Chapter 9

Inside the middle room.

Diaochan sat beside her Aunt Ren, using a wooden spoon to feed her chicken soup one spoonful at a time.

"Aunt, is the chicken soup good?"

Ren smiled and nodded: "Good, good."

"Of course the chicken soup Chan'er makes is good."

"But we must also thank Ah Yu."

"Chan'er, you have found a good man."

"With Ah Yu looking after you in the future, Aunt can be at ease."

"Aunt~" Diaochan lowered her head shyly and protested playfully: "Brother Duan... Brother Duan hasn't said yet..."

Ren smiled and said: "Our Chan'er is so beautiful, Ah Yu..."

"Ah?" Duan Yu, who was eating with his head down, looked up, also feeling a bit embarrassed.

Mainly because this pace was a bit fast.

He did want to marry Diaochan.

But shouldn't they nurture their feelings first?

This was too sudden.

"Ah Yu."

Ren called out: "Come here."

Duan Yu immediately put down his rice bowl and went to Ren's sickbed.

Ren felt around with her hand, and Duan Yu offered his own.

Ren held Duan Yu's hand in one of hers, and Diaochan's hand in the other.

Then she placed them together.

Diaochan bit her red lips with her white teeth, blushing and keeping her head down.

Letting Duan Yu hold one of her hands.

"Ah Yu." Ren said, holding their hands: "Chan'er has had a hard life."

"She lost her parents at a young age."

"Originally, I had no children, and thought by adopting Chan'er, I could take good care of her."

"But my body failed me, and instead burdened Chan'er for so many years."

Diaochan hurriedly looked up at Ren: "Aunt, Chan'er is not suffering. As long as Aunt's health improves, Chan'er is not suffering."

Ren nodded, her cloudy eyes full of tears: "This child... kind-hearted, and filial."

"Ah Yu, you are a good man."

"Chan'er told me."

"Although this old woman cannot see, I can feel it."

"Entrusting Chan'er to you, I am at ease."

"With the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker—Chan'er's parents passed away early, so I am her mother."

"From now on, I entrust Chan'er to you. Can you promise Aunt that you will take good care of Chan'er?"

Duan Yu looked at the shy Diaochan beside him, then nodded.

"Aunt, rest assured. Although I, Duan Yu, don't have any great abilities,"

"I can take good care of Chan'er, and keep her from hardship and toil."

Ren smiled and nodded: "Good, good, good, good, good."

"Eat, eat, let's eat as a family."

After the meal.

Diaochan cleared the bowls, chopsticks, and the table inside the room.

Duan Yu, meanwhile, came out to the small courtyard on his own.

The night was pleasant, if somewhat chilly.

The night wind was also slightly cool.

Duan Yu, dressed in a camouflage suit, stood in the small courtyard, appearing somewhat out of place in this era two thousand years ago.

Glancing over the system, Duan Yu noticed a few issues.

He had drawn his bow quite a few times during the day today.

But it seemed that, apart from when he was training with full concentration, the number of draws had not increased.

Therefore, on the way back, Duan Yu had deliberated on this.

It was likely that drawing the bow during combat or hunting did not count as training.

It was just like how doing manual labor at work and working out at a gym were fundamentally two different things.

Duan Yu picked up the longbow from the side.

Then slowly drew the bowstring.

Drawing the bow while keeping an eye on the system.

Huh.

After completing one draw, Duan Hu saw that the experience value behind the entry had indeed moved.

[Name: Duan Yu]

[Age: 25]

[Height: 188CM]

[Weight: 90kg]

[Entries: [Tenfold Speed - Gold] [Hundred-Pace Piercer - Blue 19/]]

"It seems I guessed right. If I'm in the midst of slaughter or hunting, rather than training with full concentration, entry experience won't increase."

It wasn't unreasonable, either.

It was just that, this way, he would need to set aside a portion of time for training every day.

He still needed to draw the bow ten thousand times to level up.

Duan Yu looked at the bow in his hand.

He estimated it would be very difficult to draw it another ten thousand times.

This was only an ordinary longbow; it could not withstand such high-intensity drawing.

"It seems I'll need to switch to a different bow after entering the city tomorrow."

With this in mind, Duan Yu still set down the longbow in his hand.

After sweeping his gaze across the courtyard, Duan Yu went to the corner of the fenced yard, then picked up and hefted a large stone.

As Duan Yu exerted strength in both arms, the stone was lifted.

One time, two times, three times...

By the tenth time, a synthesized electronic voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

Duan Yu's expression immediately lit up with joy.

"It works!"

[Ding. The [Tenfold Entry] effect activates. The Host hones their strength; the effect increases tenfold. Congratulations to the Host on obtaining a new entry: [Incomparably Strong - White 0/100]]

"Haha!"

"I really am a genius!"

He had thought of this while using the bow and arrows during the day.

Since training with a bow and arrow could trigger an entry.

Then other things should be able to as well.

Such as saber techniques, riding, spear techniques, sword techniques, and the like.

He just didn't have these weapons on hand.

But since he lacked these weapons, a handy stone would still do.

Clang.

Duan Yu threw the large stone in his hands to the ground.

Then he picked up a fist-sized stone, and quickly lifted and lowered it.

Huh?

After experimenting a few times, Duan Yu frowned.

"Why is there no effect?"

Duan Yu looked at the stone in his hand, puzzled.

Could it be...

He looked at the large stone thrown on the ground.

Then looked at the fist-sized stone in his hand.

Duan Yu lifted the large stone again.

Then lifted it, and lowered it.

Sure enough.

This time it had an effect.

Experience increased by one point.

"Goodness."

"It seems this system doesn't allow cheating."

"It looks like tempering strength requires a corresponding weight."

Sure enough, even with a system, one cannot do whatever one pleases; effort is still required.

Thinking this, Duan Yu began to continue lifting stones.

Before long.

Just as Diaochan had finished washing the bowls and chopsticks, Duan Yu also completed his hundredth lift.

[Ding, [Tenfold Entry] takes effect. Host tempers strength, effect increased tenfold. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a new entry, [Strong as an Ox - Blue 0/1000]]

The instant the system voice rang out, Duan Yu suddenly felt the stone, which had been incredibly heavy, suddenly become light in his hand.

Without thinking, he knew the system entry must have taken effect.

But at the same time, Duan Yu also discovered that lifting this same stone no longer had the effect of increasing experience.

Duan Yu smiled bitterly, then threw the stone in his hand onto the ground.

It seemed he had to increase the weight.

But overall, gaining two blue entries in one day was still a very good result.

After all, this was only his second day since transmigrating.

If he waited until a year later...

Duan Yu was confident that by then, even if he encountered Lu Bu, he should be able to win an arm-wrestling match.

[Name: Duan Yu]

[Age: 25]

[Height: 188CM]

[Weight: 90kg]

[Entries: [Tenfold Speed - Gold] [Shooting a Poplar from a Hundred Paces - Blue 19/] [Strong as an Ox - Blue 0/1000]]

After glancing at the system, Duan Yu walked toward the room behind him.

Diaochan had already put away the bowls and chopsticks, and settled Aunt Ren.

Only that drunkard uncle was nowhere to be found.

He still hadn't returned.

"Brother Duan."

Diaochan stood at the door of the house, wiping her hands on the apron in front of her.

Duan Yu stepped forward and held Diaochan's somewhat chapped little hands.

The skin on Diaochan's body was still fair.

But her hands seemed somewhat rough due to years of labor.

But this was only reasonable.

If they were truly a pair of snow-white, tender little hands, it would be unreasonable instead.

Even a young lady of a noble house who worked all year round would have rough hands too.

She seemed a bit embarrassed.

Diaochan lowered her head.

Duan Yu breathed two warm breaths onto Diaochan's little hands, which were red from washing bowls with cold water.

"Did your uncle often not come back at night like this before?" Duan Yu asked.

Diaochan nodded gently and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's, "Before Aunt fell ill, Uncle didn't use to be like this."

"But later, when Aunt got sick, Uncle would often not come back at night."

"At that time, the family still had some money and grain."

"It was just that not long after, it was all spent by Uncle."

Duan Yu smiled.

It seemed that no matter the era, there was never a shortage of spendthrifts.

"Alright, then we won't wait for him."

"Go to sleep early, I'll take you into the city tomorrow."

"Then we'll sell those furs for money."

"I'll buy you some new clothes then, and the rouge I promised you."

Duan Yu took Diaochan's hand and walked toward the side room nearby.

Inside the room, the oil lamp was lit.

Diaochan knelt before Duan Yu like a little wife.

Her skilled hands were massaging Duan Yu's feet, soaking in hot water.

Having walked in the mountains all day, Duan Yu was indeed a bit tired.

Diaochan's proficient technique was very enjoyable for Duan Yu.

"Every day I would wash Auntie's feet in hot water like this, and Auntie always said it was comfortable."

"Brother Duan, is it comfortable?" Diaochan, kneeling before Duan Yu, looked up at him.

Their eyes met.

A lone man and a lone woman.

The dilapidated little room was instantly ignited with an amorous atmosphere.

Duan Yu reached out and hooked Diaochan's chin, then leaned down and kissed her soft, fragrant lips.

"Mmm~"

Like a frightened bird, Diaochan did not know how to respond to her first kiss.

She could only let Duan Yu domineeringly pry open her pearly teeth and capture that fragrant, smooth little tongue.