Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Ye Ci left half a box for Mu Mu, picked up the remaining half box of pastries, and headed to her second aunt's house.

Waves of wheat rippled along the roadside ridges, carrying a sweet fragrance in the wind. We soon arrived at our destination.

Ye Ci called out "Yao Yao," and a small figure immediately jumped out from the corner of the courtyard.

She had two pigtails and her face was still covered in dirt. When she saw the pastry box in Ye Ci's hand, her eyes lit up instantly, and she rushed over to grab his sleeve.

Ye Ci opened the box and, smiling, popped a piece into her mouth.

"Brother! It's so sweet!"

Yao Yao's eyes curved into crescent moons as she mumbled, "So delicious!"

Seeing her joyful face, Ye Ci felt a warmth in his heart. Then he saw his second aunt come out of the inner room carrying a stack of clothes.

She was injured by Li Dabiao a while ago and her body was weak. Later, she caught a cold and has been staying at home these days. Her grandmother, Li, usually brings them rice and noodles.

"Auntie, have a taste..."

Hearing the noise, the aunt, who had been lost in thought, finally looked up.

Upon closer inspection of the "Pinweizhai" box, his eyes widened, and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him:

"Yaoyao!...Do you know how expensive this is? You just eat it..."

Ye Ci quickly stopped her second aunt and handed her the clothes she had bought:

"Besides food, there are also new clothes..."

"You...this..."

My aunt was rambling incoherently, her hands almost having nowhere to go.

"Second Aunt, take it... Don't worry, I can still earn back the money for food and clothing."

Ye Ci smiled and popped another piece of osmanthus cake into Yao Yao's mouth:

"Don't worry about the price, your brother's here."

When Yao Yao heard that it was very expensive, her little mouth was stuck shut as if it were glued together, and she didn't even dare to chew. But when she heard her brother say this, she secretly glanced at her mother and swallowed a mouthful.

Just then, there was a noise at the door. Unexpectedly, it was Niu Erdan standing there, holding a roasted sweet potato, intending to please Yao Yao.

He immediately spotted the pastry box from "Pinweizhai" and silently hid the sweet potato behind his back, standing awkwardly at the doorway, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Ye Ci glanced at him: "It's about time to harvest the rice, isn't it..."

"The harvest is already underway. You don't have many acres of land, so I can finish it in a few days."

Niu Erdan patted his chest and said.

Ye Ci nodded: "I need to practice martial arts in the county and I don't have time to come back on weekdays. I'm very grateful to you for helping my family with farm work. I'll pay you back for your work later."

"What kind of wages are you talking about!"

Niu Erdan's face suddenly turned red. Ye Ci had previously told his second aunt that he wanted Niu Erdan to help out, and that he would pay him later. At the time, he had foolishly agreed.

When he got home, this simpleton finally realized that Brother Ye was giving him a chance! Talking about money hurts feelings... but now he can't bring himself to say it.

"By the way, Brother Ye, I heard that learning martial arts costs a lot of money. Many people find it very difficult to even learn a basic move, let alone develop real strength. Many people buy medicinal baths and supplements..."

He knew a little about martial arts, and finally awkwardly said, "I've saved up some money, how about I support you for now? I think you can definitely master it."

Anyone who can take on four opponents can be trained to do so!

Niu Erdan knew perfectly well that he had to make Ye Ge'er happy, just like he did with Yao Yao.

But when he saw the pastry box from "Pinweizhai", he felt uneasy, as if he was about to lose his nerve.

Brother Ye?!

Auntie felt a little dazed, as if Ye Ci was only eighteen years old and Niu Erdan was almost thirty-six.

As for what Niu Erdan meant by "strength," she had never heard of it.

She doesn't know how to practice martial arts, but she knows it's very expensive.

Originally, she didn't want to have anything to do with Niu Erdan, but when she heard that she was going to provide financial assistance to Ye Ci, she remained silent.

In fact, the woman simply didn't say it.

When news of Li Dabiao's death arrived that day, she began to have doubts about the whereabouts of Ye Ci and Niu Erdan.

As a woman, she didn't want to cause trouble, and she also hoped that someone would be willing to sponsor Ye Ci so that Ye Ci could improve his martial arts skills.

In this way, if the Black Tiger Gang were to retaliate against Ye Ci, he would have the ability to protect himself.

"I don't need your financial assistance!"

Ye Ci patted his shoulder: "If you're willing, could you help me take care of things here, and also my grandma's place? I'll need your help with things like paying taxes and running errands."

"Then it's my duty."

Niu Erdan nodded repeatedly. After speaking, he was secretly pleased. He had prepared at home for several days and successfully picked up where Ye Ci left off.

This time, what he said made no mistake.

"I'm leaving now."

Ye Ci pinched Yao Yao's little face: "I'll bring you something delicious next time."

After saying that, he left first, and after a few steps, Niu Erdan chased after him from behind.

"Brother Ye, let me tell you something. Don't go out of the county lately, it's very chaotic. Also... today the county's grain official was in the fields, and the harvested grain was taken away directly. He said he increased the tax by 30%, but actually we're barely left with enough food to eat."

I did the math, and according to the government's tax collection methods, this year's harvest is essentially wasted, and they might even have to pay out of pocket. Many farming families will definitely have to perform corvée labor to offset their taxes this year.

"What do you mean? Do you mean we don't have enough food?"

"No, no, that's not it... Ah, it's not enough either, ah, that's not it either!"

Niu Erdan waved his hands repeatedly and whispered, "I asked the grain officer, and he said that the war in the south is urgent, the barbarians are going to attack, and the border troops need a lot of military rations. The second is, rebels, they say it's called the Great Righteous Army causing trouble, anyway, things are not peaceful outside the county, and the villages are not allowed to keep much grain."

"I overheard for a while and was thinking... I've saved up some money over the years and I'm planning to rent a small house in the city for about one or two taels of silver a month. I'd like to bring your second aunt and Yao Yao there to avoid trouble for a while."

"Anyway, once the rice harvest is over, it'll be the off-season for farming. I also know a little carpentry, so I can find work in the county. If I'm free next spring, I'll come back to farm. It's definitely safer living in the county; the city walls are high, and the rebels can't break in."

"Barbarians are attacking? Rebels?"

Ye Ci pondered for a moment: "You can ask my second aunt yourself. You don't need to discuss it with me. As long as they are willing, I have no objection."

The evening light gradually faded, and the evening breeze grew cooler.

Ye Ci didn't say anything more and turned back alone.

He felt that the world was truly in chaos, with too many rebels, and why couldn't they be killed off at the execution ground?

Even living a peaceful life is so troublesome.

We still need to focus on improving our strength. In chaotic times, only by practicing martial arts can we protect ourselves.

******

The next day.

When Ye Ci arrived at the outer courtyard, many disciples were already practicing standing meditation.

I heard that Xiao Hua was favored by several wealthy families yesterday, and the gifts they sent were all quite valuable. In addition, some of his fellow disciples were also chosen, and some even received a monthly salary of twenty taels.

These young people deeply felt that practicing martial arts could change their destiny.

Ye Ci silently walked to the sidelines, stood still, took a deep breath, and began to repeatedly cultivate his qi and blood.

Sweat soaked through his back as his muscles continued to work.

[Introduction to Rock-Solid Pile (792/800)]

Today, even Wang De tried harder, hoping to develop his strength, but his first attempt was enough to stop 80% of the people.

It must be admitted that some people are geniuses, like Adam Silver.

Looking at Ye Ci's sweat-soaked body, Wang De felt a deep sense of admiration.

Being ruthless to yourself is true ruthlessness.

Unfortunately, hard work alone is not enough for the path of martial arts.

However, after spending this time together, Wang De was more eager than anyone else for Ye Ci to develop his strength.

Besides admiration, there was also the fact that Ye Ci was the boss that Wang De recognized.

Wang De had complained to others behind his back that his master was blind. Now that he had said it, if the eldest brother didn't master the skills, people would laugh at him, the second brother, for being stupid.

Ye Ci was unaware of these things; he simply had a firm will and constantly used stance training and breathing exercises to refine his qi and blood.

Proficiency continues to increase.

More than an hour later, Ye Ci suddenly felt a golden light flash before his eyes.

[Small Completion of Rock-Solid Stake (1/2000)]

Accompanied by waves of warm currents surging throughout his body, it felt as if his internal organs had been unlocked, his bones and muscles cracked, and his whole body was filled with a warm and resilient power that seeped into his dantian from the outside in.

At that moment, countless eyes turned towards us.

Ye Ci felt as if all his strength had been suppressed to the extreme, and he instinctively threw a punch.

It erupted...

A piercing sound as it cuts through the air.