl jumped towards his backyard direction, if she died in his courtyard, that really would be troublesome.
Lin Miao, not caring that he was half-naked, dashed over and caught the falling girl mid-air.
The impact from the third floor was significant, and despite Lin Miao's preparations, the force nearly knocked him to the ground.
At this moment, another young woman rushed to the window, relief spreading on her face upon seeing that someone had caught the suicidal girl: "Thank you, young benefactor, please wait, Liuli will come down immediately!"
Lin Miao felt as though he'd been struck in the chest, holding his breath, he exhaled deeply.