The sun was already high in the sky when Lu Xuan slowly woke up.
For a moment, he lay motionless beneath the quilt, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling as the haziness of sleep gradually lifted from his mind. The room was quiet, and the warmth beside him had long since faded.
Shen Yuyan was gone.
Only her lingering fragrance remained on the quilt, faint but unmistakable. Lu Xuan turned his face into the pillow and took another breath before finally forcing himself to sit up.
Last night...
The memories returned in fragments: the pale moonlight spilling through the window, the woman who had looked at him with such complicated emotions, and the tenderness that had gradually replaced the uncertainty between them.
Even now, it all felt somewhat unreal.
Lu Xuan spotted a small patch of dark red on the sheets, a remnant of last night. He froze for a moment.
Last night had truly been wild... She had kept her eyes open and hadn’t made a sound other than the occasional moan or cry of pleasure that escaped her lips. He hoped his impulsiveness hadn’t hurt her.
He stretched his arms above his head, intending to shake off the last traces of sleep.
Then he froze.
Something was different.
His shoulders felt loose, his limbs unusually light, and even the stiffness that had plagued him for years had vanished. There was none of the familiar heaviness in his chest, none of the aching joints that usually greeted him whenever he woke.
He hadn’t felt this way in his own body for over a decade.
The injuries from the beating... They no longer hurt.
He looked down and carefully touched his left ribs. A bone had been broken there just yesterday.
Now... there was no pain at all. He had completely recovered.
He took a deep breath.
It was as though Spiritual Energy were circulating through his Meridians, flowing like a warm stream from his Dantian to his limbs and back again.
He clenched his fists.
Strength.
Not merely the illusion of feeling stronger.
It was real and undeniable.
He looked down at his hands. A thin layer of sweat covered his palms, but his fingers were steady... not shaking at all.
[Ding!]
[Lazy Cultivation System: Sleep cycle complete.]
[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 15%.]
[Mastered Form: Deer Form (Minor Achievement).]
[Effect: Strength +30%, Speed +50%, Injury Recovery Speed +200%.]
[Current Realm: Body Tempering: Level One.]
Lu Xuan stared at the panel, his heart pounding with excitement.
Body Tempering Level One!
One night’s sleep had actually pushed him across the threshold of cultivation.
More importantly, the damage to his martial foundation—the very thing that had ruined his prospects and made him a laughingstock—had been repaired.
Though he was only at Body Tempering Level One... that was the level of a mere gatekeeping servant in the Lu Family.
But it didn’t matter... This was only the beginning of his great conquest.
Tomorrow... he would be even stronger. As long as he slept more, he would surely be able to reclaim everything that belonged to him.
Lu Xuan suppressed his excitement. He really wanted to lie back down and get some more sleep.
But he couldn’t.
Shen Yuyan had been gone for quite some time.
His smile faded.
They were still in an unfamiliar place, far from the security of a proper home, and there were wild beasts outside the city. He felt uneasy not knowing where she was or whether she was safe.
Thinking of this, he put on his shoes and pushed open the door. The morning light flooded in, making him squint.
There was no one in the yard.
On the stove sat a bowl of warm water and half a flatbread... the one she had brought from the Shen Family yesterday. She had broken it in two... and left the larger piece for him.
Lu Xuan stood in the yard, stunned for three seconds.
Then he set out to find her.
He walked quickly, though not intentionally... but because his body had become faster.
His steps were light, as if he were walking on air, and each stride carried him much farther than before... as though he could cover ten paces in a single step.
This was the effect of the Deer Form from the Five Animals Transformation Art.
Agile, swift, and as light as a swallow.
As he reached a riverbank, he suddenly heard a sharp cry for help coming from the nearby dense forest.
"Help! Help!"
Lu Xuan’s heart sank.
That voice... It was Yuyan!
He didn’t waste a second. He charged into the forest, moving like a galloping deer, covering ten paces with every stride.
In the blink of an eye, he spotted Shen Yuyan beneath an old oak tree. She was backed against the trunk, clutching a branch with both hands. Before her stood a gray-furred wild wolf.
The wolf had a wound on its hind leg, scabbed over with dried blood. It bared its teeth, growling as it limped closer.
Shen Yuyan’s face was as pale as paper. She gripped the branch tightly, staring fixedly at the wolf without blinking.
"Yuyan!"
Lu Xuan shouted.
Shen Yuyan turned her head. Seeing him, her eyes instantly reddened.
"Husband... don’t come over! Run!"
Lu Xuan didn’t listen. He stepped forward, moving like the wind.
The wolf sprang off its hind legs, leaping into the air with its fangs bared and lunging straight for his throat.
Deer Form. Sidestep.
The wolf’s claws brushed past his chest.
Rip!
His clothes tore, and three bloody gashes stretched from his left shoulder to his right ribs. Blood immediately gushed from the wounds. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
It hurt... It hurt like hell!
But Lu Xuan didn’t dodge any farther. This was the distance he had been waiting for.
His left hand shot out, his fingers curling like hooks as he firmly grabbed the wolf’s injured hind leg. His nails dug into the wound, piercing the flesh until he could feel the bone beneath.
The wolf screamed, its cry shrill and piercing, like metal scraping against metal.
It whipped its head around, its bloody jaws snapping toward Lu Xuan’s neck.
Foul breath, searing heat, and fangs... inches away from his throat.
Lu Xuan did not retreat.
His right fist swung up and smashed down onto the wolf’s snout with everything he had.
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking was as crisp as a dry branch snapping.
Blood and tears burst from the wolf’s face, splashing onto Lu Xuan.
The wolf went mad, its four legs kicking frantically, its claws leaving bloody trails on Lu Xuan’s arms as dirt flew everywhere.
Lu Xuan remained motionless... as if nailed to the ground.
Second punch.
Thump!
Blood foam began to bubble from the wolf’s mouth.
Third punch.
Thump!
Several of the wolf’s teeth broke and fell to the ground, mixed with blood.
Fourth punch.
The wolf’s eyes began to glaze over. Its struggles weakened.
Fifth punch.
The wild wolf stopped moving. Completely still and dead.
Lu Xuan let go, and the wolf’s corpse thudded to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He panted heavily. The three gashes on his chest burned with every breath, and his right hand was covered in blood... he couldn’t tell whether it was the wolf’s or his own.
But he smiled and turned his head to look at Shen Yuyan.
"Tonight... we have meat to eat."
Shen Yuyan stood frozen, staring at him, covered in blood from head to toe. Her tears finally fell.
She rushed over and threw her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You scared me to death... you scared me to death..."
Lu Xuan gently patted her back.
"It’s okay. The wolf is dead."
He glanced at the wolf on the ground and thought to himself...
With this wolf, I can eat well and sleep well for a week.
In a week... I should be able to reach Body Tempering Level Five.