The next day, at dawn.
Although today is the second day of the second lunar month, yet even the ten four servant boys, including Chen Yun, still got up early and gathered in front of the empty space in the cottage to practice boxing.
Chen Yun has been here for more than ten days, and he knows most of them.
Apart from the familiar Zhang Qian and Li Si, there's also Ding Shishi who eats with them, and Ning Shishi from the kitchen, there are some others who are only known by name and have not been closely engaged with.
For instance, there are two master sisters who are good at doing embroidery, called Wang Siyan and Yu Leping.
Yu Leping is the one who was addressed as "sister" by Chen Yun in the last instance. She has a plain-looking appearance and is not very tall.
On the contrary, Wang Siyan not only has a very beautiful appearance but also a height of 1.7 meters. However, she is incredibly slender, and whenever she practices boxing, many master brothers can't help but secretly watch her.
OK, there are also seven male masters named Zhao, Tang and so on.
These people share a common characteristic: their ages all range from fifteen to twenty.
Chen Yun did not watch Wang Siyan practice boxing like the other brothers, he was focusing on practicing the five elements boxing.
After knowing that this is a "cultivation world," his whole soul and spirit were devoted to immortality. How could he have any interest in the affairs of men and women?
"Round back, the power crushes the body!"
Chen Yun slightly arched his back and struck a fierce blow with his fist, making a "hiccup" sound.
It is not known whether it is because of the construction of the foundation soup last night, which has opened some disease foci.
Today, Chen Yun felt that his whole body was brimming with strength as he practiced boxing.
One punch!
Three punches!
Seven punches!
Every punch strikes with full force.
Chen Yun was immersed in it.
Perhaps because he was so immersed, he didn't notice anyone approaching him.
"Huh? Did you practice the foundation-building technique?"
The voice of Wang Zixi rang out.
Startled by the sudden interruption, Chen Yun quickly stopped practicing and bowed, saying, "Reporting to Brother, I tried a little bit last night."
At this time, Zhang Qian, Li Si, Wang Siyan, and Yu Leping, and others, all turned their heads to look towards the two people.
Wang Zixi's eyebrow clearly frowned, and he turned his head and waved at Li Si.
Li Si hurriedly stopped his boxing practice and ran over, bowing respectfully, "Brother Wang."
Wang Zixi tightly locked his eyebrows and pointed at Chen Yun, asking, "Did you let him practice the foundation-building technique?"
Li Si was startled and quickly explained, "No, I have been teaching Master Chen about the human body structure for these days."
Hearing this, Wang Zixi turned his head to look at Chen Yun again and scolded, "You're causing a stir!"
His harsh shout made Zhang Qian, who was good friends with Chen Yun, show a worried expression on his face.
Chen Yun was confused by the scolding.
Although he was confused and felt a bit indignant, as he was a follower and currently living under someone else's roof, he did not dare to confront the other person with his words.
Chen Yun kept his head low and did not speak.
Wang Zixi coldly said, "Who let you practice the foundation-building technique before you have mastered the human body structure?"
Chen Yun realized that he couldn't remain silent any longer, "No one."
"Humph!" Wang Zixi coldly said, "Do you know that the exercises cannot be practiced randomly? If you get hurt and become disabled, who will take care of you for the rest of your life?"
The two master brothers, Ding and Ning, who were not far away, nodded in agreement, realizing that Wang Zixi was right.
At first, Chen Yun thought he must have committed some taboo to provoke the scolding.
He did not expect Wang Zixi to be stern on the surface but kind-hearted inside.
It turns out he is concerned about my safety.
He couldn't help feeling a bit touched and said, "Brother, thank you for your care. I know I made a mistake."
Wang Zixi's face gradually softened, and he reached out his right hand, "Give me your hand."
Chen Yun didn't understand what Wang Zixi wanted to do, but he still answered with a murmur and extended his right hand.
Wang Zixi grabbed his arm.
In the next moment, Chen Yun felt a warm heat coming from Wang Zixi's finger and entering his meridians.
Chen Yun had a general idea of what Wang Zixi was about to do.
It's likely that Wang Zixi is checking his body.
Seeing if there are any injuries in the exercise that could lead to potential problems in his body.
Although neither of them made a sound, the other thirteen masters, including Zhang Qian, Li Si, and Wang Siyan, were all watching.
At first, there was nothing special.
But after a while, Li Si distinctly saw a strange expression on Wang Zixi's face.
Chen Yun also noticed it.
A moment later, Wang Zixi's furrowed eyebrows once again tightened.
He slowly released Chen Yun's hand, looked at him with a look of surprise and suspicion, and his tone was full of doubts, "You... Have you accidentally broken through some part of the diseased areas while your qi is flowing?"
"Ah?"
"So quickly?"
"Chen Yun has broken through some of the diseased areas?"
"He's only been an apprentice for a few days, hasn't he?"
Ding Shishi and Ning Shishi, as well as the other ten, were all surprised beyond measure.
With Wang Zixi having already examined his body, Chen Yun couldn't lie.
Chen Yun spoke the truth, "Yes."
Wang Zixi also showed surprise, and asked again, "I remember you've only been an apprentice for a few days. How did you become so familiar with the human body structure so quickly?"
The medicine in the foundation soup last night circulated in his body and let Chen Yun roughly know the fourteen main meridians and acupoints.
After all, he had the "Foundational Cultivation Technique" to compare with.
Chen Yun answered, "I have a vague understanding of it."
Wang Zixi stared at him without saying anything for a while.
After about a minute, he nodded slightly and said the words "Not bad," then turned around and left straight away.
Only after Wang Zixi left.
Li Si immediately approached with an expression of surprise and asked, "Chen Master, your brain is too intelligent. I only taught you for a few days, but you have memorized the human body structure, not to mention making some progress in foundation cultivation?"
Zhang Qian, Ding Shishi, Wang Siyan, and others also pricked up their ears to listen.
Chen Yun said modestly, "I was lucky, and by accident, I broke through some parts of the diseased areas."
"Accidental?," Li Si laughed, "Don't try to fool me. Master Wang is usually cold-hearted. I've been here for three or four years, and I've rarely heard him praise people. Just now, he praised you as 'good'."
Zhang Qian also stepped forward and added, "Yes, Chen apprentice, Master Wang doesn't praise people easily. It seems you really have some talent in the path of cultivation."
Chen Yun continued to be modest.
He was very bright inside, whether he had talent or not was still unknown to him.
The reason he had achieved some success in foundation cultivation was entirely due to the "Foundation Soup" being incredibly miraculous.
For a while, things were a bit lively, and everyone began to practice boxing again.
However, this time, the attention of Ding Shishi and Ning Shishi was no longer focused on the beautiful woman Wang Siyan, but rather on Chen Yun instead.
Chen Yun continued to practice boxing with complete focus, completely unaffected by any attention.
...
After having breakfast.
Chen Yun and Li Si came together to the herb garden.
As usual, the two of them first sorted out the medicinal materials and then cared for the outer herb garden.
This busied them for a whole morning.
They stopped only as the lunchtime approached.
As soon as the two of them sat down to catch their breath, two more master brothers walked in.
One of them was Zhang Qian, who was quite good friends with Chen Yun.
The other was Lin Chen, a master brother with whom they had little contact.
"Chen apprentice, Li Si apprentice, are you resting?" Lin Chen greeted them with a smile as soon as he walked in.
"Brother Lin."
"Brother Lin."
Chen Yun and Li Si responded to their greetings.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Chen and Zhang Qian sat down by the medicine cabinet.
Li Si asked in confusion, "Brother Lin, you work at the Alchemy Hall. Why are you here in the herb garden?"
What Li Si wanted to say was that Lin Chen, who had already entered the stage of refining the soil into precious metals, looked down on other brothers and didn't have much contact with the herb garden because of his arrogant attitude.
The saying goes that there is no smoke without fire. Lin Chen's sudden appearance was surely because of something.
Chen Yun naturally understood this principle, and he watched with curiosity.
Lin Chen smiled slightly and said, "When I was on vacation during the New Year, a wealthy family came to find me and asked me to deal with a haunted house in their mansion. They promised many benefits. As I am alone, I can't accept the job. That's why I want Zhang Shidi and the two of you to come with me tonight when you have time. We can also earn some silver coins at that time."
Zhang Qian supported from the side, "Yes, if we are not chosen by the ancestors, after five years we will be dismissed, and after that, everything such as food, clothing, housing and transportation will have to rely on ourselves. It's a good opportunity for Lin Shidi to have a way of making money. If he is willing to take us along, you mustn't refuse."
Li Si seemed very interested in this matter.
Li Si immediately stood up, bowing and expressing gratitude, "Thank you, Brother Lin, for thinking of us."
Although Chen Yun was not very interested in making money, he did indeed feel curious about the "ghoul" that existed in the legends, so he also stood up and replied, "Thank you, Brother Lin."
"Haha, don't be so polite, the two apprentices," Lin Chen, a person with good manners, rose to return the bow and said, "Since we've agreed, I'll call you guys then. I have some other matters to attend to first and will have to leave now."
"Goodbye, Brother Lin."
"Brother Lin, come to the herb garden often."
Chen Yun and Li Si sent Lin Chen and Zhang Qian to the door outside.
Who would think that Lin Chen would leave directly, but Zhang Qian stopped at the door without moving.
Li Si seemed to have anticipated this, and he looked puzzled, "Zhang Shidi, Master Lin rarely interacts with us. He is closer to Master Ding and Chen Yun. How come he thought of us three this time when something good happens?"
Chen Yun was also puzzled by this.
Zhang Qian laughed loudly and said, "You really think Master Lin wants to get close to me and you two? He is coming for Chen Yun."
Li Si slapped his head, as if he had just figured something out, "That's right. He saw that Chen Yun achieved some success in foundation cultivation shortly after entering, and he thought Chen Yun has potential to be accepted by the Master in the future. So he is trying to make friends with him in advance."
Zhang Qian affirmed, "Yes, he isn't familiar with Chen Yun, so he asked me to introduce them."
As he spoke, he looked at Chen Yun with a very grateful gaze and said, "Chen Shidi, speaking of which, our opportunity to have such a good job this time is also thanks to your blessings."
Li Si also said, "Thank you, Chen Shidi, for giving us a chance to make some money."
Chen Yun hurriedly said with politeness, "Brother Zhang, Brother Li, you're too kind. It might be that Brother Lin really needed more hands, so he asked us along."
"Hey, I don't know that little guy's character?" Zhang Qian shrugged, "When he made money before, he never included me and Li Si."
Li Si agreed, "Master Lin is indeed a man who only gets up early for profit. This time, it's really thanks to you."
Chen Yun continued to be modest.
To be honest, he didn't expect the Daoist school to have only about ten dozen people in total, but it turned out to be like a small world of martial arts.
However, to put it another way, having the opportunity to make money is definitely better than not making any.
He will need more medicinal materials in the future, and he will have to buy them with money.
This idea flashed through his mind.
Chen Yun became curious again, really wanting to know what the "ghost" was all about.
Thinking about it, Chen Yun looked at Zhang Qian and Li Si, asking, "Brother Zhang, Brother Li, are there really ghosts in this world? Can you tell me what a ghost looks like?"
