Spring passed and autumn came, and the maple leaves of Wushan Town turned red time and again. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yinuo and Linley were already three years old.
After three years of continuous check-ins, the rewards still consisted mainly of gradual, imperceptible improvements to his foundations. [Basic physique enhancement] and [Soul dust] made up the majority, with two instances of [Dragonblood Warrior bloodline purity +0.5%] and one of [Dragonblood Warrior bloodline purity +1%] scattered among them.
The cumulative effects began to show quietly in this young body.
Lin Yinuo looked almost half a head taller than Linley, who was the same age. His build was well-proportioned and sturdy, and his little body seemed to hold energy far beyond his years. His eyes were clear, and his movements had a natural steadiness, unlike ordinary children who easily stumbled and fell. What amazed Hogg and Lina even more was how rarely this child fell ill. Even when Linley occasionally caught a cold, he always remained perfectly well.
By comparison, Linley was livelier and more active, brimming with curiosity about the world-a clever, lovable boy by the usual standards of Wushan Town.
That day, the sky was clear and the air crisp.
In the courtyard, Hogg held a blunt training broadsword and practiced the basic forms of Dragonblood Battle Qi, the secret battle qi manual passed down through the Baruch Clan. Although his bloodline had not awakened, he still practiced this method of tempering the body every day without fail.
His movements were forceful and fierce, with a soldier's sharpness, but anyone with a discerning eye would have noticed occasional hitches as he exerted his strength, and a slight disruption in his breathing at a certain transition. These were lingering injuries left by wounds in his early years and prolonged pent-up distress.
Lina sat on a stone stool nearby, mending clothes. Her gentle gaze drifted now to her husband, now to her two sons playing in the open space beside them.
Linley held a little wooden stick, imitating his father with earnest little swishes and cries, his small face serious. Lin Yinuo sat quietly at his mother's feet, holding a maple leaf and seemingly studying its veins. Yet a closer look would have revealed that he kept watching his father Hogg's movements out of the corner of his eye.
Father's lingering injuries are mainly in his left shoulder and the lung meridian junction where his battle qi circulates. I wonder whether a month of continuous check-in rewards of [Basic physique enhancement] and those few tiny increases in bloodline purity have had even the slightest effect on his body?
Just then, Hogg finished a set of forms and slowly settled into his closing stance. He let out a long breath of stale air, a light sheen of sweat on his temples.
Unlike usual, however, he did not immediately feel that familiar dull ache and fatigue from deep within his meridians after finishing. Instead, the qi and blood seemed to flow freely throughout his body, and his limbs felt warm. He actually felt a sense of ease he had not experienced in a long time.
"Hmm?" Hogg instinctively moved his left shoulder joint. It had once been badly injured in a fight with a high-ranking magical beast, and whenever the weather turned rainy or he trained too much, it ached and swelled unbearably. But now, that stiffness seemed... a little less severe?
He frowned slightly, carefully sensing the changes within his body. It was no illusion. When his battle qi passed through that chronically obstructed junction in his lung meridian, it still did not flow smoothly enough, but the needle-like pain had indeed weakened considerably.
"Hogg, what's wrong? Are your old injuries acting up again?" Noticing something unusual about her husband, Lina put down her needlework and asked with concern.
Hogg shook his head, a trace of bewilderment on his face, though pleased surprise outweighed it. "No, they aren't. Strange... after practicing today, my body actually feels more relaxed than usual. My left shoulder and chest feel much better, too."
At his words, a delighted smile spread across Lina's face. "Really? That's wonderful! Have you been resting well lately? Or is the medicinal broth I've been making from that old recipe finally working?"
"Perhaps..." Hogg nodded, but the puzzlement in his eyes did not entirely fade. They had used those methods for years, and the effects had always been slight. This was the first time he had felt such a clear difference.
His gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Yinuo, who sat at Lina's feet.
The child was still quietly playing with the maple leaf, seemingly unaware of everything around him. Yet for some reason, that thought surfaced in Hogg's mind again: ever since Yinuo's birth, this family really did seem to be improving little by little. His wife Lina had recovered faster than she had after giving birth to Linley, and his own spirits had lifted considerably thanks to these two clever sons. Now even the old injuries that had troubled him for years were showing improvement.
Could it... really just be in my mind, making my body feel lighter as well?
Hogg shook his head, dismissing the somewhat absurd thought. He walked over to his two sons and crouched down.
"Linley, how much did you remember from watching Father practice with his sword just now?" he asked his younger son with a smile.
Linley immediately waved his little wooden stick in excitement, imitating several movements he had just seen. Though clumsy, they bore some resemblance to the forms, and he even supplied the sounds: "Hey! Ha!"
"Good lad, you've got something of the proper form!" Hogg stroked Linley's head in satisfaction.
Then he turned to Lin Yinuo, his tone even gentler. "Yinuo, don't you like practicing with a sword?"
Lin Yinuo raised his head and offered Hogg the maple leaf in his hand, speaking in a clear, soft child's voice. "Father, a leaf."
His action seemed like a child's thoughtless gesture, but when those unusually calm eyes looked at Hogg, that inexplicable feeling rose in Hogg's heart again.
Father, though I can't say it outright, I hope this steadily improving physique can help you feel a little better. We will surely reclaim the glory of the Dragonblood Warriors.
Hogg accepted the fiery red maple leaf and looked at his eldest son's tranquil face, then felt the old injuries within his body, which had indeed eased considerably. In the end, he gave a soft, gentle chuckle. He reached out with his large hand and ruffled Lin Yinuo's soft brown hair.
"Yes, the leaf is beautiful."
Whatever the reason, the ease in his body was real. The warmth of his family and his sons growing up healthy were his greatest comforts at that moment.
As he looked at his two sons, so different in temperament yet equally outstanding, his hopes for the clan's future quietly sprouted and grew ever stronger, like wild grass brushed by the spring breeze.
The sunset's lingering glow stretched the shadows of the father and his two sons, blending them together into a scene of warmth and hope. The seeds of change had already been planted and were quietly awaiting the moment to break through the soil.
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