What Do We Do, Then?

It was already late at night when he returned to the shop.

Mo Yun was so sleepy that his eyelids were fighting to stay open as he pushed through the door.

He crept quietly into the back room, afraid of waking his sister, and collapsed onto the bed without even taking off his clothes.

"Tonight was more exhausting than three days of fist practice..."

He breathed out, rolled over, and fell asleep almost instantly.

He slept so deeply that he didn't have a single dream.

The next day, before dawn broke.

Mo Yun opened his eyes right on time, as though his body housed a biological clock of absolute precision.

He sat up, rubbed the corners of his eyes, and rolled his neck, setting off a series of cracks and pops.

"Huh? No aches or pains?"

He was a little surprised.

His fight with Black Wolf the previous night hadn't lasted long, but every punch had struck flesh. It had been a grueling battle that took plenty out of him. He'd expected to feel exhausted today at the very least, yet he barely felt anything at all.

"Looks like the boost to my constitution on the panel improved my recovery speed, too."

Mo Yun grinned and swung himself out of bed.

He tiptoed out of the room and into the backyard.

The morning breeze swept against his face with the chill of late autumn, rustling the old tree beside the courtyard wall.

Only a faint sliver of fish-belly white showed on the horizon, and everything around him was silent.

Mo Yun took a deep breath, loosened up his muscles and joints, then settled into position and began practicing his fists.

The Nameless Fist Technique.

This testing technique he'd learned from Commander Li had now reached the accomplished stage, and practicing it felt completely different from before.

The first form, Tiger Descends the Mountain!

He stepped into the center, sank his shoulders and elbows, drove through his waist and abdomen, and blasted out his right fist!

His fist whipped through the air with a dull, explosive crack.

Mo Yun's eyes lit up.

"It's gotten stronger again!"

He didn't stop, continuing through the remaining forms.

Each move flowed like drifting clouds and running water, the whole sequence completed in one unbroken breath.

But he soon noticed a problem.

"My progress seems to have... slowed down?"

Mo Yun frowned and paid close attention to what he felt.

Previously, when his Nameless Fist Technique had been at the modest attainment stage, he could feel clear improvement with every repetition. The sensation of his proficiency shooting upward had made it impossible to stop.

But now that he'd broken through to the accomplished stage, several repetitions brought barely any improvement, as though an invisible wall stood in his way.

He practiced a few more times, then stopped to estimate his progress.

A moment later, he opened his eyes with a helpless smile.

"It'll take at least half a year to reach the next stage..."

Half a year was neither particularly long nor particularly short.

But for Mo Yun, who had grown used to rapid improvement, that pace was simply too slow.

"Really, this already counts as fast. But the higher the martial arts stage, the more profound it becomes. The time it takes is bound to multiply."

He gazed speechlessly at the sky and sighed.

"Sure enough, spending points is still the way to go..."

Complaining was one thing, but he still had to practice.

Mo Yun shook his head and resumed his fist practice.

Once, twice, three times...

Sweat soon soaked his clothes, but he showed no intention of stopping.

Even if his progress had slowed, practicing was still better than doing nothing.

Besides, the Tiger-Crouching Fist and Tiger-Crouching Stance took even more time to practice. By comparison, the Nameless Fist Technique already offered the best return for his effort.

The sky gradually brightened.

Mo Yun was absorbed in his practice when soft footsteps sounded behind him.

"Little brother, take a break. I'll take you out for breakfast."

Mo Yiyi pushed open the door and came outside. Seeing her younger brother drenched in sweat in the morning light, her eyes filled with concern.

Mo Yun turned to see his sister wearing an old dress washed pale, her hair loosely pinned behind her head. Her face still carried the weariness of someone who had just woken, but she was already clean and tidy.

"Sure! Let me finish this round. I won't be long."

"All right!" Mo Yiyi nodded, then hurriedly added, "Don't rush, little brother. Take your time and don't hurt yourself."

Mo Yun nodded. "Okay."

Without saying anything more, he focused on finishing the final round, then drew back his fists and stood upright, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mo Yun walked over to Mo Yiyi. "Let's go, Sis. Time to eat."

Mo Yiyi took him to a steamed bun shop on the town's east street.

The shop was small, but business was brisk. A long line stretched outside, white clouds billowed from the steaming baskets, and the aroma of meat buns drifted far down the street.

Mo Yiyi ordered two bowls of porridge, three plates of meat buns, and five fried dough sticks.

Knowing that Mo Yun's appetite had grown since he started practicing martial arts, she deliberately bought extra for him.

"Eat up, little brother." Mo Yiyi pushed the buns toward Mo Yun, keeping only a bowl of porridge and one fried dough stick for herself.

Mo Yun didn't stand on ceremony. He grabbed a meat bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

The bun had thin skin and plenty of filling. One bite filled his mouth with rich juices. It really did taste good.

As he ate, he stole glances at his sister.

Mo Yiyi drank her porridge with her head lowered and her brows slightly furrowed. Worry flickered across her face, then determination. She seemed utterly distracted.

Mo Yun knew she was worried about transferring the shop's deed that afternoon.

"Sis, don't worry about the Sky Wolf Gang. Maybe they'll discover their consciences and stop demanding our shop."

He offered the reassurance softly.

Mo Yiyi forced a smile without replying and lowered her head over her porridge.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up and bit her red lip. "Little brother, why don't we report them to the authorities? If the county office won't help, we'll go to the prefectural capital. If they won't help there, we'll go to the imperial capital..."

"Sis, things are still fairly peaceful around here. The authorities still have some power to keep people in line."

Mo Yun shook his head, his tone calm. "But outside this area, war is raging everywhere. Uprisings are breaking out all over, and mountain bandits are claiming territory and setting themselves up as kings. Most prefectural offices exist in name only now."

"Even the Great Zhou Imperial Court can barely protect itself. It certainly won't bother with little matters concerning common folk like us."

"What do we do, then..." Mo Yiyi panicked at once, her eyes reddening again.

She really didn't want to hand over the shop she had worked so hard to build up.

Without the shop, how would her little brother start a family? How would he marry a good wife?

"Sis, don't panic yet. There's still time. Maybe things will take a turn for the better?" Mo Yun breathed out and said no more.

After breakfast, the two returned to the shop.

Mo Yiyi removed the door boards and sat behind the counter, staring blankly with her chin propped on her hand.

Now and then, passersby glanced into the shop before hurrying away.

All morning, not a single customer came through the door.

Mo Yun shook his head without saying anything more, then headed into the backyard to practice his stance for a while and help digest his breakfast.

He reckoned the Sky Wolf Gang's men would arrive before long.

But they wouldn't be coming to seize the shop. They would be coming to apologize and make amends.

I got a hundred taels of silver from Black Wolf last night. Together with what I saved before, I've got over two hundred and ten taels now. Before I leave tomorrow, I should ask Sis if she needs money for anything.

Mo Yun planned to stay one more day before returning to Crouching Tiger Manor.

After he had held his stance for about an hour, a sudden commotion came from the front courtyard.

"They're here."

Mo Yun opened his eyes, his expression turning slightly serious.