A Bowl of Beef

The setting sun melted into gold, evening clouds joined like jade discs, and mist hung thick and heavy.

After resting, the four of them followed Chen Yuan's lead and went over what they had learned once more.

After Master Huo left, Tao Ping took over the task of teaching and demonstrated the movements twice more for each of them.

Though they still failed to grasp the finer points in some places, they were already beginning to look the part. What remained was careful polishing.

Besides the five of them, Huo Academy had more than twenty others—some were disciples who had joined recently, while others were senior brothers who had already broken through the gate.

After an afternoon of practice, Chen Yuan was utterly exhausted and ravenous. The meat that had left him somewhat bloated at noon had long since been burned away.

No wonder they said meat was indispensable for martial training. If one ate only coarse bran and wild vegetables, where would one find the strength to spend so freely?

The only thing that soothed his exhaustion was that the progress of the Rock-Solid Stance Technique had ticked up a little.

[Rock-Solid Stance Technique (Not Initiated): 1/10]

At this rate, he might be able to get started within a week.

He just did not know whether that was fast or slow, so he found a chance to ask Tao Ping,

"Senior Brother, how long does it normally take to get started with the Rock-Solid Stance Technique?"

Tao Ping answered casually, "It varies from person to person. The clever ones can learn it in two or three days. The duller ones, as long as they are willing to learn, can get started in ten days or half a month. But even if that sort learns it, they're only making up the numbers."

Comparing that to his own progress, Chen Yuan found himself somewhere in the middle.

It was probably a matter of aptitude.

Tao Ping added, "You may learn a little slowly, but your endurance is good. That means your natural physique is solid. Spend more time on it, and your progress won't be slow. You can also temper your sinews and bones more thoroughly."

Before long, a crisp bell rang out from the direction of the Dining Hall.

Some people stopped their movements and stretched their limbs with abandon.

"Finally, it's time to eat! My stomach's been rumbling like thunder!"

Tao Ping smiled. "That's the meal bell. The Gu Family paid your meal fees, so from now on, you can eat all three meals here every day."

The weariness on Sun Chengjie's face was instantly swept away by excitement. "Great! There's meat to eat! Let me see what a tael's worth of meals looks like."

Liu Jin and the other two were stirred as well.

Meat at every meal—before this, they would not even have dared dream of it.

Yet some disciples silently left to eat at home. Those worse off took out cornmeal buns and gnawed on them dry with pickled vegetables.

Clearly, they had not paid their meal fees.

After all, the monthly tuition of one tael and five mace was already no small sum. Ordinary families could hardly come up with another tael every month for food.

Someone looked toward Chen Yuan and the others and said enviously,

"How nice. Without spending a single coin, they don't have to pay tuition themselves, and they even get to gorge themselves in the Dining Hall..."

There were also less friendly voices, even voices laced with malice.

"Tch, they're just a bunch of mud-legged peasants. What's there to envy? Even if they have food now, even if they break through the gate, they'll only be the Gu Family's lowly dogs, to be driven about at will. They've even lost their freedom."

"That's right, lowly dogs. We may be poor, but there's no dog leash around our necks. We don't have to watch someone else's face before we act."

The voices were not loud, but neither did they seem afraid of being heard.

Every word went straight into Chen Yuan and the others' ears.

Sun Chengjie had been happily enjoying the envious looks, but when he heard this, rage instantly surged in his chest.

Liu Jin and the other two changed expression as well, their faces darkening as they stared at the two men who had spoken so rudely.

Those words were no different from humiliation, and they had struck precisely at their sore spot.

Sun Chengjie turned to argue, but Chen Yuan grabbed him and whispered a few words into his ear.

Sun Chengjie stopped in his tracks. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and he did not flare up again.

Tao Ping frowned and barked coldly,

"Zhou Qian, Zhou Mo, shut your mouths. Say anything else that harms unity, and don't blame me for reporting you to Master Huo and having you thrown out!"

The two brothers shot Tao Ping resentful looks, then said nothing more.

They had merely been venting the resentment in their hearts. After cursing, they felt much more balanced.

They went aside, took out the food they had brought, and chewed with lofty disdain. Even though there was barely any meat in it, they ate with great relish.

In their hearts, they had already decided that they stood a cut above the mud-legged peasants supported by the Gu Family.

Entering the Dining Hall, Chen Yuan received his portion of food from the serving counter, and his appetite immediately surged.

This was no ordinary pork. It was beef, with an even higher protein content. There was a whole bowl of it, its aroma wafting straight into his nose.

There was also a bowl of meat soup, oil shimmering across its surface, irresistibly tempting.

His appetite thoroughly whetted, Chen Yuan bit into a piece of beef. It was wonderfully chewy, and its rich meaty fragrance exploded across his taste buds, leaving an endless aftertaste.

As the rice went down, it immediately nourished the starving cells in his body. Warmth flowed through his limbs and bones, his strength gradually returning. It felt wonderful.

With the energy replenished by this beef, nurturing his qi and blood would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

"Brother Chen, I'm going." Sun Chengjie still had a grievance bottled up inside. Remembering Chen Yuan's whisper, he eagerly carried his tray outside.

"Go on. I'll be right behind you," Chen Yuan said with a smile.

Having just been humiliated, Liu Jin and the other two had lost some of their appetite. Seeing this, they were somewhat puzzled.

They had noticed that Sun Chengjie had only calmed down after Chen Yuan said something to him.

At the time, they had thought it was backing down. Now, though, it seemed there might be another intention behind it.

Chen Yuan also stood, tray in hand, and headed toward the Dining Hall entrance. At the same time, he said softly,

"If you're interested, come see how Brother Sun repays kindness with resentment."

Liu Jin and the other two exchanged glances, then followed after him.

They saw Sun Chengjie carrying his tray straight toward the Zhou Brothers, who were gnawing on coarse food. He picked up a huge piece of beef, put it into his mouth, and chewed with relish as he clicked his tongue.

"Ah, delicious. This beef is so chewy. I feel like my whole body is brimming with strength. It really is good stuff for nurturing qi and blood."

"And this meat soup—it's incomparably fresh. One sip, and it's simply heavenly."

Meanwhile, merely watching Sun Chengjie eat and smelling the aroma made the Zhou Brothers crave it desperately.

Then they looked at the hard dry flatbread in their hands and instantly lost their appetite, able only to swallow their saliva unwillingly.

When that enormous gap was laid bare before them, the superiority they had felt at being a cut above the others instantly crumbled. Their faces turned livid with anger.

Zhou Qian immediately burst into curses. "You dog thing, get lost already! Don't force me to beat you!"

"You dare?" Sun Chengjie raised a brow in disdain, then looked at the equally furious Zhou Mo and sighed.

"There's so much beef. It'd be a waste if I can't finish it. You didn't curse me just now. If you say something nice for me to hear, I'll share some beef with you."

Zhou Qian was instantly dumbfounded. Seeing that his younger brother was somewhat tempted, he grew even angrier and cursed,

"Zhou Mo, we may be poor, but we must have backbone! How can we eat food tossed to us in contempt?"

Zhou Mo swallowed. The aroma of the beef was provoking him every moment, and his expression was deeply conflicted.

"Brother, a true man can bend and stretch. We've been scrimping and saving so that we can become martial artists."

Zhou Qian shook his younger brother, whose head had been muddled by craving meat, and roared,

"Are you stupid? He's definitely lying to you! When the time comes, you'll lose face and still get no meat!"

Sun Chengjie merely said flatly, "If I don't give you meat, I'm a dog."

Zhou Mo could not take it anymore. He broke free from Zhou Qian and said stubbornly, "Brother, stop blocking me. I know you want some too. I'll give you half. That'll do, right?"

The moment those words came out, Zhou Qian fell silent.

Zhou Mo sighed and asked, "What do you want me to say?"

Sun Chengjie looked as if it were only natural. "Call me Daddy Sun three times, and I'll give you three pieces of meat. Not a bad deal, right? Think about it—your own father can't even give you meat to eat. Calling me Dad a few times isn't too much!"

Zhou Mo's face instantly flushed red with rage. "You dog thing, you want me to call you Dad? Dream on! Get lost!"

Sun Chengjie froze, not expecting the kid to have such backbone.

But before he could say anything, Zhou Qian pressed a hand onto his younger brother's shoulder and spoke solemnly.

"Zhou Mo, a true man can bend and stretch. Enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens now is all for becoming a martial artist. Dad will understand you. Oh, and remember to call him four times."