51: Chapter 51 Reunion
Time flows like water; seven days later.
Ding.
[Liuhe Stance Technique +1]
"Whew~"
Li Qing put down the stone lock in his hand and untied the sandbags tied to his body one by one.
He looked at the panel.
[Accumulate small steps to reach a thousand miles]
[Realm: Mingjin]
[Skills: Liuhe Stance Technique Minor Achievement (32/400), Six Harmonies Fist Technique Minor Achievement (23/400)]
[trait: Toughness, Micro-Perception]
Skill proficiency was not like a game; as every point of progress increased, he could feel minute changes in his body, and his Qi and blood became a sliver more refined.
"Mm~ not bad. With my current solid Foundation combined with my Minor Achievement fist technique, an average Mingjin Martial Artist would be no match for me.
As for those Mingjin Major Achievement Martial Artists, it's hard to say."
The sun was setting in the west, and its afterglow made people feel warm.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Qing put on his clothes, intending to go to the medicine hall to fetch some medicine.
"Hmm, thirty copper coins for a bowl of medicinal soup, three bowls a day—that's three taels of silver a month. The expenses are quite high!" Li Qing lamented.
In fact, generally speaking, one bowl of this Mingjin medicinal soup per day was enough for daily needs. However, Li Qing was improving every day and his body was growing stronger every day, so he required more medicinal soup than others.
Seeing a beautiful figure in a yellow dress in the distance, Li Qing gave a slight nod and left.
Only after Li Qing's figure vanished did Zhuang Yun praise, "After achieving Entering the Force, Junior Brother Li hasn't been led astray by the hundred worldly desires; he still practices his martial arts diligently every day. It's truly rare."
There were many Disciples in the martial arts hall who, after achieving Entering the Force, could not withstand the flattery of others or the temptation of beauty, and many had sunk into decadence since then.
"This is the Mingjin you think highly of, Li Qing?" A beautiful figure in a red dress appeared beside her.
Zhuang Yun nodded.
Fang Lingshan said doubtfully, "From what I see, aside from being a bit diligent, this person has no special talents. Do you really believe he will stand out in the next minor competition of the martial arts hall?"
Zhuang Yun explained, "Although this person's bone structure is mediocre, his level of diligence is unmatched in the hall. Moreover, he succeeded on his first attempt at Breaking through the gateway, which shows his Foundation is solid. Even if there's no hope for Hua Jin later on, An Jin is very likely."
Fang Lingshan curled her lip. "Heh, with such poor bone structure to begin with, no matter how much you try to compensate later, it's futile. It's still unknown whether this Li Qing can even break through to An Jin in the future, whereas Junior Brother Bai—no, my dear Bai—has hope for reaching beyond Hua Jin!"
Zhuang Yun agreed with the first half of Fang Lingshan's words. For Martial Artists, it ultimately depends on bone structure; if the bone structure is bad, it's like a clever housewife trying to cook without rice. Qi and blood grow at a snail's pace, and by the later stages, the grown Qi and blood dissipate before they can be converted into cultivation, causing the Realm to stagnate completely.
As for the second half, Zhuang Yun's expression changed rarely. "Beyond Hua Jin? Who said that? Could it be the Hall Master?"
Fang Lingshan looked at Zhuang Yun with a slightly smug expression. "Exactly."
Seeing Zhuang Yun's expression change upon hearing this, Fang Lingshan felt extremely satisfied.
'Hmph! Zhuang Yun, oh Zhuang Yun. Previously, my dear Bai was interested in you, but you kept making excuses and avoided him. Now, I'm the one who benefits!'
In the martial arts hall, Disciples often compared Zhuang Yun to her. Both were exceptionally beautiful, and Fang Lingshan's martial arts were even higher—she was the Second Senior Sister of the hall—but Zhuang Yun usually came out on top.
This was because Zhuang Yun had the added advantage of her personality and temperament.
To the Disciples of the hall, Zhuang Yun's personality was caring and gentle, and her temperament was elegant and dignified.
As for her, Fang Lingshan, her personality was explosive, and her temperament was more like a thorny rose; if Disciples even looked at her, she would glare back.
Coupled with her distinguished background from a family of herbal medicine merchants, she naturally looked down upon the common Disciples.
'You little vixen, I've gained a huge advantage this time. Let's see if you don't show your true colors now!'
Zhuang Yun's eyes remained clear as she said, "Then I truly congratulate Second Senior Sister on finding her ideal husband."
"Hmph!"
Fang Lingshan didn't see any regret on Zhuang Yun's face. Unable to vent her frustration, she turned and left.
At some point, the sun completely disappeared from the horizon, and along with the afterglow, Zhuang Yun's figure also vanished.
...
Li Qing carried half a roast goose and a small jar of Pear Blossom Wine, strolling through the bustling night market.
"Hiss~ it's so damn expensive. Half a roast goose actually cost me half a tael."
Even though Li Qing had now become a Martial Artist, he still felt the pinch.
He had not only drawn four months of his monthly allowance in advance but also had to pay for his daily martial arts medicinal soup; now was not the time for extravagance.
"Just this once. Father takes office tomorrow; we must celebrate properly tonight."
"However, they say the position of Fish Market Manager has good perks. With me backing him, Father should be able to rake in quite a bit of profit." Li Qing thought better of it and instantly stopped feeling the pinch.
"In reality, it's like I'm just putting my name on the Fish Market while Father does the work."
If it weren't for Li Qing's sake, Li Bing would never have been able to become the Fish Market Manager.
"Still, I should check the specific situation tomorrow. After all, the Chief Manager above the manager is a government official. Without his approval, one wouldn't dare to skim any profits."
"Throw this pauper out for me!"
A courtyard up ahead opened, and two men carried a drunken, lame man and threw him onto the street.
"You—hic—you snobbish lowlifes! I'm telling you—hic—once I win a few hundred taels of silver, you'll be begging me to come back in!"
Hearing this voice, Li Qing paused in his tracks.
As luck would have it, the man turned his head toward Li Qing. "Hic—Li Qing!"
Li Qing glanced at him and intended to walk around him.
As a result, the man immediately lunged for Li Qing's feet.
"Brother Li, don't you recognize me, Wu Hanshan?"
Snap! Li Qing immediately retreated several steps and looked at Wu Hanshan with a frown.
Wu Hanshan had lunged forward suddenly but didn't expect Li Qing to be able to dodge. His left leg, which had somehow become twisted, hit the ground hard as he fell.
"Aiee!" Wu Hanshan cried out in pain.
"Hehe, hahahaha, it's my own fault! Haha!" Wu Hanshan lay spread-eagled on the ground, his face crazed, laughing wildly one moment and weeping bitterly the next.
"Wuwu, it's you, it's all you! Li Qing, if you hadn't crippled me, how could I have ended up like this today?"
Li Qing said indifferently, "What does it have to do with me? You were the one who attacked first."
Wu Hanshan was stunned. "It was me? Haha, it was indeed me, haha!"
"Since then, I caught that Plum Blossom Disease. My body couldn't fight it off at all; I was burning up one moment and freezing the next. Finally, ha, I was caught by the government constables. They forced a large bowl of unknown medicinal soup down my throat. The disease was cured, but my Qi and blood are gone—all gone!"
His eyes were bloodshot. When he stood up again leaning on his crutch, he seemed to have regained his sanity and walked away despondently.
Until he reached a small alley, Wu Hanshan's face suddenly turned crazed. "Why? Why can you, Li Qing, with your mediocre bone structure, break through to Entering the Force and become a superior person, while I have to be a beggar for the rest of my life! I'm going to make you feel excruciating pain, I'm going to make you—"
As Wu Hanshan spoke, he looked back and his body trembled.
A pair of indifferent eyes were looking at him calmly from only three feet away.
"What are you going to make me do?"
Clack!
The crutch fell to the ground, making a crisp sound that echoed through the empty alley.