"I just don't know if upgrading the Natural Gate Cultivation Method will extract other martial arts skills again."
Du Ruo thought to himself. He had already decided that starting tomorrow, he must make a long-term plan for his martial arts practice. As his martial arts skills increased in the future, he would need a structured training plan.
With these thoughts in mind, Du Ruo washed up, ate some of the food Mom had specially left for him in the evening, and then went upstairs to sleep.
Du Ruo had been able to eat more and more these days, yet he hadn't gained weight; instead, his physique was getting better, especially his stomach, which no longer had any obvious protrusion.
The next morning, Du Ruo got up at six o'clock as usual. It had become natural for him to wake up at six; once the time came, he couldn't stay asleep and could get out of bed with a simple roll.
In the morning, he started with the Xingyi Santishi. This time, he didn't choose the Single-Weight Three-Body Stance, but the Double-Weight Three-Body Stance. He also didn't switch to boxing techniques after twenty minutes, but continued to stand in the stance.
Du Ruo could only hold the Single-Weight Three-Body Stance for three minutes, but he could hold the Double-Weight Three-Body Stance for a long time. With the pressure placed on his legs, he didn't need to move them much, only occasionally switching left and right, and he continued the stance for an hour and a half.
Next was one hour of Xingyi Twelve Forms Fist, half an hour of Xingyi Five Forms Fist, and finally, he finished his practice.
Du Ruo did not practice the Natural Gate Lightness Skill. He needed to master the Twelve Forms Fist first. Once he had basically mastered the Twelve Forms Fist and the essential training Weaponry he bought online arrived, he would no longer be fixed to practicing in the Backyard every day. Instead, he would have better training methods that combined Xingyi Quan combat with the Natural Gate Lightness Skill.
This was something Du Ruo had come up with last night by combining the knowledge in his mind.
For Du Ruo at the moment, spending half his time exercising the body and half his time on Combat Method practice was the most reasonable arrangement.
If he were a beginner without an Attribute Panel, he would have to put all his energy into exercising the body. But now that Du Ruo could Add Points, everything didn't need to be so troublesome, and he could practice according to his own preferences.
With 9 points of experience in Xingyi Quan, 0.09 Attribute Points, and the Natural Gate Cultivation Method having increased by three points after about three hours of Xingyi Quan practice, Du Ruo felt a sense of relief now that the experience was in his hands.
After finishing his exercise and adding his points, Du Ruo washed up, ate breakfast, and then slowly walked toward the neighboring Yang Village.
By the time he arrived at the Bed and Breakfast, it was already past ten in the morning.
"Xiao Ling, good morning."
At the front desk of the Bed and Breakfast, Yang Ling was sitting there playing on her phone when Du Ruo arrived, which did not surprise him.
Many orders were now completed online, and Yang Ling needed to answer questions from Tourists online, so there were no specific working hours. As long as the work was done, Du Ruo didn't ask about the rest.
"Boss, it's almost noon, and you're still saying good morning."
Yang Ling was just twenty years old. After graduating from high school, she stopped studying and worked as a tour guide for a year. Later, she quit, rented a second-hand house in Town, and used that room to start a Bed and Breakfast, while also working part-time as a tour guide to earn some extra money.
Everything was going well, with an income of over six thousand from the Bed and Breakfast and tour guiding. It was a pity that just when everything was going well, her mother fell ill. As an only child, she had to transfer the Bed and Breakfast in Town and return to take care of her mother.
It just so happened that Du Ruo needed someone, and since she was experienced and responsible, Yang Chenguang introduced her so she could have an income while taking care of her mother.
"Boss, eight rooms were booked today, and one detached house and one suite are vacant. Four of the booked rooms are for extended stays, and four guests will arrive this afternoon."
Yang Ling joked with Du Ruo for a few moments and then quickly reported on the day's work.
"Hmm, that's good. If you have any problems, call me anytime."
Du Ruo nodded and intended to take a tour around the Bed and Breakfast. He did not doubt Yang Ling's ability. It was not even the peak tourist season, and having eight out of ten rooms booked was already very good. Of course, this also had to do with the cheaper rates here.
"How about this, Xiao Ling? Since that detached house is vacant, I'll stay there. Of course, you should keep it listed online. If someone books that room in the meantime, I'll just move out."
Du Ruo, who had already started walking away, suddenly thought of a question, turned back, and said this to Xiao Ling.
"Alright, Boss. If it gets booked, I'll let you know. I'll activate the room card for you first, and you can come pick it up later."
Xiao Ling didn't say much; Du Ruo was the Boss, so he could do whatever he wanted.
Staying here was just a temporary idea for Du Ruo. First, he wanted to experience the Bed and Breakfast to solve any problems if he found them. Second, he had some ideas for practicing martial arts that weren't suitable for his parents to know about.
Anyway, he was the Homestay owner now. He would live there normally, and if someone booked the room, he would move out and have Auntie clean it, just like when a guest checked out. It wouldn't cost much.
Du Ruo walked around the Bed and Breakfast, picking up trash when he saw it, arranging the tables and chairs in public areas, and checking the water and electricity. Time passed quickly.
During the day, there were actually few people at the Bed and Breakfast. They were either on their way to climb Mount Huang or were exhausted and sleeping soundly in their beds after climbing it. Except for those coming out to eat or check out, few people had the energy to walk around.
After walking around, Du Ruo took the room card, called Mom to tell her about his arrangements, and then left the Bed and Breakfast to have a meal at a nearby restaurant.
It must be said that the restaurant owner had good craftsmanship, and Du Ruo ate well. After eating, he went to the detached house and took a nap.
When afternoon came, he went to the front desk to watch how Yang Ling helped Tourists check in.
As the Boss, he still needed to understand these things. If Yang Ling asked for leave occasionally, he could fill in so that the place wouldn't be left without anyone in charge.
The tasks weren't many, but they were trivial. However, Yang Ling was very experienced and handled everything in an orderly manner, which allowed Du Ruo, who was following along, to learn quite a bit.
"Hiring Yang Ling was a huge help. If I had to manage the shop myself, how would I have time to practice martial arts?"
After sighing with emotion, Du Ruo returned to the front yard of the detached house and prepared to start his evening practice.
Du Ruo took off his shirt, put on loose shorts, applied the Medicinal Wine, and began his practice.
First was the stance, then the boxing techniques.
Du Ruo's boxing was extremely aesthetic, and combined with his recent practice and adding points, his physique had very nice lines. Overall, watching Du Ruo practice martial arts was a very pleasing sight.
At least… that was what the figure on the small Balcony on the second floor of the Tavern next door thought. She quietly admired Du Ruo practicing his boxing for an hour; usually, she would have already started her evening drink by then.
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