Chapter 299

In Xi Kua Yuan, that tender yet earnest sound of fists and feet became the fixed overture of the Siheyuan mornings.

Driven by the great motivation to become a martial arts master, Li Yaozong actually persisted; his small figure, standing and squatting, punching and palming in the dawn mist, grew steadily steadier.

However, Li Ping'an well understood the principle that haste makes waste, especially for children whose bones are not yet set. Relying solely on Spirit Spring Water and basic practice is not enough; a more systematic and gentle approach is needed to temper this promising sapling.

That night, after settling his wife and daughter, he dragged out a camphor wood box from under the bed. Opening it, a scent mixed with old paper and a faint herbal aroma spread out.

Inside, neatly stacked were bundles of thread-bound books, pages yellowed, some covers still bearing scorch marks left by war. These were the Chinese medical classics he had collected and studied by chance in his youth, and some were precious materials seized from the Japanese Army medics, recording the essence of Han medicine and part of modern medical knowledge.

During those war-torn years, besides killing enemies, he, relying on his extraordinary memory and interest, stubbornly worked through many profound and obscure medical theories and prescriptions.

"Ping'an, what's this?" Lin Xueqing looked at her husband hauling out these "old antiques", a bit curious.

"Yaozong has started training, stretching his tendons and bones, accelerating qi and blood circulation; just eating and drinking isn't enough." Li Ping'an took out a hand-copied notebook he himself had compiled, densely recording various medicinal combinations and annotations, "We need to assist with a medicinal bath to loosen tendons, activate collaterals, strengthen bones, relieve fatigue, and avoid hidden injuries."

Lin Xueqing picked up the hand-copied notebook and flipped through it. Though she was trained in Western medicine, she held no bias against Chinese medicine; seeing the detailed combinations and her husband's clear annotations, admiration shone in her eyes: 'Your formula… the monarch-minister-assistant-courier arrangement, the combination is very rigorous. Some of the medicinal ideas are even bolder and more exquisite than those of the old Chinese medicine doctors in our hospital.' She was referring to several ingredients that use the mutual generation and inhibition principle to maximize efficacy.

Li Ping'an smiled, his gaze somewhat distant: 'All of this I just tinkered with before, and some came from… inspiration on the battlefield.' He didn't elaborate on those blood-stained medical texts, then said: 'I was thinking, from now on I'll give Yaozong a medicinal bath every night—what do you think?'

Lin Xueqing looked at her son sleeping sweetly on the bed and nodded: 'You've thought it through thoroughly; as long as it's safe, that's fine.'

With his wife's support, Li Ping'an sprang into action. Taking advantage of the weekend break, he rode his bicycle around the well-known medicine shops of Four Nine City and the rural markets.

For common herbs that invigorate blood, dispel stasis, relax tendons and strengthen bones—such as safflower, achyranthes, and bone-penetrating grass—he bought them directly at the pharmacy; for the more obscure ones, or those requiring a specific vintage, he relied on his herbal knowledge to go personally pick them in the countryside hills, or to 'barter' at stalls set up by old farmers.

His eye was sharp, his bargaining skill high, and he could always obtain top-quality herbs at a suitable price.

That night, Li Yaozong finished a day of basic training; although after drinking the 'sweet water' he wasn't as tired, his small body still felt a deeper fatigue unlike before.

He was lying on the kang, watching his sister blow bubbles, when he saw his father carrying a large wooden basin that gave off a strong bitter smell, the hot water inside steaming, the liquid turning a dark brown.

"Yaozong, come, take a bath to relieve fatigue." Li Ping'an called out.

The little tyke curiously moved closer; upon smelling it, his face scrunched up like a steamed bun: 'Dad, it's so bitter! Like… like burnt tree roots!'

Li Ping'an was amused by his metaphor, testing the water temperature while explaining: 'This is a medicinal bath. It contains good stuff that makes bones grow stronger and the body more robust. Look at those great generals—who isn't bronze-skinned and iron-boned? Soak in this, and you'll tire less when training and grow taller than He Xia and the others.'

That last sentence clearly struck Li Yaozong's heart. Imagining himself growing tall and strong, capable of beating ten villains, he immediately felt the bitterness was tolerable.

He bravely took off his small clothes, was held by Li Ping'an, and gently placed into the medicinal broth.

The water was slightly hot but still within his tolerance. The dark brown medicinal broth enveloped his small body, a strange warm sensation—not like ordinary hot water that merely stays on the skin surface, but as if countless tiny needles were threading through, drilling into the gaps of his bones and deep into his muscles.

At first there was a slight tingling numbness, then came an indescribable sense of ease, as if after a day's labor someone were warmly massaging his sore limbs with gentle hands.

"Mm… a little itchy, yet also comfortable…" Li Yaozong soaked in the medicinal broth, eyes half-closed, feeling the warm current wander through his body, dispelling fatigue.

Li Ping'an sat on the small stool beside him, holding a packet of silver needles, not rushing to insert them, merely observing his son's reaction. He knew the medicinal power was taking effect.

This formula was his careful concoction; its properties are gentle and lasting, mainly to consolidate the root and nurture the origin, to clear the meridians, and it will not cause overgrowth.

After soaking for about fifteen minutes, Li Yaozong's little face turned flushed, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead—not the hot sweat of exercise, but a sticky perspiration carrying a hint of turbid qi. Li Ping'an knew this was the medicinal power expelling some impurities and cold damp from his body.

He judged the moment right and took out several silver needles as fine as cow hair.

"Yaozong, are you afraid?" he asked softly.

Little Li Yaozong looked at the shining thin needles, feeling a bit apprehensive, yet he shook his head: 'Not afraid! Dad, I'm a man!'

Li Ping'an smiled with relief, his technique extremely swift and precise as he lightly inserted and then withdrew the needles at the Baihui point on his son's crown, the Mingmen point on his back, and the Zusanli and Yongquan points on his legs—several major points for strengthening tendons and bones and stimulating yang—like a dragonfly skimming water.

This was not treatment, but using acupuncture to lightly stimulate the points, guiding the medicinal power to be better absorbed and circulated.

Li Yaozong only felt a few spots as if lightly bitten by tiny ants, hardly any pain.

After finishing the medicinal bath, Dad rinsed him with warm water, wrapped him in a soft dry towel, and Little Li Yaozong felt all over warm and light, as if a burden had been lifted; his breathing became especially smooth, the daytime practice fatigue gone, leaving only bodily ease. He burrowed into the quilt, almost falling asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, sleeping especially sweetly and deeply.

From then on, besides the morning fist and foot sounds in Xi Kua Yuan, each evening a faint scent of bitterness mingled with fragrance would waft from the medicinal broth. This aroma permeated the air, becoming another distinctive mark of Xi Kua Yuan.

The neighbors naturally had a new topic. Yan Bu Gui sniffed the medicinal aroma in the air, shaking his head and chuckling: 'The Li family is trying to cultivate their son into a civil-military all-rounder, practicing fists and taking medicinal supplements—how much money must that cost?'

Sha Zhu, however, disagreed: 'Kids, pointless torment! I think it's just Li Ping'an burning money because he's rich.'

Only Yi Zhonghai, upon occasionally catching this medicinal scent and gazing toward Xi Kua Yuan, had a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes, as if recalling something, which finally turned into a barely audible sigh.

Lin Xueqing saw her son's face turn rosy and healthy after the medicinal bath, his small frame growing sturdier, and she completely set her mind at ease regarding her husband's 'Sino-Western combined' parenting approach.

She even discovered that the shoulder and neck soreness she occasionally got from correcting medical records late at night was also alleviated considerably after Li Ping'an applied a similar medicinal bath and massage.

Li Ping'an remained as steady as ever. He deeply understood that whether it was fist and foot martial arts or medicinal stone acupuncture, they were merely means.

What he truly wanted to pass on to his son was that resilience etched into the bones, the ability to protect the family, and the mastery over his own power, able to hold back or release at will.

This road is still long, but he has confidence, walking step by step with his son. And the medicinal fragrance that permeates Xi Kua Yuan is the earliest, warmest testament on this long foundation‑building journey.