Chapter 637: A Bunch of Girls Lying by the River

"Shh! Keep it down. Bin is practicing Qi Gong," Xu Ye explained in a way they’d understand more easily. "Don’t mind how awkward the movements look; the cultivation technique is top-notch. Look at me. I used to inhale a ton of secondhand smoke from entertaining clients, and my lungs were a mess. But ever since I started practicing this Turtle Breathing Technique with Bin, the impurities in my lungs have been gradually cleared out. Now, I can run three kilometers without even breathing hard."

"Running three kilometers without breathing hard? Are you even human? You sound like a zombie." Xia Shixuan rolled her eyes at Xu Ye. She was speechless at his analogy. ’Does he really have to put it that way?’ But they had grown up together, and she was very familiar with his physical condition. Paying a little closer attention, she noticed a change in Xu Ye and was about half-convinced. "Huh, your breathing does seem a lot smoother than before, and your voice sounds stronger. Did you really learn that from Bin?"

"I actually think this method might really work." Sun Qian had a lot of faith in Shen Yibin. ’Besides, I once saw him learning a breathing method from Cheeky, and panting like a dog is way more embarrassing than this.’ "So, this Qi Gong is good for your lungs?"

"Yeah, you should try it with Bin right now. I guarantee you’ll see results after just one session. Ever since I learned this method, my lung capacity has increased significantly. Sun Qian, singers like you take lung maintenance very seriously, don’t they? I think you should learn it from Bin, too," Xu Ye quickly urged.

"Okay, I’ll give it a try!" After saying that, Sun Qian climbed straight onto the large rock and began to follow Shen Yibin’s movements. ’Bin has never lied to me. I trust him completely.’

"I’ll try it too! I’m often out on field duty, and lung capacity has a big impact on stamina. If this can increase my lung capacity, I have to learn it!" Bai Yanni, seeing Sun Qian get ahead of her, felt a pang of regret and hurried to follow. Xia Shixuan and the others were also tempted, but the movements were just too ungraceful. They were still hesitating, deciding to wait and see how it went for Sun Qian and Bai Yanni before making a decision.

"Arms a little more inward, back straight, neck extended, facing the moon. You want to simulate the feeling of swallowing something solid... Yes, right, just like that. You’re learning fast. Keep holding it..." Shen Yibin wasn’t in a hurry, patiently teaching Sun Qian and Bai Yanni on the large rock. He knew he just had to wait a little. Once Xia Shixuan and the others saw the effects of the exercise, they would surely be scrambling to learn it too.

The first round of practice ended. Sun Qian and Bai Yanni climbed down from the large rock and immediately clutched their chests, dry-heaving. Mo Xiaomo gave the rock a superstitious look. ’Hey, don’t tell me that rock was brought back from the Women’s Country? How could they get morning sickness after just lying on it for a few minutes?’

"Xu Ye, go get a few bottles of mineral water!" Shen Yibin knew this was a natural reaction after the exercise took effect, so he didn’t panic. He walked over to gently pat their backs as he spoke. Xu Ye also understood this perfectly and, without another word, ran towards Shen Yibin’s villa.

By the time he came out carrying a case of mineral water, Sun Qian and Bai Yanni had already coughed up some things. When the other girls saw the impurities they had expelled, they grew frightened. ’Sun Qian is a singer, so she definitely pays attention to her lung health, and Bai Yanni is a police officer who exercises every day. If it’s like this for them, our lungs must be even worse, right?’

"Even if you don’t smoke, you definitely inhale plenty of car exhaust, the occasional bit of secondhand smoke, plus cooking fumes, dust on windy days, and so on. Your lungs are bound to be polluted. Luckily, the PM2.5 levels in our Yunzhong City are relatively low. If we were in one of the megacities, it would probably be even more serious." Xu Ye opened two bottles of mineral water and handed them to Sun Qian and Bai Yanni to rinse their mouths, then turned to Xia Shixuan and the others to hold forth. "So, you all should practice this too and clear the pollution from your lungs."

"Li, your cough seems to have gotten worse lately. Why don’t you try practicing with Mr. Shen?" Lv Tiantian was the first to be convinced. Li’s age was catching up with her, and her health wasn’t what it once was. The problems in her lungs were surely more severe than Sun Qian’s and the others’. Now that such a great method was available, she had to learn it.

"Shi Xuan, you go to bars often, so you’ve definitely inhaled your fair share of secondhand smoke. I think you should practice this too," Xu Ye chimed in, trying to persuade her.

"I think... I think my breathing has really gotten smoother. My whole body feels so refreshed." After rinsing her mouth, Sun Qian tried taking a few deep breaths and felt much better than before.

"Me too, me too! Before, when I took a deep breath, my lungs would feel a little uncomfortable, but now I don’t feel that at all," Bai Yanni said, equally surprised and delighted. She grabbed Shen Yibin. "Bin, how many times a day should we do this exercise? How long for each session? Is this the only movement? Are there any other poses? Oh, and is there anything we should pay attention to while practicing?"

"Can we do another session right now?" Sun Qian also asked worriedly.

"You can do one more round," Shen Yibin said, looking at the moon. "You can also practice tomorrow morning at sunrise. It’s best to do it once in the morning and once at night. What’s important is that you should find a place with fresh air to practice..."

"Okay, got it! Let’s continue then!" With that, Sun Qian and Bai Yanni started climbing back onto the big rock. This time, Xia Shixuan and the others could no longer hold back.

"I’ll give it a try this time!" Xia Shixuan figured that Sun Qian and Bai Yanni definitely led healthier lifestyles than she did, so their lungs must have been exposed to less pollution. ’If even their lungs had that many impurities, my own situation can only be worse.’ So, she quickly scrambled up as well.

"Qiqi, do you think the powder from our makeup gets into our lungs every day? And we travel for work so often—we’ve been to plenty of cities with serious smog. I think we should practice this too." Mo Xiaomo was getting antsy now, nudging Qiao Wenqi to go up with her.

"Even though I don’t travel for work and haven’t inhaled much secondhand smoke, there’s no avoiding car exhaust. Should we go together?" Unsure if it was psychological or not, Li Shiqing felt her throat starting to get a little itchy.

And so, one by one, the girls all climbed onto the large rock and got into position, nearly running out of space.

Just then, Wen Yuan happened to be returning from a social engagement. He was stunned by the sight of the riverbank. ’A whole bunch of girls lying down by the river... What in the world are they doing?’