Chapter 15: Dramatic Changes! (Thanks to Alliance Master Immortal Qi Tian)

"What heavy snow!"

As soon as he pushed the door open, wind and snow poured in; Liu Qing couldn't help but shiver, unwilling to go out, and his gaze toward the courtyard instantly became filled with awe.

"Hoo!"

"Haa!"

Amidst the drifting, scattered snow, a hammer head danced through the wind; Niu Gui swung his arms, moving with great agility.

Bang!

Moments later, he released the hammer head, letting it fall to the ground, and couldn't help but clench his fist and roar, waking the other apprentices who had not yet gone out.

"I've entered the realm!"

The sky was cold, but Niu Gui's heart was boiling; feeling the other apprentices' awestruck and envious gazes, he felt even more refreshed throughout his body.

"Brother Niu, you've entered the realm?"

"Brother Niu is too amazing! Entered the realm! When can I enter the realm?"

"I'm so envious..."

A crowd of apprentices surged out of the door; compared to four months and change ago, each of them had changed, not inferior to the outer courtyard apprentices from a few months prior, but the one who had changed the most was naturally Niu Gui.

Having finally entered the realm after four months and change of bitter practice, he stood half a head taller than the other apprentices, with muscles bulging on his legs and arms, full of a sense of power.

"Brother Niu will definitely enter the inner courtyard; don't forget us when that time comes!"

Liu Qing flattered him.

"That goes without saying! Niu Gui is not someone comparable to those people!"

Hearing the crowd of apprentices praise him, a shadow inexplicably fell over Niu Gui's heart, and he couldn't help but look toward the small courtyard not far outside the middle courtyard, where the Fat Sun lived.

"He's been moved out for over two months; he wouldn't have entered the realm too, would he? He shouldn't have; although he's smart, his brother-in-law never taught him the breathing method, and his family is poor..."

Glancing at the crowd of apprentices flattering him beside him, Niu Gui suddenly felt it was tedious; these people were destined to have no further connection with him in the future.

"You all get to work; Master Sun is about to wake up."

Casually making an excuse, Niu Gui turned and left, preparing to find his brother-in-law; as he approached the Fat Sun's small courtyard, his heart stirred, and he couldn't help but peek through the crack in the door.

?!

The snow before the year-end fell heavily; in just one night, the snow in deep places had already reached above the ankles.

At first glance, Niu Gui couldn't see anyone; looking closely, he saw that the snowman someone had built in the courtyard was holding a large hammer in its hand...

"Frozen to death?!"

Niu Gui instinctively wanted to push the door open and enter, but then heard a massive 'Bang!'

Hoo!

Immediately after, as if a violent wind had suddenly risen, it swept up a large expanse of snow, scattering it everywhere.

Amidst the flying snow, a black shadow rose and fell, spun, and danced; it was, shockingly, a wooden-handled black hammer, and as that hammer shadow swept across, it actually emitted a "Woo-woo" sound.

Fast!

Too fast!

Niu Gui stood with his mouth agape and eyes wide.

The violent wind that suddenly swept up a large expanse of snow was actually someone swinging the hammer at high speed!

Through the flying snowflakes in the courtyard, the one dancing with the hammer was a youth about his own age, yet half a head taller than him.

In the dead of winter, he was wrapped in thick cotton clothes, but from far away, he seemed to still be able to see the explosive power beneath those cotton clothes.

This person is,

"Li Yuan!"

Niu Gui's body trembled, and horror flashed in his eyes.

How is this possible?!

Staring blankly at the figure dancing the hammer so tightly that not even air could pass through, Niu Gui felt his whole body go cold; this hammer technique was far superior to his own.

No, they simply couldn't be compared!

Even Du Yun and Lu Zhong from the outer courtyard could not possibly produce such a hammer technique!

Bang!

The large hammer flew out and smashed into the snow in front of the courtyard gate; Niu Gui stumbled and fled in panic.

"Hoo!"

Inside the courtyard, Li Yuan exhaled a mouthful of turbid air he had been holding for a long time, blowing away the drifting snow mist before him.

"Refreshing!"

With one final settling of momentum, his entire body of bones and tendons trembled and shook, emitting a 'Crackle-crackle' explosive sound, and the palm he raised was visibly red.

Mastery achieved!

Click-clack~

Flexing his right hand, which was surging with blood qi, Li Yuan felt refreshed throughout his entire body.

The White Ape Cloak Hammer, from entry to great mastery, was merely constant consumption, increasing blood qi; simple and crude, but the improvement was very obvious.

He could clearly feel that where the blood qi flowed, his skin became tough, his muscles became firm, and with a slight flex, there was an explosive power far surpassing before.

Stripping away the blood qi and flexing his five fingers again, without the support of blood qi, he could still feel his progress.

In these two months and change, thanks to the fighting style of the Soldier Dao Battle-Killing Hammer, his White Ape Cloak Hammer had improved greatly, finally stepping into mastery today.

According to the book, this is the progress rate only those with top-tier bone structure possess!

And relying on the mastery-level hammer technique support of the Palm-Controlling Practice Hammer, he had also pushed the variations of the first path of the Battle-Killing Hammer Technique to eighteen, a huge improvement!

"If I keep wielding the training hammer, I'm afraid it won't boost my hammer technique's progress anymore, but it seems it can stack… stacked together, wouldn't I be no worse than Minor Mastery?"

The wind and snow were cold, but Li Yuan's heart was warm; this feeling of self-improvement was a directness he had never experienced in his previous life, and it intoxicated him deeply.

"You owe me twelve taels of silver!"

An out-of-the-blue sentence shattered the joy in Li Yuan's heart.

"What twelve taels? I seem to remember it was only seven taels?"

Li Yuan turned his head with a wry smile. Fatty Sun was leaning against the door watching him, coldly and ruthlessly telling him how much money he owed, how many medicinal ingredients he had eaten over these days.

However, from the long-extinguished pipe bowl, and the trembling of the fat on his face, Li Yuan could tell that this Chef Sun was actually extremely shocked.

In fact, had it not been so, he could not have borrowed silver from this stingy chef.

At the very least, he couldn't have stacked it from the first time's two qian to today's twelve taels…

"Nine out, thirteen back—that's the trade price. Go ask around, did I overcharge you by a single cent? And you even said you'd pay me double back then!"

Fatty Sun took two puffs of his pipe, only to find the fire had gone out. He cursed a few times, his face full of pained reluctance.

Two months ago, when Li Yuan had 'displayed' his astonishing hammer technique talent and used it to borrow money from him, he had refused; after several attempts, he had only lent him two qian of silver.

After that, one qian, two qian… it actually piled up to twelve taels?

'Laozi's money!'

This is called the sunk cost effect.

One or two qian of silver meant nothing to Fatty Sun at all; it was only under the temptation of Li Yuan displaying his talent and promising to pay double that he agreed.

But once there was a first time, there was a second… on and on, it stacked up to twelve taels.

The most important thing, naturally, was that his hammer technique progress was astonishing…

Li Yuan changed the subject and asked:

"By the way, does Chef know what happened in the city a few days ago? From the sounds of it, it seemed like a big deal?"

"Before, you'd take leave every few days; now, for over two months you haven't stepped out once. Truly cowardly as a mouse…"

Fatty Sun gave him a sour look.

"Such a vicious criminal is still at large—who wouldn't be afraid?"

Li Yuan shrugged.

"You won't have to be afraid anymore."

Fatty Sun shook his head helplessly, long since used to his temperament:

"The night before last, the Head Shopkeeper hosted a banquet for Wang Wang Luan, the Hall Master of Lihe Wu Guan. As the wine was breaking up, someone suddenly burst out in murderous attack right at our shop's door. Hall Master Wang nearly got killed in one strike. The Head Shopkeeper flew into a rage, struck out, captured that vicious criminal, and just threw him in the great prison."

"The Head Shopkeeper caught that vicious criminal?"

Li Yuan was stunned, and a weight lifted from his heart. Although he had obtained a superior Wu Gong, he truly didn't want to be targeted by a killing maniac.

Still, the fact that this happened right at the door of the Weapon Forging Shop made his heart run cold—this fellow was definitely here for him…

"What a coincidence—the Head Shopkeeper hadn't stepped out for at least a few months, yet happened to decide that day to host a banquet for Hall Master Wang Wang Luan…"

Fatty Sun's expression turned somewhat odd:

"The Head Shopkeeper struck in time, so Hall Master Wang was fine, but his disciples… they really were…"

Fatty Sun clicked his tongue and shook his head, expressing regret.

Having learned the full cause and effect, Li Yuan finally felt at ease. Shifting the topic, he circled right back:

"I'll have to trouble Chef again…"

"Hmm?"

Fatty Sun's face darkened:

"Not lending!"

"The silver my second brother borrowed all went into your hands. If I don't borrow from you, who would I borrow from?"

Li Yuan rubbed his hands together; the weather was really cold.

"…Bah!"

Fatty Sun's face darkened even more, and he swept his sleeves to leave.

Li Yuan was quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbing his sleeve:

"This disciple promises it's the last time, truly the last time!"

(End of this chapter)