"Quick, sit down. Have some of this tiger meat. I just boiled it, so the flavor isn’t as good as what you’d get in a restaurant, but it’s far more nutritious." Yang Jing dished out the tiger meat, adding some side dishes he had bought from a restaurant and a pot of steaming hot rice.

At first, Yang the Third and his son were still reserved, but Yang Jing didn’t put on any airs, and the two of them relaxed considerably.

They both tried a piece of the tiger meat. The rich, savory flavor shot straight to their heads, and they took several large bites in a row.

But tiger meat was the flesh of a ferocious beast, after all. Compared to ordinary livestock, it was too nutritious, too potent. After just a few bites, sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their faces flushed bright red. They couldn’t swallow another bite and could only eat some vegetables to relieve the effect.

Yang An was more composed than the other two. Although it was clearly his first time eating tiger meat as well, he ate steadily. Perhaps because he didn’t see himself as an outsider, he wasn’t as reserved.

He picked up a few pieces of meat, ate half a bowl of rice, and said in a low voice, "This is much tastier than the coarse rice back home."

Yang Jing smiled and said, "Brother An, you’ll have plenty to eat from now on. First, build up your body so you can practice martial arts."

After the meal, Yang Jing packed some of the leftover braised pork knuckle for Yang the Third and his son and saw them to the door.

Yang the Third left, thanking him profusely. Before he went, he repeatedly told Yang Jing not to worry and that things in the village were fine now. Although there were some refugees, there hadn’t been any trouble.

Returning to the courtyard, Yang Jing saw that Yang An had already started clearing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen.

Yang Jing stopped him. He had Yang An grab his luggage and led him toward a side room. "Brother An, this room is all cleaned up. The bedding has been freshly aired in the sun. You can stay here for now. Rest for a bit this afternoon. When I get back tonight, I’ll take you out for a walk, and then I’ll teach you martial arts."

Yang An gave a simple, honest grin. He looked at the clean bed in the side room, then at the old, leafy locust tree in the courtyard, and nodded vigorously. "Okay, I’ll listen to you."

Yang An put down his luggage, and after making the bed, he went back to cleaning the kitchen and sweeping the courtyard.

Yang Jing lay on his bed for a short nap. The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the floor.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional chirp of cicadas and the sound of Yang An tidying up outside the window, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

...

These past few days, Yang Jing’s life had become much more comfortable.

He had handed over the many trivial household chores to Yang An, which saved him a great deal of time.

In the evenings, while practicing his own martial arts, Yang Jing would also take the time to guide Yang An in cultivating the Raging Wave Kicks.

The Mountain-Shattering Fist was the core martial art of the Sun’s Martial Arts Hall. Other than the Hall Master, Sun Yong, no one was allowed to teach it to outsiders. This was a major taboo in the martial arts hall.

However, Yang Jing was already quite accomplished in the Raging Wave Kicks. Coupled with the fact that he had reached the Anjin realm in the Mountain-Shattering Fist, his understanding was on a completely different level. It was effortless for him to guide Yang An, who was just a beginner with the Raging Wave Kicks.

While guiding Yang An’s practice, Yang Jing discovered that his cousin didn’t just have a Root Bone for martial arts—it seemed even better than his own. Though it was still a Lower-Grade Root Bone, Yang An had a real hope of breaking through to the Mingjin realm.

This gave Yang Jing high hopes for Yang An. He knew he wouldn’t stay in Yuhe County forever and would have to leave one day. When that time came, there would be someone to look after his family.

「Three days passed in a flash.」

「Early that morning, at the Sun’s Martial Arts Hall in Chengping Square.」

Yang Jing had just finished a round of the Mountain-Shattering Fist, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was about to switch to practicing the Raging Wave Kicks when he saw Sun Ningxiang walk out from the inner courtyard.

She was dressed in a moon-white ruqun, holding a register, paper, and a brush. Standing before the Moon Gate, her clear voice rang out: "Senior and junior brothers who wish to participate in the Field Exam, if you don’t have time to go to the County Yamen to register, you can sign up with me. I’ll compile the information and submit it to the County Yamen for everyone." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

To participate in the Field Exam, one naturally had to register. Only those who had broken through to Mingjin and passed the Court’s official inspection were considered successfully registered.

However, that was the registration method for Independent Martial Artists.

The major martial arts halls in the city had been established for many years. Their relationships with the government were deep and complex, and their connections were tight. Therefore, with the backing of a martial arts hall, one could skip the Court’s inspection and register directly as a group.

In reality, the majority of Martial Artists at the Field Exam came from the Great Martial Arts Halls. Next were the disciples from prominent families, and last were the Independent Martial Artists.

In this day and age, without a wealth of background resources or the guidance of a famous master, the path of an Independent Martial Artist was the hardest. Consequently, the number of them who broke through to Mingjin was the lowest.

Hearing Sun Ningxiang’s voice, the Mingjin Disciples in the front courtyard quickly gathered around and began to register.

The few Anjin disciples, however, were not in a hurry. They remained absorbed in their training.

The Mingjin Disciples only wanted to make a good showing at the Field Exam; they didn’t dream of getting on the final ranking list.

But these Anjin disciples were different. A fire burned in their bellies, and they were all determined to vie for a top spot.

In terms of sheer tenacity alone, the performance of Zhao Wenzheng, Qi Yun, and the others these past few days was no worse than Yang Jing’s.

Lin Yue was also practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist with powerful strikes, though his gaze occasionally flickered toward Sun Ningxiang in front of the Moon Gate.

Sun Ningxiang kept her head down, brush in hand, diligently recording the disciples’ information.

Sunlight fell on the tips of her jet-black hair, giving it a soft, gentle sheen.

Soon, the Mingjin Disciples had all finished registering.

Yang Jing saw that the other Anjin disciples hadn’t moved, as if whoever went to register first would seem weaker than the others.

Yang Jing didn’t bother with such posturing. He walked up to Sun Ningxiang, sat down at the small, temporary table, picked up the brush, and wrote his name, age, and hometown—Yang Family Village, Wazi Town—in the register.