Graveyard, small wooden hut.
After finishing a delicious lunch, Chloe couldn't help but show a satisfied smile. But when she thought about their future, worry crept onto her face.
"Come on, Chloe, your big brother has something to show you!"
Evan Chu stood up and led Chloe over to the grain jar.
"Go ahead, open it!" Evan Chu said with a mysterious smile.
"Okay."
Chloe lifted the wooden board covering the grain jar and was instantly stunned. The jar was filled to the brim with grain—enough for the two of them to eat for a whole month.
"Ah, young master, where did all this grain come from?" Overwhelmed, Chloe reverted to calling him "young master" in her excitement.
Evan Chu smiled and patted Chloe on the head. "Silly girl, didn't I tell you? You don't need to worry about food or drink anymore. As for where the grain came from, you don't need to ask. Just remember—with your big brother here, you'll never go hungry again."
"And you don't need to keep that job in town anymore. From now on, just focus on training martial arts with me!"
"Mm, I understand," Chloe nodded softly.
After cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks and resting for a while, Evan Chu motioned for Chloe to follow him out to the open ground outside the hut.
"Chloe, I'll teach you the Chu Family's basic palm technique first. I'll perform it once—see how much you can remember!"
As he spoke, Evan Chu took his stance and began to demonstrate the Chu Family's basic palm technique. This set consisted of seven moves. While its attack power wasn't strong, it was more than enough for tempering the body and nourishing the flesh.
Even though Evan Chu deliberately slowed his movements, it still only took him two minutes to finish the whole set.
"How much did you remember?"
Evan Chu looked at Chloe and asked.
"Big brother, I remembered all of it," Chloe replied shyly.
"You remembered all of it?" Evan Chu was a bit surprised, but quickly felt pleased and motioned for her to try it out.
Under Evan Chu's watchful gaze, Chloe began to perform the Chu Family's basic palm technique. Although most of her movements lacked strength and range due to never having trained before, it was clear she had truly memorized the form.
Seeing Chloe's expectant gaze, Ian nodded. "Very good. Next, I'll help you fix what you're missing!"
What surprised Ian even more came next—Chloe completely grasped the essentials of the palm technique in just half an hour.
Despite years of poor nutrition, after practicing for half an hour, Chloe's stamina was running low. But her expression was especially excited; her little face was streaked with sweat, yet she was beaming with happiness.
Ian clapped his hands. "Alright, that's enough for today. From now on, practice this palm technique ten times a day. Once you've built a solid foundation, I'll teach you fist techniques and sword arts!"
"Okay, big brother!" Chloe nodded obediently.
Just then, Ian's gaze shifted to the mountain path. Sure enough, in less than ten breaths, a group of three appeared within his line of sight.
The man in the lead was in his early forties, dressed in a black robe. His square face was marred by narrow, triangular eyes that made him look sly and treacherous. At the moment, a faintly arrogant smile curled his lips.
"Charles Chu, it's him!"
With Evan Chu's memories, Ian instantly recognized the man—Charles Chu, formerly the Chu Family's second butler and now the chief steward, a loyal henchman of his uncle, clan head Drake Chu.
Warren Wang and Shawn Zhou, two brawny men around thirty, followed behind. Both wore the Chu Family's gray servant uniforms and caps.
Warren was at the peak of Tempering Body level seven, while Shawn had reached early level eight. Both used to serve as Evan's personal attendants and bodyguards, treated decently by him, but during the Chu Family upheaval they betrayed him and joined Drake's faction.
The three quickly reached the hut.
Charles looked Evan up and down in surprise, then sneered, "It seems Young Master Evan has recovered his wits—how delightful."
Acting under Drake's orders, Charles had come to test Evan's condition and force him to hand over Thomas Chu's cultivation method. Seeing Evan lucid made things easier.
Ian's face darkened. "Why are you here?"
Before Charles could answer, Warren barked, "A lowly grave-keeper like you has no right to question the chief steward!"
Shawn joined in, mocking, "You still think you're the Chu Family's eldest young master? Now you're just a base tomb-keeper."
Instead of getting angry, Ian gave them a cool, contemptuous glance. He thought to himself, Even a dog knows to wag its tail at its master; these two, once treated well by me, now not only lack gratitude but have come to flaunt their power before me—making them worse than dogs.
Enraged, Warren and Shawn turned livid. Warren's eyes went cold with killing intent; he lunged forward, attempting to slap Evan to death with a huge, fan-like palm, cursing him as a lowly cripple.
Ian's eyes went cold as he slipped aside, easily dodging the blow. Then he channeled power into his fist and struck. With a resounding impact, Warren was sent flying, crashing down seven or eight meters away.
Charles, who had been smiling, froze in shock. Wasn't Evan's cultivation abolished? How could he send Warren flying with a single punch? He immediately suspected Evan's dantian had somehow been restored.
Charles knew that a broken dantian could only be repaired in two ways: either by a powerhouse beyond the Divine Sea Stage using supreme force to rebuild it, or by some miraculous pill.
The first was impossible—if Evan had such a backer, he would never have been expelled. That left the second possibility: Evan may have taken a rare pill that can repair the dantian.
The thought ignited Charles's greed. A pill of that level was priceless; if Evan still had any, Charles could become rich and powerful. Determined to seize this opportunity, he ordered the humiliated Warren and the equally stunned Shawn to attack together and capture Evan.
Both men obeyed. Warren, burning with shame from being knocked flying, bounded across the seven- or eight-meter gap again, charging straight at Evan. Shawn circled to the side, punching toward Evan's waist.
Ian smoothly slid his feet, evading their combined assault, then let both fists shoot out like twin dragons, slamming into their chests. This time he released the full power of a peak eighth-level Tempering Body expert.
The result was decisive: Warren hit the ground and immediately vomited blood, severely injured. Shawn fared slightly better; he staggered back seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing himself, his face pale and his chest aching from internal damage.
On the side, Charles's eyes gleamed brightly. Evan had not only repaired his dantian but, in just a few months, pushed his cultivation to the peak of Tempering Body level eight. This drastic transformation proved he must be hiding a huge secret—likely involving miraculous pills or a superior cultivation method.
Resolving to capture and interrogate Evan, Charles moved. His figure blurred as he closed in within an instant, one palm chopping toward Evan's chest while the other hand curled into a claw, grabbing for his shoulder.
The first was impossible—if Evan had such a powerful backer, he would never have been expelled from the Chu Family.
So, could it be that he possessed some kind of special miraculous pill?
At this thought, Charles's eyes grew greedier. A pill that could repair the dantian was worth a fortune. If Evan still had some left, Charles would strike it rich today!
With this in mind, he barked at the embarrassed Warren and the equally shocked Shawn, "You two, attack together and capture him!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Having been sent flying by a punch, Warren felt humiliated. With a stride, he crossed the seven- or eight-meter gap and charged at Ian again.
Meanwhile, Shawn attacked from the side, throwing a punch at Ian's waist.
Bang! Bang!
Facing their attacks, Ian slid his feet and easily dodged. Then, his fists shot out like twin dragons, landing heavily on both their chests.
This time, he used the full strength of a peak eighth-level Tempering Body expert.
So, when Warren hit the ground, he spat out blood. Shawn fared a bit better, but still staggered back seven or eight steps before barely regaining his balance. His face turned pale; though the punch hadn't seriously injured him, it still left him badly hurt.
On the side, Charles's eyes shone with excitement. Evan hadn't just repaired his dantian—he'd reached the peak of Tempering Body level eight in just a few months. He must be hiding a huge secret; otherwise, how could he have changed so much?
I have to capture him and interrogate him thoroughly! With that thought, Charles moved. In a flash, he closed in on Ian, one palm chopping at his chest, the other forming a claw to grab his shoulder.
He was confident. Having reached peak Tempering Body level nine years ago, his strength was long since refined. To deal with a wastrel who'd only recently reached peak level eight should be effortless.