By the time the setting sun had dyed the western sky a dusky red, Yang Jing arrived at Fenglou Village.
Fenglou Village was considered rather remote even within the whole of Wazi Township. It sat beside a broad lake, with wild grass and river flats on either side, the grass high enough to cover one’s ankles. Only a single winding dirt road led into the village, connecting it with the other villages of Wazi Township and serving as Fenglou Village’s sole way in and out.
Yang Jing immediately slipped into the woods beside the road. The afterglow filtering through the branches and leaves gradually dimmed, and the cold rose with the deepening dusk.
Night thickened. A chill wind swept over the treetops, carrying the damp cold of the lake, piercing enough to ache in one’s bones.
In times like these, many households did not eat supper. With the weather cold as well, most people went to bed as soon as the sky turned dark.
The lights in Fenglou Village had also gone out early. Not even the barking of dogs could be heard; only the dirt road remained, glowing faintly pale under the moonlight.
Yang Jing drew his robe tighter around himself, his gaze fixed on the end of the dirt road. He was very patient, waiting from the heavy dusk until the sky was filled with stars.
It was not until deep into the night that he saw a figure staggering over from the distance. By the moonlight, Yang Jing confirmed the man’s identity—Feng Lei.
Feng Lei was burly, wrapped in a thick padded jacket, his neck hunched as he walked along the dirt road toward the village. His footsteps sounded especially clear in the silence.
Only after Feng Lei had passed and put some distance between them did Yang Jing move.
He lightened his steps and followed from far behind, using the shadows of the trees as cover. He watched all the way as Feng Lei turned into the third adobe house at the village entrance. Only when the wooden door closed with a creak did Yang Jing slowly retreat deep into the woods, vanishing into the cold night.
After leaving Fenglou Village, Yang Jing did not return to the city.
At this hour, the city gates had long since been shut.
So Yang Jing stopped to rest at a relay station outside the city.
In earlier years, these relay stations did not provide lodging for anyone outside the government, but now that the world was in chaos and the court’s management had grown lax, they had become places where travelers could rest. The postmasters and other station officials could also skim some extra profit from it.
Yang Jing paid twenty large copper coins and stayed there.
Lying on the bed, Yang Jing pillowed his hands beneath his head and stared up at the bed curtains above him, his mind sinking into thought.
“Today wasn’t a good opportunity. Feng Lei had been drinking, but he didn’t look drunk.”
“But someone like Feng Lei is addicted to liquor. He drinks almost every day. Mother said this Feng Lei often beats his wife when he’s dead drunk, to the point that his wife took the children and went back to her maiden home.”
Yang Jing pondered inwardly.
He had not expected to find a good opportunity on his first visit, and he himself had not made all preparations either.
Still, this scouting trip had not been useless. At the very least, he now knew where Feng Lei lived.
As his thoughts turned over in his mind, he fell asleep just like that.
The next morning.
Yang Jing first returned to his lodgings in Datong Ward, ate the remaining jin of horse meat from yesterday, and then immediately went to the Sun Clan Martial Hall in Chengping Ward.
“Junior Brother Yang, everything all right at home?” As soon as Yang Jing arrived, Liu Maolin walked over and asked.
Liu Maolin’s impression of Yang Jing had gone through several changes.
At first, his impression of Yang Jing had been average, even somewhat poor. Back then, Yang Jing spent his days fooling around behind Lü Yang, Zhang Kehan, and the others, unable to tell what mattered from what did not. In the end, he would only bring trouble upon himself.
Toward such a person, although Liu Maolin did not show anything on his face, he could not be bothered with him inwardly.
But later, Yang Jing changed.
He began practicing martial arts like a madman.
That frantic drive had left even Liu Maolin rather astonished, and he had grown somewhat curious.
It was precisely because of that curiosity that Liu Maolin approached Yang Jing and occasionally gave him pointers in his training.
But as they came into contact more often, he discovered Yang Jing’s seriousness, focus, and steadiness, and his impression of Yang Jing improved more and more.
“It’s fine, Fourth Senior Brother.” Yang Jing shook his head.
After the two exchanged a few simple words, Yang Jing began tempering his qi and blood.
Before coming, he had eaten a jin of horse meat. As he continued tempering himself, the meat was rapidly broken down within his body, providing Yang Jing with the energy he needed to practice martial arts.
After tempering, Yang Jing began practicing Mountain-Collapsing Fist again.
Through the panel, he could see his own progress every day. This way of being able to see his improvement at every moment made Yang Jing increasingly immersed and focused when cultivating.
Just as Yang Jing was concentrating on practicing his fist art, a burst of commotion suddenly came from not far away.
Yang Jing stopped moving and looked in the direction of the noise in confusion.
More than ten disciples had gathered there. Standing in the middle was the hall master, Sun Yong, and beside Sun Yong stood an unfamiliar youth of fifteen or sixteen.
“Is this… a newcomer?” Yang Jing was somewhat puzzled, and he also walked over.
The youth was rather handsome, with a shy smile on his face. His head was slightly lowered as he looked at the ground, clearly not quite used to being surrounded and watched by so many people.
“Fourth Senior Brother, what’s going on?” Yang Jing walked to Liu Maolin’s side and asked in a low voice.
Liu Maolin glanced back at Yang Jing and said quietly, “A genius has come to our martial hall.”
“A genius?” Yang Jing was stunned. In the next moment, he realized and looked toward the handsome youth in the center of the crowd. “Is it him?”
Liu Maolin nodded. His gaze toward the handsome youth was filled with envy as he exclaimed, “This junior brother is called Lin Yue. He’s truly remarkable. Just now, Master assessed his bones, and he turned out to have upper-grade aptitude.”
“Upper-grade aptitude?” Yang Jing was startled.
As far as he knew, most of the disciples in the Sun Clan Martial Hall were like him, with lower-grade aptitude. There were only a few with middle-grade aptitude. As for upper-grade aptitude, there was not a single one.
Aptitude was divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. In the original body’s memories, he had once heard Senior Sister Qi mention in passing that aptitude had even more detailed distinctions. Even within the same grade, there were differences between better and worse.
“Good heavens.”
Yang Jing marveled inwardly.
Upper-grade aptitude was rather far beyond him.
He practiced martial arts madly every day, resting far less than the other disciples, but even so, any random disciple with middle-grade aptitude could utterly crush him in cultivation progress.
As for upper-grade aptitude, what kind of concept was that?
“In the future, Lin Yue’s qi and blood tempering and fist practice will be personally taught by me.” Sun Yong tried to put on the same stern face as usual, but the smile on his face could not be suppressed. He turned to look at the other disciples in the courtyard, waved his hand, and scolded, “Don’t crowd around here. Disperse.”
Yang Jing clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had always felt that Old Man Sun was rigid and stern. So it turned out he had double standards.
Everyone scattered one after another, each finding a place to practice martial arts. Some went to the resting area by the corner of the wall to chat, and their gazes toward Lin Yue were all filled with unconcealable envy.
Yang Jing shook his head, casting aside the stray thoughts in his mind.
He walked back to the spot where he had been practicing fist techniques and continued practicing Mountain-Collapsing Fist.
It continued until noon, when everyone left one after another.
Yang Jing also wiped the sweat from his body and put on his clothes, just about to leave.
“Junior Brother Lin, Master asked you to come to the inner courtyard for lunch.”
At that moment, a warm, gentle voice sounded.
Yang Jing looked up and saw that Senior Sister Qi Yun, smiling brightly, was leading Lin Yue into the inner courtyard.