The morning air was crisp, with the scent of blooming lotuses in the back garden and crushed herbs.
Mo Han sweat glistened along his collarbones, dripping slowly down the curve of his spine. His hair was tied in a loose, messy knot, strands falling over his eyes as he moved.
"What sort of training looks so painful?" Bai Rong asked in a soft voice but Mo Han shrugged turning on his back, taking deep breaths.
His bones were hurting. But he wasn't stopping ? Why?
"The training of life." He replied, placing the back of his hand against his face, blocking the sunlight.
A second turned to a minute and Bai Rong just watched at the sidelines. She was biting to say something but just when she opened her mouth to speak, Mo Han jerked up.
[ Time Remaining: 15:25:48. ]
"Tch." He clicked his tongue and rolled his shoulders. "Alright lets get back to it. Before the system sends me to hell"
From the huge boulder at the side, Bai Rong sat silently, her chin resting in her palm as she observed him. Her robes neatly arranged, though her bright and curious eyes gave her away.
She told herself she was only here because she was somehow bound to him. That was all. But the more she stared at the way his muscles flexed and rippled beneath his sweat-drenched skin....
Maybe she is falling in love?
With that thought a blush crept up Bai Rong's cheeks, and she slapped her cheeks while fanning herself as if the whole place suddenly turned hot.
Mo Han on the other hand, placed his palm on the ground again and continued his conquest. This time once he reached his fiftiet rep, the sting began. His wounded meridian burned like fire inside him, causing pulses of pain.
He realized that the system wasn't bluffing when it said he had that kind of physique.
But still, he didn't stop. He gritted his teeth, and pushed through each set with a growl untill he hit a hundred.
He collapsed beneath him, and rolled onto his back, panting like a beast. Bai Rong was ready at his side, holding a cloth, but he waved her off.
He needed the sweat. On earth, he never took exercising seriously, but now that he had the chance to fix his constitution and have the body he never had on earth.
He wouldn't take it likely. Not that he has gotten used to the fact that he is now on this world. But because there was nothing he can do.
He can't return on his own.
"I'm not dead yet," he rasped, giving Bai Rong the answer she needed. But the next second, he flung himself into sit-ups without pause. The pain shot through his abdomen like knives, but he welcomed it.
For one to grow, one must be ready to accept pain.
Every breath was a curse, but he still had to breath. As the final sit-up was done, his face was pale, lips dry and cracked. He leaned over and spat blood to the sdie, rubbing at his neck with the back of his hand.
Bai Rong noticing this, rushed to his side, kneeling. "I think you should stop master, you are having severe internal wounds." her words sound sweet with worry.
Mo Han felt touched as she glanced at Bai Rong, even when he was on earth, only his grandmother had such worry-filled eyes, like she was going to cry. Doesn't she realize I used her to solve a mission yesterday?
"Rong'er, what happened to my personal maid that tends to me?" the question slipped out of his lips before he could even stop it.
"I killed her." she said, without holding back.
...
Mo Han stared at her. Well that was straight forward. He watched her thinking she would blink, but she stared back at him with equal intensity. Then something crossed his mind.
"You didn't eat her right?"
"No! I am a vegetarian!" She quickly refuted, leaning back with a glum look on her face. Mo Han sighed in relief. He didn't want to be looking for lunch and dinner for her.
...
Was he starting to thinking of her as his pet?
[Not necessarily a pet, more like your woman]
'She is a demon.' He shook his head, as he tossed the little fluff ball a glare. The thing shrugged and circled around Bai Rong again.
[The more you advance, the more women you need. Now tell me, don't you just love that idea? To be surrounded with women who has big boobs like little Rong'er here? Or even bigger.]
It gestured at Bai Rong's assest and Mo Han followed his gaze only for him to gulp and glance away with red stained cheeks. He wouldn't lie, that indeed was a juicy offer for him, that was why he accepted his fate immediately he was given the system.
He shook his head getting to the main point.
"But why exactly are you still here? What about your family?" He asked as if he didn't know her life situation. Blinking as if he was innocent. Bai Rong sat back on her hind-leg keeping silent and not responding.
Mo Han realized that it must be a touchy subject that is why she wasn't responding.
"If it's to hard for you to say it, then don't bother. I will protect you." He lied. He didn't even have the strength to protect himself, but Mo Han patted her head, giving her the comfort she deserved.
Bai Rong whipped her head up, staring wide eyes at Mo Han. No one had ever said that to her before, she was always the abandoned one, and now a human, a weak one much less was trying to comfort her. She scoffed, her eyes getting tears.
But she sniffed the tears back, because she had promised herself she won't cry.
But the tears burned, and Mo Han was patient with her. But he didn't wait with her to get her bearing and his squats came next. Each time he dropped into one, the pain surged again. But he clung to his balance like a man possessed.
"You will break something if you keep moving like that," Bai Rong muttered, chewing her bottom lip.
"I will die, if I stop now." And he was not exaggerating. He shot back between clenched teeth.
The clock was ticking on the screen, and everytime he looked at it. His fear that he didn't do much would come slamming into his mind. He was a strong fighter, his grandma would always praise him for being hardoworking so why stop now?
The run though began to blur his determination. It was much worse.
The moment he began sprinting around the estate, his vision blurred. The qi in his veins stirred violently, they were rampant because as he took it from his surroundings there was no way he could cultivate it and use it.
They were chaotic and wild.
His feet echoed the internal battle raging inside him. But he chanted how strong he was and would never give up. No matter what!
Bai Rong followed behind him. And finally at 10 kilometers, he vomited behind the kitchen. At 12, he was tripped and slammed into the ground, bruising his shoulder. But even as Bai Rong kept telling him to stop, he continued.
A/N: I am beginning to feel for him.
By the time he finished 15, his robes were soaked through the layers he wore. His legs were shaking like a bamboo, he fell to his knees and remained there, gulping down air as if it might vanish.
"I have seen dogs treated better than you treat yourself," Bai Rong said, trying not to sound as worried as she felt as she helped him wipe the sweat on his forehead.
Mo Han chuckled weakly, resting his palm against his thigh supporting his trembling legs. "Yeah, but have you ever seen a dog train against his fate? No? Then watch me."
Mo Han took only some time to rest, before he continued his conquest and finally after his meditation, a ding resounded and the system screen appeared before his eyes.
═══════════════════════
DAILY QUEST COMPLETED
Rewards:
Minor Strength Enhancement
+1 Strength
+1 Agility
+5% Qi Flow Increase
═══════════════════════
Mo Han exhaled, suddenly the world felt different. He felt lighter. Blinking and standing up, he could feel his body had become sharper. The ache in his bones was still there, but he still felt the pleasure.
"I feel like I just took the lid off a sealed jar," he muttered in joy and accomplishment.
[Enjoy it while it last.]
The little fluff ball said in spite.
Bai Rong thought of something and stepped forward, cleaning the sweat off his body. "Shall we try this?"
She stepped back, adjusting her sleeves, then demonstrating a rapid sequence of low strikes and footwork that her older brothers usually show her when she was a kind, it was elegant, deadly and sharp that the wind blew with each strike.
"Your body should be able to handle this now."
Mo Han nodded and copied the motions. At first, it was smooth because he was a fast learner but halfway through, a pain exploded in his chest and he stumbled coughing out a mouthful of blood.
Clutching his ribs, his breath hitched, knees buckled.
This was a huge problem he needed to solve.
[Your constitution is really bad.]
"Stop!" Bai Rong cried, catching him just before he collapsed. Her arms wrapped around his waist, her voice trembling with emotion.
"You are heavily wounded and exhausted, Master." She said. "Even if your body feels stronger, it's not something brute force can fix."
Mo Han gritted his teeth, curse this body of his. "Then what will?"
"There's... there's a physician. One who can fix your meridians with pills. He is an alchemist but he doesn't take in patients easily. He's hidden within the flower pavilion." The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Mo Han's eyes snapped open, his interest piqued. "Flower Pavilion? The brothel?"
She froze. Her face turning pale and her lips clamped shut.
"Sounds like someone I need to meet immediately."