Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Zhou Fugan suddenly remembered the time he used the Mountain-Stepping Leg technique to vibrate his muscles and bones before breaking through the muscle and bone barrier.

Although the shockwave primarily traveled along the muscles and bones, having the strongest tempering effect on them, a small portion also spread outwards, impacting the entire body, including the internal organs. However, the shockwave distributed to the internal organs was extremely weak and went unnoticed during his cultivation.

"If we can mobilize more vibrational energy to temper the internal organs, would that be equivalent to internal cultivation?"

Zhou Fugan's eyes lit up, and he saw hope in his heart.

Then, he began to deduce the specific cultivation method.

On the way back, whenever he rested, Zhou Fugan would try to vibrate his internal organs by stomping his legs on the mountain. He would even stop the carriage and practice whenever he had a new idea.

By calculating in this way, Zhou Fugan finally reaped great rewards.

"First, the Mountain-Stepping Leg technique must be integrated into the stance training. The internal organs are too fragile. Practicing the Mountain-Stepping Leg technique first and then the stance training as before will have almost no effect. The internal organs must be vibrated with vibration during the stance training in order to achieve the effect of tempering the internal organs."

"Secondly, the shock force is too violent, and the delicate internal organs cannot withstand it. It must be transformed into soft force with Tai Chi strength, and strengthened slowly like peeling away layers of an onion."

"..."

"Sir, we've arrived at Qingshan County!"

The driver, Old Huang, could be heard from outside.

Zhou Fugan lifted the curtain and saw that the county town was not far ahead.

Let's stop here.

Zhou Fugan then paid the fare and let Old Huang and his son leave. He then walked towards the nearby woods.

Before long, an old man emerged from the other side of the woods, dressed in tattered clothes. He was disheveled and looked haggard, as if he had suffered a lot. Upon seeing the county town, his face lit up with excitement, and he quickened his pace, staggering along.

......

The Zhou family was shrouded in gloom and despair.

Three days have passed since Zhou Sheng brought Zhou Guangshun back, and the joy of Zhou Guangshun's safe return was quickly overshadowed by the old man's disappearance.

Zhou Guangshun, in particular, felt extremely guilty upon learning that his elderly father had fallen into the water and disappeared while searching for him. He spent his days in tears, which worsened his already weak condition, causing him to become bedridden.

Even Zhou Sheng, who was always the pride of the family, was blamed, with everyone criticizing him for letting the old man come along.

Knowing the truth, Zhou Sheng was helpless. He wanted to explain, but his grandfather had said that only he and Zhou He could know that he was a peerless master, and no one else in the family could be told.

Left with no other choice, he could only remain silent and wait for his grandfather to return in a couple of days, after which there would be no need for further explanation.

Compared to Zhou Sheng, Zhou He was even more frustrated.

Although he wasn't the one who took his grandfather to the prefectural city, he knew his grandfather was a master and wouldn't get into trouble. So he couldn't pretend to be sad and upset, and continued to act carefree every day.

Therefore, his father scolded him for being unfilial, saying that he was happy even after his grandfather's death, and that he was simply a rebellious son. Even his mother, Li Qiuhua, who usually doted on him the most, scolded him several times.

That day, there was a knock on the Zhou family's door.

"Who is it?"

Zhou Guangcheng, who lived in the front yard, heard the noise and came out.

His face was etched with sorrow, and there were still traces of tears in the corners of his eyes. He hadn't been able to go out to work for the past few days, and had even put aside his business at the tailor shop.

Squeak~~

The door opened, and Zhou Guangcheng looked outside, only to be immediately dumbfounded.

"Guangcheng, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and prepare hot water and food for me."

It wasn't until Zhou Fugan urged him that Zhou Guangcheng realized what was happening, and a huge surge of joy welled up inside him.

"Father, you're not dead!!!"

"You unfilial son, are you so eager for your father to die?" Zhou Fugan cursed.

Zhou Guangcheng laughed heartily despite being scolded, "Hahaha, no, Dad, how have you been these past few days? I heard from Xiaosheng that you fell into the water, I was so worried about you."

"Come in quickly, come in quickly."

He helped Zhou Fugan through the door and shouted loudly inside, "Qiuhua, elder brother and sister-in-law, come quick! Dad's back!!"

Everyone in the family was startled by the shouts and rushed out to see what was happening. They were overjoyed to see Zhou Fugan standing alive and well in front of them.

"Father, Father, sob sob."

Zhou Guangshun was helped out by Zhang Xiufen, and collapsed in front of Zhou Fugan, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Guangshun, my son, you've finally returned?"

With a mixture of sorrow and joy on his face, Zhou Fugan helped Zhou Guangshun up, and the father and son embraced and wept bitterly.

He wasn't acting. Although he had known his son was safe for a long time, he hadn't seen him yet, and the emotion lingered in his heart. Now that they were finally together, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Even martial arts masters have feelings!

"Alright, Dad, Big Brother, stop crying. Qiuhua, Sister-in-law, go boil some hot water so Dad can wash up. I'll go to Zuixianlou to prepare a feast. Big Brother's back, and Dad's alright, so we should definitely celebrate!"

Zhou Guangcheng wiped away his tears, comforted the two of them, and then made some arrangements.

Afterwards, his family asked him about his well-being, and Zhou Fugan told the lie he had made up beforehand: after falling into the water, he was lucky enough to grab a piece of boat plank, and successfully floated downstream to the shore, and then walked all the way back.

When his son and daughter-in-law heard that he had suffered so much, they burst into tears again.

...

For the next few days, everything was calm and peaceful.

Just as Zhou Fugan had predicted, no one would care whether this old man lived or died. Neither the Wang family nor the Weiyuan Escort Agency paid any attention to his situation.

After his return, Zhou Guangshun was free of worries. With careful recuperation, his health improved rapidly, and he was able to work again.

That evening, Zhou Fugan summoned his entire family to the front hall, saying he had something important to say.

"Dad, what's going on?" Zhou Guangcheng asked curiously when everyone had arrived.

"It concerns the future development of our Zhou family," Zhou Fugan said solemnly, looking around at his descendants.

"Development? What development?" Zhou Guangcheng was even more confused.

"Second brother, do you think our family is still the same as before?" Zhou Fugan asked.

The Zhou family looked completely bewildered. The same thing? Better housing, better food, what else?

"It's different now!" Zhou Guangcheng murmured.

"That's right, it's different now."

Zhou Fugan stood up, his sharp eyes sweeping over his family members.

He approached Zhou Sheng, patted him on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "Sheng'er is already a proper martial artist. He will take the martial arts exam and earn a degree. He'er has also started learning martial arts; his future is limitless."

"Our family is no longer a small, insignificant household, but a genuine martial arts family. But a wealthy family must maintain its dignity. We have achieved that now. Guangshun, when you go out, people will have to look at you with more respect, because your son is a martial artist."

"But you haven't realized this yet. Today I'm telling you, you're not like before, bowing and scraping to everyone you meet."

"Next, our family will have its own business."

"However, you have to eat one bite at a time. Guangcheng, it's time for your tailor shop to move to Yingzi Street. We couldn't stand here before, but thanks to Sheng'er, we can now. We'll need to find a few more tailors, and you can be the manager," Zhou Fugan said.

"Is it really possible?" Zhou Guangcheng asked, both excited and hesitant.

"Of course. You go and find a location first."

Zhou Fugan nodded and then looked at his eldest son.

"Guangshun, what are your plans?"

"I... I'd better go back to fishing," Zhou Guangshun said hesitantly.

"Fishing is too hard work, and you can't make a fortune from it. Go and see if you can open a fish stall later, so that our family can start another business," Zhou Fugan shook his head and suggested.

"Okay, I'll give it a try," Zhou Guangshun nodded.

"Well, you two go and try it first. It doesn't matter if you fail. As long as Sheng'er and He'er are promising, we'll make it sooner or later. In a while, I plan to take over the Hu family compound next door," Zhou Fugan said.

The Zhou family members were thrilled and invigorated upon hearing this.

Looking at his family's spirits, Zhou Fugan felt gratified. This was the beginning of the Zhou family's development into a powerful force.