Chapter 265: One and a Half Years

After Zhang Ping'an cured Qian Xiaohu's stutter, the brothers—especially believing him to be an expert in Internal Force—felt not just gratitude, but even more so, awe.

This left Zhang Ping'an quite helpless, but he would still go to their home from time to time to spar; regardless, both were thick-skinned and sturdy, and since Zhang Ping'an didn't use his full strength, they could trade blows back and forth for a while.

"Brother Zhang, actually, I practice the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, which was taught to me by a wandering martial artist in our village before."

"He said that when I practice until the external turns into the internal, I can become an Internal Force expert. Of course, if I can't reach that by age twenty, there's basically no hope. I have one year left, so it's not very likely, but my younger brother is still young. Sigh, forget it, his talent isn't even as good as mine."

It seemed these two silly boys had been fooled quite badly; no wonder the looks they gave him were full of worship.

"Ahem, I'll teach you a martial art, but you must do something for me in the future."

"Thump."

"Master is above, please accept your disciple's kowtow."

They had always liked martial arts, but the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill they currently practiced only allowed them to passively take hits; they were impatient to learn a martial art that allowed them to take the initiative.

Moreover, they already owed Zhang Ping'an enough that they didn't mind owing more; after all, one doesn't itch from too many lice, and one doesn't worry about too much debt. Besides, Zhang Ping'an was at least ten years older than them and possessed great strength, so he was more than qualified to be their master.

"Hmm, get up." Zhang Ping'an had wanted to stop them, but then thought that having a layer of status to bind them was also good.

Zhang Ping'an's current plan was to train them up and take them to Xiangjiang along with his master's family, so at the very least, they could look out for one another.

The current environment in Xiangjiang was not safe, and with the two brothers around, Zhang Ping'an could feel much more at ease.

"Dahu, Xiaohu, the task I have for you might require leaving Sijiucheng and going to a rather chaotic place."

"Chaos is good!" Not only were these two guys not afraid, but they were also eager to try.

That was true, what was that saying? When one harbors a sharp weapon, a desire to kill arises; which person who knows martial arts is a law-abiding soul?

"Good. Dahu, hand over your work to the others; for the next year, I will train you well."

"You got it, Master!"

For a month, Zhang Ping'an used waste bricks to enclose the ruins of the East Wing Room and West Wing Room where they lived, and began teaching them the most fierce and overbearing Level Eight Fist.

Daily food and Medicinal Bath were indispensable. In half a year, Qian Xiaohu transformed from a thin, half-grown boy into a sturdy man, and Qian Dahu was the same, becoming even bulkier.

Zhang Ping'an spared no effort in cultivating them, doing everything by the book, otherwise they wouldn't have had such a great transformation.

The remaining eight people also enjoyed the same benefits, all changing from their previously thin and gaunt selves to having faces full of collagen.

Zhang Ping'an had simplified the Eighty-one Forms of Body Refining; now there were only Thirty-six Forms, and they had already practiced halfway through.

It had to be said that these two guys still had some martial talent; previously, their food intake couldn't keep up, and they simply had no extra energy to train.

Now, under Zhang Ping'an's infinite supply and the stimulation of medical treatment, they weren't afraid of getting hurt, so their strength naturally progressed by leaps and bounds.

"Not bad. In half a year, one can no longer recognize your former selves. Come, let's spar."

The brothers had gone from being beaten at the start to now having the power to fight back; now, they could hold out for ten minutes against Zhang Ping'an's thirty percent strength.

"Master, you're too monstrous. Is this the 'endless flow' of Internal Force in internal martial arts? When will I be able to reach this realm?"

"..."

"Stop fooling around. For the next year and a half, I will send you to the mountains behind my hometown to fight with wolf packs and Wild Boar."

They hadn't seen blood yet; in the end, they were still just showy. Only after being stained with blood could Level Eight Fist undergo a transformation.

In the evening, Zhang Ping'an pedaled his tricycle, taking the two of them out from the Back Mountain. By the time they entered the deep mountains, it was pitch black, and as they walked, they entered Zhang Ping'an's space.

"This is where you will survive for the next half year. The food inside is enough for you to eat, and there are changes of clothes and various trauma medicines."

"There are many wild wolves, Wild Boar, and even big cats and black bears on the mountain here. Your time from now on will be spent fighting them."

"Gulp."

"Good luck."

After Zhang Ping'an finished speaking, he walked out of the cave, and the Qian brothers then began to examine this stone chamber.

"Xiaohu, we must keep our backs to each other from now on. I'm afraid this place is truly as Master said—full of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards. I seem to smell the scent of a primeval forest."

"Mm, Big Brother, let's rest quickly and conserve our energy. We'll start the rest tomorrow. Hehe, I can't wait."

"Good."

The cave was located halfway up the highest peak in the space. Zhang Ping'an had already arranged a circle of giant wolves around the cave for sparring, followed by Wild Boar; this could fully stimulate their speed and strength.

In the blink of an eye, they had stayed in the space for a year and a half, while a month and a half had passed in the outside world. It was the end of the year, and the aura on the two of them had become much fiercer, with many more scars on their bodies.

"Don't you have trauma medicine? Why aren't you applying it?"

"Hehe, Master, scars are a man's medals. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger."

Zhang Ping'an was speechless; he didn't know who these brothers had learned these 'chuuni' remarks from.

"Come here, let me see." Zhang Ping'an took their pulses; fortunately, their physical fitness was strong enough that they hadn't developed any hidden ailments.

"Alright, let's go. Pack up, get ready to go home for the New Year."

"You got it! I haven't seen my younger siblings in over a year, and I've prepared quite a few gifts for them."

In this month and a half, the two of them had killed ten wolves and two Wild Boar; the wolf skins, wolf teeth, and boar tusks had all been processed by them.

"What year and a half? Only a month or so has passed."

"What? How is that possible?"

"In the mountains, there is no calendar; in cultivation, there is no time. It's normal that you couldn't feel the passage of time in the mountains."

"Oh." The two nodded, a bit suspicious.

When they came out, it was still dark. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the two sighed.

"The air in the mountains still smells more comfortable."

"Yeah, no wonder books say those who cultivate like to be in deep mountains and old forests."

Half an hour later, Zhang Ping'an sent them home.

"Have a good New Year. After the New Year, we will set off at any time. I will arrange for your younger siblings; five of them are already working now."

"Alright, thank you, Master."

"Mm, go on."

The two brothers' first action upon returning home was to check the calendar, and they discovered that, just as their master had said, only a month and a half had passed; yet, they had kept a daily record of how many days had passed by carving marks in the stone chamber, and the two did not match at all.

The brothers suddenly seemed to think of something, exchanged a glance, and felt even more awe toward Zhang Ping'an in their hearts.

Zhang Ping'an naturally knew about the records those two silly boys had kept in the stone chamber, but he was not afraid; whatever they imagined on their own would only make them more grateful and awestruck toward him.

As for Jia Youwei, after more than half a year of digestion, the mechanical knowledge in his brain had been thoroughly mastered and integrated, and his realization through practice had become even more profound; coupled with an engineer guiding him hand-in-hand on the side, the outline of the motorcycle had already emerged.

"Hahaha, Youwei, in another half a year, the motorcycle will be just about ready to be cobbled together."

"Hehe, that's right."

Jia Youwei was also filled with a sense of accomplishment at this moment; after all, being able to turn the theoretical knowledge in his brain into reality was a truly remarkable thing.