Dawn broke.
In the courtyard, Liu Wudi warmed half a jar of aged wine. He slowly drank half a bowl himself first, waiting until his cheeks flushed before dissolving half a piece of old medicine in it. He rubbed the medicinal wine between his palms, then began massaging Lian Youming to stimulate his circulation, kneading and pressing his body.
His force sank in with crisp pops. Liu Wudi first drew his five fingers together and pecked like a crane's claw, then pressed down with his palm, kneading and pushing. Ripples spread through Lian Youming's muscles as he worked loose the tangled sinews.
"Not bad. It's hardly been any time at all, and your Ming Jin is already taking shape."
Lian Youming sat bare-chested in the open air. A pot of meat, complete with bones and sinew, simmered before him, steaming as he sucked the juices from between the bones. Yang Lian had sent someone to deliver the meat. He had no idea how the cook had seasoned it, but it smelled incredible.
Liu Wudi was eyeing the pot too. Lian Youming fed him a mouthful, only for him to hiss and pant from the heat. After gulping it down whole, he said, "Oh, spare me. With injuries like yours, anyone else would've bloody well kicked the bucket. Only you could still be bouncing around... From the moment I met you in the Northeast, I could tell you were something special, kid. You'd amount to something."
Upon hearing that Gan Xuantong had appeared, Wu Jiu and the others had gone out, along with the Hung Fist people.
Eating his meat, Lian Youming saw that Wu Jiu and the others still had not returned and muttered, "Looks like this Gan fellow really is something out of the ordinary."
A thought stirred. He