Chapter 13 The Secret of Nourishing Breath
Chapter 13 The Secret of Nourishing Breath
On the mountainside near the village—
In late summer, I found a place with a large rock and sat cross-legged on it.
"Little sister?"
“I promised not to go into the deep mountains,” Xia Mo winked playfully at Xia Sange.
Xia Sange knew that Xia Mo didn't want to say what she was doing, so he didn't say anything and just stayed by her side.
The moment Xia closed her eyes at the end of summer...
His divine sense, like a giant dome, instantly spread out, taking in the entire situation of the three continuous mountain ranges.
In the mountains and forests—
The venomous snake, coiled on a tree branch, suddenly tensed up and fell to the ground with a thud, but still dared not move, pretending to be dead.
The squirrel leaping between trees was startled; its body suddenly froze mid-air, and it crashed to the ground, where it remained motionless, pretending to be dead.
A rooster courting in the mountains suddenly bristled, abandoned its hen, and fled...
The small animals, with their animalistic instincts against danger, were startled by the divine consciousness released by Xia Mo, but it was the humans who were truly frightened…
A villager was chopping wood in the mountains, cutting a dead branch from a tree to use as firewood. He was completely unaware that a venomous snake was watching him from behind. The snake, influenced by Xia Mo's divine sense, fell to the ground and pretended to be dead. The villager chopping wood never sensed any danger from beginning to end.
Xia Mo, standing on a large rock halfway up the mountain, quickly withdrew her spread-out divine sense.
Just moments ago she was sitting upright in meditation, but the instant her consciousness returned to her body, all her strength was instantly drained, and her complexion turned deathly pale, with cold sweat appearing on her forehead.
"Little sister!"
When Xia Sange, who was standing by, saw Xia Mo become so weak that she looked like she could be blown away by a gust of wind, he turned pale with fright and rushed forward.
Xia Mo weakly raised her hand and whispered, "It's nothing."
This world lacked immortal power for her to cultivate immortality, but it possessed the power of the five elements. She specifically chose to live in the mountains and forests because she valued the abundance of wood energy there, which could promote her physical recovery.
Xia Sange stared intently at Xia Mo, not daring to look away.
At the end of summer, she slid down from the big rock, leaned against it, adjusted her breathing, and began to twist her body.
"Little sister..."
Xia Sange called out silently, his expression blank.
At this moment, Xia Mo gracefully and calmly raised her hand to her heart, swinging it with large, sweeping movements yet in a rhythmic manner. Her slender figure also rotated and moved along with it, like water plants in the water, rippling with the water, exuding an elegant and graceful charm.
Xia Sange stared in astonishment at Xia Mo, who was "dancing," exclaiming, "Little sister is so beautiful!"
Could the master in my little sister's dream be teaching her to dance?!
Xia Sange stared at it for a while, and all he could see was that it was beautiful; he couldn't see anything different about it.
Fifteen minutes later, Xia Mo finished practicing a set of breathing exercises. Her cheeks were flushed, but she was still tired, and large beads of sweat were dripping from her forehead.
“Third Brother, the skill I just used is called ‘Nourishing Breath Technique.’ You can practice it too to improve your health,” Xia Mo replied.
Xia Sange felt a little embarrassed, thinking that Xia Mo's actions just now were too effeminate.
"Have you heard of Tai Chi? The Nourishing Breath Technique is derived from Tai Chi. It is soft yet strong. When practicing the Nourishing Breath Technique, coordinating it with the corresponding breathing exercises can enhance physical strength," Xia Mo sincerely looked at Xia Sange and suggested.
Brother Xia and Second Brother Xia are getting old, so if they start practicing now, it won't be as effective as if it were Third Brother Xia.
She hoped that her family would be able to protect themselves while she went to seek revenge.
Upon hearing this, Xia Sange realized that it originated from Tai Chi, and his sense of rejection wasn't as strong anymore.
"Let's go," Xia Mo waved to Xia Sange and led the way in another direction of the woods.
Xia Sange asked nervously, "Aren't you going back to the village?"
Xia Sange touched the wood-chopping knife he had specially brought to his waist, keeping an eye on his surroundings, and followed closely behind Xia Mo.
“Master said he has a small gift for me,” Xia Mo said with a mysterious smile.
Xia Sange was first surprised, thinking of ginseng, then overjoyed, and followed closely behind Xia Mo with anticipation.
In an inconspicuous tree hole, Xia Mo crouched down and reached in.
Xia Sange's eyes lit up, unable to contain his excitement, and he whispered, "Little sister, let me do it."
Make way for the end of summer.
Xia Sange reached into the hole at the base of the tree and started searching...
* * *
Anping Village, Xia Family Village
Xia's mother couldn't find any laundry help in the morning, so when it was lunchtime, she went home to prepare lunch for the whole family.
Xia's mother's heart was with the mountains and forests. When she was picking vegetables in the small vegetable garden in the yard, she would often look towards the mountains and forests.
At the end of summer, Xia Sange returned.
Xia's father, eldest brother, and second brother also returned.
The three of them forced a smile, thinking they had hidden it well and hadn't been noticed.
Xia Mo frowned slightly, then gave her family a sweet, comforting smile: "Dad, Mom, eldest brother, second brother, look what we brought from the mountains."
Her family didn't want her to know, so she pretended not to notice.
Xia Sange excitedly lifted the cloth covering the basket, even making a musical sound as he spoke: "Ding ding ding..."
Xia's father and the others looked into the large baskets filled with grain and were astonished to find a nest of blackish-gray or grayish-white wild rabbits inside.
When Xia Sange lifted the lid of the basket, the rabbits that had been stunned by Xia Mo's divine sense woke up. They were now looking around warily with their red rabbit eyes open.
"A male rabbit, a female rabbit, and eight baby rabbits."
Xia's father reached out and skillfully grabbed the rabbit by the ears, lifted it up to examine it, and drew a conclusion.
"Can I have one today?!" Xia Sange asked impatiently.
Xia Mo blinked her bright eyes, gazing at her family.
Mr. Xia really wanted to agree, but then he thought about what had happened today...
Xia's father said somewhat helplessly, "There's only one adult male and one adult female rabbit. Keeping it means it can still have baby rabbits."
Xia Sange's eyes revealed such a clear longing for meat, and so clear disappointment.
Xia Mo looked at her lively third brother and couldn't help but laugh.
She was happy to see her brother's funny antics, even though she didn't get to eat rabbit meat.
After lunch, Xia's father, eldest brother, and second brother rested at home for a while.
Inside Xia's father and mother's room, the two whispered to each other.
Xia's father said with a wry smile, "I went to the county today to look for work, but the restaurants and rice shops all refused to let us move."
Xia's mother was also worried, saying, "I went to the few places I know that offer laundry services, but they all said that someone has already taken the job and that I don't need to go anymore."
Xia's father sighed and said softly, "I asked Shenggen and Shengyou, and they went to their old employer to look for work, but they were all rejected. Sigh..."
Xia's mother choked back tears, her voice trembling: "Why...is life so...difficult?!"
When Xia's mother heard that the three men hadn't earned a single penny in the county, she also became worried.
Xia's mother gritted her teeth, choking back tears as she asked in a low voice, "They treat us to a meal and then we can't make any money? They must be a wealthy family. Why are they making things difficult for us ordinary folks?!"
Xia Mo withdrew his consciousness from beside Xia's father and mother.
Xia Mo walked to the window, staring intently in the direction of the county town, her eyes filled with coldness.
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