The Grand Dao Reaching Heaven

In the end, Chen Han purchased three jin of exotic beast meat for one hundred and fifty taels. As he was leaving, Aunt Xue'er gave him a meaningful piece of advice.

"Eating meat is a blessing, but don't eat yourself to death..."

Eat himself to death?

What a joke. It had been so long since he last ate meat; if he were to let himself go, he feared he could finish it all in less than two days.

Confused, Chen Han departed. Carrying the heavy sack, his mind was filled with thoughts: "I wonder if this is enough to reshape my sinews and bones."

If not, he would have no choice but to keep saving silver.

How long that would take, he had no idea.

Chen Han returned to his dwelling, washed up casually, and lay down on the bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep, a pair of arms wrapped around him.

It was his wife. Her body was prone to sweating, and her hands were covered in blisters of various sizes from being scalded by hot oil—a common sight for anyone who spent long hours cooking in a kitchen.

In such a humid and high-temperature environment, a frail woman suffered even more, easily falling prey to heat rashes, stomach pains, and other ailments.

In a whole year, she earned no more than two or three taels of silver. Even so, this job had only been secured because Shen Wuren had pulled strings; many commoners couldn't even get such work if they fought for it.

Chen Han felt a bitter ache in his heart, and at the same time, his resolve to walk the path of martial arts grew firmer.

At this moment, Shen Wan'er felt a profound sense of security. Her father was aging, but the family now had someone more promising: the husband who shared her bed.

"Life is looking up. As long as Father and I work a little harder to earn silver and provide for my husband to recover his health, we will eventually see the light of day."

"Father says Chen Han is an extraordinary man with a boundless future. The Chen Family was blind to let him go, which is why I have the good fortune to have such a man."

She then thought of Aunt Wang, who often bragged to everyone about her nephew learning martial arts. Hmph, what's so great about that? My man even killed Master Bear!

Shen Wan'er felt immensely proud, yet she also harbored a secret worry, fearing that one day Chen Han would despise her as a wife of humble origins and never return.

The next morning, after finishing his meal, Shen Wuren headed off to work. Before leaving, he told Chen Han to come to him if he ever ran out of silver, leaving Chen Han between laughter and tears.

He wondered what expression Shen Wuren would have if he knew that the meat bought with one hundred and fifty taels might not even last two months.

Lu was at home this morning, mending clothes for others to earn a few extra coppers.

She had slept soundly that night and knew nothing of what had transpired; Shen Wuren, fearing her loose tongue, had not told her.

Chen Han went to the kitchen and placed the exotic beast meat on the chopping board, slicing off a piece the size of a fist.

He then put the meat into a bowl, added wine and ginger slices, and let it marinate for a while.

The essence of exotic beast meat, like that of ordinary meat, resided within the flesh and blood. This method would not weaken its efficacy; instead, it would remove the pungent, fishy odor, preventing him from vomiting due to nausea while eating.

They say high-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods. Chen Han took out the rapeseed oil that the family treated like a treasure, poured a little into the pot, and once the oil was hot, tossed in the ginger strips and garlic all at once.

Once the aroma was released, he dropped the fist-sized piece of exotic beast meat in, frying it.

In the end, he had a steak with a charred surface, cooked to medium-rare.

According to what he had learned back at the Chen Family, this was the best way to process it, ensuring the absolute preservation of its qi and blood.

A rich, intoxicating fragrance wafted out, making Chen Han's eyes light up. He felt his appetite stir, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

In both his past and present lives, he had never smelled anything so sweet. It was as if some highly tempting object was seducing him, causing his body—long deprived of qi and blood—to tremble uncontrollably.

Chen Han could no longer resist; he grabbed the meat and took a savage bite. The moment it entered his mouth, it was filled with succulent juices, incredibly sweet and fragrant.

He devoured it in a few gulps, but feeling unsatisfied, he sliced off another piece and began to cook it.

Just as he was about to eat the third piece, a flash of insight struck his mind. It felt as if a blade had grazed his scalp, and he instantly snapped back to reality.

The meaningful words Aunt Xue'er had spoken the night before echoed in his mind, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, his back drenched.

He had just lost control!

"Why would this happen? It's not as if I never ate monster meat back at the Chen Family."

Chen Han recalled that when he had successfully passed his trials and reached the Mingjin realm, the family had provided a monthly serving of monster meat, though it was only a small strip the size of a pinky finger.

It was nothing like the massive portion he had today.

Yet, there had been no such danger of losing control.

Why was that?

Chen Han reflected on the feeling from just moments ago—a desperate, intense craving of the body, like a long drought meeting sweet dew, or a desert finding an oasis.

"Could it be... because my body has been depleted of qi and blood for too long?"

Chen Han pondered for a long while; it seemed to be the only possibility.

He suddenly realized something, his expression tightening. "In that case, Aunt Xue'er saw through my foundation. What she said was purely a kind warning."

Thinking of this, Chen Han couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude toward the woman.

But soon, he had no more room for such thoughts. His entire body was drenched in sweat, white, steaming heat rising from his skin. His complexion turned flushed, and faint traces of blood were even visible.

Chen Han felt a scorching hot current in his stomach surging toward his limbs and bones, his seven meridians and eight vessels. It burned like fire, causing him such agony that he nearly shattered his teeth from clenching them.

Clearly, the potency of the exotic beast meat had kicked in.

Seeing that he was about to be overwhelmed by a few jin of meat, Chen Han immediately suppressed his agitated state, assumed a bow stance, and began to practice the Taiji Nourishing Technique.

At this moment, he was like a powder keg on the verge of exploding, while the Taiji Health Technique acted as a small hole at the bottom of the cavern, slowly channeling the overflowing Qi, blood, and Yang energy within him to reinforce his body through the practice of martial arts.

[Taiji Health Technique +1 +1]

[Taiji Health Technique 4/500]

As the proficiency increased, the heat surging toward his brain gradually subsided, and he sensed a mysterious change occurring within his body; the resilience of his meridians, the density of his bones, and his internal reserves of Qi and blood all seemed to have improved, albeit imperceptibly.

Was it an illusion?

The path back to the Great Dao of martial arts lay right before his eyes, leaving him with a sense of unreality after such a long period of stagnation.

Were the humiliations he had suffered, the groveling, the swallowing of his pride, and the compromises he had made finally going to pay off today?

It was not until three hours later that Chen Han became convinced this was no illusion.

His sinews and bones... were indeed being reshaped!

For a moment, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

I cannot get reckless yet. This is only the initial stage of reshaping my sinews and bones, and the improvements are still almost negligible. I must lay low; given enough time, I will be reborn!

When that day comes, with this proficiency panel at my disposal, I will surely crush all martial disciples of my age in the Chen Family, seize the lion's share of their training resources, and break through to become a Martial Artist or even a Martial Master!

I will be able to kick over the masters of every martial arts gym in Black Lion City, and even against the Black Mountain Gang, I will have the confidence to leave no soul alive.

By then, I will be the strongest person in Black Lion City.

As for Chen Qiuyu, I will certainly not let her off; never mind the family power behind her, even the old patriarch himself won't be able to protect her.

Chen Han fell into a blissful fantasy of killing gods if gods stood in his way, and Buddhas if Buddhas blocked his path.

After a long while, he slapped himself across the face. "Chen Han, you've really gotten ahead of yourself. We've barely even started, and you're already daring to imagine all sorts of things!"