Chapter 10: Chapter Eleven

The Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield technique along this route piqued Bai Lang's interest, and he immediately felt it necessary to practice it properly. Still, the big truck had to be driven away, otherwise this place, with no shops in front or back, would have nowhere to train—even though the art comes with a matching herbal decoction and Zhuangqi Pill.

Where can one find medicinal herbs in the wilderness? Bai Lang is a thug, not a herb gatherer, and it's impossible to collect all the ingredients here. So he must go to a town; if he wants to gather as many medicines as possible, only the provincial capitals will do. Fortunately, Lan Zhou isn't far away.

A few dozen kilometers outside Lan Zhou Cheng, Bai Lang abandoned the truck at a fork, then traveled by day and night, reaching Lan Zhou Cheng in a single night and checking into a hotel—he used false documents when renting a room in the town.

With some free time, Bai Lang began to study the martial arts manual closely. "The formula for this herbal decoction seems possibly real, but not very reliable. As for the Zhuangqi Pill, it might be pharmacologically sound, yet the ingredients are indeed too rare," he muttered, glancing at the prescription at the back of the book.

Given his past experience of receiving a Bu Qi Pill each month from the Chang Le Gang and having seen such mainstream pill formulas, plus the fact that he never frequents brothels or stirs up trouble, preferring to read and practice martial arts for leisure, he has read many medical classics and thus has some understanding of the pharmacology—anyway, his knowledge is naturally superior to that of the locals, and his analytical ability as well.

"The herbal decoction actually contains tiger bone, plus a slew of costly ingredients, then boiled into a broth for soaking—and one pot of decoction can only be used three times before it must be replaced. The Zhuangqi Pill, on the other hand, uses human ginseng—over a hundred years old—and also a bunch of Ejiao, with honey refined into a pill taken daily." Even setting aside whether tiger bone is obtainable now, Bai Lang thinks his money isn't enough to buy even the available herbs.

In short, set aside the decoction and Zhuangqi Pill for now and try a round of cultivation first. He isn't in a hurry; after he borrows a cheaper, less conspicuous residence the next day, he'll deal with it. The good deed he did at his previous location hasn't mattered—surveillance cameras are limited, only catching his truck robbery and highway escape, and he vanished on unmonitored stretches.

The person caught claimed to have found a truck, and the thug who robbed and beat people disappeared. The next day, Bai Lang rented a place—he didn't mind the rent and had nothing to move, so he secured it quickly. The training spot was simple—a nearby park, fairly large, full of people exercising, making him blend in unnoticed.

The cultivation method for Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield, at least as drawn in the manual, isn't some sensational style; it mainly involves moving fists and feet like San Shi Er Lu Chang Quan while transporting Internal Force—and it includes a fair amount of static work, sitting cross‑legged to refine essence into Qi.

Nevertheless, Bai Lang lay low for three days, watching the wind—he never underestimates modern surveillance. After confirming it was safe, on the fourth morning, before sunrise, he headed toward the park.

The park isn't open twenty‑four hours; even with the current craze for square dancing, to avoid disturbing residents, it closes at 9 p. m., and only reopens at 6 a. m. for early‑morning exercisers. Bai Lang slipped in at 4 a. m. —using Lightness Skill, he lightly vaulted over the wall, landing silently as if gliding on the ground. In fact, Grass Flying has never been subpar; just few have truly mastered it.

Reaching the park's interior, Bai Lang scanned left, right, front and back, confirming the night patrol guards were absent. He then sat upright on a stone bench, exhaled deeply, and began seated meditation to regulate Qi—he had considered static cultivation first, but practicing such vigorous moving work in this utter silence, perhaps to avoid alerting any guard?

Static cultivation also takes time, and once the circulation of his meridians is activated, moving cultivation is fine. The key is that gathering the violet Qi of the rising sun is the optimal moment for static work. Thus, after sunrise, Bai Lang continued the static practice he had honed for three years—a balanced, peaceful internal method, but still only a foundational beginner's technique.

At six a. m., many citizens had entered the park, and Bai Lang could finally begin his cultivation—he had already memorized the manual inside out, though he kept it on his person for reference. The Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield does not require maintaining a boy's body as the original Thirteen Tai Bao did; based on the twelve stages described, the art feels more like something ripped from a wuxia novel.

The first stage focuses on moving work, but Bai Lang began with his own adaptation of San Shi Er Lu Chang Quan—already shaped by his talent to resemble Baji and Xingyi strikes. Rolling Internal Force surged from his dantian, circulating through his opened meridians around the micro‑cosm, repeatedly striking the unopened channels. Cultivation is like that; without divine techniques or immortal pills, one must grind away the blockages through hard practice.

Bai Lang knows his talent is only average‑high; daily hard work is still insufficient, so he dares not indulge. Throwing himself completely into it yields a fierce, powerful momentum—his foot strikes reverberate, the ground trembles slightly. Some onlookers have gathered, murmuring in amazement—most of the regular early‑morning exercisers are familiar with each other and have their own spots. This youngster's presence is a new face, so of course people come to watch.

At a glance, it's clear the youngster is truly cultivating genuine skill. His punches are fierce and powerful, like a coiling dragon and a leaping tiger roaring, the sheer aura preventing anyone from approaching within two zhang of him—Bai Lang's own fist‑and‑foot technique has already reached a level where he can gather most of his momentum and Internal Force inward to strengthen his meridians rather than disperse outward.

After finishing the series of Chang Quan, Bai Lang closed his eyes, meditated briefly, inhaled deeply, and began practicing the Golden Bell Shield. "Hmm?" As he combined the fist movements with his breathing method, he instantly felt his Internal Force circulating the micro‑cosm surge in a jump; his limbs kept moving, and the Internal Force that had been flowing through his meridians transformed into a roaring torrent, breaking through its usual pathway and charging toward another meridian.