"By the way, I have an ancient recipe for dietary supplements. People who practice martial arts consume more Qi and Blood than ordinary people. If you don't eat properly, you won't be able to replenish your Qi and Blood, and over time, it could hinder your progress and be inefficient."
Old Chen took out his phone, typed a list of ingredients in his memo, and handed it to Wang Longhu.
Wang Longhu glanced at it and saw it mentioned soft-shelled turtle, eel, sheep kidneys, chicken hearts, and sea cucumbers, all indeed rich in nourishment.
"Don't add all sorts of seasonings. Clean the ingredients properly, put them in a clay pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for half an hour, eat it plain, and drink the pure soup." Old Chen advised.
Wang Longhu took out his phone and took a picture of Old Chen's phone screen: "Alright, Uncle, I've memorized it."
Having mastered the ability to freely refine essence and transform Qi through the spine, Wang Longhu did not linger much longer, bid goodbye to Old Chen, and continued his morning run.
He applied all the 0.05 potential points he gained from upgrading his San-ti Shi to physique, and now Wang Longhu's physique had broken through the 1-point barrier.
[Name: Wang Longhu]
[Strength: 0.97]
[Physique: 1.01]
[Spirit: 0.88]
[Skills: Basic Fitness Lv2 (11/200), San-ti Shi Lv2 (0/200), Xingyi Boxing (Beng Fist) Lv1 (0/100)]
[Potential Points: 0]
A never-before-felt comfort flooded his heart and filled Wang Longhu's entire body. It was like soaking in a hot spring, his whole self warm and cozy, even the exhaustion and muscle soreness were relieved significantly.
Wang Longhu had no doubt that he could easily run another kilometer or two right now.
"My physique is already 1."
Excited, Wang Longhu thought that according to his original plan, once his physique improved to 1, he would go to the city hospital for a checkup to see if this attribute helped his condition.
Since his target was now achieved, he had to find some time to visit Wen City in the coming days.
Watching Wang Longhu run faster and faster, his figure soon disappeared over the embankment. An elderly woman couldn't help but smile and asked, "Old Chen, didn't you say you wouldn't teach anyone martial arts before? Why did you change your mind today?"
Old Chen looked resigned: "This is called the charm of a genius. This young man is too extraordinary, with excellent comprehension. If I don't guide him onto the martial arts path, it would be a waste of talent. If my late master found out, he would crawl out from his grave to tear me apart."
The two-hour-long morning run ended, and Wang Longhu, drenched in sweat, strolled back home.
After taking a hot shower, he lay down to catch up on sleep. Having practiced San-ti Shi all night, even though refining essence to Qi kept him energetic, he wasn't very sleepy.
But Wang Longhu knew this was inadvisable. Confucius said: 'Too much is as bad as too little.'
Exercise is good, but excessive exercise can harm the body. Just having started martial arts, if not adjusted properly, could leave hidden troubles over time.
Sleep can give the body ultimate relaxation, thus easing fatigue. Proper rest is extremely important for a person.
...
When Wang Longhu woke up, he was surprised to find it was already after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He opened the curtains, and the sun was already hanging on the hilltop, dim enough to look at directly.
"Damn, that nap left me dazed." Wang Longhu rubbed his eyes, yawning and feeling regretful.
He had wasted four hours of potential training time today.
However, there was nothing he could do now. Wang Longhu put on his clothes, planning to go to the food market to buy ingredients named in Old Chen's dietary supplement recipe.
Today's food market was especially bustling. There were so many people shopping for groceries that the driveway was crowded, causing traffic to move slowly and be clogged.
Impatient drivers honked their horns repeatedly, just short of rolling down their windows to shout manually.
Following the crowd, Wang Longhu had just stepped onto the crosswalk when a green-plated Tesla tried to scare the pedestrians by suddenly rushing in front of him. Luckily, there were many walkers on the crosswalk, so the driver managed to brake in time.
"Can't you drive? Don't you know the traffic rules require yielding to pedestrians?" Wang Longhu frowned and shouted at the car hood, less than half an arm's length from him.
"Sorry, sorry." The driver stuck his head out, waved, and apologized.
Their eyes met, and when they saw each other's faces clearly, their expressions froze in unison, both somewhat stunned.
"Lin Haitao?"
"Wang Longhu?"
Wang Longhu gave a wry smile. Dong County was like this, a place so small that, no joke, you could meet five acquaintances within half an hour of walking around the old city area.
The passenger seat window also showed a head, belonging to a chubby man with an honest face and gold-rimmed round glasses.
Seeing Wang Longhu, he waved excitedly: "Damn, Wang Longhu, when did you come back? How come you didn't tell us? Get in the car. Let's have dinner together tonight."
Beep beep beep!
The Tesla had only stopped for three or four seconds before the taxi behind started blasting its horn wildly, the noise grating on people's nerves.
The man with glasses named Ye Yuanpei and Lin Haitao, the driver, both were Wang Longhu's junior high school classmates. The three were very close during school; they went to and from school together.
After junior high graduation, everyone went separate ways. Ye Yuanpei and Lin Haitao left Dong County to attend high school in Wen City, while Wang Longhu went even further, to Ji City under Shao City, to attend a private high school.
After finishing high school, Wang Longhu applied to a university in Hang City, and after graduation, he stayed to work in Hang City.
Since then, his interactions with the hometown buddies gradually faded. Only during the past few years, during Labor Day on May 1st, National Day on October 1st, and New Year's holidays, did he return home to meet with them for meals, drinks, and some catch-up.
Faced with Ye Yuanpei's invitation, Wang Longhu didn't refuse. He walked over, opened the door, and sat in the back of the Tesla.
"Wang Longhu, why did you suddenly come back? I remember you haven't been back for two or three years, not even during the New Year." Ye Yuanpei turned his head, looking at Wang Longhu and asked.
"The pressure of living in Hang City is too much. In Dong County, you can buy an apartment for just over a million, but in Hang City, this money can't even buy an old, tiny apartment. My work wasn't going smoothly either, so I thought about coming back to rest and see if there's a way out locally." Wang Longhu replied with a calm smile.
Of course, he couldn't possibly disclose his lung cancer situation. It wasn't something flattering, and knowing more people wouldn't make it easier to cure.
Even if he were on a crowdfunding platform, he probably wouldn't garner much support. It's better to keep it secret, hoping to rejuvenate with the attribute panel.
"Haha, coming back is good. Though Dong County is small, the pace of life is slow, and the pressure is not much. When you decide to look for a job, just let me know, I'll help you find some."
Ye Yuanpei patted Lin Haitao's shoulder and said with great generosity: "Let's go, now to Zhwei Garden to book a table. Tonight, we'll celebrate Ah Hu's return."