Surviving in the chaos of battle, I'm grinding for proficiency.

"Uncle Liu, have a bowl of old leaf tea."

Li Chuan arrived at Old Liu's teahouse, found a long bench and sat down without any hesitation.

"Hey, A-Chuan's back. Sit down, sit down."

With a smile, Uncle Liu placed a large, rough porcelain bowl in front of Li Chuan and put a handful of loose green tea leaves into it.

Lift the copper kettle and pour in boiling water; the tea leaves tumble in the bowl.

A bitter tea aroma immediately filled the air.

"Uncle Liu, I want the old leaf tea," Li Chuan asked, puzzled.

Old leaf tea costs one coin a bowl, but steamed green leaf tea costs two coins a bowl, enough to buy two sesame cakes. Ordinary people really can't bear to drink it.

Uncle Liu chuckled and said:

"Ah Chuan, I've watched you grow up since you were a child. How could I give you old-fashioned tea? Don't worry, it's on me."

"What brings you here today?"

Li Chuan took a sip of the scalding hot tea, and a faint steamed green flavor lingered in his mouth:

"Uncle Liu, I came here today to ask you about something. You know my shop; it's usually packed at this time, but why is it empty today?"

Uncle Liu sighed, hesitating whether or not to speak.

"Uncle Liu, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liu looked up and around, then leaned close to Li Chuan's ear and whispered:

"A-Chuan, you need to prepare first."

It's Liu Hu from the Black Bear Gang who wants your shop; the news has spread throughout the neighborhood.

A few days ago, he went to see your grandfather, and his attitude was very tough.

Your grandfather is a stubborn man; no matter what, he just won't sell.

To be honest, this really can't be sold. What can you do with only five taels of silver?

Uncle Liu gave a wry smile:

"Later, he angered Liu Hu, and he shoved your grandfather, making it look like his leg was broken..."

In recent days, he has gone even further, warning his neighbors in front of everyone not to go to his breakfast shop.

Otherwise, you'll make an enemy of him!

He would occasionally send those thugs to your house to cause trouble, smashing this or that, and then running away. Nobody could do anything about it.

"Look, yesterday, all the old hens that Sanfeng raised to lay eggs were smashed to death!"

Uncle Liu sighed as he spoke, his tone filled with sympathy.

Li Chuan didn't speak, but just sipped the green leaves in his bowl.

He said, "How could the old hen have fallen and died for no reason!"

These days, hens that can lay eggs are extremely precious; they're usually treated like treasures, so such strange things wouldn't happen.

It turns out it was that damned Liu Hu who did all sorts of evil things!

Previously, it was just verbal threats, but now it has escalated to physical violence.

Elderly people are most afraid of falling.

Who knows, something terrible might happen!

This Liu Hu is trying to drive his family to their deaths!

A misty fog obscured Li Chuan's eyelids, revealing a cold glint in his eyes.

Looking at Li Chuan's expression, Uncle Liu hesitated before speaking:

"Ah Chuan, Liu Hu even said that you spend your days drinking and carousing at the martial arts school instead of practicing properly, so you have no hope of passing the test and that your grandfather should give up on that idea..."

Li Chuan drank the tea in one gulp, swallowing the tea leaves along with it.

"Thank you for letting me know, Uncle Liu. I'll head back now."

He stood up and slammed the copper coins onto the table.

After he left, Uncle Liu counted them.

Ten copper coins!

Uncle Liu accepted the money with trembling hands, feeling very uncomfortable.

He watched Li Chuan grow up, and now that he's been bullied to this extent, he feels terrible.

But in this world, it's good enough if he can survive. He also has a grandson who is crying for food. How can he have the ability to help others?

In a daze, he recalled a line of words he had seen in school when he was a child.

The world is a sea of ​​suffering, and everyone struggles and sinks within it.

……

Li Chuan returned home.

"Chuan'er, come and eat. Mother has made you some chicken soup. You need nutrition while practicing martial arts, so drink more!" Wang Xiumei called to Li Chuan.

Li Chuan looked up and saw his grandfather, Li Nian, limping towards him.

When asked what happened, he just smiled and said he accidentally tripped and fell.

Aunt Qin Sanfeng picked up a chicken leg for herself.

My cousin Li Qing served himself a bowl of golden chicken soup.

In front of them were still brown rice and pickled vegetables.

Even with a mouthful of fragrant chicken soup right in front of them, no one touched their chopsticks.

Li Chuan could sense that the smiles on their faces didn't hide their true feelings; they seemed to be preoccupied with something.

"Liu Hu's words must have made them somewhat unsure, but they didn't want to openly ask me if I really went to a brothel."

Li Chuan knew perfectly well what was going on.

In fact, Liu Hu was not wrong; the original owner of this body did indeed do just that.

But since he traveled through time, he naturally had to cover up this lie.

Otherwise, if their family members knew that they had worked so hard to support such a thing, they would probably get so angry that they would fall seriously ill.

Li Chuan drank chicken soup, ate chicken legs, and then mixed in a mouthful of fine white rice.

The more I ate, the worse it tasted.

I tried to invite them to eat together, but they always refused.

"Only by mastering martial arts can I provide a better life for my family."

Li Chuan secretly resolved that after resolving this matter, he would return to the martial arts school to cultivate until he reached the next level.

After eating the old hen, Li Chuan felt a sense of fullness in his body.

At this stage, his need for "qi and blood" is very high.

But being able to eat meat only once every two days is clearly not enough.

"If I could eat like this every day, my martial arts training would progress much faster!"

Li Chuan thought to himself.

After resting for a while after the meal, Li Chuan said with a smile:

"Brother, you've eaten your fill. Let me teach you how to lift a stone."

After saying that, he stepped forward and lifted a fifty-pound stone with one hand.

This stone is meant to be shown to my family, to give them some confidence.

"My master said that my Qi and blood have accumulated enough, and I'll be able to break through the barrier soon!"

As expected, after seeing his incredible prowess, the gloom between everyone's brows dissipated considerably, and they all began to praise him.

Li Qing struggled to lift the stone, while Li Chuan occasionally offered guidance, pointing out the mistakes in his movements.

The others smiled broadly in the distance, all their worries forgotten.

In that brief moment, the entire Li family seemed to have returned to its former state.

About an hour later, Li Qing put down the stone and looked at Li Chuan seriously, saying:

"Achuan, I've practiced enough. You should go back and rest early. Don't let me delay your progress in the cultivation stage."

Li Chuan returned to the brightly lit room.

The other rooms were dark, only his own room had a light on.

Lamp oil is expensive, so we can't just light it whenever we want.

"call."

Li Chuan blew out the oil lamp and sat quietly on the bed.

Once he heard everyone's breathing become steady, he quietly got out of bed.

"Take a black cloth as a mask, and also bring a flint and tinder..."

Li Chuan repeatedly checked his belongings to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything before quietly stepping out of the room.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

"It's freezing cold, be careful not to catch a cold!"

The watchman struck the clapper four times in quick succession, signifying that it was now the fourth watch of the night: the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, casting down moonlight as cold as salt.

Cicadas chirped intermittently from the high branches, and the breeze rustled the leaves.

Li Chuan felt a chilling murderous intent in his heart.

A dark and windy night—perfect for murder!