Chapter 30: Miraculous Effects

Yang Qi most admired Zhou Mi’s execution ability. It was the biggest strength he had discovered in Zhou Mi so far, and it was incredibly important.

Shortly after drinking the medicinal liquid, whose taste defied description, Zhou Mi felt a reaction coursing through his body. It was strange, as if all his muscles were gently moving. Goosebumps covered his entire skin.

“Sit down, don’t move. It will be fine,” Yang Qi said, calming Zhou Mi considerably. Zhou Mi sat down on the bench, frozen stiff like a wooden chicken.

The initially revolting sensation of wriggling muscles soon transformed into waves of pleasurable feeling. Then, Zhou Mi felt a tingling and itching all over his body. But because Yang Qi had told him not to move, he forced himself not to scratch.

Gradually growing accustomed to the muscle movements, Zhou Mi felt much better. He even sensed a lingering sweetness in his mouth.

Zhou Mi’s reaction lasted for over half an hour, far exceeding the reaction time when Yang Qi had drunk a vial of the potion. It seemed this was related to physical constitution.

“It… it ended,” Zhou Mi said, swallowing nervously and reporting to Yang Qi as if afraid something had gone wrong.

“The reaction has stopped.” Hearing this, Yang Qi asked, “How do you feel now?”

“Great… really great! I feel full of strength,” Zhou Mi replied, waving his arm with surprise and excitement.

“Go for a run.”

Hearing Yang Qi’s words, Zhou Mi eagerly started running along the path. His speed was much faster than before. After completing one lap, he stopped in front of Yang Qi, looking utterly amazed.

“How is it?”

“Good! Very good! It feels great!”

“Now practice the Body Forging Technique I taught you. See how it goes.”

“Yes!” Zhou Mi began practicing the Body Forging Technique. His movements were much more coordinated than before and possessed an initial sense of grace. Each stance and movement showed a newfound liveliness, a benefit gained from enhanced strength and coordination.

After finishing a full set of the technique, Zhou Mi spoke up before Yang Qi could ask. “It feels much better than before. Parts I didn’t understand or couldn’t get right before just clicked suddenly. I can also sense the direction of my muscle movements more clearly.”

“Good. After getting back, find a human muscle chart yourself. Study the shape of each muscle carefully. That should help you better locate the points of force generation during muscle movement.”

“Yes!”

“Go back now. Get to sleep early tonight to let your muscles fully absorb the medicinal liquid. Tomorrow’s training… cultivation, will be more intense.” Yang Qi deliberately changed “training” to “cultivation,” showing his acknowledgment of Zhou Mi’s current state.

“Yes!” Zhou Mi nodded, bid farewell to Yang Qi, and headed back.

“A few more servings of the potion, and his strength, coordination, and reaction should be enough to reach the level of striking targets with stones. This Muscle Enhancement Potion has really been a huge help to me.” After Zhou Mi left, Yang Qi stayed to practice the Body Forging Technique himself once before finally going home.

Currently, Yang Qi’s [Body Secrets] Lv.2 cultivation progress was 7%, and [Psychokinesis] Lv.2 was 5%. The latter was significantly harder to cultivate than the former.

Back at the shop, it was almost time for the little ones to go to sleep.

“Yuyu, how about you listen to Brother Yang Qi tell the story last today?” Yang Qi said to one of the delicate girls. She nodded very obediently, propping her head on the pillow to watch Yang Qi get the other children to sleep.

For the children now, being lulled to sleep by Yang Qi every night had become routine. Not only did they wake up feeling well-rested and energetic the next day, but they also thoroughly enjoyed the stories he told. Even though they usually fell asleep after just a few sentences, they absolutely adored Brother Yang Qi, especially after he became smarter.

“Yuyu, what story should Brother Yang Qi tell you today?” After finally hypnotizing all the other children into sleep, Yang Qi walked over to the one remaining child and asked softly with a smile.

“Brother Yang Qi, Yuyu will love to hear anything you tell,” Yuyu responded sweetly.

Yuyu was an exceptionally pretty girl, especially when she smiled; her eyes curved like crescent moons. She was also the gentlest and most obedient of all the children. Not just to Yang Qi, but to everyone, Yuyu was like the little princess of the Courtyard. Yet, such a lovely little girl suffered from a strange illness – one eerily similar to severe myasthenia gravis.

She tired extremely easily; sometimes, even lifting her arm was difficult. The most heartbreaking part was that swallowing food had become a major problem. She could only consume porridge, and sometimes had to rely completely on liquid nutrition. Yuyu was also the only child in the big courtyard who couldn’t attend school normally, often needing help getting around.

Then Brother Yang Qi will tell Yuyu a story about dogtail grass today,” Yang Qi said, gently arranging Yuyu comfortably. “The legend goes that a long, long time ago, a little girl played in a vast field. Dogtail flowers grew everywhere. Overjoyed, she picked and picked, gathering many, and gradually wandered far off. Then, she got lost. She screamed and cried in fear, but it was too distant; no grown-ups could hear her.” “Her cries attracted wolves. A wolf grabbed the little girl and carried her into the forest. But it didn’t eat her. Because the wolf’s own cubs had been snatched away at birth by other animals, the wolf saw the girl as her own child instead…

When spring came around once more, the little girl stepped out of the forest. Suddenly, she began to run, because she saw dogtail flowers. So many dogtail flowers, stretching from the forest’s edge all the way into the distance. Swaying in the breeze, they seemed to wave and beckon to her: ‘Turn back, turn back, your parents longingly await your return!’ And so, following the path lined with swaying dogtail flowers, the little girl found her way home. That’s why dogtail flowers are also known as the ‘Grass of Return.'”

This time, Yang Qi completed the whole story for Yuyu. Smiling, he asked, “Yuyu, what do you think this story tells us?”

“Hmm?” Yuyu blinked her beautiful eyes thoughtfully and said earnestly, “This story tells us that little children shouldn’t go out to play carelessly. Also, that there are still more good people than bad in the world. Even amongst big bad wolves, there can be good ones.” Her voice softened slightly. “It’s like… even though my parents abandoned me, Granny took me in.” Realizing how it might sound, she immediately stuck out her tongue, looking timid. “Yuyu doesn’t mean to say Granny is a big bad wolf!”

Seeing this, Yang Qi’s face filled with affection. This little one was both incredibly cute and bright.

Gently ruffling her hair, he smiled and asked, “Since Yuyu is so clever, what do you think is the first thing the little girl did when she got back home?”

“She must have hugged her mommy and daddy and cried,” Yuyu replied, her eyes momentarily glazing over with a touch of longing and sadness behind her smile.

Yang Qi’s heart ached seeing that flicker. He smiled softly and nodded. “Yes, she cried and cried… until she cried herself right to sleep.” As he said these comforting words, Yang Qi subtly wove in Hypnosis. He didn’t send Yuyu into deep sleep yet, keeping her awake but in a soft, drowsy state.

“Be a good girl now, Yuyu. Drink this medicine,” Yang Qi said, producing a prepared vial. It contained the Muscle Enhancement Potion, but significantly diluted – maybe only one-tenth the usual strength.

Yang Qi carefully helped Yuyu drink the entire vial. Soon, the medicinal effects took hold. Yuyu began to stir slightly, unconsciously reaching to scratch, most likely feeling some tingling or itchiness. Seeing this, Yang Qi used Hypnosis to gently restrain her urge to scratch, preventing her delicate skin from damage.

Once the reaction subsided, Yang Qi lightly pressed a hand against the little girl’s arm. He could distinctly feel the slight firming of her muscles beneath his touch. Relieved, he then used Hypnosis to gently guide Yuyu into a peaceful, deep sleep.

No notification chimed in his mind about completing the task of “curing illnesses among the Courtyard children.” It seemed this diluted dose of potion hadn’t cured Yuyu’s condition completely. It would require a few more treatments. For the first time, Yang Qi wasn’t preoccupied about the task completion. In his heart, the mere ability to treat the children’s illnesses felt like the greatest gift the Superpower List had given him.

Returning to his own room in the bookstore, tucking himself into bed, Yang Qi felt this day had been profoundly fulfilling and satisfying.

However, some people and things had a knack for disrupting the mood. Such as Lu Liangjie. This guy wasn’t asleep yet, having instead sent Yang Qi a long string of messages.

The gist was this: He’d fallen for a new Goddess at his new school. Things were surprisingly smooth; he’d “gotten somewhere” in just a few days. He was now tantalizingly close to ending his over-a-decade-long reliance on his own hand. He raved about how “open and nice” Shanghai girls were, though he admitted this Goddess was pretty wild. Her most striking feature was an intense love for classical poetry. She’d just sent him a cryptic message: “The flower path has known no sweeper since guests left; only this gentleman sees my gates swing open.” The underachiever Lu Liangjie humbly asked Yang Qi what it meant.

Reading the line of poetry, Yang Qi couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe – truly formidable.

“‘Flower path’ and ‘gates’ could metaphorically refer to her… or her place down there. ‘Guest’ and ‘gentleman’ obviously refer to you… or your downstairs equipment,” Yang Qi typed back meticulously. “If you still don’t understand what ‘sweeper’ and ‘open’ imply after this, then you really deserve to go F yourself!” After tapping send, he silently marveled at such audacity. Was this Goddess really claiming “has known no sweeper” and “only this gentleman opens”? Ah well, let him be. With a lover, indulge in joyful things; question not if it’s fate or doom!

Soon, the phone buzzed again: “F! That last word explained everything! But… how do I even reply to something like this?!”

Yang Qi thought for a moment, typed out a reply, sent it, and then tossed his phone across the room, as if wanting it out of sight.

“Drive my long chariot, to crush each gap through Mount Helan till its peak!”

…

The next day, at the park.

“How do you feel today?” Yang Qi asked Zhou Mi.

“It feels like my strength has increased a lot, my speed too, everything just seems easier to handle,” Zhou Mi reported truthfully.

“Let’s run a test then.”

Yang Qi conducted a series of tests. The results came quickly: Zhou Mi’s endurance now rivaled that of a high school cross-country running team member. His explosive power matched that of a sprinter. His reaction time, coordination, and overall strength all surpassed the level of a typical high school athlete.

After the testing, both lads immersed themselves in cultivation. Yang Qi wasn’t in a rush; Zhou Mi remained calm too, mirroring his mentor’s composure.

“Young fellows, that martial art you’re practicing looks rather unique.”

Finally, one of the elderly gentlemen who had been observing Yang Qi and Zhou Mi for several days ambled over, his curiosity no longer containable. This old man stood remarkably straight, his gaze sharp and focused, unlike most his age.