Chapter 128: 127. Chapter 127: Tiger and Leopard Sinew and Bone Training (Ally Master Bonus: Alone)

127. Chapter 127: Tiger and Leopard Sinew and Bone Training (Ally Master Bonus: Alone)

After renting the courtyard and securing a place to stay, the tension in everyone’s bodies eased slightly.

After giving out a few orders, Zhao Ge took Slim Monkey out for a stroll, saying he wanted to find a bathhouse to wash and change clothes; since Rongniang and Zhao Qian were women, they couldn’t go to the bathhouse, so they picked a side room, boiled a pot of hot water, and prepared to wash up inside.

They had been traveling for days, covered in dust, stinking of sweat and sourness, and reeking of blood; they’d ignored all this while fleeing for their lives, but now that they had a moment to breathe, they naturally attended to themselves.

Having run the school for years, Zhao Ge and his disciples were all clean-living men.

In this time, the two butchers had already slaughtered two yellow sheep in the kitchen; by custom, the heads and offal went to the butchers as payment, while the rest were chopped into large chunks, boiled in clear water with some salt; but warriors didn’t just eat meat—they needed medicinal supplements.

Rongniang slipped into the kitchen, sprinkled a packet of medicinal herbs into the pot, and warned the two butchers to watch the fire closely, not to lift the lid, lest the medicinal vapors escape.

The two butchers dared not offend a warrior and nodded eagerly in agreement.

But they weren’t upset—they were delighted; this job was extraordinary for them: slaughtering dozens of sheep was an opportunity they’d never encountered before, allowing them to feast on offal for weeks and sell surplus organs for enough money to match half a year’s wages.

In less than a month, earning half a year’s pay—even after the broker’s cut—was no small thing.

So they didn’t slack off; instead, they worked with extra vigor.

While everyone else rested, Li Yi stared at the eight-treasure deer locked in the cage in the center of the courtyard.

It was a male deer.

But its antlers were gone—likely cut off—and its entire body was covered in wounds, some even festering; though it was a spirit-infused mountain treasure, the old deer was weak from age, and after days of confinement without food or water, it was barely holding on—if it couldn’t be tamed today, it wouldn’t survive, and tomorrow, as his master said, it would be slaughtered for meat.

Li Yi’s approach made the eight-treasure deer tremble violently all over.

This trembling resembled exactly how he trained his skin.

Clearly, this deer possessed the ability to train its skin; capturing it in the wild must have been extremely difficult.

Li Yi simply raised his hand and slapped down; qi exploded, and the thick wooden cage shattered cleanly, releasing the old deer.

“Zhao Qian said mountain treasures have spirits and shouldn’t be treated like ordinary beasts. I think you understand what I’m saying. Let’s talk properly: I’ll heal your wounds, feed you, and you just bow your head and acknowledge me as your master. What do you say? If you refuse, you’ll be boiled for meat tomorrow—what a waste.”

Li Yi crouched before the eight-treasure deer and began to persuade.

Though the deer trembled from the scent of the qiulong hide, its eyes remained stubborn, like an old man refusing to bow—its body lay flat on the ground, eyes closed, refusing to look at Li Yi.

“You don’t have to bow and acknowledge me as master. Instead, become my little brother—I’ll be your big brother, protect you from now on. You won’t be bullied or eaten, and I’ll improve your diet. You can keep cultivating, maybe even regain your youth and live longer.”

Li Yi raised the stakes.

The words seemed tempting; the eight-treasure deer slowly opened its eyes, staring at Li Yi as if a human were weighing options.

Indeed, mountain treasures possessed intelligence and could understand human speech.

Seeing progress, Li Yi immediately fetched a bottle of Golden Nutrient Solution, poured a capful, and offered it: “Drink this, and you’ve officially recognized me as your big brother.”

The eight-treasure deer twitched its nose, sniffing the Golden Nutrient Solution.

Though it didn’t know what it was, the scent was immensely alluring; its body instinctively craved to lick it, like encountering a rare herb in the wild, triggering an irresistible urge.

The eight-treasure deer remained wary, studying Li Yi again.

“The path lies before you. Choose as you will,” Li Yi smiled.

Perhaps the qiulong hide’s aura intimidated the eight-treasure deer, or perhaps Li Yi’s offer moved it, or maybe it simply wanted to live and avoid being boiled for meat—whatever the reason, after a moment of struggle and hesitation, the deer surrendered, extending its tongue to lap up the small bowl of Golden Nutrient Solution.

This was the first time the eight-treasure deer had eaten since being captured.

Tasting the flavor, hunger surged; the deer licked more fiercely, and soon the entire bowl was gone.

After eating, the deer still felt unsatisfied, lifting its head to gaze at Li Yi—its eyes no longer held hatred, only pleading.

It was hungry, old, and needed the Golden Nutrient Solution to heal and recover.

Seeing this, Li Yi generously fetched a porcelain bowl and poured a full, overflowing bowl of the solution—enough to make even him bloated, surely enough to satiate the old deer.

Indeed.

Seeing the nutrient solution before it, the eight-treasure deer immediately gobbled it down.

As it ate, the deer gradually regained strength, no longer lying on the ground, but slowly rising to its feet; though its body still trembled uncontrollably, it was stronger than before.

“What a massive deer—its size rivals an ordinary horse. Truly an extraordinary breed, but too emaciated; otherwise, it could’ve been a mount,” Li Yi muttered, watching the deer’s towering frame, bony and scarred.

He could only try to nurse it slowly and see if it could recover.

But his master was frugal; since he’d ordered Li Yi to tame and feed it, he wouldn’t make a losing deal—its value simply hadn’t surfaced yet. Once healed and taken into the mountains, it would bring a fortune.

The eight-treasure deer had underestimated the Golden Nutrient Solution’s power.

It stopped eating after consuming less than half the bowl—clearly full—but unwilling to waste such a precious substance, it lay down again, guarding the remaining half-bowl before it.

Seeing this, Li Yi knew the old deer now wanted to live—good. As long as it didn’t want to die, with time and patience, it would be tamed.

Soon after, Master Zhao Ge returned with Slim Monkey.

They wore fresh clothes, had bathed clean, and now carried themselves with solemn dignity, restored to their former warrior bearing.

“Meng De, how’s the eight-treasure deer coming along?” Zhao Ge asked upon entering.

“Master, it’s eaten. I don’t know if that counts as tamed,” Li Yi replied.

Zhao Ge saw the Golden Nutrient Solution before the eight-treasure deer and winced inwardly, but nodded: “It’s tamed. Taming a mountain treasure differs from taming ordinary beasts. If it eats your first offering, it acknowledges you as master; otherwise, even starving, it won’t touch food offered by another. This deer would’ve starved within three days if not for us.”

He circled the deer, studied it, then praised: “Excellent bone structure. Such a powerful frame, if nurtured, would be magnificent—likely once a stag king. But before it’s fully grown, it’ll consume countless precious things. If we could bring it back to the school, crush Han and Jin families, seize control of Three Yang City, keeping a mountain treasure wouldn’t be much. But now, we’re not yet strong, our resources thin—we can’t afford to feed this treasure.”

“Meng De, ration your medicinal herbs for it. Just keep it alive, don’t let it starve.”

Looking at the half-full bowl of Golden Nutrient Solution, Zhao Ge could only sigh inwardly—what a waste for this beast. Thank goodness Li Yi was feeding it; if any other disciple had tried, he’d have kicked it already.

“Slim Monkey, go fetch another large bucket of clean well water. Pour the remaining half-bowl of medicine into it—this stuff is too potent, dilute it. I drank a sip last night and still haven’t felt hungry. Even a Qi-Opening warrior feels its power—how much more so for this old deer?” Zhao Ge walked over: “Meng De, no time to waste. Now, I’ll teach you the second realm of martial cultivation: Sinew Training.”

“You’ve mastered skin training. Now you must unlock the potential of sinew and bone. I’ll teach you Zhao Shiwu’s Tiger and Leopard Sinew and Bone Training. This method is split into Leopard Sinew Training and Tiger Bone Training—your master spent a fortune buying it from a noble family’s disciple after becoming a Qi-Opening warrior. Running a school requires powerful techniques to uphold its reputation; otherwise, you take in disciples but have nothing to teach—how embarrassing.”

“Meng De, first learn Leopard Sinew Training. Before you begin, do you know why it’s called Leopard Sinew Training and not Tiger Sinew Training?”

Li Yi thought a moment, then said: “Because leopards are more agile.”

“Correct. Leopards are agile, and sinew training must make sinews flexible. Only then can you release power with perfect tension and relaxation—like a great bow. Your sinews are the bowstring. Too tight, and you can’t draw the bow; the arrow flies weak. Too loose, and the power dissipates; no arrow flies. Flexibility is paramount.”

Li Yi understood much.

“Leopard Sinew Training has twelve postures, corresponding to the twelve major sinews in the human body. Now follow me,” Zhao Ge said, immediately revealing the core technique without holding back—giving Li Yi the most vital, essential method outright.

With Li Yi’s memory and insight, Zhao Ge believed one demonstration and minor corrections would suffice.

No second demonstration needed.

This was the advantage of teaching a genius—his master was spared great effort.

Li Yi followed Zhao Ge, assuming strange postures like a leopard stretching its body, pulling and training its sinews. Leopards, being felines, prized flexibility—they could bite their own tails, bend their bodies in impossible ways, precisely because their sinews were supple. A martial artist who fully trained sinews could move as fluidly as a leopard.

In truth, Zhao Ge’s Tiger and Leopard Sinew and Bone Training was an advanced method; ordinary sinew training couldn’t fully develop all twelve major sinews—achieving seven or eight was already considered excellent.

As training continued, the first few postures were fine, but later ones made Li Yi feel certain areas ache, numb, and swell.

Zhao Ge pointed out: “Aching and numbness is normal—it means those sinews haven’t been fully stretched. That’s where your latent potential lies. Ordinary disciples often injure their sinews during training and must take medicine to heal before continuing. But you don’t need that. Your Dragon Sinews and Tiger Bones are extraordinarily strong—you can skip the healing phase and train directly.”

This was why he was confident Li Yi could achieve rapid results.

Li Yi continued training and soon felt his sinews gradually uncoil; the numbness faded, replaced by extraordinary lightness and flexibility, as if hidden strength had been unlocked.

He was a Spirit Awakening cultivator—his body’s adaptability was too powerful.

After less than an hour of training, Li Yi’s body was fully stretched, moving with unnatural agility, contorting into bizarre poses like a playful, nimble leopard.

“Good. Very good. You’ve passed the first stage of sinew training. But it’s not enough. Though your sinews are stretched, learning to harness their power is another art. Meng De, try forgetting the strength of your skin and bones—use only your sinews to move your body. Can you generate a punch force?”

Zhao Ge stared intently at Li Yi.

He was excited—he could already sense that once bone training was complete, Li Yi’s skin, sinew, and bone would unify, unleashing the full potential of his Dragon Sinews and Tiger Bones, his divine strength exploding with every punch, making every martial artist in the world bow.

“I understand,” Li Yi nodded.

Just like skin training—only the target area changed. The principle was the same.

He closed his eyes, abandoned skin and muscle vibrations, abandoned bone strength, relying solely on sinews to move his body.

At once, he felt his body heavy, limp, powerless.

He tried to throw a punch—no power at all.

Zhao Ge didn’t rush. He stepped forward, guiding him, explaining how to pull the sinews, how to store power. Even with genius, Li Yi still needed his master’s instruction.

Li Yi absorbed the guidance, grasped the key, and tried several times.

After another half-hour, he threw a punch.

“Bang!”

The punch force echoed—though weak, it proved Li Yi had passed sinew training. What remained was practice.

“Good. Very good,” Zhao Ge clapped and laughed loudly.

One hour for skin, two hours for sinew—who in the world would believe it?

Wait, all martial artists of the world—wait.

The Four Seas and Eight Provinces—soon, a true dragon will emerge.