Chen Family Fort

Great Yu Dynasty, Flame Province, Guangning Prefecture.

Chen Family Fort, in the afternoon.

"Hah! Hah!"

In an open square, over a dozen burly men were busy honing their physiques.

The group was bare-chested and sweating profusely, the atmosphere intense and lively.

Some were lifting heavy stones, while others were painstakingly practicing their blade techniques. A group of young wives watched with great interest from the sidelines, making for quite a bustling scene.

Just then, a young man in grey robes holding a long spear walked slowly from a distant courtyard.

The man was tall and slender with refined features and eyes that shone with a piercing light.

The group of men exercising turned to look at the refined youth, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Lu Yun is here to practice his spear again. Rain or shine, three years like one day, he has never missed a session."

"Isn't that the truth? Few people could manage such astonishing perseverance."

"It's a pity, though. He only practices spear techniques and ignores stance training; it's truly hard to understand."

"Sigh... to practice martial arts without internal cultivation is to end up with nothing in old age."

"It's not like Big Brother Zhao Hu hasn't tried to persuade him, but the man just won't listen to reason..."

The men chattered away, their tones filled with regret.

Listening to the various discussions around him, Lu Yun offered a faint smile, his heart remaining as calm as still water.

He had grown somewhat accustomed to scenes like this.

He was not a native of this world, but an ordinary office worker from the 21st century.

After a drinking party, he had suddenly transmigrated to this strange world. When he was on the verge of starving to death in the mountains, Chen Qing'er and Old Chen, who were out gathering firewood, found him and carried him back. He subsequently joined the Chen Family Fort and became one of its members.

Because the people of Chen Family Fort were simple and honest and took good care of him, he had gone from his initial bewilderment to gradually accepting and integrating into their life.

As for why he only practiced spear techniques and ignored stance training, it was naturally because of his golden finger.

With a thought, a blue panel visible only to him appeared in the void before him.

Host: Lu Yun.
Age: 21.
Remaining Lifespan: 32 years.
Realm: None.
Cultivation Method: White Ape Stance [Entry].
Martial Arts: Basic Spear Technique [Great Success] (99%), Basic Footwork [Entry].
Strength: 180 jin.
Status: Qi and blood deficiency.
Note: [Once a skill reaches perfection, other functions of the attribute panel can be activated].

The moment Lu Yun first touched a long spear after arriving at Chen Family Fort, this attribute panel had suddenly popped up.

Upon learning that this world was a golden age of martial cultivation and discovering the only requirement to activate the panel's full potential, he began to practice his spear techniques desperately. After all, this attribute panel was his only reliance in this strange world.

From then on, Lu Yun began leaving early and returning late, never once stopping. He endured for three full years—spring passed and autumn came, over a thousand days and nights—until he finally brought his Basic Spear Technique to the realm of Great Success.

He was only a hair's breadth away from activating the attribute panel. To achieve this, he had even sacrificed his stance training, seeking only to activate the panel as quickly as possible.

Because of his long-term overexertion and poor diet, his body had suffered significant depletion, resulting in a shortened lifespan.

Recalling the hardships of his past training, a flicker of agitation appeared in Lu Yun's eyes.

He had waited for this day for far too long; tonight would be the moment of his breakthrough.

Just as Lu Yun was preparing to begin his training for the day, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

Lu Yun looked up.

He saw a group of men carrying a middle-aged man whose nose and mouth were bleeding as they ran over quickly. The man was filthy, covered in various muddy footprints.

Old Chen, dressed in coarse linen clothes, followed closely behind, panting heavily, his face etched with deep worry.

"What happened? Who hurt Brother Zhao Hu like this?"

The people practicing in the square looked at the tragic sight, clenching their fists, their eyes seemingly ready to spit fire.

"It was the Black Wind Stronghold."

"Those beasts sent word that we must hand over twenty thousand jin of grain within seven days, or they will raze Chen Family Fort to the ground."

Old Chen's tone was filled with despair.

"Grab your weapons! We'll fight them to the death. They aren't leaving us any way to survive!"

The crowd was stirred into a frenzy.

They all understood that if Chen Family Fort handed over this grain, everyone would starve to death.

"Fight? With what? The three leaders of Black Wind Stronghold are all true Qi-Nurturing Realm martial artists, and we don't have a single one in Chen Family Fort."

Someone poured a bucket of cold water on the situation.

As soon as these words were spoken, despair instantly took hold of everyone in the square.

The gap between a martial artist and an ordinary person was simply too vast.

It could be said that if a single Qi-Nurturing martial artist made a move, they could slaughter the entire Chen Family Fort.

The two sides were simply not on the same level.

Black Wind Stronghold clearly had them cornered.

Lu Yun frowned, suddenly noticing that someone was missing from Old Chen's side.

Ever since he had been rescued and brought home by Old Chen and his granddaughter, he had been living with them.

Old Chen had a twenty-two-year-old granddaughter named Chen Qing'er, who was very clever and capable; she managed all the affairs of the household.

For the past three years, the clothes and shoes Lu Yun wore had even been mended by Chen Qing'er. She often pricked her fingers until they were covered in blood doing so, and though Lu Yun had tried to stop her many times, it was useless; she would always just smile brightly, never tiring of it.

Their bond had long since become like that of a family.

"Uncle Chen, where is Sister Qing'er?"

Lu Yun raised an eyebrow, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Logically, with such a major event occurring, she would certainly be present, and Chen Family Fort was not that large.

"Qing'er is missing. I spent half the day searching the place where she usually picks mountain mushrooms, but I didn't see a trace of her..."

Old Chen hunched his back, his hands gripping the corner of his clothes tightly, his eyes filled with a dead, hollow look.

He was already advanced in years, and his son and daughter-in-law had both been killed by those damned Black Wind Stronghold bandits.

Now that his only granddaughter was gone, he had no hope left to live.

"Missing?"

Lu Yun's gaze sharpened.

"How could a living person just go missing? There are usually no fierce beasts at the foot of the mountain, and besides, Sister Qing'er wouldn't venture deep into the mountains..."

He turned his head and began to comfort Uncle Chen: "When I have time, I will investigate this matter. Sister Qing'er is a good person and will surely be protected by fate..."

At this moment, the injured Zhao Hu slowly regained consciousness.

"Everyone, pack your things and leave Chen Family Fort. Run while you can."

"We won't leave, none of us will. This is our home; we'll fight to the death if we have to."

The crowd was emotional, flatly rejecting the suggestion.

They weren't stupid; since Black Wind Stronghold had made this demand, they weren't afraid of them running.

The perimeter was surely crawling with the bandits' scouts.

Even if they were lucky enough to escape, they wouldn't necessarily make it to the city.

After all, the distance from Chen Family Fort to Clear Distance City was not short—a full several hundred miles—and the road was infested with bandits and wild beasts.

Without the strength of a Qi-Nurturing martial artist, it was very difficult to reach the city.

"Brother Lu, you are still young; you shouldn't have to die here with us old folks."

Seeing that the crowd had refused, Zhao Hu turned his gaze toward Lu Yun.

Over the past three years, Lu Yun's determination to practice with his spear had moved him deeply; this young man, who kept his heart set on the martial path, still had great potential for the future.

"I'm not leaving."

Lu Yun slowly spat out the words, then picked up his long spear and walked toward the corner of the square.

He proved everything with his actions.

In Lu Yun's view, running away alone was an act of extreme cowardice. To repay kindness and strike back at hatred was his code of conduct.

He had received much grace from the people of Chen Family Fort over the last three years.

At this moment, his personal status panel became his only hope for breaking the deadlock.

I hope you don't disappoint me, Lu Yun thought to himself.