"Could it be a fox spirit?"
Zhou Chen rubbed the white fox's head, eyeing it with curiosity. If it were truly a fox spirit, how could it have been knocked to the ground by a single pebble? He flipped it over to check its belly.
"It really is a female fox!"
Zhou Chen’s eyes flickered. It seemed that obtaining Fengyue Points did not necessarily require a woman; other female creatures worked as well.
"Ying ying ying!"
The white fox let out a cry of shame and anger, struggling, but its entire body was numb, leaving it without a shred of strength.
【Fengyue Point +1】
Zhou Chen rubbed the fox's belly and headed down the mountain with it in tow. Along the way, he stroked the white fox as if it were a cat, but no more points appeared. Zhou Chen was not surprised. He had worked so hard last night, yet only managed to accumulate sixty-nine points.
"Little Chen, did you bag a fox?"
"Whoa, rabbits and a pheasant too? A great haul today!"
"Looks like Little Chen is full of drive now that he’s a married man!"
"I’ve always said the Qin girl would bring good luck to her husband!"
Back in the village, he ran into quite a few people. Although he wasn't particularly close with them, there was no outright animosity either. Zhou Chen held no special fondness for them, but as an adult, he nodded and offered a polite greeting.
【Fengyue Point +1】
By the time he returned home, after having stroked the white fox for half an hour, Zhou Chen finally gained another point. Through his observations along the way, the white fox did not seem to possess intelligence, though he couldn't rule out that it was simply very cunning.
"Brother Chen!"
Seeing Zhou Chen return, Qin Hongyu, who was busy with chores, hurried out to welcome him. Her smile grew even brighter when she saw the game he had brought back.
"Brother Chen, you caught all this?"
Qin Hongyu was both shocked and delighted. Most villagers relied on fishing, and even among the dozen or so hunters, bagging two pheasants, two rabbits, and a fox in a single day would be considered incredibly lucky. Yet, Zhou Chen had only been out for the morning.
"It’s nothing; there will be more in the future," Zhou Chen said, waving his hand. He wasn't boasting; once he leveled up his Tracking Technique, he would be able to catch even more. If he grew strong enough, he might even hunt tigers and wild boars.
"Brother Chen is so amazing!"
Qin Hongyu couldn't stop beaming. Although Zhou Chen had been young and handsome before, she had worried constantly about their lack of food. Now, the heavy stone in her heart finally fell. Even if it were just luck today, the ability to catch this much was a skill in itself. Even if he caught less in the future, they certainly wouldn't starve.
Zhou Chen handed the game to Qin Hongyu and placed the injured fox in a cage. "Hongyu, we had rabbit yesterday, let’s have chicken today. I’m going out to buy some rice."
"Okay!"
Zhou Chen left with a sack. Dahe Village wasn't small, and it had one store that sold grain. He had obtained two silver coins from Wild Dog and Er Mazi, which was enough to buy four dou of rice. In this world, one shi of rice was two hundred jin. One shi was ten dou, so four dou was eighty jin—enough to feed him and Qin Hongyu for a month.
When Zhou Chen carried the rice sack home, Qin Hongyu’s eyes widened. "Brother Chen, where did you get so much rice?"
"I ran into Wild Dog and Er Mazi earlier. They tried to give me trouble, but I managed to convince them with 'reason.' This is the gift they gave to celebrate our marriage," Zhou Chen said with a casual laugh.
"Wild Dog and Er Mazi!?" Qin Hongyu was startled. Could those two hoodlums really be convinced by reason? "I heard they never listen to reason."
"When I stop listening to reason, they start listening to it."
Zhou Chen carried the sack into the house and placed it on a stool. His left hand was 'the Way,' and his right was 'Reason'; together, they made 'Reasoning.'
"Reason..." Zhou Chen looked at his slender palms. He knew that for now, he could only use this kind of reason on ordinary people; it would be useless against demons, monsters, martial artists, or immortals.
"Cultivation techniques..." A deep longing filled his heart. Since the Fengyue Mirror could add points to skills, it surely could do the same for cultivation methods. Once he obtained a technique, he could grow strong quickly. Unfortunately, it wasn't something to be rushed. No one in the village knew martial arts. There were schools in Sanhe City that took on disciples, but they required money.
"No rush. Let's get life settled first. Improving Archery and Tracking Technique will take time, too..." Zhou Chen reined in his thoughts. His main task was to improve their quality of life, level up his skills, and accumulate Fengyue Points. As long as he had enough points, he would be ready to skyrocket once he finally obtained a cultivation technique.
"One night with Hongyu gave me sixty-nine points. Touching the fox gave me one, checking its sex gave me another, and half an hour of stroking it gave me one more..." Zhou Chen tried to analyze the pattern of point acquisition, but unfortunately, he had too little data to reach a firm conclusion.
He took a pound and a half of rice to return to Wang Erniu, then helped Qin Hongyu prepare the meal. An hour later, they sat down to a hearty dinner. Zhou Chen ate his fill, feeling quite content. Qin Hongyu rubbed her slightly rounded belly, her pretty face showing complete satisfaction. Being full and having meat—for her, this was the greatest happiness. For most ordinary people, their desires were simple: just to have enough to eat.
"Brother Chen, you’re so capable!" Qin Hongyu gazed at him, her love growing with every look. Seeing her husband’s prowess made her incredibly happy.
"I’m capable of even more than this!" Zhou Chen gave a wicked smile, stepped forward, scooped his arms under her knees, and swept her up into his arms.
"Ah, Brother Chen, what are you doing?" Qin Hongyu blushed, pushing against his chest. "It’s still broad daylight, don't… don't be like this…"
"Mm!"
The fiery sun slowly moved westward, casting a brilliant red glow across the horizon. As the sun set, the remaining light bled across the sky like crimson.
"Ying ying ying!" The little fox cried out in its cage, likely hungry.
Inside the room, the couple was lost in passion. By the time night fell and a crescent moon hung high in the sky, Zhou Chen checked his personal interface. His Fengyue Points had increased from twelve to twenty.
"Only eight points?" Zhou Chen frowned. Was the timing off? Was it because it was daytime? "Probably not. Maybe it’s because it was the first time..."
He felt that was likely it. Just like in a game, the "First Blood" was always the best and yielded the greatest rewards. In mystical terms, perhaps the primordial yin also contributed to the points, hence the higher initial yield.
"Ying ying!" The white fox cried. Zhou Chen glanced at Qin Hongyu, who had fallen into a deep sleep cradling him, then quietly slipped out to the kitchen to give the leftover food to the fox. With his current strength, he wouldn't be short of food in the future. Since the fox provided points, it was perfectly fine to keep it.
He stroked the fox’s head, returned to the room, slid into the warm bed, and pulled Qin Hongyu into his arms to rest.
The next day, rays of sunlight crept in through the window, climbing onto their faces. Zhou Chen opened his eyes and instinctively looked at the personal panel on his Fengyue Mirror.
【Fengyue Points: 26】
"Another six points!" Zhou Chen’s eyes lit up. He hadn't done anything else last night besides holding Qin Hongyu. Getting six points for just that was not bad at all.
"Brother Chen!" Qin Hongyu opened her eyes, and seeing him, her cheeks flushed with a mix of happiness and bashfulness. The aura of love gave her a mature charm that only a married woman could possess.
She didn't linger in bed, but instead served Zhou Chen as he got up, dressed, and washed. Suddenly, she noticed her clothes felt tight. She looked down and was stunned.
"Ah!"
She couldn't even see her own toes anymore!