Chapter 4: The Siblings

Seeing that the golden finger panel was indeed effective, Chen Ping'an wanted to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt.

However, he hadn't noticed it before, but now that he had stopped for a moment, he felt a sharp pain all over his body.

He loosened his undergarments around his chest and back, only to find his skin bright red, with several places faintly torn.

No wonder it hurt so much!

He couldn't keep practicing; he had to take a break!

If he kept training like this and his skin became completely damaged, that would be trouble!

Chen Ping'an decisively abandoned the idea of continuing his Iron Cloth Shirt practice.

Looking at his rumpled undergarments, Chen Ping'an knew they were completely ruined and couldn't be worn again.

"I'll keep them for future Iron Cloth Shirt practice!"

"Brother, drink some water."

Seeing that his brother had stopped, Chen Er'ya, who was nearby, walked over carrying a bowl filled with fresh water.

Chen Ping'an didn't hesitate; he took the bowl and gulped it down in one go, water spilling from the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, Chen Ping'an was shirtless, his skin flushed red. Though his body was thin, he looked quite bold and unconstrained.

Chen Er'ya looked at her brother with a pained expression.

To look like this—he must have suffered so much!

Chen Ping'an drained the water, handed the empty bowl back to Chen Er'ya, and patted her head.

"Nannan, I'm going to sleep for a while. Don't wait for me for lunch later; there's still some rice in the pot, just eat it yourself."

He hadn't slept all night, and because of the golden finger, he had been incredibly excited, though his spirit had managed to hold up. But now, having just finished practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt, the exhaustion of his spirit and physical strength surged up the moment he relaxed.

"Brother, what do you want to eat tonight? Nannan will go buy it."

Chen Er'ya asked. Usually, when Chen Ping'an was at work, she was the one who handled most of the grocery shopping.

Chen Ping'an was about to reply that she should just fix something simple, but he suddenly realized that he had started practicing martial arts. His physical exertion was immense and required blood and qi replenishment; he couldn't be careless.

"Go buy some beef, and half a catty of eggs. Tonight, the two of us will have a good meal to build ourselves back up."

"Okay."

Chen Er'ya nodded.

Chen Ping'an entered the room and lay down on the bed, sleepiness washing over him immediately. Before long, he was fast asleep.

When Chen Ping'an woke up, the sky had already darkened.

"How many hours did I sleep!"

Rising from the bed, Chen Ping'an felt his body aching. It seemed that after not exercising for so many days, his body wasn't used to such sudden training.

However, the pain in his body had subsided quite a bit.

He didn't know if it was because his body recovered quickly or if it was an invisible benefit of the golden finger.

Speaking of the golden finger, besides the fact that there was a harvest for every bit of practice—once verified, it was verified forever and would never regress—there was another advantage.

That was the ability to hide his cultivation realm and adjust his physical state to present whatever he wanted others to see.

It was a great tool for tricking people!

However, for the current Chen Ping'an, it was useless!

He hadn't even entered the threshold of cultivation yet; what was there to hide!?

"Brother, you're awake! Eat a steamed bun to fill your stomach first."

Chen Er'ya noticed Chen Ping'an was awake immediately, took a white flour bun from the kitchen, and handed it to him.

Chen Ping'an took it and found the bun was still faintly warm.

"I bought it from Auntie Wang on my way back from the market this afternoon."

Chen Er'ya said with a smile.

"Mm."

Chen Ping'an nodded and devoured the bun in a few quick bites.

After finishing the bun, he realized he was still hungry, so he stood up.

"Nannan, come give me a hand, let's start the fire and cook!"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Chen Er'ya stood at attention, looking like a little soldier preparing to head to the front lines.

Chen Ping'an's home was not large; a small courtyard, one bedroom, and half a kitchen made up the entire layout.

Living in the county seat was not easy.

To have such a layout was already enviable for ordinary commoners.

Most commoners lived in houses where several families shared a single courtyard. Some even had families of six squeezed into half a room along the street.

By comparison, the fact that the Chen siblings had such a leisurely dwelling made many people quite envious.

This was all thanks to the legacy of Old Chen!

After the siblings finished their busy work, a fragrant dinner was placed on the table.

Two bowls of fragrant white rice, a plate of braised beef, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of bone broth. In addition, one egg each.

Before they even picked up their chopsticks, Chen Er'ya's mouth was already watering.

"Little glutton, eat up."

Seeing Chen Er'ya like this, Chen Ping'an tapped her little hand and said with a smile.

"Mm, thank you, Brother."

Chen Er'ya, who had been trying to hold back, felt as if she had been granted amnesty upon hearing this. She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat ravenously.

Chen Er'ya's movements looked swift, but Chen Ping'an noticed that her first bite was of the seasonal vegetables.

This girl was so sensible it made his heart ache.

"Little glutton, if you're that hungry, eat a couple of pieces of meat."

Chen Ping'an picked up two pieces of beef and put them into Chen Er'ya's bowl.

"Brother... I don't need this much."

Chen Er'ya looked at Chen Ping'an longingly.

Ever since Old Chen passed away, to pay off debts, their family rarely ate meat. When they did eat it occasionally, most of it was saved for Chen Ping'an.

He was the male heir and had to work during the day, consuming a great deal of physical energy. He needed to be well-fed to have strength.

"I told you to eat it, so eat it."

Chen Ping'an feigned sternness.

"Don't worry, our family's life will get better. Soon, we'll be able to eat meat at every meal!"

Seeing that Chen Er'ya was still hesitant and slow to move her chopsticks, Chen Ping'an added another sentence.

"What? You don't believe your brother?"

"I believe you."

"If you believe me, then listen to your brother and eat quickly."

"Mm."

Chen Er'ya nodded heavily.

The little girl buried her head and began to eat heartily.

Halfway through the meal, she didn't forget to remind Chen Ping'an.

"Brother, you eat too."

"Mm, alright."

Chen Ping'an replied and began to eat as well.

To be honest, he was truly starving.

Inside the small courtyard, the aroma of food filled the air. The occasional words exchanged between the siblings added a touch of warmth to the fragrance.

After dinner, Chen Ping'an and Chen Er'ya cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks together, wiped the table, and moved the wooden table and stools back into the house.

After moving around a bit to let the food digest, Chen Ping'an began his Iron Cloth Shirt practice again.

It was the same method, the same way of training.

He didn't know if it was because he had injured himself during the first session, but as soon as this second session began, he felt his body faintly aching.

Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and persisted.

Compared to the physical pain, he cared more about a life without hope.

He exerted force with his palms, continuously rubbing and slapping his body.

His palms went numb, his blood and qi surged!

Again and again.

Within Chen Ping'an's line of sight, a "+1" text symbol finally flashed as he had hoped.

Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: None Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Not yet entered) (2/5)

Effort brings rewards; this feeling is truly addictive!

(End of chapter)