Chapter 2: Two Fools

Li Quan is quite tall, significantly taller than everyone in the village, with Li Kui estimating his height to be around 2 meters. He has a robust build, exuding a fierce aura. If one were to overlook his eyes and facial features, he would undoubtedly resemble a formidable hero of the wilderness. His appearance is not particularly pleasing, even somewhat unattractive, which serves as a good disguise for a strong man. However, his timid little eyes, endearingly silly smile, and foolishly blank expression categorize him as harmless to both people and animals. His appearance is not particularly pleasing, even somewhat unattractive, which serves as a good disguise for a strong man. However, his timid little eyes, endearingly silly smile, and foolishly blank expression categorize him as harmless to both people and animals.

At first, he thought that he was ill

Alright, let's have another one! Li Quan clapped his hands in delight, looking foolishly happy beside.

Li Kui, however, seemed completely oblivious to the cold, standing in the courtyard in a daze

There are even rumors from well-meaning individuals that Li Quan and Li Kui suffer from the same illness, which is a persistent high fever. As a result, Li Quan became foolish, turning into the silly figure he is today. As for Li Kui? He managed to pull through from the gates of hell. However, the truth is known only to one person, and that is Li Kui himself; he has directly exchanged his soul and has undergone a form of time travel.

Then, Li Quan beside her foolishly handed over the iron rod he was playing with. Zhang Shi was just about to praise Li Quan when she realized that it was an iron rod in her hand. She looked at Li Quan with a strange expression; she only wanted to teach Li Kui a lesson, to make this dim-witted fellow remember something, but she did not intend to kill him. After all, he was a piece of meat that had fallen from her body. A few months ago, that serious illness had nearly driven her mad. She pouted for a moment, threw the iron rod into the pile of firewood, and then found a branch that was not much thicker than her finger. Light as a feather, she ran in front of Li Kui and began to hit him mercilessly.

He is unwilling to endure this stimulation before being fully mentally prepared

The person asking the question, a simpleton, stands at a position not far from the dilapidated courtyard wall. It is referred to as the position by the courtyard wall simply because the Li family is too poor; the wall has collapsed, leaving only the foundation intact. The speaker is Li Kui's first friend he met in Baizhang Village, named Li Quan, and he is also his only friend. The other peers look at him with the same fear as one would look at a wild beast, almost ready to flee in terror. How can one make friends? However, Li Kui truly does not wish to be friends with Li Quan, for the latter is a fool, a genuine fool.

Is becoming a constable considered a path to prosperity

Start

Li Kui could not tolerate the cheers of this person. In terms of age, Li Quan is three to four years older than Li Kui, already an adult. Especially as an adult nearly two meters tall, it is hard for anyone to endure seeing him bounce around and act like a child in front of him. Li Kui walked straight towards the cliff at the end of the village, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

This caused Li Kui to regard his cousin from the same village with greater esteem; if Li Quan's mind had not been damaged, it is likely that there would have been one more notable figure in the martial world.

After the two fell to the bottom of the cliff, they did not engage in much conversation and began to run along the small path through the forest. When they returned home, drenched in sweat, Li Kui looked at his mother and apologetically said: "Mother, there were no gains today"

Zhang knew that no matter how hard he worked, he could not change the situation with his youngest son. In frustration, he threw the branch to the ground and sat down heavily, exclaiming: "Oh, how unfortunate I am! I have raised you two with great effort, yet in the end, not one of you is willing to be filial! Brother Jiang, you have just stretched out your legs and left, leaving the young woman to suffer. How pitiful!"

Later, no other symptoms were found, and it did not seem like an illness; instead, it revealed the imposing nature of an extraordinary constitution, which made him feel a bit pleased with himself

This is also a method of exercise that Li Kui uses to control his physical strength. It may not be very effective, but with long-term practice, it can awaken muscle memory and serves as a means of controlling strength

It is called a cliff, but its height is only about seven or eight zhang. At first, Li Kui was afraid to jump down from the cliff. However, an unexpected incident made him realize that he could use his strong physique to alleviate his speed even on the sheer cliff by taking advantage of its uneven features. Soon after, this became his signature move for leaving the village. The entire process, though quick, was executed with a certain elegance and flair, exuding a bold and unrestrained spirit

With a crisp clang, two stone locks surprisingly balanced on Li Kui's arms, one atop the other. Suddenly, he exerted a gentle force from his waist, causing the stone locks to fly up as if they had been flicked. When they fell again, they were balanced on a different arm. This back and forth continued for over a hundred times, and only then did Li Kui begin to feel a soreness in his arms. However, it was of no concern; he was still far from feeling any pain

The only thing that amazed him was that he was not afraid of the cold. When he was reborn, it was summer, and the weather was hot, so he dressed like this. Even when winter arrived and it snowed, he still wore the same outfit and did not feel cold. The same was true at night; on the icy earthen bed, there was only a tattered straw mat, and he could sleep just like that, with his head resting on a stone pillow. There was no need to heat the bed, and even with a blanket, he could still sweat profusely from his head. The same was true at night; on the icy earthen bed, there was only a tattered straw mat, and he could sleep just like that, with his head resting on a stone pillow. There was no need to heat the bed, and even with a blanket, he could still sweat profusely from his head

On a cold and frosty morning, Li Kui practiced his skills in the courtyard, effortlessly tossing two stone locks weighing around one hundred and ten pounds up and down. Accompanied by the movements of his fists and feet, the shadows of his punches roared like a raging wind. As he leaped and spun, the stone locks hovering above his head remained completely unaffected. His punches were from the Taizu Long Fist, a fundamental skill, but even without observing the techniques, the sheer momentum exuded a fierce and wild energy that was truly suffocating.

Especially the exhilarating sensation brought by the rapid descent, which made him exclaim in delight

What came rushing towards him were the swiftly passing rocks and shrubs. With quick reflexes, he seized the opportunity to grab onto the sheer cliff face, and his rapidly descending body seemed to be momentarily suspended. Then, he continued to slide down, either lightly tapping the protruding stones with his feet or grasping onto the shrubs or raised rocks. In no time at all, he had slid down to the bottom of the cliff

But Li Kui frowned and said, "Mother, I do not want to go!"

Dressed haphazardly in a short jacket, with the lower body clad in short trousers that are essentially oversized shorts covering the knees, and a pair of straw sandals exposing ten toes, which are as dark as lumps of coal dug out from a coal pile. By the heavens, it is not that he does not wash; it is simply impossible to get them clean. One must ask, is there sorrow or not?

Let's eat meat

Li Kui pretended to be in pain, shouting in a loud and exaggerated manner: "Mother, it hurts, it hurts so much, I'm going to die!"

Li Kui's mother, Zhang, was merely a village woman from the mountains, invisible from afar. However, the prestige of being a constable was highly envied in the countryside, which led her to encourage Li Kui to seize this opportunity.

The Yellow-Faced Plague God - Li Quan

Li Quan became a fool, and this has only happened in recent years. Previously, Li Quan was the best martial artist in the village, skilled in both boxing and kicking. Although he was somewhat simple-minded, he was not foolish. It is said that a few years ago, he suffered from a serious illness that damaged his brain.

So much so that he did not even dare to look at his own reflection by the river; how ugly must one be to reach such a bottom line

Li Kui exhaled a breath of hot air, putting on his short jacket, enveloping himself in a white mist. He was indifferent to it and said in a deep voice: "Go!"

At this thought, a sense of joy surged from the depths of Li Kui's heart, making it impossible for him to suppress a laugh

Li Quan was so happy that he jumped around, as joyful as a child celebrating a festival

Second brother, are you going to collect the set today

As for Li Quan, this fellow is like a gecko, skillfully adhering to the sheer cliff. Although he cannot match Li Kui's nonchalance, he is exceptionally quick in his reactions

Often, after being beaten, Li Quan would smile and shout, "It hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

In fact, Li Quan is a few years older than Li Kui, and calling Li Kui "Second Brother" is purely a playful nickname used by the village children. Of course, the more important reason is that Li Kui is capable of hunting meat, and Li Quan follows Li Kui to enjoy the meat.

Li Kui turned his head to take a glance, and immediately a glint of brilliance appeared in his eyes. With a sudden surge of strength in his arms, the stone lock resting on his shoulder shot out like an arrow released from a bow. With a series of thuds, it landed neatly in the empty space at the corner of the wall, as if it had been deliberately arranged in such an orderly manner, rather than being casually tossed from several zhang away.

For Li Quan, he feels a strange connection with Li Kui. He always senses that there is a link between them, not the kind of connection typical among fellow villagers, but rather that Li Quan's illness seems to stem from the same source as his. There exists a natural sense of closeness between the two. Furthermore, Li Quan possesses the strongest physique in the entire village, and Li Kui even believes that this guy's physical condition is better than his own.

Do not mention the small branches; even if it were an iron stake, as long as the hook does not strike him, it is likely that it would have no effect on Li Kui, akin to merely scratching him

Zhang has been a widow for over ten years. If she did not possess a fierce spirit, it is likely she would not have been able to raise the two brothers, Li Kui. Just as she was brewing her sorrow, she was interrupted, and to make matters worse, there were people watching her cry and cheering. Angrily, she turned her head and glared, only to see Li Quan's innocent face, which left her both crying and laughing. "Er, from now on, don't play with fools. You might end up as foolish as them. The villagers call Li Quan 'Big Fool,' and you have become 'Second Fool.' Don't you have a bit of sense? Moreover, although your elder brother has gone to learn a trade, he is not foolish, just a bit cowardly..."

The door creaked open.

Li Kui got up from the kang, walked over to the washbasin, pressed his hand down, and discovered that the water in the wooden basin had actually frozen. With a gentle press, he poked a hole in the ice. He then crushed the entire piece of ice, washed his face a few times with a towel in the icy water, and randomly wiped his face a few times before tossing the towel aside

However, looking at his expression, there is no sign of the pain of injury; instead, he appears to be a lonely child who has found joy in having a playmate, leaving one speechless. But soon, Li Quan will change his demeanor, casting a pitiful glance at Li Kui with a resentful little gaze, and whimpering like a little pig, saying: "Second Brother, I am hungry!"

If there isn't any, then there isn't; one cannot expect to hunt every day with the hope of finding prey. By the way, the clan leader just came by to ask me to inform you that the young people in the village who are about to come of age should start preparing for their future livelihoods. Everyone is planning to raise some money to pave a way for the young ones to become constables, but there is only one spot available. You should go, not only should you go, but you must also seize this opportunity for me! Let the people from ten miles around see that the fifth family is about to prosper.

"What is it, you unfortunate child? The constables don't even want to take you in. What kind of livelihood do you actually want to find for yourself?" Zhang, in a fit of anger, looked around as if trying to find a suitable accomplice to teach Li Kui a good lesson.

Li Quan is the only person in the entire village capable of withstanding Li Kui's punches and kicks. Even when Li Kui sometimes loses control of his strength, he is unable to harm Li Quan.

Li Kui does not share this view. He not only has little interest in becoming a constable, but he also holds a deep disdain for this profession. This is because among the few positions in the county office that can be filled by criminals, the status is indeed quite lowly