EFB Chapter 34 Change
Chapter 34 Change
As Lin Mu stepped off the stage, Senior Brother Zhou and Junior Brother Liu went up to him and helped him up.
Zhou Yu clenched his fist, raised his head, and said, "Impressive."
If Lin Mu had not won, he would have become the eternal sinner of Changfeng Martial Arts School.
Cui Mingyue and Ye Lang glanced over from the corner of the shed and nodded slightly.
Regardless, Lin Mu made a great contribution to Changfeng Martial Arts School, but the two of them were having a headache about how to explain to their families why they were not participating in the competition.
The eldest brother walked over and patted Lin Mu on the shoulder: "Not bad."
The owner put down his teacup, nodded, and said "good." After a pause, he added two more "goods."
Yan Hua stood at the back of the crowd, looking at Lin Mu with a furrowed brow.
Lin Mu accepted the cheers of the crowd, but in the end, he did not tell his senior brother about the white-robed man's assassination attempt on him.
......
News of Changfeng Martial Arts School's victory spread like wildfire.
When the news reached Liuye Village, the peddler was squatting under the old locust tree at the village entrance, taking a break.
Several villagers surrounded him, listening to him tell them about the latest happenings in town.
"You don't know, that Lin Mu."
"Yes, that's Lin Mu from our village. He's now a disciple of Changfeng Martial Arts School."
"He took on two opponents single-handedly in the ring, taking down both top fighters from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts Academy!"
The peddler spoke with great enthusiasm, his spittle flying as he fanned himself with his straw hat.
"They ate some kind of Dragon Transformation Pill and temporarily broke through to the Dark Force realm, and what happened?"
"After being kicked by Lin Mu, he lay on the ground, unable to get up!"
"Really?" a villager asked, half-believing.
"I saw it with my own eyes!"
The peddler slapped his thigh and said.
But he had never been to the training ground.
"Didn't you see? Lin Mu's leg techniques were as fast as a windmill. The internal strength experts from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes before being knocked down by a few kicks."
Does using overt force against covert force have such a significant advantage?
Several villagers looked at each other, and one of them muttered something.
"That kid Lin Mu, wasn't he almost kicked out by his second uncle back then...?"
"He's a star at the martial arts school now, incredibly strong."
The peddler gave a thumbs-up and said, "Has our village ever produced anyone like this in hundreds of years?"
There was much discussion under the old locust tree. The peddler's words spread like wildfire throughout the village in less than half a day.
Village chief Lin Tianyou carried two bags of snacks to the gate of Lin Youfu's house. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and Auntie peeked out. Seeing it was the village chief, she paused, surprised. "Village chief? What brings you here?"
"I've come to see Youfu." Lin Tianyou bent down, his smile lacking its usual condescending air.
The second aunt quickly stepped aside and called into the house, "Dad, the village chief is here!"
Lin Youfu nervously rubbed his hands when he heard that the village chief was coming.
Seeing Lin Tianyou standing in the yard carrying snacks, he was somewhat stunned: "Village Chief? This..."
"You're so lucky, congratulations!" Lin Tianyou handed over the pastries, his tone gentle. "Lin Mu has really made something of himself."
Lin Youfu took the snacks, his hands trembling slightly.
"What happened?"
"It seems that Lin Mu has made a name for himself by practicing boxing and has become a Ming Jin expert."
"They also defeated An Jin."
"I'll go make some food and take it to him."
"Why send anything? Don't you know how you treat him? We don't even know if he's paying attention to us."
Lin Youfu glared at her, and her second aunt remained silent, her usual shrewish nature gone.
......
In the town's teahouse, several tea drinkers were chatting idly.
"Have you heard? Lin Mu from Changfeng Martial Arts School beat up the people from Menghu Martial Arts School."
"Which Lin Mu?"
"That poor kid from Liuye Village who used to carry goods at the docks and work as a kitchen helper in restaurants."
"Him? Isn't he just a handyman?"
"He is now a formal disciple of Changfeng Martial Arts School, a Ming Jin martial artist."
"Today on the arena, I defeated even the Dark Force cultivators who had consumed the Dragon Transformation Pill."
"Even the worst form of internal force is still internal force. How could someone with only external force win?"
"I don't know about that, but we won anyway."
......
Back at the martial arts school, the headmaster publicly relieved Lin Mu of his chores and instructed him to focus on practicing his boxing.
No one at the martial arts school called him "little handyman" anymore.
Senior Brother Zhou and Liu Qing would occasionally seek him out to practice their boxing skills.
Although Cui Mingyue and Ye Lang still didn't have much hope for his potential, they kept it to themselves.
These wealthy young people have seen a lot, and the occasional stroke of luck they get in life may not be sustainable.
When Miss Hu Xiaoying and her cousin Zou Wanruo passed by, they both glanced at him a couple of times, as if they were looking at something rare.
The young lady said, "That's Lin Mu, the handyman who used to collect our clothes."
"Today we defeated An Jin."
"My dad was overjoyed."
"That powerful?"
"Um."
Even the auntie serving the food in the kitchen stopped shaking and would occasionally sneak him an extra slice of beef.
Only Yan Hua maintained his superior demeanor, not even sparing him a glance as they passed by.
Various opinions are like ripples on a lake in the wind; once the wind passes, the lake returns to calm.
Lin Mu was not affected by the rumors and continued to practice standing meditation, boxing, and qi and blood circulation as usual every day.
He increasingly felt that the potential of body-strengthening techniques was not limited to this.
He tried to use the Body Tempering Technique, combining the techniques of Long Wind Fist, Whip Kick, and Fierce Tiger Fist.
The results were extremely poor.
Scattering them in different places would actually work better.
With his current energy and blood, he can already wield three different styles of fist and foot techniques simultaneously.
They practiced like this for seven consecutive days.
On the seventh night, he pulled up the booklet.
[Long Wind Fist: Minor Success 35/100]
[Body Tempering Technique: Beginner 23/100]
【Whirlwind Kick - Wild Dance (Incomplete): Minor Success 18/100】
[Tiger Fist: Minor Success 1/100]
Because of my familiarity with the circulation of Qi and blood, I can quickly achieve some level of proficiency when observing martial arts.
He was only training at the Changfeng Martial Arts School, so it was not appropriate for him to practice other martial arts styles.
It's time to put renting a place in town on the agenda.
Practicing boxing in a secluded place means no one will disturb you.
The rent for a courtyard in town is three to five hundred coins a month, which isn't considered expensive.
When buying a house, I only consider the inner city, where safety is guaranteed.
However, tomorrow is the first day of the ten-day period, so I need to go to the Palace Guard for a three-day part-time job. I'll think about renting a room when I get back.
……
The next morning, Lin Mu arrived at the Palace Guard.
This time, there was no ambush.
He copied quietly as usual, with little interaction with Zhao Rong, limited to inquiring about the copying progress.
Lin Mu spent three days in a row at the Palace Guard.
The dossier Zhao Rong gave him was still filled with the same local chronicles: mountains and rivers, geography, taxes and household registration, local customs and traditions, with a few pages of old martial arts stories occasionally interspersed, all of which were general and contained nothing of value.
By the evening of the third day of the month, Lin Mu had finished copying the last page, put down his pen, and was about to get up and take his leave.
Zhao Rong also put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and glanced at the young man who had defeated the hidden force with his obvious strength, yet remained low-key throughout.
Diligent, hardworking, and patient are his evaluations of Lin Mu.
"I heard that in the martial arts competition, you defeated someone of higher level than yourself with your Ming Jin strength?" Zhao Rong asked after taking a sip of water.
Lin Mu nodded: "Luckily, the other party just successfully knocked on the barrier."
"They may not be familiar with how to use internal force."
"You're being modest."
"One tael of silver a month, is that enough to cultivate martial arts?"