Chapter 159: 159. The whole family has it
Lu Yao's hands were filled with Inner Breath as he started from the reflective zone and Aperture Points of his senior sister's waist, moving slowly downward... and then further down... and still further down!
Liao Ya was enjoying it, though she felt that her junior brother's massage was a bit long this time, she didn't think much of it.
Moreover, her junior brother's hands were now on her waist and hips... Well, it's still massaging the Aperture Points, so let it be.
The comfort provided by the 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual', executed by a Spirit Refining Expert, was so immense that Liao Ya felt groggy and didn't want to think about anything, wishing only that she could enjoy it a little longer.
Only when her junior brother began to massage the Huiyang Point did she involuntarily tense up, wondering if she should stop him...
But she never expected that her junior brother would continue moving his hands downward without pausing!
Liao Ya clamped her legs together, grabbed Lu Yao's hand, and exclaimed in alarm, "Junior brother! What are you doing?"
Lu Yao silently lamented the pity, wondering why his senior sister regained her senses so quickly. It seemed that his own martial prowess was still insufficient.
But since he was already there, he might as well try it out. So he candidly said,
"I am helping you to open up the Huiyang and Huiyin Aperture Points, to achieve the effect of storing essential energies and the intersection of Yin and Yang."
After saying this, he continued to push his Inner Breath downwards.
These two Aperture Points were the starting points of the Ren, Du, and Chong meridians, governing the Yin and Yang throughout the body, and the benefits of Lu Yao's massage technique were actually immense.
Liao Ya, however, kept exclaiming in alarm, firmly holding onto the other's hand, "No! You can't do this!"
Both being of the Marrow-Cleansing Realm, she did not have a clear advantage in strength, and her condition being not ideal, she could not stop him.
Continue your journey with empire
Feeling the scorching fingers filled with Inner Breath pressing closer and closer, Liao Ya pleaded in panic, "Junior brother, please don't..."
Lu Yao, seeing her like a frightened little deer, quickly withdrew his hand.
Liao Ya immediately got up, straightened her clothes, a flush of red spreading from her cheeks to her neck, her eyes filled with both shame and anger, "You scoundrel!"
She raised her hand to hit Lu Yao, but remembering all the moments they had shared, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
So, she pulled back her strength at the last moment, as if it merely ended up as a pat on her junior brother.
Unable to save face, Liao Ya scolded, "I was going to help you with the 'Foot Soothing Technique' for your feet, but forget about it now!"
After she spoke, she flipped her twin braids and ran off as if fleeing.
~~~~~~~~
Liao Ya ran back to her room, locked the door, and lay on the bed without getting up for a long time.
She closed her eyes, as if she could still feel those burning fingers approaching her.
"That scoundrel of a junior brother! He never had the guts before... It must be because his realm has caught up with mine that he dared to do this! As long as I continue my arduous practice, once I reach the Blood-Exchange Realm, he won't dare to do it again!"
Liao Ya encouraged herself and was about to get up for cultivation.
At this moment, the effects of the 'Dynamic Dragon-Subduing Art' were still ongoing, driving the blood and Inner Breath throughout her body to refine her spinal cord, an effect equivalent to a month's worth of her hard practice!
Master Liao couldn't concentrate on her practice anymore and began to daydream again: Her junior brother was nice to both sisters, and the three of them living together was quite comforting...
Just then, the noise of her sister returning home interrupted her thoughts.
Liao Qe had driven back with Su Er Ya, unloading many daily necessities from the car.
Liao Qe said to Lu Yao with excitement, "The Imperial Court has ordered an ironclad warship from Jiade, named the 'Dingyuan'. The newspapers say, 'It ranks as a first-class ironclad ship!' Are we going to stop being bullied by the foreigners now?"
"Let's hope so..." Lu Yao said as he took the newspaper to look at it.
As a newly emerging naval power, Jiade's shipbuilding technology was not outstanding. The order was won due to the desire to stimulate heavy industry and increase political influence in the Far East.
It also provided important technological accumulation for the country's own shipbuilding technology.
This truly was a win-win outcome, though outsiders didn't see it that way.
The other great powers expressed serious dissatisfaction, especially Einheit and Izumo.
It goes without saying for Einheit, which had always treated the Shun Dynasty as its own sphere of influence, and was extremely dissatisfied with Jiade's actions.
Moreover, Jiade was also causing frequent disturbances in other overseas colonies, continuously provoking conflicts, bringing the two nations to a point where they were irreconcilable.
As an island nation with scarce resources and a limited market, Izumo was eager to expand abroad.
They had already devised the so-called "strategy for the conquest of the Shun Dynasty," only to find their opponent now had ironclad warships! Izumo was so enraged they wanted to tear Jiade apart!
Because of this, Einheit saw an opportunity to restrain Jiade's power through Izumo, and so they constantly made overtures toward Izumo and signed the "Alliance Treaty," becoming allies.
The situation became increasingly murky, but the court and the public of the Shun Dynasty were joyful, believing that the infighting among the great powers was to their advantage.
~~~~~~~~~
Lu Yao put down the newspaper, pulled Liao Qe into the house, and said, "Come, let's try out the 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual' at the Marrow-Cleansing Realm."
"When one man attains the Tao, his poultry and dogs ascend to heaven," Lu Yao's Inner Breath had grown even more robust after his Marrow-Cleansing, naturally taking on the responsibility as an elder transmitting skills.
It wasn't just the two sisters; even the three Spiritual Sparrowhawks had their share of benefits.
Liao Qe lay on the bed, as an old married couple she naturally let her beloved carry out the technique.
As a girl in the Organ Refining phase, Lu Yao's method was slightly different, channeling his own Inner Breath, stimulating her Qi, blood, and Inner Breath to continuously circulate and refine her entire body.
If Liao Qe were to do it by herself, she could at most manage two cycles of Inner Breath before running out of energy, and there were many areas she couldn't reach.
With Lu Yao's assistance, she completed an entire twenty cycles in less than fifteen minutes!
After finishing, Lu Yao was sweating profusely, and Liao Qe, feeling pity, touched him, "I'll call sister to come and give you a foot rub together."
Lu Yao opened his mouth but couldn't get the words out, and his girl had already dashed away.
~~~~~~
"Sigh, your sister definitely won't come..."
Lu Yao sighed and then massaged Su Erya some more.
After days of standing post, coupled with ample nutrition, the young girl's complexion had improved a lot and her body had begun to grow as well.
She could only withstand a little over a minute of refining before reaching her limit, after which she gave her respects and withdrew.
Erya walked with a limp and a stagger, requiring several days of rest to fully absorb the benefits she had received.
But despite the discomfort, she forced herself to stand in the yard and do standing stake practice, aiming to maximize these benefits.
Lu Yao nodded in satisfaction; the girl was of excellent temperament and was already ready to undertake Sinew-Strengthening cultivation.
~~~~~~
Then it was the three Spiritual Sparrowhawks' turn. They were happily playing in the sky when Lu Yao whistled and then waved his hand.
With their eyesight, they could clearly see prey over three kilometers away, and at their master's call, they immediately swooped down, jostling each other to claim the middle spot.
Not being familiar with the inner anatomy of birds of prey, Lu Yao didn't engage in any fancy techniques, simply channeling Inner Breath to bolster their Qi and blood, at most resonating with their bones.
But for the three Spiritual Sparrowhawks, this was an incredible benefit; they cooed in contentment and comfortably collapsed to the ground, curling up against each other.
After completing the family's health regimen, Lu Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Liao Qe came over, pulling along the sullen Liao Ya...