Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 119

Chapter 119: THE REAL TRAINING BEGINS PART 2

They began slowly at first, the weighted vests settling against their frames like physical manifestations of responsibility. Li Hua had chosen their burdens carefully – five kilos for her brothers, a gentle introduction to what would become a far heavier path, while she carried twenty-five kilos with the easy grace of long practice.

The first mile passed in companionable silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of their breathing and the subtle shift of stone against fabric. Li Hua watched her brothers from the corner of her eye, noting how Li Wei’s precision translated into measured strides while Li Hao’s spirit manifested in barely contained energy even under the added weight.

As they reached their second mile, Li Hua gradually increased her pace. The change was subtle – like water rising with the tide, inevitable but almost imperceptible. Li Hao matched her stride for stride, his competitive nature burning bright despite the sweat now darkening his new training clothes. His breathing remained steady, though his eyes held that particular focus she remembered from their childhood races.

Li Wei began to fall back, but there was no defeat in his retreat – only tactical consideration. His mind had already calculated the cost of matching their pace against the benefit of maintaining his strength. Each step carried deliberate purpose, even as the distance between them slowly grew.

The third mile brought the first real test. Li Hao’s boundless energy began to flag, his breaths coming in shorter bursts as the weight pressed down with increasing insistence. Yet he refused to slow, his warrior’s pride driving him forward even as his legs trembled with effort. Li Wei had fallen further behind, but the steady rhythm of his footfalls never faltered – like a heartbeat in the distance, constant and unwavering.

Halfway through their fourth mile, the silence finally broke. Li Hao, his voice rough with exertion but still carrying that familiar mischief, managed to gasp out, “Sister… when did you… become so… merciless?”

Li Hua’s response carried none of the strain that colored her brother’s words, though she had been matching his pace while carrying four times the weight. “Merciless?” A smile touched her lips as memories of far harsher training sessions flickered through her mind. “Oh, second brother. This is still just the beginning.”

The words had barely left her mouth when Li Hao’s legs finally gave out. His grace abandoned him as he stumbled, the weighted vest suddenly feeling like a mountain pressing him toward the ground. But before his knees could touch earth, two pairs of hands caught him – Li Hua’s grip sure and steady on one side, while Li Wei, who had somehow closed the distance between them in that crucial moment, supported him from the other.

“Together,” Li Wei said softly, his composure cracking just enough to reveal the brother beneath. His own legs trembled with exhaustion, but his hold remained firm.

“Always,” Li Hua agreed.

Li Hao managed a breathless laugh, his weight supported between his siblings as they helped him to a nearby stone. “I suppose… this means… I’ll be getting… a punishment?”

Li Hua chuckled, her voice carrying that particular tone that made both brothers instinctively tense. “Brother, like I said, this is just the beginning. How about we talk about the punishment after our full training?”

The matching looks of horror on her brothers’ faces was almost worth the weight she carried. Almost.

“Take a short break—you’re still required to complete two miles,” Li Hua said, her voice carrying that particular blend of warmth and steel. Without her brothers slowing her pace, she surged ahead, each stride precise and measured. The weighted vest seemed to have no effect on her movements, as if the stone had become part of her own essence.

Her brothers watched her disappear around the bend, their expressions caught between pride and disbelief. “When did little sister become so…” Li Hao gestured vaguely at the path where she’d vanished.

“Formidable?” Li Wei supplied, still catching his breath. “I suspect we’re about to find out exactly how much we don’t know about her training methods.”

Fifteen minutes later, Li Hua waited by the courtyard house, having already removed her weighted vest and begun her cooling exercises. Her breathing remained as steady as a mountain stream, despite carrying five times the weight her brothers had struggled with. When they finally stumbled into view, red-faced and panting, her eyes softened.

“Drink,” she commanded, gesturing toward the spirit-infused river that flowed in front of the courtyard. The siblings took turns with the wooden ladle, each gulp of the crystalline water seeming to restore both energy and determination. Li Hao drank deeply enough to make Li Wei mutter something about ‘drowning from the inside,’ but even the scholar’s precise movements betrayed his own thirst.

Li Hua watched them recover, a slight smile playing at her lips. In their flushed faces and trembling limbs, she saw echoes of their childhood training sessions – the same stubborn pride, the same unwavering trust in her guidance. But now, those innocent days were shadowed by recent wounds that demanded they grow stronger. Much stronger.

“Ready for the next part?” she asked, though her tone suggested it wasn’t really a question.

Her brothers exchanged glances heavy with weary resignation and unshakeable resolve. They nodded in unison, a gesture that made Li Hua’s heart ache with fierce pride.

“Good,” she said, turning toward the training area. “Follow me.”

Li Hua led them to a cleared space beside the courtyard and assumed a stance they’d never seen before. With fluid grace, she demonstrated a strange sequence – dropping to the ground, extending her legs back, pulling them forward, and springing up in one smooth motion.

“This is called a burpee. You will perform this movement twenty times,” she instructed, her voice carrying quiet authority. “Watch carefully. Each part must flow into the next.”

Li Wei’s scholarly composure cracked entirely. “Sister,” he said carefully, watching her continue the bizarre movements with growing concern, “who taught you these… unique forms?”

Li Hao attempted to copy her movement, but ended up sprawled face-first on the ground. “What kind of cultivation technique requires one to throw oneself at the earth repeatedly?” he demanded, spitting out a blade of grass. “And why do my arms feel like rain-soaked silk?”

“Now,” Li Hua continued, smoothly transitioning to hold herself parallel to the ground, “maintain this position. Focus on keeping your back straight and tighten your stomach . I’ll tell you when to get up.”

“I’ve studied cultivation methods from the other realms,” Li Wei muttered, his arms trembling as he attempted to mirror her pose, “and I have never encountered anything quite so…”

“Effective?” Li Hua supplied serenely, holding the position without visible effort.

“Devious,” Li Hao groaned from where he’d collapsed. “Sister, I think I preferred facing the spiritual beasts. At least they gave you a clean end.”

“Next form,” Li Hua announced with practiced calm, demonstrating a movement that involved explosive squat jumps. “Fifty repetitions. Keep your weight centered and land softly.”

“Center what exactly?” Both brothers asked in perfect unison, their faces masks of confused suffering.

“This must be some secret technique from an unknown immortal realm,” Li Wei gasped between movements. “One specializing in elegant torment.”

Li Hao, attempting his tenth repetition, wobbled dangerously. “Brother, remember when we thought sister was quiet and gentle? We were such innocent fools.”

Li Hua’s expression remained calm as she guided them into the next movement – arms and legs moving in conjunction like a graceful star. “Tomorrow, we’ll progress to more advanced forms.”

The brothers’ synchronized groan of despair caught the attention of the spirit beasts who had been entertaining themselves nearby.

Bai Ying, the frost tiger, lifted her massive head from her icy patch of grass, while Feng Yi the wind fox paused his aerial acrobatics. The twin thunder bunnies, Lei Lei and Dian Dian, stopped their sparking game of tag just long enough to peer curiously at the training ground before all four beasts returned to their activities, seemingly unimpressed by the siblings’ dramatics.