The Price of Flexibility and a New Mission

“Where are we going?” Lin Tian followed him to the empty clearing from yesterday.

“I’ve looked through a few cultivation techniques; I need someone to assist me.”

“Cultivating, huh? You’re truly diligent. But if it’s a spar, I’m no match for you.”

“No need to fight.”

“Then…”

****

The stout young man also followed. Luo Tao placed his hands on Lin Tian’s back, helping him stretch into a full split.

“Luo Tao, what are you doing?! Why are you bullying Brother Luo Tian?” The stout young man immediately shouted as he ran over. After a brief explanation, he finally understood that they were practicing flexibility.

Luo Tao couldn’t get him into a full split, nor did he dare to use much force. The stout young man promptly pushed him aside.

“What can you achieve by being so wishy-washy? I’m getting impatient just watching… Brother Lin Tian, you just endure it!”

“Wait… Mmmph~”

Before he could finish speaking, the stout young man pressed down hard on his back. The sudden jolt of pain made Lin Tian let out a soft groan.

“Are you alright?” Luo Tao asked anxiously.

“No, I’m fine.”

“You damn stout young man, be gentler! If you hurt my brother, I’ll chop you to pieces!”

The stout young man looked unconcerned. “Heh, it’s cultivation. If you can’t be firm, you’re just wasting time.”

With that, the stout young man effortlessly performed a full split on the ground, surprising Luo Tao greatly. He hadn’t expected a stout person to be so flexible.

“I was actually quite gentle just now. My master was much stricter when he taught me.”

“Brother Jun, I never expected your flexibility to be so good. Please, use your master’s method on me,” Lin Tian slowly got back to his feet.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, as long as you can endure it.”

The stout young man found several short ropes from somewhere. Luo Tao looked at the setup with some concern.

“Hey! Stout young man, tell me the method, let me do it. You’re too rough.”

“Fine, fine, fine. Both of you, sit back-to-back.”

The siblings complied. The stout young man tied one end of a short rope to each of Lin Tian’s ankles.

“Don’t sit so far apart, both of you. Sit back-to-back.”

“This…”

The stout young man didn’t realize Lin Tian was a girl, but Luo Tao’s face flushed slightly.

“There, you just need to kick this rope taut with your foot, and you can help Brother Lin Tian train the flexibility of their legs.”

After speaking, the stout young man used ropes to secure both their wrists.

“I don’t need to explain this, do I? You clasp your hands together, and Brother Lin Tian will naturally do the opposite. This way, you can practice arm flexibility.”

It seemed quite reliable. With the ropes tied to Lin Tian’s ankles, Luo Tao kicked in the opposite direction, and his legs immediately stretched into a full split.

“Ah~”

“Are you alright?” Luo Tao asked with concern.

“Continue…”

“Alright.”

Lin Tian’s arms and legs were both twisted backward, yet he gritted his teeth and endured without a sound. Luo Tao, however, felt his face burning and his mind completely blank.

Though the posture was rather embarrassing, the results were indeed excellent.

In this manner, they practiced daily, and half a month quickly passed.

****

His Flowing Body Movement had made some progress. Initially, he had Luo Tao throw stones at him, dodging them with minimal movement.

Later, the stout young man couldn’t watch anymore and simply used flying insects to strike Lin Tian from all directions. This proved to be incredibly efficient, and his Cloud-Treading Steps also showed some improvement during this process.

****

The next day, Lin Tian arrived at Luo Tao’s residence as usual.

“Lin Tian, why are you so early today?”

“Fourth Brother, I won’t be practicing today. I need to go on a mission and came to let you know.”

“Oh…” Luo Tao turned to look at him, fully armed and not disguised in male attire, and was slightly taken aback.

“You’re not dressing as a man anymore?”

Lin Tian nodded. “My strength was weaker before, but now there’s no need for a disguise.”

“If you’re going on a mission, be careful. Let me test your cultivation results from these past few days.”

Luo Tao was a little uneasy. He went outside, gathered a pile of small stones, and had Lin Tian stand two zhang away.

“Listen, if I hit you, you’ll have to train more, and the mission will wait until next month.”

“Understood,” Lin Tian nodded.

“Here it comes!”

Whoosh! A stone sliced through the air, striking towards Lin Tian’s lower abdomen. Luo Tao’s throw this time was more powerful than before, swift and fierce!

Lin Tian stood still, avoiding the stone with a slight twist of his waist.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several more stones were thrown consecutively. He remained in place, dodging them, his body effortlessly contorting into difficult positions.

“Not bad.” Luo Tao dropped the remaining stones and walked over to him.

“Well then… I’m off.”

Whack! A stone struck Lin Tian’s arm, causing him to pause slightly and look at Luo Tao in bewilderment.

“You got hit, didn’t you? Do you know why?”

“The stone… was hidden in your sleeve?” Lin Tian frowned.

“No. I remember telling you before, didn’t I? Even the most formidable expert will fall victim when their guard is down. I never said the test was over, did I?”

Seeing Lin Tian stand still, Luo Tao chuckled, “Go on. Seeing how diligent you are, I, your elder brother, can’t fall behind.”

Lin Tian offered a faint smile, then turned and left. He felt a subtle unease, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. This kind of premonition had only occurred in his previous life, always followed by impending disaster.

****

“Brother Luo Tao, good morning.” The stout young man slowly approached.

“By the way, who was that beautiful girl you were talking to just now? I’ve never seen her before.”

“Haha, you see her every day.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?! Can you just get straight to the point?!”

“Hey!”

****

Moving with the Cloud-Treading Steps, his speed was significantly faster. Some disciples hadn’t even had a chance to clearly see his face before he had already rushed into the distance.

Over twenty inner disciples were gathered in the small pavilion, all dressed in identical white robes. They were huddled around a beast-skin map, discussing their strategy.

Just then, Lin Tian swept into the pavilion like a gust of wind, abruptly halting his steps.

“What incredible movement technique! Could this be the Cloud-Treading Steps that no one has ever managed to master?”

When everyone finally got a clear look at his face, they swallowed hard. They had never seen this disciple before.

Jiang Yu was also startled. “Senior Brother Luo Tian?”

“Yes,” Lin Tian nodded. “My name is Luo Yingkong. This is my first mission, so I ask for guidance from all Senior Brothers.”

Luo Tian? He seemed to be a disciple who had just joined recently. Had he been disguised as a man before? As they thought about it, he did indeed bear a resemblance.

“We are from the same sect; there’s no need to be reserved.”

“Senior Brother’s belongings…”

Everyone scrutinized him. Besides a sword, he carried a wooden box on his back and had a handgun and five grenades hanging from his waist.

“These are my self-made weapons; don’t mind them.” Lin Tian glanced at the people in the pavilion. These gazes were all too familiar to him.

“Let’s review the map first and proceed according to the plan we just discussed.”

“The bandit stronghold is at the peak of Qingyun Mountain, with twelve watchtowers surrounding it. We will gather and destroy the two northern watchtowers, ideally without being discovered.

After destroying the watchtowers, we’ll go straight to a back mountain cave and launch our attack from there. The priority is to capture their leader. The other bandits won’t be united, so they can be quickly disbanded.”

If Lin Tian were to act alone, he could simply toss a box of TNT into the bandit cave and be done with it. However, that would be too wasteful; it was unnecessary against a group using cold weapons.

“Without further ado, it’s a three-day journey to get there, and the horses are ready. Let’s depart now…”

Lin Tian had never known how to ride a horse before; he had only learned since arriving here.

Twenty-four inner disciples descended the mountain, an imposing sight. No short-sighted ruffian dared to attempt a robbery, and even the local government would yield three points to them.