Chapter 2: Python Qi

  The sun rises, and a new day begins. Yi Chu walks out of the old house with a look of pain still on his face, but there is also a hint of calmness on that melancholy face.

  "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I will live a good life, get married and have children, and live a down-to-earth life."

  Facing the bright red sunrise, Yi Chu seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also comforting his distant parents in the sky. However, despite his solemn oath, there still seemed to be a hint of bitterness in his words.

  Yi Chu said so and did so. He found a big broom that was about to fall apart, and thoroughly swept the dusty house and courtyard from front to back, inside and out. Looking at the house that had regained its vitality, Yi Chu felt much better in his heart.

  "Dad, Mom, I'll get back the fields that belong to our family now. Don't worry, I won't fight with my uncle." As Yi Chu spoke, a confident smile spread across his face, and he picked up the black gourd on the table, heading straight towards the east of the village.

  "Second Aunt is great!" "Third Uncle, you're doing well."

  It seemed to have restored the sunshine of those years, and Yi Chu greeted familiar villagers all the way, some of whom even warmly invited him to their homes for dinner, simple villagers could only express their kindness in this way.

  However, as Yi Chu got closer to his uncle Yi Da's house, the people who greeted him had unnatural expressions, and the atmosphere became increasingly eerie with Yi Chu's every move.

  Yi Da Hong, Yi Chu's uncle, is the richest man in Yi Family Village. With wealth comes power, and with power comes prestige, so Yi Da Hong is a tyrant in Yi Family Village, although he doesn't bully men or women, no one dares to provoke him, let alone his wife who has the nickname "Mother Big Worm" in the village.

  Yi Da Huang occupied the land of Yi Chu's family, and no one in the village dared to say anything, nor could they say anything. At that time, everyone thought Yi Chu was dead. Although Yi Da Huang was a strong occupier, it was also reasonable. Unexpectedly, Yi Chu is now alive and back. Can Yi Chu get back that piece of property? But Yi Da Huang has always been one who only takes advantage and never suffers losses.

  He would never regurgitate meat he had swallowed; this was a consensus among all villagers.

  "Oh, isn't this Chu Wa Zi? I heard you've returned from being a soldier, and your uncle was just about to go see you." Yi Da Hong looked at Yi Chu with a face full of horizontal wrinkles that curved into a greasy chrysanthemum.

  Yida Hong had already made up his mind when he returned to Yichu Village. The reason he didn't go out today was just to wait for Yichu. Want to walk the good field? No way!

  "Uncle, I've been away serving in the army for three years, and it's been a lot of trouble for you to take care of things at home. My parents' funeral was also arranged by you, both inside and outside the family, and I'm grateful for your hard work!" Yi Chu expressed his sincere gratitude, bowing his fist in respect towards Yi Da.

  Actually, when Yichu's parents passed away, what made Yida worry the most was that there were still some usable household items at Yichu's home, so he quickly took them back to his own home. As for other things, they didn't differ much from those of the villagers. When Yichu thanked him, he accepted it calmly and a hint of being troubled appeared on his face: "Hey, Chuwazi, we're family, no need to be so polite, your dad was my paternal uncle, who else should I take care of? Come on, let's go inside and talk."

  As Yi Chu entered the house, Yi Da Hong's wife also came out. This woman had a few good looks, but those two thin lips made people feel that she was not a kind person no matter how they looked at her.

  She gave Yi Chu a cold glance, and then forced out a dry smile on her slightly chubby face: "Chu Wa Zi, you're back. If it weren't for your uncle, no one would have known that your parents had passed away for ages."

  "Ah, my parents can rest in peace, thanks to Uncle and Aunt's hard work. I came this time specifically to express gratitude to the two elders." Yi Chu's face was filled with a warm smile, absolutely not like someone who came to ask for inheritance.

  Yida Hong looked at Yi Chu's appearance, and his confidence increased a bit more. He spoke intimately to Yi Chu: "Chuwaizi, come over and sit down. Today, I'll tell you about the land deeds of your family."

  "Uncle, you're being too polite. I just got back and you mention this matter, what's the hurry? I just wanted to come over and chat with you." As he spoke, Yi Chu walked over and sat down in the chair that Yi Da had offered him.

  "Crack", Yi Chu hadn't even sat down properly when the chair let out a loud "crack" and its leg broke. The completely unprepared Yi Chu fell flat on his butt onto the ground.

  "Oh dear, this chair is really flimsy. Come on, come on, Chuaizai sit here." Yida was startled for a moment, then smiled and quickly replaced the chair.

  "It's all right, Uncle Tang, you sit down too." As he spoke, Yi Chu sat back down in the chair once again.

  "Crack!" Another crisp sound. The solid wood chair that had just supported Yida's weight of less than 200 pounds broke again.

  He had consecutively broken two chairs, and Yi Chu's face revealed an embarrassed expression. He scratched his head in a difficult-to-explain manner and said: "Oh dear, Uncle Wa, look at me, I was too excited, I've practiced martial arts in the army, these ordinary chairs are no longer suitable for me, it's all my fault."

  Yida Hong, although a villager, as a local tyrant, should have some cunning wisdom. His face changed, looking at the two broken chairs, he was furious in his heart but did not erupt on the spot.

  "Heh heh, I'll just sit in Uncle's two chairs. I think I'll sit in this one instead."

  Yi Chu spoke as they walked, and soon arrived at Yi Da's old stone mill where he used to grind rice. He casually picked up the over 200 jin heavy stone mortar with one hand and sat down randomly.

  The stone mill at home, Yi Da is naturally clear that it's a heavy object even for mules to pull, now being lifted by Yi Chu like holding a small chicken, how much strength does he need? If I dare to occupy his land, this guy will get angry and beat me up, and I won't be able to get out of it. Alas, that's more than 20 mu of good land, really heart-wrenching, and even thinking about retreating is unbearable.

  Between the brain's movements, Yi Da forced out a smile and said: "Chu Wa Zi, you're not serving as a soldier in vain. With your current strength, there's no one in our village who can compare to you."

  "Big Uncle, you're laughing, but this clumsy strength is nothing. On the battlefield, it's real knives and real battles, chopping off heads, lives are not even worth a belt buckle, you have to be ruthless. Don't worry about telling Big Uncle, in these three years, I've chopped off at least as many heads as this." After finishing speaking, Yi Chu mysteriously waved his finger at Yi Da.

  Looking at Yichu's smiling and shaking fingers, Yida asked tremulously: "Chuwazi, have you ever killed someone?"

  "Really? Uncle Tang also underestimated me too much? Give you another chance, guess again?" Yi Chu continued to swing his fingers and said with a smile.

  It's not one, this guy actually didn't even kill a person. At this time, Yi Da Hong looked at Yi Chu's clear face and suddenly felt that he was facing the green-faced, fierce-toothed bandit in the village storyteller's mouth.

  "Chu Wa Zi, you didn't really kill ten people, did you?" Yi Da Hong, who had fallen onto the chair, felt as if all his energy had been drained away, leaving him weak and breathless.

  "A hundred, Uncle Tang. In the past three years, I've killed at least over a hundred people. If not, I wouldn't be able to come back. On the battlefield, if I don't kill you, then you'll kill me. Who cares about that much? Killing someone is just like killing a little chicken, as long as you make a swift slash on their neck, everything is settled." As Yi Chu spoke, his finger made a slashing motion across Yi Da Hong's neck.

  Although it was just a finger, this stroke had startled the white sweat from Yi Da Hong's brow! It seemed as if the Yi Chu in front of him was holding a butcher knife.

  "Brother, to be honest, I really didn't want to come back. Killing people has become a habit, it feels so refreshing, and it's hard to quit. When I came back, our young general said I shouldn't have come back. I said no way, I still have to go home, my parents are waiting for me at home. Sigh, after leaving the military camp, who knows when I'll get to kill again?" Up to this point, Yi Chu licked his lips regretfully, as if he felt unfulfilled because there was no one to kill.

  "Chu Wa, this... killing is not good, you should just live a good life." Yi Da Hong didn't know why, but he felt his body trembling nonstop, as if he was Chu's next target to be killed.

  Watching Yi Da Hong's reaction, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Yi Chu's mouth. He knew that this outwardly strong but inwardly weak uncle was already scared. However, to make him completely collapse, he still needed to add fuel to the fire.

  "Don't worry about me, Uncle. My little general has great abilities, even if I really killed someone, he can find him and keep me safe. Hehe, I just thought it was a joke, since I'm back now, I'll live a peaceful life from now on. You say so, Uncle."

  "That's it, Chu Wa Zi, now that you're back, just live a good life and forget about the past killings. You've come to your uncle's place today, so let's have a good meal together. Although your parents are no longer here, there's still me, your uncle, and Lan Hua. Quickly kill a chicken and prepare some dishes, I'll drink with Chu Wa Zi."

  The foolish woman, seeing the two people chatting and laughing, thought that her husband had already settled the matter of the fields, so she was also delighted. Although killing the family's chickens was a bit reluctant, but weighing the pros and cons, she could still figure it out. So she readily agreed.

  In the yard, a rooster's cry, and Yi Da's prized large rooster that he had raised for many years was slaughtered. No one would have paid attention to the death of this chicken. Just as Yi Chu was talking about his military exploits, he didn't notice that at the moment the large rooster was killed, a black light flashed into the dark gourd at his waist like a whirlwind and lightning.

  The farmer's wine was poor in quality, but it had a strong kick. After drinking and eating their fill, Yi Chu pulled Yi Da's hand and said: "Uncle, you have been too good to our family. With you taking care of everything, my father can rest easy even in the afterlife."

  Yida, reeking of alcohol, pulled Yichu aside and said: "Chuwa, your dad is gone, but you still have me. If anything happens, just come find me, and I'll take care of it for you if I can."

  After a drink, the two were already slightly drunk, chattering about this and that for quite a while before finally letting go of each other's hands.

  The villagers passing by the entrance of Yida Hong's house couldn't help but feel a sense of lamentation: This world, indeed, is one where if you don't take care of yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you. In the face of profit, what family ties can be spoken of? Not to mention this unreasonable Yida Hong who still wants to occupy three shares!

  Regret is regret, sympathy is sympathy, but if they were to argue with Yi Da for the sake of Yi Chu, they would rather die than do so. For honest and simple farmers, self-preservation is undoubtedly the best choice.

  Actually, at this time, Yi Da Hong felt like a cat scratching his heart. He not only returned all twenty mu of good land to the Yi Chu family but also included half a year's harvest with it.

  It's six months because Yi Chu slammed his hand on the table and was in a hurry. If it were up to him, he would have given a year.

  "Old man, you're really something! With just one chicken, you've sent that young whippersnapper packing. Now those twenty mu of land are all ours!" Mother Bug said with a flattering gaze at her husband, her face full of joy.

  After listening to his wife's words, Yi Da Hong's face turned even more unsightly. Irritated, he scolded Mu Da Chong: "What nonsense about one chicken being exchanged for twenty mu of land? I'm telling you, from now on, don't ever mention that twenty mu of land again! That's no longer our family's!"

  After finishing, he squatted on the ground with his hands around his head. The mother bug never expected such a result, weighing two broken chair legs, and muttered: "Yi Chu this ghost son, how did he come back alive?"

  He retrieved the fields of his own home, tidied up the house a bit, and then sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate. The performance he showed at Yida Hong's house today was all thanks to the inner strength he had cultivated in the army.

  Although he had returned home and was no longer stained with blood, Yi Chu still did not relax his cultivation. Years of experience on the battlefield told him that everything in this world was false, and only strength was the most important thing.

  If he had possessed extraordinary strength back then, could the officials from the county have forced him to become a soldier? If he hadn't become a soldier, his parents wouldn't have died in despair and he wouldn't have become a lonely orphan!

  Grow stronger, I want to become even stronger! My destiny, I will take control of it myself!

  Python Qi, one of the three most basic methods for practicing Qi in the military, along with Golden Great Ability and Primordial Unity Qi, is known as the most practiced Gong Fa on the mainland. It has this title because almost every country's army on the mainland uses these three internal Qi exercises to train their troops.

  Yi Chu chose the python bull energy because his old soldiers would use it. As he operated the law, a stream of white gas slowly emerged from Yi Chu's mouth, which was milky white in color and retreated back into Yi Chu's body after about half a foot away.

  Just as he was about to inhale and exhale, a low voice like the bellowing of an ox came from Yichu's chest.