Chapter 70: Teaching

Chapter 70: Teaching

Nighttime.

Shell Woman frowned as if drinking bitter medicine, licking a few mouthfuls of honey before lifting her head to look at Chen Shouyi nearby. Sullenly, she said, "Giant, when are we going to the island?"

She had been utterly bored these past few days, spending most of her time sleeping inside the briefcase, only able to come out for some fresh air at night.

Even for someone as fond of sleep as her, this was too much!

Beside her, Chen Shouyi finished a full round of the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques. Feeling the numbness and itchiness fade from his body, replaced by a tingling sensation, he exhaled lightly and casually brushed her off:

"We’ll talk about it in a few days."

If Shell Woman found out they weren’t going back at all, she’d throw a fit.

All her treasures were still hidden there!

He continued practicing. Compared to the Otherworld, where mystical energy was abundant, the effects of training on Earth were noticeably weaker. He decided to compensate by increasing the number of repetitions each day, trading quantity for quality.

But Shell Woman wasn’t so easily fooled now. With a serious expression, she pressed, "One sunrise and sunset, or one-one sunrise and sunset, or one-one-one sunrise and sunset?"

After finishing another round, panting heavily, Chen Shouyi replied, "At least ten days!"

Creatures from the Otherworld, born with an innate grasp of language, had this advantage—even if Chen Shouyi’s way of speaking differed from hers, Shell Woman could still understand him.

Shell Woman counted carefully on her fingers, finally grasping just how big the number ten was. She let out a dispirited sigh. "Giant, can’t you go sooner? There’s golden sand there, the kind you want. Lots and lots of it."

Huh? She’s even trying to tempt me now?

Chen Shouyi nearly lost his composure. Bare managing to finish another round, he said, "Not anytime soon. But we’ll definitely go eventually."

"#@# Giant, you’re a liar!"

"You #@%!"

"You said Bei Qi was going to rest before, but so many sunrises and sunsets have passed, and I still haven’t seen it!"

"Give me back my gem! Give me back Bei Qi! I want to go back to the island!"

Shell Woman finally erupted in anger. She stood up, hands on her hips, stomping her feet on the desk with loud thuds. Then, glaring at the unpalatable honey, she decided she’d had enough and kicked the spoon away.

Watching Shell Woman throw a tantrum, Chen Shouyi stopped, rubbing his temples with a headache. He did feel a bit guilty.

Then he suddenly remembered—while setting up his new bedroom the day before, he’d spotted a crystal ball about the size of a small bowl in the drawer, likely left behind by the previous tenant.

He quickly opened the drawer, pulled out the crystal ball, and deliberately tossed it up and down in front of Shell Woman.

The moment she saw it, her eyes widened, fixed unblinkingly on the crystal ball as it moved up and down.

"Can you be quiet now?" Chen Shouyi asked.

Shell Woman nodded frantically, like a pecking chick.

"Does this big gem make up for all your other gems?" Chen Shouyi pressed.

Shell Woman thought for a moment, then nodded again—though this time with some hesitation.

"Then stop making noise!" Chen Shouyi generously slapped the crystal ball onto the table.

He had expected Shell Woman to pounce on it immediately, laughing with delight.

Then, completely unexpectedly, as soon as Shell Woman caught sight of the crystal ball, she let out a terrified scream and shrank behind the teacup like a startled rabbit, trembling all over.

Huh, what’s going on?

Puzzled, he picked up the crystal ball but didn’t find anything scary about it.

Isn’t it quite pretty?

There’s even a Snow White figurine inside—don’t little girls love this kind of thing?

Wait a minute…

He looked at the Snow White inside.

Could she have mistaken it for a sealed creature like herself?

Glancing between the Snow White and Shell Woman, he finally realized his mistake.

"Don’t be scared, that’s not a real person inside. It’s fake, all fake," Chen Shouyi reassured her, amused by how she refused to even look at him.

"Come on, come out. No need to hide."

After calling out several times, perhaps realizing there was nowhere to run, Shell Woman timidly emerged, her legs still shaking uncontrollably, all traces of her earlier reckless frenzy gone.

"G-great Giant, I-I’ll dance for you, okay?" she forced a smile on her pale face.

Seeing her cower in fear while trying to please him, Chen Shouyi felt both amused and a pang of sympathy.

"Dance what? I told you, it’s fake! Fake! Don’t be scared!"

"Watch me crush it, okay?"

With that, he clenched his hand.

The crystal ball shattered easily—it wasn’t real crystal after all.

The outer layer was glass, while the inside was solidified gel.

As the ball broke apart, a plastic Snow White doll fell out.

He picked it up from the floor and held it out to Shell Woman.

"See? It’s all fake."

Shell Woman tightly covered her eyes, too frightened to look.

Only after a long while did she slowly part her fingers just enough to peek through. Cautiously, she examined the tiny doll, much smaller than herself.

Only then did she realize it wasn’t a living creature at all.

It looked obviously fake.

Her tense heart finally relaxed, and she lowered her hands, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Then, her gaze fell on the shattered remains of the crystal ball, and suddenly, she burst into loud sobs:

"Stupid Giant, y-you owe me my gem!"

……

At the cost of a large crystal ball, he finally managed to calm Shell Woman down.

Afterward, he grabbed a broom, swept up the fragments, and tossed them into the trash bin in the living room.

If he didn’t throw them away, he was half-afraid Shell Woman might sneak out at night to collect the pieces.

……

On his way back, passing by his sister’s bedroom, he heard heavy panting from inside.

Lately, she had been training like a madwoman, pushing herself relentlessly. Her expression grew colder by the day, as if weighed down by some heavy burden.

Clearly, the shadow of that incident still haunted her.

Chen Shouyi paused, hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door.

Soon, it opened:

"Brother, what is it?"

She was wearing a loose short-sleeved T-shirt, drenched in sweat, the fabric clinging to her skin enough to reveal glimpses of her fair, delicate flesh beneath.

However, between siblings, there was no need for secrecy.

"I have something to tell you," Chen Shouyi said.

After Chen Xingyue stepped aside, he walked in. Compared to her old bedroom, which had been filled with stuffed toys, this one was undeniably a bit plain, with no trace of a girl's private quarters.

It seemed that after the incident last time, she had matured a great deal.

"What are you practicing?" Chen Shouyi quickly averted his gaze and asked.

"The Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques. I feel like I’m too weak—I can’t help at all," Chen Xingyue said, her expression downcast.

"Actually, no one expects you to help. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself! By the way, have you practiced the 'Meditative Self-Refinement' I taught you last time?"

"No. I tried many times, but I really can’t control my subconsciousness. I’ve been practicing the original version instead," Chen Xingyue admitted, her face flushing slightly.

"It’s all the same—one is difficult at first but easier later, while the other is easier at first but harder later. They’re about the same. I also have a version of the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques here. If you practice it, the improvement should be better. Take a look."

Without waiting for Chen Xingyue’s confusion, Chen Shouyi demonstrated the entire set from start to finish.

What he taught was a first-stage optimized version—easy to pick up, with only minor additions and subtractions to the original movements. Anyone familiar with the original Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques could learn it quickly.

The second-stage optimized version, however, was far too difficult. Not only did it torment the body, but it also required maintaining a clear meditative state. If not for the fact that the optimization carried over memories from his dreams and his own deep mastery of meditation, he wouldn’t have been able to practice it at all.

Rather than teaching something like "Meditative Self-Refinement," which his sister couldn’t practice at all, it was better to start with something simpler.

After demonstrating once, he began teaching the first stance.

"Brother?"

"Don’t ask questions yet. Focus and learn. Watch my first stance—there are some changes here. Your arm must swing back as far as possible, until you feel a tingling sensation in your joints."

Chen Xingyue had no choice but to set aside her doubts and follow along immediately.

...

More than an hour later, as Chen Shouyi left the room, he turned back and warned her, "This set of movements is something I modified based on my own experience. Practice it well, and don’t tell anyone—remember, absolute secrecy."

"Brother, I understand," Chen Xingyue nodded firmly.

In the past, she would never have believed her brother could modify the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques. But ever since he had demonstrated the strength of a Martial Artist, she had begun to trust him blindly.

Wasn’t it only natural for a Martial Artist, with their deep understanding and experience of the body, to make slight modifications to the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques?

She didn’t stop to consider that if it were truly so easy to modify, the Great Xia Nation Martial Arts Bureau—and martial arts institutions worldwide—wouldn’t release new versions only once every few years.