Consumption

Two buns were naturally not enough. Xu Chang brought over another basket during the meal.

Only after eating nearly ten large steamed buns did Lin Yin finally feel the hunger that had been suppressed ease.

Now, he felt a lingering fear. Though he had recovered, he still wasn't full. This change was rather alarming.

Even when Lin Yin had practiced the Vajra Stake Technique before, he had never experienced anything like this. But he already had a guess as to why.

Practicing two Stake Techniques at once certainly produced remarkable results, but the energy it consumed was just as considerable.

Perhaps I'd trained too hard and overlooked this problem.

Lin Yin secretly reminded himself to stay alert.

When he had practiced the Vajra Stake Technique, he had already needed quite a lot of meat each day. Now that he was practicing the Cloud Settling Stake Technique as well, the energy required was naturally staggering.

An ordinary family would have been hard-pressed to keep up. For now, he was relying entirely on the money his mother had received from the Li family.

It seemed he would have to make time to go hunting in the mountains soon.

Lin Yin's initial estimate was that the family might already be unable to supply enough meat alone.

After all, his mother's shop had only just opened, and the fabric had only just been sewn. It hadn't all been sold yet. With meat prices rising lately, his mother couldn't manage it all by herself.

Fortunately, Lin Yin had prepared for this well in advance. The silver he had received from Li Sihhu could tide him over for a while, and his mastery of archery would let him roam Tiger Head Mountain unchallenged.

Setting aside his thoughts, Lin Yin looked at Xu Chang, who was sitting beside him on a wooden slab and heartily wolfing down buns.

He walked up and cupped his fists solemnly.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Xu Chang looked Lin Yin up and down curiously.

"You look so frail, kid. Who'd have thought you could eat this much? I remember I didn't burn through this much energy when I first practiced the Cloud Settling Stake Technique."

"Effort is one thing, but sometimes you have to know when to stop. Remember, don't rush things."

He had just learned the full story from Shi Zhong. Lin Yin had practiced the Stance Skill for three whole hours, without eating or resting once.

That had startled him.

It was also why his doubts about Lin Yin's ability to eat so much had faded.

"Remember, tempering your blood and strengthening your bones is important, but you have to pay attention to your own condition. Don't overdo it."

Xu Chang offered the reminder with good intentions.

Lin Yin cupped his fists and nodded.

Lin Yin understood that Xu Chang was concerned for him, but he knew his own condition.

With the Heaven rewards diligence fate, as long as he trained persistently, he would continue to reap rewards.

There was no way he would ever suffer from going astray in his training!

"All right. Once you've rested, you can all go home for today. Tomorrow I'll correct the basic errors in your Stake Technique forms.

"You're beginners, and your movements are seriously flawed. Remember, all of you need to get a good night's rest."

The first two sentences were for Lin Yin; the last two were for Shi Zhong and the others.

He had thought they were just going through the motions, but he had never imagined they would follow Lin Yin and practice nonstop for three hours.

At that, Shi Zhong and the others, Lin Yin included, hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Night fell, and a sliver of dawn-white light at the edge of the sky faintly illuminated the country path.

Shi Zhong and the others, Lin Yin among them, changed their clothes and headed home in different directions.

Most of them lived near Fist Manor. Like Lin Yin, they had rented homes here earlier.

Even so, they didn't dare linger by the roadside at night.

When he got home, Lin Yin noticed Madam Wang sitting on the wooden couch, focused on sewing clothes.

Beside her was a thick pile of fabric, at least several dozen bolts at a glance.

In the dim lamplight, his elderly mother looked especially absorbed in her work. She hadn't even noticed him arrive.

Only when Lin Yin called out did Madam Wang react.

She hurriedly rose from the wooden stool, set down the garment she was still sewing, and quickly came over to him.

Noticing the sky, she realized night had fallen. Madam Wang told Lin Yin to sit and rest, then hurried off to the kitchen without stopping.

Watching his mother's busy figure, Lin Yin felt conflicted. Though she had already worked herself to the bone, she was still tirelessly preparing dinner for him.

Before long, steaming dishes were brought to the table. Seeing piece after piece of meat being placed in his bowl, Lin Yin looked helpless.

"Mother, you should eat some too. I've already eaten quite a lot at the manor."

"Oh? Does the manor provide meals?"

Madam Wang, who had been eating vegetables and white rice with her head down, looked up from her bowl in surprise.

She had never expected that.

"Mother... You don't need to worry about that. We didn't join Fist Manor as apprentices, but as Living Stakes.

"They provide us with basic meals, and even pay us silver."

Lin Yin spoke casually.

He wasn't lying to his mother. Fist Manor did pay them, though the amount was small—only about a hundred copper coins a month. As for the Dining Hall's food, it wasn't unlimited; each person had a set portion.

He had mentioned it deliberately to put his mother at ease.

"From now on, you don't need to prepare so much food for me in the evenings. And all this meat... In a while, I'll go hunting in the mountains. We'll have other kinds of meat at home..."

As Lin Yin rambled on, Wang He smiled warmly. She said nothing, simply listening quietly to his plans and nodding now and then to show she had taken them to heart.

In the dim lamplight, Lin Yin, somewhat tired, went to bed early and pulled the covers over himself.

He looked at the closed door. Through the gap, he could still see the lamplight and the shadows moving busily.

"Mother... We'll live a good life."

Even after Lin Yin fell asleep, the dim candlelight did not go out.

At dawn the next day, the morning light was faint. The lamplight abruptly went out, and a long, steady breathing came from inside the house.

Early in the morning, Shi Zhong and the others came to Fist Manor together. As soon as they entered, they were astonished to discover someone already sweating hard atop the tall wooden stakes.

"Th-that guy..."

The person on the stakes had sweat-soaked training clothes. He had clearly been practicing there for a while.

Shi Zhong and the others' mouths twitched. Wan Qing looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

They were all aching from head to toe. Forget getting up early—they had only just made it to Fist Manor on time.

But the person up on the stakes...

They said nothing, making their way to separate stakes and starting to practice without another word.

By the time Xu Chang arrived at the Staking Ground, yawning, the sounds of feet striking the wooden stakes were already rising and falling throughout the grounds.

"Huff..."

"Ha!"

Shouts rang out now and then.

"..."

Their movements were clumsy and completely lacking in form, yet they practiced with great enthusiasm.

Xu Chang shook his head and sighed.

"Everyone, stop!"

When Shi Zhong and the others looked over at him in confusion, Xu Chang simply touched down with his toes, his body as light as a swan, and easily leaped onto the top of a stake. Then he began practicing too.

Seeing this, Shi Zhong and the others hurriedly followed his lead and started practicing.

Curiously, the more precise their movements became, the less relaxed they felt. Instead, the exercises seemed even harder.

Only Lin Yin kept at it, breaking down the simple movements atop the wooden stakes and practicing them "methodically."