Stray Thoughts

The medicinal cuisine I made just now seemed a little bland. Next time, maybe I should make a dipping sauce... Forget it, too much trouble. I'll just make it more heavily seasoned next time. I heard notoginseng powder replenishes qi and blood and strengthens kidney qi. Should I add some next time...?

Right now, I should be lying in bed with my left foot resting on top of my right...

How many years is a ten-year cerebral thrombosis, exactly?

I heard 2048 got quite a few updates recently. Should I go check them out...?

If a pig has kidney deficiency, do its kidneys still nourish the kidneys?

If someone going to turn themselves in gets arrested on the way, does that still count as turning themselves in?

...

Lu Ren opened his eyes and let out a long breath, looking rather helpless. Practicing fist techniques was fine; all his focus would be concentrated on one thing, and distracting thoughts would naturally fade away, leaving his mind free of distractions.

But if he simply sat there doing nothing, distracting thoughts really came wave after wave, impossible to stop.

What should he do?

Lu Ren got up and paced back and forth a few times. After thinking it over, he simply went into the courtyard and assumed the Falcon Fist stance again, beginning to practice.

"Ding, you are practicing Falcon Fist. Falcon Fist proficiency +1."

"Ding, because you practiced Falcon Fist, your Constitution, Strength, and Agility proficiency +1."

"Ding..."

As his fist technique grew increasingly profound, he could often execute it without even thinking. He could completely ignore the System Prompt Sound.

Suddenly, Lu Ren stopped. Then he slowly assumed the fist stance again. His body continued practicing the technique, but his mind was no longer on the fist technique. Instead, he focused his spirit and visualized the wooden sword.

Two hours later, Lu Ren stopped, his face filled with delight. It had actually worked. In particular, one System Prompt Sound in his mind left him exhilarated.

"Ding, because you focused your spirit to visualize the wooden sword, your Spirit Proficiency +1."

This was the first time Lu Ren had heard Spirit Proficiency increase on its own. In other words, what Yan Zhenghua had taught him was indeed the real deal.

Lu Ren finally put his mind at ease and began his uninterrupted daily cultivation. In the meantime, as agreed, he went to the weapons shop to pick up the custom longsword he had ordered. The owner called it by an extremely common name: the Longquan Sword.

Lu Ren could not be bothered to think up another name for it.

Its claims of slicing through iron like mud and cutting hair with a puff of breath were no exaggeration. The weapons shop owner had even said that the sword had been reinforced throughout with the latest nano-carbon material technology, raising both its toughness and hardness by several levels.

Lu Ren had tested it. Even when he bent it with all his strength, it only curved slightly. The moment he released it, it snapped straight again.

One day, Li Shu, who lived next door, leaned against the courtyard fence and sighed. "We live in such a peaceful country, yet there's actually a martial arts fanatic like you! What are you doing all this for?"

Lu Ren did not pause in the slightest. He performed the Falcon Fist over and over, while also tracing the shape of the wooden sword in his mind.

After quite a while, once he had completed another visualization, Lu Ren finally spoke. "If you accidentally fell into another alternate space, and it was still full of monsters, how long do you think you could last in your current state?"

Li Shu's expression stiffened slightly. "It can't be that unlucky, can it?"

"Don't you watch the news? Hua Country's officials have gone from hiding the Spatial Rift passages caused by spatial tremors to gradually revealing the truth bit by bit. It may be slow, but sooner or later, it'll change the world order."

Li Shu said, "...Huh? Those bizarre gossip stories?"

Lu Ren glanced at her. "Haven't you received notices lately about survival drills or emergency survival safety exercises? And hasn't the Ministry of Education issued all kinds of documents emphasizing physical exercise? More importantly, survival skills and hand-to-hand combat have been added to the curriculum too, haven't they?"

"I have..."

Li Shu was not stupid. She immediately realized what he meant, and her voice trembled slightly. "You mean... things like that might become the Normal State in the future?"

Lu Ren shrugged lightly. "I can't say for sure. A lot of things are impossible to explain. But no matter what, improving your own strength is never the wrong choice."

"Can I train with you?"

"No." Lu Ren spoke, then pondered for a moment. "Well, it's not impossible."

Li Shu's disappointed expression swiftly turned to joy.

Lu Ren continued, "But my tuition is expensive. It's charged in stages, and there are no refunds after instruction begins. If you give up halfway because it's too hard or too tiring, your tuition will not be refunded. That applies whether you manage to learn it or not."

He had to find himself some extra income somehow.

"No problem. How much is the tuition?"

Lu Ren named an outrageous price. "One million!"

Yet, to his surprise, Li Shu did not hesitate at all and nodded directly.

"No problem!"

Lu Ren still had a bit of conscience. "Uh, actually, there are plenty of Fist Law Schools that teach genuine skills. I know one I can recommend to you, and their tuition won't be nearly this expensive."

Li Shu said, "I trust you!"

"Fine." Lu Ren sighed. "In that case, transfer that one million as an introduction fee, and I'll take you to meet the master who'll teach you."

Li Shu asked in surprise, "You're not teaching me?"

"I can barely take care of my own training. Where would I find the time to teach you? Are you training or not?"

Li Shu hesitated, then asked, "Is he reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable. Everything I know was taught by him. He's a true master living in seclusion among ordinary people!"

Lu Ren patted his chest, his face solemn.

"This... all right."

"Ding, ZhiPay received: 1,000,000 yuan!"

Lu Ren stared at his phone for a while before looking at Li Shu across the fence in surprise.

"You just transferred it like that? You trust me that much?"

Li Shu smiled. "No matter what, you saved me in that world, regardless of what state of mind you were in at the time."

Lu Ren nodded slightly and said nothing more. By all rights, he could accept this money with a clear conscience.

When Lu Ren introduced Li Shu to Yan Zhenghua, Yan Zhenghua's lecherous eyes practically glowed green when he saw her pretty, fashionable appearance, and drool nearly flowed from his mouth.

Seeing Yan Zhenghua's sleazy, greasy middle-aged appearance—especially the way his gaze swept over her—Li Shu instinctively covered her chest. She turned back to Lu Ren, full of unease. "This is the master you were talking about?"

Yan Zhenghua also realized that his current image was inappropriate. He immediately puffed out his chest and sucked in his stomach, trying hard to put on the appearance of an enlightened master, his expression calm and detached.

"Young lady, I merely used my true eyes just now to inspect your bones and talent, to see whether you are suited for martial arts. Since you are willing, come over quickly and let me feel your bones, so I can see whether you are suited to our school's fist techniques."

Li Shu looked pitifully at Lu Ren. Lu Ren said seriously, "You're not young anymore. If you don't have your bones examined and an experienced master tailor things to your actual condition, there's no way for you to practice martial arts. Don't be fooled by that old man's sleazy face. He's actually a devoted man. That's all just his outward appearance. Don't be deceived by appearances—we need to see through them to the essence."

An old virgin counted as devoted, right?

Li Shu said, "..."