The next morning, Lin Feng woke up early. In the quiet village—with little nightlife—everyone retired early and rose with the sun. When Lin Feng awoke, several of the children were still asleep.
Stepping into the courtyard, he looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. The sky in this world was exceptionally bright, and the air felt remarkably fresh. Every plant and tree in the courtyard pulsed with vitality. It was a blessing to be reborn into such a world.
In his previous life, he had become nearsighted from excessive studying and suffered a herniated disc from overwork. He had eaten starchy sausages, guzzled expired milk tea, and consumed zombie takeout—truly living up to the saying: "When the alarm clock rings, you and I are both beasts of burden."
This time, Lin Feng vowed to live differently and ensure his family prospered. Drawing on his past-life experience, he was confident he could establish industries and amass wealth. Whether it was distilling wine, making ice with saltpeter, refining crude salt, or manufacturing glass—any of these ventures promised a fortune. Yet, he knew better than to rush. Without the strength to protect these ventures, hastiness could lead to disaster. He didn't even need to run them personally; his main focus was still cultivating his martial arts.
That day, he had earned a few more breakthrough points, and the Hunting Beast Fist on his attribute panel had turned green. It appeared that only a few more points were needed to push the Hunting Beast Fist to perfection. Still, he hesitated to use them immediately—without proper nourishment, a breakthrough was impossible.
Lin Feng planned to use the family's fishing net at the small river beside the village to catch river shrimp. After collecting his catch, he would cook them by the river and then channel the breakthrough points into the Hunting Beast Fist—eating the shrimp afterward to stave off the hunger that always followed a breakthrough.
Before setting out, he practiced a set of the Hunting Beast Fist in the courtyard. A group of children, awakened by his movements, joined in with excited shouts of "hey ha, hey ha." Lin Feng paused his routine to guide them, and little Si Bao—aspiring to be a martial arts master—practiced with exceptional diligence, his determined expression hinting at promise.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng's wife, Zhou Chunlan, who was feeling much better after taking her medicine, sat up and watched the scene through the window, a gentle smile gradually emerging on her face. About half an hour later, Lin Feng's mother prepared breakfast and called everyone to eat.
When Lin Feng saw the modest spread—cornbread, thin rice porridge, and small pickles—he was momentarily speechless. The family's food had reverted to its original, meager state. The rice porridge was so watery that the few grains barely held together, earning it the name "running rice porridge." He understood his mother's frugality, born of a fear of poverty.
He thought, once he dealt with Old Wang next door, he would perfect the family's Hunting Bow Six Shots and then venture into the mountains for hunting, ensuring the children would never have to go without meat. For now, Lin Feng ate only one piece of cornbread, setting his chopsticks down deliberately. If he ate to his fill, the children might go hungry; he reserved his share for later, planning to supplement his meal with shrimp.
After his martial arts practice, his appetite had grown immensely—so much so that even without a breakthrough, he could easily consume eight or ten pieces of cornbread in one sitting. Looking at the skinny children, he declared, "Mom, from now on prepare meals with last night's portions. Don't worry about the grain—I promise our family will never lack it. I'll catch some fish later, and tonight we'll have stewed fish for dinner."
Before his mother could respond, San Bao Lin Yuhao, his eyes bright and mischievous, set down his chopsticks and announced, "I'm not eating—I'm saving my stomach for big fish tonight." One by one, the other children followed suit, leaving their chopsticks behind.
Exasperated, Lin's mother scolded, "Look what you've done—the children aren't eating!" Lin Feng picked up little Lin Yuhao, gently patting his deflated belly, and said, "You're the only one with a clever idea—you know how to save your stomach." Then he addressed all the children, "Everyone, eat up! Anyone who leaves food on their plate won't get any fish tonight."
After the meal, Lin Feng retrieved the family's fishing net and fish basket and collected some crude salt from the kitchen. With his net in hand, he stepped outside, leaving the children watching him with eager anticipation.
From behind, his mother called out, "Xiao Feng, be careful! Just go to the small ditch and catch some small fish—don't venture to the big river. They say dragons dwell there. Chen Erlengzi from the neighboring village went to the big river a few months ago and disappeared; they haven't even found his body yet."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm only heading to the East Ditch, east of the village." Still anxious, his mother suggested, "Why don't you have Hu Zi accompany you?" The reminder of Old Wang next door made Lin Feng hesitate—he preferred to have Lin Hu come over to play with the children. So he invited Lin Hu to his home, promising to stew fish for him that evening. Lin Hu agreed happily.
On his way, Old Li Gen, strolling in the eastern part of the village, called out kindly, "Xiao Feng, there aren't many fish left in the East Ditch. With everyone now fishing there because no one dares to go to the big river, you might not catch much." Lin Feng replied, "Uncle Li, how can fish in flowing water be so easily caught? I'm going to try my luck."
Soon, Lin Feng arrived at the East Ditch. The water was crystal clear, with sunlight penetrating its surface like countless twinkling stars. Although the East Ditch—a tributary of the big river—was only about one meter deep and three meters wide at its broadest point, it had once been a favorite play spot in childhood. However, with so many people fishing there, few fish remained.
Yet, Lin Feng was not after fish this time. He aimed to catch crabs and shrimp—the crustaceans locally dubbed "river bugs," which no one dared to eat. In a few sweeps of his net, he caught dozens of shrimp and several crabs. The shrimp were as thick as his thumb, and the crabs were larger than his fist—treats that had been expensive in his previous life, yet here were plentiful.
After gathering roughly a hundred shrimp, Lin Feng decided this would suffice for his breakthrough. He ventured into the woods beside the ditch to find dry firewood and soon discovered a flat stone slab. Using two smaller stones, he propped the slab on the pebble beach beside the water, fashioning a makeshift stove. He lit a fire directly underneath the stone. Once the slab was hot, he tossed the shrimp onto it. The sizzling sound and enticing aroma—more fragrant than any shrimp he had tasted before—filled the air.
He crushed the crude salt he had brought and sprinkled it over the shrimp. Within moments, they turned a golden brown. Concerned about parasites, he roasted them a bit longer, until he had perfectly prepared a hundred or so shrimp.
Satisfied, Lin Feng switched his attribute panel and allocated a breakthrough point to the Hunting Beast Fist. The descriptor behind it changed to "Great Accomplishment." Memories of his rigorous cultivation flooded back: training with a tree large enough to be used as a punching bag, practicing relentlessly for three years until he forcefully broke the tree; observing tigers, black bears, and other fierce predators to grasp the true essence of the Hunting Beast Fist; and one fateful day, killing a wild donkey over a hundred pounds with his bare hands to finally achieve the Great Accomplishment level.
Now, when employing the Great Accomplishment Hunting Beast Fist, his speed and strength doubled, and he emanated a beast-like aura that deterred foes. Almost immediately after the breakthrough, the familiar pang of hunger struck. Without hesitation, Lin Feng scooped up a fistful of roasted shrimp and devoured them. The shrimp's crispy skin and tender meat, perfectly roasted and seasoned, quenched his hunger as he swallowed nearly a hundred of them in one go.
Glancing at his attribute panel, he noted:
Name: Lin Feng
Life: 12 (representing his vitality and energy)
Martial Arts:
Hunting Bow Six Shots (Unranked) (Not Started)
Hunting Beast Fist (Unranked) (Great Accomplishment)
Mad Demon Staff Technique (Unranked) (Not Started)
Breakthrough Points: 0
At that moment, Lin Feng felt brimming with strength. Even without mastering the Hunting Bow Six Shots, he could venture into the mountains and hunt with his bare hands. After his breakthrough, he bathed in the stream and returned with a fish basket filled with shrimp and crabs—but not a single fish. Yet, in his eyes, shrimp and crabs were just as satisfying. He planned to have his mother, his wife, and his five treasures savor the roasted shrimp and steamed crabs he prepared.
There was more than enough shrimp in this stream to sustain him until he perfected the Hunting Beast Fist. His heart swelled with pride at reaching the Great Accomplishment level, and thoughts of the two-thousand taels reward from Old Wang next door stirred his resolve. However, when he considered the row of inferior martial arts on Old Wang's attribute panel, he dismissed any rash ideas. Without a master to guide him, he could not yet fathom the gap between unranked martial arts and inferior martial arts. Even if a gap existed, his perfected Hunting Beast Fist should easily overcome it. Besides, Old Wang was severely injured and in desperate need of assistance—barely even 10% of his former skills remained.
In the end, Lin Feng's plan was clear: he would take decisive action only once his Hunting Beast Fist reached perfection.