Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

He lay sprawled outside the bathroom, his eyes bloodshot, his hands frantically scratching at the bathroom door, like a demon from a third-rate horror movie. Due to immense pressure somewhere, his legs were bent into an extremely exaggerated outward stance—so exaggerated that it was almost like he was sitting like a duck.

"Ying Qin Pass..." Nefertari spoke, his voice hoarse, carrying a terrifying sense of suppression, "Throughout my life, I've always been strong-willed and have never asked anyone for a favor..."

Inside the restroom, Ying Qin Guan remained calm and composed, saying, "Ah, remarkable."

The Nephalem said in a hoarse voice, "I'm telling you this not to prove myself, but to let you know... I can't hold on any longer, come out quickly..."

The last sentence, "Hurry up and come out," should have ended with an exclamation mark. But the Nephalem couldn't exert any effort at the moment, and the final tone sounded like someone constipated... Of course, in reality, it was the exact opposite; he could now relieve himself swiftly.

Ying Qin Guan asked in confusion, "Are you begging me?"

"..yes."

"Such a request is really difficult to make," Ying Qin Guan sighed. "I'm in the bathroom myself too."

"It's been...so long, and you're still not done?!" As they talked, the Nephalem's pigeons turned out even more exaggeratedly, but fortunately, no one saw it except himself.

"Of course it's not better..." Ying Qin Guan paused, then said in a tone that suggested, "Isn't the sidewalk quite spacious?" "But why are you so fixated on this? This is a hospital; there are toilets everywhere. Why don't you just go out and find one?"

"You...!" Nephalem wanted to curse, but halfway through his sentence, he felt a terrible churning in his stomach, which forced him to calm down. "Don't joke around... I'll vomit if I take another step now. How am I supposed to go up or down the stairs to find a toilet? Besides, there's a corridor outside. If I can't hold it in there, my life is over, in every sense of the word!"

"That being said..." Ying Qin Guan said in a deep voice, "Do you know, Nephalem, in the two years since I came to the Seven Luminaries, I have learned a lot of new knowledge. For example, wine. Some wines have a strong initial effect, while others have a strong aftereffect. If we compare food to wine, you should be able to feel that Ahe's soup has a strong initial effect. But there are some things that you can't feel. Only I, sitting on this toilet, can understand them."

The Nephalem was going to Bengbu, and whispered with heart-wrenching pain, "What?"

Ying Qin Guan sighed softly, "This soup has a strong aftereffect."

"..?"

Nephalem's expression froze.

Ying Qin Guan continued, "You might think I'm joking, but you're wrong. I'm in a bind now. I don't know what my stomach will do when I get off the toilet. Anything is possible. I can't leave the toilet; it's my source of peace of mind. So, don't count on me... I said that from the beginning."

Nephalem's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled a few times, and he couldn't utter a word.

Ying Qin Guan spoke again, his tone profound, like a prophet in a game or movie who guides the protagonist.

"Now, I'll say it again."

His voice suddenly rang out, like a ray of light shining down.

"You have no choice. No one in this world can save you except yourself! The nearest restroom is on three floors; you can go up or down, there are forty-two steps in total. Of course, you can also gamble on the elevator; your fate is in your own hands!"

It's on fire!

Bullshit!

It's not that it's ignited, it's that it's about to burst! I just want to take a dump, what's the point of telling me such inspiring lines?! It's like an unburnt substance, even harder to ignite than Boruto!

Nephalem's face turned pale, and he didn't speak again. He realized that Ying Qin Guan was unreliable.

A small stack of papers, enveloped by Ying Qin Guan's inner energy, was pushed out through the crack in the door, and his voice continued to ring out.

"This is a 'trial,' I believe. It's a trial of confronting and overcoming one's own body. A martial artist can only grow by conquering their own body. You think so too, Nephalem... But not everyone can win this trial. So... take this. If the most critical moment truly comes, it will be your last solace."

Nephalem remained silent and picked up the roll of paper.

Then, he slowly turned around and walked out the door with his feet turned outwards.

Three floors, forty-two steps...

With a resolute expression, the Nephalem took the first step.

Indeed, just as Ying Qin Guan said, this was a battle—

Suddenly, the door opened, and Miss Yin, carrying a fruit basket, pushed it open, saying, "Boss, I've come to see—"

Then, she looked down and saw Nephalem who was usually a head taller than her, but now he was leaning against the wall, covered in sweat, and walking with his toes pointing outwards.

Miss Yin's expression changed from normal to puzzled, then from puzzled to bewildered. Then, she saw the closed bathroom door, the paper in Nephalem's hand, and his ridiculously outward-pointing gait.

Her expression turned to terror. She threw down the fruit basket in her hand, shouted, "I didn't see anything," and ran away in a flash, looking as if she had caught her boss cheating on her lover.

"Pfft-"

Laughter from a despicable person echoed from inside the bathroom.

With tears in his eyes, Nephalem leaned against the wall, walking with his toes pointing outwards, step by step toward his destination, his back view lonely and desolate.

This is... a trial!

Chapter Eight: Ying Qin Pass, Drink Up!

Splash...

The sound of flushing water rang out one after another.

"He's alive..."

Ying Qin Guan walked out of the bathroom, looking somewhat exhausted.

Although he also harbored thoughts of toying with the Nephalem, he was telling the truth. Ah He's poison skills had improved recently, reaching a level that was difficult to resist. Not only did the effects come on quickly, but the aftereffects were also incredibly powerful. If Ying Qin Guan hadn't keenly sensed that something was wrong with this thing, it's hard to say who would have ended up in the bathroom.

"I wonder how the Nephalem are doing."

After confirming his safety, Ying Qin had this thought in mind. After all... if he couldn't restrain himself here, he would lose his humanity in every sense.

He clasped his hands together and offered a brief prayer.

"I hope everyone is alright."

Afterwards, Ying Qin Guan returned to his hospital bed, enjoying a brief moment of peace. But soon, the knocking on the door sounded again... Ying Qin Guan guessed that the day might not be over yet. So his reaction was relatively calm, even relieved that the visitor had come at the right time; if it had been any earlier, it would have been terrible... Imagine, a guest arrives, and both he and the Nephalem are on the verge of collapse. But he couldn't just ignore it and rush straight to the bathroom, so he began to scheme and plot, trying to find a way to get a chance to use the restroom...

Simultaneously facing both mental and psychological pressure, she worried about not being able to hold back and thus failing as a human being, while also fearing that the other person would preemptively occupy the bathroom. And then, failing as a human being became a truly hellish scenario.

Fortunately, my reaction was surprisingly good.

Thinking this to himself, Ying Qin finally spoke and asked, "Who?"

Generally speaking, when faced with such a question, most people would answer "It's me," thinking that the other party should be able to tell something from the voice. Recently, similar phone scams have emerged as a result. However, this trick usually doesn't work well when meeting in person, as people can generally recognize each other.

But this time, when Ying Qin Guan asked the question, the response from outside the door was not "Me, me," but an indifferent voice repeating its own name.

"Mu Nandong."

Another voice followed closely behind.

"And me..."

After uttering that classic line, the voice realized what it was doing and added its own name.

“Jing Zhe”.

Ying Qin Guan said, "Please come in."

The two people pushed open the door and walked in; it was Mu Nandong and the gray-haired man.

"That's quite rare," Ying Qin Guan said first, "How did you all manage to get together like this?"

"Spare me," the gray-haired man said. "We just bumped into each other on the road..."

As he spoke, he put down the fruit gift box in his hand, "It seems that quite a few people have already come to see you."

Ying Qin Guan turned his head and saw many fruits laid out on the ground, left behind by those who had come before. If only they had left these.

Why do I say that? Because Ying Qin saw it.

Mu Nandong was also carrying a food box in his hand!

He should have expected it... The students of the Imperial Academy had a somewhat idealized impression of Mu Nandong. But in reality, Mu Nandong would basically do whatever he was supposed to do, as long as it wasn't for pleasure. Ying Qin Guan had a good relationship with him, and since he was hospitalized, he would naturally come to visit. As for Mu Nandong's cooking skills... if anyone in the Imperial Academy could surpass him in cooking, it would probably only be Ye Qu... Ying Qin Guan guessed that Ye Qu's cooking skills were better. After all, Mu Nandong didn't seem like the type to delve into that kind of cooking.

"What a surprise." Mu Nandong said indifferently, putting down the food box in his hand. "With your strength, you actually ended up injured and hospitalized?"

Ying Qin Guan always felt that Mu Nan Dong's words had a hidden meaning, but at this time he was no longer in the same state as when he first came to Qi Yao. He also had a certain understanding of Mu Nan Dong's identity and status in Qi Yao, so it was obviously impossible for him to know his identity.

He responded, "Who in the world can avoid defeat? There are only two possible outcomes for a person: defeat or death."

The gray-haired man on the side looked shocked, seemingly not expecting Ying Qin Guan to say such a thing. Mu Nan Dong, on the other hand, remained calm, nodded, and said, "Eternity will make all impossible events inevitable. Immortality is eternity, so defeat is naturally inevitable."

Mu Nandong has strong logical thinking skills and can always easily understand all kinds of difficult words. He even explained Ying Qin Guan's seemingly inexplicable words with his logic.

It's either defeat or death.

"Is this another way of explaining it..." The gray-haired man stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, he looked around with a strange expression—only then did he realize that Nephalem was not in the ward.

"Where are the Nephalem?"

Faced with the question posed by the gray-haired man, Ying Qin Guan revealed a profound expression. He interlaced his fingers and said in a low voice, "In this world, as a man, there are some difficulties that can only be overcome by oneself."

"...?" The gray-haired man looked at Mu Nandong and said, "Forgive my ignorance, but what is he talking about?"

"Who knows?" Mu Nandong answered calmly and readily, indicating that he didn't know either—it would be a miracle if he did.

Then, Mu Nandong opened the food box, and a familiar aroma wafted out. Yes, it was still that same taste... closest to Nocturne. His estimation was correct; Mu Nandong's culinary skills were second only to Nocturne, and even surpassed Shen Xin's.

"Most soups actually have little nutritional value; it's just a matter of preconceived notions." Mu Nandong, oblivious to Ying Qin Guan's increasingly ashen face behind him, continued, "But the Jade Dried Jujube Soup is an exception. From ancient times to the present, it has always been a highly nourishing food for martial artists. The idea that it can bring people back to life and heal flesh is a myth. But it is certainly good for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, nourishing yin and yang."

He turned around and handed over the soup. In that instant, Ying Qin Guan used his lightning-fast face-changing ability to return to his normal appearance and naturally accepted the soup.

Mu Nandong's cooking is naturally flawless, but as everyone knows, you shouldn't compare your fighting strength to that of characters from a comedy anime. Ahe's soup is exactly the kind of thing that has "the fighting strength of a comedy anime," and it still dominates Ying Qin Guan's stomach to this day. So much so that the moment Ying Qin Guan saw this bowl of soup, he felt a spasm in his stomach.

Just as Ying Qin Guan was trying to find a topic to talk about and put the soup aside for the time being, heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside... The three of them subconsciously looked over.

Amidst the swirling aura of darkness, Nephalem, leaning against the wall, walked step by step like a triumphant general. Anyone who saw his gait would understand that he had triumphed over himself in that "trial"!

Nephalem still had some cold sweat on his face. He leaned against the door with one hand, bent over, and was breathing heavily. His tone was like that of a demon from the abyss.

"They've come to see you. The soup won't taste good if it gets cold. What more are you saying? Drinking it first is the proper etiquette for a host, isn't it?"

Nephalem curled the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he had returned from the eighteenth level of hell.

"Ying Qin Guan, drink up."

Chapter Nine: Why Not Think About It Yourself?

The Nephalem, a spy of the Seven Stars, a legendary figure with numerous buffs, who retired at the young age of twenty.

He possesses a wide range of skills and formidable strength—but of course, these are not the focus at this moment.

The key point is that this man named Nephalem possesses an incredibly strong will—and an incredibly strong sphincter.

When he was first poisoned by Ahe, he relied on his godlike will and immense courage to stand up and go to the cubicle to get some paper, even though there was none. If it weren't for Fengyunke's intrusion, Ying Qin Guan would have been killed by him.

Now, having been poisoned by Ah He for the second time, Ying Qin Guan, relying on his martial arts skills, sensed the warnings his body was sending first. He occupied the restroom, facing the ultimate trial of the Nephalem—a 42-step staircase across three floors... Moreover, as he left, he was given a chance encounter with a beautiful female subordinate as a psychological blow.