[Wake up before early morning for a full week and diligently practice the Eight-Section Brocade for body strengthening. Before late morning, accumulate at least half an hour of practice. (4/7)]
Feeling completely refreshed, Lin Li stretched lazily. This was the first time he had felt so energized at this hour.
His training progress was also faster than expected. With five Spirit Stones, he might be able to complete the second stage of his training, allowing his body to adapt further to Spiritual Energy.
Speaking of how his body was changing after absorbing Spiritual Energy, Lin Li could feel that all his organs were becoming healthier. His mild rhinitis, which used to make his nose feel a bit congested, was now completely clear.
Spiritual Energy was truly miraculous—it easily achieved what physical exercise never could.
He was looking forward to the future even more.
"Grandpa Zhou, I'm heading out!" Lin Li waved as usual before leaving.
"Hmph!"
Watching Lin Li leave, Zhou Youwei tried to comfort himself with the thought that at least he had protected the rest of the community. But deep down, he couldn't help feeling frustrated.
Especially since this brat Lin Li was flaunting his success right in front of him.
How did Zhou Youwei know? It was obvious—Lin Li hadn't even trained properly today.
Who the hell trains with a smile on their face, doing martial arts for over an hour without breaking a single drop of sweat?
Though Zhou Youwei didn't know exactly what techniques Lin Li had been practicing before, he could tell they were meaningful. Sometimes, after Lin Li left, Zhou Youwei would curiously mimic a few moves and could feel that the techniques were well-structured, deeply rooted in martial arts, and had a unique logic to them.
If not for the irreconcilable grudge between them—if they weren't already enemies—Zhou Youwei might have been tempted to ask what kind of martial arts Lin Li was practicing.
But today?
Lin Li was just… wiggling his butt.
It looked more like he was doing a folk dance than training, all while wearing a bizarre grin.
If Lin Li weren't such an infuriating little punk, Zhou Youwei might have actually believed the guy was high on something.
The worst part? Lin Li occasionally turned his body to face Zhou Youwei with his back, making a deliberate effort to point his butt in his direction.
If that wasn't provocation, Zhou Youwei swore he'd eat yesterday's dog poop!
"Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west—don't look down on an old man just because he's poor! I'll get my revenge for today's humiliation!" Zhou Youwei growled at Lin Li's retreating figure.
A moment later, he chuckled to himself.
"Shouting this out loud actually feels pretty damn good. No wonder my grandson always loves yelling dramatic lines. Might as well sneak into his room later and grab one of his novels to read."
"Ow—!"
Hearing a noise, Zhou Youwei snapped his head around.
He spotted Zhang Fang crouching in the bushes, in the exact same spot he himself had been in yesterday.
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou Youwei asked mechanically, "Old Zhang, why are you squatting there?"
…Are you taking a dump too?
Wait, why did I say "too"…?
Zhang Fang lifted the small shovel and black trash bag in his hands. "To avoid another misunderstanding like last time. The property management won't deal with it, and I had nothing better to do, so I decided to clean up the cat and dog poop myself."
Then, rubbing his lower back, he sighed, "Can't deny I'm getting old. Just squatting down like this makes my back sore. But you, Old Zhou, you're impressive—still so energetic at your age."
"When did you get here?" Zhou Youwei asked seriously.
"About thirty years ago, I suppose."
Zhou Youwei: "…"
"But Old Zhou, thirty years is a bit much. We old folks might be broke, but no matter how strong you are, eventually, you'll have to let go, right? How about we make it three years instead?" Zhang Fang joked, then asked curiously, "By the way, who are you swearing revenge on? Lost a game last night?"
"N-No, nothing. I'm heading home." Zhou Youwei quickly got up—today was not a good day for training.
"Going to read your grandson's novel, huh, Old Zhou?" Zhang Fang teased.
Zhou Youwei walked away at lightning speed.
He didn't feel out of breath today, but for some reason, he felt even more exhausted than usual.
When Lin Li arrived at the classroom, Bai Bufan was in the middle of one of his famous historical storytelling sessions:
"According to unofficial history, when Liu Bei entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang at Baidi City, he had secretly placed 300 executioners on standby. Liu Bei had already made up his mind—if Zhuge Liang showed even the slightest intention of abandoning Liu Shan to start his own venture, he would immediately smash his cup as a signal! Then, the 300 executioners would storm in and hack Liu Shan to pieces!"
"Huh… wait, so they were gonna kill Liu Shan? That's not that wild, honestly."
"Not wild enough? Alright, how about this—do you guys know why Cao Cao kept the embarrassing memory of pouring wine for Liu Bei?"
"Why?"
"According to unofficial history, when Liu Bei bent down to pick up his chopsticks, he accidentally brushed his hand against Cao Cao's delicate foot. At that moment, Cao Cao let out a soft 'Ying~' and his entire body went limp. What happened next was—"
"Bro, what the hell are you talking about?! Since when did this turn into shoujo romance?!"
"Ding! I just heard 'Yin'—are you guys talking about stagnant water? Stagnant water is pretty 'Yin,' huh?"
Bai Bufan really loved Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Just… in a very unique way.
"You're over here going 'Ying~'? What the hell, man! This isn't some dumb 'Ying-Ying Literature' moment!"
"Ding! I just heard 'Yin'—are you guys talking about stagnant water? Stagnant water sure is Yin, huh?"
Bai Bufan really loved Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Just… in a very weird way.
Lin Li was also a fan. Out of the Four Great Classical Novels, Romance of the Three Kingdoms was his favorite. As a kid, he had read the full 120-chapter version multiple times—it was truly a masterpiece.
Shu Han had its own brand of heroism, Wei had its unyielding spirit, and Jiangdong… well, Jiangdong had its sneaky little rats.
And geographically speaking, Lin Li was technically a descendant of those rats.
Because of his love for Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he naturally also enjoyed Three Kingdoms Kill (the strategy card game).
"Alright, kids, come get your breakfast."
Lin Li slung his backpack over the chair, then turned to check the writing on the blackboard, making a mental note of the assignments he needed to collect.
"Hey, why's there an extra meal here? Is this yours, or did someone forget to take it?" Bai Bufan, munching on his mantou while sipping his soup, glanced curiously at the untouched breakfast on Lin Li's desk.
"Oh, that's Chen Yuying's. Can you take it to her for me?" Lin Li said casually, recalling how she had mentioned it yesterday at lunch.
"Why do I have to do it? What am I, your little assistant, here to spice things up? Am I part of your play now? I refuse. Do it yourself." Bai Bufan rolled his eyes.
"People say crude words often hold truth, but yours are just plain crude. Honestly, I was treating you more like… protection." Lin Li smirked while stacking the assignment books.
"You are the last person qualified to call me crude!"
Lin Li picked up the breakfast and walked over to Chen Yuying, who was seated in the third row near the classroom door.
"Here, your breakfast."
Naturally, people around them turned to look.
Not because they were particularly interested in Chen Yuying, but simply because any movement in the classroom attracted attention.
Half of them lost interest immediately.
The other half, realizing it was an interaction between Chen Yuying and the rarely-seen Lin Li, kept watching, hoping for some juicy drama to spice up their boring high school lives.
Lin Li used to get nervous under these stares, but maybe thanks to the system, he didn't care anymore. Now, he just felt completely at ease.
No way—could it be that his skin had just gotten thicker?
"Thanks. Here's your money." Chen Yuying nodded, taking the breakfast while pulling out a ten-yuan bill from her drawer.
"Alright, I'll give you five—"
[MISSION TRIGGERED!]
[In this completely unfamiliar world, the first person to interact with you, Chen Yuying, has finally let her guard down and engaged in a financial transaction with you, showing satisfaction with your service. Your relationship has taken a step forward.]
[To survive in this strange and potentially dangerous world, you need more information. So why not start with the person you know best?]
[Mission Five: Have more interactions with Chen Yuying and try to learn more about this world from her. Gain a basic understanding of the environment you're in.]
[Rewards: Physical Enhancement—Mecha Synchronization Index +10; Random Limb/Organ Enhancement Chance 1; System Currency 50.]
[Random Limb/Organ Enhancement Chance: Upon use, a random body part or organ will receive a certain level of enhancement, with a high probability of gaining additional mutation abilities. (When claiming the reward, you can choose whether external organs are included in the selection pool.)]