chsdbacks Search Chapter 6 thoroughly!
Search Chapter 6 thoroughly!
"Shut up!"
Zhou Dahu glared at him, "If you utter another word, you'll all be arrested and sent to work on the river project!"
Everyone fell silent.
"Search everything!" Zhou Dahu waved his hand.
The constables kicked open the doors of each cave dwelling, ransacking the place and causing chaos everywhere, even cleaning up the kang (heated brick bed).
Lin Yan retreated back into the kiln and quickly dug the two brocade pouches out of the pit and stuffed them into his bosom.
"Mother, Xiuer, don't be afraid."
He lowered his voice to reassure them, "I'm going out for a bit, don't wander off."
"Yan'er..." Madam Chen's face turned pale.
"It's nothing, I'm just searching for something. I'll leave if I can't find it."
As Lin Yan spoke, he had already reached the door and whispered, "I'll be back soon."
He pushed open the door, lowered his head, and walked up the mountain along the path behind the cave dwelling.
We encountered several refugees on the road, all of whom were hiding in the mountains.
No one spoke; they all walked quickly with their heads down.
Lin Yan didn't follow the others; instead, he took a turn and entered a side road that only he knew about.
[Guanshan] launched the operation secretly.
He had a map in his mind that showed him which roads were easy to travel, where there were hidden places, and where he could hide things.
He climbed up the ridge, through a thicket of bushes and over a stone beam.
Finally, we arrived at the foot of a cliff.
He was here the day before yesterday.
There is a crack in the cliff face, hidden by vines, so it is not visible from the outside.
He pushed aside the vines and squeezed in sideways.
The crack was very narrow, only allowing one person to pass sideways. After walking seven or eight steps in, the space became slightly larger, enough for two people to squat down.
Lin Yan squatted down, stuffed the two brocade pouches into the deepest part of the crevice in the rock, and after thinking for a moment, found a stone to block it up.
Then he stepped out of the crevice, rearranged the vines, and took a few steps back to look at them.
According to Guanshan's perception, this mark was almost no different from before he arrived.
Unless someone deliberately searches the mountain and knows there are cracks here, Lin Yan is impossible to find.
Lin Yan stood there for a while longer, making sure no traces were left before turning around and heading down the mountain.
When they returned to the cave dwelling, the officers had already finished searching it.
The cave dwelling was in a mess.
The quilt was thrown on the ground, two earthenware pots were broken, and even the mat on the kang (a heated brick bed) was lifted up.
Chen sat on the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding Lin Xiu, her face still streaked with tears.
"daughter."
Lin Yan hurried over and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing..." Mrs. Chen shook her head. "They searched the place, didn't find anything, and then left."
"Brother, they dumped our grain..."
Lin Xiu pointed to the ground and burst into tears.
Half a bag of mixed grain flour was spilled on the ground, stepped on, and mixed with mud and water, making it completely inedible.
Lin Yan squatted down and picked up the noodles that hadn't been stepped on, little by little, until there was only a small bowl left.
"It's okay, I'll figure something out."
He put the noodles aside, dusted off his hands, and said as if nothing was wrong, "It's good that everyone is alright."
The sound of crying came from outside.
Lin Yan went out to see what was going on.
Old Zhang, who lived in the neighboring cave, was kneeling on the ground with two broken pottery jars lying in front of him, the coarse grains at the bottom of the jars scattered all over.
"This is my food ration for this month..." Old Zhang cried, trembling all over. "You're trying to kill me..."
A constable kicked him and cursed in disgust, "Stop crying! Cry again and I'll arrest you!"
Old Zhang dared not cry anymore, and lay on the ground, sobbing with his shoulders heaving.
Lin Yan stood there for a while, then turned and went back into the cave.
Zhou Dahu left with his men, saying before they left, "If we don't find the item, we'll be back tomorrow! We're not done until we find it!"
The entire refugee district was lifeless all day long.
Nobody knows what they're looking for.
No one dared to ask.
Lin Yan sat in the cave dwelling, closed the door, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
He mentally reviewed every word and every picture in the "Fragments of Breathing Exercises".
Then he opened his eyes.
"Mother, I'm not going out today. I'll stay home."
Ms. Chen was somewhat surprised, but she didn't ask any further questions and simply nodded.
Lin Yan moved to the innermost corner of the cave dwelling, turned her back to her mother and sister, and sat down cross-legged.
He adjusted his breathing according to the posture on the first page of the booklet.
Inhale deeply and slowly, through your nose, letting it sink into your stomach. Exhale evenly and for a long time, through your mouth, like drawing silk.
He tried it a few times, but it just didn't feel right.
The posture is correct, the breathing is correct, but something is missing.
[Skill: Basic imitation (beginner) (12/100)]
The panel pops up.
Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, then understood.
To imitate.
He could only understand the posture and breathing pattern, but his body couldn't keep up.
He needs to imitate.
Imitate the posture of the person in the painting, not just the appearance, but also the spirit.
He readjusted, focusing his attention on the details of his body.
The spine should be straight, but not rigidly straight; it should be straight as if a thread is hanging from the top of the head.
Shoulders should be relaxed; neither shrug nor droop.
When you breathe, imagine the path the airflow takes through your body.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
With each breath, he felt as if he were imitating a person who didn't exist.
That person's posture, that person's breathing, the feeling of blood and energy flowing through that person's body.
[Skill: Basic imitation (beginner) (17/100)]
[Skill: Basic imitation (beginner) (23/100)]
[Skill: Basic imitation (beginner) (31/100)]
By evening, his proficiency had risen to over forty, but he felt nothing physically.
There was no sensation of Qi, no flow of Qi and blood, nothing at all.
Lin Yan did not give up.
This is only the first day.
He stood up and stretched his legs, and found that even though he had been sitting cross-legged all day, his legs weren't very numb.
That was unexpected.
"Brother, dinner's ready."
Lin Xiu carefully walked over, carrying a bowl of mixed grain noodles soaked in hot water.
"Um."
Lin Yan took the bowl, took a sip, and grimaced from the heat.
Lin Xiu squatted down in front of him, looking at him with her big eyes: "Brother, what were you practicing today?"
"It's nothing."
Lin Yan patted her head and said, "I'm thinking of a way to make sure we have enough to eat in the future."
"Can I practice it in the future?" Lin Xiu asked.
Lin Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, I can. Once I've learned it, I'll teach you."
The little girl smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this and skipped back to her mother's side.
For the next few days, Lin Yan did not go into the mountains again.
Zhou Dahu brings people to search every day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon.
The entire refugee neighborhood was turned upside down.
Lin Yan practiced breathing exercises in the cave during the day, and secretly practiced again at night after his mother and sister had gone to sleep.
My proficiency in [basic imitation] increased rapidly.
By the third day, sixty had passed.
He began to sense some changes.
It's not a physical change, but rather a more precise control over one's own body.
Before, when he squatted down, stood up, or turned around, these actions were all subconscious. Now he can feel how every muscle moves and how every bone rotates.