Chapter 012 - The Return-Willow Technique

Li Yuan’s stirring as he got out of bed woke Yan Yu, who was still tucked under the covers. She watched him practicing that same routine she’d shown him yesterday. She was partly amused and partly worried. Peeking out the window, she noticed the weather looked pretty good, so she hurried to get up as well.

They were running low on water at home, so she planned to go to the village well first thing in the morning. After a bit, she warmed up last night’s leftovers, put on her

makeup

, and stuffed a few scraps of cloth into her clothes. Then she looked at Li Yuan and said, “There’s some bean porridge in the pot. The pheasant oil is right there. Just mix it in.”

She took a few steps, then turned back with concern in her voice. “That set of moves really is just for health and fitness. It’s not a real martial cultivation technique. Don’t get too carried away.”

“Got it,” Li Yuan replied, pausing his practice to glance her way. “You going to fetch water?”

“The water jar’s empty, and it hasn’t rained these last few days.”

“You’re going alone?”

“Of course not. I’ll go with Auntie Wang and Feng’er. Even if their water jars aren’t empty, they’ll still tag along if I ask. Nobody goes out on their own these days.”

Sensing his lingering worry, Yan Yu gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s just along the main road. Nothing’s going to happen. After all, I used to do this on my own all the time when you weren’t around.”

With that, she lifted a large wooden bucket and headed for the door. It was tiring work; filling the water jar would take four or five trips back and forth to the well.

Li Yuan was about to continue his practice when he saw Yan Yu's soot-smudged face pop back around the doorframe. She nagged one more time, “I’m telling you, this is just a health routine. It’s not a real technique, so don’t lose yourself in it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m just doing it for exercise, not for cultivation.”

Hearing that, Yan Yu finally seemed at ease. From her point of view, cultivation was something distant and lofty, far beyond her grasp. Her nephew, Yan Mu, had dealt with such things, but that felt like another lifetime ago. Li Yuan, being her husband, seemed equally far removed from it.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Once she left, Li Yuan resumed the routine, making sure his movements were precise, and paying close attention to his breathing and rhythm. By the time Yan Yu came back on her second trip with water, he’d already finished breakfast, slung his bow across his back, and was ready to head out alongside her.

Two other women stood with her. One was Auntie Wang from next door; the other was a young woman with a fair, radiant complexion named Feng’er.

Feng’er teased, “Hey, it looks like Yan Yu hasn’t been living the good life with you, huh?”

Li Yuan paused for a moment. “What makes you say that?”

“I remember she used to be so pretty. After she got together with you, her skin got rougher and she’s put on weight.”

Li Yuan hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. He straightened his back. “And what about me?”

Feng’er froze, taken aback by how much broader he looked these days. Standing in the sunlight, he exuded a hint of strength that was oddly captivating.

Feng’er spat in mock disgust. “So you’re hoarding all the good food, huh? You’re a big, strapping man, but how come Bear doesn’t want you on his team?”

Auntie Wang tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stop. But Feng’er huffed and added, “I’m just standing up for Yan Yu, you know.”

Yan Yu hurriedly spoke up. “Li Yuan treats me really well.”

Feng’er gave a snort before finally falling silent.

At the fork in the road, the three women and one man split off in different directions.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Li Yuan headed for the second ridge, which he’d already visited once before. Familiar with the way, he slipped into the woods without much trouble. Today, though, he wasn’t really planning to hunt. He just wanted to scope things out. Thanks to his keen tracking skills, he moved quietly, almost melting into the forest floor. Many of the animals he passed never even noticed him.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He made a rough survey of the right side of the second ridge, which lay near a creek. While the outskirts of Little Ink Mountain rarely saw much wildlife, this side of the second ridge turned out to be quite lively.

From a high vantage point, Li Yuan even spotted a tiger with drooping eyes and a white forehead prowling in the distance.

Hovering over its head was a 5~8.

“So even a tiger out here isn’t really a match for a ranked martial artist,” Li Yuan mused, recalling that blade-carrying escort he’d seen before. The escort's combat power of 19~20 was so shockingly high that it felt like they lived in a whole different world. Li Yuan couldn’t help wondering what those people ate to reach such a level.

Shaking off the thought, he continued his survey, taking a good look at the local terrain, water sources, and pathways. He spotted plenty of rabbits, pheasants, and even a few roe deer. The numbers floating above their heads showed 0~1. He also caught sight of a wolf pack of eight, mostly 2~3. One of them, presumably the alpha, displayed 2~4.

But today, Li Yuan didn’t take a single shot. If he kept bringing home fresh game every day, people would start asking questions. Next time, he planned to bring along a cleaver and a lunchbox so he could butcher any animal on the spot and carry the meat home quietly, without anyone being the wiser.

By dusk, Li Yuan was on his way back, carrying nothing more than a few bird eggs he’d collected from a nest and tucked safely inside his clothes. His mood was good. From the day’s exploring, he realized his strength now rivaled that of the second ridge's reigning

king

, the tiger.

In other words, the place was basically his personal hunting ground.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

He returned home

empty-handed

, and several people he passed gave him looks that seemed to say,

Well, that’s what we expected.

Someone called out, “Pipsqueak, no luck today, huh?”

Another person chimed in, “Hey, why don’t you just tag along with Bear?”

Someone else added, “Hunting’s tough. The Qian Family is apparently looking for hunting permits. Maybe you should just sell yours.”

Li Yuan ignored all the chatter and headed home, putting on a face of feigned disappointment.

When he arrived, Yan Yu was crouched by the stove, cooking the one and only meal they’d be having that evening. She noticed he’d come back empty-handed but deliberately avoided mentioning Bear or wild boars, worried it might spark the urge in her husband to train like mad again. Instead, she simply said, “You’re back? Go wash up; dinner’s almost ready.”

But Li Yuan didn’t go wash up. Instead, he sidled over to her.

“What are you doing? It’s not even dark yet,” she muttered.

He grinned and pulled out four bird eggs from inside his coat. Seeing them, Yan Yu’s eyes lit up. “How’d you find those? I thought there weren’t any birds left around the outskirts of Little Ink Mountain.”

“Just got lucky,” Li Yuan answered cheekily, placing the four eggs, about the size of chicken eggs, on her lap before heading off to train again.

Still pleased at the unexpected treat, Yan Yu’s face fell the moment she saw him jump back into practice. “It’s not really a cultivation technique...”

But he ignored her, too focused on running through the motions. This time, possibly because his body was already stronger, he felt a subtle warmth circulating through his muscles, like a gentle current or a warm spring flowing under his skin.

After dinner, he continued practicing. Even when Yan Yu boiled water and asked him to take a bath, he kept going.

“Li Yuan,” she urged, “hurry up and wash so I can have a turn. We don’t have water to spare.”

Fetching water was such a chore that, unless they were truly filthy, they usually used the same tub of water one after the other. By rights, Yan Yu was the cleaner one of the two, but she doted on Li Yuan so much she wanted him to bathe first.

Li Yuan saw right through her and said, “Then let’s bathe together.”

Her cheeks flushed. “How shameless! Hurry up, the water’s getting cold.”

“I’ll bathe after you,” he insisted.

When she hesitated, he reached out and tugged at the sash around her waist, about to strip off her clothes. Yan Yu, both amused and exasperated, cried, “Alright, alright! I’ll go first.”

Before long, she was lying in the wooden tub, her chin resting on the edge, watching Li Yuan practice. She mumbled, “Hey, why are you so sweet to me?”

A moment later, she added, “Stop practicing; it’s not real cultivation...”

And after another pause, “I’m almost done here. Your turn to take your clothes off.”

Li Yuan continued paying her no mind, fully absorbed in his training. Suddenly, he felt a wave of clarity sweep through him. Glancing at his status window, he noticed a new entry.