Chapter 20: Becoming a Saint in the Flesh

Finally, Chu Feng was full. He felt incredibly satisfied and warm all over. Lying back in his chair, he didn't want to move a muscle. His body and mind were completely at ease. The hunger he had felt earlier was so terrible that, now free from it, he actually felt a sense of happiness. The table was covered with clean plates, all empty. Chu Feng stared in a daze, wondering how much he had eaten and if he had truly become a glutton.

Not far away, the Yellow Ox lay fast asleep, its belly round.

A wave of sleepiness washed over Chu Feng, and he couldn't fight it off. He returned to his room and immediately fell asleep, enjoying a particularly sweet slumber until the sun was high the next day.

His stomach rumbled again, having woken him up with hunger. Chu Feng was startled. "Am I going to spend all day eating and sleeping? I'll turn into a pig!" he thought.

The Yellow Ox had already woken up. It had been rummaging around, devouring all the fruit and other items in the cold storage. Still not satisfied, it came to Chu Feng, demanding more.

"What's the rush? I'll stew some beef for you in a bit!" Chu Feng said, annoyed. He pulled a large chunk of meat from the freezer and went into the kitchen.

The Yellow Ox's eyes widened, then it grew agitated. Its two golden horns glowed, and white smoke puffed from its nostrils, looking as if it were ready to fight to the death.

"Go on, don't cause trouble! These are pork chops!" Chu Feng said, feeling a little guilty.

Ultimately, the Yellow Ox ate a large quantity of pork chops, found them delicious, and hummed contentedly.

As for Chu Feng, he decisively cooked a pot of beef. He very solemnly told the Yellow Ox that it was goat meat, which had a strong, gamy flavor and wasn't suitable for it to eat.

The Yellow Ox was suspicious, glancing at the pot from time to time. It opened its mouth a few times, unsure if it wanted a taste or intended to say something, but in the end, it didn't touch the pot.

"This stubborn ox has too good a nose. It'll be a hassle whenever I want to eat beef from now on," Chu Feng muttered to himself, feeling a little exposed. At the same time, he grumbled internally, *It's just an ox, why does it like to eat meat so much?*

What eased his mind slightly was that his appetite had significantly decreased this meal; it wasn't as alarming as the day before.

Stepping into the courtyard, he grasped a heavy stone table with one hand and effortlessly lifted it high above his head. It felt too easy.

Chu Feng wanted to test the full extent of his strength. His gaze fell upon a large landscape rock in the courtyard. This rock was certainly not light; it had taken several people a great deal of effort to move it in years ago, weighing at least six or seven hundred pounds.

Though bulky and difficult to grip, Chu Feng held it firmly. Then, with a mighty upward lift, the large brown rock immediately rose from the ground.

Finally, he set it down with a thud, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Chu Feng was momentarily lost in thought. The strength in his arms was astonishing; he could actually lift such a heavy stone, a feat that was truly world-shaking.

If anyone had witnessed this, they would likely have been terrified on the spot.

"It's more than ten times the strength of an ordinary person," he murmured.

Next, Chu Feng took out a stopwatch and went outside the courtyard to test his speed. As he shot forward with a whoosh, he immediately felt the wind rush past and saw the trees on either side rapidly recede.

"One hundred meters in three seconds?!" Chu Feng was dumbfounded.

Although his speed wasn't ten times that of an ordinary person, it was still terrifying, far exceeding the documented human speed limit and making him feel as if it weren't real.

He remained in a daze for a long time.

Subsequently, he conducted various self-tests for his vision, resistance to impact, nerve response, and hearing. Of course, these were all rough and not very standardized.

All these metrics had drastically improved, ranging from several times to ten times their previous levels.

Chu Feng was both surprised and delighted. His skin was slightly translucent, as if he had undergone a transformation, and faintly, a delicate fragrance emanated from his body.

This phenomenon resembled descriptions in historical records of ancient Taoists and eminent monks in their later years, whose bodies became translucent and fragrant, and who did not decay after death — an unsolved mystery.

For the next two days, Chu Feng stayed indoors, silently observing the changes within himself, and practicing a special breathing technique each morning and evening.

He found that his appetite had returned to normal, and the changes in his body were also stabilizing.

For these two days, the Yellow Ox was very lethargic, wanting to sleep all day. However, as time passed, it gradually returned to normal and once again started eyeing Chu Feng's communicator.

When Chu Feng saw this, his eyebrows furrowed. Remembering the previous incident, he was still annoyed. It had been so embarrassing, and no one would believe his explanation.

"Ox Demon King, I'm warning you, don't touch my communicator, or I'll get angry with you!"

"Moo!" the Yellow Ox retorted defiantly.

"I have to go out now, I don't have time to deal with you," Chu Feng said, as he intended to visit Old Doctor Wang again for a physical examination.

Suddenly, his expression shifted. He looked at the Yellow Ox and smiled, saying, "Actually, it's easy if you want to play with one of these. I'll just buy you one."

Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, the Yellow Ox was quite pleased, but then immediately became wary, taking two steps back and staring at him with wide, round eyes.

"Stubborn ox, what kind of look is that? What do you mean? Don't use your wolfish, no, your oxish heart to speculate on my magnanimity!" Chu Feng said, looking at it.

"Moo!" the Yellow Ox scoffed.

"How about this," Chu Feng said with a feigned smile, "besides that special breathing technique, do you have any other unusual tricks? Teach me some, and I'll buy you a brand new communicator."

The Yellow Ox's mouth widened into a grin, immediately bursting into laughter, as if to say, "So, you've shown your true colors, haven't you?"

Chu Feng remained perfectly calm, not even blushing. "A communicator is a precious artifact," he said. "With it, you can learn about all the major events happening in the world. Think about it."

With that, he pushed open the door and left.

For the past two days, the air in Qingyang Town seemed exceptionally fresh. Taking a deep breath felt invigorating. Chu Feng pondered, *Is this due to the world's extraordinary changes?*

Faintly, he could see mists of various colors spilling from some distant mountains, spreading throughout the land and making the area even fresher.

There were many people in front of Old Doctor Wang's clinic. Chu Feng stood at the end of the line and waited a long time before it was his turn.

"Are all these people sick?" Chu Feng asked.

Old Doctor Wang smiled when he saw Chu Feng and invited him to the inner courtyard, clearly not wanting outsiders to know about Chu Feng's unique condition, showing great consideration.

"You're mistaken," Old Doctor Wang replied. "These people did have some minor ailments before, but over the past two days, their chronic illnesses have been fading, and their bodies are getting better and better."

Chu Feng was surprised and, after a moment of thought, his expression changed.

"Is it related to these changes in the world?" he guessed.

"It seems so. Look at those distant peaks; the mist they emit appears to contain special substances that are extremely beneficial to the human body." Old Doctor Wang nodded, also deeply astonished, as he had seen many people with old illnesses gradually recover over the past few days.

Most of the people who came today were simply feeling better and wanted to come here for a check-up and confirmation.

"Initially, when the world underwent drastic changes, people were panicked," Old Doctor Wang mused, "but now it seems it's not as bad as we imagined."

In the past few days, ordinary people had felt more energetic and noticed significant changes, which filled them with immense surprise.

Chu Feng looked into the distance. Those ancient, wild mountains harbored many fierce birds and strange beasts. If they were to break out, the current peaceful scene would certainly not last.

For example, the toad that Zhou Quan had seen was as large as a millstone, capable of hunting down various ferocious beasts and toppling elephants for food.

Old Doctor Wang examined Chu Feng thoroughly and patiently conducted multiple physical tests. In the end, he was shocked to confirm that Chu Feng's physique had further improved.

This time, Chu Feng completed the 100-meter dash in just 2.5 seconds, which truly terrified the old man.

His strength, meanwhile, had reached twelve times that of an ordinary person, and his hearing, nerve response, and vision were even more astonishing than before.

"This... this is incredible. Can it still keep improving?" Old Doctor Wang muttered to himself, slightly dazed.

"I estimate I've reached my current limit," Chu Feng honestly replied. "That's why I came back for another check-up, because I've felt my body stabilizing and my appetite returning to normal over the past two days."

"Even so, it's like something out of a myth!" Old Doctor Wang's emotions were hard to calm. Suddenly, he sniffed again and said, "I keep smelling a faint fragrance. Is it coming from you?"

He was somewhat unsure, an astonished look on his face.

Chu Feng nodded.

Upon confirming that the scent was naturally emanating from Chu Feng's body, Old Doctor Wang's expression froze, almost turning to stone. He found it unbelievable, and then his face registered pure shock.

"This... how is this possible?!" he stammered, staring at Chu Feng, speechless for a long time.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Chu Feng asked.

"Of course there's something wrong! In ancient times, this would be a monumental event. Some old Taoists and eminent monks, upon living past a hundred years, might exude such a fragrance. Combined with such strength and speed, in ancient times, there was a saying for it: 'achieving sainthood in the flesh'."

"There's... such a saying?" Chu Feng was stunned.

"Yes, achieving sainthood in the flesh!" Old Doctor Wang affirmed with certainty.

Chu Feng was speechless; this was truly astonishing.

"While some ancient records may seem mysterious, not all of them can be completely dismissed; some are quite credible," Old Doctor Wang explained.

Although proficient in Western medicine, he was originally trained in traditional Chinese medicine and had thoroughly researched ancient medical texts. He even delved into some elixir recipes, including old Taoist and Buddhist scrolls, which gave him a wealth of knowledge.

"The limits of the human body should be breakable. Aren't you a living example?" Old Doctor Wang exclaimed. "Some people in ancient times could certainly achieve it. For instance, the tale of Sakyamuni throwing an elephant sounds mystical, but if a person's physical strength is powerful enough, perhaps it really could be done."

According to him, the Buddha was also just a human, but his physical strength was extraordinarily immense, allowing him to hurl an elephant.

"Sakyamuni throwing an elephant and Taoists moving mountains are both manifestations of achieving sainthood in the flesh. Such individuals do not decay after death, their bodies emitting a fragrance."

The more Old Doctor Wang spoke, the more excited he became. It was clear he was deeply fascinated by the records in these ancient texts, and seeing a living example like Chu Feng made it even harder for him to stay calm.

"You certainly can't throw an elephant yet, but you've shown me that such a possibility exists once the human body breaks its limits." Old Doctor Wang almost wished he could dissect Chu Feng and study him thoroughly.

Chu Feng quickly stood up, said goodbye, and practically fled the clinic.

On the way, Chu Feng thought about many things.

As he approached his front door, he heard the roaring wind and rumbling thunder from the courtyard, indicating a great commotion.

What was happening? He was a little worried. Had the Ox Demon King caused trouble again?

Chu Feng stepped into the courtyard and was immediately stunned. He saw the Yellow Ox standing on its hind legs, its front hooves moving. It... was practicing boxing!

Strong winds surged and thunder rumbled, all emanating from its body. Was this a form of martial arts?

An ox that could box!