Ji Min's seemingly harmless smile, on the other hand, smote Ji Qing and she couldn't help but take a few moments to appreciate his sheer handsomeness.
'It's good that we already have something going; he'll really have no shortage of suitors in the future.' She thought to herself with a sigh but said something else instead.
"Un. I can keep the rest between us." Ji Qing said before returning her head back to his shoulder to enjoy his petting pat and caressing as they spent the rest of the blissful day together.
---
Dawn The Next Day.
"Morning Grandpa." Ji Qing chimed with a slight bow and radiant smile.
"Morning Grandpa." Ji Min on the other hand, almost murmured as he rubs his throbbing temples.
"Are you still in pain? The training can wait one more day if you need to rest some more." Ji Tang added as he approached Ji Min.
"That's unnecessary; I might get jetlagged if I sleep longer. A little exercise should get me up and running." Ji Min answered as Ji Tang gazed toward Ji Qing who nodded in assent.
"Alright, then we shall begin the first phase of your training; this way."
Ji Tang nodded as he pointed to the side where two massive boulders that looked really heavy sat.
"Erm, Grandpa, do you perhaps want us to carry or move that?" Ji Min's jaws almost dropped to the floor in shock.
"No; at least, not yet." Ji Tang added as he gestured the duo towards the boulders.
"The first phase of your training would be Limb Loosening!" Ji Tang said smilingly.
"Now, if you will both pass me your chains." Ji Tang added as the duo looked at him in surprise.
They had previously been told not to take off their chains under any circumstances, but here he was telling them to do just that, but they both did as they were told.
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The chains fell to the ground with massive thuds, causing the area to vibrate slightly as a cloud of dust spread across the area.
"Now, sit on opposite sides of both rocks."
Ji Tang instructed as he waved his sleeves to clear the lingering clouds of dust in the area before picking up the chains.
Ji Min and Ji Qing did as instructed and sat on opposite sides of the rocks, as they watched Ji Tang tie the chains to their limbs.
After ensuring their limbs were securely tied, Ji Tang went to stand in between both boulders, as the duo began to feel a little weird about the so-called limb loosening training.
They were still in the middle of their thoughts when Ji Tang abruptly yanked the chains causing their limbs to stretch apart like they were both being crucified with chains.
Crack!
Ahk!
The duo groaned in pain as their joints creaked; they both began to wonder about the weirdness of the nature of this unprecedented training routine of theirs.
"It's about time."
Ji Tang said as he gazed at the sun which now hung at its highest position as he returned to his meditative position.
The sun buffeted the forest with its bright light and intense heat as Ji Min and Ji Qing began to feel their body temperature gradually rise.
A few minutes later, they both began to feel their core temperature rise as peals of perspiration began to slide down their temples.
Then as if waiting for their muscles and skin to heat up, the chains tied to their limbs suddenly constricted without warning.
Creak!
Argh!
The duo groaned once again as their limbs were stretched apart and slightly pulled backward causing the sockets of their joints to widen to an unprecedented limit.
They gritted their teeth, furrowed their brows in pain, and tried to stop the exertion the constriction was imposing on their joints.
Dozens of sweat droplets streamed down their faces as their painful frowns deepened by a considerable margin.
"Relax; don't fight it, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of this routine." Ji Tang instructed without opening his eyes while the duo did as they were told.
They shut their eyes tightly in a bid to reduce the amount of stinging pain that was shooting out of their joints, through their nerves, and into their brains.
Their skins perspired intensely under the baking heat and before long, they were sweating buckets, while their skin began to gleam beneath the bright radiance of the noon sun.
They were literally feeling the entire weight of the chains tug at their limbs so hard that they felt like their limbs were about to get torn apart.
But that was not all, they would feel the chains occasionally constrict by a few inches about every half an hour, or so.
Just like that, their first training routine went on until sunset, and Ji Tang sat there with them, meditating under the same atmospheric conditions all through.
As the sun descended in the distance and the moon began to rise, Ji Tang finally stood up and untied the duo.
Bam! Bam!
Ji Min and Ji Qing both fell to the ground, bereft of any form of strength as their faces planted themselves into the dirt.
They both felt like elastic bands that had been stretched to their limits all day and were just released.
Their limbs and joints felt extremely sore, and it almost seemed like their joints could never return to normal conditions or posture.
Their skins felt smelted, and their muscles seemed to have been deprived of every ounce of fat and moisture causing them to look shriveled like circus puppets.
"Your baths have been prepared; soak till the moon reaches its peak and go to bed afterward, we will continue at dawn." Ji Tang added as the exhausted duo stiffly nodded their heads in response.
Upon entering his tent, Ji Min realized that the place had been cleaned and neatly rearranged.
Now, there was a wooden bath that was about half his height and almost a meter wide standing to his right, half filled with steaming water, with rows upon rows of medicinal herbs neatly arranged on a table by the side, including a jug of hot water.
If one were to look at these herbs, one would realize that it was the same set of herbs that made Ji Min tread the thin line between life and death the last time he used them.
They were the ingredients needed to concoct the 'Divine Resurrection Ointment'; ranging from the tiny Spirit Flame Kiwi Seeds to the impulsive 'Fire Bird Sap', and just by looking at them, Ji Min began to develop a nostalgic sensation of utter dread.