Volume One, Chapter Three: Recklessness Is Not an Option
The crowd dispersed.
Lin Hu sent everyone away. Alone, he sat on the kang, gazing at the information panel before him, his mind consumed with a thirst for vengeance.
[Awakened: Lin Hu]
[Innate Skills: 1]
[Arm Strength (Novice 69%)]
...
“I see.”
“I’ve just awakened, so the panel is simple for now. There’s more than one innate skill; as the number increases, it’ll show the total.”
“Arm Strength!”
At his thought, the detailed panel for Arm Strength popped up again.
[Skill: Arm Strength (Novice)]
[Proficiency: 69/100]
[Effect: None]
“Sixty-nine!”
“Almost ready to level up.”
“How exciting.”
“This skill will definitely be amazing after leveling up. Arm strength—there’ll be a big boost for sure.”
“Should I go teach Li Er a lesson now?”
“No, they’re all gathered together at the moment.”
Lin Hu mulled it over.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
Since it’s about arm strength, would push-ups help increase it?
The possibility prompted him to act immediately.
He mimicked the stance he’d seen during militia training—hands braced against the patched mat on the kang, knuckles white as he supported his body.
He stuck his rear up and started frantically moving up and down.
One, two, three, four… twenty…
“Why is there no reaction at all?”
After the twenty-seventh push-up, his arms gave out, and he collapsed onto the kang.
“Still nothing?”
“Does it only work if I hit people?”
He racked his brains but couldn’t figure out the problem.
Even the sparrows chattering under the eaves seemed to mock his sorry state.
“That’s it—standards!”
Suddenly!
He remembered the militia sergeant always shouting, “Three Straight, One Level!”
He’d always muddled through before, never doing a push-up properly.
“My form must be wrong.”
With a new direction, Lin Hu felt invigorated.
Three Straight:
1. Head to heels in a straight line.
2. Elbows perpendicular to the ground.
3. Wrists at right angles to forearms.
He lay down again, pressing his chin tightly to the kang, bracing his lower back, not daring to raise his hips even a fraction.
One, two, three, four, five…
By the fifth push-up, his arms started to tremble uncontrollably.
“Damn it!”
“Are standard push-ups really this tough? Only five and I’m done?”
A guttural growl escaped Lin Hu’s throat, his chest nearly touching the kang, but he forced his elbows to lock again.
Sweat ran down his spine into his waistband, his thigh muscles quivering like leaves in the wind.
“Six…”
“No, I have to keep going.”
“Ah…”
Just as his vision darkened and he was about to collapse, finally, heaven rewarded his perseverance—a long-awaited notification floated before him.
[Your persistence has increased Arm Strength proficiency by +5!]
“Ha!”
The moment his vision went black, Lin Hu collapsed onto the kang, but a grin stretched to his ears.
Sweat, salty and bitter, trickled into his mouth, but it tasted sweeter than the finest festival candy.
After a while, Lin Hu sat up, his whole body weak. The exertion left him ravenous.
His stomach growled.
He rubbed his shrunken belly, swallowing hard.
But a glance around his ravaged home filled him with helplessness.
“Not a single grain of rice left—how am I supposed to eat?”
This situation made Lin Hu loathe his past self even more.
It was nearly harvest time.
Yet his front and back yards were overgrown with weeds, not a drop of oil or grain in the house, scavenging food day by day outside.
Had it not been for needing a place to sleep, he might have sold off these three mudbrick rooms long ago.
“What now? Should I go beg a meal from Zhao Er next door?”
He shook his head at the thought, dismissing it immediately.
Since he resolved to turn his life around, he could never again stoop to such shameless and immoral acts.
Otherwise, why should heaven favor him?
“That’s right!”
“From now on, I must live as an upright man.”
“My parents are gone, but I still have eight sisters, each struggling more than the last.”
“And because of me, they’ve suffered no end of grievances in their in-laws’ homes.”
What pierced his heart most was the memory of his own actions:
Because of his underworld dealings, his fourth eldest sister in the county was implicated and died a wrongful death.
His most beautiful elder sister was forcibly taken by those people, sold from one foot-massage parlor to another, and finally disappeared in Ice City.
After these two tragedies, the other six sisters cut all ties with him.
“Sisters…”
“With our parents gone, you were like mothers to me.”
“In my past life, you suffered so much for my sake, endured endless hardship. This time, I’ll protect you all, let you live good lives, never bullied by evil again.”
Lin Hu made up his mind; he would repay every debt of gratitude to his eight sisters.
As for those old grudges—the Ma family, those two bosses in the county—none of them would have peace.
...
“But I can’t train my arm strength on an empty stomach. What now?”
Just then—
“Huzi! Huzi, are you home?”
Lin Hu saw Hei Dan rushing in.
“What’s wrong, Hei Dan?”
Hei Dan caught his breath, “Huzi, it’s bad—Sun the Apothecary says Ma the Mule likely has a concussion and has to be sent to the commune. The rest of their family are planning to come catch you.”
Lin Hu asked urgently, “Catch me for what? Money? Or to hand me to the police?”
Hei Dan replied, “Neither—they want to beat you to death with clubs!”
Lin Hu froze.
Of course.
He had no money to give.
As for the police—at this time and place, unless someone died, there was little the law would do. Fights were common in the countryside and rarely prosecuted.
“So what now?”
Hei Dan clutched his slingshot like a lifeline, looking ready to die: “Let’s fight them!”
“No, we can’t just rush in blindly.”
With the experience of his previous life, Lin Hu was no stranger to street smarts.
He had a plan: “I’m out of strength right now; the two of us can’t take on their whole gang.”
He paused, an idea forming. “Here’s what we’ll do—we’ll ambush them at Xihe Gully. There are lots of willow branches there—perfect for guerrilla tactics.”
“Guerrilla tactics?” Hei Dan was confused.
“Yes, come on, follow me.”
Lin Hu rummaged under the cabinet and pulled out three animal traps. The yellowed, semicircular steel jaws looked terrifying.
“Huzi, are we really doing this?” Hei Dan eyed the traps nervously—they could even catch wolves.
“If you’re scared, don’t come. I won’t blame you.”
Lin Hu grabbed a string of bird snares and slung a slingshot around his neck.
“Scared of them?”
Hei Dan’s eyes flashed: “I’ve been dying to take them on. Every year they steal all the crops from my family’s field. This time, let’s show them what we’re made of.”
Lin Hu clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit, Hei Dan. Remember… if anyone bullies you once, you must fight back. Otherwise, they’ll never stop.”