Chapter 43: Stirring Up the Waters

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Practicing from the depths of the night until dawn, Chen Jie practiced his fist techniques while Su Yunjin lay in bed, unable to sleep.

Listening to the sound of the wind from the punches outside, she thought of the young man practicing his martial arts under the moonlight.

Her thoughts began to wander.

She thought of her past sufferings and then of his current tenderness; as she thought, tears began to flow uncontrollably.

That night, she only drifted into a hazy sleep around four in the morning.

Chen Jie also stopped practicing at four o'clock. By then, he was exhausted, but his mood was exceptionally excited because after practicing his fist technique one last time, his proficiency had reached the "Proficient" level.

He opened his panel

[Chen Jie]

[Realm: Uninitiated]

[Cultivation Methods: Yangchun Manual (Beginner), Taizu Long Fist (Proficient)]

[Evaluation: With proficiency in Taizu Long Fist, you can be considered a mere farmhand; you are only one step away from becoming a martial artist.]

Looking at the "Proficient" displayed after Taizu Long Fist, he was very satisfied; he had indeed entered the proficient realm.

He felt that with every punch he threw, there was significant progress in both power and technique compared to before. Only now did he feel like someone who had truly practiced martial arts.

Although his current level would be called a "farmhand" in this era, he was still significantly more formidable than an ordinary thug or a loafer.

At his current level, even if he didn't do anything else, he could at least serve as a guard for a wealthy household without any issues.

Thinking this, Chen Jie fetched some water to wash away the sweat from his body. He then entered the house and found that Su Yunjin was still asleep. Since she had only gone to sleep at the same time he had last night, there was no way she would wake up so early.

Having nothing else to do, Chen Jie scooped some rice, washed it twice in a basin, threw it into the pot, added some water, lit the fire, and began cooking.

Cooking was actually quite simple; Chen Jie had enjoyed it quite a bit in the past.

After filling the bottom of the stove with enough firewood, Chen Jie went into the courtyard to practice lifting the millstone.

There was a large millstone in the Chen family courtyard, weighing about three hundred jin. Chen Jie tested it; in the past, he wouldn't have been able to move it at all, but now he could move it, though he still couldn't lift it.

Thinking of how Wu Zhong could lift a millstone with one hand, Chen Jie couldn't help but sigh. He was still too far from being a true martial artist. However, he continued practicing moving the millstone; increasing strength wasn't something that could be done in a day. He would take it slow.

What did "skin grinding" mean? First, it was the physical sense: by moving stones every day to practice strength, the skin on one's hands or other parts would become calloused; this process was skin grinding.

Second, this "grinding" also had the meaning of tempering—tempering one's character.

"Husband!"

While Chen Jie was moving the millstone, he saw Su Yunjin rising with a weary expression.

"Oh, wife, you're awake."

Chen Jie turned to look at her.

"Husband, I'm sorry. I... I woke up late and actually made you cook."

Su Yunjin lowered her head as if she had done something wrong.

"Hey, I had nothing else to do anyway. Anyone can cook."

Chen Jie didn't take it to heart and continued moving the millstone, but Su Yunjin said, "That won't do. You are someone who is going to become a martial artist. If word gets out that you're cooking at home, people will laugh at you."

"It's fine, I don't care."

"Husband, don't do this again in the future."

Seeing that Chen Jie was indifferent, Su Yunjin immediately spoke with a serious tone.

She kept her head lowered and said, "You are the hope for me and Ruirui. If you are laughed at, we won't be able to hold our heads up... Husband, please think of me too. If word gets out that the daughter-in-law of the Chen family doesn't cook, the whole village will mock her as a lazy woman."

"Is it that serious? Alright, I didn't consider that this time. It won't happen again. But last time when I made rabbit meat, why didn't you stop me?"

Chen Jie looked at Su Yunjin.

Su Yunjin glanced at him and said, "At that time, who knew you would turn out to be so good..."

Chen Jie smiled and said to Su Yunjin, "Go back and get some more sleep. You didn't sleep well last night."

Su Yunjin said, "You should sleep too, Husband. You haven't slept all night."

Hearing this, Chen Jie said, "I'm fine. My spirit is vigorous from practicing martial arts."

"If you don't sleep, I won't sleep either. I'll stay with you for a while."

Su Yunjin was quite stubborn. Seeing her looking exhausted yet forcing herself to stay awake, Chen Jie felt a pang of heartache and said, "How about this, I'll teach you a breathing method. Follow me."

"Okay."

Su Yunjin nodded.

Chen Jie passed the breathing technique of the Yangchun Manual to Su Yunjin. This manual had no combat capability, but using this breathing method could strengthen the body and prolong life.

Following the breathing, Su Yunjin was initially very unaccustomed to it, but gradually, she grew used to the technique, and her previous fatigue began to ease.

"Mhm, have you learned it?"

"Yes, I have."

"Since you've learned it, practice it often. But don't teach it to anyone else. This is the secret technique of our Chen family, passed down only to daughters-in-law."

"Mhm, mhm."

Su Yunjin nodded, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. *Is it only for daughters-in-law to learn?*

...

The morning passed in this manner. After eating a full breakfast,

Chen Jie left the house fifteen minutes earlier than usual. On his way, he went to Uncle Erba's house. Based on yesterday's intelligence, he needed to devise a countermeasure.

He found Xiaohu, who had just woken up.

"Brother Jiu-si."

Chen Jie called Xiaohu over.

"Huzi, I have a task for you."

"Brother, tell me."

Xiaohu agreed readily. Chen Jie said, "Help me spread a message in the village. Say that yesterday morning, you saw a stranger wearing a bamboo hat, carrying a sack, leaving from the back mountain in a hurry, as if they had found some treasure."

"Oh."

"Did you get it?"

"Got it. It's just a stranger..."

Xiaohu repeated it once. Chen Jie asked, "Then how did you see him?"

"I saw him while I was going to the back mountain in the morning to cut rattan for baskets!"

Xiaohu spoke with great conviction. Chen Jie said, "Not bad, Xiaohu, you're quite a talent."

Xiaohu laughed, "Brother, isn't that just spinning a tall tale? My mother is amazing at that; I've learned from watching her. By the way, brother, are you in a hurry for this?"

Chen Jie asked, "What do you mean?"

"If you're in a hurry, I'll have my mother say it. I guarantee the whole village will know before noon."

Xiaohu laughed.

Chen Jie narrowed his eyes and said, "Huzi, how do you plan to let your mother know about this?"

Xiaohu grinned, "I'll just tell her I saw it with my own eyes and guarantee that it won't involve Brother Jiu-si."

Chen Jie patted Huzi and said, "You kid, alright. If you do this well, I won't forget to reward you."

"What do you mean? It's not about rewards. When I was being bullied as a kid, it was always you who helped me. I've kept that in my heart."

"By the way, if others ask about it?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. No matter who asks, I'll say the same thing."

"Good. Huzi, I'm leaving this to you."

"Just watch me, brother. Oh, by the way, have you eaten? Want to come home and eat with me?"

"No, I need to go to Physician Bai's house."

"Alright then, brother. I'll get on it right now."

As he spoke, Xiaohu headed home, calling out, "Mother! I have something to tell you. There might be treasure in the back mountain..."

(End of Chapter)