Short-Lived Safety (PK—Please Read On!!!)

"Come in!"

Outside the door.

A somewhat aged voice rang out.

Jiang Ning slowly pushed open the gate to the Backyard as well.

Just like yesterday, he saw Wang Jinxiang, who looked to be around fifty, lying peacefully in a Rattan Chair and basking in the sun, looking just like an ordinary farmer.

Aside from Senior Sister Li Qing not being beside Wang Jin, everything looked exactly the same as yesterday.

"Master!" Jiang Ning gave a slight bow.

"What brings you here at this hour?" Wang Jin asked.

Jiang Ning looked respectful. "I want to stay at the Martial Arts Hall permanently and find some work to do! I don't need wages!"

"Find some work? Why?" Wang Jin asked curiously.

Jiang Ning pondered for a moment before speaking. "Someone outside the Martial Arts Hall wants to deal with me."

"I see!" Wang Jin nodded, then continued, "Since that's the case, you can stay here! After practicing every day, go to the Backyard and chop firewood. Will that do?"

"Yes!!" Jiang Ning nodded, delighted inside.

"No wages. We'll provide food and lodging. Will that do?" Wang Jin asked again.

"Yes!!" Jiang Ning nodded once more and cupped his fists. "Thank you for your great kindness, Master!!!"

Wang Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing wrinkles as the skin on his face folded into creases. He then waved his hand. "Then go on down!"

He added another reminder. "Practice martial arts properly. As long as you master the Five Animal Frolics Fist, anyone who wants to deal with you can simply be beaten to death! The true core of the Five Animal Frolics Fist is Five Animal Comprehensive Cultivation. Once you reach a certain level, your strength won't be weak!"

"Yes, this disciple understands!" Jiang Ning bowed.

After leaving the Backyard.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Ning's face, and his suspended heart finally settled.

As long as he could stay at the Martial Arts Hall, his personal safety would be secure for the time being.

The Canglang Martial Hall was one of the safest places in all of Luoshui County.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +2]

After practicing the fist once and using up the stamina he had recovered at noon, Jiang Ning immediately took out that Wild Ginseng.

Time was pressing, so he naturally wouldn't be stingy with consuming the Wild Ginseng.

With every bit of progress in his fist technique and every additional thread of condensed Qi and Blood Power, his strength would grow by another notch.

Another tenth of the total Wild Ginseng entered his stomach.

Jiang Ning immediately felt waves of warmth spread through his body. With the support of the medicinal power, his heartbeat became strong and forceful, and his energy gradually grew abundant.

He began practicing the fist directly in the Front Yard.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +1]

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +1]

[For this practice session of the Five Animal Frolics Fist, Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points increased by a total of 10 points.]

Jiang Ning spent the entire afternoon practicing the fist.

He also went out once during that time to say goodbye to his Eldest Brother, Jiang Li, telling him that the Hall Master had agreed to let him stay at the Martial Arts Hall permanently.

After returning, Jiang Ning continued practicing the fist.

He only stopped once the Setting Sun sank westward and the Martial Arts Hall's Medicinal Soup had been boiled and prepared.

[Skills]: Five Animal Frolics Fist (Initiation 26/100)

One-quarter of the way there.

Looking at the changes on the Panel, Jiang Ning was rather excited.

After the Five Animal Frolics Fist reached this stage, the total amount of Blood Qi in his body had also risen to more than twenty threads. With over twenty threads of Blood Qi gathered in his right arm, Jiang Ning could feel that the strength he could unleash had grown even greater.

He arrived at the courtyard of the Kitchen.

Jiang Ning lifted a bowl of Medicinal Soup.

Gulp—

Gulp—

After several large mouthfuls, he had swallowed the entire bowl of Medicinal Soup.

Once the Medicinal Soup entered his stomach, his body quickly absorbed it. Warmth began radiating from his entire body, while the fatigue in his limbs and bones steadily receded.

Just as he closed his eyes to feel the changes in his body, a booming voice rang out.

"Who is Jiang Ning?"

Jiang Ning opened his eyes and looked over. It was the aunt in charge of the Kitchen at the Martial Arts Hall.

She wore an apron and had a burly build as broad as a barrel, her entire body covered in thick, powerful muscles. At a glance, she looked to weigh at least two hundred pounds. A physique like that naturally carried an oppressive force.

She wiped the water stains on her apron while repeatedly scanning the crowd with both eyes.

"That's me!!" Jiang Ning hurriedly called out.

"So you're the kid!" The burly aunt looked Jiang Ning up and down several times before clicking her tongue. "You're quite handsome, but there isn't much flesh on you. Can you handle heavy work?"

"I can!" Jiang Ning said confidently.

"Then fine. Follow me!!"

The two of them left and headed toward the small courtyard next door. Behind them came waves of hushed discussion.

"Does anyone know who he is? Why did Aunt Sun come looking for him?"

"Who knows? Junior Brother, why don't you go ask Aunt Sun?"

At those three words, the man's neck shrank slightly, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "Forget it!"

When they arrived at the courtyard next door, Jiang Ning immediately saw rows of pork legs drying in the open space. Having been exposed to the sun all day, the pork legs had dripped enough fat to soak the ground beneath them.

Moreover, the pork legs had clearly been smoked and roasted over a fire. Even from several yards away, he could smell wave after wave of rich meat fragrance.

"Extravagant, truly extravagant!!"

Jiang Ning's throat moved slightly as he secretly swallowed, repeatedly grumbling inwardly about the Martial Arts Hall's wastefulness.

Salted and sun-dried meat was nothing special in his previous life. At most, it could be called food stored by an ordinary household.

But in this world—a world where salt and iron were under government control—salt was a relatively expensive daily necessity. Ordinary families couldn't bear to waste even a single grain of it.

There was no need to mention meat, either. Over the course of an entire year, ordinary families rarely got to taste meat even a few times.

For martial artists, salt and meat were even more indispensable foods.

In his eyes, the Martial Arts Hall's way of processing ingredients was simply squandering a heavenly treasure.

"Heh, little fellow, your mouth is watering from looking at them, isn't it?" Seeing Jiang Ning's fixed gaze, the sturdy Aunt Sun smiled, the flesh on her face trembling with each movement.

Jiang Ning smiled awkwardly and nodded slightly.

"Want to eat some?" Aunt Sun smiled.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning answered from the bottom of his heart.

Hearing that, Aunt Sun looked momentarily dazed. When she recovered, she shook her head slightly. "You little fellow are certainly straightforward."

Jiang Ning immediately revealed a sunny smile.

"You really resemble him!!"

Looking at Jiang Ning's smile, Aunt Sun again seemed somewhat dazed.

After steadying herself, she said to Jiang Ning, "Little fellow, follow me!"

"Alright, Big Sister!"

"Why are you calling me that?" A strange blush flashed across Aunt Sun's face. "I'm over thirty and almost forty already. My surname is Sun. From now on, just call me Aunt Sun!"

"That won't do!" Jiang Ning shook his head. "Calling you Auntie isn't appropriate. Big Sister Sun, how could you possibly be that old? How about I call you Big Sister from now on?"

"Suit yourself!" Aunt Sun said indifferently, but an unnatural smile appeared between her brows.

Aunt Sun led Jiang Ning to a shed in one corner of the Courtyard.

She pointed at the pile of timber stacked beneath the shed like a mountain.

"Following Hall Master Wang's orders, chopping firewood will be your task from now on! Your little frame won't have any problems, will it?"

"No problem!" Jiang Ning nodded repeatedly as he looked at the timber piled before him.

"Since there's no problem, go get to work! I have to prepare dinner!!" Aunt Sun said.

"Alright, Big Sister!" Jiang Ning replied.

Arriving before the wooden post for chopping firewood, Jiang Ning picked up a thick Log more than forty centimeters long.

"So heavy!" He looked at the thick Log in his hands with some surprise.

"Something this heavy... The Log's material must be extraordinary!" he thought, somewhat astonished.

He then placed the thick Log in his hands atop the wooden post.

He looked around and found only a Firewood Blade about fifty centimeters long, with a thick spine.

"Looks like there's no ax!"

Jiang Ning muttered to himself. He picked up the Firewood Blade and weighed it in his hand, immediately realizing that it weighed more than five pounds.

"This is heavy physical labor!"

At that moment, Jiang Ning understood why Big Sister Sun had asked him whether he had any problems. The thick, heavy Log combined with this Firewood Blade weighing more than five pounds was undoubtedly extremely strenuous work.