Li Yuan getting up disturbed Lady Yan, who was still in bed.
Lady Yan found it amusing yet concerning to see her man practicing the moves she showed him yesterday.
She glanced outside; the weather was nice, so she hurried to get up too.
There wasn't much water at home, and they needed to fetch a few buckets from the village entrance early.
A while later, she reheated last night's leftovers, put on makeup, and stuffed some rags inside her clothes before looking at Li Yuan and saying, "Brother Yuan, there is bean rice in the pot, and chicken oil is beside it; you mix it yourself."
After taking a couple of steps, she worriedly added, "Brother Yuan, this Dharma Gate is just for strengthening the body... don't become obsessed with it."
"I know." Li Yuan stopped, glanced at her, and said, "Going to fetch water?"
"There's no water in the crock at home, and it hasn't rained for days."
"Going alone?"
"Of course not. Aunt Wang, Feng'Er, and I always go together. Even if their water crock isn't empty, if I call them, they will join. These days, you can't just run around alone."
Seeing that Li Yuan was still a bit worried, Lady Yan, beaming, said, "It's all main roads; nothing will happen. When you didn't care, didn't I often fetch water?"
With that, she hoisted a large wooden bucket and went out.
Fetching water is hard work; to fill the crock, one has to go back and forth at least four or five times.
Li Yuan was about to continue with his cultivation, but saw the young lady poke her dusty face around the doorframe again, naggingly reminding him, "This is just a method for strengthening the body, not a cultivation skill. Don't become obsessed with it."
"I know, I know, I'm just strengthening my body, not practicing cultivation skills."
Hearing this, Lady Yan finally felt at ease.
The cultivation skill stuff seemed far from her, and even that nephew from before was a bit distant, so much so that it felt unattainable.
Li Yuan was her man, so she felt the cultivation skills were far from him too.
...
...
Li Yuan continued his cultivation, refining his movements, adjusting his breathing, and finding rhythm.
By the time Lady Yan returned the second time with water, he had eaten and went out with a bow, leaving together with Lady Yan.
There were two other women beside Lady Yan.
One was the neighbor, Aunt Wang.
The other was a young lady, fair-skinned and lively, named Feng'Er.
Feng'Er teased, "Brother Yuan, Sister Yan hasn't lived a good life with you."
Li Yuan was taken aback and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Feng'Er said, "I remember Sister Yan used to be quite pretty, but after being with you, she looks much plainer, her skin is rougher, and she's gained weight."
Li Yuan didn't expect this young lady to meddle so much, straightened up, and said, "What about me then?"
Feng'Er hesitated, seeing that this young man had grown more robust, appearing impressive and somewhat charming under the sunlight.
She spat in jest, provocatively saying, "Seems like you ate all the good stuff! I wonder why Brother Xiong never invites you to hang out?"
Aunt Wang pulled her, signaling her to stop, and Feng'Er pouted, "I'm standing up for Sister Yan."
Yan Yu hurriedly said, "Brother Yuan treats me very well."
Feng'Er huffed and said no more.
The three women and one man split paths at the fork.
...
Li Yuan had been to Erchong Mountain before and found his way in with ease today.
However, today he didn't plan to hunt but just to have a look around.
Due to his strong tracking ability, he could hide his presence and footsteps with ease.
Many animals didn't notice him.
He quickly surveyed the right side of Erchong Mountain, which bordered the stream.
Few animals were by the stream outside Xiao Mo Mountain, but the area by Erchong Mountain was bustling.
From a high vantage point, Li Yuan could see a big tiger with hanging eyes from afar.
This tiger had the number "5~8" floating above its head.
"Seems like the tigers in the forest are no match for those Entry Grade Martial Artists," Li Yuan recalled the government swordman who captured people.
The "19~20" figure was glaringly high, outright declaring that they were in a different world from ordinary people.
He wondered what these people usually ate.
Li Yuan pondered distractedly.
He continued to observe, meticulously examining the hydrology, domain, and roads on the right side of Erchong Mountain.
During this, he spotted many wild rabbits, pheasants, and even some roe deer, all with "0~1" above them.
Moreover, he saw a wolf pack of seven or eight, with most having "2~3" above them, and one standing out with "2~4", clearly a wolf king.
He carefully observed the surrounding terrain and the distribution of the wildlife.
As dusk fell, on his way back, he retrieved a nest of bird eggs and hid them, then returned to the exit of Erchong Mountain.
At this moment, he felt quite content.
After all, the food problem was pretty much solved.
Walking around today, he realized that he was on the same level as the "tiger" overlord of Erchong Mountain.
This meant Erchong Mountain could become his hunting ground to control.
...
Li Yuan returned home empty-handed, seen by quite a few along the way.
Most of these people wore a "this is expected" expression.
Someone said, "Yuanzi, no luck today?"
Another said, "Yuanzi, why not hang out with Brother Xiong?"
Yet another said, "Hunting is tough; the Qian Family is collecting hunting permits, maybe you should sell yours."
Li Yuan ignored these idle people and "wearily" returned home.
Yan Yu was squatting by the stove, cooking.
Their hopes rested on this evening meal.
Seeing Li Yuan come back empty-handed, Yan Yu said nothing about "Brother Xiong" or "wild pigs," fearing it might irk her man and send him to train, simply saying, "Home? Wash up, and get ready to eat."
But Li Yuan didn't go away; instead, he sidled up to her.
"What are you doing? It's not even dark yet."
Li Yuan pulled out four bird eggs from his arms.
Lady Yan looked, surprised and delighted, "Where did you get those? Wasn't it said that there are no birds around the outskirts of Xiao Mo Mountain?"
"It was just luck, just luck." Li Yuan clasped his fists, placing the four chicken-sized bird eggs on Lady Yan's lap before running off to train.
Though Lady Yan was initially happy, seeing her husband heading off to train again, her face turned worried.
"Brother Yuan, it's all fake, the cultivation skill is fake..."
But Li Yuan ignored her, only focused on his training.
The more he practiced, the more he felt there might be something to it. Perhaps due to his physique, he felt as if a warm stream, like a hot spring, was flowing through his muscles.
After dinner.
He continued to practice.
Lady Yan boiled water and called him to bathe, but he continued training.
Lady Yan urged, "Brother Yuan, wash up quickly. After you're done, it's my turn."
Fetching water was inconvenient, so unless the body wasn't too dirty, the same water was typically used for both.
Technically, Lady Yan should bathe first, as she was cleaner, but she wanted her husband to go first.
Li Yuan knew her intentions and said, "Let's do it together then."
Lady Yan blushed and shook her head, "Aren't you embarrassed? You wash quickly, the water's getting cold."
Li Yuan said, "After you finish, I'll go."
Seeing Lady Yan still hesitate, he stepped forward and tugged at Lady Yan's belt, about to pull off her clothes and pants.
Lady Yan, half-laughing and half-crying, said, "Alright, alright, Brother Yuan, I'll do it myself."
Soon after...
Lady Yan lay in the wooden tub, chin resting on the edge, watching the young man still training.
She muttered, "Brother Yuan, why are you so caring to women?"
After a while, she said again, "Stop training, the cultivation is fake..."
Yet again, "I'm almost done bathing, Brother Yuan. It's your turn to undress."
Li Yuan still ignored her, focused intently on his training.
Suddenly, he felt a peculiar sense of breakthrough in his heart; when he checked the information, he saw a new message appeared on the panel:
[Cultivation Skill: Willow Return Technique (1/100)]