Spear Technique Manual

Li Yi sighed helplessly. "Brother, why must you do this? As long as you recuperate properly, you'll get better eventually."

Li Erniu shook his head. "I know my own body best. I can't even get out of bed to work anymore. With Xiaofang alone, this family definitely won't hold up—and you know my situation too."

"I want to ask you to leave your brother a child. When I'm gone someday, there'll at least be someone who remembers me, burns incense for me, and such."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll become a lonely wandering ghost."

"Most importantly, I don't want to let that bunch eat up my household after I'm gone!"

By the end, fierce hatred burst from Li Erniu's eyes.

What had happened to him was far from a simple accident.

Li Yi gave a bitter smile. "It's not that I don't want to help you, but I have my own family to look after too. Still, Brother Erniu, don't worry. If you ever need my help in the future, I absolutely won't refuse."

Li Erniu still shook his head. If he had not been driven into a corner, he would never have chosen this road.

Seeing that Li Yi would not agree, Li Erniu finally made up his mind.

He looked at Liu Fang. "Go get that old book from the cabinet."

Liu Fang immediately ran to the corner. After rummaging through boxes and cupboards, she returned with a tattered book in her hands.

Li Erniu took it solemnly, carefully stroking its cover as though it were an unparalleled treasure.

"Xiaoyi, Second Uncle taught you to read, didn't he?"

Li Yi nodded. In the village, he was one of the few people who could read.

Li Erniu held the old book out before Li Yi and said solemnly, "This Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear was left behind by my elder brother. It is best suited for charging into battle on the battlefield."

"My talent was insufficient. I practiced it for a long time, but never managed to find the way in."

"Perhaps you can learn something from it."

Li Yi's face was full of astonishment. Martial techniques, by all rights, should never have appeared in a farming household.

They were generally passed down in the army, or acquired by joining those famous sects and great schools.

Most importantly, an ordinary family could not afford to support someone practicing martial arts.

"Brother Erniu, this manual is far too precious. I can't take it!"

Yet Li Erniu firmly stuffed the manual into Li Yi's hands. "If I'm giving it to you, then take it. Otherwise, when I'm gone someday, it'll only benefit those beasts!"

At this point, guilt flashed across Li Erniu's face. "You've been so close to me that they've probably had their eyes on you for a long time. Otherwise, Wang Dagui wouldn't have pressed you so hard."

Li Yi immediately understood. No wonder Wang Dagui had suddenly set his sights on his family.

So he had been implicated by Li Erniu.

But Li Erniu had saved his life, so Li Yi could not blame him.

As for the conflict between Li Erniu and those people he spoke of, Li Erniu had no intention of explaining it, and Li Yi was not in a position to pry.

Thinking that if he was going to serve, he truly needed a martial technique suited for the battlefield, Li Yi accepted it.

Besides, he also wanted to see how the martial techniques of this world differed from what he himself had learned.

But accepting the manual meant accepting Li Erniu's karmic ties.

Li Erniu knew that asking Li Yi to father a child for him was indeed forcing the impossible, but he had no other choice.

Seeing Li Yi accept it, he turned to Liu Fang. "Xiaofang, go back with Xiaoyi in a while. Stay at his place for the next couple of days."

Liu Fang looked at Li Erniu with a worried face. "But what will you do at home by yourself, Brother Erniu?"

Li Erniu gave a mocking laugh. "It's not like I'm completely paralyzed. Going to the toilet and such is still no problem. We've already wronged Xiaoyi first, so there's no need to follow every one of those rules. Go on!"

A trace of bitterness passed over Liu Fang's face. She glanced at Li Yi, then lowered her head again.

Li Yi felt somewhat awkward as well. Discussing such a matter in front of someone else's husband—he was not some perverted Japanese man. Of course it felt uncomfortable.

After a light cough, Li Yi rose to his feet. "Brother Erniu, if there's nothing else, I'll head back first. I'll come see you again when I have time."

Li Erniu nodded, his face full of relief.

Li Yi agreeing to father a child for him had settled a great worry in his heart.

"Go on, go on. Oh, right, there's still some grain in the house. Take it back with you. Xiaofang and I can't eat that much anyway."

"No, this is your ration. How could I—"

"Cut the nonsense! Even if you won't think for yourself, shouldn't you think of Xiaoxin and Xiaohui?"

Li Yi was instantly left speechless. He had accepted another man's wife, who was still a virgin, and now he was taking their food as well.

He had truly taken an enormous advantage!

After leaving Li Erniu's home, Li Yi hurried back toward his own house.

If Liu Fang had not suddenly come to find him, he would have been practicing Archery by now.

The corvée service was looming overhead, and Wang Dagui's pack of wolves and jackals were watching him.

Now he also had to shoulder Li Erniu's karmic ties. Li Yi felt a tremendous sense of urgency.

He had to seize every moment and raise his strength as quickly as possible.

Ideally, before entering the military camp, he would strangle the dangers outside in their cradle!

After entering his courtyard, Li Yi turned to Liu Fang, who had followed him over. "Go into the house first. I still need to practice archery out here."

Liu Fang nodded and walked into the house by herself.

Li Yi picked up his bow and arrows, retreated to a distance of one hundred paces, and began shooting at the target.

A one-stone bow had an effective range of around seventy meters. Beyond that distance, the arrows would drift.

Moreover, now that Li Yi's archery had reached the beginner level, the wooden bow in his hand was no longer suitable for him.

But he had no choice. Given his current financial circumstances, he simply could not afford a new bow and arrows, so he could only make do with practice.

Fortunately, he had his cheat. As long as he practiced seriously, he would gain experience points.

He was still fifty experience points short of the next level. Li Yi planned to head straight into the mountains to hunt once he leveled up.

He would earn some money and replace his bow with one that fit his hand.

When that time came, dealing with his troubles would become much easier.

Twang~ Twang~ Twang~

The sound of bowstrings being drawn echoed throughout the courtyard.

Inside the house, seeing Li Yi practicing so diligently, Liu Fang asked Liu Ru curiously, "Sister, is Brother Yi always this hardworking?"

Liu Ru shook her head. "Not really. Maybe Wang Dagui and the others coming has made him feel a sense of urgency."

At this point, Liu Ru pursed her lips and lowered her voice. "Little sister, once night falls, get into the bed first. Whatever happens, don't say anything."

Liu Fang asked with a bewildered expression, "Will that make me pregnant?"

Liu Ru stared blankly at her younger sister. She suddenly remembered that ever since Liu Fang had married Li Erniu, she and Li Erniu had never consummated their marriage.

When it came to such matters, Liu Fang's experience truly was as blank as a sheet of paper.

With no other choice, Liu Ru began teaching Liu Fang from experience.

As Liu Fang listened, her mouth slowly fell open, and her face turned so red it seemed ready to smoke.

She had truly never imagined that there were so many twists and turns between a man and a woman. Some things had never even crossed her mind.

Looking again at Li Yi in the courtyard, he had already removed his outer robe for convenience, revealing his strengthened body.

The graceful lines and muscles of that body alone were enough to make one's heart race.

Amid her shyness, Liu Fang also felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Watching her younger sister, Liu Ru felt somewhat sour inside.

She had never noticed before that Li Yi had such a fine physique. Now that she saw it, she could not help sighing that her younger sister had landed herself a good meal.