Disguise

After the Blood Dissolving Pills were distributed, the conscripts who had been suffering from "typhoid fever" indeed recovered the next day.

With the pills and cured meat, they were naturally grateful and worked even harder at refining their Savage Bones.

Of course, Yi Yun was one of them. His "recovery" was the fastest; he just needed to wipe the cold water he'd used to fake sweat from his face.

The next morning, Yi Yun was full of energy and headed to the grain drying field, brimming with vigor.

After falling ill this time, Yi Yun and the others were switched from the night shift to the day shift, which suited Yi Yun perfectly. He had already learned most of the Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist that Yao Yuan taught him, and Yao Yuan didn't seem to plan on teaching anything further for the time being. These few moves were enough for Yi Yun to practice for a while.

He would refine his bones during the day and practice in the back mountains at night, which was more discreet.

"Yun, are you feeling better?" Aunt Wang from next door called out to Yi Yun from a distance. She saw him bouncing and skipping as he walked, as if he had too much energy to spare.

"Aunt Wang, I'm all better! Thanks to Young Master Lian's pills, Young Master Lian is truly a great person!" Yi Yun said with a simple, grateful smile. He had been praising the efficacy of the Blood Dissolving Pills to everyone he met along the way.

"That's good, that's good!" Aunt Wang could tell Yi Yun was fully recovered from his energetic demeanor.

It felt awkward for an adult like Yi Yun to be skipping around, but who was he to complain when everyone saw him as just a twelve-year-old boy?

Twelve years old was an age for mischief. After Yi Yun had been "noticed" by Lian Chengyu, he realized he had seemed too mature before, not like a child at all.

A twelve-year-old should act like a twelve-year-old. Showing a bit of chuunibyou behavior when there was nothing else to do would make him seem normal.

"My husband also wanted to go boil that bone broth, but he couldn't make it. You're so lucky, Yun."

Aunt Wang said with a mouth full of envy.

"Haha, Aunt Wang, I still have a bit of the cured meat our family received left. I'll bring you a piece tonight."

Yi Yun said casually, not at all reluctant to part with this piece of cured meat, which the poor people considered a lifesaver.

Actually, after Zhao Tiezhu distributed the cured meat, Yi Yun had cut off a small piece to feed the dog—not his family's dog, of course. Poor families didn't have spare grain to feed dogs, and if there were any dogs, they would have long since been butchered and eaten by the starving people.

Only the Warrior Reserve Camp in the entire Lian Clan kept a few dogs. These were hunting dogs used for hunting. Near the Lian Clan, due to the presence of Spiritual Grounds, wild beasts were very scarce. Without hunting dogs, finding a rabbit would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, let alone catching prey.

Yi Yun cut the meat to feed the dog because he was worried Lian Chengyu might have poisoned the piece of cured meat he was given. Although the possibility was slim, Yi Yun had to be cautious.

Later, seeing that the dog was fine, Yi Yun felt relieved and had Jiang Xiaorou cut some meat to cook.

Yi Yun hadn't tasted meat in a long time, but the cured meat didn't taste very good. He didn't know how long it had been cured; the meat was tough and dry, completely lacking the aroma of meat, only a salty taste.

Yet, even with such a piece of cured meat, Jiang Xiaorou repeatedly refused it, wanting to save it for Yi Yun. It took Yi Yun a lot of persuasion to get Jiang Xiaorou to eat a small piece.

Yi Yun himself didn't eat much, and the rest was still hanging on the wall.

Yi Yun's goal was the Tai'a Divine Kingdom Warrior Selection in two months, so he didn't care much about the cured meat that had lost its flavor. He had heard from Jiang Xiaorou that Aunt Wang next door had taken good care of their family in the past, especially in the years after Yi Yun's mother passed away. When Jiang Xiaorou was raising the family alone, their grain was always gone before the ration day arrived. At those times, if Aunt Wang hadn't lent them grain, they would have starved to death.

This was a great kindness. In this world, lending grain to others was much more difficult than lending money on Earth.

Therefore, it was only right to give Aunt Wang's family a portion of this cured meat.

"This... this won't do, Yun. You and your sister are still growing. It's hard to get meat, I can't take it!"

Aunt Wang said firmly, and Yi Yun felt a pang of emotion.

In this turbulent, poor, and backward Lian Clan, although there were many scoundrels and villains, there were also simple folk like Aunt Wang, who, despite their own hunger, considered others.

The same soil nurtured all kinds of people.

"Aunt Wang, Xiaoke is also growing. If you don't eat it, Xiaoke has to eat it."

Aunt Wang's daughter, Zhou Xiaoke, was about Yi Yun's age. When they were children, she often followed Yi Yun around with a runny nose.

Now that Xiaoke was growing up and becoming more radiant, and Yi Yun had been reborn once, their interactions had become much less frequent.

"Auntie, I won't talk about it anymore. I'm going to boil the bone broth."

As Yi Yun spoke, he didn't wait for Aunt Wang to say anything else and dashed away.

"This child!"

Aunt Wang shook her head, her face filled with a relieved smile.

At this time, in the main courtyard of the Lian Clan leader, Lian Chengyu was practicing boxing on the bluestone courtyard.

He wore a loose-fitting training uniform made of silk, a rare and expensive fabric in the Lian Clan. This uniform was smooth and soft to wear, very comfortable.

Lian Chengyu walked in circles on the ground, his movements varying in speed. When slow, he resembled an elder practicing morning exercises; when fast, he was like a leopard pouncing.

Throughout the entire time, Lian Chengyu's eyes were focused on his fingertips. His hands moved like venomous snakes weaving through the forest, making it difficult to pinpoint his attack.

Zhao Tiezhu stood not far away, waiting obediently for Lian Chengyu to finish his practice, not daring to make a sound.

After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Lian Chengyu finally finished his routine and concluded his practice.

He clasped his hands at his waist and exhaled a stream of air that shot out far ahead, remaining cohesive.

Exhaling air like an arrow was a sign of the Qi Circulation realm. However, Lian Chengyu's breath was no longer simply that of the Qi Circulation realm; he was at the fifth level 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 just air but contained Yuan Qi!

"Amazing! Truly amazing!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes lit up as he watched Lian Chengyu finish his practice, and he scurried over.

"With this strength and skill, in two months' time at the Warrior Selection, you will surely become a National Scholar of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, Young Master!" Zhao Tiezhu began to flatter him again. But then again, Lian Chengyu's strength was indeed impressive. His ambition stemmed from his capabilities; he had reached the fifth level of Mortal Blood last year, and this set of punches had the demeanor of a martial arts master.

"Stop the nonsense. How is the Savage Bone refining going?"

"Of course, everything is normal! It must be normal!" Zhao Tiezhu patted his chest and guaranteed, "Those lowly peasants are so grateful after eating the cured meat and medicine you distributed, they're practically working day and night to refine the Savage Bones for you!"

"Hmm... just give them some of the leftover medicinal dregs from before," Lian Chengyu said casually. Those dregs were worthless. After a moment's thought, Lian Chengyu asked, "Right, what about that Yi Yun?"

"Yi Yun..." Zhao Tiezhu showed a look of disdain. "The day before yesterday, when this brat got sick, he was vomiting and having diarrhea, sweating buckets. He turned his shabby room into a stinking mess, looking just like a beggar."

"If it weren't for your kindness, Young Master, and the medicinal pill you gave him, he would have died long ago! As per your orders, I personally watched this brat take the pill. But at least he has some conscience; these past few days, he's been praising you to everyone he meets, saying he only recovered thanks to the medicine you bestowed!"

"Is that so..." Hearing Zhao Tiezhu's description, a faint curve appeared on Lian Chengyu's lips.

These lowly people of the tribe, they were all more foolish than the last. He had previously thought that a few in the tribe, including Yi Yun, were intelligent, but now it seemed he had worried for nothing.

Good. Since they were so stupid, it would be easy to cover things up if something happened.

"Keep an eye on things these days. The further along we get, the more crucial it is that the Savage Bones refining goes without a hitch. If the refining is successful, I'll reward you handsomely. If there's even the slightest mistake, you'll lose your head!"

As Lian Chengyu uttered his last sentence, his voice was filled with murderous intent, startling Zhao Tiezhu, who quickly nodded.

"Don't worry, Young Master. This servant will keep a close watch day and night. There won't be the slightest error!"

Zhao Tiezhu rushed to the grain drying ground. Yi Yun was still unhurriedly chopping firewood. Seeing Zhao Tiezhu, Yi Yun gave a simple, honest smile, truly appearing harmless.

"What are you looking at? Get back to work, are you looking for death!"

Zhao Tiezhu roared, throwing a large bundle from behind him. As the bag was opened, a large pile of medicinal dregs spilled out.

These were leftovers from Lian Chengyu's body-cleansing ritual.

"These medicinal dregs are a reward for you. The necessary auxiliary ingredients are also included. Take them back, boil them with water, and use the hot liquid to cleanse your bodies. You'll benefit from this, damn it, you're getting off cheap!"

Zhao Tiezhu grumbled as he spoke. The strong men, upon hearing this, had their eyes light up. They swarmed forward and scrambled to grab the medicinal dregs.

Yi Yun, of course, didn't get any. He wouldn't even want these medicinal dregs if they were given to him for free. These things were, in essence, Lian Chengyu's bathwater. He was going to use bathwater that Lian Chengyu had already soaked in? Was he kidding himself!

However, Yi Yun still put on an act, pretending to approach. When he didn't get any in the end, he could only sigh mournfully.

Seeing Yi Yun's slow reaction and seemingly poor intelligence, Zhao Tiezhu let out a disdainful laugh. This idiot, he wasn't even rushing to get his share, what else could he get worked up about? He deserved to starve to death!

Zhao Tiezhu left, and the others continued to refine the Savage Bones. Bone refining involved dissolving the essence of the Savage Bones into Li Fire Water, then repeatedly evaporating the Li Fire Water to crystallize the dissolved Savage Bone essence.

Li Fire Water had a very high boiling point, making it extremely difficult to evaporate. Over these days, countless amounts of firewood had been burned. The strong man responsible for refining the Savage Bones had his skin scorched red by the flames.

However, Yi Yun was an exception. His skin remained delicate and tender, with only a slight flush on his cheeks. This flush wasn't from the heat of the fire; rather, it was a natural rosiness from absorbing a large amount of Savage Bone essence, indicating his body was well-nourished and healthy.

Yi Yun glanced at Zhao Tiezhu's retreating back, then at the large cauldron where the Savage Bones were being refined. Today, he had once again eaten his fill and was eager to go to the back mountain to "run wild."

His body was full, but his fists were itching for action!

[This is not easy. Cocooned Cow's old book, "Martial World," has once again entered the top ten bestseller list. Thank you all for your immense support, which has kept "Martial World" on the bestseller list for two months after its completion, even without updating paid VIP chapters. Especially in the first month after its completion, "Martial World" was consistently in the top three.

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