Moon Statue Breathing Technique

"Hey! Stop, stop!"

Ignoring the young woman's desperate cries, the rabbit hopped faster and faster. Flashing past its pair of red beaded eyes were blatant ridicule as it peeked behind, a smug smile lifting when it saw the distance between them gradually turning wider and wider until–

Thump!

The plump rabbit slipped on a dried twig and stumbled forward, rolling down the slanted ground like a snowball before hitting the dark and hard bark of an old tree square with its chubby face.

When it raised its dizzy head, the rabbit seemed to have seen countless stars covering its sight and amongst them, was the face of a certain shameless woman.

"Gahhh!" Holding its chest, the rabbit squeaked in horror, eyes rolling white before it entirely blacked out, withering to the ground with a slight "thud".

'This… Do I look that scary? Why did the rabbit faint upon seeing my face?' Touching her own face, Nie Ling found the situation before her amusing.

Nevertheless, she merely shrugged her shoulders without care and grabbed the limp plump rabbit to the air by its two feet.

Out of curiosity, she poked at the rabbit's bulging stomach, her eyes shining upon feeling the soft texture under her fingers. 

'So soft and plump, its meat must taste divine!' Nie Ling literally drooled as she imagined the golden crisp of the rabbit's meat once it's perfectly grilled.

With that thought in mind, she searched the nearby area for some long and durable vines to tie the rabbit's four limbs, intending to place it into her basket before she returned to pick up the other deceased two. 

Once she finished tying the unconscious rabbit's limbs, Nie Ling opened the lid of her basket and forcefully stuffed the rabbit into the heap of grass, making sure to leave out some breathing space before closing the lid.

Nie Ling then rubbed her hands and looked at the sky. When she noticed the sun was gradually setting, she decided to end today's search.

Nie Ling used the leftover vines to tie the two dead rabbits and carry them by her hand, not wanting the still running blood to dirty her mint grass. Unfortunately, the rain started to pour down when she's halfway down the mountains.

As she watched the rainwater drenched the soily ground, Nie Ling sighed. She resolved to hide in a nearby cave and wait for the rain to stop, not wanting to risk slipping on her way and making things worse than it is.

Inside the cave, Nie Ling dropped her belongings to the ground and leaned her back against the cold damp walls of the cave. It was incredibly dark inside, and since she didn't bring any source of light, she didn't dare to venture too deep.

Closing her eyes, Nie Ling listened to the rhythmic pitter patters of the rain hitting against the surface. The air enveloping her turned colder and colder as the sky darkened.

Soon, the night arrived and yet the rain still showed no signs of stopping. Nie Ling couldn't help but worry about the young Nie Xiaoyun whom she had left alone in the hut.

Fortunately, she had prepared an extra portion of plain porridge and placed them in a claypot before leaving so for the least, the boy wouldn't be suffering from hunger at the moment.

Nie Xiaoyun was saved but… she wasn't.

Nie Ling sadly looked down and rubbed her stomach. Should she… grill the rabbit now to relieve her hunger? But, there's no dried branches to light up the fire and thus, it didn't take long for her to give up the idea.

Since there's nothing she could do in the cave other than waiting for the rain to stop, Nie Ling let her mind float to her past days where she used to spend her days like this, hunting in the wild and living her life to the fullest.

As long as she could remember, Nie Ling never liked the rain and thus, whenever the sky started pouring, she would find a shelter to hide from the rain and lit up a crackling fireplace, warming herself as she gazed at the stars.

In such a quiet and comfy place as this, she would also find the opportunity to cultivate. Throughout her past two lifetimes, Nie Ling was only ever exposed to two outstanding cultivation manuals.

First, the Jade-Sealing Meridians, a cultivation method especially designed for the descendants of the Divine Chu family. The Jade-Sealing Meridians prioritized training the body's durability, boosting growth and slowing down signs of decline.

Although vastly weaker in terms of offense, the method suited the Chu lineage the best since they're raised as human panaceas who needed to consume a huge amount of spiritual herbs of mixed natures on a daily basis.

Second, the Moon Statue Breathing Technique, the signature cultivation method of the infamous Half-Moon order. The cultivation method came in pairs with an offensive sword technique, Blossom Night, and a movement skill, Vanishing Moon.

As Nie Ling recalled the content of the Moon Statue Breathing Technique, she unknowingly crossed her legs and entered a lotus position, breathing in and out in a composed manner as her whole figure gradually resonated with the martial qi of Heaven and Earth.

Nie Ling felt the entirety of her body turning light, as thin snake-like strands of martial qi entered her vessels and coursed through her blood, cleansing the meridians and completing a full circuit before she spat out a huge breath of relief.

Cultivation has always been done this way, disconnecting oneself from worldly matters and focusing only on the connection between the mortal body and Heaven and Earth.

With her eyes closed, Nie Ling heaved in another long breath and refined another strand of martial qi, finishing another circuit before she started to lead in another strand.

Again and again, an hour soon passed by as Nie Ling fully immersed herself in the advancement of her cultivation. It was only after she felt that she had made a breakthrough did Nie Ling's eyes shoot open, the pair of pitch-black orbs within shining brilliantly in a brand new light.