Chapter 31: The Wisdom of the Old Village Chief

The seventh day of the first lunar month!

The eighth day of the first lunar month!

The ninth day of the first lunar month!

……

By the lake of Linhu Village, Lin Chen and Lu Yongfeng and the other three practiced against each other every day, verifying their shortcomings.

From the fifth day, the three of them stayed directly in Linhu Village. Lin Chen's home couldn't accommodate them, so the village chief found a family with many rooms and arranged accommodation for the three.

Zhao Jingchuan even asked his father to send meals to Linhu Village every day, all of which were poultry meat that nourished Qi and blood. Although it couldn't compare to black muntjac meat, one meal cost two taels of silver.

Three meals a day, that's six taels.

This money was not paid by Zhao Jingchuan alone. Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying also privately gave Zhao Jingchuan silver.

Although the three didn't say it explicitly, Lin Chen was who he was. Just from the language and attitude of Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying, he could guess roughly.

If it was all Zhao Jingchuan's family spending money, youths have thin skin. With the nature of Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying, they would definitely appear a bit embarrassed, and would even agree on when to invite back.

But Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying didn't, so there was only one possibility: the three meal money, the two of them also paid.

Not telling him was because the three of them thought of his ordinary family background and didn't want him to pay this money.

In a sense, this was also a kind of help from Zhao Jingchuan and the other three to him.

Lin Chen didn't expose it. He really didn't have money, and under his influence, the technique proficiency of Zhao Jingchuan and the other three also increased by a large margin, which could be considered his contribution.

Help each other and progress together.

The fourteenth day of the first lunar month!

"Senior Brother Lin, we won't come tomorrow. The three of us plan to enter the city early and take the opportunity to see the excitement of the Lantern Festival in the city. Would you like to go together?"

By the lake, the sunset fell. Zhao Jingchuan and the other three didn't follow Lin Chen back to the village this time.

"Our village has a God-inviting ritual tomorrow, and the village chief specifically instructed me to stay in the village."

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is not only the Lantern Festival but also the festival to invite the Lake God.

All villagers living by the lake will invite the Lake God into the lake on this day to protect the coming year with favorable weather.

Lu Yongfeng and the other three felt a bit regretful when they heard Lin Chen wasn't going, but young people don't have so much parting sorrow, and Lin Chen would only enter the city a day or two late, so there would be plenty of time to gather in the city in the future.

After sending off Zhao Jingchuan and the other three, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered: "Panel."

【Name: Lin Chen】

【Profession: Martial Practitioner】

【Stage: Aperture-Opening Stage (1/24)】

【Qingfeng Palm: Entered (180/200)】

【Fate: 【Water Flows to Form a Channel】: First Stage of the Martial Way, persistent and persevering, progressing step-by-step, advancing like a broken bamboo, no trouble with bottlenecks.】

【Martial Way Title: Black Horse to the End】

【Black Horse to the End: The situation is not yet settled; you and I are both black horses. Wearing this medal, in the dark of night, Martial Way comprehension and perception are enhanced.】

Seeing the progress of the Qingfeng Palm, Lin Chen also had anticipation in his eyes. According to the current progress, before reporting to the Martial Hall, the Qingfeng Palm would be able to reach the Proficient stage.

He was able to enter the Qingfeng Palm in less than a month, and the "Black Horse to the End" title played a role, but more of it was his diligent practice.

The comprehension bonus provided by "Black Horse to the End" was more in the later stages of martial arts technique practice.

The booklet given by Yu Yu Jiaoxi Yu described that for students practicing martial arts techniques, although there are fast and slow in the early stages of entering and proficiency, even those with poor comprehension can reach proficiency by relying on diligent practice. Diligence can make up for clumsiness, and the gap will not be very large.

Only after reaching proficiency, wanting to impact mastery or even higher stages later, relying on diligent practice is useless. At this time, comprehension is needed.

"If I can practice the Qingfeng Palm to the Proficient stage within a month of entering the Martial Hall, even if I only open one aperture, I won't be at a disadvantage when facing those who have opened two apertures."

In terms of Martial Way stage, Lin Chen knew he couldn't compare to those with wealthy family backgrounds. The blessing provided by the 【Water Flows to Form a Channel】 Fate was in the middle and late stages of each stage.

In the early stage, he needed to find a way himself.

……

……

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Lake God-inviting ritual began.

Several strong men in the village carried the Lake God statue to the fishing boat pier by the lake. The whole village followed behind, holding incense candles and yellow paper.

"Little Chen, come forward."

The village chief who presided over the ritual beckoned to Lin Chen in the crowd, and the villagers standing in front of Lin Chen immediately cleared a passage.

"Last year, you invited the Lake God into the village, and this year you will send the Lake God."

Facing the village chief's invitation, Lin Chen didn't decline. He walked to the Lake God statue, lit incense and worshipped: "Lin Chen, a descendant of Linhu Village, today invites the Lake God to open his eyes and enter the lake, protecting the people of Linhu Village to have a bumper harvest in the year!"

After finishing, Lin Chen inserted the incense into the incense burner, then grasped a corner of the red cloth covering the statue, and slowly lifted it up.

The red cloth can only be lifted, not pulled!

Lin Chen got these rituals from the original body's memory, so he naturally wouldn't make a mistake at this time.

"Light the firecrackers, invite the Lake God into the lake!"

The red cloth was lifted, Lin Chen shouted loudly, and the villagers on the scene cheered in unison. Villagers had already lit the firecrackers that had been laid out.

Regardless of how the family harvest was last year, even the villagers whose harvest was not good, smiles appeared on their faces at this moment.

Inviting God, rather than saying it is superstition, it is better to say it is the villagers' anticipation for the new year.

And those youths in the village who had not yet reached the age of learning martial arts looked at Lin Chen with extremely hot gazes. They also wanted to be as majestic and dazzling as Brother Lin Chen.

The village chief standing on the side took in the gazes of the youths in the village, and there was satisfaction in his eyes.

It's a pity, if Lin Chaoyang hadn't been senile, today's presiding ritual should have been the glory of the entire Lin family, instead of pretending to be sick and staying at home not daring to come out.

After the ritual was completed, Lin Chen returned home.

Even though today was a festive day, he still wouldn't delay practicing martial arts.

An hour later, the village chief pushed open the courtyard gate.

Lin Chen looked at the village chief in confusion, only to see the village chief take out a money bag and a booklet, smiling: "Little Chen, tomorrow is the day you go to the county town's Martial Hall to study. The villagers in our village discussed it and raised a sum of money for you, hoping that you will practice diligently in the Martial Hall and not live up to everyone's expectations."

"Village chief……"

Lin Chen was a bit surprised. He didn't expect the villagers to raise money for him, and he hadn't heard his parents mention this matter.

"The money is not much, totaling thirty taels, raised by 132 households in our village. The amount given by each family is recorded on it. The first two names on the list are martial practitioners who went out from our village. Even now, they have opened their apertures. Hearing that you joined the Martial Hall, they specifically entrusted someone to send the silver to me."

Taking the money bag and account book handed over by the village chief, Lin Chen flipped through the account book, which was full of the names of every villager.

Teng Xing's family: two taels.

Zheng Xuan's family: two taels.

Gu Hai's family: 1300 wen.

Yang Fan's family: 600 wen.

Li Sixi's family: 366 wen.

……

……

Looking at these numbers and the names of every family, Lin Chen's eyes were slightly red. He took a deep breath and solemnly put away the booklet.

"Lin Chen will definitely not live up to this thick love from the elders in the village."

He was truly moved. Although the weather had been favorable for these years and every household in the village had some surplus money, human nature is selfish. Who is willing to take out money for another family?

"Study well, let those martial halls see, who said that the village can't produce Martial Way powerhouses? The Provincial Graduate Jiang could do it back then, and I believe Little Chen you can do it too."

Lin Chen looked at the village chief with surprise. The village chief's words were pointing at something.

The village chief patted Lin Chen on the shoulder. On the third day of the first lunar month, he heard some clues from the words of those young masters, so he ran to the town chief's house and wouldn't leave, grinding the town chief to inquire about the Martial Hall enrollment situation this year.

Only then did he know that Lin Chen was almost not picked by the Martial Hall, just because these martial halls felt that Lin Chen's family background was ordinary and he couldn't go far on the path of the Martial Way.

This made him so angry that he cursed these martial hall instructors for having eyes but not seeing people at the town chief's house. After returning, he went door-to-door to persuade everyone in the village to raise money for Lin Chen, including the two who lived in the city, whom he personally wrote to inform.

Your martial hall doesn't want Lin Chen because his family background is poor, so our Linhu Village will raise money for Lin Chen.

This money must be raised, and it is worth raising.

During these days, he specifically observed Lin Chen. He was not proud or slacked off because he joined the Martial Hall, nor did he lose his spirit because he was discriminated against by the Martial Hall. He still practiced martial arts diligently every day.

Even those young masters in town were convinced by Lin Chen.

Having this mentality at this age, at least he could reach the Organ Cultivation Stage on the Martial Way.

The Provincial Graduate Jiang rose too fast back then, and the Jiang family was an outsider, having no deep feelings for the village, but even so, he still won ten years of benefits for Linhu Village.

Now that the village finally produced a second one with hope on the Martial Way, everyone helping Lin Chen, Lin Chen will remember the village's kindness.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 32 =====