A Long River Myth

Three dull and uneventful days passed.

That morning, news of Qin Si's disappearance finally reached Jinshui Street.

In an instant, ripples appeared on flat ground.

While the neighbors outwardly expressed their shock at the incident, they were secretly overjoyed.

One can only imagine how Li Fulin felt after living in constant fear for several days and then suddenly hearing this news.

"I reckon Qin Si might not have been targeted for revenge. I heard he might have run off with a lot of money from Huang Lin's gang and his mistress."

"No wonder. If it were someone seeking revenge, Huang Lin's actions wouldn't seem like it. It's probably something really shameful."

Early in the morning, several neighbors gathered in the grocery store to discuss the matter.

Especially Xu Laonian and Zhang the carpenter from the incense and candle shop, the two of them always talked endlessly about these "intriguing events".

Only Li Fulin remained calm, quietly wiping the counter and listening to their chatter.

In the courtyard, Li Honggang, who had just gotten up and hadn't eaten yet, also heard the heated discussion in the shop and couldn't help but ponder it.

It's been three days, and only now has the news of Qin Si's "disappearance" spread?

It far exceeded his expectations.

As for the Huang Lin gang's reaction, it was quite intriguing; on the surface, they made almost no move.

Only a few henchmen came yesterday and loitered around Jinshui Street a few times, but nothing came of it.

"Is there really an internal problem?"

He muttered to himself, "A leader has been missing for almost three days before he's finally getting noticed."

The slow response... this is enough to confirm the authenticity of some previous reports.

Regardless, this is a good thing. He stumbled upon a perfect opportunity and managed to fish in troubled waters.

Thinking of this, Li Hong finally felt relieved.

.........

Several more peaceful days followed.

That morning, in the east courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall.

Li Hong continued his work as usual, but the other two people who were originally in the courtyard had already left yesterday.

He was left all alone.

The external physical fitness test, as a basic threshold for identifying potential martial arts talents, is that cruel.

Although the two of them had also gone through seven months of hard work and struggle, they were forced to stay after He Song "persuaded" them to quit last time.

But for ordinary people to knock on the gates of the outer stronghold, it is like traveling a hundred miles and only halfway there at ninety.

Achieving minor success in stance training does not necessarily mean that one will achieve external strength; otherwise, why would it be called "knocking on the gate"?

Achieving some success is just the foundation, a threshold; it takes time and talent to cross it.

With only half a month left until the deadline set by the Martial Arts Hall, they are still lacking something, and their first attempts have all failed.

He fell before dawn.

For children from ordinary families, even if they want to pursue a career in foreign countries in the future, it will take at least a year or two of accumulation.

However, Li Hong, who possessed the control panel, was quite different from the other two.

The rapid progress in the past month or so.

At this moment, on the plum blossom stakes, no matter how much he practiced his stance training, he seemed to be in complete control.

It was nothing like the tense situation when I first transmigrated.

Her overall physique has also changed somewhat compared to a few days ago.

[Minor Success in Hundred-Refined Stance Training (1/500)]

Li Hong examined the panel. Any slight, large movement on the plum blossom stakes would produce a dense series of "crackling" sounds from his body.

He has made rapid progress in stance training these days.

I buy meat from different cooked meat shops every day, consuming six or seven pounds a day.

Practicing the five stances was not even a big burden.

This is all thanks to Qin Si's "sponsorship," and his stance training progress has already reached the minor completion stage yesterday!

However, more than half of the three taels of silver has already been quietly spent.

When he was treated lightly yesterday, Li Hong felt a little sorry for him.

Martial arts have always been a money-consuming pursuit, and this is just the beginning.

But the benefits were immediate; starting a few days ago, he noticed a series of abnormalities in his body.

Besides the muscles and bones starting to loosen and make sounds, the tendons bulge like guitar strings, and the skin on the shoulders, back, and thighs gradually becomes rough.

This is a manifestation of blood and qi permeating the subcutaneous tissue.

It has clearly reached the threshold of external expansion!

Now, Li Hong felt as if his entire body was locked up by a giant lock.

The reason I keep practicing on the stakes is that I want to unlock this "lock" through movement.

Once the lock is opened, the external strength will be achieved immediately!

This situation continued for another two days, escalating further.

The rain cleared up on this day.

In the east courtyard, Li Hong was drenched in sweat, and the "lock" was tightening even more!

He didn't even get two hours of sleep last night; his whole body was involuntarily tense and he couldn't relax.

At this moment, his whole body gradually felt heavy and dull, and his limbs became more and more tense with each movement, with the veins on his forehead already showing.

Half an hour later, when the discomfort he felt in his body reached its peak, Li Hong finally couldn't hold it in any longer!

"open!"

He lost control, swung his fist wildly, and roared angrily at the foot-thick wooden stake.

Click!

The wooden stake immediately cracked open with a long gap, and the strong recoil force traveled through Li Hong's right arm and throughout his body!

Bang bang bang!

Starting from the right arm, a series of explosions instantly spread throughout the body.

The energy that had been accumulating in the muscles and tendons for a long time suddenly released!

A surge of coolness suddenly appeared throughout my body, washing away the previous burning sensation.

The intense tightness dissipated, and Li Hong's vision suddenly went black.

When his pupils refocused, the world in his eyes became three times clearer!

My blood and energy surged throughout my body, and my spine seemed to stretch by two inches, making me appear taller.

"External reinforcement, done!"

Li Hong smiled after a long time, feeling a great increase in his strength.

Once he overcomes this hurdle, he will be a true martial artist!

With a strength of 800 jin, he could travel more than 200 li a day, and his physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people.

In the future, they will learn even more advanced martial arts in the West Courtyard, thus the path of martial arts has been fully opened!

"Hmm, not bad!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted lightly from behind.

Li Hong felt a chill run down his spine and turned around in surprise!

Behind him was He Song, who had arrived at some unknown time.

Even though he had just broken through to the Outer Strength realm and his perception was far superior to before, he still couldn't detect any sound.

"Instructor He."

Li Hong clasped his hands in a salute, and before he knew it, two beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He immediately suppressed his joy.

Even the strong-willed couldn't detect He Song's presence. What level of cultivation must he be at?

If you encounter an enemy in the outside world and it's like this, you're bound to suffer a great loss.

"Li Hong, diligence can make up for lack of talent. You have achieved the Outer Strength in just over seven months. Although it is late, you can still embark on the path of martial arts. You must work even harder in the future."

He Song encouraged him, patting him on the shoulder as they approached, and said:

"You can go back today. Get a good night's sleep to stabilize your energy and blood. Report to the West Courtyard tomorrow morning."

"Yes, thank you, instructor!"

Li Hong respectfully replied, then followed the instructor's advice, bowed again, and left.

He Song nodded slightly, then smiled calmly as he watched his retreating figure.

After more than seven months of external strengthening, the probability of achieving internal strengthening within a year is quite low.

However... this child is very hardworking. Even if he joins the army as a soldier in the future, it will be a good way for him to turn his life around from poverty.

The outcome is much better than for those who were advised to leave.

He Song shook his head slightly, then locked the east gate...