Tran Mac's mouth twitched.
The meaning was very clear: his physique was too poor; he couldn't even exert the power of the intermediate Thien Hop Saber Technique, so his strength stat hadn't increased.
Tran Mac's face fell.
This body was simply explosively weak.
"No, I must start training this body..."
Having finally found motivation, Tran Mac absolutely couldn't give up like this.
Before transmigration, he had managed to build a very muscular physique.
Although he was often teased that it was from drinking egg white powder.
But setting other things aside, he still had the willpower for training.
He had heard his trainer say that for people with weak physiques, the intensity during initial training couldn't be too high.
It could be done through simple exercises like running, swimming, push-ups, and sit-ups.
Each training session should be half an hour or more. After the body gradually adapted, the intensity could be slowly increased.
Of course, diet is seventy percent, training thirty percent.
Nutritional intake is indispensable.
And this was just to restore a normal person's physique.
Food was extremely important.
However, he quickly started to get a headache.
If it were in his original world, this naturally wouldn't be a concern.
But now, even eating was difficult.
He only ate two meals a day, morning and evening.
And they were all plain staples, with no fat.
Meat was very hard to come by; what could he use for nourishment?
Anyone who has done hard labor knows well that with only plain staples and not a bit of oil or fat, it's fundamentally unbearable.
"If he remembered correctly, there was still a hen at home."
Tran Mac scanned the courtyard but didn't see it.
...
Han An Nuong wasn't in her room but was tidying his.
Han An Nuong's hips were slightly raised as she tidied the scattered books, arranging them on the bedside table. Her short skirt outlined an alluring curve of her ample backside.
Tran Mac walked in just in time to see this scene and couldn't help but be slightly startled. He had seen quite a few women, but it was the first time he'd seen such a generous backside...
A phrase couldn't help but pop into his head.
Big hips, good for childbearing.
"Ahem..." Tran Mac coughed.
Han An Nuong turned around: "Uncle, what is it?"
After her mother-in-law died, Han An Nuong had always tidied Tran Mac's room, so she didn't feel anything was amiss.
"Sister-in-law, where is that old hen from our house?" Tran Mac asked.
Hearing this, Han An Nuong, who was initially in a good mood, immediately looked a bit downcast and said, "When you were injured and unconscious from Vuong Ma Tu's attack, Uncle, our family anxiously went to the county town to invite a doctor for you and didn't hide the hen. When we returned, the hen was gone. That hen could still lay an egg every day."
Tran Mac: "..."
He suddenly thought of something and said, "Sister-in-law, about me being injured and unconscious, did you report it to the officials?"
"Reported. The yamen also asked, but Vuong Ma Tu said it was you who struck first, Uncle, and also said his hand was broken. The yamen didn't even investigate, just said you and Vuong Ma Tu were brawling, didn't manage it at all, and just let me return..." Han An Nuong said indignantly.
"Later I heard Bro Lu Tam say, the yamen is short-handed. As long as it's not a murder case, for public order outside the county town, the yamen won't manage it."
"Has it reached this extent?" Tran Mac exhaled. In that case, the importance of martial strength was evident.
Tran Mac said, "Sister-in-law, how much money is left in the house?"
"Still two hundred and fifty-three wen." Han An Nuong managed the household expenses; how much money there was, she stated clearly without any hesitation.
According to memory, one jin of rice was four wen. Two hundred fifty-three wen could buy over sixty jin.
Eating frugally, it could last half a year.
However, that was the price during peaceful times.
Now...
"Sister-in-law, how much is rice per jin now?"
Han An Nuong shook her head: "Rice, I don't know clearly, but corn has already risen to twenty wen per jin."
Tran Mac's eyes widened. Although he didn't have a clear concept of prices in the Da Song Dynasty, it was still clear that meat was more expensive than rice.
Corn is already twenty wen per jin; meat, even more so, needless to say.
Who the hell can afford to eat this?
"Is there any meat in the house?" Tran Mac said with a bitter smile.
"...Still three jin of dried meat, marinated when mother-in-law was still around, hidden by me in the cellar." After some hesitation, Han An Nuong still chose to tell Tran Mac, then continued, "Uncle, there isn't much grain in the house. Don't let Bro Lu Tam and the others borrow grain again."
Tran Mac: "..."
The original owner of this body was kind, honest, and also had a kind of bookish, muddled feeling.
In this current chaotic world, it instead became a weakness others exploited, thinking the original owner was weak and could be bullied.
The villagers bet the original owner wouldn't refuse, added a few useful words, then used village ties, "unable to survive" types of moral blackmail, often finding the original owner to borrow grain.
If Han An Nuong hadn't secretly hidden some grain, it was estimated the grain in the house would have all been borrowed away.
"Rest assured, Sister-in-law, I won't do such foolish things." Tran Mac stared intently at Han An Nuong, assuring her.
Han An Nuong, stared at by Tran Mac, blushed, quickly lowered her head, softly made a sound, then said, "Uncle, do you want to eat meat?"
Tran Mac nodded lightly. His current physique, without eating meat, just relying on training, it would be very hard to improve his physique.
"Then I'll make it for Uncle in the afternoon," Han An Nuong said in a low voice.
"Can't make it now? We also eat at noon, three meals a day," Tran Mac suggested.
Han An Nuong thought for a moment: "I'll listen to Uncle."
...
At noon, Tran Mac finally got to eat a mouthful of meat.
And at the same time, a system voice sounded in his head. [Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Nourishing Blood Technique experience +0.05.]
Tran Mac's eyebrows twitched.
[Name: Tran Mac.] [Age: 16.] [Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Blood Technique (Entry 0.05/100)] [Realm: None.] [Strength: 4.] [Skill: Thien Hop Saber Technique (Advanced 1/2000).]
Having read numerous novels, he instantly understood. When the Nourishing Blood Technique's experience points reached one hundred, perhaps he himself could become a martial artist.
And the source method for Nourishing Blood Technique experience...
Tran Mac picked up another piece of dried meat, put it in his mouth. [Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Nourishing Blood Technique experience +0.05.]
"Indeed it's like this." Tran Mac looked joyful, continued eating. [Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Nourishing Blood Technique experience +0.05.] [Nourishing meat consumption +0.05...]
"Uncle, the dried meat is very salty, eat it with rice."
Han An Nuong said, scooped some wheat rice into Tran Mac's bowl, then picked up the remaining dried meat for Tran Mac, herself silently eating wheat rice and wild vegetables.
Seeing a plate of dried meat quickly bottoming out, Tran Mac also felt a bit embarrassed, took the remaining dried meat from his bowl for Han An Nuong: "Sister-in-law, you eat too."
"I'm fine with wheat rice. Uncle, you just did manual labor, and your body is weak; you should eat more meat to nourish yourself."
Saying so, Han An Nuong again picked up the dried meat back into Tran Mac's bowl.
Tran Mac: "..."
"Elder Brother and Mother are both not here. Now I am the head of the family. Sister-in-law, if you listen to me, eat." Tran Mac picked up the dried meat for his sister-in-law, speaking with utmost dominance...