A Meal

Early the next morning, Ye An did not go to the martial arts hall.

He first went to the market to buy a few things: a block of tofu, two catties of beef, some scallions and ginger, and some miscellaneous seasonings.

When he was paying, a small dog squatted nearby. Its fur was yellow, its ears drooped, and its eyes were round and bright. It squatted beside the meat stall without moving, not barking, just quietly watching the people coming and going.

"Whose dog is this?"

The meat stall owner looked up and glanced at it. "Don't know. It's been straying on the street for several days, and no one's claimed it."

"How much?"

"You want it?" The owner paused, thinking this kid was a bit ridiculous. "No money. Just take it."

Ye An squatted down and looked at the small yellow dog.

And the small yellow dog looked back at him, its tail wagging gently.

Ye An reached out and stroked its head. It didn't dodge, instead nudging its head into his palm. Ye An picked it up and tucked it into his bosom.

"Alright, then I'll take it." Ye An nodded to the meat stall owner.

The owner waved a hand. "Take it, take it. Don't let it hang around my stall and scare off the customers."

Ye An carried the things, tucked the dog inside his clothes, and walked deep into the alley.

The door of the old house was ajar, just like yesterday. Ye An didn't knock, pushing the door open directly.

The room was very dark.

The windows were covered with black cloth, and only a few rays of light leaked through the gaps.

The old man sat in the rattan chair in the corner, eyes closed, motionless. It was still the same as before, like a dried corpse.

Ye An placed the things in his hand on the table and looked around. The room wasn't dirty, but a thin layer of dust had settled over it.

He found a broom and began to sweep the floor. He swept from the corner of the wall to the door, and from the door to the corner of the wall, gathering the dust into a pile and removing it with a dustpan. Then he found a rag and wiped down the table, chairs, and windowsill.

The dog jumped out from his bosom, squatted at the door, and tilted its head to look at him, neither barking nor running. Occasionally it glanced at the old man in the rattan chair, and then back at Ye An, its gaze scanning back and forth between the two of them.

Ye Shouzhuo kept his eyes closed and said nothing. Yet the sound of the broom sweeping across the floor, the sound of the rag wiping the table, along with Ye An's footsteps and breathing, all fell into his ears.

He was reminiscing.

He recalled these recent days, all those sounds that had drifted in from outside the courtyard wall—

"Shopkeeper Ye truly has a good son. I heard that lad Ye Ning has already reached First Body Tempering. Who would dare collect protection money from their family in Willow Alley from now on?"

"Hey, I heard his youngest son wants to practice martial arts too. Is his name Ye An?"

"How fast. Ye Ning has reached Second Body Tempering already. Chances are he'll be the future successor of the martial arts hall!"

"Did you hear about that matter with the Qian Family? Ye An's duel with Zhao Heng—that was a genuine martial artist showdown! Too bad I wasn't there."

"Oh, come off it. Everyone's sick of hearing about it at the inn these past few days."

Ye An, his third grandson.

He hadn't thought much of it back then, but today, he fished these words out of his mind and went over them again and again.

Suddenly, the sharp sword wrapped in its scabbard beside him jerked. It was as if something had bounced off the hilt and fallen back down. The scabbard struck the ground with a muffled thud, short and powerful.

Ye Shouzhuo's eyelids twitched.

The sword was like his very self; when the sword moved, it was as if he himself moved. This sword had remained dormant with him for so many years, only to spring back to life yesterday. Today as well, it seemed he too had come back to life.

He wanted so badly to stand up, but... he was so tired.

No one knew what had happened to him in the past. Those matters had pressed down upon him for far too long—so long that he had thought he had already forgotten. But the sword hadn't forgotten. The sword remembered on his behalf.

Yet Ye An had no interest in knowing what had happened to him in the past. Ye An only knew that the sole person currently capable of making the second brother better was this grandfather with whom he had never spoken, yet shared blood.

It was already noon, and Ye An began to put his long-single skills from his past life to use, setting out to prepare a few of his signature dishes.

Soon, Mapo tofu, stewed potatoes with beef—beef? Wasn't the sale of beef prohibited in ancient times? Pardon me, this is a fantasy world. There was also a simple bowl of boiled Chinese cabbage; the seasonings weren't complete, but the taste wasn't bad. He arranged the table right in front of Grandpa like this, then ladled a bowl for Grandpa first, followed by a bowl for himself.

The dog squatted by the door, sniffing the fragrance, its nose twitching and its tail sweeping back and forth across the ground.

"Grandpa, time to eat."

The old man didn't move.

Ye An didn't rush him. He picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of tofu, and chewed it in his mouth. He then picked up a piece of beef and chewed it in his mouth, eating very slowly.

The fragrance diffused throughout the room, blending with the pungent spice of scallions, ginger, and garlic, and the rich mellowness of meat and bones simmered together.

Ye Shouzhuo's eyelids twitched, moving involuntarily. His nose twitched, and his lips pressed together. He couldn't remember when the last time was that he had smelled the aroma of cooked food.

He opened his eyes.

Ye An didn't look at him, keeping his head down as he shoveled rice. The dog squatted at the door, glanced at him, then looked at Ye An, its tail wagging.

Ye Shouzhuo braced himself against the armrests and slowly sat up. His movements were stiff, as if it had been a very long time since he had used this body. His arms trembled slightly, but in the end, he managed to sit up straight. He picked up the chopsticks on the table, his hands trembling as well.

He picked up a piece of beef, put it into his mouth, chewed for a long time, and finally swallowed it.

"It's been a long time since I ate with family." His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a very long time, his throat parched.

The chopsticks in Ye An's hand paused. He merely picked up another piece of beef, put it into his mouth, chewed twice, and uttered a very ordinary remark.

"Aren't we together now?"

Ye Shouzhuo was stunned. He looked at the teenager across from him who was keeping his head down and shoveling rice. He wore a short jacket washed to a pale white, his fingers were wrapped in cloth strips, and there were calluses in the crevices of his nails.

Ye Shouzhuo suddenly smiled—a strange smile, resembling a child's reaction upon encountering something amusing, laughing without knowing why. As he laughed, a few grains of rice tumbled from his mouth, dropping onto the table.

He didn't care whether it was clean or not, instead using his hand to grab the fallen grains of rice, stuffing them into his mouth and continuing to eat.

Ye An didn't raise his head. He finished the rice in his bowl, picked up the last piece of tofu from the dish, and put it into his mouth.

The dog at the door whined anxiously, its tail wagging like a windmill.

Ye An picked up a bone and tossed it over. The dog clamped the bone in its jaws, ran to the corner of the wall, flopped down, and chewed with loud crunches.

Ye An stood up, preparing to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

"Wait." Ye Shouzhuo spoke.

Ye An stopped his hand and looked at him.

Ye Shouzhuo didn't look back, instead gazing at the bowls and chopsticks on the table. After a long silence, he fished a small porcelain bottle out of his bosom and placed it on the table.

The porcelain bottle was the color of white jade, its mouth sealed with wax, and there were no patterns whatsoever on the body of the bottle.

"This is the Tianyuan Vein-Continuing Pill." Ye Shouzhuo's voice was still hoarse, but much clearer than before. "It can allow Ye Ning to recover his body, reshape his meridians, and defy the heavens to cleanse the marrow. Once consumed, his natural talent can even rise by a major realm."

He pushed the porcelain bottle toward the middle of the table.

"If you use it yourself, you can be elevated to the A-grade."

Ye An took his final sentence as a fart; perhaps people who were lonely for too long didn't know how to speak when they first opened their mouths? Ye An didn't dare voice the thought.

Tianyuan Vein-Continuing Pill.

Ye An had never heard this name before. Just smelling that trace of medicinal fragrance seeping out from the mouth of the bottle made Ye An feel his vital energy and blood surge throughout his entire body, causing even the calluses on his fingertips to itch.

Such a pill was probably a rare sight in the mortal world.

"Then I'll accept it, Grandpa?"

As Ye An spoke, he paid close attention to every movement Ye Shouzhuo made.

Ye Shouzhuo was still staring at the bowls and chopsticks on the table, the expression on his face showing little change.

When everyone encounters advertisements like "Are you a True Person", there's no need to pay attention—just close them, and absolutely do not scan codes or send text messages!

Yet Ye An noticed that his fingers tapped lightly against his knees, as if feeling awkward.

Perhaps he had been lonely by himself for too long, and upon suddenly being called Grandpa, he didn't know how to respond.

Ye An didn't wait for him to reply, reaching out to pick up the porcelain bottle and tucking it into his bosom. He glanced at the dog squatting in the corner of the wall, then looked at Ye Shouzhuo.

"I'll leave this dog here at Grandpa's place to be raised, is that alright?"

The dog seemed to understand, letting out a "woof" at Ye An. The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Ye Shouzhuo looked at the dog, and the dog tilted its head to look back at him, immediately followed by a wag of its tail.

"Very well."

Ye An didn't say much more. After cleaning up, he turned and left.

He hadn't expected that a single visit would achieve his objective just like that.

Ye An emerged from the old house, the white-jade porcelain bottle tucked into his bosom, his pace growing faster and faster.

The main room's door was open. His father, Ye Shouzhuo, sat in a chair, gripping a towel in his hand, having skipped going to the Sundries Shop.

His eldest brother, Ye Ping, stood by the window, holding a book, though the pages hadn't been turned for a long time. The two of them saw Ye An enter and raised their heads simultaneously.

Ye Ning lay on the bed. The bandage on his right leg had already been changed, and fortunately there was no blood seeping through this time. Yet his complexion remained very pale, as if his entire person had been hollowed out. When he saw Ye An, his lips moved slightly.

"How come you're back?" Ye Ning didn't dare use too much strength when speaking. "Didn't you go to the martial arts hall?"

Ye An didn't answer. He closed the doors and windows, and the light inside the main room dimmed. Seeing this, Ye Ping said nothing further, instead going to light an oil lamp. The bright glow of the flame illuminated Ye An's face.

Ye An pulled the white-jade porcelain bottle from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Ye Shouzhuo looked at the porcelain bottle, his brow furrowing slightly. Ye Ping also stepped closer, looking it up and down. Ye Ning lay on the bed; although he couldn't see it, he had heard the sound of the porcelain bottle being set on the table.

"What is this?" Ye Shouzhuo asked.

Ye An looked at the porcelain bottle on the table, falling silent for a split second before speaking. "Just now, I went to visit Grandpa."

The air in the room seemed to be seized by something. Ye Shouzhuo's hand stopped mid-air, Ye Ping's eyelids twitched, and Ye Ning's breathing paused for an instant.

"Grandpa gave me this medicinal pill." Ye An pushed the porcelain bottle toward the center of the table. "It's called the Tianyuan Vein-Continuing Pill. He said this pill can allow Second Brother to recover his body, reshape his meridians, and defy the heavens to cleanse the marrow. Once consumed, his martial arts talent can even rise by a major realm."

The main room fell quiet—so quiet that one could hear the faint crackle of the oil lamp wick and the slight creaking of Ye Ning's bedboards.

Ye Shouzhuo looked at the porcelain bottle. His eye sockets turned red, and his fingers trembled slightly against his knees.

He had gone to plead for so long yesterday, waiting for so long, yet the old man hadn't uttered a single word.

He had thought there was no hope left; he had thought Grandpa truly had a heart of stone and refused to care; he had thought his parting words of "you're ruthless enough" were the final conclusion.

Ye Shouzhuo lowered his head, wiping his eyes with the towel, and said nothing.

Ye Ping was the first to snap back to his senses. He looked at Ye An and voiced the doubt in his heart. "Grandpa... is his health alright?"

"Still the same," Ye An said. "Sitting in the rattan chair, hardly moving."

Ye Ping nodded and asked no more.

Ye Ning lay on the bed, listening to his family's words. It felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart.

Tianyuan Vein-Continuing Pill.

He had never heard this name before, but upon hearing Ye An's explanation, he understood that such a pill was a rare sight in the mortal world.

For Grandpa to be able to produce this kind of pill showed that Grandpa was no ordinary person.

Yet Grandpa had never made a move all these years, had never spoken a word, and had never cared about this family.

Ye Ning couldn't tell what sort of taste was in his mouth. Was it resentment? Or hatred? Or gratitude? Or something else entirely? He couldn't sort it out himself.

"Second Brother." Ye An called out to him, walking over to the bedside and placing the bottle of pills by his pillow.

Ye Ning looked at the white-jade porcelain bottle. He desperately wanted to say thank you, but the words felt far too weightless when they reached his lips.

"Don't overthink it," Ye An dispelled his worries. "Just focus on recovering from your injuries first."

Ye Ning bit his lip tightly, the corners of his eyes twitching.

Right now, lying still without moving was the best way for him to recover.

Ye An turned and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Ye Ping asked, somewhat worried.

"The martial arts hall."

Ye An pushed the door open. The blinding sunlight shone upon his face, causing Ye An to narrow his eyes involuntarily, after which he headed in the direction of South Street.

Over at the Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall's training ground, the atmosphere remained the same—stuffy like an overturned pot.

The chief disciple of the Baishi Martial Arts Hall had been defeated; the chief disciple of the Changfeng Martial Arts Hall had been defeated; Lin Shaoyun had been defeated.

News came one after another, as if someone were taking a hammer and smashing it relentlessly against their chests.

Ye An walked through the gates of the martial arts hall. "Greetings, Senior Brother An."

"Senior Brother An."

Following Zhao Tieshan's failure to break through and Lin Shaoyun's severe injuries, Ye An's weight in their hearts seemed to have risen considerably.

Several senior trainees nearby gathered together, their voices low, yet loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.

"Have you heard? Shi Yong has officially gone into seclusion."

"He's already begun preparing to make a breakthrough to Third Body Tempering. He's challenged so many martial arts halls and accumulated enough; now he's going to charge at the third tier."

"What do we do then? What if he really succeeds in breaking through? The year-end martial arts hall exchange tournament..."

This remark was like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's heads, and the discussion on the training ground quieted down.

Unwittingly, everyone clamped their mouths shut and slowly shook their heads.

"There's a martial arts hall exchange tournament every year, but what the hell is there to exchange this year?"

"Exactly. If Shi Yong from the Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall breaks through to Third Body Tempering, how is this exchange tournament even supposed to be fought? Go up there to be a target dummy for him?"

"Who's saying it isn't so? The Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall is likely to stand supreme above everyone else this year."

"Supreme above everyone else? More like squatting on top of everyone's heads to take a dump."

Ye An stood in his familiar spot, practicing move after move.

His fingers tapped against the iron plate, and his junior brothers' words drifted into his ears. Ye An heard all of it, yet made no reaction whatsoever.

Shi Yong going into seclusion to break through to Third Body Tempering, the martial arts hall exchange tournament... These terms swirled around in his mind, but Ye An didn't dwell on them. The time for revenge had not yet arrived.

When the opportunity came, Ye An would naturally make Shi Yong pay the price.

Ye An's Azure Cloud Finger third tier had already been practiced to over four hundred points.

At his current speed, he would reach Third Body Tempering before the end of the year.

Ye An struck out with another finger.

"Clang!"

The white mark on the iron plate was a fraction deeper than yesterday's. As Ye An looked at this tiny white mark, his mind conjured up the image of Second Brother lying pale upon the bed.

He would break through to Third Body Tempering before the martial arts hall exchange tournament.

When that time came, he too would make Shi Yong experience this exact taste.

Ye An took a deep breath, suppressed all his emotions, and then struck out with yet another finger.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Tier): 422/500]

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