The routine inquiry turned out to be just a coincidental misunderstanding. Chen Jue hadn’t broken any public security regulations.
His Darts skill was already on file, and he was only using Nails to eliminate pests like rats, which was actually considered a public service.
Before leaving, Officer Liu specifically reminded him to be careful the next time he went rat-hunting and to always be aware of his surroundings.
After all, his flying Nails were incredibly lethal. If he accidentally hit someone, it would be a huge problem.
’Looks like being a City Hunter isn’t so easy after all!’
’I’ll have to be more careful about safety from now on.’ Chen Jue felt a bit sheepish as he took the advice to heart.
...
After seeing the two police officers off, Chen Jue returned to his workstation with a calm expression.
He glanced at Shen Shikun next to him and noticed that Fatty Bai had already been dozing off before he’d left and was still asleep now. He couldn’t tell if the man was just naturally drowsy or if there was something wrong with his health.
But since even their team leader, Li Mo, didn’t seem to mind, Chen Jue didn’t disturb his sweet dreams.
After all, suddenly waking a sleeping person was a very dangerous thing to do. It could easily trigger a series of health problems like psychological imbalance, dizziness, high blood pressure, and nervous exhaustion.
Sitting down, he opened his computer, calmly squeezing a hand grip strengthener while also trying out the anal contraction exercises he’d learned about online.
Last night’s dinner from Laxi Street was probably unsanitary and had irritated his stomach. Although his morning trip to the bathroom had been explosively smooth, the irritation had caused his hemorrhoids to flare up and prolapse a bit.
Sitting down created an uncomfortable pressure, so Chen Jue tried lifting his hips, spreading his legs, and hovering over his chair in a half-squat, planning to use targeted exercise to fix this annoying little problem.
Unexpectedly, this half-squat position was very difficult. His center of gravity kept shifting backward involuntarily, so Chen Jue had to slowly adjust his posture, gripping the soles of his shoes tightly with his toes.
After trying to practice for a little over a minute, his legs and lower back started to feel a bit sore. Just then, two new notifications popped up on his panel!
——————
[DING~]
[You have completed a qualifying comprehensive exercise. Your leg and lower back muscle groups have been effectively trained, and your balance has slightly improved.]
[Skill Activated: Horse Stance]
——————
[DING~]
[You have completed an effective aerobic exercise. Your external anal sphincter, levator ani, longitudinal muscle of the rectum, gluteus maximus, and other muscle groups have been trained. Blood circulation in the area has increased, and your control over these muscles has slightly improved.]
[Skill Activated: Squeezing Valley Dao]
——————
’Two Skills activated at once?’
’Horse Stance, Squeezing Valley Dao...’
Chen Jue was stunned for a moment, then quickly opened his browser to look them up.
The so-called Squeezing Valley Dao was an elegant, ancient term for anal contraction exercises. In ancient times, the anus was also known as the "valley path," as it was the exit for all the grains and foods people consumed.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the anus is also called the "Spirit Gate." The character for "spirit" (魄, pò) was used interchangeably with the character for "dregs" (粕, pò) in ancient texts, implying this body part is responsible for expelling digestive waste.
The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* states: "The Spirit Gate also serves the five viscera; water and grain must not be stored for long."
With his current knowledge, Chen Jue interpreted this to mean that the anus acts as a transporter for the five viscera. Water and food, once digested, shouldn’t be stored for too long and should be expelled on a regular schedule, as holding it in could lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, and other issues.
As for the Horse Stance, it’s a fundamental technique in many forms of Huaxia Martial Arts, also known as the Pile Step.
The name "Horse Stance" comes from the fact that the half-squat posture resembles a person riding a horse.
It was said that mastering the Horse Stance could strengthen the kidneys and waist, fortify the muscles and tendons, and replenish one’s qi, eventually leading to the development of so-called Inner Power.
Whether it was as miraculous as the internet claimed, Chen Jue had no idea.
He did find that the Horse Stance involved complementary anal contraction and pelvic floor tightening movements. He figured this was probably why he had unexpectedly activated both Skills at the same time.
’The Squeezing Valley Dao exercise should be done twice a day, in the morning and evening, for about 10 minutes each time.’
’As for the Horse Stance, beginners are advised to practice for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, not exceeding 30 minutes, to avoid overstraining muscles and knee joints.’
Chen Jue finished his research and jotted down the precautions and recommended practice times.
He found that his slacking off at work was becoming more and more productive.
In addition to squeezing the hand gripper, he had now learned two brand-new exercises.
Most importantly, these two exercises could be activated and recorded by his panel. As long as he trained systematically, he could definitely farm a lot of Attributes.
Sure enough, during a morning of "reasonable" slacking, Chen Jue managed to farm 0.01 Strength and 0.01 Constitution from [Horse Stance].
On top of that, what surprised Chen Jue the most was that after 10 minutes of [Squeezing Valley Dao] practice, his Spirit Attribute had actually increased by one small point.
According to Chen Jue’s personal understanding, it was because opening and closing the anus (the Spirit Gate) relied heavily on mental focus to control.
Making it contract and relax required immense concentration.
Over time, it was no less strenuous than climbing stairs or throwing Darts, which in turn affected the training and improvement of his mental fortitude.
...
"Brother Jue, you’re also a man of hemorrhoidal honor, huh?"
"I saw you this morning, half-squatting and wriggling around. Must be really irritating, huh!"
During the lunch break, Shen Shikun once again teamed up with Chen Jue to go eat downstairs.
But when he saw Shen Shikun mysteriously open Taobao and recommend a "miracle cushion" with the slogan "Hemorrhoids? No Fear!", Chen Jue knew that this Fatty Bai, nine times out of ten, had the same little problem as him.
After all, when you sit in an office all day and eat rich, heavy foods, it’s a fate almost no one can escape.
"Thanks, I’ll buy one later."
Chen Jue didn’t explain that he was practicing how to alleviate his unspeakable affliction, because after a morning of trying, he really did feel a level of comfort he hadn’t experienced before.
By Chen Jue’s estimation, practicing [Squeezing Valley Dao] and [Horse Stance] together would be no less effective than practicing [Eye Health Exercises] in the sun.
If he kept at it, the chronic hemorrhoids that had plagued him for over a decade might see significant improvement.
He didn’t have high hopes of a complete cure, but as long as it made him more comfortable, he was determined to practice hard.
Besides, it was a paid workout—he was earning a salary while exercising. What’s not to love?
But when he saw Shen Shikun order a large, greasy portion of braised pork belly with skin and fried chicken legs for lunch, Chen Jue couldn’t help but advise, "Shikun, are you sure it’s okay to eat like that? Aren’t you worried about the ’three highs’? I saw you dozing off all morning."
"Worried? Of course I’m worried!"
"But I’ve had the ’three highs’ for ages. I just can’t control my mouth. I love this greasy stuff."
"I was drowsy this morning because I was up late last night running dungeons with my crew. We didn’t finish until after 2 AM." Shen Shikun chuckled without explaining further.
But seeing his "a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water" attitude, it was clear he was well aware of his own physical condition.
...
Everyone has their own personality and hobbies, just like how Chen Jue couldn’t quit smoking on a whim.
Convincing a fat guy who loves fried food to give up his bad diet was no easier than getting a chain-smoker to quit cigarettes.
Chen Jue’s concern was just a polite reminder; he had no intention of forcibly interfering with someone else’s lifestyle.
Because he himself had only just started exercising, regulating his schedule, and improving his health.
He shouldn’t be lecturing others before he had even succeeded himself.
He had come to this new company to make some money as a stopgap and work on his body on the side. Having found a rare colleague who shared his slacking-off philosophy, it was best to just be lunch buddies and not interfere with each other’s lives.
...
After lunch, during the break.
Chen Jue took the opportunity to open his "Brother of Special Skills" account.
To his surprise, after a few days, the two videos he had posted earlier had both broken five digits in views.
The number of likes, comments, and bullet comments below had also increased significantly.
His [Special Skill: Darts] video, in particular, had blown up, sparking heated discussions among Darts and Martial Arts enthusiasts.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"You’re a beast, master!"
"Terrifyingly skilled!"
"No way he’s that accurate. The video’s obviously reversed. The dart flew from the tree back to his hand /s"
"Beyond ten paces, the dart is fast. Within ten paces, the dart is fast and accurate. Master, you’re at what, 20 paces? (confused old man meme)"
"Amazing (thumbs up). Does throwing darts like that make your eyes dry?"
"To the guy above me, the OP is performing an insane skill with darts, and you’re asking if his eyes get dry? (WTF) You think he won’t throw a dart at you through the screen?!"
"That’s gotta be over 1.8 joules, right? /s"
"@Central Plains Swift Sword, you two masters should have a PK to see who’s better (side-eye emoji)"
The comments section was flooded with jokesters and trolls, with some even trying to stir things up by suggesting Chen Jue have an offline showdown with another Darts influencer.
Chen Jue had actually followed this creator, whose ID was Central Plains Swift Sword, before.
The guy was an expert at throwing things. His skill was at the Master Level; he could throw anything—wrenches, chopsticks, Nails—and hit whatever he aimed at with incredible precision.
Chen Jue had often watched his videos to learn when he was practicing Darts himself. Now, to be connecting with him online like this... the twists of fate were truly wonderful.
Moreover, the creator @Central Plains Swift Sword himself had shown up and left a comment on Chen Jue’s video: "Amazing (thumbs up). If you have a chance, come to the Central Plains to exchange pointers and have a friendly match."
The two Darts masters facing off online immediately sent the comments section into a frenzy, with netizens letting their imaginations run wild.
The number of likes, comments, and views kept climbing!
Chen Jue figured that in another two days, the video’s views would probably break 100,000. Even his own follower count was constantly rising, about to hit ten thousand.
’Finally, I’m not getting mass-ridiculed like I did for that Stone Skimming video.’
’It seems you really need a Master Level Skill to make a good impression!’
After looking at the backend data, Chen Jue felt that his little side hustle of making videos was finally showing signs of breaking out.
Just as he was about to close the app and take a nap, a private message for a business collaboration popped up.
"Hey, Brother of Special Skills, you’ve got what it takes to get huge! Want to collaborate and promote our product?"