Butchering pigs.

Stab once, slice twice.

Stabbing means stabbing the neck to let the pig's blood flow out quickly.

Slicing means cutting off the pig's head, the internal organs, and the meat.

Li Yuan had once read about a General Zhang, who wielded a snake spear, in a romance novel before his time travel.

General Zhang used to butcher pigs, and he is also a pig butcher.

Li Yuan sometimes wonders if the spear skill that General Zhang developed might have come from stabbing pigs this way. On the battlefield, when facing people, he treats them like pigs, stabbing towards the neck with the spear swiftly, accurately, and forcefully.

Nothing else, just proficiency with his hands.

As the thought flashed by, Li Yuan grasped the knife, closed his eyes slightly, and recalled scenes from his previous life.

It seemed as if there were chopping boards in front of him, and on each board lay a pig with its neck hooked, unable to move.

Swoosh!

Stab the throat!

He flicked his palm, swiftly drawing the blade, aiming at the imaginary pig's neck.

Immediately, the white blade in, red blade out, as the pig's blood flowed out in a stream.

Next, after the pig's blood has drained and it's cleaned, then it's...

Whish!

Cut the head!

Between Li Yuan's arms, a surge of heat flowed, and with the added strength of the blood force, the downward slice wasn't swift or forceful. Perhaps something was missing; his strength couldn't infuse into every inch of the blade, it was just a simple motion.

Swish, swish, swish!

Immediately afterward, the long blade in his hand started to slice through the air, taking out intestines, cutting internal organs...

After finishing one set, he withdrew the blade, took a brief pause, then began to imagine slaughtering the next pig.

Snowflakes fell onto the wooden boxes and basins piled in the backyard, on the hardened yellow earth stones, and occasionally flew up with the blade's glint.

Inside the house, Lady Yan was leaning against the window, watching her man wield the blade in the windy snow.

The snow rises, the blade falls.

As he moved, the white snow on the ground was trampled into dirty black ice.

Ordinary people would slip if they took a few steps quickly on it, but the young man was very steady.

The surge of blood flowed around him with his dance, making him steaming hot, his sweat turning into white mist like steam from a boiling pot...

"My man, what a majestic figure..."

Lady Yan's charming face bloomed like spring, her right hand as if half a lotus flower, supporting her beautiful cheek, gazing foolishly at the snow and man in the backyard.

Her gaze swept over his strong waist, sturdy thighs, and those bulging muscles, and suddenly her face blushed again.

Li Yuan practiced for half an afternoon, but aside from stretching his muscles and bones, he hadn't gained a damn thing.

"Indeed, forming skills isn't that easy.

However, I always feel like the first stab had the feeling, but the subsequent slicing and cutting all lacked something.

Forget it, no rush, I killed so many pigs in my previous life, so I have some advantages when it comes to knife use.

I'll continue tomorrow."

Back in the house, he had a meal.

Lady Yan didn't mention going out for a stroll, either.

After all, Li Yuan said he was injured when he returned, so what was the point of going shopping on the same day?

After the meal, Aunt Wang, being diligent, and without needing to be told, boiled lots of hot water and poured it into the wooden tub, saying it was for the master and madam to bathe.

Today it snowed, so there was no need to fetch water from outside, just take it from the open-air water jar.

Li Yuan wasn't polite, took a comfortable bath, and went to bed.

After a moment, Lady Yan's fiery body also slipped into the bed.

Outside, the ice world and snow land, but the person in the bed was scorching hot.

...

...

In the blink of an eye, two days passed leisurely.

The snow had long stopped, but thawing times are the coldest.

After dinner, with nothing to do, the young man and his wife sat in the backyard.

"After this snow, the weather should slowly start warming up." Lady Yan, wrapped in that old blue floral village woman's jacket, sat on the wooden chair under the eaves in the backyard, looking at the bare tree not far away, said, "I don't know what kind of tree this is and what kind of flowers it will bloom in spring."

"It's an apricot blossom tree." Li Yuan, who was tasked with buying this house, had asked the Blood Saber Sect disciple responsible for this area.

"Apricot blossoms?" Lady Yan immediately became joyful, her beautiful big eyes shining with the light of spring water, "My old home used to have them, but there weren't any when I came to the Little Ink Workshop, and now there are again... It seems like this place is my home again."

Li Yuan smiled and said, "It was always your home, wherever I am, that's your home."

Lady Yan gave him a sidelong glance, but didn't deny it.

After a while, Lady Yan suddenly jumped up from the chair, stood in the courtyard, struck a starting pose, and said, "Husband, watching you practice with the knife these days, I also want to pick up that cultivation skill you used to practice again."

In her heart, she also felt a bit unwilling.

It was her who spread her husband's cultivation skill.

Why did her husband learn it in just a few days, while she still couldn't after so long?

Li Yuan said, "Practice, and I'll correct you where you're wrong."

Lady Yan giggled, then composed herself, solemnly extending her hands, mimicking a willow branch swaying in the wind, her steps light, her breathing following a specific rhythm of expansion and contraction.

Li Yuan, an experienced practitioner, naturally understood the intricacies of this cultivation skill, and said, "Breathing and movements are just surface forms; the purpose of this is to stimulate the flow of qi and blood within your body...

The qi and blood will circulate within you, between certain movements and relaxation, day by day, then slowly forming a special force in the blood.

It is a kind of warmth, even a scalding heat, but it will make you feel very comfortable, and even your whole body will become stronger."

"Hmm..."

Lady Yan practiced earnestly.

Now with Aunt Wang taking care of the housework, her hands were free.

Li Yuan continued practicing his pig slaughtering sword skill.

In the evening, steaming millet rice was served on the table, along with a dish of scallion stir-fried meat, a dish of leek fried eggs, and a portion of meat soup sprinkled with grains of salt and oil.

This was considered quite a hearty meal.

The county's supplies were quite ample, so it wasn't difficult to buy scallions and leeks at the market outside the barn area.

After eating, Li Yuan walked to the front yard, where Aunt Wang was bustling about boiling water, preparing to give him a bath.

At that moment, there was a sudden knock at the shed door.

"Brother Li, are you home? It's Cai Ze."

"Cough cough... cough cough... I'm here..."

Li Yuan coughed while responding, personally going to open the door.

Outside stood a young man in a government official's uniform; who else could it be but Cai Ze?

Cai Ze was holding a basket of winter dates and a fish, and upon seeing Li Yuan, he said, "Brother Li, I just heard that your old injury flared up, so I came to see you as soon as I got off work."

"Please come in, Brother Cai... but, I can't accept your things. I owe my stay here to your help, so how can I accept more from you? Cough cough..."

"Between brothers, no need to be polite." Cai Ze said, then jested, "You, you're already at the Ninth Grade, why are you still keeping it from your elder brother?"

Li Yuan babbled, "I wasn't keeping it a secret, it's just that my injury flared up. Once injured, I could revert at any time, so I didn't tell you, Brother Cai."

Upon hearing this, Cai Ze sighed and suddenly leaned closer, saying, "If you can manage, return as soon as possible."

"What's going on?"

"The miscellaneous tasks in each site depend on people. If you return late, they'll all follow your partner, and if you want to get things done in the future, it might be troublesome."

"Really?"

"Isn't your partner called Wen Xiaoqiao?"

"Yes..."

"Wen Xiaoqiao's family are grain merchants at Wutong Square. She's wealthy and resourceful. I heard she's investigating the missing disciples' case. If she solves it, it'd be a major achievement.

Quickly return, first to seize your discourse, second to solve the disciple disappearance case together with her. If it succeeds, there's a chance you might be promoted to Outer Disciple."

"Brother Cai, what is this disappearance case about?"

"It's just disappearances, every year someone disappears in the county."

"But it was an Outer Disciple of the Blood Saber Sect on night watch…"

Cai Ze leaned in, smiled, "I guess he was quietly done away with.

But this time it's different, Master Li on the island will surely pay attention, now it's just to see who dares to step up to do it.

The effort, Master Li helps;

The credit, Master Li doesn't snatch, such a good thing."

Then, he waved his hands repeatedly, "I'm just rambling, don't take it to heart... so, have you made up your mind to go back quickly?"

Li Yuan sighed, "Brother Cai, I want to too, but my body... eh..."

"That's truly a pity."

The two chatted for a while longer, and Cai Ze stayed for a meal before leaving.

After he left, Lady Yan came out from behind the curtain, worriedly saying, "Husband, what shall we do?"

Li Yuan recalled the chilling sensation he felt that day, and said solemnly, "I actually hope Wen Xiaoqiao can achieve something great... so I can rest properly in the Black Market."

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The weather slowly warmed.

That day, in the evening, the door to Li Yuan's house was knocked again.

The knocking was urgent and piercing.

"Brother Li, Brother Li!" Cai Ze's voice came from outside.

Li Yuan opened the door, but saw Cai Ze looking grave.

Li Yuan asked in surprise, "What's wrong, Brother Cai?"

Cai Ze hesitated for a moment, then said heavily, "Wen Xiaoqiao... is also missing…"

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