Independent Courtyard

With a creak, the latch came down.

Xu Hao leaned against a slightly mottled wooden door, his tense shoulders finally slumping.

This courtyard is not large, with only three rooms in total. The well in the corner of the courtyard is very convenient. After practicing martial arts, if I am too lazy to go to the bathhouse to wash up, I can wash away my sweat in the courtyard, which is very convenient.

This was the first time in this chaotic world that he had a place where he could hide his back.

After confirming that no one was around, Xu Hao had an idea.

A piece of bright red raw meat and a liter of crystal-clear rice appeared out of thin air in his hand. The meat was still warm, the blood at the cut was not yet dry, and the fishy smell rushed into his nostrils, but to Xu Hao it was sweeter than cosmetics.

Set up a small red clay stove, not caring about the heat, put water in the pot, throw in two slices of ginger, and sprinkle in a handful of coarse salt.

Before long, the aroma of meat wafted out through the crack in the door, quite forcefully.

Xu Hao scooped up a piece of scalding hot meat, not caring about the heat, and stuffed it whole into his mouth.

Teeth cut through the flesh, and scalding hot juices burst forth, burning down the throat and into the stomach.

"That feels good."

Although it was also meat, Xu Hao always felt that compared to what he ate in the cafeteria, this was truly a highly nutritious food.

He immediately activated the "lock" technique, and his stomach sac throbbed. Not a single drop of heat was wasted; it was all locked under the skin, nourishing the muscles and bones that had just been honed.

Just as they were eating, the courtyard gate was pounded on loudly.

"Brother Xu! Brother Xu, are you home?"

Judging from their loud shouting, Xu Hao knew it was Li Da. Helpless, Xu Hao got up and opened the door, only to see Li Da and Luo Bao craning their necks, their noses twitching like two wild dogs that had smelled blood.

"I told you it tasted like meat!" Li Da's eyes practically popped into the pot behind Xu Hao, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Brother Xu, have you struck it rich?"

"What fortune? It was just a fluke. I picked up some scraps while working in the kitchen." Xu Hao stepped aside to let the two in, then casually closed the door. "Since you're here, why don't you have a drink with us?"

He didn't dare give the two of them pure meat. The fine rice and fresh meat produced in the granary of Fu were different from what they usually ate. He was also afraid that the two of them hadn't reached the required level of skill and were too weak to handle the nourishment, which might cause them to have nosebleeds.

Xu Hao added two ladles of water to the bottom of the pot, then threw in two handfuls of old rice and mixed vegetables, and simmered them into a thick meat broth porridge.

Even so, Li Da held the bowl, tears still falling into it: "I've never tasted such delicious soup in my life, it's even better than the big pieces of meat in the kitchen."

Luo Bao, being the quicker one, slurped his porridge while stealing glances at Xu Hao: "Brother Xu, everyone outside is talking about what happened at the granary the night before, saying that you..."

"Drink your porridge." Xu Hao didn't even lift his eyelids, but his voice turned colder. "Can't you even shut your mouth with food in it? Remember, we were just lucky the first night, we don't know anything else. If anyone asks too many questions, let him come find me."

Luo Bao shrank back and quickly buried his head in his food, not daring to say another word.

After seeing the two off, Xu Hao stood in the courtyard carrying a standard steel knife.

"The Cloak Sword Technique" sounds impressive, but once you open it, it's all clumsy moves. Chop, slash, parry, and sweep—just those four moves over and over again.

Xu Hao swung his sword down with a swift motion.

The wind was dull, and there wasn't much to see.

But he didn't stop. The second cut, the third cut…

With the blessing of the blessed land's "qi and blood sensing", he could clearly feel the direction of every muscle.

Although this sword technique is ugly, it places great emphasis on "momentum".

It's experience gained from rolling through piles of dead bodies on the battlefield. It doesn't care about looking good; it only aims to cleave a person in two, armor and all, with a single stroke.

After practicing the hundred-stroke technique, Xu Hao's arms began to feel warm. The initial clumsiness gradually subsided, replaced by a breathtaking fluidity.

"Waaah—"

The blade sliced ​​through the air, no longer producing a dull whistling sound, but rather a sharp whistling.

The force of the blade penetrates to the bone.

A withered leaf fell from the old locust tree outside the courtyard.

Xu Hao didn't even look, and flicked his wrist. The withered leaf trembled slightly in the air, seemingly landing intact, but the moment it touched the ground, it neatly split in two.

In the dead of night, Xu Hao sheathed his sword and returned to his house. The listening talisman on his chest was slightly warm, and the sounds from the neighboring yard reached his ears.

It's Instructor Lin.

"...This knife is too heavy." Instructor Lin's voice was weary, as if he were wiping his weapon. "The kid is a good prospect, but I don't know if he can withstand the turmoil that will come in half a month. The Canal Gang and the Salt Gang seem to have given up on following the rules."

Xu Hao blew out the light, lay down on the hard bed, and his eyes were clear.

Sure enough, this vice-captain's position wasn't so easy to hold.

Fifty taels of silver is the money earned from risking one's life half a month later.

In the days that followed, Xu Hao lived like an ascetic.

During the day, he patrolled the mansion, always smiling at everyone he met, appearing as a harmless and kind-hearted person.

At night, they would close the door and eat meat and practice their knife skills.

Three days later, at the martial arts training ground.

Xu Hao had just returned from his inspection when he ran into Tie Shan and his gang.

Tieshan was furious at the thought that the kid he had once shared a room with but never paid any attention to had suddenly become so arrogant. When he saw Xu Hao walking over, he deliberately stuck out half of his leg to block the way.

"Hey, vice-captain, watch where you're going, don't fall." Tieshan said sarcastically, arms crossed.

The guards around stopped what they were doing, waiting to see what would happen.

Xu Hao didn't stop walking, a silly smile still on his face, as if he hadn't seen the tripping over his feet at all.

Just as the two passed each other, Xu Hao's foot slipped strangely, and his body slid past Tieshan like an eel.

At the same time, the scabbard at his waist seemed to tap backward unintentionally.

"Yes."

With a soft thud, it struck the nerve on the outside of Tieshan's thigh precisely.

"what!"

Tieshan felt half of his leg go numb in an instant, his knee buckled, and with a thud, he knelt down firmly before Xu Hao.

This kneeling was extremely heavy; it sounded painful.

Xu Hao was startled and quickly raised his hand from the hilt of his knife, looking alarmed as he helped him up: "Oh dear! Brother Tieshan! What are you doing? It's not a holiday, you're making me feel so bad for such a big gesture! Please get up, please get up!"

A burst of laughter erupted around them.

Tieshan's dark face turned a deep purplish-red. He tried to stand up, but his legs were numb and sore, and he couldn't muster any strength. He could only let Xu Hao lift him up like an old lady, completely losing face.

In the distance, under the corridor, Instructor Lin watched this scene, his fingers lightly tapping the railing, lost in thought.

After helping the person up, Xu Hao dusted himself off and left.

Back in the courtyard, he touched his arm.

The skin is as tough as leather; when you press it down hard, it not only doesn't dent, but it also bounces back. This is a sign that the skin resurfacing process has been successfully completed.

But further inside, there was a tight, constricting feeling from the muscles and bones, as if the skin was too hard, restricting the growth inside.

We've hit a bottleneck.

To break through to the Bone Forging Realm, simply eating meat and practicing hard is no longer enough.

Xu Hao looked up towards the direction of the sunset ferry crossing.

Although the Chen family mansion was nice, he was ultimately living under someone else's roof, which limited his ability to use certain methods. The blessed land in the dilapidated temple also had the blessing of "martial arts training efficiency +50%", which was the opportunity for him to break through his cultivation level.

"Looks like I'll have to go back to my hometown," Xu Hao muttered to himself, his fingers stroking the cold hilt of the knife.