Liang Hangzhou's Sigh

After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, Li Chuan returned to his room.

The quilt on his bed was still that old reed-flower one, but perhaps because his mother had found time to tend to it, she had often taken it out to sun.

The reed-flower quilt no longer had that unpleasant, musty, damp smell, but regardless, it still carried a faint odor.

Lying under this quilt, Li Chuan's thoughts began to wander.

Once he made his second breakthrough and earned some money, he would definitely buy his family clean, fluffy cotton quilts.

The next morning.

Li Chuan did not linger at home, instead hurrying toward Pine Wind Martial Hall without a moment's rest.

He knew very well that he did not yet have the luxury of taking a break.

Cao Yan's "Brother Zhou" would be returning in a few months.

The Martial Exam was also set to be held shortly thereafter.

He had to reach the Dark Force as soon as possible!

Li Chuan touched the heavy ten taels of silver in his pocket and strode into the vegetable market.

While donkey meat was barely sufficient, it simply wasn't good enough.

If he wanted a faster cultivation speed, he had to buy better meat.

Li Chuan scanned the meat stalls for a while and finally decided to buy venison.

Venison cost one hundred and fifty wen per jin, and he needed to eat two jin a day.

That meant three hundred wen a day, or nine taels of silver a month.

If not for the ten taels of silver "gifted" by Cao Yan, he would never have dared to spend like this.

It could also be said that if he hadn't fought Cao Yan and realized how vast the gap was between himself and a true peak Bright Force practitioner, Li Chuan would not have been willing to buy such expensive venison.

But having used every ounce of his strength to barely kill a severely wounded Cao Yan, Li Chuan knew clearly that he was not yet strong enough.

If Cao Yan had possessed one more trick, or if Cao Yan hadn't been so heavily injured, everything would have turned out differently!

Li Chuan made up his mind and bought six jin of venison in one go, enough for three days.

Nine hundred wen—the price of over ten jin of donkey meat—vanished like flowing water.

Yet, there was not a hint of heartache in Li Chuan's eyes.

This was a necessary expense for becoming stronger.

The times were not peaceful.

Rather than acting as a miser waiting for unknown dangers, he preferred to invest the money in himself!

Carrying the six jin of venison, Li Chuan returned to Pine Wind Martial Hall.

Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the disciples had all gone home.

The vast martial hall appeared empty.

Li Chuan returned to his Common Dormitory and set up a large pot.

"It really is cold today; the water has even frozen," Li Chuan said with a wry smile as he looked at the ice in the bucket.

He shook his head, smashed the ice into several pieces with a palm strike, and tossed a large chunk into the pot.

He placed dry grass underneath to start the fire, then added dry firewood.

Within moments, the sound of crackling flames filled the air.

Once the water boiled, Li Chuan tossed the venison in to cook.

After boiling for about an hour, Li Chuan fished out the piping hot venison.

While it was still hot, he chewed the fragrant meat in large mouthfuls.

As the venison entered his stomach, waves of warmth began to rise within his body.

It started in his gut, then slowly spread to his limbs.

"So hot!" Even in the dead of winter, Li Chuan felt steam rising from his entire body!

"With such nourishment, it's time to practice boxing!"

Taking advantage of the surging blood and energy, Li Chuan headed straight to the Martial Arts Arena, braving the freezing cold.

Amidst the vast expanse of white, Li Chuan first raised his hands into palms, then placed his left foot on his knee, squatting down until his buttocks touched his heel.

He had only held the posture for a few seconds before he could feel every muscle in his body being activated.

The previously scattered blood and energy in his stomach seemed to find guidance, rushing rapidly into his tendons and membranes to nourish them.

In an instant, his body began to emit steaming heat.

"At first it was painful, then it turned into a tingling numbness, and in the end, it was pure exhilaration!"

Li Chuan practiced with increasing fervor.

He finally understood why some people in his past life became addicted to fitness.

When he felt every muscle in his body growing stronger with each workout.

This feeling was addictive!

At the same time, the proficiency of his Mountain-Holding Stance was also rising.

Li Chuan counted; it was much faster than when he had eaten donkey meat before!

This silver was well spent! Li Chuan sighed inwardly.

Indeed, having money was great.

He had heard that those families of high status and great wealth fed their children beast meat, medicinal meals, and medicinal baths from the moment they began martial arts.

If paired with superior aptitude, their progress would be beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

One could catch a glimpse of this just from Qin Feng, who reached Bright Force in two months and Dark Force in six.

After standing for another hour or so, Li Chuan felt somewhat exhausted.

After resting for a moment, he began practicing Through-Arm Fist against the wooden stake.

"It can be as fast as a thunderbolt, or instantly still; when striking, you must make your opponent unable to predict your moves." Li Chuan recited the words Luo Zheng had taught him.

Facing the hard wooden stake, he first clenched his palm into a fist and smashed it down fiercely.

He even left a shallow dent on the surface of the stake.

Then, he joined his fingers into a sword-hand, striking with sinister precision.

He executed the various techniques of the Through-Arm Fist.

If someone were watching from the side, they would find that his moves looked ordinary, yet they followed no fixed pattern.

A punch would instantly transform into a finger-sword, then shift into a horizontal elbow sweep.

This was the essence of the Through-Arm Fist: to keep the opponent guessing.

"It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, why haven't you gone back yet?"

Liang Hangzhou walked out from the Inner Courtyard, his hands behind his back.

Li Chuan stopped his movements and cupped his fists in a salute:

"Master, this disciple is dull-witted. I must put in more effort than my fellow disciples if I am to have even a glimmer of hope of breaking through."

Liang Hangzhou fixed his gaze on Li Chuan.

He had not expected to find someone as diligent as Li Chuan in the Outer Courtyard.

Having reached his position, he rarely paid attention to affairs in the Outer Courtyard.

His mind was entirely focused on how to cultivate the Inner Courtyard disciples.

After all, those were the successors who truly had the hope of carrying the torch.

Especially those with superior aptitude like Qin Feng; they were the top priority.

Therefore, he was somewhat surprised:

"I have some impression of you. Lower-tier aptitude, with slim hopes of breaking through, yet even so, you possess a sincere heart for the martial path."

"Not bad, not bad."

Liang Hangzhou stepped forward and casually offered Li Chuan a few pointers.

Just those few words, in Li Chuan's view, caused his Through-Arm Fist proficiency to rise by a small margin.

It was worth several hours of his own practice!

"Practice diligently, and it may not be impossible to break through," Liang Hangzhou encouraged before turning to leave.

The moment he stepped out of the courtyard gate, Liang Hangzhou looked back at the figure practicing hard in the snow and sighed inwardly:

"With this kind of perseverance, how wonderful it would be if he had mid-tier aptitude. For someone with lower-tier aptitude, succeeding in a second breakthrough attempt is harder than ascending to heaven."

"A pity, a pity."

After Liang Hangzhou left, the entire Martial Arts Arena returned to silence.

Li Chuan practiced alone until late at night before returning to the Common Dormitory.

"Whew, only by practicing for a long time can one further discover the benefits of venison!"

Li Chuan looked at the rising progress of his Mountain-Holding Stance and Through-Arm Fist, feeling a sense of relief.

It was three hundred wen a day, but thankfully, it wasn't wasted!

However, Li Chuan also knew that the luxury of eating two jin of venison every day could not last.

The ten taels of silver he had gotten from Cao Yan would only last him about a month.

After that, he would likely have to go back to donkey meat.

Yu Sinian returned on the third day of the Lunar New Year to practice martial arts with Li Chuan.

The two of them often sparred together, which caused the proficiency of Li Chuan's Through-Arm Fist to rise even faster.

Time passed day by day; winter departed and spring arrived, and the disciples gradually gathered in full.

A month and a half later, the ten taels of silver obtained from Cao Yan, along with his own monthly stipend, were nearly exhausted.

Li Chuan looked at the donkey meat before him, yet he found it impossible to swallow.

If he had never experienced the goodness of venison, he could have accepted the donkey meat with peace of mind.

But it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, yet difficult to go from luxury to frugality!

I must find a way to earn more silver... Senior Brother Luo mentioned that a batch of precious medicinal herbs is arriving tomorrow; I'll go ask him about the situation!

Li Chuan thought to himself.