Lu Qingfeng

In the year 2657 of the common era, Earth was riddled with scars. Humanity discovered its first extraterrestrial habitable planet, established the Human Federation, and ushered in the interstellar era.

In the year 3910 of the common era, the Human Federation discovered its 36th habitable planet, its footprints blanketing the Milky Way.

Over twelve hundred years of interstellar exploration and colonization, explorers suffered heavy casualties due to harsh interstellar environments.

In the year 3920 of the common era, a federal expeditionary force discovered a planet of divine stone, using it as a server—

Taking eighty years, the large-scale virtual reality game Primordial World was born.

In the year 4000 of the common era, a new era dawned with the public beta of Primordial World.

Thirty-six habitable planets, hundreds of billions of federal citizens, and countless gaming studios and large organizations moved in one after another, and Primordial World flourished!

Amidst the boundless starry sky, a transport fleet was underway.

Inside a transport ship were cargo destined for the Federation's 35th planet, which included ten thousand gaming login devices for Primordial World.

Interstellar pirates appeared, a fierce battle erupted between the two sides, and the transport ship was blown to pieces.

A spatial rift appeared in the battlefield, and a single login ring survived by sheer luck, plunging into the tear and disappearing without a trace.

Jiuzhai County.

Blackwood Village.

Blackwood Village nestled against the mountains and rivers, flanked to the south by the mighty Chengyang River, while the east, west, and northern sides were all encompassed by ranges of mountains. Blackwood Village itself sat right at the foot of Blackwood Mountain to the north.

On this day.

Lu Qingfeng finished irrigating the five mu of terraced fields on the western mountain one by one, dragging his exhausted body back toward Blackwood Village.

His younger sister, Lu Qingyu, shouldered two empty buckets, chattering non-stop as she followed right behind Lu Qingfeng.

"Second Brother has it so comfortable today, not having to do a lick of work all day long."

"The Return too. If they had come in the morning, Second Brother wouldn't have been able to slack off this afternoon."

"With Second Brother's puny frame, he definitely couldn't pass the Return to Truth Sect's examinations. Even if he did, I wouldn't let him go!"

Lu Qingyu was thin and small, weathered year-round by wind and sun, looking precisely like an ungrown little dark-skinned girl. She appeared to be only seven or eight years old, but in reality, she was fast approaching twelve.

Along the road, quite a few villagers dressed in coarse hemp garments toiled bitterly. These people were devoid of color in their faces, with no spirit whatsoever to be seen upon them, acting much like walking corpses.

Lu Qingyu's spirited and proper nagging seemed rather out of place with her surroundings.

She carried her empty pole swaying back and forth, not a shred of worry visible on her face.

How nice.

A trace of tenderness welled up at the bottom of Lu Qingfeng's heart as he reached out to take the carrying pole from Lu Qingyu's shoulders.

"No need!"

"Big Brother, I can manage. I'm not Second Brother."

Lu Qingyu nimbly dodged away, her small face full of smug triumph.

"Don't let your second brother hear you say that, or he'll be so angry he won't be able to eat his meals." Lu Qingfeng couldn't help laughing.

"Hmph!"

"It'd be even better if he can't eat, Big Brother and I can just have a bit more."

Lu Qingyu wrinkled her nose, her attitude toward her eldest and second brothers starkly contrasting.

Just as Lu Qingfeng was about to speak again, a youth of around fifteen or sixteen years old ran toward the two of them head-on.

"Zhou Quan!"

Lu Qingyu's expression changed, and she swiftly snatched up a Blackwood hoe from her empty bucket, looking on with fierce vigilance. "What are you here for!"

Lu Qingfeng tightened his grip on the wood-chopping saber hidden in his sleeve, also fixing his gaze on the youth.

"Nothing! Nothing!"

The youth called Zhou Quan by Lu Qingyu shuddered, his gaze sneaking a glance across Lu Qingfeng's left sleeve before he stammered, "Lu Qingfeng, I'm here to bring you good news. Your family's Qingshan has been spotted by the immortals of the Return to Truth Sect, and he's going to Huangzhi Mountain right away!"

Zhou Quan rubbed his hands and gave an awkward smile, not daring to meet Lu Qingfeng's eyes.

Back when he was a child, he used to bully Lu Qingfeng and his sister frequently, relying on his taller stature. As a result, Lu Qingfeng struck him right across the back with a wood-chopping saber, leaving him bedridden for a solid two months and more.

Ever since then, he never dared to provoke the Lu siblings again, and would even take a wide detour whenever he encountered Lu Qingfeng.

This time, Lu Qingshan had struck great fortune and caught the eye of a Return to Truth Sect immortal, likely becoming an immortal himself in the future. Zhou Quan's parents worried that Lu Qingshan would hold a grudge, so they made Zhou Quan take the initiative to make amends with Lu Qingfeng.

"Second Brother was chosen by the Return to Truth Sect?"

Lu Qingyu's eyes widened as she brandished the hoe tightly and roared at Zhou Quan, "You're lying!"

"Qingyu!"

Lu Qingfeng stopped Lu Qingyu, turned his gaze to Zhou Quan, and said, "Got it."

Lu Qingyu stood fuming behind Lu Qingfeng, still glaring fiercely at Zhou Quan.

"What else is there?" Lu Qingfeng asked with a frown when he saw Zhou Quan delaying and refusing to make way.

"I—"

The moment Zhou Quan laid eyes on Lu Qingfeng, a chill crept down his spine. The words his parents had entrusted to him stuck in his throat, and he dared not speak them.

"Such a dawdler!"

Lu Qingyu brandished her hoe and made as if to scare Zhou Quan.

Yet Zhou Quan feared Lu Qingfeng, not this little girl.

"If you have nothing to say, step aside!"

Lu Qingfeng grew impatient.

"I'll speak."

"Lu Qingfeng, your family's Qingyu will be turning twelve right away, won't she? My parents—" Zhou Quan mustered his courage, having barely begun.

"Scram!"

With that, Lu Qingfeng stepped forward and let out a fierce shout.

Zhou Quan shuddered all over, and seeing out of the corner of his eye the half-foot of a firewood chopper protruding from Lu Qingfeng's cuff, he grew too terrified to utter a single word, fleeing straight toward the village.

"Big Brother, what the hell does me turning twelve have to do with him? Is this bastard looking for a beating again? This time Big Brother doesn't even have to lift a finger—Second Brother and I will find an opening and let him have it hard!"

Lu Qingyu was dark, thin, and unremarkable, yet the words coming out of her mouth bore a truly massive contrast. As she spoke, she kept hoisting her hoe in a menacing posture.

"It's nothing."

"Let's hurry back."

Lu Qingfeng skipped over Zhou Quan's topic, took over carrying the empty carrying pole for Lu Qingyu, and hastened back toward the village. Lu Qingyu blinked and trotted closely behind him.

The two of them quickly returned to Blackwood Village.

Inside Blackwood Village, it was raucously bustling for once. A few extra expressions appeared on the faces of the villagers. Seeing the siblings Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu return, they actually vied with one another to greet them.

Qingshan was accepted into the Return to Truth Sect, and a few years from now when he masters his craft he'll be an immortal in the eyes of these people. I am Qingshan's only older brother, which is why these people are sucking up to me.

Zhou Quan came to announce good news to me, which is also a show of goodwill.

He even harbors designs on Qingyu!

Lu Qingfeng's mind was clear and piercing, deeply insightful of human nature.

Unwilling to entangle himself with these people, he led Lu Qingyu straight toward home.

"The Lu family's second boy was taken a fancy to by an immortal of the Return to Truth Sect—he's made it now."

"Indeed! Who would have thought that after Lu Shitou left, he'd still leave behind such a formidable son!"

"Get out of here! This eldest Lu boy is a ruthless character, but the second Lu boy falls far short. Once he goes to the Return to Truth Sect, who knows if he'll even live a few more days!"

The watching villagers watched Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu off, muttering softly among themselves one by one.

The houses in Blackwood Village were mainly made of wood and stone.

At the center were the dwellings of the wealthy landlords and the administrators of Blackwood Village. The houses of the three siblings Lu Qingfeng, Lu Qingshan, and Lu Qingyu were located at the very outermost fringe of Blackwood Village. The moment beasts attacked the village, they would be the first to suffer disaster.

With the outer periphery serving as a buffer, the people in the central area would have time to respond.

The three siblings' house was constructed from the blackwood growing in Blackwood Mountain, against which the northern side of Blackwood Village leaned. Blackwood was sturdy and solid; apart from being somewhat oppressive, it at least kept out the wind and rain.

Inside and out, there were a total of two rooms.

The inner room was a bedroom, holding one large and one small bed. The outer room served as a kitchen and was rather crude.

"Big Brother!"

As soon as he stepped into the Blackwood House, he saw a youth whose appearance was five parts similar to Lu Qingfeng's, squatting by the doorway with his chin propped in his hands. Seeing movement, the youth immediately sprang to his feet.

This youth was around thirteen or fourteen years old, looked somewhat simple-minded, and was also a dark lad. He was Lu Qingfeng's full younger brother, Lu Qingshan, and also the second brother Lu Qingyu had spoken of.

"Big Brother!"

"I don't want to go to Huangzhi Mountain!"

Lu Qingshan was scared out of his wits at the moment, reaching out to grab Lu Qingfeng's arm with a trace of a sob in his raspy voice.

"You're a real man, all you know how to do is cry!"

"If crying could solve problems, I'd cry every single day!"

Lu Qingyu angrily flung her hoe into the corner and roared at Lu Qingshan.

"Big Brother, help me, I really don't want to go to Huangzhi Mountain! The Return to Truth Sect are all a bunch of bastards, I don't want to go!" Ignoring his younger sister, Lu Qingshan clutched Lu Qingfeng and pleaded.

"Don't say words of hatred toward the Return to Truth Sect anymore—just keep them locked in your heart."

Lu Qingfeng glanced outside the door and cast a stern look at Lu Qingshan, causing the latter to snap straight up at once.

Lu Qingyu squatted in the corner and said in a crisp voice, "Exactly. Big Brother has taught you so many times, yet you still don't listen. Revenge doesn't rely on just a mouth alone. You have to keep it in your heart and prove it with action!"

"Who says I haven't kept it in mind!"

Lu Qingshan was too angry to speak.

"Alright, Qingyu, say a little less." Lu Qingfeng stopped Lu Qingshan, who was about to strike back, looked at Lu Qingshan, and said with a stern expression, "The Return to Truth Sect picks disciples and handymen in Jiuzhai every year. Once you pass the screening, you can't run away even if you want to, and you have to go whether you want to or not. Now you only have a short time to pack your things. I ask and you answer, I speak and you listen, don't interrupt me, understand?"

Lu Qingfeng grabbed Lu Qingshan's shoulders, forcing himself to calm down so he wouldn't show his panic in front of his younger brother.

"Big brother, I... I'll listen to you."

Lu Qingshan's eye rims were red, and he nodded heavily while holding back his tears.

"Qingyu, you aren't to interrupt either."

Lu Qingfeng looked over at Lu Qingyu, who was squatting in the corner.

"I know." Lu Qingyu nodded her small head.

"Qhan, you were picked by the Return to Truth Sect—is it as a disciple or a handyman?"

Only then did Lu Qingfeng turn his head to look at Lu Qingshan and ask.

"A handyman."

"The person from the Return to Truth Sect said my aptitude is ordinary, and I can barely become a handyman in the Return to Truth Sect."

Lu Qingshan's heart was filled with both fear and hesitation. Whatever his big brother asked, he answered.

"A handyman!"

"I knew it!"

Lu Qingfeng's brows knitted tightly, his heart sinking to the very bottom.

Within the Return to Truth Sect, there was a division between formal disciples and handyman disciples. Among them, formal disciples were beings who had crossed the threshold, holding no small status in the Return to Truth Sect.

Handyman disciples, however, were equivalent to slaves of the Return to Truth Sect. Although they were also bestowed cultivation techniques, they had to labor for the Return to Truth Sect, either tending to medicine fields or taking care of various mundane chores.

If one carelessly offended a formal disciple, deacon, or elder, beating them to death counted for nothing.

A handyman's life was the most worthless of all!

If Lu Qingshan had joined the Return to Truth Sect with the identity of a formal disciple, he would at least have had a master to offer slight protection. But becoming a handyman disciple meant he could only pray for his own fortune, striving to step into the threshold of cultivation early and shake off the identity of a handyman.

Yet stepping into the threshold of cultivation—how easy was that?!

"Qingshan, listen well. Starting today, Dad's grudge must not be shown in front of anyone. Once you go to the Return to Truth Sect, just focus on cultivation. This time is both a crisis and a challenge. As long as you can step into cultivation and become a formal disciple of the Return to Truth Sect, there will be hope for revenge."

"Therefore, before the great revenge is avenged, do not do anything driven by impulse or anger!"

"Only if you survive in the Return to Truth Sect, can Qingyu and I live, and can Dad's grudge have hope of being avenged!"

Lu Qingfeng's expression was incomparably solemn.

Although his sixteen-year-old body was somewhat hunchbacked from long-term labor, his pair of eyes was exceptionally bright and firm.

He had lived two lives and was capable of cowardly enduring to stay alive.

Yet his younger brother Lu Qingshan was only a hot-blooded lad of fourteen. The Return to Truth Sect was no benevolent place; once even the slightest bit of hatred was revealed, the consequences would be hard to predict.

He had to caution him prudently.

"Brother, I... I'm scared."

Lu Qingshan's voice was trembling as he fought back his urge to cry and looked up at Lu Qingfeng.

"A real man, what is there to be scared of?"

"If anyone dares to bully you, just beat them back once you get strong later on!"

Lu Qingyu still couldn't help chiming in.

Back then, the three siblings had been bullied terribly by Zhou Quan and couldn't beat him no matter what. In the end, big brother used more than twenty coarse grain cakes to trade Blacksmith Zhang for a woodchopping knife, and didn't that beat Zhou Quan until he was terrified?

Therefore, Lu Qingyu had known since she was little—

When you get bullied!

You have to beat them back!

Even if you can't beat them now, you must always remember to pay it back fiercely once you have the strength!

Lu Qingyung was given a shout, but unusually he didn't bicker with Lu Qingyu; instead, he just looked up at Lu Qingfeng and said in a small voice, "Big brother, I'm not scared anymore."

"Although the Return to Truth Sect is perilous, handyman disciples are not few in number. Others can survive, and you will definitely be able to do it too!"

Lu Qingfeng patted Lu Qingshan's shoulder and comforted him, "The rations for handyman disciples are provided by the family, and from now on I will go send them to you every seven days."

Lu Qingshan ultimately followed the Return to Truth Sect 'immortal' and left Blackwood Village.

Lu Qingfeng saw him off.

Seeing that the Return to Truth Sect 'immortal' was tall and robust, with a mountain-chopping saber bound to his back, he looked utterly ferocious, completely devoid of any immortal spiritual aura.

Striding like a dragon and stepping like a tiger, a single stride spanned fully two to three zhang.

Lu Qingshan and the other few newly advanced handyman disciples could only run with all their might to keep up, finding it quite strenuous.

This was not the first time Lu Qingfeng had seen these Return to Truth Sect disciples. Every time he saw them, a feeling of being utterly unable to contend with them would rise from the bottom of his heart.

This kind of feeling was despairing.

The one who took Lu Qingshan away was only an ordinary disciple. He had heard that on Huangzhi Mountain there were even more formidable elders and sect masters, all of them renowned throughout the entire Guangyuan Prefecture. Coming and going on high, they were no different from beings among the gods.

Such a Return to Truth Sect mastered the methods of cultivation and controlled the tens of thousands of subjects in Jiuzhai County, and was called 'immortals'.

And what about Lu Qingfeng?

He was merely a frail youth sixteen years into his transmigration who had accomplished nothing, unable to even eat his fill or stay warm.

The gap between the two could not be spoken of in the same breath!

Night fell.

Lu Qingfeng lay on the hard wooden bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Ever since his father died, he had depended on his second brother Lu Qingshan and younger sister Lu Qingyu for survival. For more than three years, this was the first time he would spend the night alone with Qingyu in this Blackwood House.

I wonder how Qingshan is doing.

Lu Qingfeng's mind was completely filled with thoughts of Lu Qingshan.

This younger brother had followed behind him since he was little, and the bond between the brothers was exceptionally deep. Separated all of a sudden, Lu Qingfeng was very unaccustomed to it and even more incomparably worried.

What a damn world!

Tossing and turning, Lu Qingfeng simply sat up, recalling the bits and pieces of the past sixteen years.

Lu Qingfeng was not a native-born person of this world!

In his past life, he was a person from Earth, growing up in China with modest success in his career, counting as a promising young man. During a trip, he unfortunately encountered a car accident and lost consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes again, he had become a wailing infant, born into this cramped Blackwood Village.

In his fourth year, after giving birth to his younger sister Lu Qingyu, his mother died in difficult childbirth. His father, Lu Shitou, raised the three siblings—Lu Qingfeng, Lu Qingshan, and Lu Qingyu—to adulthood.

Yet Heaven has unpredictable winds and clouds; when Lu Qingfeng was thirteen, the family's five mu of farmland suffered a calamity of mountain boars, resulting in a total crop failure.

No harvest meant it was impossible to pay the tribute to the Return to Truth Sect.

When Lu Shitou went to Huangzhi Mountain to beg for leniency, he was ordered to be whipped ten lashes by the external affairs steward of the Return to Truth Sect. Worn out by chronic illness, Lu Shitou failed to pull through and passed away, leaving behind thirteen-year-old Lu Qingfeng, eleven-year-old Lu Qingshan, and nine-year-old Lu Qingyu.

From then on, Lu Qingfeng labored day and night, leaving early and returning late, barely feeding himself while dragging his younger siblings up.

In a flash, another three years passed.

Now Lu Qingfeng was already sixteen years old, yet he was still wasting away in Blackwood Village.

This world was incomparably dangerous. Outside Blackwood Village were all kinds of ferocious beasts. Relying on Lu Qingfeng's frail little physique, he wouldn't be able to walk five Li before being eaten by wild beasts.

Furthermore.

The Return to Truth Sect ruled over Jiuzhai County and enslaved the people of Jiuzhai. Once someone fled, they would immediately be discovered by the village management personnel, and subsequently hunted down by the Return to Truth Sect 'immortals', beaten to death alive, and even implicate their family.

No one had any certainty of escaping from under the 'immortals', nor did Lu Qingfeng, and even less did he have the ability to take his younger siblings and flee together.

To say it was laughable.

As a transmigrator, Lu Qingfeng understood nothing about gunpowder or artillery shells, and knew nothing about waterwheels or spinning looms. Even if he did know, he wouldn't dare to display them in Blackwood Village, which hovered between a slave society and a feudal society.

The tree that stands out in the forest is the first to be destroyed by the wind!

In Blackwood Village, Lu Qingfeng disguised himself so that he was no different from ordinary villagers. As time passed, he truly became no different.

If one had to be strict and say there was any difference, it was only on the spiritual level—

Ordinary villagers were numb, accepting the reality of being enslaved by the Return to Truth Sect.

Lu Qingfeng did not!

At every moment he was pondering how to escape Blackwood Village, how to escape the clutches of the Return to Truth Sect, and he had even thought about how he could overthrow the Return to Truth Sect!

Yet.

Sixteen years had passed, and he had gained nothing.

The gap between ordinary people and cultivators was simply too vast, impossible for human strength to cross.

Once upon a time, Lu Qingfeng had hoped to be selected into the Return to Truth Sect; even as a handyman disciple, there would at least be a glimmer of hope. But in the Return to Truth Sect's annual selections, from age twelve until last year, Lu Qingfeng failed to meet the standards every time and was weeded out.

"The Return to Truth Sect?"

"It should be the Return to Truth Demonic Sect!"

Lu Qingfeng clenched his fists tightly.

From what he knew over sixteen years, this so-called Return to Truth Sect undoubtedly belonged to the demonic path—

Treating human lives as grass, and enslaving all living beings!

This was an insurmountable great mountain, pressing down upon his heart and body, impossible to move away.

"Qingshan entering the Return to Truth Sect might just be an opportunity!"

Lu Qingfeng reined in his thoughts.

Living a life anew in such a wondrous world, if he were to cowardly live out his days until death, that was definitely not what he desired.

"Big brother, are you still not asleep?"

In the dark, Lu Qingyu spoke in a low voice.

"Not yet." Lu Qingfeng heard the sound of his younger sister turning over, and looking through the darkness, asked, "What is the matter with you?"

"I--"

"I cannot sleep."

Lu Qingyu curled into a ball, a very strange feeling in her heart. This feeling was much like the one from three years ago when their father passed away. It was sour, neither up nor down, and deeply uncomfortable.

"Are you thinking of your second brother?"

Lu Qingfeng asked.

"I am not!"

"He is such a crybaby, why would I think of him!"

Lu Qingyu raised her voice slightly.

"Then go to sleep quickly, you can sleep a bit longer tomorrow." Lu Qingfeng did not expose his sister's little thoughts.

"Oh."

Lu Qingyu gave a soft response, followed by a long silence.

He did not know how much time had passed when Lu Qingfeng heard faint sobbing and the rustle of straw. Immediately after, he felt a small figure crawl up, curling into his arms. "Big brother, I want to sleep with you tonight."

As the little girl spoke, her breath brushed against his face, tickling him.

"Alright."

Lu Qingfeng pulled his sister into his arms, his palm gently patting her back. Before long, the brother and sister fell into a deep sleep.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

Lu Qingfeng carried coarse grain flatbreads and hurried toward Huangzhi Mountain.

Huangzhi Mountain was located east of Blackwood Village, named for the yellow spirit mushrooms that grew there, and the Return to Truth Sect was nestled within it.

Without even needing to enter Huangzhi Mountain, Lu Qingfeng saw Lu Qingyu stretching out her little head and looking around from the outer perimeter.

Along with Lu Qingfeng were more than ten other handymen.

"Big brother!"

Seeing Lu Qingfeng appear, Lu Qingshan trotted forward to greet him, a look of joy on his face.

Having not seen him for a few days, Lu Qingshan had grown much thinner. His hair hung down on the left, covering the left side of his face and making him look rather strange.

"What happened to your face?"

Lu Qingfeng pointed at Lu Qingshan's left face and asked.

"Nothing much, I accidentally took a fall." Lu Qingshan grinned, as if pulling on a wound, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Be more careful when walking from now on."

Lu Qingfeng took the bundle down from his back and handed it to Lu Qingshan, admonishing, "This is your ration for seven days, eat it sparingly. When I come over next time, I will bring you a few pounds of dried fish."

"Thank you, big brother."

Lu Qingshan took the bundle, his nose burning, and his eyes instantly grew red.

"Qingyu made all of this for you. She even wants to go up the mountain these past two days to find deodorizing trefoil grass, saying it will keep you from smelling entirely of fish after eating the dried fish."

"She even wanted me to bring her along to see you this morning, but it is too far here, so I did not agree."

Lu Qingfeng pulled his younger brother, whom he had not seen in days, down to sit, and seeing the scar on the left side of his face revealed by his drifting hair, his heart twitched slightly.

Damn the Return to Truth Sect!

There was no need to ask—this scar that looked so much like a whip mark was definitely not from a fall!

"Qingyu would never want to see me!"

Lu Qingshan pouted, yet could not help asking, "Did she really ask you to bring me dried fish, and make a fuss about coming to see me together?"

"Making a fuss?"

Lu Qingfeng suppressed his heartache, forced a smile at the corners of his mouth, and hurriedly nodded.

"Hmph!"

"I don't believe it."

Lu Qingshan tilted his head up, yet the smile on his face could not be concealed.

"Tell big brother, what have you been doing and what have you learned these past few days?" Lu Qingfeng spoke of some matters around the house, then asked.

The brothers chatted on the gentle slope for about the time it took to brew a cup of tea, and then Lu Qingshan hurried back to the handyman courtyard of the Return to Truth Sect a step ahead.

Lu Qingfeng stared at Lu Qingshan's back, seeing him clutch the bundle to his chest and limp when he ran because he dared not put too much force on his right leg.

This rascal.

Lu Qingfeng watched Lu Qingshan go, then raised his head to glance at Huangzhi Mountain.

Huangzhi Mountain was not tall, but its trees were massive and lush. The Return to Truth Sect was hidden within, obscured by the trees so that not a single trace could be seen.

At a single glance, one only felt that Huangzhi Mountain was pitch-black, resembling a fiend's lair. It was like a fierce beast or a fiend beast opening its bloody maw, while Lu Qingshan ran three steps at a time, vanishing as he plunged into the maw-like fiend's lair.

Three months and more flashed by.

During this time, Lu Qingfeng delivered rations to Lu Qingshan every seven days. Lu Qingshan grew thinner each time, and the injuries on his body multiplied. The scar on his left cheek had not yet fully healed when a new whip mark was added to his right cheek.

This time Lu Qingshan could not hide it, only claiming that he had accidentally angered the handyman steward and taken a few lashes.

Lu Qingfeng pulled back Lu Qingshan's upper garment, only to see Lu Qingshan's rib-like body densely covered in whip marks.

Some were fresh, some were old.

He pretended not to care, grinning broadly as he comforted Lu Qingfeng.

If this continues, Qingshan is likely to be beaten to death alive.

In Blackwood House.

Lu Qingfeng sat on the hard wooden bed board, his brows tightly locked. Qingyu had gone back to sleep in her own small bed and had already entered dreamland.

After sitting for a long while, Lu Qingfeng got up from the bed, and from among a pile of tree bark in the wooden box beneath the bed, he took out several pieces.

By the moonlight.

One could see small figures sketched on the tree bark demonstrating forms, every punch and kick quite methodical. Beside the diagrams were characters resembling seal script. Lu Qingfeng guessed his way through them and could recognize a small half. Coupled with studying this world's script alongside Lu Qingshan these past few months, it did not hinder his understanding.

Guizhen Technique.

Savage Bull Fist.

Lu Qingfeng read word by word.

Though Lu Qingshan had entered the Return to Truth Sect as a handyman, besides various chores, he was also permitted to cultivate.

The first three months were spent learning script and various meridian charts.

Only a few days ago had he been formally taught the first level of the "Guizhen Technique" and the "Savage Bull Fist."

Among them, the Guizhen Technique was a seated cultivation method, focusing on sensing embryonic breathing and generating internal breath. It was said to be the most orthodox internal martial arts method, enjoying a great reputation throughout the entire Guangyuan Prefecture!

As for how it truly was, he had no way of knowing.

The Savage Bull Fist was a matter of fists and feet, training one's physique and physical strength.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to deliver rations to Lu Qingshan every seven days, Lu Qingfeng learned script from Lu Qingshan and understood meridian points...

In short, whatever Lu Qingshan studied, he did not miss a single bit.

Yesterday.

Lu Qingshan had even risked his life to secretly teach the newly acquired "Guizhen Technique" and "Savage Bull Fist" to Lu Qingfeng. Once such private passing of teachings was discovered by the Return to Truth Sect, the brothers and Lu Qingyu alike would be left without a burial place.

Yet Lu Qingfeng was cautious, and Qingshan and Qingyu were tight-lipped, so he did not worry about being discovered.

Only--

Whether it is an internal martial art like the "Guizhen Technique" or a fist and foot form like the "Savage Bull Fist," the consumption of physical strength is immense. Once one begins cultivation, daily food intake must at least double. Various meats and medicinal herbs are also indispensable, otherwise the body will be ruined by training before any art is mastered.

Lu Qingfeng pondered inwardly.

Poor scholars, rich martial artists!

The three siblings struggled just to have enough to eat, let alone speak of cultivation?

Could it be that I truly can never turn my fortunes around in this lifetime?!

Before, without channels to contact cultivation methods, it was one thing to have no hope of transcending mortality. Now that the "Guizhen Technique" and "Savage Bull Fist" were in his hands, how could he let mere hardships shackle him?!

Lu Qingfeng grasped the piece of tree bark, turned his head to glance at the firewood chopper polished to a gleaming shine by the head of the bed, and hardened his heart. If I cannot turn my fortunes around and rise above, what is the point of living out a humble existence! I will go wander the western hills tomorrow, and if I can manage to luck out and kill a wild boar, the cultivation resources for both myself and Qingshan for half a month will be secured!

Even at the worst, I must let Qingshan cultivate with peace of mind!

However.

Hunting was not something one could simply imagine, and a wild boar was even less of something easily dealt with.

With Lu Qingfeng's puny frame, even if he ran into a wild boar piglet, a single bump would scatter all his bones and turn him into wild boar rations.

I will go take a look first, no need to risk my life blindly. Traps are something we can try.

Thinking of tomorrow's plan, Lu Qingfeng concealed the tree bark recording the Guizhen Technique and Savage Bull Fist beneath the bed, rested his head upon the firewood chopper at the bed's head, and fell into deep sleep.

PS: New book sets sail, seeking recommendation votes.

New book uploaded, seeking recommendation votes.