Ecstatic!
Li Yuan was genuinely ecstatic.
Did he really manage to snatch a cultivation skill for free?
Is it actually possible to cultivate like this?
He was repeatedly exclaiming "Wow" in his heart, his joy evident on his face.
After all, he was at home, so no outsiders would see him.
The young lady curled up in the bathtub, seeing the uncontrollable joy on her man's face, suddenly felt a bit scared and called out, "Brother Yuan? Are... are you okay?"
Yan Yu was almost in tears.
That's it, he must have lost his mind from cultivation this time, right?
"I did it, I did~~ it! Sister Yan, I did it." Li Yuan happily leaned forward, lying on the other side of the bathtub, meeting the eyes of his wife in the candlelight by the wet wooden tub.
Yan Yu looked at her husband's crazed appearance, unable to hold back, tears streaming down her face. But thinking that stimulating her husband at this time might lead to more serious consequences, she cried and laughed, "You did it, you did it... So, can you not practice anymore today, okay?"
"Why are you crying?"
"Happy..." Yan Yu replied, going against her conscience, "My husband is reliable and capable, how can I not cry with happiness. Boohoo..."
Li Yuan suspected nothing, and after Lady Yan finished bathing, he swiftly stripped off his clothes and trousers, dove into the water barrel, comfortably washed himself clean, then dried off and snuggled into bed.
Seeing Lady Yan turning her back to him, softly sobbing by herself on the side, Li Yuan suddenly understood something, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her over, saying, "Sister Yan, I'm not losing my mind, I really succeeded."
"Yes, you did... you did..." Yan Yu didn't dare to provoke him.
How would you know whether the cultivation skill was successful or not?
She and her sister, and brother-in-law, had been practicing for so long without any movement, and her husband succeeded after just two days?
Ha...
Who would believe he hadn't lost his mind?
Seeing her disbelief, Li Yuan put on his clothes, intending to get off the bed to demonstrate a set of punches, but he was grabbed by the buttons before he could undo them.
"What are you doing? Brother Yuan, what are you doing?" Lady Yan's expression was anxious, afraid her husband might have an episode in the middle of the night.
Li Yuan instinctively flicked his hand but found Lady Yan holding him tightly, then said, "Sister Yan, I really succeeded, I'll show you a set of punches, and you'll see."
"Then... then, after you show a set, will you come back to sleep quietly?" Lady Yan asked.
Li Yuan said, "Yes."
Only then did Lady Yan let go.
Li Yuan eagerly got onto the ground and assumed his stance.
After displaying the Willow Return Technique on the panel, he naturally had a basic training method in mind.
It seems the panel also has a "fuzzy input" function.
As long as you seriously try, even if it's only seventy or eighty percent correct, it will still display it on the panel for you.
Li Yuan closed his eyes, swung his fists, moved like willow in the wind, the branches swaying, dancing with the current. In this process, a stream of vitality slowly flowed between his muscles, making him feel his strength significantly increased.
He glanced sideways during a gap, noting his stats were still "1~2."
But it didn't matter, there's plenty of time to come; once he fully cultivates this skill, the stats will surely change.
On the bedside, Lady Yan was lying watching intently, but the more she watched, the more upset she became.
Brother Yuan, and you said you haven't lost your mind?
These punches are just so-so...
After half an incense stick's time, Li Yuan finished the set of punches, breathed out a murky breath, feeling clear-headed and incredibly excited, unable to sleep.
Lady Yan quickly clapped, sincerely and earnestly praising, "You did it, Brother Yuan, you really did it!"
Only then did Li Yuan return to bed.
After finishing the punches, he was full of energy, hugging Lady Yan from behind.
In the darkness, a shy voice could be heard.
...
...
The Next Day.
Lady Yan was at home washing bed sheets, while Li Yuan was again climbing Xiao Mo Mountain with his bow on his back.
Yesterday he had surveyed the right side of Erchong Mountain, but hadn't finished yet, so he continued today.
He roughly estimated it would take another two days to finish surveying the right side.
And to survey the entire Erchong Mountain would take about five to six days.
...
...
On the third day, Li Yuan carried a bamboo basket up the mountain, inside were burlap sack and a lunch box.
He casually hunted a wild rabbit on Erchong Mountain, gutted it, hung the smelly innards on a tree, and placed the head under the tree.
After doing so, he went to the mountain spring, quickly washed the beheaded rabbit clean, then stuffed it into the lunch box, placed it into the sack, and threw it into the bamboo basket.
On the way back, he saw a few wolves in Erchong Mountain gathered around where he had discarded the rabbit's innards previously.
The rabbit head was already gone, and the wolves were under the tree, staring and howling at the entrails hung on the branches, wanting to eat but unable to reach.
At this moment, a foul wind blew from afar, and the white-tiger with hanging eyes dashed over. The wolf pack quickly shifted and made way, while the tiger effortlessly climbed the tree, lightly snatching, and swallowing the entrails into its mouth with a flick.
Li Yuan brought the lunch box, returned home, and secretly cooked the wild rabbit with Lady Yan, and they split it to eat.
...
...
In others' eyes, Li Yuan hadn't caught much for three or four days, so on the fourth day, he openly brought back a wild chicken.
Passersby saw it and teased with a smile.
"Yo, Yuanzi scored a lucky find again?"
"Today you're having good luck."
Li Yuan smiled and didn't bother to respond to them.
However, while there was meat at home, chestnut rice was running low, and the copper plates were also almost gone.
Lady Yan wanted to help neighbors fetch water and deliver firewood to earn some money, but Li Yuan directly refused.
If anything happened, he would truly regret it.
The two of them discussed and used half a chicken to exchange some chestnut rice at Aunt Wang's house next door.
Uncle Wang, from Aunt Wang's family, was a waiter at a restaurant in the county, and he could earn some money, plus the grain shop in the county was a bit cheaper than the village, so when he returned, Uncle Wang would bring some back.
However, meat was expensive.
It was much more expensive for Aunt Wang to buy a chicken herself, and if Lady Yan were to sell the chicken to the black market traders, the price would be much lower. This exchange benefitted both sides.
...
...
The fifth day.
Brother Xiong brought two brothers up the mountain, and a group of people gathered at the mountain entrance.
Though it was a year of famine, and many were starving, the situation hadn't degraded to complete lawlessness or total loss of government control.
Without a hunting permit, ordinary people dared not go up the mountain. Otherwise, if reported, they could expect beatings or imprisonment, and in severe cases, execution.
The practice of labeling civilians as bandits to claim achievements was well-known to both the county magistrate and the cunning folk.
And the prisoners in jail were natural "bandits," weren't they?
Seeing Brother Xiong go up the mountain, Li Yuan avoided him.
That evening...
Brother Xiong and his companions came back carrying a wild boar, along with two wild chickens. The people at the mountain entrance cheered, shouting things like "Follow Brother Xiong to have food to eat," "Brother Xiong is awesome."
In the crowd, a fair-skinned, water-spirit petite lady, Feng'Er, looked at him with admiration.
Feng'Er joined the crowd's cheer.
Brother Xiong, walking among the crowd, glanced around and his gaze landed on Feng'Er, meeting hers.
Feng'Er shyly lowered her head.
Meanwhile, Qian Er from the Qian Family and several village ruffians watched, gritting their teeth in envy but not daring to approach, only glaring furiously from afar.
...
...
The sixth day.
Yan Yu and Aunt Wang went to call Feng'Er to fetch water.
They called for a long time without response. Suddenly, the door opened, and a man came out, fastening his trousers. He was not tall but solidly built, with a fierce expression and a look of satisfaction. Who else could it be but Brother Xiong?
Yan Yu and Aunt Wang quickly stepped aside.
After Brother Xiong left, the two ran into the house.
Upon entering.
They saw Feng'Er also putting on her clothes, her white skin half-exposed, with a look of happiness on her face.
Aunt Wang frowned, "You girl, how did you get involved with Old Xiong?"
Feng'Er replied, "Brother Xiong is amazing."
Aunt Wang reminded, "But he already has a wife."
Feng'Er showed a look of admiration, raised her head, eyes sparkling, "Brother Xiong said he will marry me. I've thought it through, even if it means being a concubine, I want to follow Brother Xiong."
Yan Yu asked, "Then why doesn't he take you away?"
Feng'Er answered coyly, "Brother Xiong said the time is not right yet and told me to wait for him. I'm willing to wait."
Seeing her friend like this, Yan Yu was angry, "You girl, why are you so easily fooled?"
Feng'Er, hearing this, also got angry, almost standing up in defiance, but then her eyes rolled, and she laughed, "Brother Xiong is much more useful than your man, isn't Sister Yan just jealous of me?"
Yan Yu immediately got upset, "Feng'Er, what are you talking about? How is my man useless?"
"Who doesn't know whether he's useful?" Feng'Er sneered.
Seeing her friend's smug yet disdainful expression, Yan Yu left in a huff.
...
...
Note 1: Just to mention, Peach Blossom Pastry is a part-time creation, so I update a bit at noon and then relax and update a little more in the afternoon. The update time is set for 5 PM, and when I get home in the evening, there will be another chapter.
Note 2: Previously, the civilian blades assigned to arrest Monk Pan by the government office had their stats adjusted from "45~46" to "19~20". Overall parameters have been partially adjusted. This makes it more reasonable.