Disguise

After all the Blood Dissolving Pills had been handed out, the able-bodied men who had originally come down with "Typhoid Fever" really did recover the next day.

With pills and cured meat, they were naturally grateful beyond words, and worked even harder at refining the Savage Bone Essence.

Of course, Yi Yun was one of them. His "recovery" was the fastest—all he had to do was wipe the cool water he had used to fake sweat off his face.

Thus, early the next morning, Yi Yun hurried to the threshing ground full of vigor, practically bursting with energy.

After this bout of sickness, Yi Yun and the others were switched from the night shift to the day shift. This suited Yi Yun perfectly. He had more or less secretly learned all of Yao Yuan's Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist anyway, and Yao Yuan did not seem to intend to teach the rest for the time being. These few moves were enough for Yi Yun to practice for quite a while.

He refined his bones during the day and practiced on the rear mountain at night. This was more concealed.

"Yun Wazi, are you completely recovered?" Aunt Wang called out to Yi Yun from a distance. Seeing him hopping and skipping as he walked, she seemed to think he had more energy than he knew what to do with.

"Aunt Wang, I'm all better! It's all thanks to Young Master Lian's pills. Young Master Lian is truly a wonderful person!" Yi Yun smiled foolishly, looking utterly grateful. Along the way, he praised the Blood Dissolving Pills' efficacy to everyone he met.

"That's good, that's good!" Seeing Yi Yun's spirited appearance, Aunt Wang knew he had fully recovered.

Yi Yun was an adult, so making him hop and skip as he walked was truly awkward. But who could blame him? In other people's eyes, he was merely a twelve-year-old child.

Twelve was the age when children were most playful. After Lian Chengyu began "paying attention" to him, Yi Yun realized that he had acted far too maturely before. He had not looked like a child at all.

A twelve-year-old child ought to act like a twelve-year-old child. Showing a bit of chuunibyou now and then when there was nothing else to do was what made someone seem normal.

"My husband wanted to go refine that bone broth too, but unfortunately, he couldn't go. Yun Wazi, you really are blessed."

Aunt Wang's voice was full of envy.

"Haha, Aunt Wang, there's still some of the cured meat our family was given left. I'll bring you a piece tonight."

Yi Yun spoke in a carefree manner, not showing the slightest reluctance to part with the cured meat that the impoverished people treated as dearly as their lives.

Actually, after Zhao Tiezhu handed out the cured meat, Yi Yun had cut off a small piece to feed to a dog—of course, the dog was not his. How could a poor family have surplus food to raise a dog? If they really had one, those starving people would have slaughtered and eaten it long ago.

Throughout the entire Lian Clan, only the Warrior Reserve Camp raised several dogs. They were all hunting hounds, used for hunting. Because of the Spiritual Ground, there were very few wild beasts near the Lian Clan. Without hunting dogs, finding even a rabbit would be like searching for a needle in the sea. How could they possibly catch any prey?

Yi Yun had cut meat to feed the dog because he was worried that Lian Chengyu might have poisoned the piece of cured meat he had given him. Although this possibility was unlikely, Yi Yun still had to guard against it.

Only after seeing that nothing happened to the dog did Yi Yun feel relieved enough to have Jiang Xiaorou cut off a bit of meat for cooking.

Yi Yun had not tasted meat in a long time, but the cured meat truly did not taste very good. He had no idea how long it had been pickled. The meat was hard and tough, with none of its original fragrance left—only a salty taste remained.

Yet even for such a piece of cured meat, Jiang Xiaorou repeatedly refused to eat it herself, insisting on saving it for Yi Yun. Yi Yun exhausted his eloquence before finally getting Jiang Xiaorou to eat a small piece.

Yi Yun himself did not eat much either. The rest was still hanging on the wall.

Yi Yun had set his sights on the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection two months later, so he did not care about this flavorless cured meat. He had heard Jiang Xiaorou say that Aunt Wang next door had often helped their family in the past, especially during the years after Yi Yun's mother had died. Jiang Xiaorou had supported the household alone, and every time the day for distributing grain approached, their family's food had already run out. At such times, if Aunt Wang had not lent them grain, they would have starved to death long ago.

This was a great kindness. In this world, lending food to someone was far more difficult than lending money on Earth.

Thus, giving Aunt Wang's family a portion of the cured meat was only right.

"This... this won't do, will it? You and your sister are both at the age when your bodies are growing. It took so much effort to get a piece of meat. Auntie can't take it!"

Aunt Wang's refusal was firm, and Yi Yun felt moved as he listened.

In this storm-tossed, poor, and backward Lian Clan, there were certainly many scoundrels and villains. But there were also simple, honest commoners like Aunt Wang, who considered others even while her own family went hungry.

The same soil and water could raise a hundred different kinds of people.

"Aunt Wang, Xiaoke is growing too. If you don't eat it, Xiaoke will have to eat it, won't she?"

The Zhou Xiaoke of Aunt Wang's family was around the same age as Yi Yun. When they were children, she had often followed behind Yi Yun with a runny nose.

Now Xiaoke had slowly grown up and was becoming more and more lovely. Yi Yun had also been reborn, so the two of them had far fewer interactions.

"Aunt Wang, I won't say anything more. I'm going to boil the bone broth."

As he spoke, Yi Yun did not wait for Aunt Wang to say anything else before darting away.

"That child!"

Aunt Wang shook her head, but her face was filled with a satisfied smile.

At that moment, in the Clan Elder's compound of the Lian Clan, Lian Chengyu stood in the bluestone-paved courtyard, practicing his punches.

He wore a loose training uniform made of silk, an extremely rare and expensive fabric in the Lian Clan. The uniform was smooth and soft against the skin, making it exceptionally comfortable.

Lian Chengyu moved in circles across the ground, his movements sometimes fast and sometimes slow. When slow, he resembled an old man doing morning exercises; when fast, he was like a leopard pouncing on prey.

From beginning to end, Lian Chengyu's attention remained fixed on his fingertips. His hands were like poisonous snakes weaving through a forest, making it difficult to tell where his attacks would land.

Zhao Tiezhu stood not far away, obediently waiting for Lian Chengyu to finish practicing, not daring even to breathe loudly.

After roughly the time it took to burn An Incense Stick, Lian Chengyu finally finished his routine and gathered his power.

He brought his hands together at his waist and exhaled a stream of air like an arrow. The air arrow shot far into the distance without dispersing.

Exhaling air like an arrow was a sign of the Qi Long Realm. But Lian Chengyu's breath was no longer merely at the level of the Qi Long Realm. He was at the fifth layer of Mortal Blood, the Qi Induction Realm. Lian Chengyu could already draw Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi into his body. The air he exhaled was no longer ordinary air, but contained Yuan Qi!

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes lit up as he watched Lian Chengyu finish his practice and hurried over with eager, mincing steps.

"With this strength and these skills, Young Master will definitely become a National Scholar of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom in the warrior selection two months from now!" Zhao Tiezhu began showering him with flattery again. But in all fairness, Lian Chengyu's strength was indeed impressive. His ambition came from real capital. He had reached the fifth layer of Mortal Blood the previous year, and after completing this set of punches, he already possessed several traces of the Mysterious Charm of a grandmaster.

"Enough nonsense. How is the Savage Bone Essence refinement going?"

"Of course everything is perfectly normal! Absolutely normal!" Zhao Tiezhu thumped his chest in assurance. "Those lowly commoners ate the cured meat and medicine Young Master handed out, and they're grateful beyond words. They wish they could refine the Savage Bone Essence for Young Master without eating or sleeping!"

"Mm... Distribute some of the Medicinal Dregs left over from before to them." Lian Chengyu spoke casually. The Medicinal Dregs no longer had much value. After thinking for a moment, Lian Chengyu asked, "By the way, how is that Yi Yun doing?"

"Yi Yun..." Zhao Tiezhu revealed a look of disdain. "When this brat fell ill the day before yesterday, he was vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, with sweat covering his head. His broken shack was unbearably foul, making him look just like a beggar."

"If Young Master hadn't been merciful enough to hand out pills, he would have died long ago! Following Young Master's instructions, I personally watched the brat swallow the pill. But at least the kid has some conscience. These days, he's been praising Young Master to everyone he meets, saying he only recovered thanks to the medicine Young Master bestowed upon him!"

"Is that so..." After listening to Zhao Tiezhu's description, the corners of Lian Chengyu's mouth curved up slightly.

The lowly commoners of this clan were more foolish than the last. Before, he had thought that a few clever ones remained among the clan, including Yi Yun. Now it seemed he had merely been overthinking things.

That was fine. Since they were so stupid, if something really happened later, it would be easy to cover it up.

"Keep an eye on things these days. The closer we get to the end, the more you must ensure that nothing goes wrong with the Savage Bone Essence refinement. If the refinement succeeds, I'll reward you handsomely. If even the slightest mistake occurs, come see me with your head!"

By the time Lian Chengyu spoke the final sentence, his voice was already filled with killing intent. Zhao Tiezhu shuddered and nodded repeatedly.

"Young Master, rest assured. With this servant watching day and night, not the slightest mistake will occur!"

Zhao Tiezhu hurried to the threshing ground. Yi Yun was still chopping wood without hurry. When he saw Zhao Tiezhu, Yi Yun smiled foolishly, looking utterly harmless to both man and beast.

"What are you looking at? Get to work, unless you want to die!"

Zhao Tiezhu roared and threw a large bundle from behind him. When the bundle was opened, a heap of Medicinal Dregs spilled out.

These were what had remained after Lian Chengyu's body-tempering bath.

"These Medicinal Dregs are your reward. The auxiliary medicines that should be in there are included too. Take them back, boil them in water, and temper your bodies while it's hot. You'll all benefit. Damn it, you're getting quite a bargain!"

Zhao Tiezhu cursed and grumbled as he spoke. The able-bodied men's eyes immediately lit up when they heard this. They swarmed over and snatched up the Medicinal Dregs with many hands.

Yi Yun naturally did not get any. He would not have wanted these Medicinal Dregs even if they had been given to him for free. Put bluntly, this stuff was Lian Chengyu's bathwater. You expect me to bathe in bathwater that someone else has already soaked in? Are you joking?

Still, Yi Yun put on an act and crowded over. In the end, he failed to get any and could only sigh dejectedly.

Seeing Yi Yun's slow-witted, dim-looking reaction, Zhao Tiezhu sneered disdainfully. This idiot doesn't even get anxious when things are being handed out. What could possibly make him anxious? No wonder he'll starve to death!

After Zhao Tiezhu left, everyone continued refining the Savage Bone Essence. Bone refinement meant boiling the essence of the Savage Bone into Li Fire Water, then repeatedly evaporating the Li Fire Water until the Savage Bone dissolved within it crystallized.

Li Fire Water had a very high boiling point, making it extremely difficult to evaporate. By now, no one knew how much firewood had been burned. The burly men responsible for refining the Savage Bone Essence had skin scorched red by the flames.

Yi Yun, however, was an exception. His skin remained delicate and tender. Aside from a slight flush on his cheeks, he showed none of the signs of being scorched by the fire. That flush came instead from absorbing a large amount of Savage Bone Essence. With sufficient nourishment and good health, it appeared naturally.

Yi Yun glanced at Zhao Tiezhu's back, then at the great cauldron used to refine the Savage Bone Essence. Today, he had once again eaten his fill, and he was impatient to go "run rampant" across the rear mountain.

His stomach was full, but his fists were already itching to be unleashed!

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