Chapter 627: Qi Deviation

“Alright, you win. I’m at your mercy now!” Xu Ye said jokingly. In reality, knowing Shen Yibin as he did, he was sure his friend wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. This exercise might actually be effective, so he had already decided to follow Shen Yibin’s instructions.

But when Shen Yibin started his demonstration, Xu Ye instantly regretted it. ‘Isn’t this pose a little ridiculous?’ “Uh, hey, Bin, I just remembered, I’m meeting a girl at the bar tonight. I… I think I’ll head out for today. Next time… I’ll come hang out next time.” With that, Xu Ye tried to make a run for it.

“Weren’t you the one who just said ‘you win’? Oh-ho, backing out on me now?” Shen Yibin had anticipated this reaction. For the sake of his friend’s health, there was no way he was letting him get away. “Hah’Er, go stop him.” Shen Yibin was still on the rock and couldn’t get down in time, so he had no choice but to unleash Hah’Er.

“AWOO~” Without a moment’s hesitation, Hah’Er pounced and latched onto Xu Ye’s leg. Don’t be fooled by Hah’Er’s usually adorable appearance; the creature was surprisingly strong. Xu Ye was stopped in his tracks.

“Yeah, that’s it! Drag him over here!” Shen Yibin, still on all fours, shouted over his shoulder. And so, grunting with effort, Hah’Er dragged Xu Ye over. It wasn’t that Xu Ye couldn’t break free. The problem was, a little force had no effect, and he was afraid of hurting Hah’Er if he used too much. So, he could only let Hah’Er hold onto his leg and pull him toward Shen Yibin.

“Up you go.” Shen Yibin got up and pulled Xu Ye onto the rock, giving up his prime spot. “Get down here, on all fours, just like I was.”

Xu Ye resigned himself to his fate, mimicking Shen Yibin’s earlier movements by getting on all fours to support his body on the rock. “Like this? What do I do now?”

“Not quite. Left leg back a bit more. Push up more with your arms. Chest out, abs tight. Don’t just lie there looking half-dead…” Shen Yibin kept adjusting Xu Ye’s posture, spending a good five or six minutes until the pose was nearly perfect. “Okay, hold that. Now, face the moon, stretch out your neck, stick out your tongue, curl the tip, and draw in a ball of air to swallow into your stomach. Like this!”

Shen Yibin swallowed a mouthful of air, and it went down with an audible GULP, as if he had swallowed something solid. The sight made Xu Ye’s eyes go wide. “Whoa, this actually seems pretty mystical, huh? Bin, don’t tell me you’ve learned some Cultivation Techniques? At this rate, when will I be able to form a Golden Core?” Xu Ye was a huge fan of xianxia novels. A bright moon hung high in the sky, and they were cultivating while facing it—the scene was straight out of one of those books.

‘Cultivation my ass!’ Shen Yibin thought, rolling his eyes. ‘You’re asking me when you’ll form a Golden Core? Are you trying to curse me to get struck by lightning during a heavenly tribulation tomorrow?’ “Nonsense,” he said. “This is a legitimate form of National Martial Arts. Ever heard of the Wudang Fishing Toad Force? That’s what I’m practicing. Now, hurry up and copy me. I guarantee you’ll develop Dark Force in no time.” As it turned out, Shen Yibin wasn’t a big fan of xianxia novels; he much preferred the National Martial Arts genre.

“Tsk.” Xu Ye clicked his tongue, seeming a little let down, but he quickly recovered. “Oh well, National Martial Arts it is. It’s not impossible to enter the Dao through martial arts, so I’ll just practice with you for now!”

At any rate, Xu Ye had finally stopped trying to flee and began to slowly practice the breathing method with Shen Yibin. He was clumsy at first, but the movements weren’t terribly difficult. With Shen Yibin’s patient guidance, Xu Ye quickly got the hang of the technique, and his action of swallowing air grew more and more proficient.

“Yeah, just like that. Keep that rhythm and continue practicing.” Seeing that Xu Ye was on the right track, Shen Yibin started practicing alongside him. He, too, wanted to know what difference, if any, there was between practicing at night and during the day.

The moon was gradually obscured by clouds, and Turtle Immortal also retracted its neck. It slowly turned around and began to crawl away at a leisurely pace. Apparently, that was the signal that tonight’s practice session was over. Shen Yibin promptly stood up, and the two of them climbed down from the large rock to sit on the grass for a short rest.

“Oof, my arms and legs are killing me. This rock is seriously hard! Hey, Bin, do you think putting a yoga mat on the rock would affect the results?” he grumbled while rubbing his aching arms.

‘How should I know? I doubt Turtle Immortal even knows what a yoga mat is,’ Shen Yibin thought. Just as he was about to reply, he heard Xu Ye start to cough. “COUGH COUGH! COUGH COUGH COUGH! Whoa, Bin, am I having a cultivation deviation? Why does my throat suddenly feel so awful?”

‘Yeah, you’re definitely having a deviation,’ Shen Yibin thought wryly. ‘Not from the exercise, but from reading too many web novels.’ He had experienced this himself, so he wasn’t worried. He walked over and patted Xu Ye’s back. “It’s fine. This is a normal side effect after the exercise. Don’t try to hold it in. Just go with it and cough loudly. Get all that gunk out of your lungs.”

Following Shen Yibin’s lead, Xu Ye bent over with his hands on his knees, just as Shen Yibin had done, and spat out several globs of thick phlegm. It looked like the problem in Xu Ye’s lungs was much more severe than Shen Yibin’s had been; the impurities in his phlegm were visibly more abundant than what Shen Yibin had coughed up back then.

“Look at all that crap that was in your lungs! Go home and quit smoking, seriously. And stop hanging out in filthy, smoke-filled places like bars all the time!” Bars were indoor venues, densely packed with people, and full of smokers. Every time Xu Ye went, he was forced to endure secondhand smoke. The harmful substances had accumulated in his lungs over the years.

Xu Ye’s coughing fit lasted much longer than Shen Yibin’s. It took him a long time to recover. Shen Yibin quickly handed him a bottle of mineral water to rinse out his mouth and clear his throat. After a good bit of sputtering, Xu Ye finally settled down.

“Come on, let’s go sit over there,” Shen Yibin suggested. It was still early, and now that Xu Ye’s coughing had subsided, it would be good for him to breathe in more of the fresh air by the river.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. That stuff is absolutely disgusting!” Xu Ye shuddered at the sight of what he had just spat out and hurriedly followed Shen Yibin.

“Whoa, my breathing… it actually feels so much clearer!” After moving upwind and finding a place to sit, Xu Ye took several deep, satisfying breaths and said to Shen Yibin, unable to contain his joy.

“Hey! By the way, Bin, do you think I coughed all that stuff up because practicing your Cultivation Technique is cleansing my meridians and expelling impurities from my body? That’s just like what happens in those cultivation novels!” he continued, not even waiting for Shen Yibin to answer.