Nothing Tastes Better Than Dumplings

However, where was he supposed to get a cartload of sand and gravel?

Li Feng muttered to himself as he walked, making his way into the front courtyard.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Zhang San and Chen Song hurried over.

"Brother Feng, how did it go? What happened this time?" Zhang San asked with a concerned look on his face.

Chen Song also looked him up and down and said, "Seeing you come out safe and sound, you should be fine. Tell us, what was it all about?"

Seeing the two of them caring about him, Li Feng did not hide much and said, "Actually, it is nothing much. It is just that I have unique talent. After a few months of practicing hard in private, I have already reached the Qi-Blood Second Level. Constable Jiang said she plans to promote me to a regular constable in a little while."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Zhang San and Chen Song froze.

Zhang San widened his eyes, reached out to feel Li Feng's forehead, and said, "Brother Feng, are you still half asleep? What kind of daydream are you having in broad daylight? Qi-Blood Second Level? A regular constable? Are you jealous because you see that Sun Yan has a good family background?"

Chen Song also shook his head along with him and smiled, saying, "Exactly. It has only been a few months, and you are already at the Qi-Blood Second Level? Do you take us for fools?"

Li Feng did not answer, only looking at the two of them with an earnest expression.

Seeing Li Feng's unusually serious look, completely devoid of his usual joking demeanor, their previous certainty could not help but waver.

"Brother Feng... y-you are not saying this for real, are you?" Zhang San swallowed a mouthful of saliva and continued to ask.

Li Feng nodded solemnly and said, "It is real. Constable Jiang promised it herself."

After confirming the truth of the news, Zhang San and Chen Song were stunned in place for a moment, and then heartfelt joy erupted on both of their faces.

Although they were content with the status quo at the bottom, seeing their close friend make such progress, they were genuinely happy for him.

However, amidst the joy, the two could not help but feel a tinge of melancholy in their hearts.

Although Brother Feng had decent talent and practiced very hard, compared to Sun Yan next door, his speed of progress still seemed a bit slow.

That Sun Yan relied on his wealthy family background to become a registered disciple at a martial arts hall in the Inner City early on. He had already broken through to the Qi-Blood Second Level a few months ago. In a few more months, once Chief Constable Zhao retired and his family pulled some strings, the vacated chief constable position would very likely go to that Sun Yan.

At the end of the day, in this world, learning literature is for the poor while martial arts are for the rich. No matter how good an ordinary person's talent was, without resources, risking your life could not compare. Brother Feng's family background was still far too thin.

Yet no matter what, Brother Feng getting promoted to a regular constable was a good thing.

"Good lad, I knew you were different from us!"

Zhang San excitedly hammered Li Feng's chest and said, "When you get promoted to a regular constable, we must celebrate properly. You brat have to treat us, invite us to the Spring Breeze House for a round of drinks, and we will call a few maidens over to make merry then."

Li Feng smiled and waved his hand. "It is not that I begrudge spending the money, but I really cannot go to a place like the Spring Breeze House. How about this-once I am promoted to a regular constable, the two of us-no, the three of us will find an ordinary tavern in the Outer City, and I will treat you both to a proper drink."

Li Feng still valued these two colleagues quite a bit. After he entered the City Guard Office, the two of them had given him no small amount of care on a regular basis, so treating them to wine was nothing much.

"Haha, good, then it is a deal!" Chen Song also said happily.

For the entire daytime, because of the two of them, there was quite a lot of joy, and even the anger provoked by Sun Yan and Chief Constable Zhao dissipated quite a bit.

However...

This matter was not over yet!

Returning home, Lin Yanqiu happened to be boiling dumplings by the stove. Knowing that Li Feng had a big appetite from practicing martial arts, the amount she boiled was not small at all-a full, massive pot.

"Xiaofeng, you are back. We are having dumplings tonight," Lin Yanqiu said softly, her brows brimming with smiles.

"Dumplings? Great, having dumplings is great!"

Li Feng's eyes lit up, his face covered in a smile.

As the saying goes, nothing tastes better than dumplings, and nothing is more fun than...

Returning to this home, all the bothersome matters and exhaustion encountered during the day seemed to dissolve completely at this very moment.

A moment later, steaming hot dumplings were served on the table. The two sat facing each other and ate cozily.

Li Feng casually asked, "Sister-in-law, do you know where there is a large amount of sand and gravel nearby? Constable Jiang told me during the day that if I want to continue refining my skin and membranes, coarse burlap will no longer do, and I have to switch to sand and gravel instead."

"Sand and gravel?"

Lin Yanqiu pondered for a moment and replied, "That Elder Li in the neighborhood renovated his house previously, and he should still have quite a bit left over piled in his courtyard. If you need it, you can go ask him for some tomorrow morning and see if he is willing to give it to you."

"Alright, I will go find Elder Li tomorrow to ask."

Li Feng nodded, already feeling impatient in his heart to test whether sand and gravel could actually advance the progress of repaying his debt.

After finishing dinner, Li Feng came out to the courtyard. The cool night breeze blowing against his face helped him calm down a little.

At that moment, a light pair of footsteps came from behind.

Lin Yanqiu finished tidying the kitchen and walked out. Seeing Li Feng sitting blankly in the courtyard, she softly asked, "Xiaofeng, what are you thinking about?"

Not wanting to let his sister-in-law worry because of daytime matters, Li Feng casually replied, "Nothing, I am admiring the moon."

Hearing this, Lin Yanqiu instinctively raised her head to look at the night sky. The sky was pitch black-where was there any moon?

She let out a soft sigh and asked gently, "Is something weighing on your mind?"

Li Feng shook his head and smiled. "Really nothing, sister-in-law. Do not overthink it."

Lin Yanqiu knew Li Feng's temperament; this child had been introverted since he was little, and whatever thoughts he had, he would only bottle them up inside.

She did not expose him, simply saying to herself, "Xiaofeng has grown up. He does not tell his sister-in-law about anything anymore. Although sister-in-law does not serve in the City Guard Office anymore, I know those twists and turns inside much better than you do."

"If you suffer any grievances outside, do not bottle them up inside by yourself. Staying safe and sound is what matters most. As long as you are still around, there are no obstacles that cannot be overcome. Your Martial Dao has shown signs of improvement now, and your days ahead are still long. Do you hear me? Never ruin a bright future because of a momentary impulse, understand?"

"I know, sister-in-law, you can rest easy. I have a sense of proportion in my heart."

A warm feeling welled up in Li Feng's chest, and he nodded earnestly.

Lin Yanqiu smiled, patted his shoulder, and got up to return inside the house.

Watching his sister-in-law's retreating figure as she returned inside, Li Feng took a deep breath and began to re-evaluate what had happened at the City Guard Office during the day.

Back in the daytime, because he was being hassled and made things difficult for by Sun Yan and Zhao Quan, he had indeed felt furious inside at the time, even thinking about directly resorting to fists.

But thinking about it now, the idea from the daytime was still far too radical.

If it were just him alone, it would not matter anyway. Since Commander Jiang was backing him up, what could happen after beating those two up?

However... there was still a sister-in-law at home who had lost her martial power.

Although Sun Yan's strength was lacking, his family had money; Chief Constable Zhao's qi-blood was declining, but he was deeply rooted in the City Guard Office, and it was hard to guarantee what they might do in desperation.

While his strength was still insufficient, he had to endure it first.

He had a cheat system on his body; the advantage was his.

Give him just one year, and his Martial Dao cultivation could far surpass martial artists like Sun Yan who relied purely on resources to brute-force their way up. His future was filled with hope and destined to shine brilliantly.

A wise man takes his revenge ten years later!

Just let this Sun Yan and Chief Constable Zhao skip around a little longer. Once his strength rose by a few more levels and he found a suitable opportunity, he would secretly slaughter them.

Martial Dao cultivation-cultivate and practice; not only practicing martial arts, but also cultivating one's state of mind! The bit of grievance suffered right now is merely a small pebble on the road to becoming stronger. Looking back at it in the future, it will not be worth mentioning at all!

Act like a grandson first, then act like a grandfather!

The long and winding Martial Dao must go through countless storms. If just a tiny bit of harassment can throw my composure into disarray, it means I, Li Feng, am nothing special either.

A true martial artist must not only possess the sharp, decisive aura to kill and cut down, but also the forbearance to remain unchanged even if Mount Tai collapses before him. At most a year, and I will bury both of these fellows in the dirt!

After this deep contemplation, his thoughts flowed smoothly, and Li Feng felt that his state of mind had been sublimated.

That night, Li Feng slept exceptionally well-not because his thoughts were smooth, but because he dreamt of his sister-in-law.