Returning Home, A Night Talk with My Brother

His heart could not calm for a long time. Under the moonlight, he lowered his head and gazed at the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique in his hands, holding it as if it were a priceless treasure. Carefully, he turned to the first page and read by the bright moonlight.

The opening general outline immediately captivated him. It explained that the essence of this technique lay in imitating the spirit apes of the ancient forests, observing their leaping and bounding movements to temper the lower body and core muscles, pursuing motion like a spirit ape—swift as lightning, agile as the wind, with explosive power. The following pages were filled with detailed illustrations and text, recording the precise methods for circulating blood and qi to temper specific muscle groups—complex and exquisite. The appendix contained the step-by-step diagrams and explanations of the "Spirit Ape Three Leaps," which appeared extraordinarily refined.

Li Bufan suppressed the urge to immediately try the footwork and instead focused his main effort on understanding the principles and requirements of the muscle-tempering method. The deeper he delved, the more sweat beaded on his forehead, and the greater his gratitude and reverence for Lin Zhiyan grew. This muscle-tempering method demanded high precision in the pathways of qi and blood circulation, the degree of condensation, the force of impact—it was truly not something someone with incomplete Skin Tempering and insufficient control over qi and blood could attempt. Otherwise, major problems would absolutely arise!

Yet there was no discouragement in his eyes. Instead, they were filled with boundless motivation and a thirst for challenge!

He carefully and reverently tucked the technique manual against his body, then looked up at the pristine, ice-clear moon hanging high in the sky. His gaze was unwaveringly firm, clear, and shimmering with confidence.

"A perfect, flawless Skin Tempering Realm... qi and blood control as natural as moving my own arm... I will achieve it! And I will do it as fast as possible!"

With an utterly clear goal, the guidance of a precious orthodox technique, and the greatest foundation of all—"Heaven Rewards Diligence"—Li Bufan's martial path seemed illuminated clearly under the cold moonlight, with no more confusion. In the night, the young man's solitary figure appeared even more upright, like a pine tree poised to spring into action, brimming with vibrant energy and the infinite potential to grow stronger. His future was fraught with hardship, but even more so with hope.

Li Bufan carefully tucked the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique, Herbal Compendium, and other books into the inner pocket against his chest, feeling the slight stiffness of the paper. His heart burned with fervor. He took one last look at the small courtyard bathed in clear moonlight, then turned and strode out with long, swift steps.

The night was deep, the cold wind biting, and the streets nearly empty. But Li Bufan walked briskly, his body filled with surging qi and blood, feeling no chill at all. In about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he returned to the low, cramped hut in the southern alley—small but kept spotlessly clean.

The window was dark; his younger brother must have already gone to sleep. He slowed his steps, approached the door, and knocked softly, keeping his voice low to avoid disturbing the neighbors.

"Little brother, are you asleep? Big brother's back."

A faint rustling sound came from inside, as if someone had hurriedly crawled out of bed and fumbled for clothes.

In just a few minutes, the door creaked open a crack from within. Li Ping'an rubbed his sleepy eyes, his little head poking out, hair tousled from sleep. Though his face was full of drowsiness, the moment he saw his elder brother standing outside, those bright eyes—so similar to Li Bufan's—instantly sparkled with surprise and relief.

"You're back, big brother!" he whispered, his voice brimming with joy. He quickly pulled the door open, stepped aside to let Li Bufan in, then shut it swiftly and slid the bolt home, sealing out the biting wind.

Inside, it was warmer than outside, but only barely—just not as bone-chilling. A small oil lamp, its fuel nearly spent, flickered weakly on the table, barely illuminating the tiny space.

Li Bufan looked his brother over by the lamplight. Though only a few days had passed, he felt the boy had grown a bit taller. He smiled and ruffled his brother's soft hair. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I wasn't sleeping deeply anyway." Li Ping'an shook his head, looking his brother up and down with concern. "Big brother, did everything go smoothly in the mountains this time? No danger, right?" Though young, having weathered the family's upheaval, his mind was far more mature than his peers, and a trace of barely perceptible worry lingered in his eyes.

A warmth spread through Li Bufan's heart, accompanied by a faint ache. He recalled the poisoned arrows in the mountains, the frenzied wolf pack, and the terrifying pressure of the Qi Condensation Beast he'd sensed from afar... He couldn't tell his brother about these dangers.

He put on a relaxed smile and said in an exaggerated tone, "Smooth! Of course it was smooth! Your big brother is a different man now! I bagged a few plump snow chickens, and got lucky with a lone snow wolf. Took some effort, but I took it down. Turned in the wolf pelt and wolf heart, got a nice reward! Look!"

He pulled out the heavy money pouch someone had bribed him with and shook it in front of his brother, the copper coins clinking enticingly. Then he lowered his voice, adding a hint of mystery and pride, "And the Young Miss praised my performance. From now on, I get medicinal cuisine every day, and a few medicinal baths each month. My training will speed up a lot!"

He deliberately omitted all the harrowing details, showing his brother only the good results and gains.

Li Ping'an's eyes lit up at the full money pouch, but he quickly looked back at his brother. His clear eyes shimmered with intelligence. He knew that hunting in the mountains was never as easy as his brother made it sound.

Their father had once been a skilled hunter, occasionally bagging deer or roe deer. But on his last trip into the mountains, he'd lost his right hand forever... and in the end, to save food for them, he'd chosen that desperate path... The dangers of the mountains had long been carved like cold knives into his young heart.

He knew his brother didn't want him to worry. So he didn't press for details, didn't poke holes in his brother's casual words. He just nodded firmly, a trusting and proud smile on his small face. "Big brother's the best!"

But he paused, then couldn't help reaching out a small hand to tug at Li Bufan's sleeve. He looked up, meeting his brother's eyes with utter seriousness, his voice soft but weighty. "But... big brother, the mountains are dangerous after all. Father... you have to be extra careful. Come back safe. I don't need a lot of money. I just need my big brother to be okay."

His brother's words hit Li Bufan like a warm current, instantly breaking through the cold defenses built up from days of fighting and scheming. Looking at his brother's maturity and worry—so beyond his years—Li Bufan's throat tightened, and his nose stung.

He crouched down to meet his brother's eyes, dropping the playful expression, and promised with equal seriousness, "Mm! Little brother, don't worry! Big brother promises you—I'll be very, very careful! I'm going to watch you grow up, send you to school, buy you a big mansion! Nothing's going to happen to me!"

His tone was firm and reassuring, carrying a strength that put one at ease.

Li Ping'an looked at his brother's solemn gaze and finally seemed to truly relax. A bright, carefree smile spread across his face, and he gave a heavy "Mm!"

"Alright, it's late. Get to bed. Kids who stay up won't grow tall." Li Bufan stood up and blew out the lamp, which had used up its last drop of oil.

The room plunged into darkness, with only a few faint beams of cold moonlight filtering through the holes in the paper window.

The brothers fumbled their way onto the simple but sturdy earthen bed and lay down side by side. The quilt was thin and patched, but it was washed clean, carrying the scent of sun-dried fabric and home.

Li Bufan carefully tucked the quilt around his brother, then lay down himself. After days of tense hunting and patrolling in the mountains, followed by the sudden shock of the Young Miss's nighttime visit, lying on his familiar bed now, listening to his brother's breathing gradually evening out into a steady rhythm, a powerful wave of exhaustion and safety washed over him.

His body was tired, but his heart was utterly at ease and calm.

Outside, it was the dead of winter, the north wind howling, with the occasional crisp snap of an icicle breaking from the eaves. But inside the shabby little hut, the two brothers huddled together, their body heat warming each other, their breaths intermingling, as if forming a small, independent, warm world.

The bloody battles in the forest, the scheming, the yearning and planning for higher martial arts... all of it seemed shut out beyond this little pocket of warmth.

Li Bufan turned on his side, looking at his brother's peaceful sleeping face in the faint moonlight, his heart filled with a resolve to protect. He had to become stronger—not just to pursue the peak of martial arts for himself, but to give his brother a stable future, free from fear, hunger, and cold.

This belief drove him forward more than any technique or resource ever could.

Though they lay in a freezing, dilapidated hut, that night both brothers slept deeply and warmly. The cold of their bodies was dispelled by the closeness of blood, and the loneliness of their hearts was filled by each other's reliance. For Li Bufan, this humble home was his strongest shield and warmest harbor in this cold world.

After some time, Li Ping'an unconsciously shifted in his sleep toward the source of warmth—his brother. His small hand instinctively grabbed the corner of Li Bufan's clothes, as if clutching the most secure thing in the world.

Feeling his brother's dependence through the haze of sleep, Li Bufan's lips unconsciously curved into a gentle smile, and he too sank into a deep slumber.