Chapter 17: A Brief Moment of Safety (PK, please keep reading!!!)

"Enter!"

Outside the door.

An aged voice drifted out.

Jiang Ning slowly pushed open the gates to the backyard.

To his surprise, just like yesterday, he saw Wang Jinxiang, who appeared to be around fifty, lying peacefully on a rattan chair basking in the sun, looking like an ordinary elderly farmer.

Aside from the fact that Senior Sister Li Qing was not by Wang Jin's side, he looked exactly the same as yesterday.

"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed slightly.

"What brings you to see me at this hour?" Wang Jin asked.

Jiang Ning's expression was respectful. "I wish to reside long-term at the martial arts hall to seek work! I do not require wages!"

"Seek work? Why?" Wang Jin asked, somewhat curious.

Jiang Ning paused for a moment before speaking. "There are people outside the hall who wish to target me."

"I see!" Wang Jin nodded, then continued, "In that case, you may stay! After your daily training is finished, would you be willing to chop wood in the backyard?"

"I can!!" Jiang Ning nodded, a surge of joy in his heart.

"No wages, but food and lodging are provided. Can you accept that?" Wang Jin asked again.

"I can!!" Jiang Ning nodded once more, then cupped his hands. "Thank you for your great kindness, Master!!!"

Wang Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing wrinkles, and the skin on his face folded. He then waved his hand. "Then you may go."

He then added a word of instruction: "Train hard. As long as you master the Five Animals Boxing, if anyone tries to target you, just beat them to death! The true core of the Five Animals Boxing is the simultaneous cultivation of all five animals. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, your strength will not be weak!"

"Yes, disciple understands!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Exiting the backyard.

A smile appeared on Jiang Ning's face, and the weight hanging in his heart finally lifted.

By residing long-term at the martial arts hall, his personal safety would be temporarily secured.

The Canglang Martial Arts Hall was one of the safest places even within the entirety of Luoshui County.

【Five Animals Boxing Experience +2】

After practicing a set of forms, having consumed the physical strength he had recovered at noon, Jiang Ning directly took out the wild ginseng.

With time being of the essence, he was naturally not stingy with the consumption of the wild ginseng.

With every step of refinement in his boxing technique and every thread of blood qi condensed, his strength would increase accordingly.

He swallowed another one-tenth of the total amount of wild ginseng.

Jiang Ning felt waves of warmth spreading through his body. Supported by the medicinal power, his heartbeat became powerful and vigorous, and his overall energy gradually became abundant.

He began practicing his forms directly in the front courtyard.

【Five Animals Boxing Experience +1】

【Five Animals Boxing Experience +1】

【Through this practice session, Five Animals Boxing experience has increased by a total of 10 points.】

Jiang Ning spent the entire afternoon practicing his forms.

He went out once during the interval to bid farewell to his elder brother, Jiang Li, informing him that the Hall Master had agreed to let him reside at the hall long-term.

Upon returning, Jiang Ning continued his training.

It was not until the sun began to set and the medicinal soup for the martial arts hall had been brewed that he finally stopped.

【Skill】: Five Animals Boxing (Beginner 26/100)

A quarter of the way there.

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

Having reached this stage in the Five Animals Boxing, his total amount of blood qi energy was as high as twenty-some threads. With those twenty-some threads of blood qi concentrated in his right arm, Jiang Ning could feel that the power he could burst forth was even stronger.

Arriving at the backyard of the kitchen.

Jiang Ning picked up a bowl of medicinal soup.

*Gulp—*

*Gulp—*

After several large gulps, the entire bowl of medicinal soup had been swallowed into his stomach.

As the soup entered his stomach, it was rapidly absorbed by his body. A warmth began to radiate from his entire being, and the fatigue in his limbs and bones continuously receded.

Just as he closed his eyes to feel the changes in his body, a loud voice rang out.

"Who is Jiang Ning?"

Jiang Ning opened his eyes to look; it was the auntie in charge of the kitchen in the martial arts hall.

She wore an apron, and her build was as stout as a water barrel, her body covered in thick, sinewy muscles. At a glance, she looked to weigh at least two hundred pounds; such a physique naturally carried an air of intimidation.

She wiped moisture from her apron, her eyes scanning repeatedly through the crowd.

"It's me!!" Jiang Ning quickly spoke up.

"So it's you, kid!" The burly auntie scanned Jiang Ning several times and remarked with a click of her tongue, "You're quite handsome, but you don't have much meat on your bones. Can you handle heavy labor?"

"I can!" Jiang Ning said confidently.

"Alright then, follow me!!"

As the two left and headed toward the small courtyard next door, a series of low whispers followed behind them.

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

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

Hearing those words, the man's neck shrank slightly, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "Forget it!"

Arriving at the adjacent courtyard, Jiang Ning immediately saw rows of pig legs hanging to dry in the open space of the small yard. Because they had been exposed to the sun all day, the dripping grease had already soaked the ground.

Furthermore, these pig legs had clearly been smoked and roasted; even from several meters away, one could smell the waves of meaty aroma.

"Luxurious, truly luxurious!!"

Jiang Ning's throat moved slightly as he secretly swallowed his saliva, inwardly complaining about such wasteful behavior by the martial arts hall.

In his previous life, cured and dried meats were nothing special—merely food stored by ordinary families.

But in this world, a world where salt and iron were strictly controlled, salt was a relatively precious necessity. Ordinary families could not afford to waste a single grain of salt.

Meat went without saying; ordinary families could rarely afford to eat meat even once a year.

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

The way the martial arts hall treated ingredients was, in his eyes, nothing short of a waste of heaven's bounty.

"Hey, little guy, are you drooling?" Seeing Jiang Ning's staring gaze, the stout Auntie Sun laughed, the flesh on her face wobbling.

Jiang Ning gave an embarrassed smile and nodded slightly.

"Do you want to eat?" Auntie Sun smiled.

"I do!" Jiang Ning spoke from the heart.

Hearing this, Auntie Sun's expression momentarily dazed. After recovering, she shook her head slightly. "You're quite a frank little fellow."

Jiang Ning immediately flashed a bright, sunny smile.

"So much like him!!"

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

Steadying herself, she spoke to Jiang Ning, "Little guy, follow me!"

"Okay, Big Sister!!"

"Don't call me sister!" A strange flush flashed across Auntie Sun's face. "I'm over thirty and nearly forty. My surname is Sun; you can just call me Auntie Sun from now on!"

"That's not right!" Jiang Ning shook his head. "Calling you Auntie isn't appropriate, and Sister Sun isn't that old. How about I just call you Big Sister from now on?"

"As you wish!" Auntie Sun spoke with an air of indifference, yet an unnatural smile appeared between her brows.

Auntie Sun led Jiang Ning to a shaded area in a corner of the courtyard.

She pointed to the mountain of wood piled under the shade.

"Per Hall Master Wang's instructions, the task of chopping this wood will be handed over to you from now on! Is your small frame up to it?"

"No problem!" Jiang Ning nodded repeatedly as he looked at the piled wood.

"Since there's no problem, then go to work! I have to go prepare dinner!!" Auntie Sun said.

"Alright, Big Sister!" Jiang Ning replied.

Arriving at the chopping block, Jiang Ning picked up a thick, round log about forty centimeters in diameter.

"So heavy!" He looked at the thick log in his hands with slight surprise.

"To be this heavy, the texture of this wood is unusual!!" He was inwardly surprised.

He then placed the thick log onto the chopping block.

He scanned the surroundings and found only a single wood-chopping knife, about fifty centimeters long with a thick spine.

"It seems there are no axes!"

Jiang Ning thought to himself. He picked up the knife and weighed it, realizing it weighed over five jin.

"It's heavy labor!"

At this moment, Jiang Ning understood why Big Sister Sun had just asked him if he had any problems.

The thick, heavy logs combined with this five-jin knife undoubtedly made for very strenuous physical labor.