146: Chapter 146 Old Friends
Wang Chuan knew exactly who had brought him all of this.
That man!
If Li Qing hadn't helped him turn peril into safety during his most dire moment, he didn't know how miserable his life would be now!
"Husband, what are you saying?" the beautiful woman asked.
Wang Chuan shook his head. "It's nothing. Just, heh, what have I, Wang Chuan, done to deserve such a wonderful wife like you?"
The woman's face flushed. She could tell exactly what Wang Chuan's mischievous grin meant.
She was in for a rough time tonight.
"Master, Madam, dinner is ready!"
A maid's voice called out from the distance.
The two immediately stopped their flirting. Wang Chuan stood up, holding his son.
Just then, he happened to see a letter sitting on the table.
"Huh? Where did this letter come from?"
He asked his wife, and she said in surprise, "It wasn't there just a moment ago."
Wang Chuan handed his son to his wife and walked straight to the stone table to pick up the envelope.
It only had 'For Brother Wang's Eyes Only' written on it.
Feeling slightly more at ease, he opened it and saw at a glance that the handwriting belonged to Li Qing.
"Go on ahead, I'll join you in a moment."
His wife left, carrying their son.
Wang Chuan continued reading. The content was simple: Li Qing had left. If there were any trouble, he could seek out Guo Da for assistance.
After reading it, Wang Chuan stood there clutching the letter, silent for a long time, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.
It wasn't until the sky had completely darkened that he finally shook his head with a slow smile.
If he were to name the most 'extraordinary' person he had ever met in his life, it would be Li Qing of Sanjiao Bay.
At first, he thought the man was nothing special—his bone structure was below average, his family was poor, and his future would probably be as a courtyard guard or a hired thug at best.
But Li Qing had used his strength to prove, step by step, that he would not stop there!
Achieving Qi and Blood Sensing, a Breakthrough to Mingjin, teaching Wu Hanshan a lesson, crippling Ma Qi, and defeating Lei Che in the martial arts hall's minor competition—he had soared to the heavens.
The further he went, the more astonishing he became.
A Breakthrough to An Jin, participating in the Martial Arts Imperial Examination, defeating all kinds of Geniuses, and securing a prestigious spot in the top eight.
And then, beyond everyone's expectations, he achieved a Breakthrough to Hua Jin!
He had truly joined the ranks of the powerful in Shangyun City!
Now, this shallow pond finally could not contain this Dragon.
And Wang Chuan, who hadn't been optimistic at first but had offered a bit of help out of the kindness of his heart, was now receiving an overwhelming reward!
From initially wanting to catch up to being completely unable to do so, he was utterly won over by this man.
Wang Chuan didn't know which way to face, so he simply gave a deep bow toward the Chiyun River.
"I wish Brother Li a smooth journey on the path of martial arts!"
...
Chang Jin was teaching his younger brother, Chang Yuan, how to box.
Two years had passed, and the boy had reached the age to practice martial arts. He had joined the martial arts hall last month and become a Disciple under Guo Da.
"Watch closely. This punch must be thrown like this!"
Chang Yuan's face was full of determination, but his technique—forget about Chang Jin—even an ordinary person could see it was terrible!
"Sigh~"
Chang Jin sighed.
Chang Yuan's talent was even worse than his own. If it weren't for his connections, the boy wouldn't have even been able to step through the gates of the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall.
After all, the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall was no longer what it used to be.
"Forget it. If he can learn some martial skills in the future, that will be enough. If he can reach Mingjin, that would be truly miraculous."
Chang Jin could only adjust his plans. He thought about how Wang Chuan was already married with a child.
"It's time to place my hopes on the next generation. I should start a family."
Just then, Chang Yuan pointed to a spot.
"Brother, look, there's a letter there."
...
Unlike Wang Chuan and Chang Jin, Huang Hu had not given up his determination to practice martial arts. Thus, he often received guidance from Li Qing, and his progress was not slow—though, limited by his bone structure, it wasn't particularly fast either.
But now, his Stake Technique was close to touching the threshold of An Jin.
He was working hard on his stakes when his elder brother, Huang Jiang, finished his accounts and strolled back leisurely.
However, Huang Jiang pointed at the top of his head with a look of suspicion and surprise.
"Second Brother, why did you put a letter on your head?"
A letter?
Huang Hu's expression changed. He reached up and indeed pulled down a letter.
...
Liuhe Martial Arts Hall.
Zhuang Courtyard.
Zhuang Jin looked at Guo Da, whose Aura was now completely different from before, and nodded.
"Now that you've achieved a Breakthrough to Hua Jin, I can leave with peace of mind later..."
Guo Da's natural talent wasn't high, but he was the most loyal to him.
After so many years together, he was no different from a biological son.
If his bone structure weren't so poor and his mental state wasn't so limited, he would have tried his best to find a Loose Cultivator in the Core Formation like Commander Qin Shu to be his Master.
After all, the quota for Sect Disciples was incredibly difficult to obtain. Having given one to Zhuang Yun, it would be very hard for him to get another.
"If you need anything in the future, you can seek out the Core Formation experts at the City Lord's Mansion. They will help you."
Zhuang Jin wanted to say more, but he suddenly looked toward the door.
Three breaths later.
Knock, knock!
The sound of knocking echoed.
"Enter."
A Disciple entered the room and said respectfully, "Master Zhuang, these are letters for you and Instructor Guo."
Zhuang Jin beckoned, and the two letters flew into his hand automatically.
The Disciple's expression shifted. He became even more respectful and silently left the courtyard.
He unfolded one of them, scanned it, and chuckled. "Quite cautious."
Li Qing didn't know that Zhuang Jin had already been in contact with Senior Sister Xu Lingji before him, and Zhuang Jin was perfectly aware of his destination.
He sighed. "It's a long journey!"
Guo Da also finished reading the letter, his expression complicated.
He glanced at Zhuang Jin's clouded left eye and that scratch mark.
Even his Master, an Extreme Realm Martial Artist, had suffered such an injury. How perilous would Li Qing's future path be?
Zhuang Jin saw through Guo Da's thoughts and shook his head.
"You're underestimating that kid."
He had witnessed Li Qing's strength with his own eyes.
Moreover, since testing Li Qing's strength last time and seeing him again two days ago, despite Li Qing having some kind of secret technique to conceal his breath...
He could still sense that Li Qing had grown stronger again.
He was certain that Li Qing might already be in the Extreme Realm now!
"This lad will surely achieve great things in the future!"
Zhuang Jin declared firmly.
Guo Da was somewhat skeptical, but given such an evaluation from Zhuang Jin, it likely wasn't far off.
"You should maintain ties with the Li family. If you take Li Qing's adopted younger brother and sister as your Disciples later on, the benefits will be endless."
Guo Da nodded solemnly.
He would spare no effort to carry out any instruction from Zhuang Jin.
...
Ye Feixu stood with his hands behind his back on the third floor of a building, watching the lights of ten thousand homes in the distance.
After a long while, he said softly, "To be this powerful... could he be another Extreme Realm Martial Artist?"
In the blink of an eye, a letter had appeared before him.
There was only one possibility: Li Qing had reached that legendary Realm, just like Zhuang Jin.
The Extreme Realm!
He waved over a servant. "Give a pharmacy each to Instructor Lu Xiu and Li Qing's family."
It just so happened that my fifth brother is about ten years old, roughly the same age as Lu Wu and the other two. Letting him get close to those three would be good; Lu Xiu will likely not refuse this request from a newly ascended Hua Jin expert.
...
In a stretch of the Chiyun River.
A head emerged from the water, looking back toward Shangyun City. Such a massive city was now just a small cluster, with only a few faint lights visible.
Li Qing took one last look and dived back into the water.
That's right, he didn't take the land route, but the water route.
With the boost from Dragon Gall Power, underwater was his home turf.
He planned to swim to Dongtian City, the city at the easternmost end of the Chiyun River. From there, he would change his appearance and follow a merchant caravan to leave Yingtian Prefecture and Yun Province, heading for Jiao Province.