Under the fist

Chapter 66 Sleeping Elixir Technique, Bounty Notice

The next day.

"How come this kid's strength has increased so much in just one year? Is he still our son? I feel like I was tripped by a bear last night, and it even locked my neck, almost choking me to death."

"I told you to be careful, now you've fallen and hurt yourself."

Early in the morning, upon hearing her husband's words, Zhao Lanxiang was both amused and exasperated.

The father sighed, "The boy has grown up. With his physique, I'd say he should join the army..."

But halfway through his sentence, seeing that his wife's expression was a little off, Lian's father quickly changed the subject, "Oh dear, look at you, let her study. Anyway, our son has been smart since he was a child, he'll definitely make something of himself."

Zhao Lanxiang got up early and cooked an egg for each of the three children, made some scallion pancakes, and cooked a pot of corn porridge.

The couple were rushing to work, so they ate and talked as they ate. After a few casual words, they had almost finished the porridge in their bowls.

"There's a meat ration coupon on the table. Eldest brother, go take a stroll around at noon, buy some meat, take good care of your younger sister and brother, and get yourself a couple of new clothes."

After giving a few instructions, Lian's father took a bite of a pie, then rode his bicycle with one hand, carrying his wife out of the yard.

Lian Youming inside the room had actually been awake for a while. He sat cross-legged by the window, glanced at the sun on the horizon, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

This eyewitnessing technique is indeed quite ingenious. Just as Yan Lingyun said in her letter, if practiced at the right time, one will not only not feel any stinging pain, but will also have a strange feeling of being bathed in the light of day.

Letting out a long sigh, and watching the wisp of white breath rising from his throat, Lian Youming focused his mind and pushed open the door to go out.

Lian Shuang and Lian Lei hadn't gotten up yet; one had his own room, and the other slept in his parents' room.

It's getting cold, so everyone's starting to stay in bed longer.

After a quick wash, he woke up the two younger children, dressed the younger brother, and washed his face.

At the dinner table, Lian Shuang said coquettishly, "My dear brother, I want to eat candy."

Lian Youming peeled his egg and gave half to each of the two younger children. "Third brother, what do you want to eat?"

Lian Lei, wearing a tiger-head hat and his short body wrapped up tightly, was holding a small bowl and drinking porridge. His round face was covered with corn kernels. "Brother, I want to drink malted milk powder."

Upon hearing this, Lian Shuang quickly chimed in, "I want to drink it too."

Seeing the two of them looking so eager, Lian Youming couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, then you two stay home today and don't wander off. I'll bring it back to you when I come back."

He finished the porridge in his bowl, took a pancake, and then went out.

Judging from what the ragpicker had said earlier, there were good things on Zhongnan Mountain, so Lian Youming naturally had to go and take a look, and also get some meat.

If you calculate the time, the college entrance examination is in July next year, so he still has more than half a year to prepare. Besides studying, he has to do something else.

Upon arriving at the ragpicker's courtyard, the old man, unusually, didn't fiddle with his chessboard but instead began tidying up a large pile of junk he had recently collected.

"Oh dear, with your legs not working well, why are you doing all this fuss?"

Seeing that the other person was limping and climbing up and down, Lian Youming could only stuff the pie into his hand and roll up his sleeves to get to work.

After I finished my work, the clothes I had just changed into smelled terrible again from the stench in the yard.

The ragpicker, munching on a pancake, turned and went inside, rummaging through drawers and cupboards again. "What, going up the mountain?"

Lian Youming said helplessly, "You found out again?"

"With your restless spirit since you were a child, I can tell what you're thinking the moment your eyes dart around." As he spoke, the old man suddenly pulled out a notebook from the corner of the wall. "Hey, didn't you ask me before if those old books were still there? I found one."

Lian Youming was overjoyed. He took the book and saw that it was actually a blue-covered, thread-bound book.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this thing looks really old...wait, Hidden Dragon Technique? What's that?"

He flipped through the pages and saw that the few pages contained neither fist and footwork techniques nor methods of internal breathing, but rather a series of lying-down postures.

The junk collector explained, "This is the time it takes to sleep."

Lian Youming asked in confusion, "Sleeping time? Could it be some kind of bedroom technique? But why is there only a person drawn?"

The ragpicker's face twitched, and he almost spat out the pie in his mouth. "You're ignorant and incompetent, yet you want to practice bedroom arts? That's all heretical and evil. This is called 'Sleeping Elixir Technique,' created by Ancestor Chen Tuan. It can help people nourish their spirit, stabilize their origin, and even stop you from having erotic dreams."

Lian Youming casually flipped through a few pages and found a series of drawings of sleeping postures.

He hesitated and asked, "Will it work?" Upon hearing this, the junk collector was about to take it back when he said, "Then give it back to me. I just lit the coal stove."

Lian Youming quickly stuffed the items into his pocket. "By the way, where in Zhongnan Mountain are those things you mentioned for making tiger bone wine? Point them out to me, I'll go take a look now."

The junk collector raised his messy eyebrows. "You wouldn't find it even if I told you. Go look around by yourself first. I'll take you up the mountain tomorrow... By the way, do your parents want you to work or go to school?"

Lian Youming laughed and said, "Of course it's studying."

The old man nodded. “Reading is good. The more you read, the more you understand. I’ll find a chance to go to the countryside again. Maybe I can find a lot of ancient Taoist scriptures. You can take a look at them then.”

Not getting what he wanted, Lian Youming turned and ran away, saying, "I'm not going to look at that stuff, it's like reading gibberish."

The junk collector watched the boy's retreating figure, a subtle change appearing in his usually calm eyes. "How come I never noticed this child's temperament before? I just thought he was a bit precocious. But he's only so young, and he's already made up his mind... Could it be that God took pity on me, letting me settle down at this age..."

……

As soon as Lian Youming stepped out of the street, he immediately bumped into an acquaintance.

A slightly chubby, round-faced boy wearing a blue factory uniform was riding a bicycle. He was pedaling his canvas shoes so fast that the wheels were almost smoking, and he had half a steamed bun in his mouth.

"Yang Hao, did you oversleep again?"

The man was initially delighted to see Lian Youming, but then quickly added, "Brother, I have to go to work now. Let's get together again in a couple of days when we have a holiday, at our usual spot..."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already shot off into the distance like an arrow.

Right now, you can already see people setting up stalls on the street, selling things like soy milk, cold noodles, and rice noodles. It's just that it's too cold, so everyone is rubbing their hands together, stamping their feet, and breathing on their faces, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Lian Youming squeezed through the crowd onto a tram. His body had changed drastically, and the clothes he wore at home no longer fit. He needed to get a couple of new outfits first, and then see if he could sell those two large yellow croakers for some money.

Just as the tram passed the Drum Tower, as passengers got on and off, Lian Youming suddenly became alert to a subtle gaze falling on him from the crowd.

Absolutely right.

The man initially just glanced at him casually, but when he saw him, his gaze clearly paused for a moment.

What is this doing?
Is someone looking for me?
Lian Youming's mind raced, his eyes narrowed, and a sense of crisis suddenly rose in his heart.

He returned home after a year; who would look for him? Especially in this needle-in-a-haystack way.

"Seeking revenge?"

Without even thinking, Lian Youming was already certain of the other party's purpose.

“An enemy.”

He let out a soft breath, and with a glint in his eyes, he already knew who it was.

Who else could it be but the thieves on the train?

Lian Youming was not unprepared for this result, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

All told, it's only been two or three days.

Looking at the other person's timid behavior and tendency to hide their actions, they are probably a thief as well.

"Could there be some bandit leader or thief in Xijing City as well?"

Lian Youming remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the window.

He squeezed off the tram only after it stopped, then quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Right after him, a short, thin young man in a green cotton coat hurriedly caught up. Perhaps he was running too fast, because he even lost his cotton shoes in the crush. He was so dizzy from the jostling that when he finally found his shoes and looked back, there was no sign of Lian Youming anywhere.

"Damn it, this is a thousand yuan reward! How could I lose him?"

But the young man did not hesitate. As if he remembered something, he quickly ran towards the other end.

Lian Youming emerged from behind an old tree after the other person had run twenty or thirty meters away, his eyes filled with ambiguity.

"A bounty? Only a thousand bucks."

(End of this chapter)