Chapter 60 Internal Martial Arts? Taoist Breathing Techniques!

Don't get me wrong. Hua Twelve, no matter what, was someone who had tasted Little Yellow Duck in the previous world, so he had no ulterior motives towards Liu Yubai just because the man had cleaned up nicely. Binding him up was simply meant to help him break his opium addiction.

Even after tying him up, he still wasn't at ease, afraid that once Liu Yubai woke up and his withdrawal symptoms kicked in, he might use some inner martial arts to snap the ropes. He specifically sought out an apprentice in the martial arts school who made a living slaughtering pigs, had him bind Liu with ox-hide ropes using a specialized pig-trotter knot, and then secured him with three layers of iron chains before finally feeling secure.

When Liu Yubai woke up from his hangover the next day, discovering that he had been tied up quite artistically and that the more he struggled, the tighter the ropes became, he suddenly recalled Hua Twelve's words from yesterday: "Aren't you just looking to torture yourself? Well, let me tell you, I've got a twisted side!" At that moment, everything went black before his eyes.

Fortunately, the disciple standing guard nearby explained the situation, allowing Liu Yubai to abandon his wild thoughts.

Opium addiction is a strange thing; however wonderful it feels at the moment, the withdrawal is equally agonizing. It is said the pain travels all the way from the tips of your toes to the ends of your hair, sinking deep into your bones and marrow—as excruciating as being sliced by a thousand knives or devoured by ten thousand ants.

Liu Yubai suffered through seven or eight days of torment, climaxing in agonizing fits that need no elaboration, until the intensity of the cravings finally began to subside.

Even with the pain diminished, an ordinary person would still find it unbearable. But Liu Yubai had martial training under his belt, and by this point, he was able to rely on his internal martial arts to suppress the physical agony.

Yet he still had to face the psychological cravings, which required sheer personal willpower that others could barely assist with. Fortunately, once the physical addiction lessened, Liu Yubai harbored a desire to turn over a new leaf. Gritting his teeth and enduring it on his own, he finally caught a glimpse of hope in breaking his opium habit.

Hua Twelve continued to return to Shen Chongyang's home every night to sleep, leaving the martial arts school in the care of Liu Yubai and Zhuo Yifei.

Those disciples, including Zhuo Yifei, had asked him why he chose to live in such a cramped and narrow room when the martial arts school had so much space.

Hua Twelve's reply was: "Waiting for someone."

After finishing his shift every day, he would go to the martial arts school and sit for a while, spending his time teaching disciples and exchanging martial arts knowledge with Liu Yubai.

Hua Twelve coveted Liu Yubai's internal martial arts, but he didn't want to take them for nothing, well aware of the principle that if you wish to take, you must first give.

Therefore, he didn't bring up learning internal arts right away. Instead, he first shared Shen Chongyang's martial arts insights, including the ultimate secret techniques of the Great Sage Bashing Staff and Shaolin Springing Legs, with Liu Yubai.

Eventually, without needing to be asked, Liu Yubai saw through his intentions and voluntarily brought out the internal cultivation methods he practiced.

To Hua Twelve's surprise, this so-called internal martial art was neither the training method of internal boxing nor the sort of internal energy cultivation he had anticipated, but rather a Daoist technique of breathing and breath-regulation.

According to Liu Yubai, his ancestors were a fabulously wealthy family who had lived in Suzhou for generations. His great-great-grandfather had formed a deep friendship with a high-ranking Daoist priest at the Mysterious Wonder Temple, and his great-grandfather had thus seized the opportunity to become a disciple of this Daoist master to study martial arts.

The Liu family's Black Gold Folding Fan and this method of breathing and breath-regulation were both taught by that Daoist priest.

It was said that this breathing method originated from a passage in the Zhuangzi: "Ordinary people breathe with their throats, while true men breathe with their heels."

One inhalation and one exhalation constitute one breath; the heel refers to the human heel.

The meaning of this phrase is that when the ancient true men breathed, the primordial breath (*qi*) could be inhaled through the mouth and nose all the way down to the heels, thereby circulating through the entire body.

This *qi* refers to breath, yet not ordinary breath; it is an abstract substance, hence represented by the character *qi* to denote a metaphysical and abstract concept.

The function of this breathing method is a technique used to train the body while in motion. Together with another practice from the Zhuangzi—the "Zhuangzi Method of Listening to the Breath"—they form a pair of movement and stillness, exercise and nourishment.

Liu Yubai told Hua Twelve that if this breathing method were practiced constantly over a long period, allowing the body to form a habit, it would naturally operate during respiration, yielding effects such as strengthening tendons and bones, sharpening hearing and vision, lightening the body, and increasing strength.

When the two previously exchanged martial arts pointers, Liu Yubai had already been astonished that Hua Twelve's physical strength and bone density far exceeded those of ordinary people, believing this to be the cause of his innate divine strength. If he were to practice this breathing method, the two would undoubtedly complement each other perfectly.

It could push Hua Twelve's strength, speed, and martial prowess to even greater heights.

It might even make him truly the number one person under heaven and the supreme leader in the world of martial arts.

Hua Twelve knew his own limitations. He had acquired the peak power of Shaquille O'Neal through a lucky draw, and his body had mutated to accommodate this massive strength, resulting in muscle and bone density far surpassing ordinary humans—an ability he had brought along into this mission world.

However, although Liu Yubai believed Hua Twelve had the potential to stand at the absolute peak of martial arts and become the number one expert under heaven, he still advised him that the Chinese mainland was filled with countless capable individuals, and it would be best not to hang up that plaque reading "Number One Under Heaven, Supreme Leader in Martial Arts" along with that hateful couplet.

Hua Twelve humbly learned the breathing method, while letting the latter part of the advice go in one ear and out the other.

If he took down the plaque, how would he rake in his wealth?

And truth be told, the breathing method taught by Liu Yubai was genuinely useful. Although Hua Twelve had practiced it for only a short time and hadn't felt an increase in raw strength yet, with every inhalation and exhalation, his vital energy and blood surged throughout his entire body, constantly leaving him feeling high-spirited and seemingly boundless in energy.

With the martial arts school thriving and funds coming in, Hua Twelve began calculating that his position as a patrol policeman was due for an upgrade.

He had a Eurasian disciple whose father was a Westerner and shareholder in Jardine Matheson. Hua Twelve had asked this disciple to help arrange a dinner with the police district's Superintendent, Mr. Mei. Today, that disciple made a special trip to his patrol beat to inform him that the arrangement was successful, with the location set at a French restaurant in Central.

After finishing his shift in the evening, Hua Twelve changed into a well-tailored suit and had just stepped out of the police station intending to head to the restaurant when he spotted Ma Delong—attired in a Marine Police uniform—riding a motorcycle at breakneck speed toward him. Arriving right in front of him, Ma executed a screeching drift to a sudden stop and called out with a smile:

"Master!"

Since Ma Delong was in the Marine Police, coming to the Central Police Station meant he was definitely looking for him. Hua Twelve immediately nodded and asked:

"You brat, why aren't you helping out at the martial arts school after your shift instead of running over to the police station?"

Ma Delong scratched his head and smiled, "Master, today our marine squad is having a farewell banquet at a bar, and I want to invite you to come along!"

"A farewell banquet? Who are you seeing off?"

Hua Twelve didn't understand why Ma Delong's squad was holding a farewell party and why they would invite an outsider like him.

Ma Delong quickly explained, "It's not seeing someone else off; it's a send-off for ourselves. Haven't you heard? In a couple of days, our marine police are heading out to sea to fight pirates!"

Hua Twelve actually had an impression of this matter. It was what his partner, Liu Yi, had mentioned while they were on patrol today, though he hadn't taken it to heart.

In the memories he inherited from Shen Chongyang, pirates ran rampant in the coastal regions of Guangdong during this era, severely impacting Hong Kong's maritime trade, which was why the Marine Police had to venture out to sea to fight pirates every year.

Come to think of it, it was quite comical. The Marine Police had ventured out to sea multiple times only to return in defeat, without even catching a glimpse of a pirate's shadow.

Taking the past two years as examples, the year before last, the Marine Police received intelligence that a gang of pirates was hiding on an island near Hong Kong. The marine authorities immediately decided to sail out to suppress the bandits, but before they even found the island, they ran into a typhoon. Their boats capsized, resulting in heavy losses.

Last year, the Marine Police regrouped and set sail once more to suppress the pirates. This time they didn't encounter a typhoon, but they lost their bearings at sea and ended up drifting all the way to Bengal. The group of marine police officers grew so starved that their hands and legs went limp, and it was with the utmost difficulty that they finally managed to return to Hong Kong.

The Marine Police's attempts to fight pirates had long become a standing joke within the police force.

This year, the marine authorities had applied for funding once again, purchasing five gunboats from the British shipyard, and were preparing to set sail to combat pirates anew. This was the matter Ma Delong was referring to.

While on patrol today, Hua Twelve had been preoccupied with evening plans, so even though Liu Yi mentioned it, he hadn't taken it seriously. Now, seeing Ma Delong standing right before him, a thought suddenly stirred in his mind: Could the storyline concerning this kid be starting now?

He immediately said to Ma Delong, "I've already accepted someone else's dinner invitation tonight."

"Oh, I see..."

Ma Delong looked somewhat disappointed. With his life and death hanging in the balance on this upcoming voyage, he had hoped the master he admired most could see him off.

Hua Twelve patted him on the shoulder, "Tell me the location. After I finish eating, I'll come find you for a drink!"

Ma Delong's face instantly broke into a joyful smile as he hurriedly rattled off the address.