Starting as a cowherd, he sought a way to cultivate immortality.

Night falls.

Chen Chi hugged the "Savage Bull Body Forging Technique" tightly and quickened his pace toward the city gates.

He traveled swiftly and returned to his thatched hut in less than half an hour.

Carrying an oil lamp, Chen Chi strolled around the cattle pen, and after confirming that the two old oxen were alright, he returned to the house and closed the door.

Then, he took out the "Bull Body Forging Technique" from his pocket and began to read the body forging technique under the dim light of the oil lamp.

Qin Shan told him that he could return the "Bull Body Tempering Technique" once he had mastered it.

Chen Chi promised that he would return it in ten days.

This body-strengthening technique is not complicated. Chen Chi glanced through it and found that there were twelve moves and thirty-six explanatory illustrations.

Chen Chi stood inside the room and began practicing according to the pictures in the book.

He lowered his body, spread his legs, thrust his arms forward, tensed his shoulders and back, and breathed deeply and heavily, like a crouching bull.

His imitation of the moves was stiff and lacked the fluidity of the movements shown in the explanation.

But Chen Chi wasn't in a hurry. He just practiced again and again, and his moves became more and more proficient.

After mastering the essence of the first move, Chen Chi began to learn the second move.

To Chen Chi's surprise, he mastered several seemingly difficult moves without taking too much time.

Chen Chi attributed this to his long-term association with oxen, which made it easier for him to understand the movements in "The Bull Body Tempering Technique".

It took him two hours to finally master all the moves.

Chen Chi stood still, reviewed the twelve moves, took a deep breath, and began to slowly execute the twelve moves in a continuous sequence.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

On the ninth try, Chen Chi finally completed all twelve moves smoothly.

The seal of destiny in my mind flashed, and a few lines of text appeared.

【Bull Tempering Technique】

[Proficiency (1/3000)]

[Accumulated strength unleashed, double the power]

"With double the power, and once the skill is perfected, I wonder what level it will reach..."

Chen Chi's face lit up with joy, and he clenched his fists.

Isn't it just about practicing hard to improve proficiency and accumulating experience for a breakthrough?

A cowherd like me has plenty of time!

As if he had been injected with chicken blood, Chen Chi once again assumed a fighting stance and performed the complete moves.

[Proficiency (2/3000)]

When Chen Chi wanted to practice again, he realized that his limbs were sore and uncomfortable, and he could not continue.

"Practicing martial arts should be done step by step; one cannot rush it," Chen Chi silently reminded himself.

He took off his coat, extinguished the oil lamp on the table, and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Exhausted, Chen Chi fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

……

The next morning.

Chen Chi woke up early as usual.

He stepped out of the house, stretched his limbs, and found that the soreness in his body had lessened considerably.

The weather is extremely hot today; even in the early morning, the wind blowing on your face is scalding hot.

Chen Chi made up his mind not to go out to herd the cattle today.

He opened the gate and, as usual, cleaned the cow dung in the pen. Then he carried two large bundles of hay into the pen and distributed the hay to the two old yellow cows.

The water basin on the ground had dried up. Chen Chi walked to the water vat outside the thatched hut and frowned.

"Using water is so fast on hot days..."

Chen Chi took a carrying pole, picked up two buckets, and walked towards the Xiaoqing River, which was two miles away.

When he returned to the thatched hut carrying the heavy buckets of water, he saw Chen Erhu from the same village standing by the cattle pen waiting for him.

Chen Erhu is only fourteen years old this year. As his name suggests, he is burly and strong. He is responsible for delivering meals to the Sun family's farmhands regularly.

"Brother Chi."

He greeted them, took off the bundle from his back, and deftly took out a portion of dry rations.

Chen Chi responded, first pouring the water from the bucket into the water vat, wiping the sweat from his forehead, before taking the dry rations.

Eight coarse flatbreads and pickled vegetable dumplings.

After confirming the number of pancakes, Chen Chi asked:

"Erhu, has anything major happened in the village lately?"

Chen Chi and Chen Erhu's village is called Chenjia Village.

When Chen Chi was a child, he lived in the village with his parents. After his parents passed away unexpectedly, Chen Chi got a job herding cattle and only returned to the village house for a few days during the Spring Festival.

Chen Erhu scratched his head and thought for a moment: "Uncle Fugui from the east end of the village lost his footing a few days ago while climbing over Widow Wang's wall. He fell off the wall and landed on his head. The doctor came and took a look and said there was no hope for him."

Yesterday, Uncle Fugui was carried off his bed by his son and dressed in his funeral clothes.

Chen Chi still had some impression of this wealthy uncle.

In his youth, this man was fond of womanizing. Relying on some extra money from his family, he often seduced widows and women in the village whose husbands worked away from home year-round.

Now that they've ended up like this, it's all part of fate.

"Erhu, don't follow Uncle Fugui's example," Chen Chi cautioned.

Chen Erhu patted his chest and grinned, "Don't worry, Brother Chi."

Chen Chi nodded. Erhu was honest, capable, sensible, and obedient; he was unlikely to go astray.

"Okay, before it gets too hot, hurry up and deliver the food," Chen Chi said.

Chen Erhu responded, but remained standing in place, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong? Is there something else?" Chen Chi asked, looking puzzled.

Chen Erhu rubbed his hands together and stammered:

"Brother Chi, I heard that Butler Qi came to propose marriage for you yesterday, but you didn't agree?"

"How did you know?" Chen Chi frowned.

Could it be that Qi Sheng leaked it? Isn't he contradicting himself?

Chen Erhu smiled sheepishly:

"This was told to me by Manager Wang."

He said, "Butler Qi came to you about marriage, but it didn't work out. He then set his sights on the guard, Li Youcai, and insisted on marrying his niece to him."

Chen Chi was speechless for a moment.

Qi Sheng is truly shameless.

If you want to marry off your niece, why don't you just marry her yourself?

Seeing that Chen Chi did not speak, Chen Erhu showed a hint of worry on his face.

"Brother Chi, you rejected Butler Qi, he will definitely take action against you."

Chen Chi patted Chen Erhu on the head.

"Qi Sheng wouldn't dare touch me, so stop overthinking and just focus on delivering your food."

Hearing Chen Chi say this, Chen Erhu felt relieved.

"Okay, Brother Chi, I'm off then."

……

Chen Chi placed the dry rations on the table, poured a large bowl of water into his mouth, and wiped the corners of his mouth.

Then, he got into position and began practicing the moves of the Bull Body Tempering Technique.

【Bull Tempering Technique】

[Proficiency (3/3000)]

The weather was hot, and Chen Chi was drenched in sweat after practicing once.

He took a couple of deep breaths and sat down on the bench.

"Practicing martial arts in this weather might cause heatstroke," Chen Chi thought to himself.

Before he reached a high level of proficiency, the Bull Body Tempering Technique had no real effect on his body; it was merely a way to accumulate proficiency.

For him, avoiding accidents while practicing the Bull Body Tempering Technique was the most important thing.

After pondering for a moment, he found paper and pen, intending to make a copy of the contents of "The Bull Body Tempering Technique".

In the blink of an eye, eight days have passed.

The weather is still very hot.

Chen Chi's life was routine, consisting of herding cattle, cutting grass, carrying water, and cleaning the cattle pen every day.

Besides that, he would practice the Bull Body Tempering Technique several times in the early morning and evening, and during the day he would hide in his room and quietly copy books.

Today, Chen Chi finally finished copying the "Savage Bull Body Forging Technique".

He promised Qin Shan that he would return the cultivation method within ten days.

Chen Chi didn't intend to wait until the last day. He put away the copied paper, kept the "Bull Body Tempering Technique" in his pocket, and went to the city to visit the Qin family again.

This time, the tall, thin servant recognized him and quickly invited him into the house.

"Thank you, Uncle Qin. I have already learned the moves of the 'Bull Body Forging Technique' and have come to return it today."

Qin Shan smiled as he took the book and patted Chen Chi on the shoulder.

"Xiao Chi, try hitting it all over the yard."

Chen Chi immediately understood that Qin Shan was afraid that his moves were wrong and wanted to give him some pointers.

He felt a warmth in his heart.

"Yes, Uncle Qin!"

The two entered the courtyard, where Chen Chi focused intently on executing each move.

Qin Shan stood aside, occasionally correcting Chen Chi's awkward movements.

"Right fist soars into the sky, straight arm strikes out."

Keep your waist still, then take a small step forward with your left leg.

In this movement, exert force upwards from the chest and tighten the abdomen.

... "

With Qin Shan's guidance, Chen Chi's movements became more fluid, his moves became steady and powerful, and his breathing gradually synchronized with his actions.

Chen Chi stopped his stance and bowed to Qin Shan, saying:

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Qin!"

Qin Shan chuckled and said earnestly:

"Now that you've learned the Bull Body Tempering Technique, practice it diligently from now on. If you still have any questions or don't understand any of the moves, come find me."

Chen Chi nodded emphatically.

"I will definitely visit Uncle Qin often in the future."

A smile appeared on Qin Shan's lips, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and reminiscence.

"Your father and I are as close as brothers. Seeing you reminds me of the days when your father and I drank wine from big bowls together."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chi felt a rush of heat to his eyes.