Shen Qingshan Bestows the Family's Secret Technique

[Which path to choose?]

[1. Roam the Jianghu with Da Chun and seek more martial arts opportunities.]

[2. Take Da Chun to Baiyun County and seek refuge with your third sister.]

[3. Return to the Black Stone Gang and claim the River Demon went mad and ate the Fourth Boss.]

Taking Da Chun along was obviously unrealistic.

Chen Yi couldn't look after him for a lifetime; he had to let him stand on his own two feet.

"I'll go to Third Sister's place then. There's a good spot in Baiyun County town where I can settle Da Chun."

[Baiyun County is located upstream of the Qing River, while Qinghe County is downstream.]

[After you and Da Chun escaped the Black Stone Gang, you walked upstream along the river.]

[This journey home, you walked with much more confidence.]

[You are now a powerhouse at the Third Stage of Body Tempering!]

[Ordinary wild beasts and highwaymen no longer pose a threat to you.]

[As you neared Baiyun County town, you met an acquaintance.]

["This mountain was planted by me! This tree was opened by me..."]

[A familiar opening line, a familiar barrel-shaped beauty.]

[Xu Linglong.]

["Oh my! You handsome little gentleman. Seeing us folks who live with our heads tied to our belts, you aren't afraid at all? You can even smile? Scared silly, are you?"]

[Xu Linglong fell in love with you at first sight again, her large eyes trying their hardest to radiate charm.]

[You possess the memories of the previous simulation, so you know that among these bandits blocking the road, only Xu Linglong has martial cultivation at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering; the rest are mortals.]

[You chuckled softly and continued walking away with Da Chun, minding your own business.]

["Halt!"]

[The bandits, seeing you ignore them, became instantly furious and swung their blades to hack at you.]

[In your eyes, their movements seemed like slow motion; before you, their strength was like that of children.]

[Fighting one against five, you knocked all five bandits to the ground.]

[Considering that Xu Linglong treated you fairly sincerely in the last simulation, you didn't take their lives.]

[Xu Linglong realized you were a martial artist. Seeing how calm and effortless you were while beating people up, she couldn't gauge your depth.]

[To be safe, she decided to yield.]

["We have offended you, Senior. We hope for your forgiveness! Here is some silver. If Senior has use for it on the road, please take it!"]

[Xu Linglong was very sensible. She took out all the silver from the bandits, placed it on the ground, and retreated ten steps.]

[You smiled, walked over, and picked up the silver.]

[Only a bastard turns down money.]

["For the sake of this silver, I'll give you a tip. Go back and keep a close eye on your Second Boss. He has issues."]

[Xu Linglong was puzzled, not understanding why you said the Second Boss had issues.]

[While she was bewildered, you left with Da Chun.]

"I didn't fall into the bandit's nest this time, so I'll reach Third Sister's house earlier than last time. I should be able to find out what happened to my brother-in-law, right?"

In the previous simulation, his brother-in-law, Shen Qingshan, turned out to be a homicidal maniac.

He was beheaded, the house was confiscated, and the family was exiled.

It really confused Chen Yi.

Third Sister's taste in men shouldn't be that bad, right?

[The next day, you and Da Chun arrived in Baiyun County town and found your Third Sister's home.]

[Fortunately, what you saw this time wasn't a sealing strip on the door.]

[There was a toddler babbling in the yard, about two or three years old.]

[Third Sister, Chen Yun, was hanging laundry in the yard.]

[She turned her head, saw you and Da Chun walking in from the gate, and burst into tears on the spot.]

["Fourth Brother? Is it really you? I thought..."]

[Chen Yun had already heard about the massacre at Luoding Village and thought you had died under the butcher's knife like the other villagers.]

[Seeing you today, she wept with joy.]

[Upon learning that Da Chun saved you, Chen Yun bowed to Da Chun right there to thank him for saving you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have a single relative from her maiden family left in this world.]

[At nightfall, your brother-in-law Shen Qingshan returned. Seeing you were still alive, his eyes also grew moist.]

[Chen Yun cooked a table full of dishes to celebrate your family reunion.]

[Da Chun gorged himself, his mouth covered in grease, extremely happy.]

[For Da Chun, as long as he was full, he had no other desires. He would feel satisfied watching ants climb a tree from morning till night.]

[The next day, you took Da Chun to the Yuelai Inn.]

["Guest, please come in. Are you here for a meal or a room?"]

[A familiar voice.]

[The proprietress was as enthusiastic as ever.]

["Proprietress, I want to introduce my brother to work for you as a handyman. He's a bit slow and can't handle complicated tasks, but washing dishes and sweeping floors is fine. He also has plenty of strength, so heavy lifting can be left to him."]

["Although I, Mei Sanniang, have a warm heart, if his head isn't quite right, I'm afraid..."]

["He doesn't want wages, just feed him until he's full."]

["I'm afraid if I don't hire him, my conscience will be uneasy!"]

[You knew Mei Sanniang had good character and definitely wouldn't mistreat Da Chun.]

[Settling Da Chun at the Yuelai Inn was very suitable.]

[On the way back, a startled horse nearly crashed into you.]

[You backhanded the horse, slapping it until it foamed at the mouth.]

["Hmph, inferior horse!"]

[The commoners seeing this shouted, "Great Hero!"]

[On the surface, your clothes were slightly dirty; inside, you felt damn good.]

[This scene happened to be seen by Shen Qingshan, who was patrolling the streets. He recognized that you were a martial artist.]

[That night, he had a talk with you.]

[You couldn't tell the truth, so you said that a year ago, a white-bearded old man passed by the village, saw you had Root Bones, and gave you a manual for external cultivation and a sword. That was how you gained some cultivation in the Body Tempering Stage.]

["Since Fourth Brother has the Root Bones, you shouldn't waste your natural talent."]

[Shen Qingshan took out some cultivation manuals and handed them to you.]

["These are my Shen family's ancestral techniques. Unfortunately, by my generation, too much has been lost. Only these four books remain. However, these are all mid-tier techniques. If you master them, finding a good job in this small county town will be as easy as turning over your hand."]

["Brother-in-law, for your great kindness, Chen Yi..."]

["We are family, why say these things? It is rare for someone to be born with Root Bones when their ancestors had none. Never let down the opportunity Heaven has given you."]

[Having obtained Shen Qingshan's techniques, you didn't plan to leave in the short term.]

[This way, you have a free master to teach you, and a master who knows these techniques very well at that.]

[You didn't want to freeload at your sister's house all day, so you still had to find something to do.]

[Shen Qingshan suggested that you could take the Demon Slayer assessment at the Demon Slaying Division and serve there, just like him.]

["You and I, slaying demons together to remove harm for the people—wouldn't that be delightful?"]

[You thought this was a good proposal.]

[However, the prerequisite was to practice your martial arts well first. Otherwise, with only the cultivation of Body Tempering Stage Three, passing the Demon Slaying Division's assessment wouldn't be easy.]

[You also asked Shen Qingshan about the massacre at Luoding Village, wondering if the government had found anything.]

["No clues at all. The other party had a clear target and was extremely well-trained. They didn't leave a single trace."]

"Why did they massacre Luoding Village? We are nothing but humble peasants; how could we have provoked such an enemy?"

"I do not know... but based on what I have seen during my years of service, when the innocent are killed, it is usually to silence witnesses. Perhaps a villager knew something they should not have known."