Chapter 165

It goes without saying, martial arts consume a massive amount of stamina.

The foundation of martial arts is physical strength.

Thus, nearly every martial sect has shared training methods suitable for what could almost be classified as a rough draft “four great disciples” (though that title doesn’t actually exist), focusing on the complete snot-nosed training of little trainees.

Climbing up and down mountains without reason.

And fetching water for the sect.

Actually, it was the same grueling process throughout their growth.

It might look like bullying or child abuse.

But this was a crucial training method for conditioning both strength and lower body fitness, laying the groundwork for martial arts.

Of course, it also had the added benefit of making it really convenient when the little brats went to fetch water.

In any case, the stamina required for martial arts was no joke, demanding an absurd amount of endurance for even the common folk.

Just hand a sword to the ordinary people and have ’em wave it a hundred times and see what happens.

They’d probably collapse and pant like dogs.

And among the martial arts, there was one type that drained energy so viciously that it could be considered the worst of the worst.

That was the lightness skill.

In a distant past, a guy from the Western Regions ran about a hundred miles to deliver good news, and then didn’t he just drop dead either from a heart attack or lack of blood flow?

If you had the common folk sprinting at full speed right now, they’d be pouring sweat from every pore before too long.

At least, the common folks of the Central Plains had this distance to conquer, but if you had the modern folks of Qing sprinting full throttle, they’d probably drop like flies within a minute.

So, the lightness skill was a tough technique that required not just stamina but also coordination with inner strength for propulsion.

It’s not just a matter of running while having your inner strength help out.

It’s a simultaneous operation of managing your internal energy while running; it’s a double burden.

And to top it off, you don’t get to practice this on a nice big field free of obstacles.

Nope, you’re on rugged hills with uneven terrain, where every step could be over rocks, leaves, slippery stones, and so on, just running in this environment is not easy.

So, maintaining the lightness skill for long is exceedingly difficult.

It demands not only iron-like stamina but also perfect control of your body balance, laser focus to manage your inner strength, and quick reflexes to deal with the one-of-a-kind terrain you find yourself on.

It’s no wonder Seomun Sulin wasn’t wrong when she thought few could catch her if she decided to run away.

After one lap around the Martial Arts Mountain, she came back looking like a breeze, not even breaking a sweat or catching a breath, thanks to her superhuman stamina and balance, and her mastery of inner energy.

The exceptions Seomun Sulin mentioned were scenarios where someone could quickly close the gap and snatch Qing.

But if it was over long distances, as far as Seomun Sulin knew, no one could catch her.

Even if it were the fastest master renowned for his lightness skills, Shintu, it would be the same.

And Seomun Sulin was right.

Shintu was panting and had to stop like a dog.

“Gasp, wh-what, gasp, a girl, gasp, isn’t, gasp, getting tired, tired, tired at all. Gasp.”

It wasn’t like someone threatened him to talk to himself, but Shintu was still seriously rambling in the midst of gasping for air.

If someone pointed it out, he’d probably shrug it off as just being an old lonely dude.

But really, just because he’s a lonely old man doesn’t mean he’s always talking to himself; maybe he was just born that way.

Shintu had a simple plan.

One, watch the distance and observe.

Two, appear out of nowhere at a critical moment to save the day.

Three, encourage his disciple with a serious and stern demeanor.

Four, receive merit to gain rewards.

Then voila! Success!

But he hit a wall right at step one, as he couldn’t even watch the distance.

What kind of girl has been running flat out for over two cycles without a single rest? His stamina was dwindling as the distance grew.

Even if it’s known that the heavenly flight is specialized for long distances, it only goes so far.

To Shintu, looking at it, this girl was just born as a natural sprinter.

If he kept chasing, his old heart wouldn’t hold up much longer, and he’d have to stop for good.

“Whew, this, whew. If I go, whew, past here, it’s the Martial World, Martial World Tournament, whew, that must be the road to the Martial World Tournament, right?”

Shintu decided he had to regroup.

Did he really have time to play tag with a sprightly little girl in the middle of the night?

Come on, he needed to use his head; he’d end up wasting energy doing this and would see her again soon enough.

—-

Unbeknownst to him that the pesky follower had dropped out, Qing continued running.

She had no idea what was going on.

When Qing was eating or running for her life, she was dead serious.

The rumors of the Central Plains are surprisingly slow, spreading only through face-to-face interactions between people.

If she could just run faster than the rumors and hide, who’d be seeking assassins or bounties?

First things first, she needed to sleep during the day and head even further away.

After running, running, and running some more, the early dawn began to break, having run a full four cycles without stopping.

In modern terms, that’s about eight hours.

By around the third cycle, even Qing was starting to feel the strain, and after the fourth, she just couldn’t go on any longer and collapsed flat on the ground.

Her body, in a rush to breathe, gulped in air, and she realized that the sensation of her breaths colliding in her throat was what that saying meant—she truly understood the meaning of being breathless.

In the end, Qing lay flat on the ground.

Anyone who has ever pushed themselves to their limit knows (though you’d be surprised how many don’t) that the aftermath comes with a mind-numbing soreness throughout one’s body.

The ground was cold, while her body felt on fire, and the chilling sensation felt oddly comforting.

After lying there a bit, she suddenly realized—

Cold!

In the early spring dawn, it was frigid like mid-winter, and she had sweated so much that her clothes were completely soaked.

If she were to take them off and wring them out, it would be like a waterfall pouring down.

Wearing wet clothes in this freezing cold—it was perfect for a person to freeze to death.

Better to be in the Divine Maiden Sect, wearing a single layer of clothing where at least the wind could get through, rather than being soaked wet.

If she slept here, she’d surely freeze to death.

With great effort, Qing pulled herself up, only to find her damp back covered in dark earth.

But how would she know what her back looked like?

With that dirty getup, she took heavy steps and soon saw a tall city gate in front of her.

The big sign hung atop read “Zhangyuan,” so that was the name of the city!

As someone from Qing, not knowing the geography of central China, she had no idea where this was. But if anyone else heard, they’d be surprised by her journey.

Who would believe that she had just run nearly six hundred li from the Charging Cavalry of Zhangyuan City?

Zhangyuan was a city located between Kaifeng and Fuyang.

Fuyang was a pathway leading north to Hebei, so if you looked at Qing’s trajectory, it seemed she had passed right over Kaifeng.

Just as morning broke, the city gate opened wide.

As she gazed into the city, her empty stomach began to rumble.

She had truly run all night long.

Her belly was hungry, and her body felt grimy; she was on the verge of dying.

“Ah. I’m gonna die….”

Qing moaned, heading towards the city gate.

With a veil covering her face, two sheathed swords strapped to her back, and a dark flute sticking out of her side, what a suspicious character she made!

But given the Official Imposition of Non-Interference, a mere official wouldn’t dare stop her, afraid of facing off against superhumans wielding swords, and they were just trying to let her pass through the city gate.

Suddenly, the veiled lady with a sword straightened her posture towards the city guard, making that poor soldier gulp nervously.

So, the veiled lady asked, “Excuse me, where’s a good place to eat around here? What would you recommend?”

The soldier felt a huge wave of relief wash over him.

“The Daesheng Chae Shop on Seonggwan-daero is the best. The chef learned from Shandong, and they’re exceptional at making Shandong cuisine. But, I’m not sure if it’s truly authentic… some say it isn’t….”

“Seonggwan-daero. Daesheng Chae Shop. Thank you, and keep up the good work.”

Qing bowed slightly to the kind soldier and passed through the city gate.

In the morning light, merchants were out selling noodle soup and dumplings, and Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.

However, in a determined effort to deny herself tasty treats at such a hungry time, Qing squeezed her eyes shut and turned away.

Eating something like that would be a waste.

When you’re starving, tasty food tastes twice as good.

Noodle soup and dumplings weren’t anything special either.

Hmm. Maybe just a tiny taste?

They say when you’re super hungry, food just won’t go down.

An insatiable Qing just couldn’t hold off any longer.

She reached for her money bag…

And then…

Her complexion turned pale as she fumbled around the empty space.

No money bag?

Well, all she had left was her clothes.

Being a mighty warrior weighing five hundred jin was one thing, but she had entrusted her burdens to the weak uncle, thinking she could just carry a sword.

What a foolish blunder!

To put it another way, Qing felt wronged.

This foolish mistake stemmed from a habit formed by the old geezers and young boys who’d kept begging her to carry their stuff.

Ah, but the real problem was that she didn’t even have a single coin to her name.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, the three coins given to her by the lord at the martial arts sect crossed her mind, and she rushed to search her whole body.

But her modern outfit had no pockets.

Sure, she could tuck a coin in her martial arts robes, but having passed them to Gyeon Pohee earlier, the only thing left was some dust that surfaced on her fingertips.

A single coin could buy a miserable dumpling!

Three coins would buy a broth with no filling at all!

Qing was suddenly hit with the nostalgia of her frugal beginnings.

After all, she’d always been a poverty-stricken gal from the start.

Qing took a deep breath.

Standing still made her soaked clothes turn cold and chill her.

So she had to move!

Perhaps she might even catch sight of a coin lying around.

With her eyes darting back and forth, she busily scanned the ground.

What to do? I’m starving. No money…

Suddenly, tears welled up.

Qing couldn’t afford to be hungry.

No matter what, she couldn’t let herself be starving.

And look at her current situation.

Her clothes were drenched and clinging; she had no spare clothes to change into.

The weather was cold, her body was exhausted from the aftereffects of the long-distance lightness technique, and every part of her body felt achy.

Oh dear, this won’t do!

I’ve got to take a quick nap.

If I get too hungry, I’m going to lose sleep over it.

After all, it’s just cold. There’s no chance she’s freezing to death; it’d be better to sleep while she could rather than lie awake searching for fallen coins with her growling stomach.

So, Qing wandered the city, looking for a place to camp for the night.

She had gotten used to rolling with the punches from the moment she stepped foot into this world.

While wandering around, she stumbled upon a sunny spot tucked away near a wall in the marketplace.

It was a safe location since it was open with many passersby, yet not so visible that people would kick her as they walked by.

Plus, if the sun was shining, it would stay warm until noon.

Despite being in such unusual circumstances after so long, she managed to find a prime spot; hence the saying that experience gained from hardship never goes to waste.

Qing curled up like a shrimp and lay down against the wall.

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