Chapter 7: Jade Void Breathing Technique
“Our Yutong is always so cold and not good at expressing herself, so I’ll speak for her.”
“Little handso Li, three days ago, we all fell onto this massive, disorienting bronze ship. You were bleeding heavily, on the brink of death, and needed a transfusion urgently. Only your senior brother and my dear sister here were willing to donate blood for you.”
“But your senior brother’s blood type didn’t match, so it all fell on her!” Qi Shanshan’s lips were glossy and red, her face always adorned with a charming smile, full of captivating allure.
A doctor with such radiant charm was like dicine herself.
I only then realized I had been unconscious for three days.
“Thank you, Senior Sister. Thank you, Dr. Qi.”
I tried to prop myself up, but my left arm, aside from burning pain, had no sensation. My right arm, still receiving a transfusion, lacked strength.
My injuries were worse than I’d estimated.
Qi Shanshan said, “Just keep lying down! Your left arm’s wound nearly tore through all the muscle, exposing the bone, which is cracked. Though it’s been cleaned and stitched, the dical bay’s supplies were mostly destroyed, and we found few usable drugs. You’ve pulled through for now, but that doesn’t an there won’t be complications.”
“Rest well and drink so water.”
Cai Yutong, sparing with words, handed an opened water bottle and left the dical shack with Qi Shanshan.
The bronze ship’s deck was vast, its width alone reaching five hundred ters. The thick fog made it impossible to see from one end to the other.
Outside the dical shack was an eerie, misty sea of tombs and monunts, shrouded in ghostly fog, exuding a chilling, otherworldly atmosphere.
It was like a foggy winter morning.
A few nearby grave mounds, seven or eight ters tall like small hills, were visible, though what beings were buried there was unknown.
So graves had tattered, ancient ghost flags fluttering in the wind, bearing strange patterns.
The massive stone monunts, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, had peeling surfaces, their ancient inscriptions faded. Several old professors were below, studying and debating them.
On the other side.
The hundred-ter-long research vessel lay like a steel beast, broken in two on the vast deck. Twisted and bent steel structures jutted from the breaks, forming passages into the cabins.
Dozens of strong young research team mbers were inside, salvaging supplies, moving anything usable.
Shouts, clanging supplies, and footsteps mingled in the fog.
Cai Yutong, no longer in bulky cold-weather gear, wore a leather trench coat over a knitted midi skirt, her curves sleek, and tight jeans accentuating her long, straight legs.
Without deliberate effort, her beauty drew frequent glances or distant stares from passing team mbers.
So gazes fell on Qi Shanshan. Her smooth, jade-like legs beneath her physician’s coat were eye-catching, her beauty only slightly less striking than Cai Yutong’s.
“Have you noticed a change?” Qi Shanshan gazed at the misty clouds beyond the hull, smiling subtly.
Cai Yutong asked, “What change?”
“You, always pouring your intelligence into academics!” Qi Shanshan’s expression grew serious, her voice lower: “Haven’t you noticed? Their looks toward us are bolder, more aggressive than before.”
“Really?”
Cai Yutong glanced at the busy research team mbers, deck workers, and security team.
Qi Shanshan said with a hint of lancholy, “Do you think we can ever go back?”
“Back to Earth… the macroscopic Earth?”
Cai Yutong thought for a mont: “We don’t even know how we fell onto this bronze ship. Returning might be as hard as climbing to the heavens. The microcosm and macrocosm are two different worlds. Where is this bronze ship sailing? What kind of shore will it take us to?”
The fog was too thick to see the sea below, but the ship’s rapid movent was palpable.
Qi Shanshan, uninterested in discussing things beyond her control, said, “If we can’t go back, do you think people will still be bound by laws and morals like before?”
Cai Yutong wasn’t naive—her focus just made her less calculating than Qi Shanshan.
Since she raised the issue, Cai Yutong began to ponder: “When humanity loses its constraints, civilization and morality collapse. Social status becos aningless, replaced by savagery… or rather, power, absolute power.”
“Whoever has the most power won’t settle for being led or ordered—they’ll rebel and seize control, with bloodshed and violence.”
“This bronze ship has beco its own small world.”
Qi Shanshan added, “And a resource-scarce one. If the ship keeps sailing like this, it won’t take long for power struggles and the dark side of humanity to erge in blood. You and I are powerless, with the beauty that’s most dangerous in chaotic tis. Without planning ahead, our fate could be grim.”
Cai Yutong said, “Are you that afraid of being targeted?”
“It’s not about fear—it’s knowing that, stripped of knowledge and status, I’m just a weak woman. Why don’t you have this sense of crisis?”
Qi Shanshan corrected her irritably, then added, “The strongest fighter on the ship is undoubtedly First Mate Zhao ng.”
Cai Yutong’s eyes held a hint of amusent: “Got ideas? Are you thinking…”
Qi Shanshan cut her off, shaking her head: “Zhao ng is strong, upright, with a leader’s aura, but he’s too unaware of changing dynamics. He’s still busy salvaging supplies from the research vessel.
“In contrast, I’ve observed Second Mate Xie Tianshu. These past three days, he’s been bonding with the security team and getting close to the younger research team mbers. As a high-born scion, he understands power and human nature—and has more ambition.”
Half-jokingly, Qi Shanshan continued, “I’ve seen Xie Tianshu’s cousin, Xie Jin, is quite taken with you. How about we each take one, use our charms, split them fairly, and secure the brothers before anyone else?”
Cai Yutong knew Qi Shanshan wasn’t exaggerating, but had no interest in her “planning ahead”: “If civilization and morality truly collapse, why would I cling to life in this hell? Jumping over that hull isn’t hard.”
Qi Shanshan rolled her eyes: “Don’t I know you? You’ve got your eye on that strapping junior brother inside. I’m warning you, don’t be smitten—handso guys are useless in our situation.”
“Besides… his condition is bad. Even if his left arm heals, he’ll likely never lift anything heavy again—half-crippled.”
“And animal claws often carry viruses. That bear-like creature’s claws likely have even worse ones, posing a huge risk.”
“Are you sure, in a future of scarce resources and looming chaos, you want to choose such a burden?”
Cai Yutong raised a slender, serious finger: “First, I haven’t chosen anyone. Second, on the research vessel, if he hadn’t stepped up to lure the bear-like creature, I might be dead. A debt is a debt—I’ll repay it. Also, stop saying ‘burden’ in front of him. Think of the pressure that’d put on him.”
Qi Shanshan laughed: “You say you don’t care, but I’ve never seen you so concerned for any guy. What was that saying from our school? ‘Senior sister’s passionate, junior brother’s handso; teach studies first, then love…’ Fine, I won’t say it anymore… Not considering planning ahead? Don’t regret it!”
Cai Yutong ignored her, heading straight to the open-air kitchen tent under the broken research vessel.
…
I couldn’t find the Yellow Dragon Sword, and the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish that should’ve been around my neck was gone. My body was terribly weak, and only after drinking half a bottle of water did I regain so strength.
But a fierce hunger soon followed.
Cai Yutong walked in, holding a steaming bowl of fish soup.
Its aroma filled the tin dical shack.
Propping up, she said, “I knew you’d be hungry, so I grabbed you a bowl early. Savor this—it’s a delicacy. The freezer’s broken, refrigeration’s failed, so at and fish won’t last long. Vegetables and fruits won’t keep much longer either.”
Her words were clearly influenced by Qi Shanshan’s earlier concerns about their future.
My right arm was still receiving a transfusion, so I couldn’t feed myself.
Cai Yutong fed spoonful by spoonful.
Without the cold-weather gear hiding her beauty, Cai Yutong was undeniably stunning—cool, clear eyes, smooth fair skin, and elegant lips. Through the faint steam of the fish soup, she exuded an ethereal charm.
No matter how dire the situation, having such a senior sister caring for was surely a blessing.
Knowing Cai Yutong’s usual cold deanor, I was deeply touched.
So I thanked her again.
Just then, Qi Shanshan and two graduate students entered with fish soup to check on Professor Xu, who had broken both legs.
“It was your senior brother who asked to take good care of you. With so many injured or dead and a shortage of hands, I can’t just sit idle, can I?” Cai Yutong said, tempted to set the soup down for to drink myself, feeling the trio’s odd glances behind her.
There was a hint of ambiguity between us, easy to misinterpret.
Professor Xu lay on the bed next to mine, his eyes lacking their forr spark, his emotions unstable: “We’re definitely not going back. With the freezer broken, food will last half a month at most. No, in ten days, chaos will erupt. Once the perishable food spoils, it’ll be chaos… survival of the fittest… I can already see that day… animals reverting to their instincts…”
Hearing Cai Yutong and Professor Xu’s worries, the delicious fish soup lost its flavor. I wanted to go outside imdiately to see what was happening.
Ten days.
My arm’s injury wouldn’t heal by then.
I finished the soup with a heart full of doubt and confusion, my body warming and regaining strength.
After Cai Yutong, Qi Shanshan, and the two students left, I asked Professor Xu about the “Buddha’s relic” and the “microcosm.”
Learning the truth, I pondered: “The Buddha’s relic must be the recovered fish eye on the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish! Did the Tai Chi Fish activate the bronze ship, causing the entire expedition to fall into the microcosm and embark on this unknown journey?”
“The microcosm? Is it really the microcosm from textbooks?”
It was all too unbelievable, beyond comprehension. With my severe injuries, I felt deeply insecure, my emotions, like Professor Xu’s beside , growing unstable and anxious.
“No, I can’t let this happen.”
“Even won like Senior Sister and Dr. Qi can stay calm amid such upheaval. Is my resolve weaker than theirs? That’d be a disgrace to Master’s years of teaching.”
“When the mind is chaotic, the spirit drifts; when intent wavers, the soul falters.”
Master’s frequent saying echoed in my mind. I took a deep breath, practicing the Jade Void Breathing Technique, inhaling and exhaling the essence of heaven and earth.
On Earth, I practiced it at least three hours daily for over a decade without fail.
Though it never produced inner strength or true qi.
During practice, my mind quickly cald, free of distractions.
This was why I could face danger calmly, undominated by fear. Against the bear-like creature, I used the Jade Void Breathing Technique to find that tranquil, focused state.
On the bed, after about half an hour of breathing, I fully cald, entering a profoundly serene state.
Suddenly, the sole of my right foot burned, as if on fire.
This had never happened before.
…
(Thanks to the Alliance Leaders: 1. Facing the Future_Spring Blossoms, 2. South One North One, 3. Taiyi Flying, 4. Xiao Linhe, 5. Book Friend 160605201642819)
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List of New Nas and Terms
1. 玉虚呼吸法 Jade Void Breathing Technique (Martial Arts Practice)
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