Yu the Hero Uproots the Immortal Jujube Tree Barehanded!

"So it was Hero Yu Jin."

Sheng Dayang hurriedly bowed again. Then bitterness surfaced on his face as he tactfully said, "To be honest, Hero Yu, I hate the Li River Gang to the bone. But I have no abilities to speak of, and I have Xiaotian with me. We can barely keep ahead of death and hide as it is. I truly have the will but lack the strength. I'm afraid I'd only drag you down."

Sheng Xiaotian was already nine years old and could understand grown-ups. He knew his father was refusing Hero Yu, and panic immediately filled his face. "Father, I can do it. I have immortal arts. I can help you and Hero Yu."

A nine-year-old child.

It was exactly the age when one's temperament changed with every turn of the wind.

After living in fear for so many days, he had originally been terrified of the Li River Gang. But just now, he had watched Chen Jichuan dispatch six fierce-looking brutes in three strokes and two moves. It had felt exhilarating, and he had become full of admiration for Chen Jichuan.

He wished he could take him as a master and learn martial arts, so that he too could become this formidable someday.

When he heard his father, Sheng Dayang, call him a burden, his self-respect was wounded. Anxious, angry, and ashamed, he felt that he had lost face before "Hero Yu."

"Whether you go or not is up to you."

Chen Jichuan waved a hand.

This time, he had decided to save them.

First, to disrupt the Li River Gang.

Second, to win over the father and son, Sheng Dayang and Sheng Xiaotian, two Altered Humans. Both possessed Altered Abilities. Once they learned some martial arts for self-defense, they could swiftly become capable fighters in their own right.

Sheng Xiaotian was too young, so he could be put aside for now.

But Sheng Dayang was already a Third-Level Altered Human. His Altered Ability, "Blood-Burning," was especially effective for training. With a little effort spent on nurturing him, he would not be inferior to a Fourth Rank expert.

But reality was not a game—completing a quest would not earn someone's loyalty.

Sheng Dayang was a living, breathing person too.

He had thoughts of his own.

Chen Jichuan did not think he possessed the aura of a king and hegemon that could make people bow their heads in submission at first sight. Nor did he believe that saving someone's life would make them repay him like an ox or horse, or return the favor with a gushing spring.

Just like in the Great Yan World.

Chen Jichuan had shown the Lu Family kindness, but if he asked them to return White Jade Capital, that earlier kindness would surely vanish, and they might even turn against him as enemies.

Today.

From Chen Jichuan's perspective, he was saving people. But if Sheng Dayang were a heartless, wolf-hearted bastard, he might even blame Chen Jichuan for meddling in what was not his business.

A hundred kinds of rice raised a hundred kinds of people.

Chen Jichuan was not so desperate that he would take anyone at all. He had patience and could carefully select and assess the character of his "allies."

Ten days.

It was both a chance for Sheng Dayang to think things over, and time for Chen Jichuan to visit Yongfu County and inquire into Sheng Dayang's past.

Choices had always gone both ways.

Seeing Sheng Dayang tactfully decline.

Chen Jichuan no longer paid him any mind.

He bundled up all the spoils from this trip and tied them to his back. Then he stepped forward, took two strides, and wrapped his arms around the Spirit Jujube Tree.

"..."

Sheng Dayang had thought Chen Jichuan would try to persuade him further, or simply fly into a rage. He had already prepared seven or eight possible responses in his mind.

He had even thought that, if it truly came to it, he could agree for the moment and simply not show up ten days later.

But he had not expected it.

This "Yu Jin" did not follow the usual path at all. He wrapped his arms around the Spirit Jujube Tree.

The act was truly baffling.

"Is he going to—"

Sheng Dayang was briefly stunned.

Before his mind could make sense of it, he witnessed a scene that left him dumbstruck—

"Hey!"

"Up!"

With a sharp shout from "Yu Jin," his arms instantly swelled by a full circle. He locked them tightly around the Spirit Jujube Tree and heaved upward with all his strength.

Rustle!

At the first exertion, the Spirit Jujube Tree swayed.

Rustle!

At the second exertion, the soil loosened.

The third time.

Whoosh!

Branches shook and leaves trembled.

The Spirit Jujube Tree, thick enough that one person could barely encircle it with both arms, was actually ripped out of the ground, roots and all. Chen Jichuan held it in his embrace as dirt flew everywhere.

"This—"

To forcibly uproot such a huge tree—how much strength did that take? If such strength landed on a person, who could withstand it?!

Sheng Dayang was stunned.

"Hero Yu is mighty!"

Sheng Xiaotian, on the other hand, was beside himself with excitement. His brows danced with joy as he hopped and clapped, slapping his palms until they turned red without feeling any pain.

Uprooting the Immortal Jujube Tree barehanded.

Hero Yu was mighty!

"Ten days from now."

"If you've thought it through, come to Rubble Stone Forest."

Chen Jichuan put on an aloof air and did not linger.

Leaving those words behind.

He hoisted the Spirit Jujube Tree onto his shoulder, strode like the wind, and swiftly vanished into the forest.

From beginning to end.

He did not spare Sheng Dayang and his son another glance.

"..."

Sheng Dayang watched Chen Jichuan's back disappear. When he turned around, he saw that only a deep pit remained where the Spirit Jujube Tree had once stood.

For a time, he fell silent.

At his side, Sheng Xiaotian stamped his feet in agitation. "Father, Father, the Li River Gang killed Grandma! I want revenge! I want to learn martial arts from Hero Yu and kill every last one of those Li River Gang scum!"

"Stop making noise!"

Sheng Dayang was in turmoil. With a cold face, he snapped at Sheng Xiaotian.

The latter immediately behaved himself, lowering his head without another word.

Seeing this, Sheng Dayang felt a little unwilling to bear it. His tone softened somewhat. "Do you think people from the Li River Gang are so easy to kill? They kill us as easily as slaughtering pigs. Going there would be throwing our lives away. That so-called Hero Yu just now probably wanted to trick me into becoming a death soldier. If I die, who will raise you?"

Sheng Xiaotian kept his head lowered and still said nothing.

"Ah."

Sheng Dayang sighed. He said no more, crouching down to fill in the pit left by the Spirit Jujube Tree. He gathered plenty of fallen leaves and dead branches from all around and covered it over, making a rough concealment.

Without saying anything.

He took his son's hand, looked around in all directions, pondered for a moment, and finally headed southeast.

South of Yongfu County lay Reason-Settled County, while Linghe Commandery lay to the east. Mountains and rivers stood between them, with no roads to travel. Once they plunged into the vast mountains, it would not be easy for the Li River Gang to find them.

After the two left.

Chen Jichuan emerged from behind a tree to the west. He glanced at the filled and concealed earthen pit, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "He still has a bit of conscience."

As he muttered to himself.

His waist, legs, shoulders, and back trembled without pause, and his entire body actually grew two inches taller out of thin air.

Earlier, he had used the Flexible Bone Technique to contract his waist and legs, making himself appear shorter, around five foot seven. By swelling his muscles with breath, he had also looked somewhat stocky.

Now that he withdrew the technique.

He immediately returned to his original appearance—

Five foot ten.

Well-proportioned and lean.

He instantly looked far better.

If Sheng Dayang saw him now, he definitely would not recognize this person as "Yu Jin."

"The Flexible Bone Technique is a soft art; twist legs, waist, arms, elbows, and knees. Turn gradually forward and back, left and right; let every joint in the body become spirit-responsive."

The Flexible Bone Technique.

It was a martial art for bending one's waist and folding one's legs.

It could soften the joints throughout the body, make the body light and nimble, eliminate the ailment of stiff restraint, and render the sinews and bones agile.

Most of the martial arts Chen Jichuan had learned were incomparably fierce hard techniques. Fierce they were, but what was overly rigid broke easily.

To make up for that, and to comprehend soft force so that he could grasp the mysteries of Hidden Force, Chen Jichuan had spent a great sum in the Great Yan World to obtain this Flexible Bone Technique.

After some practice.

Not only had he trained his body to become supple, he had also gained much deeper insight into "soft force."

Withdrawing the technique.

Chen Jichuan moved his long-suppressed waist and legs, unable to stop himself from praising it inwardly. This "Flexible Bone Technique" truly is formidable. There couldn't be anything more suitable for changing one's build and concealing one's identity.

After dispersing the Flexible Bone Technique.

His figure returned to normal.

Chen Jichuan did not remain here long.

He jogged north, first retrieving the sand clothes and sandbags he had taken off earlier. He also took the weapons of Xu Lang, Zheng Biao, and the others.

Then he found the Spirit Jujube Tree he had left in the forest and carried it around in a wild circuit through east, south, west, and north.

Only after most of its leaves had fallen did he turn around and head straight for Begonia Mountain.

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