Chapter Ninety-One: The Fiendish Training

The rain, as it turned out, lasted a long while; only after a full four days did the sky finally clear.

This also made Chu Yun realize the limits of reading the heavens.

On the first day, he had judged that it would rain for two more days.

Chu Wencai, however, had consulted the Jade Chest Chronicle and determined that it would last at least three.

And only on the second day, by continuing to watch the sky, could Chu Yun make a further judgment about how much longer the rain would fall.

Unlike the Jade Chest Chronicle, which could tell one several days in advance at a glance.

Besides, Chu Yun vaguely remembered that even before his transmigration, in the twenty-first century of highly advanced science and civilization, people could already observe and forecast the weather by satellite.

And yet, at times, even the weather forecast was not as accurate as the old almanac.

The weather predictions in that almanac came from the Jade Chest Chronicle.

Moreover, Chu Yun had heard various rumors about it.

Some said it had been compiled by many masters of divination working together.

Others said it was a sacred book from antiquity, existing as far back as the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou.

And that the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou precisely because he possessed this divine book, foretelling wind and rain and using the shifting weather to catch Chiyou off guard.

Later generations, however, had mythologized the Yellow Emperor and claimed that he had the aid of the wind god, the thunder god, and the rain god.

But it had to be said that foretelling wind and rain could play an extremely important role in military operations.

For that reason, Chu Yun took this book very seriously.

So after receiving the bamboo slips of the book from Chu Wencai, he carefully studied the sections on weather prediction and memorized them.

Perhaps the Jade Chest Chronicle was not very accurate in its forecasts of wind and rain, but to predict roughly was already excellent.

What was more, as a military doctor from the twenty-first century, Chu Yun could also use the changes in the sky to make his own predictions more precise.

With four days of rain, Chu Yun’s large party likewise remained stranded in Pingba Manor for four days.

But during those four days, Chu Yun did not merely read the Jade Chest Chronicle; he also kept busy, training the private force of sixty burly men under his command.

On the first day, the sixty men had not truly felt the power of the Herbal Compendium Fitness Exercise. Even though Chu Yun had already told them that these movements were far from ordinary, they still found it somewhat amusing, and they did not want Chu Yun to think poorly of them.

In addition, Chu Yun, in order to make their meals more balanced and to provide enough protein, had ordered special food for the sixty of them, adding meat to their rations, which only made them less willing to be eliminated.

So on the first day, they practiced fifty full times.

Fifty times!

What did that mean?

If one round took six minutes, that was three hundred minutes—five whole hours.

Thus the next day, their entire bodies were in excruciating pain, so sore they could not even crawl up from the ground.

Chu Yun had long anticipated that this would be their reaction, and he had the sixty black headbands that had been prepared the night before distributed to them.

Then he ordered the three village heads not to prepare breakfast for the moment, but to gather everyone together and surround the sixty men.

Chu Yun said, “If you still have not gotten up to train within ten breaths, then you are out. I will choose others to replace you, and this time I am not limiting the selection to men. Women are not inferior to men in any way, and I will choose women as well.

“If you do not want to lose the generous treatment of fifty copper coins a month and at least one meat meal a day, if you do not want to be replaced by women and have everyone think you are not even as good as a woman—

“then stop lying on the ground like helpless girls and refusing to get up for training.”

Hearing this, and seeing everyone staring at them, the sixty burly men knew that if they could not get up at once, they would become a laughingstock for life and never again be able to hold their heads high.

So they gritted their teeth and quickly struggled up, taking their places in yesterday’s training ground.

Chu Yun looked at them and smiled. “Now do you understand how formidable the Herbal Compendium Fitness Exercise really is?”

Everyone fell silent, clearly having deeply felt the power of those movements.

Chu Yun said again, “I know you are in pain, so this morning you do not need to do the Herbal Compendium Fitness Exercise.”

At those words, everyone brightened at once.

Some could not even help leaping up in excitement, only a shout of delight short of escaping their lips.

Who would have thought that Chu Yun would then say, “However, do not be too happy too soon. Though you do not need to do the Herbal Compendium Fitness Exercise, I am going to teach you a new set of movements.”

Someone could not help asking, “Lord Earl, this set of movements already seems terribly fierce. Could you teach us the new ones later?”

Chu Yun replied, “No. If you cannot endure it, then you may leave!”

The man looked at Chu Yun, then at the others, and finally fell silent.

Whoever left would be treated as a joke, and would also lose the generous treatment of being a guard.

Chu Yun said, “Since no one is leaving, then follow me and learn the new movements. The new exercise I am going to teach you may be painful while you are doing it, but once it is finished, I guarantee you will feel loose and relaxed, with not a single ache left in your body. In the afternoon, you can continue training in the Herbal Compendium Fitness Exercise. So, to be more precise, I am really treating you.”

At this, everyone immediately became interested.

They were all in too much pain and all hoped to be rid of it as soon as possible.

“Good,” Chu Yun said. “Now, all sixty of you: those in odd-numbered positions, step forward.”

At once, the sixty men split into two rows.

Chu Yun continued, “Those in front, lie down.”

The men in front immediately lay down.

Then Chu Yun looked at Bai Hao. “Lord Bai, come and lie in front of me to cooperate with me.”

Bai Hao gave a reply and lay down before him.

Chu Yun then sat on the ground, gently loosening Bai Hao’s muscles as he said, “The men in the back, massage the men in front just as I am doing. Make sure they feel comfortable; do not use too much force. After a quarter of an hour, switch places.”

They hurried to do as instructed.

While they worked, they kept saying how comfortable it was, and how, if they had known today’s training would be like this, they should have gotten up with enthusiasm just now.

Chu Yun, however, smiled wickedly. “Do not be happy too soon. The suffering comes later.”

Once the sixty burly men had finished massaging and relaxing one another, he taught them some simple stretching movements.

These were self-directed stretches, not assisted stretches, so the intensity was low and the movements simple.

But because yesterday’s training had been so grueling, their muscles were unbearably sore; even after the massage, the slightest stretch sent pain through them.

Thus the entire world was filled with their howls and cries.

The others from Chu Family Town had originally been envious of such favorable treatment, but hearing their screams, they instantly became much less so.