pjbooks Chapter 12 The Strength of an Ox
Chapter 12 The Strength of an Ox
"The reason you are suffering is that things do not go according to your will..." The political education teacher stood behind the desk in front of the blackboard, looking up at the students.
Lu Yan's eyes were darting around, but his thoughts were elsewhere. This symptom had appeared since returning from the old factory area; it was as if he had suddenly lost interest in textbooks.
Commonly known as: having a wild heart.
He pondered, lying down repeatedly, "What if things happened according to my will? Would I then be free from suffering? If I can't do all of that, what about the part?"
This is Lu Yan's fourth day back at school.
Chen Jian and Li Xiaohe were recognized as martyrs. They grew up in the Yongning Textile Factory Children's Education Center and had no relatives or friends there. The bureau took it upon itself to donate their pensions, tattoo shop, and the Fukang car to the education center, and the burial plot was also chosen to be located behind the children's education center.
Under the relentless search by the police station, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and the Security Bureau, in order to escape, Liu Tong reportedly led a few people into a crisscrossing area, and it is now unknown where they are squatting in some corner eating chaff and drinking thin gruel.
The mole's whereabouts were a complete mystery. Whether he was too well hidden or Lu Yan was simply incompetent, despite numerous attempts to probe indirectly, he couldn't pinpoint where the problem lay. From Nian Ju to Cheng Qiang, everyone seemed to be a suspect.
The reward arrived: 1400 yuan in cash and 600 credit points. He hadn't had a chance to tell his mother about the former yet, mainly because he couldn't come up with a convincing reason and was afraid she would worry. As soon as the latter arrived, he decisively redeemed two Lingxi Pills, which he had only heard of but never tried.
In three days, Zhan Zhulong slashed himself three times, increasing his single-arm punching strength by 3 jun. He also swallowed all the Lingxi Pills, which had a raw beef and mutton smell and weren't very tasty. In total, his punching strength increased by 4 jun. He also increased it by 1 jun by practicing the ninth set of broadcast qigong.
Adding to his original physical strength of 4 jun, now when he swings his arm, he has a force of 12 jun, about 360 jin, commonly known as 1 niu, which is the full impact force of an adult yellow ox.
He managed to break through to the Sensing Realm by exerting force for 3 oxen, which was enough to get him admitted to a regular Qigong university. He barely managed to complete one-third of his goal, which is something to celebrate. At least he is no longer a weakling who can't even kill a chicken.
"Snap!" He crushed the ballpoint pen into two neat pieces.
"Sigh..." Lu Yan sighed.
This is the sixth ballpoint pen he's broken. His strength has increased threefold in a short time, and he doesn't dare to move around too much, for fear of accidentally damaging public property. If he accidentally hurts someone, breaking someone's hands or feet is fine, but if he breaks their neck, that would be a real mess!
I'm a bit strong, can you bear with me for a bit?
Lu Yan shook his head, trying to calm himself down. No, he had to remain still and steadfast like the earth. No matter how much you pulled or dragged him, he would remain unmoved. He wouldn't go out no matter who called him. At least... he would wait until he had mastered this power!
Wang Kai pounced on Lu Yan from behind. Normally, Lu Yan would have already flown to the front table, but this time he just dusted off his shoulders and his upper body remained completely still.
"Speak up, what is it? Spit it out if you have something to say, otherwise leave the court!"
Wang Kai chuckled and said, "Brother Yan, did you actually succeed in your blind date? We agreed to stay single together, but you secretly hooked up with a rich woman. Otherwise, where would you have gotten the money to pay my dad back three or four hundred yuan?"
Tell me quickly, does she have any best friends?
I introduced him to my dad; the old man has worked hard his whole life, it's time for him to enjoy himself.
After all that fuss, Lu Yan lost his leather shoes, his suit was torn to shreds, his white shirt was stained red with blood, and his belt was pulled out to tie up his arterial wound, so there was no way to get them back.
After receiving the bonus, Lu Yan secretly told Wang Xiuying about joining the Safety Production Bureau and insisted on returning 400 yuan to her. Somehow, Wang Kai found out about it.
Lu Yan didn't dare to rely on Wang Kai now; Wang Kai's strength was no joke. He sat properly, not even turning his head, and said expressionlessly, "Don't you think about yourself? Your father is so old, why should he have to suffer like this?"
Wang Kai scratched his head and said in distress, "I can't endure this hardship either, only you can."
Actually, I'm not good at it either. Lu Yan didn't want the conversation to veer towards moral decay, so he took the initiative to say, "I heard that the higher-ups are planning to demolish the old factory area and relocate some nearby residents. Does your dad know anything about it?"
This matter is probably related to the filth and corruption hidden in that old factory area. Liu Tong's matter has been pushed forward again. Lu Yan thought that his family was probably within the relocation area, but he didn't know how they would be resettled.
Wang Kai looked left and right, then whispered in Lu Yan's ear, "Bullshit! The city pressures the district, the district pressures the town, nobody wants to spend big money!"
"Where did the money go?"
"Have you heard of the crisscrossing area? I heard that the higher-ups are planning a big commotion there, spending a fortune, and the police station has even deployed manpower there."
But is that hellhole a place for ordinary people? It's blatant disregard for human life! Bah! It's just some powerful figures coveting the extraordinary resources inside, preparing to use ordinary people's lives to fill the void!
Lu Yan finally turned to look at Wang Kai, as if he saw Cheng Qiang's shadow in him. Both of them had a fire burning in their hearts, which was inadvertently revealed.
He wasn't too disappointed; with his income, he'd be able to afford a big house with a balcony someday. After thinking for a moment, he asked in a low voice, "Is Uncle Wang being transferred to work over there?"
Wang Kai nodded, looking worried, and said, "Although this old fellow served in the Great Wall Army and learned qigong, he's getting on in years, and the place he's dealing with isn't exactly friendly..."
"...Aren't you annoyed by him?"
"No matter how annoying he is, he's still my dad."
As the end of the semester approached, school let out exceptionally early, and Lu Yan didn't waste any time, heading straight home.
As he passed Yinran Road, his former classmate and neighbor Gao Jie stopped him and dragged him into her shoe and sock shop.
Gao Jie rubbed her oval face, picked out a pair of canvas shoes, and handed them to Lu Yan: "Here, wear these."
Lu Yan scratched his head and said, "Old classmate, no need, really no need!"
Gao Jie pointed to his feet, looking angry: "These shoes are so worn out, they could be worn as sandals! You can't do this, no matter how much you suffer. Your mother will be heartbroken, and your sister will be heartbroken too!"
Lu Yan wiggled his toes. The reason his shoes were so worn out wasn't because he'd worn them for too long, but because he'd accidentally worn them out a couple of days ago when he couldn't control his strength.
He smiled awkwardly and said, "It's okay, I'll come back to buy it in a couple of days." He had to wait until this adjustment period was over, otherwise no matter how many pairs he bought, it wouldn't be enough to cover his expenses.
"What are you afraid of? A pair only costs 12 yuan! Here, size 42, right? I'll put them on for you!" Gao Jie pressed Lu Yan into the chair, forcibly pulled off Lu Yan's old shoes, and put new canvas shoes on him.
Lu Yan was extremely cautious, afraid of hurting her by using too much force, and could only watch helplessly as she performed her actions.
He looked down at Gao Jie's face, which had instantly brightened, and froze, too afraid to move. With a mournful expression, he said, "Okay, I'll give it a try."