Time passed day by day, and the Spring Festival was drawing nearer. A faint festive atmosphere had begun to permeate Daxiang Village. Walking along the streets and alleys, one could occasionally catch a whiff of the aroma of cured meats or sausages.
Luo Chuan’s life remained steady and disciplined. Apart from some inclement weather, he would go for a run every morning without fail. He had also added another training regimen - the practice of Wuji Zhan Gong (Boundless Postural Practice).
With continuous practice, Luo Chuan's progress in Zhan Gong was rapid. He could now smoothly execute the entire set of movements without any errors.
“Huu...,”
Luo Chuan straightened his body, slowly relaxing his core, and exhaled a long, white breath of air that quickly dissipated into the atmosphere.
Ding~, the system's notification sounded. Luo Chuan opened the panel.
【Wuji Zhan Gong LV1: 8/100】
【Wuji Zhan Gong upgraded to LV1, reward Constitution +1】
This was the entry level of Wuji Zhan Gong. Luo Chuan was overjoyed. As the reward was given, he felt a warm current flowing through his body.
Where the current flowed, Luo Chuan felt his muscles become more defined. He clenched his fist tightly, a surge of strength coursing through him.
After a comparison, he estimated that his overall physical fitness had increased by around 10%.
Although the improvement was not significant, it made Luo Chuan appear less frail. If he were to take off his clothes, one could faintly see the lines of his muscles.
“Huu, nice,” Luo Chuan let out a joyous roar.
At his current rate, he would definitely be able to upgrade Wuji Zhan Gong to LV2 within three or four days. Perhaps then, he could truly obtain a martial art.
Why wasn't he practicing Zhan Gong continuously to level up his experience?
There's an old saying: excess is as bad as deficiency. Even though Wuji Zhan Gong was the most basic of Zhan Gong, if one were to continuously level up without considering one's physical condition, it would definitely put a heavy burden on the body. This was something Luo Chuan absolutely did not want to see happen.
Therefore, Luo Chuan had adopted a gradual approach to improving himself from the beginning.
As long as he didn’t slack off, his ability level would eventually improve. There was no need to sacrifice the foundation for temporary gratification, that would be akin to gaining a sesame seed but losing a watermelon.
After returning home, Luo Chuan went through his usual routine of showering and preparing dinner.
Hearing the continuous notifications from the system in his mind, Luo Chuan was filled with joy, and his knife skills became even more proficient. The food he cooked was a significant improvement compared to before.
He might not be able to compete with a top chef, but he would definitely be more than capable of managing a small restaurant kitchen.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Luo Chuan did not continue reading. Instead, he tidied up and went out, intending to go to the market to buy some supplies.
His family had just gone through a funeral, so this year he didn't plan to make the New Year celebration too lively. Besides, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to. They didn’t have many relatives or friends. All they had were some neighbors, truly a case of "one person eats, the whole family is full."
Upon arriving at the market, Luo Chuan started to regret his decision.
Perhaps because it was the last large market gathering before the New Year, there were a lot of people, it was truly a sea of humanity, shoulder to shoulder.
Various stalls were haphazardly set up along the sides of the streets, making the already narrow streets even more crowded. Combined with the incessant cries of vendors, Luo Chuan began to feel apprehensive.
But in the end, he still squeezed into the crowd.
Fortunately, he had written a list of things he needed to buy. Otherwise, in this kind of situation, he might miss out on something.
Following the list, Luo Chuan purchased items one by one. Before long, he had several bulging plastic bags in his hands, containing not only vegetables, but also common spices like star anise, licorice, and the like.
Soon, Luo Chuan followed the crowd and reached a pork stall.
“Uncle Tu, give me four jin of five-flower pork with skin.”
Yes, Luo Chuan had arrived at Tu Jun's pork stall. Because of the market gathering, Tu Jun was practically running around like a headless chicken, but he still noticed Luo Chuan squeezing through the crowd at a glance.
“Chuan'er, out buying things,” Tu Jun wiped his hands and swiftly cut a large chunk of five-flower pork and placed it on the electronic scale.
Luo Chuan nodded and smiled, saying,
“Yes, the New Year is coming, I'm preparing to braise some meat.”
“Four jin three liang, I'll round it down to four jin, sixty yuan.”
“Uncle, no need....”
Before Luo Chuan could finish, Tu Jun’s tiger eyes glared at him. You little rascal, dare to haggle with me?
Luo Chuan chuckled sheepishly, realizing that Tu Jun was taking care of him, and he didn't plan to decline. He immediately handed the money to Tu Jun.
“Uncle, I’ll go now, you keep busy.”
After greeting him, Luo Chuan picked up the pork and squeezed back into the crowd.
An hour later, Luo Chuan finally found a secluded Chinese medicine shop at the very back of the market. There were no other people inside, only an old man who was dozing off.
“Sir, sir, I’m here to buy medicine,” Luo Chuan called out twice, and the old man finally woke up with a sleepy expression.
“What do you need?”
Licorice, mint, white peony… and a variety of other common Chinese herbs. They were all commonly found herbs and not expensive. Luo Chuan directly purchased a large amount of them.
These herbs were all necessary ingredients for the secret braised meat recipe Luo Chuan had obtained. According to Luo Chuan's analysis, the combination of these herbs might be the core part of the recipe.
Without these ingredients, the braised meat made would be no different from ordinary braised meat.
Luo Chuan also wanted to find out what was so special about the braised meat recipe rewarded by the system.
Soon, the old man had gathered all the herbs and placed a large bag filled with medicine on the counter.
“Three hundred and fifty yuan.”
After handing the money to the old man, Luo Chuan picked up the bag and walked out of the Chinese medicine shop. Now both of his hands were full of bags. Fortunately, he had been working out lately, and he could carry these things without getting out of breath.
After leaving the Chinese medicine shop, Luo Chuan did not go back the way he came, but turned and took another route. Although it would be a little detour, it was less crowded.
After walking for about ten minutes, Luo Chuan, who was walking on the side of the road, stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed slightly because he saw the Daxiang Village F4.
It wasn't strange to see Tu Jun and the others, he saw them almost every day. Occasionally, they would even chat for a while.
And then there was Dali Jiao, his relationship with Dali Jiao was just okay, but he had a good relationship with Jiao's dad, and he would often go to their house for dinner.
But it seemed like Tu Jun and the others were having a conflict with someone else.
They blocked a fruit stand with four people, and a middle-aged woman was sitting on the ground. A bespectacled, kind-faced boy was anxiously helping her up.
Luo Chuan recognized this kind-faced boy. His name was Song Jie, a senior who had repeated his third year of high school twice. He was quiet and reserved, and his family was also in Daxiang Village, but further away.
The group that was having the conflict with Tu Jun didn’t look like good people either. They were rowdy and arrogant, acting like the only two people in the world were them and God.
Seeing this, Luo Chuan had a rough idea. These hooligans were probably trying to take advantage of these street vendors, taking things from them without paying every time.
These street vendors, for the sake of their livelihood, could only bear it, treating it as a loss of money to avoid disaster.
Otherwise, if these people were to stand around your stall, you wouldn't be able to sell even a cent worth of goods. It was like a toad sitting on your feet, a source of irritation.
As Luo Chuan was thinking about these things, the situation with Tu Jun took a sudden turn. No one knew who started it, but what began as a verbal conflict escalated into a physical one.
Both sides were young men, at the most passionate and rebellious stage of their lives. Once they started brawling, the scene quickly became uncontrollable.
When Luo Chuan snapped back to his senses and looked again, he seemed to notice something. His face turned pale, and he dropped the things in his hands. He started running towards Tu Jun and the others.
Chapter End Note: Thanks to "God Underneath Changbai Mountain" for your support with a reward, thanks to "byfecut", "Feng Ying Luo" for your support with a monthly ticket. We meet old friends!!!