Chapter 144: 144. Ancient Foot Therapy
As the one charged with Spirit Refinement in the household, Lu Yao, with his exquisite control of his body and Inner Breath, took only 10 minutes to learn the full set of "Foot Comfort Technique."
This "Ancient Foot Therapy" had the same principles as the 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual,' both utilizing the stimulation of various Aperture Points and reflex zones on the feet to aid in cultivation.
And it had a high error tolerance! The worst that could happen if you pressed the wrong spot on the foot was it wouldn't work, not like the Dynamic Dragon-Subduing Art which could paralyze someone with a single mistake.
Lu Yao immediately offered to try it out on Liao Qe. As soon as he started, the girl was crying and laughing, pounding on the armrests of the chair as she exclaimed,
"Ahahaha~ I can't take this anymore~~ Ah, it hurts, it hurts!"
With just a light stimulation of her foot by Lu Yao, the girl yelled and screamed for half the day, collapsing onto the chair, twitching, and finally pulling her foot back, refusing to continue.
"You're too tender to take it," Lu Yao shrugged, making his judgment, then turned to look at Liao Ya.
Master Liao hesitated, knowing that aside from various supplements in martial arts, massages and physiotherapy were also essential. Although foot massages were somewhat improper, for the sake of cultivation...
Liao Qe, not wanting her beloved to touch her sister, quickly jumped up and said, "Lu Yao still needs to stabilize his realm in preparation for Marrow-Cleansing, I'll give you the foot massage."
With that, she went to take off her sister's shoes.
Liao Ya pushed her away, reproaching, "Get away, I dare not let you do it, your strength is erratic."
Liao Qe protested, "If you don't trust me with Dynamic Dragon-Subduing Art, surely I can massage feet~"
"Forget it... I'm also afraid of pain," Liao Ya decisively refused her sister's kind offer, then turned to say,
"Lu Yao indeed needs to solidify his realm in preparation for Marrow-Cleansing, we've all been reaping the benefits of the 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual,' and now the one who needs massage the most is actually him."
Liao Qe nodded vigorously, agreeing that it wasn't right for Lu Yao to give without receiving.
So she quickly knelt, took off Lu Yao's shoes, and began massaging him using the 'Foot Comfort Technique.'
Putting aside the effectiveness, having her fair little hands kneading his feet was quite comfortable.
Liao Ya shook her head from the side, "You don't recognize Aperture Points accurately, and your Inner Breath control is not good either, it's effort wasted. Watch carefully how I do it~"
Having said that, she also knelt down to press Lu Yao's other foot, with the sisters starting to massage him together.
Under her sister's guidance, Liao Qe gradually got the hang of it, and it was no longer just comfortable but began to be effective.
Stimulated by two flows of Inner Breath, Lu Yao immediately felt waves of warmth enveloping his internal organs, with his dantian burning warmly.
The simultaneous massaging of both feet had an even more notable effect, with the warmth continuously rising to his head, making his features feel toasty.
With his feet cradled against Master Liao's chest, the softness and flexibility were extremely comfortable. Subconsciously moving his toes, he saw his senior sister's face blush, and the force of her hands suddenly increased!
Lu Yao let out a low hiss as he felt his foot nearly break, and dared not play tricks anymore.
After enjoying it comfortably for a while, he concluded,
"With a dual approach, this secret method of foot massage has a similar effect to the 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual'... But in comparison, the foot massage's effect is more gentle and lasting, with a stronger role in health preservation and well-being. The Commandery Princess's secret technique is plain but precious!"
While continuing her movements, Liao Ya said at the same time, "Of course, massage techniques are always precious. Now that our school possesses two books, our foundation has grown rich!"
At this moment, with blood and Inner Breath flowing throughout his body, Lu Yao felt completely revitalized.
Closing his eyes and no longer speaking, he carefully enjoyed the dedication of the two sisters, and his body and mind were greatly relaxed.
~~~~~~~~
Under the attentive care of the two ladies, Lu Yao's internal organs and even his facial features underwent a grand cleansing, and his Inner Breath was just shy of penetrating his bones for the Marrow-Cleansing Realm. He couldn't help but exhale a dense breath arrow that did not disperse.
Liao Ya, familiar with this sight, softly advised, "Don't rush, take it slowly. You must naturally enter the Marrow-Cleansing Realm."
Breaking through in the Martial Path is not a simple matter of leveling up with a "ding" when you have enough experience: it's a lengthy process of physical transformation and enhancement.
Lu Yao nodded and said, "In that case, let's move house sooner rather than later. It's too cramped here."
Everyone loves a big house, so the two sisters immediately started packing.
Everything needed for the manor had been prepared by Li Pei; all they needed to take with them were their personal belongings and important supplies.
Liao Ya personally took charge of the Mercedes transporting the gold, while Liao Qe drove another Krupp car, setting off toward their new home.
~~~~~~~~~
Jin Garden was situated by the Su River and its scenic beauty need not be mentioned, boasting a dock along the river.
The expanse of its grounds far exceeded what one might imagine, as large as two soccer fields.
The garden, with streams of water from the Su River winding through it, featured exquisite halls and pavilions amid lush vegetation—opulent yet refined.
Lu Yao looked around and, satisfied, remarked, "This is spacious enough."
Liao Qe gazed around with wide eyes, seeing greenery everywhere and flowers as far as the eye could see, with pavilions and towers that dazzled the beholder.
She could not help but say, "This is way too big! One could easily get lost just walking around the yard."
Liao Ya's face lit up with excitement, pleased with the new training ground: "I've always wanted a larger place to train. It's impossible to practice properly in a small space."
This training ground was about 800 square meters, complete with stone rollers, stone locks, wooden targets, and even a large iron sphere—all tools for physical conditioning.
There were not just three happy individuals, but three Spiritual Sparrowhawks as well, which joyfully flew around the garden several times, enjoying the mountainside riverfront setting. They alighted on their owners' arms, squawking eagerly for spiritual pills.
Afterward, they picked their rooms, buried the gold again underneath Liao Ya's bed; locked silver, medicinal ingredients, and arms in the cellar, and by the time they were finished, it was already evening.
This marked their complete settlement; the three of them exchanged smiles, greatly relieved—a beautiful garden for their new home from now on.
Liao Qe, holding her dear one's arm, proudly and joyfully remarked, "Such a grand estate, all thanks to Lu Yao~"
Liao Ya also looked at her junior brother with a tender smile. Ever since this miraculous man came into their lives, her own and her sister's lives had changed dramatically.
Even though there were many mysterious things about their junior brother, she no longer cared.
~~~~~~~~~
In the following days, the sisters devoted their energy to Lu Yao, which was the most pressing matter at hand.
Breaking through could fail, and failure could cause irreversible damage to the body—the higher the realm, the greater the danger.
They massaged Lu Yao's feet daily, tending him with utmost care, afraid to be the least bit negligent.
Su Erya was also brought over by Liao Ya. Looking at the luxurious garden before her, her mouth agape in awe, she thought to herself: One couldn't clean this place up even in three days and nights!
Erya walked the grounds daily to familiarize herself with the new environment, and it wasn't until the third day that she could ensure she wouldn't get lost.
The young girl showed no reluctance to hard work; after her daily stance practice, she insisted on cleaning, doing what she could.
After being tenderly served by the two young ladies for over a week, Lu Yao finally reaped his rewards!