The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

On the other side, Lu Changfeng squatted by a tea stall at the entrance of a small alley in the south of the city, holding a bowl of cold tea in his hand, but his eyes were inadvertently scanning the half-closed wooden door at the end of the alley.

He received the message from the palace an hour ago; the message was very simple.

Go to Yuanhua Hall in the west of the city to find Hua Tuo and get a set of Five Animal Exercises.

Go to Qianjin Pharmacy in the North City to find Sun Simiao and get a prescription.

The signature was that familiar secret mark.

He put down his teacup, pulled his tattered straw hat down a bit, and got up to walk towards the west side of the city.

Yuanhua Hall has a small storefront, consisting of two combined storefronts. An old wooden plaque hangs at the entrance with the three characters "Yuanhua Hall" written on it.

Before even entering, Lu Changfeng heard a booming voice from inside: "How many times have I told you? No new flesh grows unless the rotten flesh is removed! If you delay this leg for another two days, even a god couldn't save it!"

He lifted the curtain and went inside, where he saw a doctor in his mid-forties lecturing a distressed patient, his voice so loud it could lift the roof off.

The doctor had half his arm bare, with his sleeve rolled up above his elbow, revealing a thick, powerful forearm with a fresh splatter of blood on it.

This image is quite different from the famous doctor that Lu Changfeng had imagined.

He's more like the foreman of those dockworkers.

He waited until the patient left, expressing his profuse thanks, before taking off his straw hat, stepping forward, and bowing respectfully: "Dr. Hua?"

Hua Tuo was wiping his hands with a cloth when he looked up and sized him up.

Lu Changfeng was dressed in a coarse cloth short brown outfit, with a gray cloth belt around his waist and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes with thin soles. He looked like a laborer who made a living on the streets.

But Hua Tuo's gaze lingered for a moment on his calloused hands.

Those are hands used for martial arts practice, not hands used for carrying bags.

"That's me." Hua Tuo draped a cloth over his shoulder. "Seeing you for treatment?"

"I'm not going to see a doctor." Lu Changfeng took out a letter from his pocket. There was no signature on the envelope, only a very small stamp on the seal.

Hua Tuo took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, then looked up and re-examined the burly man before him, his tone softening slightly: "Chief Lu, please come in."

The two walked through the clinic and into the backyard, where several old locust trees stood, with a water vat and a few bamboo chairs under their shade.

Lu Changfeng got straight to the point: "Doctor Hua, His Highness sent me to fetch two things: the Five Animal Frolics exercise manual and a new prescription developed by Doctor Sun Simiao."

"The Five Animal Frolics exercise is with you, but the prescription is with Doctor Sun."

Hua Tuo walked to the center of the courtyard and stood still. He did not take any weapons, but slowly began to perform a set of movements.

Tiger, deer, bear, monkey, bird—the Five Animal Frolics—are performed in a fluid and graceful manner.

But Lu Changfeng saw it all clearly from the side.

With each movement Hua Tuo made, the blue bricks beneath his feet would sink slightly.

The body's Qi and blood circulate throughout the body, from the dantian to the limbs and bones, and then back to the dantian, endlessly repeating the cycle.

After completing a set of Five Animal Frolics, Hua Tuo stood up, slowly pressing his palms down to sink his qi and blood into his dantian.

"The Five Animal Frolics consist of five forms: tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird. Each form has six movements, for a total of thirty movements."

"The tiger form emphasizes muscles and bones, the deer form emphasizes flexibility, the bear form emphasizes strength, the ape form emphasizes agility, and the bird form emphasizes balance."

"This technique is a good set of boxing skills when practiced alone, but its real purpose is to be integrated into daily life. Once you reach a certain level, you can practice it while sitting, lying down, or walking."

He walked to the stone table, picked up a thin booklet, and handed it to Lu Changfeng. "This is a diagram. The text of the cultivation method is all in it. Memorize it within half a month and then return it to me."

"Your Highness's foundation is still shallow. Begin by practicing the Bear Form and the Bird Form. The Bear Form will solidify your foundation, while the Bird Form will regulate your breathing and nourish your energy. Once you have mastered these two forms, you can then practice the Tiger Form and the Ape Form."

Lu Changfeng took the booklet with both hands and flipped through a few pages. The diagrams on it were simple yet extremely precise, with each movement marked with the breathing rhythm and the route of blood circulation.

He wrapped the booklet in oiled paper and then asked about Sun Simiao's prescription.

Hua Tuo wiped the sweat from his face and said that Sun Simiao was at Qianjin Pharmacy and told him to go there directly. He had recently developed a new prescription to improve blood and qi, which was originally intended to be sent to the palace.

In the backyard of the Qianjin Pharmacy in Beicheng, Sun Simiao was squatting in the herb garden, adding soil to a newly transplanted astragalus plant.

Led by the medicine boy, Lu Changfeng passed through the front hall and arrived at the backyard, where he was greeted by a garden full of flowers and plants.

A row of ceramic pots lined the wall, several medicinal herb gardens were in the corner, and half a basket of herbs was laid out to dry on a stone table in the center of the courtyard.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair was squatting with his back to him by the herb garden, carefully loosening the soil around a herb with a small shovel, his movements as gentle as if he were stroking a baby's cheek.

Lu Changfeng stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and introduced himself: "Doctor Sun, I am Lu Changfeng, and I have come here on His Highness's orders."

"We have obtained Doctor Hua's Five Animal Exercises. Your Highness would also like to request Doctor Sun's newly developed prescription for improving blood and qi."

Sun Simiao stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and turned to look at Lu Changfeng.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the old scars on his face, then he nodded slightly.

He turned around, walked to the stone table, picked up a prescription covered in writing, and asked him how long he had been stuck in this realm.

Lu Changfeng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained that it wasn't for his use, but for His Highness.

Sun Simiao shook his head, saying that His Highness had asked him to come and collect the prescription in person, meaning that he should also receive a copy of the prescription.

His Highness means that Lu Changfeng has been stuck at the fifth rank for too long and it's time for him to break through.

Lu Changfeng's fingers trembled slightly as he took the prescription.

The list of more than a dozen medicinal herbs was written in neat, tiny characters.

Astragalus, Angelica sinensis, Codonopsis pilosula, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Rehmannia glutinosa, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Cinnamomum cassia, Lycium barbarum, Eucommia ulmoides.

Each ingredient is labeled with its dosage and preparation method, and at the bottom there is a line of small print: "For martial arts practitioners, circulating the qi and blood three times after taking the medicine can triple its efficacy."

The signature reads "Sun Simiao".

Sun Simiao calmly sat back down on the stone bench, copied the prescription again and left it on his desk, before slowly speaking: "This prescription is called 'Shaoyang Peiyuan Decoction'. Martial arts cultivation, to put it simply, is about constantly using qi and blood to cleanse the meridians and temper the muscles and bones."

"Insufficient Qi and blood will lead to a lack of follow-up strength during the breakthrough, an unstable foundation, and a superficial realm after the breakthrough."

"This medicine can solidify your foundation and make your breakthrough less painful. Your Highness has good martial arts talent, but you have been stuck at the peak of the second rank without breaking through. It should not be due to insufficient blood and qi, but rather because you are deliberately suppressing it."

"Great things come from small beginnings; the deeper the foundation, the more powerful the breakthrough. Your Highness is patient, but sometimes suppressing things for too long can be harmful."

"This medicine should be taken every other day after it is prepared. After taking it, you should immediately circulate your Qi and blood for three cycles so that the medicine can be fully absorbed."

Lu Changfeng carefully put the two prescriptions away from his body, then solemnly clasped his hands in farewell.

Sun Simiao did not get up to see him off, but instead squatted back down by the herb garden, picked up the small shovel, and continued to mound soil around the astragalus plant.

He casually added, "Tell Your Highness that this medicine should be taken twice a day, morning and evening, half an hour after meals. During the course of taking the medicine, avoid raw, cold, and spicy foods, as well as staying up late and overworking yourself."

As he spoke, he flicked the leaves of the astragalus plant, as if he had just remembered something, "In addition, Your Highness would be even more effective if you could combine the Five Animal Frolics with the prescription."

"The Five Animal Frolics strengthens the muscles and bones, while the Shaoyang Nourishing Decoction boosts Qi and blood; the combination of movement and stillness complements each other perfectly."

Lu Changfeng memorized every word of those words and then solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

He turned and strode out of Qianjin Pharmacy, his straw hat pulled low, the weight of the two items wrapped in oil paper in his sleeve clinging heavily to his arm.

Instead of taking the main road, he skillfully turned into the alley, passed through several narrow lanes where even sunlight couldn't penetrate, and finally slipped into Wang Mazi's pancake shop through the back door.

Half an hour later, a gray sparrow took flight from the backyard of the pancake shop.

A thin copper tube, as thin as a hair, was tied to his leg. It passed through layers of palace walls and finally landed on the windowsill of the Ninth Prince's side hall.

Zhou Xing was sitting by the window practicing calligraphy.

Hearing the flapping of wings, he looked up and saw the familiar little gray bird. A slight smile curved his lips.

He put down his pen, caught the sparrow in his hand, took the copper tube off its leg, unscrewed the seal, and pulled out two paper strips as thin as cicada wings.

The first image is the general outline of the Five Animal Frolics.

"The tiger form emphasizes muscles and bones, the deer form emphasizes flexibility, the bear form emphasizes strength, the ape form emphasizes agility, and the bird form emphasizes balance."

A line of small print was attached: "The bear form solidifies the foundation, while the bird form regulates breathing and nourishes the vital energy. It is recommended that Your Highness begin with these two forms."

The other prescription was from Sun Simiao, called "Shaoyang Peiyuan Decoction," and below it was a note written specifically for him.

He read the contents of the two slips of paper three times, then lit them over the candle flame, watching them turn to ashes and fall into the copper plate.

As night deepened outside the window, the leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the night breeze.

He stood up and walked to the open space in the center of the side hall, closed his eyes, and mentally reviewed the first form of the Bear Form of the Five Animal Frolics.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, lower your center of gravity, and hold your hands as if holding a ball. Slowly breathe in and out, feeling the vortex of energy circulating in your lower abdomen.

He stood in that position for a long time, until a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead and his legs trembled slightly.

That feeling is hard to describe.

It didn't feel like practicing martial arts; it felt more like something was being slowly awakened from the depths of one's bones.

He finished his practice, sat down on the meditation cushion, and exhaled a long breath.

He could clearly feel that the Five Animal Frolics' effect on tempering qi and blood was much stronger than that of the "Qi Nourishing Technique".

Just from standing in the first stance of the Bear Form, the Qi vortex in my Dantian became several times more active than usual.

He looked up and gazed out the window.

Lu Changfeng has already distributed the Five Animal Frolics to the core members of the Beggars' Sect. Those disciples of the third rank and above will soon be able to complete a new round of breakthroughs under the tempering of the Five Animal Frolics.

And he needs to quicken his pace.

He opened the self-made booklet, added the words "Five Animal Frolics" to the "Exercises" column, and wrote "Shaoyang Peiyuan Decoction, one dose every other day" in the "Medicines" column.

As he put down his pen, his gaze lingered on the line "Current Realm" for a moment: "Peak of Second Grade."

Then he picked up a pen and added four words next to it: "Breakthrough imminent."