Consumption

Two steamed buns were naturally not enough to eat. During that time, Xu Chang brought over another basket.

Only after devouring nearly ten large steamed buns did Lin Yin feel the suppressed hunger subside.

At this moment, he was still shaken. Though his body had recovered, he still wasn't full—a change that was somewhat alarming.

Even when Lin Yin had previously trained in the Vajra Stake Technique, he had never experienced this. However, he already had a guess about the cause.

Cultivating two stake techniques simultaneously yielded outstanding results, but the consumption it brought was equally not to be underestimated.

Perhaps I overdid it and overlooked this aspect.

Lin Yin silently warned himself.

Before, because he trained in the Vajra Stake Technique, he needed a considerable amount of meat daily. Now, with the addition of the Cloud Settling Stake Technique, the energy required was naturally astonishing.

If this were an ordinary family, they would have long been stretched thin. For now, it all relied on the portion of money Old Mother had obtained from the Li family.

It seemed the schedule for hunting in the mountains had to be moved up.

Lin Yin roughly estimated that even just in terms of meat, his family might no longer be able to fully supply him.

After all, his mother's shop had just opened, the cloth was only newly sewn and not yet sold, and with the recent rise in meat prices, relying solely on Old Mother was naturally not enough.

Fortunately, Lin Yin had prepared for this early on. Apart from the silver he had obtained from Li Sihhu, which could sustain him for a while, his Mastered Archery was enough to make him undefeated on Tiger Head Mountain.

Pushing aside his worries, Lin Yin looked at Xu Chang, who was sitting beside him on the same wooden plank, wolfing down steamed buns.

He stepped forward and cupped his fists solemnly.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Xu Chang curiously sized up Lin Yin.

"You may look frail, kid, but I didn't expect you to eat so much. I remember when I first trained in the Cloud Settling Stake Technique, I didn't have this level of consumption."

"Hard work is one thing, but sometimes you need to know when to stop. Don't rush things."

He had just learned the full story from Shi Zhong—Lin Yin had practiced the stake technique for a full three hours without eating or resting.

That had startled him.

But precisely because of this, his doubts about Lin Yin being able to eat such a large amount of food were dispelled.

"Remember, tempering your Qi, Blood, muscles, and bones is important, but you must pay attention to your own condition. Don't overdo it."

Xu Chang deliberately reminded him.

At this, Lin Yin cupped his fists and nodded.

Lin Yin naturally understood Xu Chang's concern, but he knew his own situation.

The fate of Heaven Rewards Diligence ensured that as long as he persistently trained, he would continuously gain rewards.

A situation where he trained incorrectly could never happen to him!

"Alright, rest up, and you all go home today. Tomorrow, I'll correct the basic stance errors in your stake techniques."

"You're beginners, and your form is very problematic. Remember, tonight, all of you get a good rest."

Xu Chang's first two sentences were directed at Lin Yin, while the last two were for Shi Zhong and the others.

He had thought these people were just going through the motions, but he never expected them to follow Lin Yin and train nonstop for three hours.

At this, Shi Zhong, including Lin Yin, quickly nodded in agreement.

Night fell, and a faint sliver of pale light at the edge of the sky dimly illuminated the village paths.

Shi Zhong and the others, including Lin Yin, changed clothes and headed toward their respective homes.

Most of them lived near Fist Manor, having rented houses there early on, just like Lin Yin.

Still, even so, they dared not linger long on the roads at night.

Returning home, Lin Yin noticed Madam Wang sitting on the wooden couch, intently sewing clothes.

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

The lamplight was dim and yellow. Old Mother was so focused that she didn't even notice his arrival.

Only when Lin Yin called out did Madam Wang react.

She hurriedly stood up from the wooden stool, set down the cloth she was weaving, and quickly came to Lin Yin.

Noticing the sky, she realized night had fallen. She gestured for Lin Yin to sit and rest while she rushed to the kitchen without pause.

Watching Old Mother's busy figure, Lin Yin's expression was complicated. Even though she had been overworked, she still tirelessly prepared dinner for him.

Soon, steaming dishes were brought to the table. Watching piece after piece of meat being placed into his bowl, Lin Yin showed a helpless expression.

"Mother, you should eat too. I actually ate quite a bit at the manor."

"Oh? Does the manor provide meals?"

Madam Wang, who had been burying her head in eating plain rice and vegetables, lifted her head from the bowl with some surprise.

This was something she had never expected.

"Mother... you can rest assured on that point. After all, we didn't join Fist Manor as apprentices—we're meant to be Living Stakes."

"Not only will they provide our basic meals, they'll even give us silver coins."

Lin Yin spoke with a relaxed expression.

He wasn't lying to his mother—Fist Manor did give out silver coins, but the amount was very small, only about a hundred coins a month. As for the Dining Hall's provisions, they weren't unlimited either; everyone had a set quota.

He brought this up deliberately to put his mother at ease.

"From now on, in the evenings, you don't need to prepare so much food for me, and all this meat... In a while, I'll go up the mountain to hunt, and our family will have other meat..."

Watching Lin Yin ramble on, Wang He's face was full of smiles. She didn't speak, just quietly listened to Lin Yin's arrangements, nodding from time to time to show she had taken it all in.

The lamplight was dim. Somewhat weary, Lin Yin went to bed early, covered with the quilt.

He stared at the tightly shut door. Through the gap at the door's edge, the lamplight cast a shifting figure that was still busy.

"Mother... we'll have a good life."

Not until Lin Yin fell asleep did the dim candlelight finally go out.

The next morning, at the break of dawn, the light ceased abruptly, and long, steady breaths came from inside the room.

Early that day, Shi Zhong and the others arrived together at Fist Manor. But the moment they entered, they were stunned to find someone already on the high Wooden Stake, drenched in sweat.

"This... this guy..."

Looking at the person on the stake, whose training clothes were soaked through with sweat, it was clear he had been training here for a while.

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

After all, every one of them was sore all over. Not only had they not woken up early, they had barely made it to Fist Manor on time by rushing.

But the person on the stake...

They said nothing, each going to their own Wooden Stake without another word, and started training.

By the time Xu Chang arrived at the Staking Ground, yawning, the field was already filled with the alternating sounds of feet striking the stakes.

"Whoosh..."

"Ha!"

Shouts rang out from time to time.

"..."

The clumsy movements were completely unrefined, yet they practiced with great enthusiasm.

Xu Chang shook his head with a light sigh.

"Everyone, stop!"

As he spoke, seeing Shi Zhong and the others looking over in confusion, Xu Chang simply tapped his toes, his body as light as a feather, easily leaping onto the stake head, and then began training himself.

Seeing this, Shi Zhong and the others hurriedly followed behind him and started practicing.

Interestingly, the more standardized the movements became, the less relaxed everyone felt—instead, it seemed even harder to practice.

Only Lin Yin kept at it, persistently breaking down those simple moves on the stake, practicing "rigidly and methodically."