Old Liu

When Old Mrs. Liu and Third Aunt Liu looked at Liu Yunan again, they felt he was no longer a child, but a vicious ghost crawling out from the eighteenth level of hell.

Terrified, they immediately turned and fled the Liu family courtyard.

Only after watching them run far away did Liu Yunan drop the facade he had been forcing, his arms hanging weakly by his sides, utterly drained.

He had just broken through, and only by using a clever technique and gritting his teeth was he able to throw a middle-aged woman like Eldest Aunt Liu out of the yard like that.

But he had only just broken through after all; he didn't even know how to use spiritual energy to comb through his meridians.

Meanwhile, at the Lin family home.

Lin Xiao, who was eating with Lin Dayou and Lin Yun, suddenly heard a system prompt in his mind.

Ding—Congratulations! Disciple Liu Yunan has advanced to the first level of Qi Condensation.

Lin Xiao: ?

When they were coming down the mountain and discussing their progress, didn't Baldy say he felt he was still some distance away from advancing?

Suddenly, a misty drizzle began to fall outside.

With Lin Xiao's current vision, he could still see quite clearly.

At this hour, everyone should be home by now.

He figured that perhaps Baldy had gone home, continued cultivating, and managed to break through.

On the other side, Old Mrs. Liu and her two daughters-in-law fled in panic from Liu Yunan's house. Old Mrs. Liu and Third Aunt Liu half-dragged Eldest Aunt Liu, who had been thrown out of the yard, stumbling their way back to the old Liu family residence.

Seeing their disheveled state, Old Mrs. Liu's eldest son, Eldest Liu, frowned and asked:

Where is Little Sheng? You didn't bring her back?

Eldest Aunt Liu immediately started wailing and crying to him:

Husband! You have to stand up for me! That little brat Liu Yunan has no respect for me as his Eldest Aunt Liu, nor does he respect you as his uncle! Waaaah!

Eldest Liu's brow furrowed tightly as he snapped angrily at Eldest Aunt Liu:

Stop crying! Speak properly!

Eldest Aunt Liu's crying instantly halved in volume as she said:

That little bastard, he... he actually threw me out of the yard!

Eldest Liu looked at her thoroughly broad and plump figure and found it hard to believe:

With his small frame, he could throw you? More likely he just waved a stick a couple of times and scared you into running away, right?

Old Mrs. Liu stepped forward and told him:

Oh, Eldest Liu, what your wife says is true! That boy was like he was possessed by a ghost, his strength was immense! He grabbed your wife and tossed her right out! He even threatened me! If I hadn't run, my old bones would have been left outside their house!

Hearing his own mother say this, Eldest Liu was half-skeptical, but that didn't stop him from throwing his weight around as the uncle:

That little brat! So disrespectful! As his uncle, I must go and teach him a lesson on behalf of his father!

Saying this, he slapped his thigh, stood up, walked into the yard, grabbed a wooden stick leaning against the wall, and headed in the direction of Liu Yunan's house.

The Liu home.

After Old Mrs. Liu and the other two left, Liu Yunan forced himself to walk over and close the courtyard gate, blocking out the various prying eyes from the darkness.

Helping his mother and little sister into the house, he comforted Liu Shengsheng, who was still occasionally hiccuping from crying:

Little sister, don't be afraid. Your brother is here. None of them can take you away.

Liu Shengsheng, hiccuping, stared at him with shining eyes and said:

Brother, I'm not afraid! You'll help me beat them away!

Widow Liu affectionately stroked her head, then turned to look at Liu Yunan with gratification:

Nan'er has grown up. You can even protect your sister now.

Then she added with some worry:

Did you hurt yourself doing that just now?

Liu Yunan didn't tell the truth, just shaking his head at her and saying:

Don't worry, Mother. I'm completely fine. If she comes again, I can throw her out again.

You're still so young, and your bones haven't even fully grown. Your Eldest Aunt Liu is tall and sturdy; where would you get the strength to throw her? Don't force yourself to act tough in front of me. Tomorrow we'll go to the clinic in town to get you checked... Even hearing him say this, Widow Liu only felt he was coaxing her so she wouldn't worry.

Liu Yunan had no choice but to say:

Mother, didn't I tell you? I've been cultivating with Brother Xiao lately. Just now, I suddenly felt an inspiration. My internal energy and meridians merged incredibly smoothly, and to my surprise, I advanced! That's why I had the strength to throw that wicked woman out. Please don't worry about me.

Widow Liu was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the Lin family boy actually had the ability to cultivate immortality!

They didn't avoid Liu Shengsheng when speaking.

Hearing their conversation, Liu Shengsheng suddenly said:

Mother, Brother, I want to cultivate immortality too! I want to protect Mother and Brother too!

Widow Liu looked at her with eyes full of maternal love. Just as she was about to say something, there was a loud thud at the courtyard gate!

Someone was smashing the gate!

This was immediately followed by an even more forceful smash, and the already very dilapidated Liu family courtyard gate collapsed with a crash.

Outside the gate stood the menacing Eldest Liu.

Behind him were Old Mrs. Liu and Third Aunt Liu, peering cautiously.

Eldest Aunt Liu, because her whole body was truly in pain, ultimately did not come to watch this spectacle.

As soon as the gate fell, Eldest Liu strode aggressively into the Liu family courtyard as if no one was there, heading straight for Liu Shengsheng.

Liu Yunan immediately came out of the house and blocked Eldest Liu's path.

What are you trying to do, Uncle?

Outside the yard, neighbors who saw the huge commotion spoke up:

Eldest Liu, what are you doing? Why did you smash their gate? Can't you talk things out properly?

Then another voice was heard, softly stopping the person who spoke:

Give it a rest! You silly woman, aren't you afraid Eldest Liu will come smash our house?

Hah! Let him try! If he dares come smash our house, I'll go to the village chief...

The voice suddenly vanished, as if someone had covered her mouth.

In the dark night, finally, only a man's voice could be heard muttering softly:

It's not like you don't know, that reckless thug even dares to contradict the old village chief...

Eldest Liu didn't care at all about the neighbors' shouts. He just glanced at Liu Yunan, who didn't even reach his chin, and sneered contemptuously:

What? You used a cheap trick to show off in front of your Eldest Aunt Liu, and now you think you can act tough in front of me?

Eldest Liu, with his tall stature and body as hard as stone, stood in front of Liu Yunan like a giant stone wall. Just looking at him made one feel the immense disparity in strength.

Liu Yunan also knew that facing Eldest Liu head-on, he had no power to fight back.

Even if he had already stepped into the first level of Qi Condensation.

But it was only the first level of Qi Condensation.

His constitution was merely somewhat improved compared to an ordinary person.

But his uncle was a notorious thug in the surrounding villages. He had been famous for his great strength in this area since childhood, and causing trouble and getting into fights everywhere was commonplace for him.

That body of taut muscles made ordinary villagers shudder just looking at it.

However, Liu Yunan knew he could not back down.

If he took even one step back, his sister would be doomed beyond redemption.

Eldest Liu weighed the wooden stick, which was as thick as an adult's arm, in his hand and looked at Liu Yunan, saying:

Are you going to step aside or not?

Liu Yunan stared at him intently, standing up perfectly straight. He didn't make a sound, but answered him with his actions.

Eldest Liu laughed out of extreme anger:

Good, consider yourself a tough nut to crack! Then I won't hold back!

With that said, he raised the thick club in his hand and swung it viciously at Liu Yunan's shoulder!

He intended to cripple the kid's arms first!

Liu Yunan hastily twisted his body to dodge, causing Eldest Liu's first strike to hit nothing but air.

Inside the house, Liu Shengsheng was just about to clap and cheer for her brother.

Unexpectedly, Eldest Liu's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Liu Yunan's slender arm, while his other hand swung the club up once more!

This time, the scrawny Liu Yunan had no way to evade and took a solid blow.

Eldest Liu's bulging, muscular arm brought the thick, hard wooden club crashing down heavily onto Liu Yunan's left arm. The crisp sound of the youth's still-developing bones snapping seemed to echo through the air.

"Pfft!" From just this single strike, Liu Yunan felt a tremendous force crash fiercely from his arm into his chest. He instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as though his entire ribcage had been shattered by the immense power transmitting from his shoulder.