Fist Intent

A few young men gathered together, and aside from talking about women, they discussed all manner of affairs of state.

From them, Lin Zheyu learned quite a bit of the latest news about the rebel armies.

"I heard from my father that Brother Lin is still unmarried?"

Xu Qinyi suddenly turned the conversation toward Lin Zheyu, catching him off guard.

"Uh, yes."

"My parents are gone, and there's no family left to arrange a marriage for me. I haven't had the mind to think about it."

Lin Zheyu continued using his deceased parents as an excuse to dodge the question.

He didn't want to get married so early and walk into the grave of matrimony.

The Hundred Flowers Pavilion was so much fun!

He wondered what had become of his parents and relatives. After the bandits robbed them back then, had they managed to escape with their lives?

"Haha, I was just asking."

"I have a few lovely cousins. I'll introduce you to them sometime."

"There's no need to rush into marriage. Get to know each other first. If you really fall for someone, then you can think about tying the knot," Xu Qinyi said with a smile.

His father, Xu Jingwu, had mentioned it too. Xu Qinyi had come specifically for this.

He wanted to see what Lin Zheyu looked like and what sort of character he had.

After meeting him today, Xu Qinyi had a good impression of him.

"Don't listen to him talk nonsense. The Xu family girls are nowhere near as pretty as the Ren family girls."

"My sister is a famous beauty in Songyi City. How about I introduce her to you?" Ren Qingfeng chimed in, intrigued.

"Your sister is...?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"My sister's name is Ren Qingying. She's a well-known beauty in Songyi City. Lots of young masters have had their eyes on her for ages, but she's never been interested."

Ren Qingfeng spoke proudly.

Having a beautiful older sister gave him plenty of face whenever he went out.

The young masters who wanted to court Ren Qingying went out of their way to fawn over him, hoping to curry favor with their future brother-in-law.

"Get lost. My father has his eye on him. Don't try to steal him away."

"Brother Lin, don't mind these two."

"Before long, there'll be a banquet at the Xu residence. I'll invite you to attend. I hope you'll do me the honor of coming."

Xu Qinyi glared at Ren Qingfeng, then invited Lin Zheyu.

"Of course, of course!"

He chatted with them until evening before leaving.

Jia Yanyong and the others had already gone back, so Lin Zheyu returned to his own courtyard.

"Xu Qinyi must have come specially to win me over on Gang Leader Xu's behalf, right?"

Lin Zheyu had figured it out by now.

There couldn't be that many coincidences in the world. He'd gone to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Xu Qinyi had been there too, and he'd happened to see him.

"Gang Leader Xu has treated me very well. I don't mind helping him out with what I can, but getting married this early? I'll pass."

Lin Zheyu muttered under his breath.

Unless he met a woman who made his heart pound despite himself, he had no plans to marry.

But as the years went by, he'd gone more than a decade without experiencing that feeling.

"Martial arts, martial arts. Why think about all this?"

"The results of training with Blood Energy really are astonishing. Tempering my bones with Blood Energy has made my Bull Fist practice more and more efficient. My progress is getting faster and faster."

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his mind and spoke to himself.

Recently, he'd devoted all his time to improving his Bull Fist, and the progress had been gratifying.

Back in his courtyard,

Lin Zheyu took off his outer garment and began practicing his fist technique.

The sound of fists striking wooden posts rang through the courtyard.

As his strength grew, the wooden posts in the courtyard had been replaced several times. The latest batch was made from hard Iron Birch Tree wood.

The Iron Birch Tree posts were as hard as iron. No matter how much force Lin Zheyu used, he could no longer smash them apart.

These posts were extremely expensive, but he hadn't paid for them. Gang Leader Xu had sent them over.

Lin Zheyu circled the posts, attacking them again and again, using the Bull Fist in tandem with the Golden Goose Technique.

Blood Energy surged into his arms. His muscles bulged, and his veins stood out.

His fists slammed into the posts, sending Blood Energy shuddering through him and speeding the tempering of the muscles, tendons, skin, and bones in his arms.

Practicing other martial arts after reaching the Blood Energy Realm was far more efficient. He was now making progress at least three or four times faster than before.

Beneath the bright moonlight, Lin Zheyu was drenched in sweat.

He stamped down hard, and the muscles in his legs suddenly tensed.

The force in his legs traveled through his waist and into his arms. Then his upper body tilted slightly, and both fists shot forward with tremendous force, like a pair of bull's horns.

Bull Charge!

A wild, domineering, invincible aura rose from him.

Lin Zheyu didn't stop after throwing his fists. He struck again and again without pause.

The aura around him grew stronger and stronger.

An aura containing something "wild" and "reckless" faintly curled around him, though it was extremely weak.

If someone with a weak will had been there and felt that aura, fear would have robbed them of more than half their strength.

This was the artistic essence Lin Zheyu had sensed hidden within the fist technique when he practiced before.

After days of hard training and contemplation, he had finally grasped the faintest trace of fist intent.

He had never sensed anything like it while practicing the Golden Goose Technique.

The creator of the Bull Fist had woven fist intent into the technique. Only someone with sufficient comprehension could grasp it while practicing.

And only those who grasped this fist intent could cultivate the Bull Fist to perfection.

That was why Liang Song had said the Bull Fist was easy to learn but hard to master.

Most people simply couldn't grasp the fist intent hidden within it.

After practicing for an hour, Lin Zheyu stopped.

He practiced his fist technique for an hour before bed every day. It had become a habit.

At first, practicing left him so excited that he couldn't sleep. He'd get up and practice for another hour, then finally collapse from exhaustion.

That didn't happen anymore. Now, the moment he touched the bed, he fell asleep.

"Bull Fist, Bull Fist. Wild, reckless, pressing forward without looking back..."

Lin Zheyu sat beside the stone table, gazing at the sky as he mulled over the faint trace of fist intent he had just grasped.

This was his first time encountering the concept of "force."

Master Liang had said that force was the embryonic form of intent, and intent was the foundation of a Force Transformation martial artist's strength.

To break through Marrow Refining and enter Force Transformation, one had to comprehend an intent.

If he could grasp the fist intent within the Bull Fist, advancing to Force Transformation in the future would be much easier.

Lin Zheyu pondered until late into the night, but couldn't work out anything more.

He stopped thinking about it, took a bath, and went to bed.

There was no rushing martial arts, especially when it came to comprehending fist intent.

The next morning, firecrackers woke Lin Zheyu early.

He pushed open the window. The sky outside was dark, and a cold wind was blowing.

Candles glimmered in every house in the nearby residential quarter. Firecrackers rang out as people burned incense and worshiped the gods.

The children had gotten up early too, chasing one another around and playing noisily.

"Oh, it's Little New Year today!"

"Four months have already passed since I came to this world. Time really flies."

Lin Zheyu suddenly remembered that today was Little New Year in this world.

On Little New Year in Songyi City, every household got up early to slaughter pigs, chickens, and ducks, then worship the Kitchen God.

This year's Little New Year was a difficult one.

The adults all wore worried expressions. Only the innocent children could laugh and play without a care in the world.

He wondered how Senior Brother Han Mo was doing outside the city and whether he'd make it back in time for the New Year.

Since he was already awake, Lin Zheyu didn't stay in bed.

With his strength, going several days without sleep would be no problem.

He got up, washed, and went to the courtyard to continue practicing his fist technique.

Martial arts depended on perseverance.