Gu Yang hurried all the way back to the shack before finally letting out a breath of relief.
Gu Dashan came panting after him. Even as he entered the shack, he was still complaining, "What kind of good stuff is this, being so mysterious? Are you afraid people will find out?"
At this point, the mother and daughter who had remained in the shack also gathered around.
Under the whole family's watchful eyes, Gu Yang opened the cloth bag, revealing a large chunk of fresh red beast meat still attached to black fur.
"Ah... this..." Gu Mother had just started to speak when Gu Dashan, whose expression had suddenly changed, raised a hand to stop her.
Gu Dashan's face was exceptionally grave. He reached out and touched the black fur, which was like steel needles, then turned to Gu Yang and asked, "Who was that person? Why did he give you meat?"
"That was Master Qin from the Martial Academy. And this wasn't a gift—it was a loan!" Gu Yang replied calmly.
He had already known there was meat in the cloth bag, so naturally he was not surprised.
But recalling Qin Hu's particular final instructions, he knew this meat was definitely not from any ordinary poultry or livestock.
If it had been ordinary meat, then with his current appetite, even two jin of meat in a single meal would not have been enough. There would have been no need at all to limit how much he ate each time.
Yet Qin Hu had still given that warning. That alone was enough to show that this meat was extraordinary.
Gu Yang chose to trust Qin Hu's instructions. He had Gu Dashan cut off about half a jin first and hide the rest away.
Seeing Gu Dashan looking as though he wanted to speak but held back, Gu Yang added, "Don't worry, Dad. Master Qin is helping me out of kindness. There won't be any problem."
He knew clearly that this was the benefit of displaying the stance frame of Azure Dragon Dance.
If he had not shown his own value, Qin Hu would never have given him this piece of meat.
"Crack, crack."
The small knife in Gu Dashan's hand was the only iron tool in the household. Though it was not particularly sharp, it usually cut meat with ease.
But this time, seeing Gu Dashan struggling so hard that the beast meat squeaked and creaked beneath the blade, Gu Yang took the knife and began cutting it himself.
The moment he pressed the blade against the beast meat, Gu Yang immediately felt the resistance of its fibers.
This meat was exceptionally tough, utterly incomparable to the pork Gu Dashan bought home.
One hand pinned down the beast meat while the other clenched the knife tightly and cut.
Though Gu Yang had practiced Stance Training for half the day, the hand gripping the knife remained strong.
Whoosh!
At last, with a heavy slash from Gu Yang, a strip of meat weighing around half a jin separated from the fur.
As for that black fur, it was simply not something the small knife in Gu Yang's hand could cut through. After trying a few times, he gave up outright.
He handed the strip of meat to Gu Dashan, then took the pork Gu Dashan had bought from him.
This time, with a lift and fall of the knife, the pork was immediately divided into three uneven pieces.
"Dad, you, Mom, and the girls should share this pork today. How long has it been since you last had meat? I have the beast meat Master Qin gave me, so it makes no difference whether I eat this pork or not. Tonight, let's improve your meals a little."
Gu Dashan took the small knife Gu Yang handed over, wiped it repeatedly against his clothes several times, then tucked it into his chest.
Looking at his youngest daughter, who was staring at him with eager eyes, Gu Dashan finally did not reject Gu Yang's suggestion and nodded in agreement.
"Yay! We get to eat meat!" Seeing Gu Dashan agree, Gu Yingying immediately danced and cheered.
But after only bouncing twice, Gu Mother grabbed her and patted her twice on the back.
"Keep your voice down. Do you want everyone to know our family is eating meat tonight? Say one more word, and there won't be any meat for you tonight!"
"Mhm, Yingying won't talk anymore." Her grimy little hands covered her mouth, and muffled little sounds came from Gu Yingying's lips. She was adorable beyond measure.
That night, Gu Yang's family ate meat for the first time in a long while.
Gu Dashan, Gu Mother, and Gu Yingying all wore radiant smiles.
After Gu Yingying finished the thin porridge with chunks of meat in it, she even licked the entire wooden bowl spotlessly clean.
Seeing the satisfied expressions on his family's faces, Gu Yang could not help sighing inwardly. We need money!
Although he had now received Qin Hu's help and temporarily no longer lacked meat to nourish his body, the family was still desperately short of money.
This shack was about to be torn down, and the whole family would have to enter the city to make a living.
They certainly could not afford to buy a house in the city, but even renting one would cost a great deal of money.
If possible, he absolutely did not want to watch his family scrimp and save while he himself sat nearby wolfing down meat. His conscience simply could not bear it.
Gu Yang knew that even if he wanted to share the beast meat Qin Hu had lent him with his family, they would not accept it.
So, if he wanted the whole family to have meat to eat, he still needed to find a way to make money.
He watched, thought, and ate all at once.
After a large bowl of thick porridge and a strip of beast meat entered his stomach, Gu Yang immediately felt a warm current surge up from within.
His body temperature rose. Even the breath he exhaled was somewhat scorching, and his body seemed filled with power that urgently needed to be released.
Setting down the wooden bowl and leaving behind the words, "I'm going out to train first," Gu Yang turned and walked out of the shack, arriving at that familiar open space.
After setting his stance frame, Gu Yang immediately began practicing Stance Training.
At this moment, he felt as though a fire burned throughout his entire body, leaving him wanting only to train—train madly.
Once, twice—the power within his body still erupted in an unending stream.
Only after completing the sixth round of Stance Training did Gu Yang release his stance frame and draw in a breath of cool air. The boiling blood within him gradually settled.
"This effect... what kind of meat is this?" Clenching his fist hard, Gu Yang discovered in astonishment that he still had strength left to spare.
He closed his eyes, and starlight emerged.
Skill: Blood Nourishing Stance · Entry Level (21/100); Azure Dragon Dance · Entry Level (18/500) Talent: None
After training Stance Training for an entire afternoon at the Martial Academy during the day, he had only gained three points of proficiency. Yet after practicing continuously just now, Blood Nourishing Stance had gained another 3 points of proficiency.
If he could maintain his current pace, Blood Nourishing Stance would break through Entry Level in less than half a month!
"On the Martial Path, three parts depend on training and seven parts depend on eating. That saying truly wasn't wrong. If one could eat those nourishing medicinal meals every day, even a mediocre talent could improve at lightning speed. The limits of aptitude and talent would be completely shattered, and everyone could practice martial arts."
Gu Yang stood tall and looked into the distance, his heart both stirred with excitement and filled with emotion.
But he knew clearly that this was plainly impossible.
Just this kind of beast meat was not something ordinary people could obtain. If Gu Yang had not caught Qin Hu's eye through his performance, he could only have endured the long grind slowly. He could forget about this beast meat entirely, let alone other nourishing foods.
In the end, one still had to reveal one's talent to receive better cultivation. Resources were not limitless, and obtaining them came at a price. There was simply no way for them to benefit everyone.
Even the disciples within the Martial Academy had to obtain additional resources through all kinds of competitions.
"Compete!"
At this moment, Gu Yang's eyes were filled with determination. He was already prepared—when faced with competition, he would never retreat!
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