Before dusk.
After cleaning up his own yard, Yang Ge rushed to the Liu Family with Huang and the chickens and ducks from the backyard without stopping.
"Don’t kill this one, it lays eggs..."
"This one is a regular crower, always on time, you take care of it for me, just don’t stew it..."
"This one can be stewed, it’s always fighting. Try raising it, and if it still doesn’t change its ways, you can go ahead and stew it..."
"These two are easy to distinguish, the fighter has old wounds on its comb, and the crower’s comb is red like silk."
"If there’s leftover food, give them some, if not, wilted vegetable leaves will do..."
One by one, Yang Ge pointed out the chickens and ducks he had raised himself, tirelessly instructing Liu Mang.
Liu Mang also listened patiently to his narrative, trying hard to distinguish each of the chickens and ducks, which all looked almost the same to him. He worried about cooking the wrong one later, and also about how to possibly fool him with a bought one from the market if he did cook the wrong one...
Actions often speak louder than words.
Previously, he heard Yang Ge say he just wanted to live a bland life, just waiting to die, and though he said nothing, he always thought him pretentious...
But now, watching him meticulously introduce his homebred chickens and ducks, he couldn’t help but feel out of sorts.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.
Exactly why he felt this way, he couldn’t say; he just did.
It was at this moment that he suddenly stopped envying Yang Ge for his Grandmaster physique...
"Here’s the key."
Yang Ge handed the keys to Liu Mang, "There are also some green onions, garlic, and bok choy growing in my backyard. Check on them when you have time. If they grow well, take them home to eat, or if there’s enough, take them to the inn. As long as they are eaten, it’s not a waste..."
Liu Mang instinctively took the keys, but as he came to his senses, he felt even more uneasy.
"Look Er Yong..."
He hesitated, whispering softly, "Why don’t we just mind our own daily lives and stop meddling in these troublesome matters... You running back and forth like this, when will it ever end!"
In the past, he would never have said such things.
Perhaps having a family and a business truly does make a man mature...
"It’s alright, let’s do as much as we can."
Yang Ge replied gently with a smile, he walked to the corner and softly comforted the anxiously jumping Huang, "You have to be good at Liu’s place, don’t make noise, don’t be naughty, and definitely don’t snatch things. Take good care of Liu’s home. Dad will be back soon."
Huang clutched at his trousers, whimpering and refusing to let go.
Although not very smart, the dog clearly remembered that last time he was tied here, his owner had disappeared for a very long time...
Yang Ge had no choice but to tear off a small piece of jerky from his food bag and feed it to him. After a long time coaxing him with gentle words, Huang finally let go of Yang Ge’s trouser leg, its tail sweeping the ground morosely as it walked to the corner and lay down, staring at Yang Ge with big round eyes, without even sniffing the jerky in Yang Ge’s hand.
Liu Mang usually disapproved and scoffed at Yang Ge calling Huang "son," but watching this scene, he suddenly turned his head away.
Yang Ge held the jerky, hesitated for a few seconds, then hardened his heart and placed the jerky in Huang’s bowl and finally stroked his head one last time.
Then he turned around, tightened the grey cloth wrappings around Cold Moon Blade and the bundle on his back, took down the bamboo hat and put it on his head, pulling the handkerchief to cover his face, "Mang, I’m leaving."
Liu Mang took a deep breath, pulling open the courtyard door and said solemnly, "Be careful out there!"
Yang Ge nodded, propelled himself up against the courtyard wall, and his figure soared, leaping several yards and disappeared from sight.
Liu Mang:...
...
Yang Ge boarded a flat-bottomed riverboat arranged by Wu Eryong, heading south downstream through the night.
Not wanting to trouble others, Yang Ge had Wu Eryong keep his identity secret, and he remained in the cramped cabin practicing Qi Cultivation throughout the trip, subsisting on the dried food he carried since the crew, except for the captain, didn’t even know he was on board...
The riverboat meandered downstream, with the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and this journey took six days.
During these six days, Yang Ge concentrated on practicing the "Five Elements Return Qi" first phase fiercely; the Metal Qi in his Dantian already had a faint semblance to blades.
According to the manual, reaching this stage in the first phase meant minor accomplishment. All that was left was gathering more Metal Qi, turning the envisioned blade form into a tangible blade intent, then this phase would be considered majorly accomplished!
The speed of his progress, besides his martial arts talent, was largely because the first phase was indeed simple.
After all, he already had True Qi, and practicing the first phase was merely converting his existing True Qi into Metal Qi, which was like adding ink to a basin of clear water and turning it black— naturally not difficult.
The real challenge of this Inner Strength was in the subsequent five phases, which involved adding four more colors to this basin of black water, ensuring these five colors complemented each other rather than conflicted... It would be progressively more difficult at each phase!
This was similar to starting a company: the long-term goal was to get listed, the medium-term goal was to expand projects, and the short-term goal was to ensure internal harmony...
And the first phase was just about putting the initial capital to start the company.
Even so, the first phase brought significant enhancements to Yang Ge’s abilities!
Yang Ge estimated he could now control his most powerful move "No Return" without risking the mishaps of before...