Pacifying the Situation

Lin Yuan ignored the two of them and looked at Liu Shan, who was kneeling on the ground, and said slowly, "Apologize to my brother, and this matter will be dropped."

Liu Shan felt unconvinced and was about to start spewing insults again.

Lin Yuan wouldn't indulge him. He tightened his grip on Liu Shan's wrist, causing Liu Shan to let out another pig-like howl of pain.

"Apologize, apologize... I... I'll apologize, big brother, you're breaking it, please... please be gentle."

Han Fei, standing nearby, seemed to have just recovered from his shock. The scene before him was truly beyond his expectations. What surprised him wasn't Liu Shan begging for mercy, but his childhood friend.

"A Yuan, why don't we just let it go?"

Lin Yuan glanced at him, then back at Liu Shan. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly released his hand.

Xun Haotian thanked him and helped Liu Shan back to their original seats.

"Haotian, why did you stop me just now?" Zhao Youjia asked.

Xun Haotian explained softly, "Didn't you see that kid is a trained fighter? He took down Liu Shan in two or three moves while sitting on the ground."

"That's no reason to be scared. We have two on one, aren't we supposed to be able to beat him?"

"Two on one?" Xun Haotian chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't you see the two people next to him were already itching to move? And you're talking about two on one. If we had made a move just now, do you think they would have helped us?"

Zhao Youjia looked thoughtful, while Liu Shan, who had just sat down and was still rubbing his wrist, couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by a bunch of country bumpkins."

"Stop talking nonsense. If you hadn't provoked him, would he have laid a hand on you?"

"Brother Tian, don't turn your back on your own."

"It's a good thing they didn't hit you hard, or your wrist would be ruined."

On the other side, Han Fei looked at Lin Yuan with excitement.

"A Yuan, I didn't expect you to be so brave! Those two moves just now were something else."

Lin Yuan gave him an exasperated look. "Your mouth really... Sigh, if you can't control it in the future, you'll end up in trouble sooner or later."

Han Fei scratched his head and chuckled.

"I was just joking. Who knew that guy was so petty?"

Seeing Han Fei's demeanor, Lin Yuan knew he hadn't taken his words to heart. He didn't want to say anything more.

If he said too much, Han Fei would feel like he was being lectured.

As the elders often said, "You can tell how a person will be when they're three, and you can see their future when they're seven." Han Fei's careless and reckless nature was exactly the same as when he was a child.

At this moment, Han Housheng and Han Shusheng also walked over.

"A Yuan, Feigu, did you suffer any losses just now?" Han Housheng asked with concern.

"Uncle Han, how could that be? If there were losses, it would be..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Yuan shot him a glare.

Han Fei then lowered his voice and said somewhat proudly, "If there were losses, it would be them who suffered."

"Haha, it's good that you're alright. There's no need to clash with them," Han Shusheng said. "But A Yuan, you really don't show off your skills. You're very different from ordinary college students."

Ever since Lin Yuan made his move, the Han brothers' attention had been on him.

As the saying goes, "Amateurs watch the excitement, professionals watch the skill." The Han brothers could clearly see some clues from Lin Yuan's defensive moves.

However, Lin Yuan gave off a strange feeling. He had none of the sharpness and edge of a martial artist. If he hadn't made a move just now, he would have seemed like an ordinary person.

They didn't know that this was actually a characteristic of practicing internal martial arts to a very high level.

These past few days, Lin Yuan had been practicing martial arts at home, and almost all the attribute points he gained had been added to [Yang Style Tai Chi], pushing it to the Great Accomplishment stage.

Although it was still one step away from perfection, reaching this level had already brought Lin Yuan a qualitative leap.

At this moment, he felt increasingly similar to the state described in the scriptures.

Not leaning to one side, appearing or disappearing. If the left is heavy, the left is empty; if the right is heavy, the right is hidden. Looking up, it is infinitely high; looking down, it is infinitely deep. Advancing, it becomes longer; retreating, it becomes shorter. Not even a feather can be added, nor an insect can land. Others do not know me, but I alone know others.

With a raise of his hand, Yin and Yang, emptiness and reality unite, and both hard and soft strength are employed. When solid, it is made empty; when empty, it is made solid.

His entire spirit and energy were even more contained, imperceptible, and unknowable, like a dragon hidden in the abyss, like a roc concealed in the clouds.

After resting for about an hour, everyone set off again.

Because Liu Shan had been humiliated by Lin Yuan earlier, he was no longer as lively as before.

Around dusk, Han Housheng stopped everyone in a mountain hollow.

The journey this afternoon had been quite difficult for everyone.

There was no road at all, and the terrain was uneven, with climbs and dense forests. Occasionally, if not careful, one would step on puddles hidden among the weeds.

Even Han Fei, who grew up in the countryside, was covered in dirt by this point.

His head was covered in grass, and his pant legs were full of burrs.

As for the rich young masters following behind, even with Han Housheng and the others clearing the path ahead, they were not having an easy time.

Xun Ruobing, whose hair had been let down, had tied it up and put on a baseball cap.

Liu Shan's body was half-covered in mud, all because he'd accidentally fallen into a muddy puddle.

Zhao Youjia, on the other hand, started to feel itchy all over, as if he were having an allergic reaction.

If anyone among their group looked the most normal, it would undoubtedly be Lin Yuan.

Not only was he free of any weeds, but even the edges of his shoes were only slightly muddy.

He appeared composed, showing no signs of fatigue, as if he were merely taking a stroll on the mountain.

"Alright, we're almost in wild boar territory. It's getting a bit late, so let's rest here," Han Housheng said to everyone.

As soon as they arrived, the sharp-eyed Han Fei spotted small, light brown fruits on the ground.

"A Yuan, it's wild jujube."

Lin Yuan also noticed them at this moment. He picked one up casually and then looked around.

This mountain hollow was actually covered in wild jujube trees.

Wild jujube trees are tall with small leaves. When Lin Yuan and his friends were kids and felt peckish, they often searched for wild jujube trees in the mountains.

It was currently the golden autumn, the season when wild jujubes ripen.

Lin Yuan peeled one. The flesh inside was crystal clear, its color like that of a lychee. He popped the whole thing into his mouth. The texture was sticky and smooth, and the taste was a mix of sourness with a hint of sweetness.

Xun Ruobing, who was resting under a tree, saw Lin Yuan and Han Fei picking up and eating the fruits from the ground.

She curiously asked, "What are you eating?"

Since the beautiful woman had taken the initiative to speak, Han Fei eagerly wanted to show off.

"These are wild jujubes, a type of wild fruit. The jujube cakes sold in supermarkets are made from them."

"Oh."

Xun Ruobing was clearly a little surprised. She had eaten jujube cakes before, but she had never seen what a wild jujube looked like.

She stood up and found a good-looking wild jujube on the ground.

"You can just peel it and eat it, right?"

"Yes, you can eat it right after peeling."

Xun Ruobing peeled the wild jujube and saw the transparent flesh inside.

"That's strange, the flesh of this type of jujube is actually like this."

Then, she put it into her mouth and took a gentle bite.

Sour! Very sour!

Xun Ruobing's face contorted, but after the initial sourness, there was a hint of returning sweetness.

"The taste is really strange."

Despite saying that, she couldn't help but take another bite. After the first contact with her taste buds, the second bite didn't feel as sour.

Her companions, seeing this, were also a bit curious, as they had never seen this thing before either.

Liu Shan, who was always greedy, immediately found a few on the ground, peeled them, and put them in his mouth. But as soon as they touched his tongue, he spat them out.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What is this stuff? Why is it so sour? And it feels like eating phlegm!"

"You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth. Little Brother Lin should have beaten you soundly earlier, so you wouldn't be talking nonsense here." Xun Ruobing put another peeled wild jujube into her mouth, seemingly addicted to it.

Normally, Xun Ruobing could tolerate sourness very well, but this unique sour taste was something she was experiencing for the first time.