When Lin Zheyu returned home, it was already deep into the night. After several days of rest, his essence, qi, and spirit had once again returned to their peak. Upon returning, he removed his outer robe and resumed training.
In the courtyard, Lin Zheyu's figure darted swiftly about. From time to time, he lashed out with a whip kick against the wooden stake, producing sharp, cracking sounds. He trained relentlessly for more than an hour.
"Ah!"
He felt his muscles seize in a sudden spasm, and his face turned deathly pale. It seems he had reached his limit. At that moment, his essence, qi, and spirit converged into one, and his Origin Force increased by a unit.
"Whew..." Lin Zheyu stopped and let out a long breath of relief.
After growing stronger, my endurance has risen, too. Breaking through the body's limits has become much harder.
Lin Zheyu sighed in reflection.
As his strength improved, breaking past his physical limits became increasingly difficult. Moreover, with each time he broke through his limits, his endurance and mental resilience grew significantly, making it even harder to push himself further.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 4]
[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 5%), Golden Goose Technique (Second Stage: 24%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 0%)]
Lin Zheyu looked at the data within his consciousness. His Origin Force had once again accumulated to four units, while the Tortoise Breath Grand Method had shown almost no progress. After reaching the Third Stage, the difficulty of cultivation had risen sharply, far beyond what the Bone Forging Realm could sustain.
The later stages involved the Blood Qi Realm. By relying on Origin Force, Lin Zheyu had managed to cultivate the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to perfection at the second stage. That was his current limit.
***
The next day, the sun sank toward the west. Outside of Songyi City, Lin Zheyu and Han Mo stood in silence, watching as Master Liang departed into the distance.
"I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to see Master Liang again," said Lin Zheyu as he stared at the horizon where the figure had vanished, his expression tinged with melancholy and the sorrow of parting.
"You will. The master is so strong, nothing will happen to him. If you face any difficulties in the future, come find me. As your senior brother, I'll do everything I can to help," said Han Mo, patting Lin Zheyu on the shoulder.
Over this period of time, Lin Zheyu had come to understand Senior Brother Han Mo's character. As the saying went, appearance reflected the heart. Han Mo's looks matched his nature. He was upright and righteous, someone worth befriending.
"Senior Brother, do you still have patrol duty later?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"No, I asked for leave this afternoon," replied Han Mo.
"In that case, let's go back to the courtyard later and exchange a few moves," said Lin Zheyu. Feeling downcast, he wanted to vent his mood through some sparring.
"Alright, I've nothing else to do anyway," said Han Mo with a smile.
The two stood silently for a while, gazing in the direction Liang Song had gone, before finally turning back toward the city.
Because of the war, more and more refugees had gathered outside the city. The sight of corpses strewn across the fields was unbearable.Several wealthy merchants from esteemed families had set up porridge stations outside the city, but with the growing tide of refugees, it was far from enough.
As they passed by, Lin Zheyu spotted a familiar figure. It was Ren Qingying of the Ren Family, a very beautiful young lady.
"Why are you staring at that girl like that? Have you taken a liking to her?" Han Mo laughed and said, "Want me to go propose on your behalf?"
"Don't joke around," said Lin Zheyu in a soft tone.
"That's Miss Ren Qingying of the Ren household, isn't it?" asked Han Mo.
Lin Zheyu pointed to the beautiful young woman at the porridge station and said, "I was once a refugee myself. When I fled to Songyi City, it was thanks to Miss Ren's porridge that I survived. Otherwise, Senior Brother, you would never have met me."
"Then you really owe Miss Ren your thanks," said Han Mo.
He looked at the refugees scattered across the land with pity, though he was powerless to help. Every day, the City Guard had to patrol and burn the corpses of the dead. The experience was unbearably bitter.
"I heard the rebel army might attack Songyi City. Senior Brother, since you're in the City Guard, do you have any inside news?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"I'm not sure. The officials keep reassuring the soldiers every day, saying there's nothing to worry about and that Great Wei will soon send troops to suppress them. No one really knows what's happening at the front." Han Mo shrugged helplessly. He also wanted to know the truth of the front lines. If things turned dire, he was already considering sending his wife and children away to safety.
"Don't worry. Look, even the young miss of the Ren household is still here. Things can't be that bad. The Ren household rose as merchants. Their information is well-connected, and many are watching them closely. If they start moving, then it's eighty percent certain that something has gone wrong," said Han Mo as he pointed toward Ren Qingying.
By then, Ren Qingying had finished distributing porridge. She brushed aside a lock of hair, gazing at the refugees with a trace of sorrow. Under the protection of the Ren household guards, Ren Qingying broke away from the refugees and returned to the city.
"What a fine young lady. I wonder whose wife she'll become in the future," said Han Mo, sighing.
"What? Senior Brother, do you have your eye on her?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"Get out of here. If my wife heard that, she wouldn't speak to me for days," replied Han Mo with a laugh.
Da, da, da.
A squad of soldiers approached, their footsteps neat and forceful. At the front was a burly man clad in armor, mounted on a horse. The sound of pounding hooves drew near, the horse galloping swiftly toward Lin Zheyu and Han Mo.
"Quick, move aside!" Han Mo yanked Lin Zheyu aside, pulling him clear of the horse's charge.
"Whoa, there!" The man pulled the reins, and the horse came to a halt before Lin Zheyu and Han Mo.
"Xing Penghai, what do you think you're doing!" said Han Mo with a frown, glaring furiously at the man on horseback.
"Oh, isn't this Centurion Han? I didn't look carefully just now, my apologies. But I heard you took leave today. How come you're here? What, have you also decided to imitate those rich folk and set up a porridge stall outside the city?" said Xing Penghai with a grin while removing his helmet.
He was an ordinary-looking man with a distinct scar at the corner of his eye, also of the centurion rank.
"You must be joking. I don't have that kind of silver," said Han Mo flatly.
Standing to the side, Lin Zheyu sensed the tension between them, as if there was some unresolved grudge.
"This young brother beside you is quite handsome. Aren't you going to introduce him?" asked Xing Penghai as he looked at Lin Zheyu, his eyes narrowing with a smile.
"He's none of your damn business!" Han Mo shot back immediately.
"I think it is my business. I suspect he's a spy sent by the rebel army, someone who could threaten the safety of Songyi City," said Xing Penghai with a mocking smile, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he looked at Han Mo.
"Hmph. Xing Penghai, don't push me too far," said Han Mo, snapping angrily.
"Haha, it's just a joke. You're still as humorless as ever," said Xing Penghai with a smile.
"Xing Penghai, I'm warning you. If you dare pull anything, I, Han Mo, won't sit back and take it." With a cold expression, Han Mo turned his head to Lin Zheyu and said, "Let's go. Don't bother with him."
"Alright." Lin Zheyu silently followed beside Han Mo, walking back into Songyi City. Behind them came Xing Penghai's wanton laughter.
"Senior Brother, do you have a grudge with that man?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"Yes, a bit. Don't worry. That guy wouldn't dare go too far. He'll just look for chances to disgust me now and then," said Han Mo, reassuring Lin Zheyu not to be concerned.
Lin Zheyu nodded and didn't press further.