Recovery

Wu Qi stood at the door for a while, watching Wu Qu leave before returning to the house.

When he reached the bedside, he saw that Wu Ming had opened his eyes at some point. Liu Shi and Wu Yu, seeing Wu Ming awake, were both overjoyed and tearfully asking about his condition.

"Dad, did the clan leader leave?"

After a few words with Liu Shi and Wu Yu, Wu Ming looked at Wu Qi weakly and spoke first.

Wu Qi was slightly startled, then walked closer and said:

"He left... You woke up earlier? Did you hear what was said just now?"

"Mm."

Wu Ming responded calmly, his expression much more composed than Wu Qi had expected.

Wu Qi looked at Wu Ming, wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "Rest well. The clan leader didn't completely shut the door. As long as you still want to practice martial arts, your father can try again. There's still a chance... Oh, right. On this trip, I also found a good marriage for your sister. The other family is quite prominent and has proper martial artists. They're marrying your sister and can offer ten jin of dried meat and thirty jin of fine grain, enough for you to recover your health."

Hearing Wu Qi's words, Wu Ming glanced at Wu Yu. Wu Yu was lowering her head, showing no reaction, clearly already aware of the matter. Liu Shi also offered no objection.

"I, I can manage. You don't need to... let Eldest Sister..."

Although Wu Ming's consciousness was incredibly clear, his voice was still weak, and each word was difficult.

Given Wu Yu's age, it was indeed time for her to be married, but suitable families had been hard to find. Wu Ming had previously planned to wait until he condensed his blood energy and became a martial artist, which would change his status and allow him to arrange a good marriage for Wu Yu.

Now, plans couldn't keep up with changes. The situation had suddenly shifted. If Wu Qi and Liu Shi were arranging Wu Yu's marriage to help him recover, it was against his wishes. He didn't want Wu Yu to marry into a bad family and suffer.

Although, given his current condition, he was confident he could recover his health within half a month and condense blood energy to become a martial artist within a month. At that time, with his abilities, he could ensure no one dared to bully Wu Yu. However, marriage was no small matter.

"That's enough, you're weak. Don't talk anymore."

Wu Qi interrupted Wu Ming, his face stern as he said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, your father wouldn't push your sister into a fire pit. I've been planning your sister's marriage for a long time. I was late returning because I was specifically handling this matter. It has nothing to do with you being afflicted by evil spirits. Just focus on recovering. I know you're not resigned to this."

"In our family, your great-grandfather was a martial artist, and your grandfather was also a martial artist. Unfortunately, your grandfather died early. By my generation, I didn't have the ability to become a martial artist. But you have some talent and that drive. As long as you don't lose that spirit, no matter how slim the hope, I won't let you give up."

Wu Ming's grandfather had been a martial artist, so Wu Qi had experienced life in a martial artist's family when he was young. However, he hadn't enjoyed those good days for long before Wu Ming's grandfather died in an attack by monsters. Since he himself couldn't cultivate, he naturally hoped Wu Ming could. Although this misfortune had befallen him, he knew the chances were slim. But in front of his son, he didn't want to dampen his spirits.

In the end, He could still try one last time.

Even if he gained nothing in the end, he still had his half-lifetime of carpentry and construction skills as a fallback. If Wu Ming learned these skills from him, he would always have a way to make a living in the future.

Hearing this, Wu Ming understood that things weren't as he had thought. Coupled with his physical weakness and fatigue, even opening his eyelids felt like it was draining all his strength. He stopped speaking, closed his eyes, and slowly recovered his strength.

Time passed quickly, and five days went by in the blink of an eye.

In the courtyard.

Wu Yu was washing rice and cooking.

Although her marriage was practically settled, she hadn't had much time to dwell on it these past few days. Wu Ming was recovering from his ordeal, Liu Shi had difficulty walking, and Wu Qi had gone to the city to find work a couple of days ago. The responsibility of taking care of the family had temporarily fallen on her. However, she had also been the one taking care of Wu Ming when he was practicing before.

As she was washing rice, Wu Yu suddenly sensed something. She looked up and saw a figure emerge from the house. It was Wu Ming. Wu Ming's complexion had clearly improved compared to before, but his face was still a little pale. He was walking slowly, supporting himself against the wall as he emerged from the house.

"Why are you out? Go back to bed quickly. The clan leader said you need at least a month of rest."

Wu Yu was startled and quickly put down the rice, intending to help Wu Ming.

However, as she approached, Wu Ming waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I've been eating and sleeping well these past few days, and I feel mostly recovered. I need to get up and walk around to get my muscles moving."

With that.

Refusing Wu Yu's help, Wu Ming slowly paced around the courtyard.

Wu Yu stood by, worried. Seeing that Wu Ming's steps were a little unsteady but slow and steady, and not stumbling much, she finally felt relieved after watching for a while. She then returned to washing rice and cooking, but still kept an eye on Wu Ming from time to time.

Wu Ming's gaze occasionally met Wu Yu's. He simply smiled casually before continuing to walk. What Wu Yu didn't know was that from Wu Ming's perspective at this moment, the structure of his entire body was clearly reflected in his mind.

The bones of his limbs, every muscle, even the beating of his heart and the flow of his blood, were all visible as if through a X-ray.

"It's truly vastly different."

After pacing back and forth in the courtyard several times, Wu Ming couldn't help but sigh.

Ever since experiencing the evil spirit entering his body and the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing, which had strengthened his soul, his perception had greatly increased. Putting aside this incredibly clear self-visualization, even his perception of the outside world had become much sharper.

In his perception, Wu Yu's actions of washing rice were so clear that he could see every grain of rice. Even from two to three meters away, he could see the subtle flaws and imperfections on each grain.

"Is this what they call 'perception of the minute'?"

Wu Ming had asked Clan Leader Wu Qu many questions about martial arts. However, Wu Qu mostly spoke about the process of progressing from a mortal to a martial artist. He rarely discussed the parts after condensing blood energy and becoming a martial artist.

To Wu Ming's curious inquiries, Wu Qu would often just say that he hadn't condensed blood energy yet, so he shouldn't think too much about it.

Even so, Wu Ming generally understood that after a martial artist condensed blood energy, it only strengthened their body. With a foundation in their physique, they would need to hone their fighting techniques. He wasn't sure if Wu Qu's perception could be as sharp as his own now, but without a doubt, with such keen perception, under the same physique, he would far surpass others.

However, Before considering these things, condensing blood energy and stepping through the first threshold of the martial path was the most important.

"My perception has greatly improved, and it has indeed caused many changes in my body. I thought it would take at least seven or eight days to get out of bed and walk, but I didn't expect to be almost there in just five days."

Sensing his physical condition, Wu Ming let out a soft breath.