"What delicious lamb soup! Young man, did you make this? Oh, and there's lamb blood in it too. From the taste, this isn't an ordinary lamb, is it?"
The person speaking was Doctor Li the Elder, the physician from the city's clinic.
"It's wild lamb. I'm glad it suits your tastes, Elder."
"Oh? That's quite a rare treat."
Doctor Li the Elder, though advanced in age, still had a straight back. His eyes were sharp, his hearing was keen, and his voice was booming.
Clearly, he was a man who knew martial arts.
Li Daniu made the introduction: "Elder Li, don't be fooled by my brother's young age. He's incredibly accurate with his Flying Stones and Flying Blades... He learned his blade work from me, but now he's already better than I am. The lamb on this table is what he hunted a few days ago."
"Oh? Flying Blades and Flying Stones?"
Seeing Doctor Li the Elder's interest, Li Daniu quickly shot Tang Wen a meaningful look. "Elder Li, let's eat first. After we've eaten, we'll have my brother show you what he can do."
The spread on the table could be considered lavish. Li Daniu had brought out everything edible in the house.
But Elder Physician Li showed little interest in the other dishes, clearly favoring the wild lamb and lamb blood.
After the meal, he went to check Eldest Sister-in-law Li's pulse.
Li Daniu seized the opportunity to tell Tang Wen, "Brother, that Elder Physician Li used to be a Guard Captain."
Tang Wen nodded. He understood what Li Daniu meant.
'A simple demonstration of Flying Stones and Flying Blades is no big deal.'
In fact, he also wanted to ask Elder Physician Li what kind of martial art he practiced and whether he could learn it himself.
When Elder Li returned from checking the pulse, he saw Tang Wen in the snowy courtyard, sticking several pieces of firewood with red-hot tips into the ground.
Then, Tang Wen stood far off under the eaves. With a casual flick of his hand, a stone went SWISHING through the air, extinguishing three of the sticks in a row before THWACKING against the wall.
"Not bad," Elder Li said, clicking his tongue in appreciation. He added, "Good accuracy and power."
"Are your Flying Blades at this level too?"
"Yes, about the same." 'Both are at Master Level.'
"It's rare to see such skill at your age. You're just a bit skinny."
At this, Elder Li paused and then asked, "Do you have any more of that wild lamb meat? Give this old man some. I won't take it for free. I can teach you a Health Maintenance Stance."
"A Pile Skill? Yes, yes, I do!" Tang Wen agreed without a moment's hesitation, not even asking what kind of Pile Skill it was. He threw out, "I'll go get it right now!" and turned to leave.
Tangtang, who was at the side, blinked. She didn't understand what a "Pile Skill" was.
But she also thought her brother was a bit skinny and hoped that what this old man was teaching would be useful.
"Heh, this kid!"
A few minutes later, Tang Wen hurried back. On his back was a basket covered with a white cloth.
He set the basket on the ground. It was still shaking.
He ripped off the white cloth, revealing a small, live lamb inside.
"It's alive? Excellent, excellent." Elder Physician Li looked completely satisfied.
He wasn't short on lamb meat; there were special breeding farms in the city. But wild lamb was a rarity.
Tangtang came closer for a look. After confirming it was the smallest lamb they owned, she backed away, slightly relieved, but her little face still showed a hint of reluctance.
After all, this was worth several hundred catties of millet!
Elder Li saw this and stroked his beard, a bit embarrassed. 'He felt like he was bullying the weak.'
'But there was no way he was turning down the wild lamb. He'd just have to compensate Tang Wen a little more.'
He walked over, had Tang Wen stand up straight, and patted him down for a moment before nodding. "Good frame, just a bit skinny. I'll teach you the Health Maintenance Stance, and I'll also give you the token of a clinic Medicine Gatherer. It'll let you enter the Inner City freely without paying the fee. How about it?"
'Trading one small lamb for a Pile Skill already felt like a huge win for Tang Wen. He never expected to get an identity token for free entry into the city on top of it.'
"Yes, yes! I'll do whatever you say, Elder!"
"Also, if you catch any more wild lamb in the future, remember to bring it to me. You'll be well-rewarded."
"Definitely, I'll definitely bring them to you."
Tang Wen nodded vigorously. 'At that moment, he decided he wouldn't be eating the wild lambs they were raising at home anymore.'
'From now on, he'd give one to this Elder Li every so often.'
Elder Li led Tang Wen into a side room and began instructing him on the Posture Stance. "To cleanse the marrow, one must begin with the stance!"
"Don't look down on Pile Skills. If you master the stance, it will strengthen your body, prolong your life... If you become a Guard in the future, you'll have more strength than others and be faster to act..."
"Spread your legs shoulder-width apart... relax your neck, tuck your chin in slightly... And finally, you must remember this, kid: Embrace the Origin and Guard the One."
Tang Wen memorized the Posture Stance after seeing it just once.
Elder Li let out a sound of admiration but didn't say much more. He'd seen many things in his life, including plenty of fast learners. 'It's just a Posture Stance; it doesn't reveal anything significant.'
"Elder Li, what does 'Embrace the Origin and Guard the One' mean?"
"Just relax your breathing and clear your mind of distracting thoughts."
"You practice. I'll see if you're doing anything wrong."
Tang Wen immediately spread his arms as if hugging something and assumed the stance.
But as soon as he quieted down, his thoughts rushed in like a tide. 'One moment he wondered if practicing this Pile Skill would increase his Attributes. The next, he wondered what the city was really like. It wasn't far from his home; should he find some time to go and see...?'
A quarter of an hour later, his Posture Stance was already perfect. Elder Li instructed further, "If you can't clear your mind, then focus on your breathing. When you exhale, silently repeat the word 'out' in your mind..."
Tang Wen did as he was told, but his mind still wandered easily.
Another quarter of an hour passed when suddenly, the Experience Panel reacted:
[Skill: Health Maintenance Stance, Beginner (0/500)]
"Remember the posture and practice diligently. The clinic is shop number 8 in the city. If you get any more wild lamb or other rare game, just come find me there!"
With that, Elder Li tossed him a round Copper Token. Inscribed on it was the single character for "Medicine."
Below it was a number: thirty-five.
"Thank you, Elder Li."
"Nothing to thank me for. Who can I blame for having such a specific craving! I'm off." Elder Li led the wild lamb away.
...
The winter was harsh and biting. The snow on the ground, mixed with mud, had frozen solid into hard ice.
Tang Wen practiced his techniques at home every day.
'The Health Maintenance Stance was at the Beginner stage; it needed a lot of practice.'
'He couldn't neglect the Eight Vajra Techniques, either. And his Sword Skill was about to level up, so he had to train diligently. There just wasn't enough time!'
Every day, aside from eating and sleeping, the half an hour he spent teaching Tangtang Sword Practice was Tang Wen's only real break.
"We only have a few days' worth of lamb left. Should we slaughter another one?" Tangtang asked at the dinner table, gnawing on a lamb trotter.
"Let's keep the lambs for now. I'm going to head out for a bit."
"It's winter!"
"I'll be back before dark."
After a long moment, his sister lowered her head and said reluctantly, "Fine."
"Don't worry."
「The next day, before the sun was up.」
Tang Wen arrived at the entrance to the camp.
The snow was deeper in the wild, sinking to his calves with each step.
'At this rate, just walking would be exhausting enough to kill someone.'
Tang Wen took a pair of large, wooden snowshoes from his back basket, placing them under his feet and strapping them over his cloth shoes.
'With a larger surface area, his feet wouldn't sink.'
Relying on his ample stamina, he quickly made his way to a high point, took out a pair of binoculars, and scanned his surroundings.
However, a thorough search yielded nothing.
He continued deeper into the wilderness, climbing a tree to observe the area.
After changing his position several times, he still found nothing.
So, he had no choice but to take out his flint and steel, start a small fire, and warm up some roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes.
The aroma was all the more enticing in the silent forest.
Tang Wen crumbled the roasted sweet potato into small pieces and scattered them into the wind.
"CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK..."
A moment later, a familiar chicken call echoed.
Tang Wen casually rewarded it with a stone. The force was just right; the pebble struck the wild pheasant's neck, knocking it unconscious.
In one afternoon, he had harvested three wild pheasants, a pair of wild rabbits, and about twenty Red-beaked Sparrows.
He wasn't satisfied. As the saying goes, "The scholar must be poor, but the warrior must be rich." Martial Arts Training required a large amount of meat.
'This small haul, even if eaten sparingly, would only last for a few days.'
THUMP, THUMP.
Something was approaching. As if sensing no danger, it rushed to the extinguished fire pit and began to gobble up the sweet potato skins on the ground.
'A roe deer?'
WHAP, WHAP!
Two stones struck the roe deer, knocking it to its knees.
Only after it had fallen to its knees did it seem to react. Its white tail POPPED open, and then it went completely still, not even struggling to escape.
'Silly roe deer, silly roe deer. It really is just like the legends say.'
"Eee~"
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound with a long, trailing whistle echoed.
'A Whistling Arrow?'
'Are there Guards nearby?'
Tang Wen frowned, quickly tying up the roe deer and stuffing it into his back basket.