84: Chapter 84 Pointed-Head Man
The next morning, the cries of the Colorful Fluff Chickens pierced the cold night.
The deep winter morning was gray and dim.
Yue Yun stretched and walked to the balcony, breathing in the fresh air, letting the cold wind awaken his bodily functions, when he caught a glimpse of figures on both sides.
"Eh, why are you two up so early?"
Logically speaking, Xu Qingfang and Mo Yu should still be fast asleep, yet here they were, sitting on the balcony smoking.
The disheveled Mo Yu did not answer; he rubbed his eyes to make himself feel a bit better, then picked up the cigarettes beside him and tossed them to Yue Yun.
Xu Qingfang was still deep in a second nap.
He leaned against the wooden chair, took a moment to recover, and then said, "You always wake up early the day after drinking. Don't you have that feeling?"
Xu Qingfang looked Yue Yun over.
Yue Yun was full of energy and looked normal, with absolutely no signs of a hangover, as if this were just his routine early rise.
Xu Qingfang nodded as if remembering something.
"That's right, with your metabolic ability, you would have metabolized it long ago."
Yue Yun was still looking at the cigarette Mo Yu had tossed over.
He was actually a bit hesitant.
What kind of decent person smokes first thing in the morning right after waking up?
Oh, it's me, never mind then!
He put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, casually tucked the lighter into his pants pocket, and sat on the wooden chair, happily puffing away.
"Are you still going to train today?" Mo Yu asked.
Yue Yun nodded without hesitation.
Xu Qingfang and Mo Yu could afford to be lazy because they didn't need to rely on their own bodies to fight; protecting themselves was enough.
But Yue Yun couldn't afford even a shred of laziness.
He had to practice martial arts to strengthen his body, increase his strength, speed up his explosive power, make his body more agile, and make himself capable of taking a beating.
Vitality was his guarantee.
Speed and power were his means to defeat the enemy!
He tossed the cigarette pack precisely back into Mo Yu's lap.
He teased with a smile, "Aren't you two coming with me?"
"Go slowly, we won't see you out!"
Xu Qingfang and Mo Yu waved lazily.
Yue Yun didn't wake Miao Sang up from under the covers; he simply threw on a light blue windbreaker and set off in his sneakers.
"A Zhen, A Qiang!"
He greeted the Pixie stone lions at the entrance.
The two Pixie stone lions ignored him, still dutifully guarding their post, their eyes emitting a gentle yellow glow as they watched him walk away until his figure disappeared along the driveway.
Yue Yun had asked the Uncle about the route.
A thirty-minute drive along the road would lead to a local prayer temple, and past the temple was the local town.
According to the Uncle, after he found the two Pixie stone lions, A Zhen and A Qiang, he had gone to the prayer temple to ask about them, but it turned out they weren't from there.
Perhaps the Uncle wouldn't have imagined that Yue Yun was running there.
The windbreaker could hide his sturdy frame, but it couldn't hide his powerful strides; his figure, straight as a pine, was like a blade, cutting through the cold wind as he forged ahead.
Every breath was his body roaring.
Even his heartbeat was like a war drum, accelerating the fierce burning of his Qi and blood, refining the true essence within Yue Yun's limbs and bones.
"Exercise is a form of enjoyment; I love exercise because I am a person who craves enjoyment..."
Yue Yun hypnotized himself in his heart.
Whether it was bitter or sweet, he could tell the difference.
Having reached the level of a Two-Star Beast Tamer in just half a year, even Pan Xuan praised him highly; only he knew the sweat that went into it.
But Yue Yun was indeed enjoying it.
He traded every second of effort for the pleasure of becoming stronger.
This was what he deserved!
Actually, Yue Yun felt he was quite strong now.
High damage on the left fist, high damage on the right fist.
To deal with a strong enemy, Thousand Army Parting might not be enough, but Thousand Army Parting should be enough to deal with a strong enemy.
"Wait, what am I saying?"
Yue Yun's expression twisted for a moment.
He thought of the last Wallfacer of humanity, the Peak of human physique and intelligence, that man whose own left brain couldn't even know what his right brain was truly thinking.
To know it is the most desperate thing.
Before Yue Yun could sort out his thoughts, the local town appeared before his eyes, and the prayer temple on the edge of town was particularly conspicuous.
It was still too early; there were only merchants setting up their stalls, and no customers buying things, so it seemed exceptionally deserted.
Yue Yun stopped in front of the prayer temple.
In the center of the prayer temple was a huge ginkgo tree, its straight trunk like a sharp sword pointing straight to the sky, its golden leaves bright and gleaming, swaying slightly in the cold wind.
"Do ginkgo trees not shed their leaves in winter?"
Yue Yun murmured to himself and walked into the prayer temple.
The golden fallen leaves covered the ground like gold, and walking on them made a rustling sound that helped release his mood.
As the distance closed, Yue Yun could increasingly feel the energy emitted by the ginkgo tree, as if it were breathing rhythmically.
"Is this also some kind of Pet Beast?"
Yue Yun didn't know much about plant-type Pet Beasts.
He took out his phone to search for information on Pet Beasts, and at the same time thought of Mo Yu; if he were here, he would definitely be able to tell the origin of this tree.
"Gold-Shaking Ginkgo Tree? Good name!"
Looking at the information displayed on his phone, Yue Yun thought it was very fitting and couldn't help but feel much better.
He noticed the QR code for incense on a table not far away.
"Selling me three sticks of incense for one yuan is inevitably a bit expensive, but three sticks of incense for one yuan? I think that's quite a good deal."
Yue Yun smiled self-deprecatingly.
After all, since he was already here, even if he didn't believe in it, Yue Yun scanned the code to get the incense, lit it, and stuck it in the incense burner to pray for his older sister.
He also had to pray for the future of Xu Qingfang and Mo Yu, for the safety of Su Lixia and Xue Qin, and for the health of the old man and Pan Xuan...
Yue Yun couldn't help but laugh again.
"A one-yuan incense stick to make a wish worth a thousand gold."
He took a photo with his phone and sent it to his sister, then turned and sent it to Xu Qingfang and Mo Yu, and only then left the prayer temple with satisfaction, taking no more than ten minutes in total.
Yue Yun wandered around the town for a while before heading back.
When it was fully bright and the warmth returned, he jogged back to the Bai family courtyard and greeted the two Pixie stone lions again.
"Up so early? Not sleeping a bit more?"
The Uncle was surprised to see Yue Yun coming back from outside.
He thought for a moment and asked, "Are you hungry? How about I cook you some breakfast first to tide you over?"
It took courage for the Uncle to say this.
Given Yue Yun's appetite, it wouldn't be strange if he ate the Uncle out of house and home, so saying "tide you over" was a bit of an understatement.
Fortunately, there was still time to prepare.
"I'll take a shower and rest for a while first. Just wait until those two get up and we can eat breakfast together. No need to go to any trouble for me."
"That's good!"
The Uncle breathed a sigh of relief and decided to call for help later.
At this moment, Yue Yun also noticed a huge black shadow cleaning up trash in the private room, and a thin, long black shadow preparing dishes in the back kitchen.
A plump panda walked out of the private room, skillfully opened the trash can, and threw the trash in.
Pet Beast: Iron-Eating Cub, potential rating C-grade.
As if seeing Yue Yun's confusion.
The Uncle took the initiative to explain, "This is my Pet Beast, A Bao. When there's nothing to do, it helps me tidy up. The one in the kitchen, A Ying, is also my Pet Beast, responsible for helping me cut vegetables."
Pet Beast: Pao Ying, potential rating E-grade.
The corners of Yue Yun's mouth curled into a faint smile.
"It seems you get along well with them, Uncle."
"That's right, they are all my family!"
The Uncle's tone was quite proud.