Bang bang bang! Ding Niu is training hard again.
It was the spring plowing season, and the precious pearl rice had not yet been planted in the fields. The Liang family was very lenient with their farm workers. Once the rice was planted, they would have to constantly guard against birds, insects, and livestock stealing the crops. They would also need to irrigate the fields, plant the rice seedlings, fertilize the fields, and weed the crops. When the pearl rice was ripe, they would harvest it and store it in the granary. It was a continuous cycle, and there was always someone watching over the fields day and night. By that time, there would be no more free time.
After finishing his work, Ding Niu went to a remote place to train his strength and martial arts, practicing various movements non-stop.
In various parts of the Liang family's valley, there were many people practicing martial arts. Most of them were lower-ranking house servants and guards who wanted to enhance their own strength and gain promotion in the garrison.
Ding Niu had previously sneaked a peek at an old soldier practicing martial arts and was caught once. However, because he was young, the soldier spared him. But Ding Niu was still severely beaten. Later, the soldier took pity on him and taught him some training techniques.
He started with standing stances to train leg and waist strength. The Siping stance would be held for over an hour, which was two hours. Then, he practiced punching with an unnamed Changquan routine that everyone in Jinxizhen knew. He would practice this routine thirty times a day and do one hundred repetitions of each move for two hours. This was the Hundred-Day Training.
Every day is like this.
This is the requirement and the goal. Those who can persist will continue, those who can't will be eliminated.
Have people succeeded in practicing like this? Most are professional soldiers and martial artists. But for someone like Ding Niu, a farm servant, only a few can succeed in their practice.
There are twelve hours in a day, with a thousand chores to complete, six or seven hours spent on miscellaneous tasks, and four hours of hard practice, which means all rest time is used for training.
The vast majority either end up with physical damage, lower their requirements, or give up halfway. Ding Niu persisted and continued until now, and even sensed his breath and developed true energy.
Unfortunately, the old veteran couldn't see it anymore. Ding Niu learned that he had gone to the battlefield two years ago and died on the battlefield. After learning of this news, Ding Niu exercised even more diligently.
He punched the tree stump, sweat splashing everywhere, and under the illumination of the night light, it sparkled with a brilliant crystal light.
Bang! Bang! Smash! Ding Niu hit the tree stump again and again, feeling the stars scattered before his eyes, his head buzzing, exhausted to the extreme, his hungry stomach growling, the little bit of meat and grains he ate at night had already been digested clean, and his physical strength was squeezed to the limit.
With an empty stomach, Ding Niu couldn't summon the strength to continue. Gasping for air, he sighed in his heart. Although he had been practicing hard for years and had made some progress, it was only due to his young age and quick recovery. He had overdrawn his body and felt tired and exhausted, despite his willpower and determination to persist. He knew that a large part of it was due to his inadequate diet and nutrition.
The soldiers stationed at the garrison ate big fish and meat every day, while the officers, who had ginseng and bird's nest as their rations, had access to nutritious and abundant food, rich in spiritual energy. In contrast, he couldn't compare. If he continued like this, he wouldn't even be able to cultivate to the middle grade of true Qi, let alone become an unparalleled master. If he was drafted into the battlefield, he would die just like the old soldiers.
He wanted to escape, but he couldn't. Even if he managed to leave the garrison, he couldn't fight off any random soldier who caught him and accused him of desertion. He would be executed without a trial.
Regardless, he didn't want to live and die in such a pitiful manner. He lay on the ground for a while, enduring the soreness and fatigue all over his body. If he didn't go back to rest now, he wouldn't be able to get up in the morning, let alone finish his assignments. His daily schedule was like a taut wire, and he had pushed himself to the limit. Any mistake in the process could spell disaster.
It was already late at night, and only Ding Niu was still practicing hard in Liangjiaao. The other practitioners in the area had already gone home. Ding Niu walked out of the mountain path, taking one step at a time, heading back.
"Moo! Moo!"
Why are there cows running out? "The person in charge of the cows must be so careless!" Upon hearing it, Ding Niu knew it was the sound of cows. After the distribution was completed, all the cows would be returned to the cowshed, with the number tags accounted for and responsibilities clearly defined. Hundreds of working oxen were uniformly fed, looked after, and cared for.
If the cows ran outside in the middle of the night, it must be because the person in charge of them fell asleep and was neglectful. If they couldn't be found before work started the next morning, there would definitely be a whipping, with skin opened and flesh torn.
Ding Niu hurried over to help bring the cows back. Afterward, he would ask the person in charge of the cows to help take care of his old cow, which would be passable.
Under the moonlight, an old cow with speckles near its mouth licked its tongue and wagged its tail, softly mooing twice at Ding Niu.
An old cow? Ding Niu was surprised, and then he became worried. The lost cow would be caught and the person in charge of them would inevitably vent their anger on it. In this state, even if it wasn't beaten, just saying it was old and useless would immediately result in it being sold or slaughtered. Its future was worrying.
Ding Niu's heart tightened. He thought that when he brought it back, he would have to ask for a favor and take the responsibility himself. Although he would not escape a beating, he was tough and could withstand it. Besides, it was the spring planting season, and they would not beat him too severely. Or perhaps they would just note it down and have him work harder later.
He was also puzzled. The old cow had always been able to understand human nature and was not like those other rough cows that ran around. How could it suddenly run out?
Ding Niu walked quickly toward the old cow. Before he got close, the old cow mooed at him again, its eyes cloudy. It turned slowly and walked directly in the opposite direction.
Hmm? Ding Niu softly called twice, but Lao Niu didn't respond and continued walking. Ding Niu was taken aback for a moment, and noticed that Lao Niu's current state was very strange. Upon closer inspection, Lao Niu's walking style was unsteady and he couldn't stand firmly. His fur on his back was also very dilapidated.
Ding Niu could see clearly and suddenly realized something, his heart aching. He understood that Lao Niu's time was running out, and he had come to say goodbye. Ding Niu didn't know what to do and unknowingly, his eyes were a bit sour. He wiped his sour eyes without making a sound.
In the quiet and silent atmosphere, one cow and one person walked one after the other under the dim moonlight.
Ding Niu knew that many domesticated cats, dogs, and livestock, when they knew their time was coming to an end, would leave their homes to find a secluded place to die alone. Lao Niu might be in this situation. Ding Niu silently followed, prepared to bury Lao Niu deeply when he died, so as not to be found and eaten by others. Losing such a big cow, those who watch over the cows would not easily let it go and would definitely come looking for it. Who knows, by then he might also end up with some meat to eat without realizing it.
Thinking of this, Ding Niu felt very uncomfortable.
Splish splash! Splish splash!
Zhao Hanjiang's water rippled and slapped against both banks, sounding even louder in the middle of the night. Unknowingly, they had already arrived at the edge of Zhao Hanjiang.
"The same Zhao Hanjiang who nurtured the thousand mu of Liangtian in Liangjiaao, causing it to produce precious pearl rice, had suddenly fallen into the river."
The old ox stepped into the river and sank.
Dingniu's heart tightened, and he hurriedly followed. Was the old ox planning to leave Liangjiaao through Zhao Hanjiang? The old ox was clever and knew that it would stay here even if it died, just to be eaten.
But there were dams at both ends of Liangjiaao, which were not built by the Garrison Headquarters. They were built hundreds of years ago and were now under the control of the Garrison Headquarters. On the one hand, the dams were used for water storage and irrigation, and there were specialized personnel to manage the opening and closing of the gates. On the other hand, they also served to prevent spies and enemies from easily infiltrating through the waterway.
Even if the old ox understood human nature, it was afraid that it would not know this.
If it were discovered by the guards, it would still not be able to leave.
Unexpectedly, the old ox did not drift with the river, but sank into the depths of the water.
Zhao Hanjiang did not know how deep it was, and Dingniu followed the old ox and unknowingly dived nearly a hundred meters. The breath he had taken earlier had already been exhausted, but fortunately he still had some true energy left to support him.
In contrast, the old ox seemed to be very comfortable in the water, moving more nimbly than on land.
Dingniu suddenly thought of a rumor he had heard in a past life: the so-called "water-avoiding golden-eyed beast" was actually a big water buffalo.
At this depth, Dingniu's true energy consumption was intense, his chest was compressed and he felt suffocated, and his heart beat like a drum, consuming more than when he plowed the fields. If this continued, he would not be able to hold on for long.
Dingniu observed the old ox and saw that it still had strength.
He was ready to return, and if the old ox had this ability, he might not need him to deal with it, and those who were watching the ox would not come to find it at such a deep spot in the water..."
The depth of the hundred meters was only faintly lit, and it was the stimulation of his true energy that allowed his vision to increase. As he continued forward, he couldn't see clearly what was ahead, and Ding Niu was starting to feel uneasy.
At that moment, Old Niu suddenly turned and headed towards the shore, and Ding Niu felt the disturbance and was struck with an idea. He followed along, feeling as though his body was being dragged by someone's hand, and he felt extremely uncomfortable to the point of wanting to vomit blood.
Finally, they entered a cave under the water. Ding Niu made a decisive decision and did not follow Old Niu any further, turning around to head back instead. His true energy was quickly running out, and the future was uncertain if he continued to follow. Since he now knew about this place, he would be prepared to explore it in the future.
Ding Niu looked deeply at Old Niu and bid him farewell! He swam straight up, rapidly returning to the surface.
Ding Niu took a deep breath, inhaling like a dragon drinking water, for nearly half a minute until his lungs couldn't take any more. He then stopped and memorized the location, using a bit of true energy to drive off the water, and quickly returned to his dormitory bunk. The guard at the door recognized him and let him in, saying, "Ding Niu, you're practicing so late again. Don't delay tomorrow's farm work."
"I know," Ding Niu replied.
On the other side, Old Niu continued on the twisting path for about a hundred meters, and then floated upward at an angle. In no time at all, he stepped out of the water and found himself in an open space with a wall of rocks behind him.
Old Cow crawled up the shore with his last bit of strength. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the darkness, and a black shadow leapt onto his back. Emitting a low growl, the humanoid monster opened its bloodstained mouth and bit down fiercely. Old Cow, already exhausted, let out a low moan and fell down. The monster then straddled him and devoured him ravenously.
After a long time, the monster was satisfied and left, retracing its steps. It arrived at a spacious cave littered with animal remains, fish bones, and some human bones. It stopped at a place on the rock wall, where there were piles of unhusked pearl rice grains. In such a damp and dark environment, they did not rot or become damp, emitting a leisurely fragrance. If the overseer of the town's granary saw this, he would certainly shout "thief!"
But that was not all. Near the rock wall, there were several layers of thick straw, carrying a faint fragrance. The fish monster was over a meter tall, covered in scales, with awkward limbs, and rough hands and feet. On its head was a fish head.
The fish monster imitated human posture, lying on the straw with its limbs spread out, and knew how to enjoy itself. It leaned against the rock wall and fell into a deep sleep, occasionally murmuring in its dreams.