Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

The door closed, leaving only Jiang Nian and Yang Zhan in the room.

"Sit down." Yang Zhan pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Jiang Nian. "Do you know what your heartbeat was like when you were practicing your martial arts just now?"

Jiang Nian shook his head.

"Like a new recruit after running a 10-kilometer cross-country race."

Yang Zhan stared at him, "You're so anxious and chaotic. You're putting on a brave face, but you're actually very weak inside. If you keep training like this, you'll collapse before the organization even arrives."

“I don’t have time,” Jiang Nian said.

"If you don't have time, you can't rush it." Yang Zhan took out a small notebook from his pocket and pushed it in front of Jiang Nian. "Take a look."

The paper is written in traditional Chinese characters with a brush, and the ink marks are quite old.

The handwriting is neat and strong, recording a set of breathing techniques and several prescriptions.

“This is an ancient prescription from my sect for treating internal injuries.” Yang Zhan pointed to one of the lines. “Your current condition is very similar to what is recorded here. Forcing the grain to grow will only backfire.”

Jiang Nian read it carefully.

The prescription was very complicated, and he had never even heard of some of the herbs.

"This medicine..."

“I’ve modified the prescription,” Yang Zhan said. “I added a few herbs that modern pharmacology has proven can promote cell regeneration, and removed two that were too toxic. This is the one Su Qing is decocting.”

"How long do you want to drink?"

"It depends." Yang Zhan put away his notebook. "It could take three days at the shortest, a week at the longest. We'll see after we finish drinking."

"A week is too long."

"So you want to lie in bed for a month?" Yang Zhan retorted, "or do you want to train until you vomit blood, and then have Old Qin stick tubes all over you?"

Jiang Nian remained silent.

“Jiang Nian,” Yang Zhan said in a lower voice, “I’m even more upset than you about Li Su. That kid has been with me for eight years; I trained him myself.”

The old instructor tapped his fingers lightly on his knee; this was the first time Jiang Nian had seen him do this.

"But revenge isn't about risking your life. It's about using your brain, preparation, and striking the most ruthless move at the most opportune moment." Yang Zhan looked at him. "In your current state, even if you were to go and settle scores with the organization right now, what percentage of your strength could you muster? Fifty percent? Thirty percent?"

Jiang Nian didn't say anything.

"I was just like you when I was young."

Yang Zhan stood up and walked to the window. "Master said I'm too impatient and try to learn quickly, which will cause problems sooner or later. I don't believe it. I think as long as I work hard enough, there's nothing I can't do."

He turned around: "And then? I forced my way through a barrier and almost went into a state of demonic possession. I was bedridden for three months, and half of my skills were gone. It took me two years to slowly recover."

"Only after that did I realize that practicing martial arts is not climbing a hill, but walking a tightrope. Too fast or too slow is not good; you have to be steady."

The ward fell silent.

In the distance, the whistle signaling the changing of the guard at the base could be faintly heard, short and clear.

After a long while, Jiang Nian finally spoke: "Instructor Yang, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Yang Zhan waved his hand. "I'm the instructor, and you're the trainee. It's my responsibility to teach you."

He glanced at the time: "The medicine still needs to be decocted for a while. In the meantime, I'll explain to you the key points of regulating the five internal organs."

For the next half hour, Yang Zhan explained in detail the characteristics and treatment methods of the five deep nodes.

It's not martial arts theory, but more like a combination of traditional Chinese medicine health preservation and internal energy cultivation.

"The liver stores blood and governs its free flow. You are correct in guiding energy into the liver meridian, but your technique is too rough."

Yang Zhan gestured, "Internal force should be gentle, like warm water, slowly seeping in. What was that you doing before? It was like spraying water in with a water gun, of course it hurt."

Jiang Nian recalled how he felt during training, and it was indeed the case.

“The spleen governs digestion and is the foundation of postnatal health. If there’s a problem here, no amount of tonics will help.” Yang Zhan pressed his abdomen. “So the next step is to regulate your spleen. Only when your spleen and stomach are healthy can you absorb the medicine more effectively.”

"What about the kidneys?"

“The kidneys are the foundation of innate essence, storing vital energy.” Yang Zhan paused. “Your marker nodes are rooted deepest in the kidneys, making them the most difficult to move. We’ll leave that for last, once the liver and spleen are regulated and the qi and blood are sufficient, then we can proceed slowly.”

Where is the heart? Where are the lungs?

"The heart governs the mind, and the lungs govern qi. These two points are currently relatively stable, but we cannot let our guard down," Yang Zhan said.

“Especially the heart, your marking system has been affecting this area. The abnormal brainwaves that Elder Qin detected may have originated from the heart.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Su Qing brought in a bowl of dark brown medicinal liquid, steaming hot, with a strong, pungent smell.

"It's ready." She placed the medicine bowl on the bedside table. "As you instructed, I boiled three bowls of water down to one bowl, and simmered it over low heat for forty minutes."

Yang Zhan picked up the bowl, blew on it to cool it down, smelled it, and then stirred it with a spoon.

"It's alright." He handed the bowl to Jiang Nian. "Drink it while it's hot. Down it in one gulp, don't stop."

The medicine was scalding hot, and a layer of oil glistened on its surface.

He took a deep breath and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

bitter.

An indescribable bitterness exploded on the tip of my tongue, instantly spreading throughout my mouth, and then burning down my esophagus.

Then came the spiciness, like swallowing a handful of chili peppers.

Finally, there's a lingering sweetness, a subtle sweetness mixed with a certain coolness, which barely suppresses the initial stimulation.

"Cough...cough cough!" Jiang Nian put down the bowl and coughed violently.

“Normal reaction.” Yang Zhan patted his back. “This medicine is strong; we need this force to clear the blockage.”

Su Qing quickly handed her some warm water. Jiang Nian took it and drank a big gulp before feeling a little better.

"How are you feeling?" Yang Zhan asked.

Jiang Nian closed her eyes and felt it.

The medicine burned like a fire in my stomach, but it quickly began to spread.

"For the next two hours, do nothing but sit and feel the effects of the medicine. Su Qing, record his physiological data, and notify me immediately if there are any abnormalities."

"Yes."

After Yang Zhan left, Jiang Nian sat quietly as instructed.

The medicine works slowly but steadily.

Two hours later, the effects of the medicine gradually wore off.

Su Qing's monitoring tablet emitted a notification sound.

"Teacher Jiang, your liver function indicators have improved!" She looked at the data in surprise.

"And the spleen?"

"We're still monitoring it, but the basal metabolic rate has improved significantly." Su Qing pulled up a chart. "Look at this curve, it's much more stable than before taking the medication."

Jiang Nian stretched her body. The fatigue was still there, but the deep-seated exhaustion had lessened considerably. More importantly, the mental anxiety had also subsided.

“This medicine…” he murmured.

"Instructor Yang said this is a fundamental cure," Su Qing said, putting away her tablet. "But it needs to be taken continuously. I have to drink it again tomorrow and the day after."

"understood."

Yang Zhan adjusted the training content for the afternoon session.

No guidance, no control, just breathing. "Follow my rhythm." Yang Zhan sat cross-legged opposite Jiang Nian. "Inhale, count to four silently; hold your breath, two seconds; exhale, six seconds. Again."

It's a very basic breathing technique that Jiang Nian learned when he first started practicing martial arts.

But this time, with the residual effects of the medicine, the results were completely different.

With each breath, the pulsation of the five internal organs becomes one step closer to the rhythm of breathing. It's not forced synchronization, but a natural adaptation.

"Can you feel it?" Yang Zhan asked with his eyes closed.

"Hmm." Jiang Nian also closed his eyes. "The nodes are adjusting themselves."

“That’s right,” Yang Zhan said. “What you need to do is not give orders, but create the environment. If the environment is right, they will know what to do on their own.”

The training continued until evening.

At the end, Jiang Nian was not drenched in sweat as usual, but instead felt refreshed.

“We’ll continue tomorrow.” Yang Zhan patted his clothes and stood up. “Keep taking your medicine and continuing your breathing exercises. We’ll test the results in three days.”

"test?"

“Yes.” Yang Zhan walked to the door, turned back to look at him, “Let’s see how long you can last under external signal interference.”

For the next three days, Jiang Nian lived a life that was so regular it was almost monotonous.

I get up at six in the morning, take my medicine, and sit quietly for two hours.

I practiced breathing with Yang Zhan in the morning and rested at noon.

In the afternoon, under the monitoring of Qin Lao's team, we attempted to gently guide the node energy.

I continued meditating in the evening and went to bed promptly at nine o'clock.

There was no high-intensity training, no life-or-death pressure, only day-to-day conditioning.

On the morning of the third day, Jiang Nian finished taking his medicine as usual and was about to sit in meditation when his communicator rang.

It's Bai Yongxu.

"Jiang Nian, come to the command center." Bai Yongxu's voice sounded very serious. "There's a situation."

The atmosphere in the command center was heavy.

Several satellite photos and data analysis charts were displayed on the large screen in a split format. Bai Yongxu, General Zhao, and Elder Qin were all present, as was Yang Zhan.

"There's new activity in the South China Sea." Bai Yongxu gestured to the operator to zoom in on the image.

In the photo, the drill bit of the drilling platform is fully extended and slowly rotating. The surrounding seawater is being churned into huge whirlpools.

"They've drilled to 1,800 meters," General Zhao said, pointing to the depth data. "A whole day faster than expected."

"And look here." Old Qin switched the screen, displaying a thermal image.

The seawater temperature around the drilling platform rose significantly, and the thermal radiation spread out in a radial pattern.

"What are they emitting?" Jiang Nian asked.

“High-temperature waste, it could also be…” Old Qin pulled up the spectral analysis, “a byproduct of the purification of marrow ore. The composition is very complex, but a large number of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes were detected.”

Bai Yongxu tapped the console: "This is even more troublesome."

He pulled up another set of photos. They were taken late last night, showing the entrance and exit of the South China Sea base.

"Between 2 and 4 a.m., at least twenty transport vehicles went in and out." Bai Yongxu circled several bright spots. "The vehicles that went in were equipment and personnel, and the ones that came out..."

The image zooms in. The hatch of one of the vehicles is open, and neatly stacked silver metal boxes can be vaguely seen inside.

“Marrow ore ingots,” Old Qin said confidently. “A preliminary product from mining. Judging from the frequency of transportation, their mining efficiency is very high.”

"What about our infiltration plan?" Jiang Nian asked Bai Yongxu.

"Still preparing." Bai Yongxu shook his head. "It takes time to forge the identity, and it also takes an opportunity to plant an inside agent. It will take at least another ten days."

"Ten days is too long." General Zhao frowned. "At this rate of mining, they may have already completed the first phase of extraction and started moving out in ten days."

“Then let’s do it ahead of schedule,” Jiang Nian said.

"How can you do it ahead of time?" Old Qin countered. "Without the proper identity, you can't even get into the outer perimeter of the base. Force your way in? Haven't you learned your lesson from last time?"

“It’s not about forcing our way in.” Jiang Nian looked at the transport vehicles on the screen. “They need to transport the ore ingots out, which requires a transport line. We don’t need to enter the base; we just need to operate on the transport line.”

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Intercept the goods?" Yang Zhan's eyes lit up.

“That’s right.” Jiang Nian walked to the nautical chart and pointed to several shipping routes from the South China Sea base to the high seas. “They won’t stockpile all the ore ingots at the base; they will definitely transport them to Guixu or other processing points in batches.”

He circled a few points: "These are the sea areas they must pass through. We can ambush them in advance, hijack a transport vehicle, disguise ourselves as their people, and sneak in."

“The risk is very high,” General Zhao said. “The transport vehicle will definitely be escorted, and the base will be on alert immediately if it loses contact.”

"So timing is crucial," Jiang Nian said. "Choose the time period when their transport is most frequent, and take advantage of the chaos during shift changes. After succeeding, use the fake signals we prepared to simulate normal navigation and buy time."

Bai Yongxu pondered, "How precise is the intelligence support we need?"

"The South China Sea Fleet's reconnaissance aircraft can monitor them 24 hours a day, which is possible," General Zhao said. "But we need to know their transport patterns, escort configurations, communication codes... all of which take time to collect."

"Three days," Jiang Nian said. "Give me three days to recover and gather intelligence. If conditions are right after three days, we will take action."

Bai Yongxu looked at Elder Qin and Yang Zhan: "What do you think?"

"How well will Jiang Nian recover in three days?" Old Qin asked Yang Zhan.

Yang Zhan thought for a moment: "At the current pace, the five internal organs should be initially stable in three days. But actual combat is another matter."

“Then let’s test it,” Bai Yongxu said. “Tomorrow, we’ll simulate a real combat environment and test Jiang Nian’s performance under interference. If he meets the standard, we’ll prepare according to his plan.”

"What if it doesn't meet the standard?"

“Then let’s keep waiting.” Bai Yongxu looked at Jiang Nian. “We can’t gamble with your life.”

Jiang Nian nodded: "Understood."

After the meeting, Jiang Nian was taken back to the training room by Yang Zhan.

"Did you hear me?" The old instructor closed the door. "The test is tomorrow. If you pass, you can go to the battlefield; if not, you'll have to keep taking your medicine."

What are the test contents?

"It simulates signal interference from a mothership, physical exertion, and unexpected situations," Yang Zhan said. "The specifics are confidential so you don't have to prepare in advance. I want to see the real reaction."

"When?"

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning." Yang Zhan glanced at the time. "There are still eighteen hours. Get a good rest tonight, take your medicine as usual, and don't think too much."

At six o'clock in the morning, Su Qing delivered the medicine on time.

"Teacher Jiang, how are you feeling today?" she asked while setting out the medicine bowl.

"It's alright." Jiang Nian sat up and stretched her shoulders. "I feel much lighter."

After several days of treatment, the persistent fatigue has been greatly reduced.

The pulsation of the five internal organs became gentle and regular, with no longer any signs of getting out of control.

He arrived at the training area.

The training room has been rearranged today.

In the center is a pressure chamber simulating an underwater environment, surrounded by various monitoring devices.

Qin Lao's team and medical group are already in place, and Yang Zhan is standing next to the pressure chamber wearing his training clothes.

"Ready?" Yang Zhan asked.

"Alright." Jiang Nian changed into his special training uniform and put on his monitoring bracelet. (End of Chapter)