A War of Words

That day, at the hour of the Snake.

The Laborers gathered together, each practicing their stance techniques.

Suddenly, Sun Rong stopped, unable to suppress the joy on her face. "I... I sensed the Essence of Qi and Blood. Something warm, about as thick as a thread, emerged inside my body... It's just that my qi and blood still aren't enough to break through..."

She was so excited that her words came out in a jumble.

Hearing this, Li Shan stopped moving. His eyes held envy as he congratulated her:

"Sister Sun, you're progressing so quickly. I reckon I'll need some more time."

Xu Yuan congratulated her as well. Though there was some envy in his eyes, he did not lose his balance over it.

After all, no matter how quickly others progressed, it had nothing to do with him. If they failed, would that mean he could succeed?

Objective facts could not be changed.

With that thought, the System Panel appeared in his mind.

[Name: Xu Yuan]

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Minor Accomplishment 86%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Beginner 23%)]

[Talent: 3 (Ordinary)]

No rush. I'm about to break through.

Seeing the progress data, Xu Yuan steadied himself again, neither anxious nor impatient.

Thanks to the money his elder brother had sent earlier, he had also been able to drink a bowl of Meridian Nourishing Soup.

The taste was hard to describe. Its rich herbal smell was exceptionally pungent.

But its effects were undeniably good. After drinking a bowl, heat surged through his body and his strength brimmed over, better than eating three meals.

Moreover, it seemed as though a faint wisp of qi had surfaced now and then, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not find it.

In his disappointment, Xu Yuan could only focus all his attention on the Tai Chi Exercise.

After hearing their congratulations, Sun Rong's expression calmed, though a trace of joy still lingered at the corners of her eyes. She shot Li Shan an annoyed look.

"If Brother Li hadn't wasted so much time, he probably would have found the Essence of Qi and Blood long ago."

Li Shan rubbed his nose awkwardly. Over the past month, Sun Rong had taken plenty of roundabout jabs at him. He was nearly used to it.

"But Brother Xu, how is your progress?" Sun Rong turned her gaze to Xu Yuan, her eyes seeming to carry a strange glimmer.

"So-so." Xu Yuan gave a slight shake of his head, indicating that he did not really know.

A flash of disappointment passed through Sun Rong's eyes, but her smile did not fade. "I believe in you both. You'll reach this stage soon enough."

"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words." Xu Yuan smiled too, though inwardly he sighed. This body's talent was truly mediocre. Whether in sensing qi and blood or in physical ability, it lagged far behind others.

For instance, Tian Yang in their dormitory flaunted his progress every day. He had found his qi and blood five days ago. When discussing the details then, he had merely said with an easy expression:

"This is simple. You just need to make your stance practice solid enough. In a few days, the Essence of Qi and Blood will come looking for you on its own."

The moment those words came out, they made countless people green with envy, followed at once by another round of lavish flattery.

"There isn't much time left. Practice as much as possible."

Xu Yuan pondered in secret. Then, as if remembering something, he warned the two of them:

"Right. It's enough for us to know our own progress. It's best not to tell others, in case someone tries to trip us up."

"Really? Would anyone be that rotten?" Li Shan had many friends, so he could not help feeling Xu Yuan was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm not sure either, but I feel something like that could happen. Being careful never leads you wrong." Xu Yuan shook his head.

"Brother Xu is absolutely right. I was just about to tell you..."

After hearing this, Sun Rong wore an expression of deep agreement.

"Among the people in our side courtyard, there was a maid with exceptional talent. She found her qi and blood in less than half a month."

"But she was timid by nature and was often bullied by the others. Once she got ahead of everyone, she immediately could not resist showing off. She mocked people constantly in her words, making her utterly detestable... And then, guess what happened?"

Even as she spoke, she still seemed shaken by lingering fear. Her voice turned cold and eerie.

"In the middle of the night, that person's eyes were gouged blind. Later, she lost her mind and was thrown out by the servants. When they investigated afterward, I got dragged into it too."

The two of them both sucked in a breath of cold air.

"So things like that really do happen?" Li Shan's expression turned unnatural, as if he were seeing the horror of human nature for the first time.

Xu Yuan likewise marveled at this story, which rivaled the scheming of palace intrigues.

But when he glanced aside and saw Sun Rong's face full of lingering fear, a thought suddenly came to him. Among those "others," did she happen to be included?

After all, in her telling, that maid had been unbearably reckless, and her tone carried a few traces of disgust. Outsiders could hardly distinguish truth from falsehood.

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on such messy thoughts, Xu Yuan silently resumed his stance practice.

Seeing this, Li Shan also felt the press of time and began practicing alongside him.

Sun Rong watched them quietly for a while before starting as well, though her gaze occasionally drifted toward the Laborers who had progressed the fastest.

In the blink of an eye, night rose like ink.

It was already early winter, and the temperature grew colder by the day.

The Laborers stood behind the house practicing. The hot breath they exhaled with each burst of force gathered evenly into a mass, only to swiftly dissipate once it rose halfway above the roof.

Xu Yuan and Li Shan returned to the dormitory together.

Li Shan had moved here ten days ago.

There was no helping it. In his old dormitory, he had been something like the senior class monitor. Every evening when he returned, people would inevitably crowd around him to ask about the finer points of martial arts practice.

He could not bring himself to turn hostile, so he had no choice but to change his living quarters.

Unexpectedly, the moment they entered, a sarcastic voice rang out. "Xu Yuan, you two work so hard every day. I wonder if you've practiced up anything worthwhile?"

The speaker was Liu Hong. While practicing his stance earlier, he had happened upon the Essence of Qi and Blood. He was overjoyed for a moment, as though his entire body had become lighter.

When he saw these two favored men who had once received Master Feng's careful instruction, he could not help wanting to measure himself against them.

At this moment, even Li Shan, who was usually such a good-natured man, heard the mockery in his tone and snapped back, "Whether we've found qi and blood or not, what does it have to do with you?"

Liu Hong smiled. "I just want to know how far the people who were once a step ahead of all of us have progressed by now."

Xu Yuan paused, as if he had not heard the ridicule. In his usual tone, he said, "Same as before. I don't feel anything."

That airy reply clearly did not satisfy Liu Hong. He deliberately muttered, "Who are you putting on an act for? Weren't you only able to step up back then because you stepped in dog shit?"

Li Shan halted and turned back. "Say that again if you've got the guts."

Xu Yuan looked over calmly as well.

Seeing the other man's considerable build, with his shadow under the oil lamp nearly swallowing Liu Hong whole, Liu Hong's heart could not help but tighten. But he immediately felt ashamed of his own cowardice, which only made him more embarrassed and angry.

"Enough."

At that moment, Tian Yang suddenly spoke. Li Shan had guided him before, so he stepped in to help. "We're all in the same dormitory. If things get unpleasant, nobody will look good."

He flaunted his astonishingly fast progress every day and had long become the dormitory's number-one figure, faintly its center. Naturally, his standing was considerable, and Liu Hong took the opportunity to climb down the slope.

"Brother Tian is right. If there's anything about martial arts practice in the future, you can all come ask us."

After putting on airs and making that declaration, Liu Hong said nothing more. In truth, he regretted it somewhat as well.

Leaving aside whether he could beat Li Shan, fighting was forbidden in the back courtyard. If things blew up, he would not get away unscathed either.

"Brother Li, shall we go practice a while longer?"

Xu Yuan asked, picking up a cloth towel. Once Li Shan nodded, the two headed out together to practice again.

Li Shan had clearly been deeply provoked. He had always been the one guiding others, yet this time he had actually been lectured and mocked. It did not sit well with him.

Xu Yuan did not care much. Liu Hong was nothing more than a child fierce in appearance but faint at heart. He had achieved a rare breakthrough and was eager to show it off. What was there to care about?

His silence earlier was only because he had been recalling the meridian theory Master Feng had explained. To him, martial arts practice was the only thing that mattered now. Everything else was unimportant.