Jiang Wan tried a few movements, and finding the vines and branches sturdy enough, she put them down and turned to Er Lang.
"Come on, Second Brother, I'm rooting for you."
Er Lang swallowed hard. "Wan Wan, what are we practicing now?"
Jiang Wan said, "Of course, we're practicing strength, and how to exert it correctly, using the least effort to resist the greatest attack."
"When you can lift these two stones with ease, it means you've mastered the technique of exerting force. At the same time, your strength will increase linearly."
Er Lang scratched his head, feeling he hadn't quite understood, but he also felt his little sister made sense.
He stepped forward to where Jiang Wan had been standing, grabbed a vine in each hand, and pulled with all his might.
"Ugh..."
Er Lang gritted his teeth, held his breath, veins bulging on his forehead and neck, his features contorted into a frightening grimace, his face turning red.
Finally, the two large stones were lifted.
Jiang Wan nodded. "Good, very good, keep it up."
The stones rose higher and higher, and Er Lang felt as if he were being pulled into the air by the two stones.
After a round of training, Er Lang was drenched in sweat, so tired he sat on the ground, panting.
Jiang Wan took out her water skin and handed it to him, then took out a small fan to fan him. "Second Brother, you're amazing. I thought you wouldn't be able to lift them. I didn't expect you to lift them, and so well."
Er Lang, who had felt completely drained, suddenly felt revitalized by Jiang Wan's praise.
"Again!"
Jiang Wan lavished him with more praise, which fueled Er Lang's enthusiasm. Like an old ox, he desperately practiced lifting the stones.
Yan Li and Gu Chen Zhou watched from the side, their mouths twitching.
Only when Er Lang was utterly exhausted did Yan Li step forward and ask, "Where did you learn these training methods?"
He had traveled the martial world for many years and had never seen anything like it.
But he had to admit, it was very effective. The stone formation was of great help to martial artists like them; with more practice, it could improve their defense and evasion agility.
Jiang Wan didn't even glance at them, pulling the exhausted Er Lang and heading down the mountain.
Yan Li frowned. This little girl had been so clingy just a few days ago, why was she suddenly so indifferent to them?
Er Lang, his legs trembling, was pulled along by Jiang Wan. "Wan Wan, they're actively talking to us, why aren't you responding?"
Would this really achieve their goal?
Jiang Wan chuckled. "Don't worry, Brother. Being too eager will only make people feel annoyed. The timing isn't right now; bringing it up would be pointless. When the time comes, this matter will naturally fall into place."
She was confident.
Er Lang's apprenticeship in martial arts was only a matter of time.
She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
That night.
The mountain forest was silent. Yan Li heard a cracking sound in his sleep and immediately woke up, leaping from his bed.
A roar from the next room made Yan Li's heart sink. He quickly rushed over.
In the darkness, the sound of objects hitting the floor continued. Yan Li immediately located the source and rushed forward, tightly embracing the frenzied Gu Chen Zhou.
But the afflicted Gu Chen Zhou was beyond control, struggling desperately to break free from Yan Li and smash himself against the wall.
Yan Li expertly grabbed a rope from a nearby cabinet and quickly tied Gu Chen Zhou up.
But Gu Chen Zhou struggled, trying to hit the wall.
Yan Li kept growling in his ear, "Calm down, Chen Zhou, wake up!"
However, Gu Chen Zhou was lost in his chaotic mental world, unable to hear anything. His inner anxiety and pain made him want to harm himself, to find release.
Unable to restrain Gu Chen Zhou, Yan Li had to find a way to gag him and, carrying him, hurried to Physician Jin's medical room.
Upon seeing Gu Chen Zhou, whose eyes were bloodshot with frenzy, Physician Jin's heart sank. He tried to take Gu Chen Zhou's pulse several times but failed.
"This is what you call an improvement? How does he look worse to me?"
Physician Jin, unable to get a handle on the situation, was becoming agitated.
Yan Li was also confused. "But the last time he had an episode, he calmed down very quickly."
Physician Jin scratched his white hair. "Tell me in detail about the last time he had an episode, leave out no detail."
Yan Li frowned. "The last episode was no different from previous ones. The only difference was the appearance of that little chubby girl."
"Wan Wan?"
"Yes. She barged in, sat on Chen Zhou, and made a fuss. Chen Zhou calmed down not long after. When I asked her afterward, she said she just said a few comforting words to Chen Zhou."
Yan Li still didn't quite believe Jiang Wan. "Every time Chen Zhou has an episode, I try to comfort him, and it has no effect. So, I don't think it has much to do with her; it should be that Chen Zhou's condition is improving."
Physician Jin also found it unlikely.
But given the current situation, whether it was possible or not, it was best to try.
"Go and bring that girl here."
Yan Li was somewhat shocked. "Elder Jin, this..."
"Go quickly. Whether it's useful or not, we have to try. Chen Zhou's condition is more severe than before; we must find the reason for the previous relief."
Yan Li agreed and plunged into the darkness.
However, when he reached the Jiang family and saw the little chubby girl standing in the courtyard, yawning and waving at him, he felt utterly bewildered.
"Why are you so late?"
Yan Li looked around. "Are you talking to me?"
Jiang Wan rolled her eyes. "Who else would I be talking to, a ghost? Uncle, aren't you looking for me?"
Yan Li's mind was slow to catch up. "How did you know?"
Jiang Wan smiled mysteriously. "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."
The situation was urgent, and Yan Li didn't have time for further questions. He said, "Are you willing to come with me?"
"Of course. Otherwise, why would I forgo sleep and get up? Let's go, don't waste time."
To avoid disturbing her family, she had deliberately used her abilities to make them sleep even more soundly.
Yan Li picked up the heavy little chubby girl and used his Qinggong to rush towards the medical room.
It was Jiang Wan's first time experiencing a human-shaped flying machine, and she was a little nervous. "Uncle, if your power isn't enough, will we fall from the sky?"
Yan Li: ...
Upon arriving at the medical room, Jiang Wan patted her chest, suppressing the churning sensation in her stomach, and gave Yan Li a poor review. "Uncle, your Qinggong needs improvement."
She felt carsick.
Physician Jin walked over and beckoned to her. "Little girl, come and help me with something."
Jiang Wan followed Physician Jin into the inner room and, as expected, saw Gu Chen Zhou struggling and thrashing on the bed.
"Wan Wan, can you help your Brother Chen calm down?"
Jiang Wan chuckled. "I can, but Uncle doesn't believe me. So, I don't want to get involved, lest I do thankless work."
Yan Li's mouth twitched. "Last time... it was my fault. I apologize to you."
Jiang Wan did not intend to make things difficult for him deliberately. "If you want my help? You can, but I have one condition."