Chapter 2: Dear Fat Friend He Yuan

A young lad laid face first in the floor. His lips were dry, and his back was in great pain. A thumping headache raged in his unconscious head.

He was speaking in his sleep, "Pl—Ple--- Let me--- no…" His words unintelligible, only he himself knew their meaning.

Splash!

"Ahhh!"

A towering figure threw a tub of water over his head, his hair and upper body soaked. In his shock, he looked around, looking towards the figure holding a bucket over his head.

He was fat and tall, especially considering his age – the same as Zhu Dong's. He had blonde hair and two chins, yet his body was powerful, his muscles were strong, and his bones were like iron!

This young man was He Yuan, he was a young scion of the He Clan. A small inauspicious family in Blue Grass City.

He Yuan had been friends with Zhu Dong since they were young children. He Yuan met Zhu Dong one fruitful summers eve, Zhu Dong had been playing in the stream near the city, beneath a grove of peach trees.

There Chang Long and Fang had followed him.

The two brothers had always picked on Zhu Dong, both being sons of the current heir to the Chang Clan - Chang Wei.

Naturally just because they were outside Blue Grass City, they didn't grow a compassionate nature, no they had an even fiercer stance – if they weren't seen, they couldn't get in trouble.

The Chang brothers had cornered Zhu Dong and tried to beat him, even threatening to drown him and let the stream carry his body away. Under the blossoming peach trees, he would perish.

At the time the boys were no more than eight, yet someone else had been there. The large oafish looking boy – He Yuan.

He'd been playing under the blossoms with a wooden toy glaive, practising a set of techniques he'd begged his father He Tianwu to buy for him.

They were simply one's used by the regional army, but he'd been fascinated by them, and Patriarch Tianwu could never say no to his son.

Using the wooden glaive, he came to Zhu Dong's rescue, beating both the Chang boys black and blue! Chang Fang and Chang Long were so embarrassed and mortified they'd lost a fight to a petty cultivator from the He Clan they didn't even tell their father how it happened! They blamed it on a skilled beggar!

Since that fruitful day, Zhu Dong and He Yuan had been close friends. Zhu Dong was the brains, always trying his best to avoid trouble, or get the best out of a situation, even though the worst was often seeking him. He Yuan was the muscles, the good-natured bull of a man who was always trying his best.

For the past two years Zhu Dong had been working in the 'Chang-Wong Alchemy Store,' He Yuan would visit him for their lunches.

He Yuan would always bring fried meat filled with calories and nutrients, yet Zhu Dong had never put on any weight. He Yuan always laughed heartily about this, but it never bothered him. He knew with time Zhu Dong would grow on his own.

He Yuan sat down cross-legged in the courtyard, which was now completely empty apart from the two boys. He took out a large basket from a cloth satchel he was wearing, in this basket were two red bowls, each with a lid made of bamboo-paper on.

Zhu Dong eventually worked his way up, slowly but surely crawling over to He Yuan, sitting in front of the gentle giant.

"I have a treat today!" He Yuan had a big goofy smile on his round face, sliding one of the bowls across to Zhu Dong.

Zhu Dong took the red bowl, ripping off the bamboo-paper.

Gently a delicious and mouth-watering sent wandered into his nose. His mouth seemed as if it would overflow from expectations, with a deep gulp he looked at He Yuan, "How did you get this, it's meat from a Ferocious Beast?"

He Yuan laughed to himself, "There was a beast wave on the western border of Guang Prefecture, it was massive and heavily damaged their capital city, Windwalker City. Even though the damage was catastrophic, the merchants made millions of gold tales, they say there were at least half a million dead Ferocious Feast carcasses! Luckily Father managed to snag a few in the local market."

He spoke as fast as he could, then started to stuff his mouth with the beautifully tender meat. He began to feel a warm energy start to pass through his body, and the smile on his face grew even wider!

"Zhu Dong! It's happened!" he suddenly called out.

Zhu Dong who had the bowl up to his lips, and gravy on around his face, lowered it, looking towards He Yuan, "You can enter the 5th level of Body Refining?! Tempering Marrow?!" he looked at He Yuan with astonished eyes, unable to comprehend what was going on.

Suddenly Zhu Dong's face came to a sudden realisation, "It must be the Qi or Spirit energy left over in the meat!"

Indeed, Ferocious Beast meat was invaluable to cultivators, as it would strengthen their body, allowing those in the Body Refining Realm to push through!

"You've spent so much time and resources going through Strength Training, Skin Hardening, Organ Strengthening and Bone Forging! Yet you manage to reach Tempering Marrow through eating a piece of meat?!" Zhu Dong was gobsmacked; his face slightly crooked.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for He Yuan, he wasn't even able to get past the first stage of Body Refining – Strength Training. His malnourished physique meant that he could never gather enough strength to push and sustain himself in that first stage!

After about ten minutes, He Yuan opened his eyes, a big grin pushed his chubby cheeks apart!

"I've done it! I'm at the 5th Stage of Body Refining!" He said gleefully, wishing he had more of the Ferocious Beast meat to eat.

"No wonder big clans have so many powerful cultivators! They eat this stuff from birth!" Zhu Dong frowned, obviously annoyed and slightly jealous.

"Hahaha, not to worry, Zhu Dong, in the future you'll be able to dine on it every day, I'm sure!" He Yuan wasn't as pessimistic; he was rather happy just to have it this once.

Zhu Dong raised his eyebrow and waved his hand as if he were making a toast, "To the future…" he shook his head slightly, starting to consume the beast's meat.

"Dong Dong, look!" He Yuan suddenly pointed at something.

Zhu Dong's eyes narrowed, and a vindictive look appeared in his eyes, "I've told you a thousand and ten times, don't call me 'Dong Dong', He Yuan. It's weird, very weird."

"Zhu Dong, just look!" He Yuan said, in an ever-sterner voice.

"What?!" Zhu Dong said agitatedly, turning his head around. His eyes went wide open!

"W..W... What?!" as he looked at his back Zhu Dong was speechless, and the few pieces of veg that were in his mouth fell out, landing on the floor.

"My… my back…" Zhu Dong was stunned, the wounds on his back started to repair themselves before his very eyes.

It was like a Sage had come down from the heavens and healed him!

"How, how is that possible?" Zhu Dong's voice was terrified.