Chapter 89: Impatience

Lan Mo sorted through her Ranch harvest: a total of sixty stolen chicken eggs, thirty duck eggs, six goose eggs, twenty-four bundles of wool, twelve buckets of fresh milk, three fawns, six Persian kitten cubs, and twelve little rabbits…

All eggs were worth only two Gold Coins each, a bundle of wool fifty Gold Coins, a bucket of fresh milk sixty Gold Coins, while the cubs ranged from one hundred to two hundred Gold Coins each.

Lan Mo knew the rules set by the Heavenly Dao for her: for these ordinary items, she had to sell at least half each time, though selling everything was also allowed. If she didn’t sell, the Ranch might never level up.

She kept half of all the eggs, wool, and little rabbits in the Warehouse, kept one Persian kitten, and sold off everything else.

She directly tossed the six little rabbits into the Ranch to keep the little hens company.

The adorable little Persian kitten stayed in the Small Wooden House for her to raise and play with. Since she already had a dog, adding a cat would make things livelier.

The next day, she discovered that all six little hens in the coop had laid eggs. These chickens were fed Spirit Rice Bran, which was highly nutritious, so the eggs naturally had to be stored separately. The safest place was the Millennium Profound Ice Box.

Since opening the Ranch, Lan Mo had been busier from morning till night, even forgetting to practice the Flying Needle Acupoint Technique for several days.

Worried her skills might get rusty, she quickly practiced flying needles on a small clay figure. After half an hour, she found that close-range Flying Needle Acupoint Technique wasn’t a problem.

Beyond half a meter, she struggled to control the force, often missing the target. She wasn’t sure if it was her eyesight or her inability to concentrate and achieve a state of unity between mind and body.

Maybe she should ask that “Ancient Martial Arts Senior Brother” what was going on?

She heard that this “Ancient Martial Arts Senior Brother” could not only perform Flying Eaves and Walking Walls and Water Surface Skimming but also Remote Acupoint Targeting.

Such an amazing senior brother—if only he were her senior brother. Then she could ask him to teach her martial arts.

Lan Mo returned to the screen, found the “Ancient Martial Arts Senior Brother,” and first sent him a greeting message.

【Senior Brother, hello!】

【Little Pitiful, hello! You’re called Little Pitiful? Are you really pitiful? Why did you choose such a name?】

It was the default name from the space, and she still couldn’t change it. What could she do?

【It’s automatically set by the space. My level is too low to change it now.】

【Oh, I see. What can I do for you?】

【I heard you can perform Remote Acupoint Targeting. How do you practice it? And when targeting acupoints remotely, how do you determine the exact location of the acupoints on someone’s body when they’re wearing clothes?】

She genuinely didn’t understand. In TV dramas, martial arts masters could immobilize villains with just a few casual gestures.

Even if they used a single-finger strike, they might simultaneously press two acupoints.

She really didn’t know how they did it.

【Little Pitiful, do you know internal energy?】

【No, but I have twenty years of inner power!】

【First, you need to develop a pair of Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze. Second, you must familiarize yourself with the locations and functions of all acupoints… Most importantly, your hand speed must be fast.】

This was all talk without substance. He didn’t explain how to actually do it. How do you develop Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze? Hand speed—she knew that came entirely from diligent practice.

[“How do you practice this Remote Acupoint Targeting? Do you have any secret manuals? Like that Sunflower Acupoint Hand…”]

[“What’s Sunflower Acupoint Hand? I practice the Flicking Finger Divine Skill! Do you want to learn? I can give you a handwritten copy of the internal energy cultivation method for the Flicking Finger Divine Skill.

Flame Palm, Water Surface Skimming, Lingbo Weibu… I know these too! You can become my disciple. Whichever you like to learn, I can teach you the internal energy cultivation method. I guarantee you’ll achieve something within ten years.”]

Ten years? She didn’t have that much time to learn so many internal energy cultivation methods. She still had to keep working her day job, and at night she had to manage the farm and the Ranch.

Trying to learn too much at once would be overwhelming. What does a girl need so many martial arts for, each taking ten or twenty years to master?

Besides, she wasn’t living in ancient times. Even if she mastered martial arts, was she supposed to roam the world with a sword?

Standing up for justice and helping others—that wasn’t something she could do either.

[“Ancient Martial Arts Senior Brother, just teach me the Flicking Finger Divine Skill. I’ll combine it with Flying Needles to perform Flying Needle acupoint striking on bad guys.”]

[“Alright, I’ll send you the internal energy cultivation method for the Flicking Finger Divine Skill first. Practice on your own, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me later.”]

–[“Okay, thank you!”]

“Ancient Martial Arts Senior Brother” quickly sent over the handwritten copy of the Flicking Finger Divine Skill manual. Lan Mo immediately sent back ten catties of beef jerky as a thank-you gift.

Her principle was to never owe anyone favors intentionally and not to take advantage of others deliberately.

Of course, if an advantage came knocking, wouldn’t she be a fool not to take it?

When Shangguan Rui received the ten catties of beef jerky Lan Mo sent, he smiled and praised, “This girl is good, quite perceptive.”

Every night before bed, Lan Mo would study that copy of Flicking Finger Divine Skill. Sink Qi to the Dantian, Lift Qi, Gather Qi, Flick and Project—it sounded simple, and her mind seemed to grasp it, but when she tried, nothing went smoothly.

She almost ended up with True Qi Reversal or Tendon Separation and Bone Dislocation. Could it be that these martial arts really required ten years of practice to achieve results?

If she couldn’t even master the cultivation method for the Flicking Finger Divine Skill, was she the type who achieved success later in life?

Sigh… probably her wrist strength still wasn’t enough. She just needed more practice. You can’t become a master overnight—she was too impatient.

Take it step by step, slowly…

Gu Yan’an was equally impatient. Within a week, Xu Duo had sold all the cotton.

Seeing how well the cotton sold, Gu Yan’an wanted to make another trip to Xinjiang to bring back several more tons of cotton, along with a couple of tons of red dates to sell.

But there was a pile of work at his unit waiting for him to handle, and his superiors wouldn’t grant him leave. He simply couldn’t get away. Sending Xu Duo alone with the money to Xinjiang made him uneasy.

Watching the restless Gu Yan’an, Xu Duo calmly said, “Brother Yan, how about this: once I get to Xinjiang, I’ll send you a telegram, and you can wire the money over?”

“No, I can’t leave any evidence for others to use against me. I’ll go again when I have leave!

Anyway, I still need to make another trip before the New Year. But by then, there probably won’t be any extra cotton left to sell us. We’ll just have to bring back a few tons of red dates.

Xiao Duo, take this money and the cotton back. You’ve been away for quite a while. Your wife and kids must miss you.”

Xu Duo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go back, but if he did, what if someone stole the cotton in the courtyard?

Now it’s all settled. Several tons of cotton have been completely processed, and he received one hundred thirty-two yuan along with twenty jin of cotton. Today he can finally return home.

“Lanying, I’m back!”

Hearing her husband’s return, Li Lanying hurriedly came out, holding their youngest son in her arms. “Duo, is everything taken care of?”

Xu Duo tossed a sack of cotton onto the ground. “Yes, everything’s done.”

“Duo, what’s in the sack?”

“Cotton. Don’t ask about the rest. Take this cotton and have two quilts made.”

“We already have three quilts at home. That’s enough.”

Xu Duo thought of what Gu Yan’an had said and spoke to Li Lanying, “Lanying, you’ve been living a hard life with me all this time, and you even had to take care of my mother before. You’ve really suffered.

With so many children in our family, how can three quilts be enough? Let’s have two more made. Don’t worry about not having enough cotton—this sack contains twenty jin.”

Li Lanying put down the child and wiped her tears. Ever since her husband lost his finger, he had been listless and dispirited. Thankfully, his colleague came looking for him, giving him some work to do and helping him regain his spirits.

She really ought to thank that comrade Gu Yan’an properly. Suddenly, Xu Duo pulled out a large handful of money from his pocket and stuffed it into Li Lanying’s hands, saying, “Lanying, this is all the money I earned this time.”

Li Lanying looked at Xu Duo in astonishment. “How could there be so much?”

“It was just a one-time deal. Opportunities like this don’t come every day. Next time we go out, we’ll have to look for another chance. For now, you should save this money.”

“Duo, go take down those two pheasants our father hunted in the mountains earlier and find a way to send them over to that Comrade Gu.”

“…”

…