Chapter 17: A Brief Sense of Security

Chapter 17: A Brief Sense of Security



"Enter!"

Outside the door, an aged voice called out.

Jiang Ning slowly pushed open the back door of the martial hall.

He was surprised to see Wang Jinxiang, around fifty years old, lying peacefully in a rattan chair, basking in the sun like an ordinary farmer.

The only difference from yesterday was that Li Qing, his senior sister, was not by Wang Jin's side.

"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed slightly.

"What brings you here at this time?" Wang Jin asked.

Jiang Ning respectfully replied, "I wish to stay at the martial hall and seek a task. I don't want any wages!"

"Seeking a task? Why?" Wang Jin was curious.

Jiang Ning paused for a moment before answering, "Someone outside the hall wants to deal with me."

"I see!" Wang Jin nodded and continued, "In that case, you can stay here! After daily training, you can go to the back and chop firewood, can you accept that?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded, feeling relieved.

"No wages, but I'll provide food and accommodation, can you accept that?" Wang Jin asked again.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded again and cupped his hands, "Thank you, Master, for your great kindness!"

Wang Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing wrinkles, and his skin also formed creases. He waved his hand and said, "Go ahead then!"

Then he added, "Focus on your martial arts. As long as you master the Five Beasts Fist, anyone who wants to deal with you can be easily defeated! The true core of the Five Beasts Fist is the unified cultivation of the five beasts. Once you reach a certain level, your strength will not be weak!"

"Yes, disciple understands!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Leaving the back of the hall, Jiang Ning's face showed a hint of a smile, and his worries faded away.

Being able to stay at the martial hall meant that his personal safety was temporarily assured.

The Waveflow Martial Academy was one of the safest places in all of Luoshui County.

[Five Beasts Fist Experience Points +2]



After practicing the fist technique once, consuming the energy he had regained at noon, Jiang Ning immediately took out the wild ginseng.

With time being of the essence, he did not hesitate to use the precious ginseng.

With each improvement in his fist technique, and with each additional strand of vital energy refined, his strength increased proportionally.

He consumed another tenth of the total amount of wild ginseng.

Jiang Ning felt a warm current flowing through his body. With the support of the medicinal power, his heart beat strongly and vigorously, and his energy gradually became abundant.

He began practicing the fist technique in the front yard.

[Five Beasts Fist Experience Points +1]



[Five Beasts Fist Experience Points +1]



[This practice session of the Five Beasts Fist has increased the experience points by a total of 10.]



Jiang Ning spent the entire afternoon practicing the fist technique.

He also went out once to bid farewell to his older brother, Jiang Li, and informed him that the headmaster had agreed to let him stay at the martial hall.

After returning, Jiang Ning continued practicing the fist technique.

It was only when the sun set in the west, and the herbal soup in the martial hall was ready, that he finally stopped.

[Skills]: Five Beasts Fist (Entry Level 26/100)



A quarter of the progress bar was filled.

Looking at the changes on the skill panel, Jiang Ning was quite excited.

At this stage of the Five Beasts Fist, his total vital energy force had reached over twenty strands, and when these twenty strands of vital energy force gathered in his right arm, Jiang Ning could feel that the power he could unleash had become stronger.

Jiang Ning went to the backyard where the kitchen was located.

He picked up a bowl of herbal soup.

Glug—

Glug—

After several big gulps, the entire bowl of soup had entered his stomach.

As the soup entered his stomach, his body quickly absorbed it, and a warm feeling spread throughout his body, dispelling the fatigue from his limbs and bones.

As Jiang Ning observed the changes in his body, a loud voice rang out.

Jiang Ning opened his eyes and saw the matron in charge of the kitchen in the martial hall.

She was wearing an apron, her robust figure resembling a water barrel, and her body was covered in thick, sinewy muscles. At first glance, she seemed to weigh at least two hundred pounds, and her physique naturally exuded a sense of oppression.

She wiped her hands on the apron, removing water stains, and her eyes scanned the crowd.

"It's me!" Jiang Ning quickly replied.

The robust matron scanned Jiang Ning several times and clicked her tongue, "You're quite handsome, but you don't have much meat on your body. Can you handle heavy work?"

"Yes, I can!" Jiang Ning replied confidently.

"Alright, follow me!"

After the two left, they headed towards the neighboring courtyard, and behind them, whispered discussions could be heard.

"Does anyone know who he is? What is Aunt Sun looking for him for?"

"Who knows? Junior Brother, why don't you go and ask Aunt Sun?"

Hearing these three words, the man's neck slightly retracted, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it!"

Upon arriving at the neighboring courtyard, Jiang Ning immediately saw that the open space in the courtyard was filled with rows of pig legs hanging to dry. These pig legs had been exposed to the sun all day, and the dripping grease below had already soaked the ground.

Moreover, these pig legs were obviously smoked and roasted, and even from a few meters away, one could smell the delicious aroma of the meat.

"Extravagant, truly extravagant!"

Jiang Ning's throat moved slightly, and he silently swallowed his saliva, repeatedly criticizing the Martial Academy's wasteful behavior in his mind.

Cured and dried meat was nothing special in his previous life; it was just ordinary household preserved food.

But in this world, where salt and iron were controlled, salt was a relatively precious necessity, and ordinary families couldn't bear to waste even a bit of salt.

As for meat, it was even more precious. Commoners rarely had the chance to eat meat throughout the year.

For those who practiced martial arts, salt and meat were essential foods.

The way the Martial Academy prepared ingredients was, in his eyes, a blatant waste.

"Hey, looks like the little guy's drooling!" Seeing Jiang Ning's intense gaze, the robust Aunt Sun smiled, her fleshy face quivering.

Jiang Ning gave an awkward smile and nodded slightly.

"Do you want some?" Aunt Sun chuckled.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning replied sincerely.

Hearing this, Aunt Sun's expression became slightly dazed. After a moment, she shook her head, "You're quite straightforward, little guy."

Jiang Ning immediately broke into a sunny smile.

"It's true!"

Looking at Jiang Ning's smile, Aunt Sun's expression became dazed once more.

After collecting herself, she said to Jiang Ning, "Little guy, follow me!"

"Okay, Sister!"

"Don't call me sister!" Aunt Sun's face flushed for some unknown reason, "I'm already over thirty and approaching forty. My surname is Sun, just call me Aunt Sun from now on!"

"That's not good!" Jiang Ning shook his head, "Calling you Aunt is inappropriate, Sister Sun isn't that old. How about I call you Big Sister instead!"

"Suit yourself!" Aunt Sun said nonchalantly, but her eyebrows betrayed a slight smile.

Aunt Sun led Jiang Ning to a corner of the courtyard where a shaded shed stood.

She pointed to the pile of firewood stacked in the shed.

"Following Master Wang's instructions, from now on, the task of chopping firewood will be yours! With your small frame, you should be able to handle it, right?"

"No problem!" Jiang Ning looked at the piled firewood and nodded repeatedly.

"Since there's no problem, then get to work! I need to prepare dinner!" Aunt Sun said.

"Okay, Big Sister!" Jiang Ning replied.

Approaching the wood chopping block, Jiang Ning picked up a thick, solid log about forty centimeters long.

"So heavy!" He looked at the solid log in his hand with slight surprise.

"Such weight, this log's quality is extraordinary!" He was slightly amazed by the log's density.

He quickly placed the solid log on the chopping block.

Scanning the surroundings, he found a firewood cleaver about fifty centimeters long with a thick back.

"Looks like there's no other choice!"

Jiang Ning muttered to himself, picked up the firewood cleaver, and weighed it, realizing it was over five kilograms.

"This is a physically demanding task!"

At this moment, Jiang Ning understood why Aunt Sun asked if he had any problems.

The solid and heavy log, coupled with the firewood cleaver weighing over five kilograms, was undoubtedly a challenging physical task.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end