Chapter 2

The sunlight shone on the pond, and a gentle breeze stirred, creating ripples of golden light on the water.

A crow landed beside Li Zian, pecking at his hair.

It probably had its eye on Li Zian's hair, intending to pluck a few strands to build its nest, but the hair was firmly attached to his scalp, making it difficult for the crow to peck them off. As a result, Li Zian was awakened by the pecking.

The crow was startled and flew away, flapping its wings.

Li Zian was dazed for a few seconds, then he scrambled up from the grass.

He had no incense burner in his hand, and there was none on the grass. The only things around him were a few ordinary stones.

He remembered that the incense burner was slightly smaller than his fist, with some mysterious symbols and patterns on it. He also remembered the old man with a white beard who called himself Ji Da, but he could not see him now.

"Perhaps I just picked up a stone, and my brain was oxygen-deprived. The incense burner and the old man with the white beard were just a dream or an illusion," Li Zian thought to himself.

The spring was cleared, and the stream began to flow again.

Li Zian stood there for a moment, then put on his shorts and tank top, and carried the hoe back.

Just as he was about to leave the woods, Li Zian stopped and looked at a cluster of small mushrooms growing on a piece of rotten wood.

The mushrooms had green caps and white stems, about the size of a coin, and were quite rare.

Li Zian had never seen such mushrooms before, nor did he recognize them. However, as he looked at them, some information suddenly flooded his mind.

Green-headed Amanita, a poisonous mushroom. When mixed with two ounces of lard, ten grains of Sichuan pepper, five leaves of mulberry, and five grams of rice bran, and simmered over a low fire until it becomes a paste, it can treat bruises and injuries, known as Golden Wound Ointment.

Li Zian was stunned.

He didn't even know what kind of mushroom it was, so how did the recipe for making the ointment suddenly appear in his mind?

After hesitating for a moment, he used the hoe to dig up the small cluster of green-headed Amanita and wrapped it in a leaf. The mysterious appearance of the recipe made him want to test its authenticity.

On his way home, Li Zian also picked a few mulberry leaves.

As he descended the hill, he saw a few people standing on the path leading back to the village.

Li Zian took a quick look and felt a headache coming on.

The leader was Chen Gang, the notorious troublemaker of Crescent Moon Village and the husband of Ma Xiaorong. Chen Gang was shorter than Li Zian but was dark and muscular, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, staring at him with a murderous look.

If it were just Chen Gang alone, Li Zian wouldn't be afraid, but with several others, he knew he couldn't fight them all.

"Li Zian, you damn bastard, you dared to hit my wife, today I'll kill you!" Chen Gang cursed, the cigarette in his mouth not even falling.

Li Zian immediately ran.

The poor don't fight the rich, and the handsome don't fight the ugly.

People nowadays not only hate the rich but also hate the handsome.

The troublemakers were completely taken aback by Li Zian's sudden run. By the time they reacted, he had already taken several steps.

"Damn it, stand still!" Chen Gang picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Li Zian's back.

Bang!

The stone hit Li Zian's left shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain, but he didn't stop. His long legs moved quickly, and he was already far away before the troublemakers could catch up.

"Wait, I'll get you! This isn't over! I'll kill you!" Chen Gang finally dropped the cigarette, which he stomped into the mud.

The troublemakers chased him for a while but couldn't catch up with Li Zian's long legs. They all leaned on their knees, panting and cursing.

Li Zian ran for a while and then stopped. He pulled down the collar of his sweatshirt and saw a large bruise on his shoulder, which hurt even when lightly touched.

"The recipe says the Golden Wound Ointment can treat bruises and injuries. I might as well try it," Li Zian thought to himself. He took a roundabout way back home.

In the backyard, Lin Shengnu was sitting in a chair, feeding the koi in the pond.

The stream flowed gently, and the koi swam around, creating ripples.

Lin Shengnu saw Li Zian and frowned, "Look at you, you were gone for over an hour just to fetch some water. Do you have no sense of time?"

"The spring was blocked, it took some effort," Li Zian replied briefly.

Lin Shengnu didn't speak to him anymore, instead, she threw another handful of fish food into the water and watched the koi fight for it.

Li Zian put down the hoe and took the green-headed Amanita and a few mulberry leaves to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Li Zian found lard, Sichuan pepper, and rice bran, and put the green-headed Amanita and mulberry leaves into a pot to simmer over a low fire.

After about fifteen minutes, the contents of the pot turned into a paste.

Li Zian didn't know if this was the ointment, but he wrapped some of it in a piece of cloth and applied it to the bruise on his shoulder, securing it with tape.

Strangely, the bruise, which was very painful, became cool and no longer hurt after the ointment was applied.

Li Zian was amazed, "The Golden Wound Ointment works. Could it be that I really inherited the old man's knowledge?"

This was strange.

Li Zian returned to his room and lay down to think.

Before he could figure it out, a wave of drowsiness hit him. He yawned and closed his eyes to sleep. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the incense burner reappeared in his mind, emitting a green glow.

"Great Lazy Incense Burner, with me, with me... Could the incense burner have entered my body?" Li Zian suddenly realized.

Suddenly, symbols and patterns appeared on the incense burner, emitting a brighter green light, mysterious and profound.

Boom!

The incense burner released countless characters, symbols, and patterns, along with the voice of the old man who called himself Ji Da. This information flooded Li Zian's mind.

Li Zian's mind was jolted, absorbing the information like a sponge.

This was the true inheritance; what happened by the pond was just the prelude.

Ji Da had sealed his most powerful alchemical techniques in the Great Lazy Incense Burner.

The alchemist was skilled in medicine, divination, astrology, and physiognomy.

However, Ji Da was not an ordinary alchemist. The techniques he sealed in the Great Lazy Incense Burner were unique and formed a complete system.

The first technique was the Gathering and Supplementing Technique. Gathering involved collecting herbs to make various ointments, while supplementing involved dietary supplements. Unlike other alchemists who focused on alchemy and medicine, Ji Da's medical techniques were unconventional.

The second technique was the Painting Divination Technique. Ordinary alchemists burned turtle shells and used the Three Auguries (Jade Augury, Tile Augury, and Original Augury) to predict good or bad fortune. Ji Da's divination technique was "closed-eye painting," where he predicted good or bad fortune based on the patterns he drew. He also had unique skills in astrology, feng shui, and physiognomy.

The third technique was the Great Sleep Qi Cultivation Technique. Sleeping was a form of cultivation. During sleep, the body acted as a furnace, absorbing the qi of heaven and earth to refine it, transforming qi into essence, essence into spirit, and spirit into form. This was different from the cultivation methods of ordinary alchemists, who used natural air as raw material to refine essence, which then nourished the spirit.

The Great Sleep Qi Cultivation Technique also included a martial art, the Branch-Breaking Fist.

This martial art involved various joint locks and bone-breaking techniques, which were quite sinister.

After the inheritance, Li Zian's mind was heavily clouded, and he felt even more drowsy. He naturally fell asleep.

Natural air entered his lungs and was transported throughout his body by the bloodstream.

This included the Great Lazy Incense Burner in his mind.

A thread of qi entered the incense burner and then flowed back into his body, nourishing his limbs and organs.

This was the Great Sleep Qi Cultivation Technique.

Li Zian had never practiced any cultivation techniques before and had no experience, but at this moment, it was as if Ji Da had possessed him. He naturally entered a state of cultivation while sleeping.

Breathing, breathing...

Li Zian didn't know what he was doing.

After an unknown amount of time, the door was knocked on loudly.

"Zian, the sun has set, are you still sleeping? Get up and make dinner!" It was Lin Shengnu's voice.

Li Zian opened his eyes, and his mind felt as if it had been refreshed by a spring. Information from his body flooded his mind, and he felt wet all over, with a warm sensation in one area, like a hot water bottle filled with hot water.

He quickly got up and looked down, only to be stunned.

His shorts and sweatshirt were soaked with sweat, which was murky and smelly. One area was in an astonishing state, previously reaching 90 degrees, but now it was at least 145 degrees!

His wheels had also changed. Previously, they were 175, but after a night's sleep, they had changed to 210!

His thinking seemed much sharper than before, and he quickly found the reason.

He had slept, which was equivalent to practicing the Great Sleep Qi Cultivation Technique once, transforming qi into essence, making him naturally energetic!

"Zian, did you hear me? I'm so disappointed in you. Why are you so sleepy?" Lin Shengnu's voice was full of dissatisfaction.

Li Zian finally responded, "I'll go make dinner right away."

"Ah, you, you're so unmotivated. How can you be worthy of Meilin?" Lin Shengnu sighed and left with her dragon-headed cane.

Li Zian couldn't help but smile. His wife's grandmother, though nagging and critical, was actually quite nice to him.

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom for a quick rinse. After washing off the sweat, he felt refreshed and invigorated, with his overall condition remarkably improved. What surprised him even more was that the injury on his shoulder had healed, and the bruise had completely disappeared, with no trace of injury on his skin.

The Golden Wound Ointment was truly miraculous!

However, there was one downside: a certain area was overly active, causing discomfort.

After leaving the bathroom, Li Zian changed into clean clothes and went to the kitchen to cook dinner.

While cooking, he just had to think a little, and many dietary supplement recipes appeared in his mind, including those for strengthening the body, nourishing the brain, improving eyesight, treating illnesses, and enhancing certain areas, among others.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the necessary herbs and ingredients to practice.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the mountains to see if I can gather some herbs and ingredients to make dietary supplements for the old lady, to nourish her," Li Zian thought to himself.

The sun hung on the western mountain, and the village of Crescent Moon was filled with the scent of cooking. The Qian River flowed around the village, and in the sunset, it looked like a golden ribbon, beautiful and serene.

Dinner was ready: steamed mandarin fish, stir-fried green beans, Mapo tofu, and a leek and egg soup.

Lin Shengnu sat at the table to eat.

Li Zian practiced the Branch-Breaking Fist in the courtyard, which was enclosed by a row of blue bricks. He had already eaten while cooking and wanted to try out the technique Ji Da had passed down to him.

He recalled the movements that had appeared in his mind and tried to mimic them, but he always felt something was missing.

"Zian, what are you doing?" Lin Shengnu asked curiously.

Li Zian smiled and said, "Grandma, I'm practicing my boxing."

Lin Shengnu sighed again, "Ah, why do you always focus on useless things? I was going to praise you for the delicious dinner, but now I don't even want to."

Li Zian smiled and continued practicing.

Grab, lift, lock, break, and the steps had to match...

Lin Shengnu finished eating and was about to call Li Zian to clear the table when her gaze fell on him, and she was momentarily stunned.

In the sunset, the tall young man seemed to blend into the orange light. His face was chiseled, with sharp features, especially his bright, piercing eyes, which left a deep impression.

The nickname "Crescent Moon Village's Wu Yanzu" was not given lightly; it was based on his capabilities.

However, a few seconds later, Lin Shengnu sighed again, "Ah, a pretty pillow, good to look at but not useful."

Almost at the same moment as the old lady's sigh, a thread of heat suddenly surged from Li Zian's mind to his fist.

Whoosh!

His punch was accompanied by a gust of wind!

Li Zian couldn't help but laugh; he had found the feeling.

He continued to practice, and the movements appeared in his mind, flowing smoothly and naturally, as if Ji Da had possessed him.

"Li Zian, get your ass out here!" a voice suddenly shouted from outside the gate.