Over the next three days, aside from eating and sleeping, the two spent all their time training. Through three days of practice, Er Gouzi gradually adapted. But this was only the first step in improving physical fitness. To reach the level of a mercenary, the training intensity had to increase.
On the fourth day, Liu Tiezhu brought two stones weighing about twenty jin each and stuffed them into burlap sacks. Seeing this, Er Gouzi trembled and asked, "Brother Tiezhu, you're not planning to run with these on your back, are you?" Liu Tiezhu nodded and said, "You guessed right. Hurry up and carry them. We're running back." Er Gouzi immediately wailed, "Oh my god, running back with these on my back? I'll die!" "Do you want to get rich? If you can't handle a little hardship, forget about making a fortune." Liu Tiezhu left that remark, hoisted the stone onto his back, and started jogging. "Damn it, I'm risking my life here." Er Gouzi cursed, swung the burlap sack with the stone onto his back, and followed in a jog.
About twenty minutes later, the two stopped at the yard gate. "I can't take it anymore. My back feels like it's breaking." Er Gouzi waved his hand, gasping for breath. Liu Tiezhu's face was also flushed red, not much better off than Er Gouzi. The snowy road was already tough to walk on, and jogging with a twenty-jin stone on his back was indeed exhausting. "Gouzi, I know you're tired, but we have to persevere." "If you don't want to stay poor for the rest of your life, straighten your back." Liu Tiezhu set down the stone, turned around, and jogged back toward the peanut field. A wild glint flashed in Er Gouzi's eyes as he dropped his stone and ran after him. Liu Tiezhu was right—if he didn't want to stay poor, he had to straighten his back. If his stamina couldn't keep up, hunting in the mountains would be a joke with his life on the line.
Soon, another three days passed. Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi had both adapted to jogging with twenty-jin stones. The time for one round trip had also shortened from the initial half hour to twenty minutes, and finally to fifteen minutes. But six consecutive days of high-intensity training left both of them exhausted like dogs. To avoid straining their muscles, Liu Tiezhu found some medicinal herbs and asked his sister-in-law to boil a large pot of water. Every day after training, he and Er Gouzi would fill a big bucket with the herbal water and soak in it. His eldest brother and second uncle also soaked in the herbal water every night. When they woke up the next day, they all felt completely refreshed, as if all fatigue had vanished. This recipe was something he had learned from an old Chinese medicine practitioner in the mercenary corps during his previous life. Though the herbs were simple, they had the effect of strengthening bones and muscles and quickly eliminating fatigue.
That evening, after dinner, the second uncle couldn't help but say, "Tiezhu, this herbal water is miraculous." "Every time I soak in it, I feel like I have endless energy." "I learned this from a medical book," Liu Tiezhu said. Explaining his past life was impossible. Even if he told them, his second uncle wouldn't believe it, so he had to make up an excuse. "That's a good thing. Make time to learn more knowledge in the future." "Are you and Gouzi going to step up the training tomorrow?" Thinking about the weight increasing by ten jin every three days, the second uncle grew curious. Hearing this, Er Gouzi's face immediately fell. "Brother Tiezhu, I think—" Before Er Gouzi could finish, his second uncle glared at him, interrupting, and unbuckled his belt. "What do you think? If you don't suffer a little now, you'll lose your life in the mountains." "Tiezhu is helping you. If you keep making that face, I'll whip you." Hearing this and seeing the belt in his father's hand, Er Gouzi wisely shut his mouth. "Gouzi, don't make that face. Once you can run five kilometers with fifty jin on your back, we'll head into the mountains." "Have you noticed that after these days of training, your belly has shrunk, and walking feels much lighter?" Liu Tiezhu said. Er Gouzi paused, patted his stomach, and realized the flab was indeed gone. But thinking about running five kilometers with fifty jin, his face fell again. "Brother Tiezhu, can we reduce the weight a bit? Like thirty jin would be fine." After a moment of silence, Er Gouzi spoke in a negotiating tone. "No way. I originally planned for eighty jin." "I've already cut it down by thirty jin. Be grateful." Liu Tiezhu's tone left no room for negotiation. Er Gouzi wanted to argue further, but the belt his father raised forced him to swallow his words. They chatted for a while, and since it was getting late, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
The next morning, Liu Tiezhu led Er Gouzi, carrying thirty-jin stones, jogging back home. Though Er Gouzi was extremely reluctant, he didn't dare resist. With the two of them constantly carrying stones, the yard wall gradually took shape. The day passed quickly. As dusk fell, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi set down the last stone, and everyone gathered warmly to eat dinner together. After running all day, Er Gouzi felt like his body was falling apart. After soaking in the herbal water, he crawled into bed and fell fast asleep. "Tiezhu, once you can run five kilometers with fifty jin, will there really be no danger in the mountains?" the second uncle asked. His eldest brother, Liu Tieshan, also perked up his ears, wanting a truthful answer. Liu Tiezhu explained, "Second uncle, this is just physical training. It doesn't directly correlate with whether there's danger in the mountains." "But being able to run five kilometers with fifty jin means you can handle most troubles while hunting in the mountains." "First, with plenty of stamina, you can evade some wild beasts chasing you." "Second, reaching this level also greatly improves your reaction time, letting you dodge some beast attacks." The second uncle said, "Tiezhu is right. I can see that kid Gouzi running faster and faster." "In the mountains, running fast can definitely save your life." Liu Tieshan then asked, "How long will it take to run five kilometers with fifty jin?" Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment and said, "I plan to do it in fifteen days." For anyone else, this timeframe would be impossible. But with his herbal water and special breathing methods, achieving this in fifteen days wasn't a miracle. Liu Tieshan and the second uncle both opened their mouths wide in surprise. After a long pause, the second uncle advised, "Tiezhu, I know you don't want to stay poor, but you can't risk your life." "Second uncle, haven't you noticed the changes in me and Gouzi?" "Carrying thirty-jin stones and running over twenty times a day—can an ordinary person do that?" Liu Tiezhu countered. The second uncle paused, then realized the truth. Right, an ordinary person carrying thirty-jin stones and running five round trips would probably be out of breath or even collapse. But Er Gouzi and Liu Tiezhu had run a full twenty-three trips. Though they were panting heavily, they weren't in serious trouble. "Tiezhu, tell your second uncle, how did you manage that?" After coming to his senses, the second uncle grew intrigued. Liu Tiezhu said, "Gouzi and I achieved this through scientific training and those herbal waters." "Especially the herbal water—though it looks unremarkable, it has amazing effects on the human body." After hearing Liu Tiezhu's explanation, the second uncle and eldest brother marveled in amazement.