Training Desperately
Two hours later.
At the plum blossom stakes.
Qin Ming clenched his teeth, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down from the corners of his eyes. The sting of sweat kept him from opening them.
Only when the last of his strength was spent did he step down from the stakes.
[Ninth-Rank Martial Art: Eight Trigrams Stake Skill (4/100), not yet initiated]
"One bowl of Qi-Blood Soup gave me one proficiency point."
Qin Ming panted heavily and began to calculate.
Two hours ago, he had drunk a bowl of Qi-Blood Soup. Once his Qi and blood had recovered somewhat, he had immediately begun stake training, but he had only lasted two hours.
Two hours of stake training earned him one proficiency point in the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill.
By that reckoning, he would need two hundred hours of stake training to reach initiation, or a hundred bowls of Qi-Blood Soup.
At a hundred copper coins a bowl of Qi-Blood Soup, that came to ten taels of silver!
Qin Ming clicked his tongue inwardly.
This wasn't martial training—it was practically smelting silver!
Without silver, all he could do was put in the time.
An ordinary person could only practice stake training for two hours a day; any more would harm their foundation.
By that reckoning, without Qi-Blood Soup, Qin Ming would gain two proficiency points a day and need fifty days to reach initiation, leaving him just ten days short of the two-month deadline for failing the assessment.
For the first time, Qin Ming realized that his Ninth-Grade Root Bone really was quite ordinary.
Fortunately, he had the panel. As long as he cultivated step by step, becoming an Innate expert was only a matter of time.
"Senior brother, I'll have two more bowls of Qi-Blood Soup!"
Qin Ming took a deep breath.
"Qin Ming, an ordinary person can only drink three bowls of Qi-Blood Soup a day at most. Any more will harm your internal organs!"
Despite his warning, Lu Liu still brought Qin Ming two bowls.
Qin Ming drained both bowls of Qi-Blood Soup in one go, rested for a while, then climbed back onto the stakes.
Even Lu Liu couldn't help clicking his tongue at such a monstrous way of training.
"Little Brother Qin is pushing himself too hard! No, those of us who got here first can't let Little Brother Qin overtake us!"
Seeing this, the other disciples climbed onto the stakes one after another.
Lu Liu stared at Qin Ming on the stakes, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
By the time Qin Ming stepped down again, it was already dark.
The other disciples had left, and the training room was empty.
"You haven't eaten dinner yet, have you? Here, have these to tide you over."
Lu Liu handed Qin Ming two mixed-grain buns.
"Thank you."
Qin Ming didn't stand on ceremony. He finished the buns in a few bites.
Martial training consumed an enormous amount of Qi and blood, and he had long been so hungry that his stomach was practically touching his backbone. Only after eating the two buns did he feel a little better.
"Eating is actually very important for martial training too. Once you get home, find a way to get some meat to replenish your vitality. The more you eat, the faster your Qi and blood will recover.
"I don't know why you're training so desperately, but I'm sure you have your reasons."
Lu Liu rose and left without looking back.
"Remember, you can only drink three bowls of Qi-Blood Soup a day right now. If you want your Qi and blood to recover quickly, eat more meat, and eat good meat."
"Senior brother, what kind of meat is good?"
"Wild game from the mountains contains Spiritual Qi. That's good meat."
Lu Liu's figure disappeared into the night.
A thoughtful look appeared in Qin Ming's eyes.
After tidying up briefly, Qin Ming picked up a few things in town on his way back.
Once he returned to the shantytown, Qin Ming first went to visit Wang Shun.
After a day's rest, Wang Shun's complexion had improved considerably.
"Little Brother Qin."
Seeing Qin Ming come in, Wang Shun hurried to rise, but the movement aggravated his wound, and pain crossed his face.
"Brother Wang, your injury hasn't healed yet. Lie down and rest."
Qin Ming immediately put his things down and helped Wang Shun lie back down.
"Brother Wang, I bought these things to help you recover."
"Take them back. It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about."
Wang Shun shook his head and refused to accept them no matter what Qin Ming said. In the end, he reluctantly took them only after his wife persuaded him.
"Little Brother Qin, those men haven't come back to trouble you, have they?"
Wang Shun rubbed his aching chest as he spoke, still shaken.
Those men were utterly inhuman and vicious in their actions. If ordinary folk crossed them, they would be in serious trouble.
"Don't worry, they won't come back."
Qin Ming smiled faintly.
Dead men, of course, wouldn't show up again.
He had separated their flesh from their bones and dumped their bodies in the wilderness. Even if someone found them, they wouldn't be able to identify them.
"That's good, that's good."
After leaving Wang Shun's home, Qin Ming pushed open his own door. Embroiderer was sitting on the edge of the bed, sewing clothes. On the small, low table stood two plates of side dishes and a large bowl of pig offal.
In a clay pot suspended over the fire, hot congee bubbled away.
"Brother Qin!"
At the sound, Embroiderer's face lit up with joy. She sprang off the bed and rushed into Qin Ming's arms.
"Brother Qin, did you get into the martial arts hall?"
"Yes."
"That's wonderful! I knew you could do it, Brother Qin!"
Embroiderer's little face flushed red with excitement. She was even more excited than Qin Ming.
"Sit down. You must be hungry. I'll get you a bowl of congee."
Embroiderer brought Qin Ming a stool and served him a large bowl of hot congee.
"Embroiderer, you eat too."
Before long, all the food had been swept clean.
In fact, Qin Ming had eaten ninety percent of it.
After taking up martial training, his appetite had more than doubled!
"Burp!"
Qin Ming let out a belch. Strangely, though his stomach was clearly full, he still felt hungry.
It was like drinking water to stave off hunger: even though he was full, his stomach still felt awful.
Looks like I'll have to bring back more meat tomorrow. Senior brother was right. I have to eat meat.
Qin Ming thought to himself.
He had to be willing to spend money on food. He didn't have much time left, and he had to grow stronger as quickly as possible. If Yan Yue-Ren sent people to seize Embroiderer, it would be disastrous!
Qin Ming had wanted to take Embroiderer and fly far away, but these were troubled times. Mountain bandits, uprisings, and roaming brigands were everywhere, and other places might not be any safer than Qingshan Town. With Embroiderer's looks, evildoers would easily set their sights on her. Without the strength of a martial artist, it would be hard to survive with nothing but his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique.
Scarface had only just died, and Yan Yue-Ren didn't know yet, so he wouldn't make a move for the time being. Qin Ming had to seize this window and become a martial artist!
Once he became a martial artist, he would be a disciple under Fei Heng. As a Flesh Refining Realm expert, Fei Heng would give even Yan Yue-Ren pause. If all else failed, Qin Ming could take Embroiderer to the martial arts hall, where her safety would at least be assured.
But all of that depended on him becoming a martial artist!
After the meal, Embroiderer brought Qin Ming a basin of hot water to soak his feet, then took a hand-sewn padded coat from the bedding.
Embroiderer had pulled the cotton stuffing in the coat from the dead men's padded coats Qin Ming had brought back. Anything stained with blood had been thrown into the fire and burned.
Embroiderer had a vague idea of what had happened, but she didn't ask.
Ordinary padded coats contained limited stuffing and weren't very warm, with some even mixed with weeds. The one Embroiderer held had been sewn especially for Qin Ming and was very thick, with a layer of cowhide sewn onto the outside to keep out damp and wind.
"Brother Qin, put it on and try it."
"All right."
Qin Ming slipped on the coat. It fit perfectly and was much thicker than his old one.
"What about the rest of the cotton? Make one for yourself too."
"There's no need. I'm not cold at home. I sewed the rest into the quilt, so you'll be warmer under it at night, Brother Qin."
Looking at Embroiderer, who thought of him in everything she did, Qin Ming felt a sudden sting in his nose and pulled her tightly into his arms.
He swore to himself that he would protect Embroiderer and never let anyone bully her!
Qin Ming's gaze fell on the bag in the corner beside the bed.
Inside was sand he had brought back specifically to train the Fire Sand Palm.
[Ninth-Rank Martial Art: Fire Sand Palm (1/100), not yet initiated]