One day, one week, one month.
Xiaofan has stopped counting how long it's been since he returned.
Every day is filled with the most intense training. Several tis, he was exhausted to the point of passing out on the mountain, and Ye Aotian had to go up to bring him back down.
Each ti, Ye Aotian shook his head. Sotis he wanted to persuade Xiaofan to take a break, that there was no need to push himself so hard, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
After all, this is Xiaofan's resolve. Whatever happens in the future relies on oneself. More training now provides more assurance for his own safety later.
Of course, the burden of such extre training is enormous, so Ye Aotian insists that Xiaofan soak in a dicinal bath for 30 to 50 minutes daily, allowing his cells to absorb the dicine and recover faster.
'Whew.'
"Ten seconds and nine, huh? That's 0.2 seconds faster than yesterday. But to break ten seconds, it seems it'll take another half a year of training, and even then, it might not be enough. It's clear now that those runners who break the ten-second barrier in the 100-ter sprint face a daunting challenge."
Muttering to himself, Xiaofan continued to run up the mountain. Reaching a large tree, he started talking to himself again.
"Ahem, do a favor and go easy on today."
Oh right, this wasn't self-talk; Xiaofan was saying this to a beehive.
After saying that, Xiaofan reached out and tapped the hive.
'Buzz buzz buzz...'
No surprise, a swarm of bees rushed towards Xiaofan.
Xiaofan didn't run; he paced back and forth on the spot. His body moved slightly from ti to ti. These movents resembled the Ghost Shadow Step he learned before, but they were only steps without any Inner Strength assistance.
"Ouch!" Finally, in less than half a minute, Xiaofan ran away yelling.
Even without Inner Strength, his previous senses remained. He could accurately determine the bees' movents and the sense of crisis all over his body through their stings. But without speed, Xiaofan couldn't avoid many stings at all.
Of course, this wasn't Xiaofan's first ti provoking these bees. Each ti he returned ho, Ye Aotian would just toss him a bottle of ointnt for him to rub on the red and swollen areas stung by the bees.
The mountain bees are different from dosticated bees. Wild bees can be toxic, but their honey is purer. Of course, dosticated bee stings also contain so toxins, but they are much milder.
Bee stings can be deadly, so when Xiaofan first ntioned using a beehive for training, Ye Aotian opposed the idea. But it was useless; once Xiaofan decided to try sothing, he would go ahead and do it.
Training physical endurance, enhancing speed, and improving sensory acuity were activities Xiaofan engaged in daily, along with another: toothpick shooting practice.
In fact, the Inner Strength needed to hurt people with a toothpick isn't much, but it requires a knack for leverage.
After applying ointnt, Xiaofan grabbed a bunch of toothpicks and fired them at several fruit trees in the yard.
Initially, Xiaofan calculated that his shooting range was less than two ters. Beyond that, it was difficult to embed the toothpick in wood. Even if it embedded, it barely went in and couldn't possibly penetrate deeply.
While practicing accuracy, Xiaofan spent a full eight hours. Without Inner Strength, even aiming beca an issue.
Of course, with consistent daily practice, Xiaofan could eventually manage a range of about five ters. Beyond that, the toothpick had no impact; even within five ters, Xiaofan couldn't guarantee a hit, let alone taking soone's life.
Now, Xiaofan was just an ordinary person and couldn't be involved in constant fighting. Toothpicks couldn't kill, but they were useful for self-defense.
The lead weights Xiaofan carried kept gradually increasing in weight. Such an intense training regin was truly terrifying.
Yet, during this period, Xiaofan's skin hadn't tanned. How was this possible, constantly under the sun with such intense activities?
Actually, the credit went entirely to the dicinal baths Ye Aotian prepared for Xiaofan every day. The potency of the dicine was incredibly strong.
Looking at Xiaofan's still very youthful face, it's hard to believe he once took down the Red Butterfly.
"Xiaofan, co over here. I've got a thod to try and see if it works."
"Grandpa, are you sure?"
"How would I know without trying?"
"Could you, um, think it over so more?"
"Why? Don't you want to regain your ability?"
"It's not that, just, this is the fifteenth attempt already. Aren't you just using as a guinea pig?" Xiaofan said with a bitter smile.
"Nonsense, I'd never use you as an experint. If it succeeds, you won't need to train so hard anymore."
"Hmm? Actually, it's not too bad now. It's always good to leave oneself a bit of hope."
Despite the reluctance to be pricked by grandpa again, Xiaofan put away his toothpicks and obediently returned to his room.
Ye Aotian didn't say much. After Xiaofan undressed, he began inserting needles into his flesh.
"If this doesn't work, we'll have to think of another way."
"The hope is faint," Xiaofan remarked softly.
"When are you planning to return to the Capital City?"
"Return? Isn't this my ho?"
"Do you feel like you belong here?"
"In a few days, maybe. Going back to study at university would be better than driving a taxi."
"And what about that girl, Shen Zuimo?"
"..." Xiaofan suddenly fell silent.
"Are you not planning to look for her?" Ye Aotian asked while inserting needles.
"I don't know."
"When you can, bring her here to et , would you? It's been so long already," Ye Aotian said softly.
"Hehe, she might not even be willing."
"Can't you ask... Hey, how do you feel? I might have misplaced two needles..."
"No way, grandpa, are you joking with my body?"
"Don't worry, start over..."
"No, that's not..."
In the end, it was all in vain. Xiaofan slowly put his clothes back on.
"Grandpa, I'm going to H City tonight."
"Hmm?"
"To visit so old friends. I miss them, haven't seen them in so long."
"That's good. So, after you see them, are you planning to head to the Capital City?" Ye Aotian knew he would eventually leave.
"Perhaps. Actually, I really want to go back; there are still too many things left unfinished over there."
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