Chapter 2: Family Ties

  "Little uncle, what's wrong with you?"

  Ying'er's call woke up Lin Hong, he smiled: "Just bring it up and see how anxious you are."

  The ball was picked up, and Ying'er and her little friends cheered as they walked away to play. Lin Heng sat back on the wooden bench, narrowed his eyes, thinking about what had just happened, but was interrupted, and the thoughts that had suddenly emerged earlier were like a broken rope, unable to be reconnected.

  He sighed and stopped thinking about it, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

  This day, Lin still sat in meditation basking in the sunlight, the only difference was that there were no Ying and little friends playing behind him.

  In the distance, a few butterflies were dancing around an unknown small flower. His mother and pregnant sister Lin Qingrong came back from afar with dried sable skins. These wild sable skins, in this mountainous area where beasts roam all year round, are considered lowly goods, and were the result of his father's hunting last winter. They don't have high economic value, but for a small household like Lin Huar's, they wouldn't be discarded. The two women saw Lin Huar sitting on the bench, exchanged a glance, and their faces showed worry.

  "Mother, sister." Lin Hong called out, facing the two people in this world who were closest to him and whom he cared about most. Lin Hong felt very warm.

  "Lin Hang, don't mind those idle gossip and rumors, they are just some old women's nonsense, don't take it to heart." Sister Lin Qingrong comforted gently.

  "Isn't it just a matter of passing the Warrior's Certification? There's still another chance at the Dragon Festival in three months. As long as you cherish it well, with your rich experience in testing, you'll definitely pass." Lin Fengmu's mother also had eyes full of heartache, Lin Feng was her only son, although he had narrowly escaped death, but this listless and depressed appearance made his nearly fifty-year-old mother feel like her heart was being cut by a knife.

  "My brother is definitely not a fish in the pond! Nobody else believes it, but I believe!" his sister said resolutely.

  Lin Heng didn't know whether he didn't want to bring up this topic or was in a resistant mood, and only nodded slightly.

  "Ah, there's still a long way to go. The first five attempts have all failed, and now only the last chance remains. At present, your younger brother's will is not high, and his body has suffered severe injuries, so let's temporarily give up for now and reserve the opportunity until New Year's Day next year, and make a final desperate attempt." Lin Qingrong sighed inwardly, fearing that she would hurt Lin Hang's self-esteem, her tone was somewhat hesitant.

  Warriors are a term for the strong in this continent. The entire continent, humans occupy the prosperous cities, counties, plains and rivers, while some desolate mountains and lakes are occupied by wild beasts and insects. Ferocious beasts and insects are the natural enemies of human beings, and in the struggle for survival from generation to generation, martial arts have gradually become one of the foundations of this world.

  The so-called Wu Zhe Yin Zheng is a set of rules that have been passed down from ancient times in some places. The Qi Li Gou is located on the edge of the Mang Hu Shan, where large numbers of wild beasts and monsters appear every year, and the village rules that have been passed down for hundreds of years state: defending the safety of the village is the responsibility of every member of the tribe.

  To become a warrior, learning martial arts is necessary for two reasons: first, to defend one's home; second, to enter the deep mountains and hunt wild beasts to exchange for living expenses. If you are not a warrior, the village hunting team will not let you participate at all. And if you go into the mountains alone, it's a joke - as soon as you encounter a striped tiger, you'll likely become its food.

  Every male in the Seven Mile Gully must take an assessment at the age of twelve, and each person has six chances in his lifetime. Those who pass the martial arts certification will officially become warriors, and after a special medicinal bath, their physical strength will be greatly enhanced, allowing them to learn martial skills. Therefore, only warriors can join the village's hunting team and enter the Tiger Forest to hunt. In other words, they are qualified to take on the responsibility of supporting their families.

  In this mountainous area where comparisons are everywhere, whose young martial arts skills are superior, not only will they be proud and arrogant, but also the neighbors won't dare to offend them. Moreover, they will gain favor from the girls' families. A powerful and promising martial artist, even before coming of age, often has a large number of families eyeing him covetously, preparing generous dowries, ready to snatch him up as a son-in-law at any moment.

  It can be said that becoming a warrior is not only a proof of ability, but also a capital of honor.

  On the contrary, once you fail six times, not only will your family never be able to hold their heads up in the village again, but they will also be ruthlessly expelled from the village and not allowed to stay.

  Because every village won't like trash, doesn't like losing face, and even more dislikes raising useless people.

  The warrior's certification is not difficult, ordinary people participate in two or three times, usually can pass, and those with good qualifications, once can successfully pass. If you fail six times, it means you are really useless, the more useless you are, the more you will tarnish the reputation of our village.

  The Busho Hogo is originally held once a year, but this year it coincides with the Ryuo-sai festival which takes place only once every ten years, so there will be an additional one.

  Of course, the Dragon Festival is a grand ancient festival that has been passed down for nearly a thousand years. In addition to adding martial arts performances to enhance the atmosphere, there must be other wonderful programs. Lin Heng just doesn't even have the qualifications of a martial artist, so he is destined to be excluded from it and has nothing to do with him.

  "I'm fine, just wanted to bask in the sun. Wu Zhe's confirmation is not coming soon, whether to participate or not will depend on watching the situation for a while." Lin Heng said.

  The mother and daughter saw him for the first time in more than two months, finally facing the topic of "Wu Zhe Yin Zheng" head-on, and naturally they were overjoyed. This shows that Lin Heng's psychological shadow is slowly fading away. They seemed to see the old Lin Heng again, who had repeatedly hit a wall and repeatedly faced difficulties head-on.

  "Hey, what do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you tonight." His mother asked with a smile: "How about I make your favorite sauce-braised pork belly, okay?" "Mom, my brother's body is just recovering, he can't eat that. Just make some mushroom and egg drop soup, my brother used to love the ones I made." "Right, right, and also lamb meatballs..."

  Watching his mother and sister's joyful appearance, Lin Hou hesitated for a moment before revealing a hint of a smile: "Thank you, Mother and elder sister."

  The two of them happily returned home to busy themselves, Lin Huan let out a soft sigh. This martial arts certification was lightly etched in his heart, not worth mentioning, but in this vast mountain and countryside, in the eyes of his parents and sister, it was the foundation for establishing oneself. It seemed that he should work hard for them so as not to disappoint their expectations. Lin Huan, ah Lin Huan, it's time to start a new life.

  His gaze wandered again, staring blankly into the distance. Others looked at him as if he was an idiot, and some mischievous children even laughed at him as a fool when they passed by. But he didn't care about other people's opinions, because he was letting his own mind calm down, slowly accepting this world, accepting this body of Lin Yang and its bloodline.

  In an instant, two bright red streams of blood flowed down from his nostrils.

  At dinner time, his mother occasionally picked dishes into his bowl, as if he had just returned from afar.