Start your cultivation journey by allocating points to your Destiny.

The next day, Lu Chen got out of bed early.

Lu Ming and Lu Tang hadn't had much rest lately and were still sleeping.

After washing up, he stood in the courtyard, stretched his body a little, picked up the bamboo spear leaning against the wall, and practiced thrusting for a while.

With the help of the entry, Lu Chen was able to accurately pierce the hanging straw ball with every strike.

The accuracy has greatly improved.

After practicing for a while, he warmed up his body completely, then put down the bamboo spear and picked up some small stones in the yard to test his throwing skills at the minor mastery level.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard, I found some weeds about ten steps away outside the house as my target. Without even aiming properly, I raised my hand and shot.

The stems of that fleabane plant were broken off by the stones.

"It's really good!"

Stepping outside, the sun had not yet risen; the sky was still dimly lit, and some red clouds and rosy hues could already be seen in the distance.

"They say if there's a red sky at morning, go out! Does that mean it's going to rain?"

Lu Chen took a deep breath.

In the countryside of ancient times, the air was so fresh.

It also smelled like cow dung.

Holding a handful of pebbles, he went to the side of the house, where there were many trees and birds chirping.

Lu Chen observed carefully and identified a bird with black and white speckles on the back of its neck.

It kept making that "gugugu" sound.

After taking a few steps forward, Lu Chen found an unobstructed spot, weighed the pebble in his hand, his eyes sharpening instantly, and then he hurled the pebble.

"Whoosh!"

The pebble flew like an arrow and struck the plump bird with a whoosh.

That was a turtledove.

Before it could even make a sound, it was hit by the stone and sent flying, falling off the tree.

The other birds were startled by the noise and flew away in a flurry.

Lu Chen didn't mind and quickly ran to where the dove had landed, happily picking it up.

The dove's head and neck were dented by the stone.

"It's quite heavy, probably around half a pound?"

Lu Chen was a little surprised.

He had only heard that doves were quite nutritious, but he had never eaten them before. He had only eaten pigeons, but he never expected them to be this heavy.

"Braised pigeon for lunch!"

He smiled.

If Xiao Cheng's throwing is this strong, what about Da Cheng?

Could it be like a bullet?

Or perhaps a cannonball?

"Brother, what's that in your hand?"

Lu Ming woke up sleepily, still rubbing his eyes, when he saw Lu Chen returning from outside.

He was exhausted yesterday, but young boys recover quickly. He's been eating well these past two days, and when he woke up, all the fatigue from yesterday had vanished.

"It's a turtledove, we just knocked it down with a stone, hehe, we'll eat it for lunch!"

Lu Ming's eyes widened instantly, and he immediately perked up.

A turtledove? Throwing stones at a turtledove?

Children his age have all tried to throw stones at birds, but very few succeed; they can't even catch a sparrow.

But my brother has already hit two birds in the last two days!

He thought of the meat he had eaten yesterday and couldn't help but swallow.

Although there weren't many seasonings and the taste was just average, it was still meat!

He might not get to eat this more than a few times a year!

You must learn your brother's technique well so he can shoot birds in the future!

"Brother, give it to me, I'll do it, I'll go boil water and pluck the feathers!"

Lu Ming was very excited.

Lu Tang, who woke up later, also became fully awake and started working with her second brother.

Lu Chen made breakfast, and the three of them had just finished eating when they heard crying sounds coming from outside.

He was very curious.

Whose child is being beaten so early in the morning?

The voices grew closer, and I even heard a familiar name.

Uncle Huaiyi?

Could this be someone coming to see me?

Lu Chen had a guess in his mind.

Sure enough, Lu Huaiyi was carrying a load on a shoulder pole, with his wife and children in tow, and in front of him was Lu Chengzong, who was sobbing and wiping away tears.

An old man named Lu Xiande walked slowly up from behind.

He is the patriarch of the Lu family.

He was also a cousin of Lu Chen's grandfather, Lu Zhong.

There were also some villagers watching the play, whispering among themselves in the distance.

"Xiao Chen, are you home? Have you eaten? How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

Lu Huaiyi put down his things and asked.

"Uncle Huaiyi, I just finished eating, I'm fine."

Seeing that Lu Chengzong was still standing there, Lu Huaiyi got angry again and couldn't help but slap Lu Chengzong on the back of the head.

Lu Chengzong looked at his mother, at a loss.

His mother whispered, "Kneel down and kowtow to your brother Chen to thank him, why are you looking at me!"

Lu Chengzong sniffled, sobbed, knelt down, and was about to kowtow to Lu Chen.

"What are you doing?" Lu Chen asked helplessly, reaching out to pull Lu Chengzong up. "Chengzong, get up!"

Lu Xiande walked over from behind.

Upon seeing Lu Xiande, Lu Chen quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Grandpa De, what brings you here! Come in quickly, don't just stand at the door!"

"Come see you! Chengzong nearly drowned yesterday. If it weren't for you, that brat would probably be..." Lu Xiande shook his head and said to Lu Huaiyi, "Huaiyi, give Xiaochen his things to put at home."

Lu Huaiyi then put the things he was carrying on his shoulder into the yard.

Two baskets.

Lu Chen glanced at it.

It seems to contain grains, and possibly some cured meat as well.

It's probably a thank-you gift for saving people yesterday.

"Grandpa De, this is unacceptable! We're family, and you helped me when my mother passed away. Besides, no one would stand idly by in Chengzong's situation!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiande was deeply moved.

good boy!

Unfortunately, his life was too bitter.

His cousin Lu Chong and his wife died young from the plague.

Lu Hai, that boy, was originally a skilled hunter in the village. After marrying Luo, he earned enough in just a few years to build this big brick and tile house for his family, and they lived a very prosperous life.

Unfortunately, they encountered a bear on the mountain and injured their hand, forcing them to abandon the hunt. Then, they encountered a rainstorm while gathering herbs.

In just a few years, all the adults in the family passed away, leaving only these three children to depend on each other for survival.

"Alright, take it. It's just some cheap stuff. You were injured yourself, yet you still went into the water to save someone. You can't forget that kindness!"

Lu Xiande waved his hand, not giving Lu Chen a chance to speak, and then looked at Lu Chengzong, "Chengzong, kneel down and kowtow to your brother Chen. Remember, your life was saved by your brother Chen!"

Lu Chengzong immediately knelt down and banged his head several times.

Seeing this, Lu Chen stopped refusing.

"The money you borrowed when your mother passed away will be wiped clean."

Lu Huaiyi also stepped forward and placed an IOU in Lu Chen's hand.

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then solemnly said, "Thank you, Grandpa De, thank you, Uncle Huaiyi!"

"Yeah, you three, life's tough for you. If you need anything, remember to come to me!"

Lu Xiande prepared to leave.

Lu Chen suddenly said, "Grandpa De, there's something I really want to discuss with you!"

Lu Xiande was a little surprised.

"What is it?"

"That's right, I..."

He immediately said what he had thought about beforehand.

He reopened the private school in the village and taught the village children to read and do arithmetic.

On the one hand, it gives me something to do, and on the other hand, it allows me to earn some food.

On the other hand, they were thinking about increasing their life points.

"Reopen the private school?" Lu Xiande lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. "I have no objection to that, but..."

He had already planned to reopen the private school, but he was worried that Lu Chen's level was not high enough and that he might mislead the students.

"My mother and I studied for a few years. I'm not good at teaching classics, but I can teach some commonly used characters. I also have some knowledge of arithmetic. How about I give a trial lesson tomorrow, and you can sit in and see how I perform?"

Lu Xiande was somewhat surprised by Lu Chen's words.

In his memory, Lu Chen was a quiet and stubborn person.

It looks good now!

"Okay, then tomorrow morning, at the old private school, I'll find a few children, and you can teach them. The old sand table can still be used after some simple repairs."

The group chatted in Lu Chen's courtyard for a while before leaving.

Lu Chen was also quite happy.

I found a job that allows me to obtain life points.

"I wonder if becoming an executioner would give me a lot of lives, or if joining the army would probably give me a lot of lives too?"

As Lu Chen was thinking, he suddenly heard a piercing sound coming from outside the door.

"Hey, Xiao Chenzi, you've made some money! You even have enough to buy cured meat?"

Several carefree young men were leaning against the wall, their faces full of wicked smiles.

This was a notorious scoundrel in the village, indulging in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, and whoring. He harassed women, stole chickens and ducks, and was lazy and gluttonous. Everyone in the village loathed and hated him.

After joining the county's Green Bamboo Gang, these men became even more unscrupulous, and it is said that they have murdered people on their hands.

If they weren't still somewhat mindful of the clan authority in the village, they would have dared to run rampant in the village long ago.

But now it's just as impressive.

"Is there something you need?"

Lu Chen didn't remember having any prior interaction with them.

"Oh, still dare to talk so arrogantly? You were beaten half to death like a dog just a few days ago, have you already forgotten?"

The one in the lead was called Lu San. He had his chest exposed, and a dragon tattoo that went past his shoulder could be vaguely seen.

He was also proud of it and often showed off the dragon tattoo.

Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the four of them and shooed Lu Ming and Lu Tang, who had already sensed the danger and quietly took out a wood-chopping knife and a kitchen knife, back into the house.

"You all go inside first. Don't worry, don't forget I'll... go in!"

Lu Chen glanced at Lu Ming, whose face was tense, and Lu Ming understood.

He was still a little worried, but he knew that there was nothing he could do if he and his sister were there, so he pulled the sulking Lu Tang back into the house.

"Tch, a little brat dares to carry a knife? Who does he think he's scaring?"

Lu San's face darkened, he sneered, and beckoned to Lu Si.

Lu Si understood and took out an IOU.

"Look, this is the IOU you owe Young Master Li, a total of ten taels of silver! My Green Bamboo Gang will buy this IOU." Lu San unfolded the IOU, waved it in front of Lu Chen, and then put it away.

"You've been in arrears for five days, and now the interest is two taels. We four brothers have gone through all the trouble of collecting this debt, and you still owe us three taels of silver as a running fee, making it a total of 15 taels of silver!"

Lu San said with a grin.

Behind him, Teng Jun and Luo Yong also stared at Lu Chen with smiles.

Lu Si walked straight into the courtyard, glanced at the load of grain and the few pieces of cured meat, clicked his tongue, and put his arm around Lu Chen.

"Little Chenzi, that's not fair of you. You have money to buy meat, but not money to pay us brothers back?"

Lu Chen's eyes were a little cold. He moved to the side, avoiding Lu Si's arm, and spoke calmly.

"This was given to me by the clan chief. Besides, I don't owe anyone money, and this IOU is completely fabricated. If you want your money back, you might as well go and report it to the authorities!"

He stared blankly at Lu San and Lu Si, then turned his gaze to Teng Jun and Luo Yong, as if trying to memorize their faces and features.

"I have something to do now, you can leave!"

Lu San looked at his brothers in disbelief, as if he'd heard a joke, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, look, look! This kid's got guts! Are you really not afraid of death or what? Paying back debts is a matter of course, it's written in black and white, you can't possibly renege on your debt, can you?"

"Besides, do you know who Young Master Li is? His father is the county magistrate. If he wants to report us to the authorities, fine, why don't you come with us now and see if the magistrate will believe us or you?"

Lu San was very arrogant.

Lu Chen is nothing but a sickly fellow, someone I could crush with a flick of my wrist. How dare he talk to me like this?

"No money! Who owes you money? Go find them."

Lu Chen was starting to lose his temper.

If there weren't so many people around, and if we had really taken out these four here, he wouldn't have been able to escape.

"It's okay if you don't have money. You still have a house, right? And you have a few acres of paddy fields, don't you?"

Lu San smirked, spat on the ground, and then looked at Lu Chen with a wicked grin: "Besides, your sister isn't young anymore. You can't support her anyway, so why not just sell her to us? I can find her a good family!"

Lu Chen's eyes turned completely cold as he glanced at the ground.

"roll!"

He bent down, picked up the wood-chopping knife his sister had left on the ground, and swung it at Lu Si, who was wandering around the yard, touching and kicking things here and there.

Lu Si's pupils suddenly contracted.

Holy crap, you really dare to chop me up?

He was so scared he almost peed himself, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he fled in panic.

Lu Chen chased after him out of the yard, yelling, "Fuck your mothers, die!"

Lu San and Teng Jun were also incredulous. Seeing the murderous aura on Lu Chen's face, they dared not linger and ran around in panic.

"Lu Chen, you're fucking asking for death! You just wait!"

Even after losing the fight, Lu San refused to back down and continued to utter threats.

Lu Chen simply stood beside the house, quietly watching the direction in which they had gone.

That should be Teng Jun's house.

Teng Jun has no family; he is an orphan and lives alone.

His house was where the group of them gathered.

"Should we kill them in the dark tonight?"

Lu Chen wondered how he could sever ties with the situation.

After thinking for a while, I saw an old man coming down the road.

The old man was tall, but somewhat thin, and his hair was half white.

Second Grandfather?