At dawn, with the first rays of the sun, Zhang Min woke up. The girls, however, were already awake. They had hauled water from the well, stoked the hearth, and even managed to cook breakfast. Stepping into the yard, Zhang Min stretched and went through a light warm-up. The two little monkeys copied his every move with wide grins.

  After a quick bite, the three of them set out for a run, carrying their lunch along. In his absence, Xue and Mingzhu had stubbornly kept up their training without missing a single day. A month of effort made them noticeably stronger, and now their little legs had no trouble keeping pace with him.

  “You’ve been running while I was away! Good job!” he praised.

  “Mm-hm,” nodded the serious Xue.

  “Yes!” Mingzhu beamed, glowing with happiness.

  The money should last four or five weeks, Zhang Min calculated on the run. Longer, if I keep selling soap. Pity no one trusts goods from the slums. They only buy it for washing clothes. What a stiff, ossified world!

  At an easy jog, father and daughters passed by surprised townsfolk along the wide road before veering off toward a scenic riverbank. They paused to catch their breath, taking in the view: water glittered in the morning sun, fish splashed, and bees buzzed past on their busy errands. After a short rest, they began training.

  Most of their practice followed the method from the old scroll, though Zhang Min added a few strength exercises from his own world.

  Eager for his approval, Xue and Mingzhu put all their effort into the sequences of movements that resembled a martial dance. Tiny noses glistened with sweat that flew off in sparkling droplets when they turned sharply. Their damp hair clung to their foreheads, yet they smiled through it all. Thanks to their persistence, within a month they were nearly perfect in executing the full set.

  “Amazing!” Zhang Min praised. “You’ve outdone yourselves!”

  “Hee-hee-hee,” the sisters giggled at his words.

  These movements… they seem to work every muscle in the body, Zhang Min noted. And sometimes it feels as if a wave of heat rolls through me in a circle. Gives me goosebumps. Is this that so-called mystical Qi, or whatever they call it?

  Stolen story; please report.

  Unlike the children, his adult body adapted slowly. Endurance grew only in tiny increments, flexibility even less. When he performed the flowing, seamless transitions, his joints cracked with alarming sounds, like bones snapping. The girls gasped a few times in surprise. His progress came slower, demanding more time than the children needed.

  How long do I have to huff and puff like this? And I need to practice with the sword too. Will I have enough strength for everything?

  When the sun rose fully above the forest, they ended training. Sweat glued their clothes to their bodies, so they bathed in the cool river. Luckily, late spring warmth kept them from freezing. While their garments dried, Zhang Min unpacked the lunch, and they ate their fill.

  The sisters dozed off in the midday heat, drooling in their sleep. Meanwhile, he found a log as thick as his leg, carved away the rough spots with a knife, and shaped one side into a handle like a sword’s hilt. The result was a hefty training tool for strengthening his arms. After a few swings, he approved of its effectiveness. Switching hands whenever they tired, he practiced sword strikes until he could no longer lift the makeshift weapon. Then he woke the girls.

  “Hey! Little ones! Up you get. Time to head home. We’ve had a damn fine session today!”

  I’ll meditate this evening, he planned. If the old scroll’s right, meditation helps the body recover quickly after strain or even after wounds. Well, let’s see.

  For now, Zhang Min had no plans to take new work. He wanted a break to savor a slower, carefree life while improving his stamina, strength, and skills. After his first real battle, a quiet fear lingered about leaving the city again. He even considered abandoning the mercenary trade altogether. But stubbornness, and the promise of high pay, pushed him toward testing his luck one more time. A few consecutive assignments could bring him serious capital, enough to start his own venture.

  One day I’ll buy a little tavern and live for pleasure, he dreamed. But first, I have to survive long enough to see that day.

  For the sake of a brighter future, Zhang Min threw himself into training with seriousness. Every morning he took food with him and went for a run together with Xue and Mingzhu. At first they left through the city gates, then followed their usual route across the fields to the wide, full river where, framed by nature, they trained, ate, dozed a little in the shade of the trees, and trained again. Only when the sun dipped toward the horizon did they head home.

  Gradually Zhang Min lengthened the run, sometimes turning off toward small villages near the city, but he always finished at the river where he could wash the sweat away. He had some doubts about whether so much running was good for the children, but seeing how hard they tried and how happily they splashed in the water afterward, he simply couldn't crush their tiny hearts and force them to sit at home. Halfway through the route their cheeks flushed and breathing got heavy, yet the girls never fell behind for a step.

  Stubborn little things. Where do they get all that strength? he thought. I'm still far from marathon shape, so probably nothing will happen to them. I taught them modern running technique, breathing rhythm. It should be fine.