At noon, Tang Wen ate roasted bird meat.
Although the only seasoning was a little salt and there was barely any meat, which had a slightly gamey smell, he still ate with great relish.
He didn't even spare the heart, liver, bird's eyes, or brain.
Tangtang had picked out all the edible parts, not letting a single scrap of meat go to waste.
"Here, this is for you." Tangtang handed over the larger half of the bird meat.
Tang Wen raised a hand to block her.
"I'm a girl, I can't eat that much."
Tang Wen turned to look at her, and she averted her gaze.
"Go ahead and eat it, Sis. There'll be more tonight."
"It's great if there is, but it's fine if there isn't. You must be careful."
"Mm."
PLOP.
Tangtang tossed the bird meat into his bowl, then turned away, clutching her own bowl as she retreated to a corner.
Her movements were practiced, as if she'd done this many times before.
Tang Wen silently finished his meal, practiced the Eight Vajra Techniques once, then picked up his bag of stones and went out again.
In the afternoon, with the sun still high in the sky, he was already on his way back to the camp, five Red-beaked Sparrows tucked into his shirt.
Considering they still had two uneaten birds at home, he traded all five Red-beaked Sparrows for Maize.
To avoid drawing attention, he deliberately went to two different grain shops.
He took out two birds at the first shop and three at the second.
After listening to his sister at noon, he had decided to trade no more than three Red-beaked Sparrows for grain at a time.
In a world where people would kill each other over a single fish, he felt he could never be too careful.
Seven and a half jin of Maize, half in his shirt and half tied at his waist, felt heavy and gave him the false sense of having just been paid a salary.
They had rations for now, but the next few months' rent was still up in the air. The hut also needed repairs, but he had no tools—they'd even sold the family shovel. Then there was firewood for the winter...
"You traded for more grain? You didn't get it all from one place, did you? Come and rest for a bit."
Tangtang chattered away as she hid the grain, then got up to pour her brother some water.
That evening, in addition to Maize porridge, they each had a charcoal-roasted Red-beaked Sparrow.
"Xiaowen, what's that outside?" Tangtang suddenly looked toward the door.
Tang Wen glanced back warily. He could see clearly through the crack in the door—there was nothing there.
PLOP. He looked down to find half a bird in his bowl.
He looked up to see Tangtang waddling away and hiding in the corner.
Tang Wen: ...
'Sis, are you serious?'
'Mm, I'll have to make sure to hunt more in the future.'
After eating, Tangtang was reluctantly dragged by her brother to practice the Eight Vajra Techniques together.
"You have to feel it. Feel how your body is moving..."
"You have to imagine it. As you do the movements, imagine a warm current flowing through your entire body... A warm current, like the feeling of hot water flowing over you..."
Tang Wen explained at length, but Tangtang only seemed to half-understand.
The two of them, one teaching and one learning, slowly began to practice.
[Skill: Eight Vajra Techniques, Beginner (11→17/500)]
[Skill: Eight Vajra Techniques, Beginner (17→24/500)]
...
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
Tang Wen stuck to his routine of leaving early and returning early, never getting greedy, and always heading back to the camp before dark. He took the deserted back paths on his way there and back.
Whenever someone in the camp stared at him, he would casually but deliberately shake the cloth bag of stones at his waist, making it rattle loudly.
He never sold more than three birds at a time. He would visit the same grain shop no more than once every three days, and he would vary the order of the shops he went to, sometimes skipping one, doing his best not to attract any attention.
He returned early every day, but he didn't stay idle.
After trading half a jin of grain for a leaky, broken wooden bucket, he used the remaining daylight to start reinforcing their small hut.
On this day, he returned early as usual. Tang Wen carried the broken bucket to the washing pond to dig up wet mud.
He carried back bucket after bucket of wet mud, mixed it with two bundles of hay he had traded for half a jin of grain, and plastered a layer of it all over the hut from top to bottom.
With that, it was finally no longer drafty.
Inside the hut, the flames in the earthen stove crackled.
Tang Wen took the shovel he'd gotten for two jin of grain and carefully dug a pit in the corner, a few dozen centimeters deep.
He lined the bottom with dry grass, placed a few new grain jars inside, and covered the top with a wooden plank and more grass.
After finishing all this, the two began to eat.
Dinner was a hearty meal: two roasted Red-beaked Sparrows and two large bowls of Maize porridge for each of them.
This was a meal they wouldn't have even dared to dream of before.
After finishing one Red-beaked Sparrow and a bowl of porridge,
the siblings stood up one after another to stretch their bodies, preparing to practice the Eight Vajra Techniques a few times before eating the rest of their meal.
This was his sister's brilliant idea. This way, they didn't need an extra meal, and they wouldn't go to bed hungry.
Tangtang picked up a fire poker, stirred the firewood, and fanned the flames, making them burn a little brighter.
The narrow hut grew a little brighter.
Opening stance,
First Form: Hands Thrust to the Crown to Benefit the Triple Warmer.
...
After five repetitions, Tang Wen's Experience Panel showed a new change.
[Skill: Eight Vajra Techniques, Beginner→Beginner (1/1000)]
'It leveled up!'
Joy surged in his heart.
A warm current poured down from the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head, spreading through his entire body.
'That feels amazing!'
In the darkness, his eyes flashed brightly.
But before Tang Wen could even feel happy, a GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE sound echoed, and he clearly felt his stomach and intestines churn.
Hunger!
So hungry!
He snatched the bird meat from beside the fire and, in a flash, tossed it into his mouth and began to chew.
"What's wrong?"
Tangtang jumped in fright.
"Hungry! So hungry..." The sudden wave of hunger made Tang Wen's eyes gleam green.
"Ah?" Tangtang shoved the other charcoal-roasted Red-beaked Sparrow into his hands and frantically started scooping porridge from the pot.
Tang Wen ate and drank in a frenzy. Two bowls of porridge and two birds were messily shoveled into his mouth, all in under a minute.
"Don't rush, don't rush! I'll cook more right away!"
RUSH! Tangtang grabbed the grain jar, gritted her teeth, and poured everything out!
'That must be five—no, six jin!'
Tangtang closed her eyes as she washed the grain, an inexplicable pain blooming in her chest. 'Six jin in one meal... even the lords in the camp city wouldn't dare to eat like that, would they?'
The earthenware pot wasn't big enough to cook it all at once; it could only hold about two jin of Maize at a time.
Tang Wen was so hungry he was dizzy, swaying even though he was sitting on the ground.
The grain wasn't cooked yet, so Tangtang quickly grabbed a handful of washed Maize and stuffed it into Tang Wen's mouth.
"Mmph!"
'Raw Maize... it's actually this delicious.'
Tang Wen grabbed the raw grain and began stuffing handfuls into his mouth!
Watching him, Tangtang was both worried and heartbroken. "What's happening? Did something go wrong with your practice?"
"The Vajra Technique... is fine! It's... very effective..." Tang Wen said indistinctly, his eyes fixed on his Attribute Panel.
[Name: Tang Wen]
[Age: 14 years, 9 months]
[Body: 0.35→1.0]
[Essence: 0.71→1.0]
[Skill: Farming Mastery (719/1000)]
[Skill: stone throwing, Master (959/1000)]
[Skill: Eight Vajra Techniques, Beginner→Beginner (1/1000)]
Over the past ten days, Tang Wen's Body and Essence Attributes had already increased slightly.
But that was nothing compared to the explosive growth after his Eight Vajra Techniques broke through!
'Thank you, past me!'
'Learning the Eight Vajra Techniques out of boredom... it really paid off...'
Six jin of grain wasn't enough.
Seeing Tang Wen was about to finish it all with no sign of stopping, Tangtang got up, her heart bleeding, and opened a newly sealed jar of grain. "Even the Guard Captain in the city wouldn't dare to eat like this..."
Despite her words, she wasn't slow at all in adding firewood, washing the grain, and cooking.
After more than ten jin of grain had gone into his stomach, Tang Wen was finally full. Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and he fell over, fast asleep.
Tangtang sat up all night, hugging the empty jar. Every so often, she would touch her brother's chest and forehead.
...
When Tang Wen woke up, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. He stretched, and his bones made a series of cracking sounds.
"Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Do you feel bloated?"
Tangtang's small hand reached out to feel Tang Wen's stomach. The sensation made her pause. "Xiaowen, you've put on some muscle."
He lifted the hem of his shirt. Sure enough, he was still skinny, but now he had muscle.
"The results are amazing!"
His once skin-and-bones body had finally become solid.
'Is this the change from my Body Attribute reaching 1.0?!'
'Practicing the Eight Vajra Techniques was the right choice!'
Tang Wen clenched his fists, and his muscles bulged.
The feeling of having strength was incredible.
Tangtang's face was full of pleasant surprise, her small hands constantly squeezing her brother's arm. "The Maize wasn't wasted, the Maize wasn't wasted..."
Then, as if remembering something, she looked up and asked, "Are you still hungry?"
"Uh, not anymore! I'll just have some broth. You eat the Maize. After you're done, we'll do our morning practice together."
His sister's brows furrowed tightly. Remembering the sixteen jin of grain from last night, it took her a long moment before she could manage an "Mm."