Chapter 6: Every Action is Cultivation

When Duan Rong came out of the restaurant, his face was already flushed with alcohol.

Although he had been an insurance salesman in his previous life, that Duan Rong had been born with an alcohol allergy, so he had never touched a drop of liquor for years.

Since his soul transmigrated, this was the first time he had tasted alcohol; at first, he and Yang Zhen had been polite to each other, but by the time they reached the half-jar of rice wine, they were basically fighting for it.

For that last half-bowl of wine, Duan Rong had almost torn Yang Zhen's clothes to shreds.

Duan Rong let out a hiccup, his eyes bright as he muttered, "After transmigrating, I can actually drink alcohol; this is truly an unexpected gain..."

He rubbed his round belly before saying goodbye to Yang Zhen and walking toward the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

When Duan Rong, swaying his body, walked into the horse stable, Sun Laotou was using a rake to fork softened dry hay into the feeding trough.

It seemed he had used too much force and strained his lower back; Sun Laotou coughed, leaned on the rake, and pounded his back.

Seeing this, Duan Rong gave a start and hurried over a few steps, reaching out to take the rake, and said, "Old Sun, you rest, leave the remaining work to me."

Sun Laotou had originally seen that it was almost the Shen hour and Duan Rong still hadn't returned. He had thought he was being tricked and that Duan Rong wouldn't come back today.

He had no choice but to work harder; after feeding the hay, there was still the job of cleaning up the horse manure.

Having worked leisurely all morning, the chores had piled up, and it was clear that if he were alone, he wouldn't finish by dark.

Sun Laotou had gotten anxious and accidentally strained his back, and just at that moment, Duan Rong had suddenly popped out and taken the rake from his hand.

As soon as Sun Laotou saw Duan Rong, his face immediately darkened; plus, seeing Duan Rong's flushed face and the smell of alcohol on him, he was even more furious and roared, "Yuanshun Escort Agency is a place that follows rules; even a Miscellaneous Servant cannot act recklessly."

Duan Rong keenly sensed Sun Laotou's anger and immediately pulled out the rhetoric he used to apologize to clients in his past life.

"Old Sun, I know I was wrong, it won't happen again. Don't worry, I will definitely finish the remaining work for you neatly. I'll clean up my own mess and won't cause you any trouble!"

Sun Laotou's expression indeed softened slightly, and seeing Duan Rong working hard—forking half a trough of hay with a single stroke—Sun Laotou sighed, bent over, pointed to the stables on the east side, and said, "After cleaning the manure, brush down those six bay horses on the east side; they are scheduled for the escort mission tomorrow. They've been in the stable for a month, just eating hay and not moving, they've all gotten fat!"

Duan Rong looked up and said, "Don't you worry, I'll definitely brush them clean; tomorrow when they head out, they'll surely bring honor to our Escort Agency!"

Sun Laotou smiled, shook his head to himself, and muttered, "This kid, his tongue has certainly become much sharper."

Sun Laotou bent over and walked out of the stable, preparing to go home to rest his back, apply a medicinal plaster, and take a break.

Seeing Sun Laotou leave the stable, Duan Rong complained, "This old man, he didn't even finish feeding the hay all morning, just waiting for me to come back and do it. Truly, an old man is crafty, an old horse is slippery."

Although Duan Rong was complaining, his hands didn't dare to slow down; after feeding the hay, there was still the horse manure to clean and the horses to brush, and there was plenty of work to do.

As Duan Rong worked, his legs unconsciously began to bow, as if he were standing in a horse stance.

And he was stunned to discover that the way he exerted force was different from before.

He seemed to understand in an instant what was meant by Waist-Horse Unity.

Previously, when he forked hay, he would just swing his arms, and the force would at most reach his shoulders.

But now he felt the force rising from the soles of his feet, passing through his waist and shoulders, and then transmitting to his arms.

His arms, on the contrary, seemed to be borrowing force, naturally forking up the hay.

"This..." Duan Rong was initially a bit puzzled, but then he understood everything.

After all, he already had the experience of the Entry Level Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber; although this morning was only his first practice, he was able to quickly form muscle memory.

At this moment, as he focused on his work, he subconsciously integrated his Stance Training and blade technique.

"It seems that once one is on the right path in martial arts, every action—walking, standing, sitting, or lying down—is cultivation." Duan Rong suddenly became excited.

In fact, only after mastering a Martial Technique is one a true Martial Artist. Once the skill is refined, every action is cultivation, immediately distancing oneself from ordinary people.

It is just that on this Martial Path, this first hurdle of entry alone can stop ninety percent of ordinary people.

At this moment, a strange scene occurred in the stable: Duan Rong was actually standing in a horse stance while forking the hay.

When Duan Rong finished one trough and moved to the next, he still maintained the Stance Training.

He walked as if he were truly riding a horse, swaying and jumping from side to side, his legs bowed, his waist lowered as if sitting on an invisible stool.

After doing this for only a short while, Duan Rong was drenched in sweat, and steam was rising from his head.

After feeding the hay, Duan Rong began to clean the horse manure with the same strange posture.

Two hours later, the muscles all over Duan Rong's body began to ache faintly.

Almost subconsciously, as if self-taught, Duan Rong learned to shift his center of gravity between his left and right legs.

This trick was something new he had accidentally realized while moving back and forth in the stable like a horse.

Shifting the center of gravity between the left and right legs allowed the muscles all over his body to take turns resting.

It neither delayed the cultivation of force in the Stance Training nor strained the muscles; it could be called killing two birds with one stone.

It wasn't until the sky turned dark that Duan Rong finally finished cleaning the entire stable.

Duan Rong straightened his waist, and a large puff of white mist sprayed from his mouth.

Only then did Duan Rong realize that his cloth shoes were full of sweat; as he walked, it sounded like he was stepping in a swamp, making soft squelching noises.

Duan Rong simply kicked off both shoes and stepped barefoot on the ground.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, estimating that it was time for dinner, but he still had six bay horses to brush.

Duan Rong rolled his eyes; he figured Sun Laotou would definitely come to check his work.

Moreover, he had eaten very well at noon, and the chicken, duck, fish, and meat in his stomach hadn't even been digested yet, so he didn't care for those two steamed buns for dinner.

Duan Rong drew two buckets of clear water, picked up a brush, and went to the east stable to wash the horses.

As he brushed, Duan Rong muttered, "Look at this, the coat is so bright! Eating top-quality hay and having someone give you a bath... you guys are living the life of a master..."

"What are you muttering about over there?" He didn't know when Sun Laotou had already stood behind him.

Hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head and smiled with feigned simplicity.

Seeing that Duan Rong had cleaned the stable spotlessly and hadn't even eaten dinner, but was here brushing the horses, and then seeing Duan Rong covered in sweat and still smiling foolishly, the anger in Sun Laotou's heart vanished, and he was once again filled with a good impression of Duan Rong.

Sun Laotou stuffed two steamed buns into Duan Rong's hands and said, "The time for dinner has passed; I just saved two buns for you. Eat them and go back to rest early."

"Rest?" Duan Rong looked puzzled. He had only brushed two of the six bay horses; there were still four left.

Sun Laotou looked at Duan Rong and said, "No need to wash them, tomorrow's escort mission is canceled."

"Canceled?" Duan Rong held the two steamed buns, stunned.

Sun Laotou said nothing more and turned to leave the stables.

Duan Rong watched Sun Laotou's back and suddenly understood.

"This old man is messing with me!"

There is no escort mission tomorrow at all; he saw that I came back late from my leave and is deliberately tripping me up to cause trouble.

"It seems this old man is petty; I must be on guard against him in the future."

Duan Rong bit into his steamed bun and walked toward the Miscellaneous Disciple dormitory in the servants' quarters, feeling somewhat depressed.

(End of chapter)