Uprooting the Weeds, Body Tempering Twelvefold

Ning Family Village, by the village entrance.

Next door to Ning Chuan's house, beneath the ruins.

A child, about eight or nine years old, slept in the cellar. This was Ning Dagou, Ning Chuan's cousin.

Ning Dagou's lips were dry and black, cracked and bleeding. He hadn't had a drop of water in days.

Beside Dagou was a low bed, on which lay a little girl, about four or five years old.

"Brother, brother, I'm so scared, sob sob sob... sob sob sob..." the little girl whimpered softly in her sleep.

Suddenly, Dagou's eyes snapped open. He struggled to stand, gently patting the little girl's back.

"Xiao Hua, don't cry, brother's here, brother's here!" Xiao Hua gradually stopped crying. She opened her big eyes and woke up.

"Brother Dagou, when will Daddy come back? And when will Brother Ning Chuan come to see Hua Hua?" Xiao Hua's voice was still a little childish. She looked at Brother Dagou with hope in her eyes.

Dagou flashed a brilliant smile, patting Xiao Hua's back, and said softly:

"Don't worry, when Hua Hua sleeps again, Daddy and Brother Ning Chuan will be back!"

"Really? Brother Dagou, you promise not to lie?"

"Of course, I won't lie. When has Brother Dagou ever lied?"

"But, brother, Hua Hua is so hungry, I can't sleep!"

"Good girl, brother will give you something to eat."

"But, it's the same rule as always, you have to cover your eyes before eating, no peeking!"

"Okay, Brother Dagou!" Xiao Hua obediently closed her eyes.

Dagou picked up a piece of cloth and covered Xiao Hua's eyes. Then, he reached for his own bandaged wrist, unwrapping the layers of cloth to reveal a gruesome wound.

He tore at the wound with force. Blood instantly flowed out. He quickly brought it to Xiao Hua's mouth, letting the blood flow into her mouth.

Xiao Hua made slurping sounds as she swallowed. After a while, Dagou staggered, almost falling. He re-wrapped the bandages and leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

Looking at the little girl again, she had already fallen asleep. She was clearly also extremely weak.

Dagou rested for a moment, then walked to the cellar entrance. He picked up a small shovel and began to dig upwards with all his might.

"Daddy, I must get Sister out of here, we have to survive!" Dagou gritted his teeth, his small face filled with determination.

He kept encouraging himself, "Almost there, almost there, I'm about to break through the ground!"

However, his legs grew weaker and weaker... his head grew foggier and foggier...

"I can't faint! Sister is waiting for me to save her. I'm a man, I can do it! I can do it!"

Dagou suddenly bit his tongue. The pain momentarily cleared his head. Blood slowly trickled from his mouth.

But Dagou was, after all, just a child of eight or nine. He was too weak. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dig open the exit.

Coupled with the prolonged hunger and repeated bloodletting, he was far too weak!

"Daddy, Sister Xiao Hua, Brother Ning Chuan..."

Dagou muttered to himself, his voice growing fainter and fainter. Darkness enveloped his vision.

At the end of the village, there was still a household. Red tiles, brick walls, smoke curling from the chimney, the aroma of food wafting through the air. It was completely out of place with the desolation and decay of the rest of the village.

Bandits had raided multiple times, yet this house remained untouched.

Why? Because this was the Village Chief Ning the Flayer's home.

At this moment, Ning the Flayer's three sons, Ning Dajin, Ning Dayin, and Ning Datong, were in the courtyard, playing finger-guessing games and drinking wine.

All three were notorious ruffians in the village, bullying the weak and oppressing the innocent, committing all sorts of evil deeds!

Ning the Flayer's wife, Gao Lanzhi, was in the courtyard, slaughtering a chicken.

Gao Lanzhi was a notorious shrew, known far and wide. From the eighty-year-old elders to the three-year-old children in the village, everyone had been slapped by her.

Even Ning Chuan had received a few of her resounding slaps when he was younger.

Her eldest grandson, Xiao Wu, and granddaughter, Xiao Lan, were playing in the courtyard.

The three sons and their wives were cooking in the kitchen.

The family was having a grand time, completely unaware that a pair of death-like eyes were staring at them from outside the wall.

"Grandma, Grandma!"

Little granddaughter Xiao Lan called out to Gao Lanzhi!

"Oh, my dear granddaughter, what is it!" Gao Lanzhi scooped up her granddaughter.

Xiao Lan's eyes darted around as she said, "Grandma, they all say Ning Xiao Hua's hands are prettier than mine. Can you ask Grandpa to chop off her hands and give them to me!"

"Holy crap," Ning Chuan broke out in a sweat. Such malice at such a young age!

Gao Lanzhi affectionately stroked her granddaughter's head and said, "Oh dear, silly child, even if I cut it off for you, you wouldn't be able to reattach it. Besides, those two little brats have probably already fled to escape the famine and starved to death somewhere else!"

Ning Chuan's heart ached, and a flood of memories about Ning Dagou and Xiao Hua surged into his mind.

He had transmigrated, inheriting the original owner's memories and emotions.

Dagou and Xiaohua were his uncle's children, his cousins. His uncle had been killed by bandits from Three Tiger Mountain not long ago.

At this moment, he heard Xiao Wu speaking beside him:

"Grandma, I know, Brother Xiaohua and his sister didn't flee. They hid in the cellar, and the bandits pushed the house down, burying the cellar entrance! After we eat, please ask Father, Uncle, and Third Uncle to help us dig open the cellar. If Xiaohua is still alive, I'll cut off her hand for you to play with!"

"Hahahaha... Is that so? Alright, Uncle will take you to dig out Xiaohua and cut off her hand for you later!"

Ning Dajin, who was playing finger-guessing games, stopped and said with a laugh.

"Boom..."

Ning Chuan's mind roared.

"Cut off your mother! Such a young age and so depraved! I'll send you on your way, saving you from harming others when you grow up!"

Ning Chuan roared, and with a thunderous kick, he kicked open a gap in the brick wall. He was already in front of the three brothers who were playing finger-guessing games.

"Pfft," "Pfft," "Pfft."

Three heads flew into the air!

"Ah!"

Gao Lanzhi let out a sharp scream.

"Pfft," the scream abruptly stopped!

"Grandma, what's happening?"

The three daughters-in-law rushed out from the kitchen, only to be met by a spinning table flying towards them, smashing them into three bloody messes.

In the courtyard, only the two terrified little brats remained!

"Amitabha, Buddha teaches us to eradicate evil completely. By eliminating one evil person, we save countless others! I consider this a good deed!"

With a flick of his hand...

A raging fire engulfed the area, illuminating Ning Chuan's retreating figure as he sprinted towards the village entrance.

Half an hour later, Ning Chuan dug Ning Dagou and Xiao Hua out of the cellar.

He touched them and found they were still alive, just unconscious! He quickly took out his water pouch and gave them both some water. Then, he found a broken iron pot in the ruins, boiled some millet, and fed them both some thin porridge. Seeing that their breathing was steady and they had fallen into a deep sleep, he checked their bodies again. Apart from weakness, there were no serious injuries.

Ning Chuan naturally noticed the cloth strip wrapped around Dagou's wrist. He opened it and, recalling the bloodstains on Xiaohua's mouth, immediately understood what had happened.

"Heh heh, little things, well done!" Ning Chuan was greatly impressed.

While the two were resting, Ning Chuan checked his system panel. It showed 1 remaining Sign In count, and the current location was not available for Sign In. He then looked at the remaining Attribute Points, which were 16, and added them all at once. His Constitution instantly increased to 124 points, and his realm reached Body Tempering Realm, 12th level. Not knowing when the two would wake up, he found a clear spot nearby and began practicing the Iron Shirt technique. As he practiced, Ning Chuan was overjoyed. The increase in Constitution had greatly boosted his martial arts training. Following the cultivation method of the Iron Shirt, his Blood Essence vibrated at a specific frequency, and his major tendons were being strengthened at an incredible speed. The thrill of such a rapid increase in strength was indescribable!

"The major tendons are becoming tougher and more flexible, as if they are coming alive!" After the major tendons were strengthened, his agility greatly improved, his body became more flexible, and he could easily perform all sorts of incredible movements. If Ning Chuan returned to his previous life, those BJJ masters and yoga geniuses would be no match for him. As his body emitted a circle of silver light that slowly faded, the third level of the Iron Shirt, Silver Tendon Realm, was officially perfected, and his strength greatly increased. After practicing martial arts for a while, he went to check on Ning Dagou and Xiao Hua again. His head was twice as big as before!

"Sigh, if I were alone, fighting monsters and leveling up, life would be so carefree and happy! Now I have two burdens. I can't abandon them, but I don't know how to raise them. What should I do?"

"I can't possibly take two burdens and go around fighting and killing, can I?"

"Should I really go to the county town and join the Imperial Guard, becoming a lackey of the court? That sounds really appealing..."

When the two little burdens woke up, he comforted them thoroughly. He found a pair of baskets in the ruins, used an iron rod as a carrying pole, and carried the siblings. He slung a long saber at his waist and headed towards Qingshi Town.

As Ning Chuan carried his siblings towards Qingshi Town, many people were gathered under the notice board at the entrance of Qingshi Town, pointing and discussing.

"Come quickly, it's a wanted poster issued by the Qingshan County Magistrate!"

"What? Is there anyone who can read? Hurry up and read it to this old man!"

A scholar stepped forward and loudly read to the crowd:

"This is to inform that the notorious bandit Ning Chuan has killed ten men from the Joint Defense Camp. His crimes are heinous. Whoever beheads him shall be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver! Issued by the Qingshan County Magistrate's office."

"Hiss! Such a large reward!"

"What a sin! Such a handsome young man, why would he become a notorious bandit!"

Next to the wanted poster was a drawing of a handsome youth, about sixteen or seventeen years old. It was Ning Chuan.

In the crowd, many people's minds began to stir, and they scanned their surroundings.