Chapter 14: A Solution

He Qingqing dragged her tired body back home. As soon as she entered, a burly man, who is sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes.

This burly man was He Jianyong, the leader of Chashan Outpost and He Qingqing's father. He Jianyong was an imposing figure, his muscular arms—bare beneath his short sleeves—covered in crisscrossing scars. His shoulder-length hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, resembling the style of a certain swift swordmaster, though shorter and more disheveled. Despite his rugged appearance, his face softened with warmth when he saw He Qingqing.

"Qingqing, where have you been playing? You look exhausted," he asked with a gentle smile.

He Qingqing suddenly smiled, her face full of mischief. "It's a secret! I won't tell you."

Amused by her playful demeanor, He Jianyong couldn't help but laugh heartily.

He Qingqing's expression turned serious as she wrinkled her nose and huffed, "Dad, the answer you gave me was totally wrong! I'm never asking you any more questions!"

He Jianyong was confused. "What answer?"

He Qingqing gestured animatedly. "You know, the one about who wouldn't need to see a doctor if they were sick."

Interest sparked in He Jianyong's eyes. "Oh? I was wrong? What's the right answer then?"

"The answer is a blind person!" He Qingqing declared triumphantly.

He Jianyong was stunned for a moment before it clicked. Suddenly, he clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! That's hilarious! Yes, a blind person! You're absolutely right."

Annoyed, He Qingqing stomped her foot. "Dad! Stop laughing! Xiangwu said that people who can't get the right answer are idiots, and he won't play with idiots!"

He Jianyong laughed even harder. "Old Third's son is pretty funny. Qingqing, you should play with Xiangwu more often."

"Hmph! You can't even answer that question, why should I listen to you?" she retorted, turning her nose up at him.

He Jianyong scratched his head awkwardly, clearly at a loss.

....

Su Hao returned home, dragging his tired body, only to be greeted by Wu Yuntian, who handed him a bowl of vegetable egg soup.

Without hesitation, Su Hao downed the soup in a few gulps.

Wu Yuntian took the empty bowl and pointed to a mat laid out on the floor. "Sit here and slowly try to sense the changes in your body."

After saying that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Su Hao wasn't entirely sure what it meant to "sense changes," so he could only try to explore it himself. He emptied his mind, letting himself drift into a hazy, meditative state, similar to deep meditation.

And then… he fell asleep.

He was simply too exhausted and couldn't help dozing off.

When he checked the time log later, he saw that an hour had passed. During that time, his father came back in once, but seeing Su Hao was sleeping, he left with a smile.

Standing up to stretch his stiff legs, Su Hao began reflecting on his actions.

"How could I fall asleep at such an important moment? Su Hao, oh Su Hao, you have such weak willpower! How do you expect to practice martial arts like this? You're dreaming!"

He made up his mind to control himself, he couldn't fall asleep again.

But the thought of exhausting himself before each meditation session made Su Hao groan, "So this is what it feels like to be a athlete, huh?"

....

The next morning, the sound of loud footsteps echoed through the village square.

At first, Su Hao had been running by himself. But ever since He Qingqing and her two tagalong friends learned the "secret" to becoming smarter, they had joined his running routine. The four of them now ran together, huffing and puffing as they went.

To make his case more convincing, Su Hao gave He Qingqing a new puzzle. "There are three fish in a stream. If you catch one, how many are left?"

He Qingqing immediately shouted, "Two!"

"Correct! See? After just one day of running, you're already answering a question right. Impressive!"

He Qingqing beamed with pride, and her two companions were filled with renewed confidence.

....

Later that day, back at home, Su Hao finished drinking his vegetable and egg soup and suddenly asked, "Father, why do we always drink vegetable egg soup?"

"Because the body absorbs it quickly." Wu Yuntian replied.

Realizing the logic behind it, Su Hao no longer questioned it and focused on the feeling within his body. However, just like before, he made no progress. The only good news was that this time, he managed to resist the urge to fall asleep.

....

A month passed.

Su Hao opened his eyes after another meditation session, but he shook his head in disappointment. Still no progress. Over the past month, he had pushed himself to exhaustion every morning, drank his vegetable egg soup, and then meditated. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sense the "Blood Qi" his father had spoken of. He began to wonder if there was something wrong with his father's teaching method.

That said, the month of running and meditation wasn't without benefits. His body had become noticeably stronger, with his limbs no longer feeling soft and weak. His stamina had also improved significantly—he no longer trembled after just a short run. Of course, as his stamina increased, exhausting himself each day became a more challenging task.

Through meditation, Su Hao found that his mind was becoming clearer, less cluttered with random thoughts, more focused. In the beginning, he'd sit down and immediately start thinking about random thinks, like: "What he'd have for dinner the next day"etc.. Now, he could quickly clear his mind of any distractions and focus entirely on one thing. This clarity of thought made him enjoy the quiet moments of meditation more and more.

In simple terms, he was starting to enjoy zoning out.

But zoning out wasn't helping him find his Blood Qi.

....

One day, Su Hao approached Wu Yuntian with his concerns. "Father, I've been following your instructions. I push myself to exhaustion, then meditate and try to sense my body. But after a month, there's still no change. I can't find my Blood Qi. Am I doing something wrong?"

Wu Yuntian shook his head. "No, Xiangwu, you're not doing anything wrong. But finding your Blood Qi isn't as simple as you think. This is the first threshold that ordinary people must cross to become warriors. It's a gate you must pass through on your own. No one can help you find your Blood Qi. That's why not everyone in our race becomes a warrior. Every year, countless people are stopped at this very threshold."

Su Hao furrowed his brow. "So what should I do now?"

Wu Yuntian reassured him, "Don't rush. Take your time to reflect and immerse yourself. If one month isn't enough, take six months. If six months isn't enough, take a year. You'll find it eventually."

Suddenly curious, Su Hao asked, "Father, how long did it take you to find your Blood Qi?"

Wu Yuntian fell silent, not wanting to answer. How could he tell his genius son that it had taken him a full year and a half to barely find his own Blood Qi? The answer was no, he couldn't. What if Su Hao, this remarkable child, found his Blood Qi in a much shorter time? If they were compared at that time, where would he put his old face? The best course of action was silence and letting Su Hao figure it out for himself. After all, over the past year, his son had given him far too many surprises. Even if Su Hao came to him tomorrow saying he had found his Blood Qi, he wouldn't be surprised.

Seeing his father remain silent, Su Hao assumed that it must have taken him a long time, and his father was too embarrassed to admit it. Filled with determination, Su Hao declared, "Alright, Father, don't worry. I'll work hard and find my Blood Qi as soon as possible."

Wu Yuntian nodded and said, "I have some business to attend to. I'll be gone for a bit."

With that, he left without looking back.

Left alone, Su Hao sank into thought. "What should I do? What exactly is Blood Qi ? Why is it so mysterious..."

After a while, Su Hao's eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant flash of realization.

"I've got it! This might just work!"