"Whew! I'm exhausted."
Tang Wen stretched his shoulders.
Carrying a hundred-pound wild boar had left his shoulders sore and strained.
"Take a rest." Tang Tang quickly dragged over the chair she used for washing clothes and placed it behind him.
After sitting down for a while, Tang Wen decided that tonight he would break through to the next level of the "Eight Section Brocade."
With this wild boar, they had enough food.
But the wild boar had a strong, gamey smell. To enjoy a good meal, Tang Wen took the remaining Red-billed Finches from home and exchanged them at the general store for a few pounds of green Sichuan peppercorns, some ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and three pounds of salt. Finally, he went to the liquor store and traded for half a pound of sweet potato liquor.
Green Sichuan peppercorns weren't expensive, and the yellowish salt was also cheap. The camp seemed to have a stable source of salt, so it was always sold at a low price.
The most expensive item was the sweet potato liquor, followed by ginger, garlic, and dried chili peppers.
At night, the north wind howled.
The siblings had skinned the wild boar and chopped the meat early, but they waited until late at night, when not a single light was on in the surrounding houses, before they started cooking the meat.
The reason was simple: to avoid drawing attention.
The neighbors lived too close, and the wild boar had a strong, gamey smell. If they cooked it during the day, with people coming and going, it wouldn't take long before everyone knew that the Tang family was eating pork!
In the winter, when everyone was struggling to get enough to eat, your family was eating pork?
This would make people envious and could potentially lead to unnecessary trouble.
Splash! A bucket of well water was drawn and poured into the large iron pot.
As Tang Tang cooked the meat, she muttered, "Why add chili peppers and liquor? What a waste, what a waste! So what if the meat is a bit gamey? Back when we only ate meat once every six months, you even ate eggshells and chicken skin with feathers. Now you're being picky..."
Tang Wen: "...It wasn't me, don't make things up! I never ate eggshells, let alone chicken skin with feathers!"
When the first pot of over ten pounds of ribs was cooked.
Tang Wen took a deep breath and stood in the center of the courtyard, starting the "Eight Section Brocade."
Preparation stance...
First Section: Hands Inserted Above to Benefit the Triple Burner
...
Eighth Section: Stamping Feet to Eliminate Cravings
Closing stance...
Whew!
Tang Wen exhaled a long breath of white air.
The air condensed without dispersing, stretching a full half a foot!
In that moment, he felt as if he had broken through something.
Suddenly, the night scene before him seemed different. He looked up, and the sky was like a blue silk cloth, with the dazzling stars seeming closer than ever.
[Skill: Eight Section Brocade, Beginner → Proficient (1/3000)]
Skill breakthrough!
Following the breakthrough was a surge in attributes.
[Body: 1.09 → 2.09]
[Spirit: 1.05 → 2.05]
The last time he broke through, both major attributes increased by 0.7.
This time, they directly increased by 1 point!
Don't be fooled by the seemingly small numbers. In reality, based on Tang Wen's own exploration and practice, "Body: 1.0" was actually the highest physical attribute for a healthy, strong adult male, encompassing strength, endurance, speed, and more.
"1.0" meant being able to carry over a hundred pounds and walk two miles.
In terms of speed, running 100 meters in 12 or 13 seconds was no problem.
If it weren't for this, Tang Wen wouldn't have been able to carry back such a heavy wild boar.
So what about breaking through "2.0"?
How extraordinary would that be?
Tang Wen was filled with anticipation.
A strange sound came from his stomach, growling with hunger like a drum.
He tore off two ribs and handed them to his sister, then picked up the remaining ribs and started devouring them with gusto.
"Sss, hoo, so hot, so hot!"
"So fragrant, both numbing and spicy!" Tang Tang ate slowly, savoring each bite, her big eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
A rack of ribs, paired with two large wooden buckets of foxtail millet rice. The flavorful meat and millet slid into his stomach, transforming into nutrients and energy, nourishing Tang Wen's entire body.
"Water, sis, water!" He choked from eating too quickly.
"Here, the whole bucket is yours." Tang Tang picked up a wooden bowl, scooped half a bowl of warm water directly from the bucket, and handed it to him.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
"Whew! I'm full!"
After consuming dozens of pounds of food and drinking a large bucket of water, Tang Wen's belly swelled like that of a pregnant woman. He returned to the house and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.
Outside, Tang Tang, by the stove, scooped a ladle of broth and poured it over the steamed foxtail millet, eating leisurely.
However, she didn't notice that on a rooftop dozens of meters away, a shadowy figure was holding a bamboo tube-like object, staring at her under the starlight.
"Meat! That little girl is eating meat?"
"Damn it! I haven't even eaten such good meat!"
"Are those ribs? Slurp!"
"Damn! I really want to go down and snatch it! That whole pot is meat, all meat! I'm going now!"
The shadowy figure started climbing down toward the house but halfway down, he turned back.
"Wait, such good meat couldn't have been obtained by a little girl alone. There must be someone else in her house. I need to figure this out..."
The cold starlight revealed the man's face—a hooked nose and triangular eyes, quite distinctive.
If Tang Wen had seen him, he would have recognized him immediately as the guy he had encountered at the blacksmith's shop.
Li Da Niu had specifically warned him that this guy was no good.
Tang Wen slept until the next evening before slowly waking up.
After taking care of his physiological needs, he went to the yard to stretch, his joints cracking loudly.
"Little Wen, you've grown taller, more handsome, and stronger."
Tang Tang was in the yard processing pigskin when she noticed her brother's sudden growth spurt overnight. She couldn't help but gesture with her hands to measure his height.
Finally, she nodded with satisfaction: "At least those 13 pounds of ribs, 30 pounds of foxtail millet rice, and a bucket of saltwater weren't wasted!"
Tang Wen: ...
"Sis, my clothes are too small."
Overnight, Tang Wen's height and muscles had grown, turning his once loose linen clothes into tight-fitting garments.
"Too small? Then take them off quickly, I'll adjust them for you."
"Alright, that works."
The two of them went back into the house.
On the rooftop not far away, the same man from yesterday was still watching the yard.
"Hey! It really is just two little brats! Just like I heard during the day!"
The man with the hooked nose grew excited, his triangular eyes gleaming.
"Their house is much better than mine! Kill the boy, and his meat, the house, and that little girl will all be mine!"
Inside the house, Tang Tang adjusted the clothes while Tang Wen, wearing only thin underwear, began practicing the Eight Section Brocade.
He moved slowly, each movement carrying a certain grace.
Tang Tang, distracted by her brother's movements, took a long time to adjust the clothes. Eventually, she gave up and carried the clothes into the inner room.
After completing a full set of the Eight Section Brocade, Tang Wen felt light and airy, an experience he had never had before.
It was addictive.
[Skill: Eight Section Brocade, Mastery (1→10/3000)]
Nine experience points from one full set?
It seems even taller than before?
What's the reason behind this?
Could it be because my realm has advanced, my practice has improved, and thus I've gained more experience?
Tang Wen didn't dwell on this question.
The immediate gratification of seeing results from every bit of effort was incredibly addictive. Tang Wen found himself hooked, spending the entire night practicing the Eight Section Brocade indoors instead of going to the yard to practice his swordsmanship!
He was completely immersed, oblivious to everything around him.
He didn't even notice when Tang Tang joined him in the practice.
Before he knew it, the night had passed.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
The young lady covered her stomach: "Uh, I'm hungry."
"Then let's have a midnight snack!"
The young lady sighed: "Lately, my strength has increased, but I've also become a bottomless pit."
Tang Wen smiled. Tang Tang's changes were quite noticeable. Before, when she fetched water with a jar, she had to rest three times on the way home with a half-full jar.
But now, just a couple of days ago when they were moving, the donkey cart couldn't fit everything, so she carried the water bucket and kitchen utensils all the way to the new house without tiring. She even busied herself cleaning the house until dark, still full of energy.
It was clear that her practice of the Eight Section Brocade had also yielded good results.
The siblings had a meal of meat and didn't sleep until midnight.
The next day, Tang Wen set out with a basket on his back to go hunting.
The man with the hooked nose, sporting large dark circles under his eyes, saw him from afar and was thrilled: "You little bastard, you've finally come out. Let's see how I deal with you..."
A sinister gleam of excitement shone in his triangular eyes as he followed Tang Wen from a distance.
(End of Chapter)