Body Tempering

After eating and drinking his fill, he continued patrolling the streets that afternoon, walking and stopping as he went. Nothing else happened.

By evening, Song Changming returned to the Patrol Guard Headquarters to clock out, ending his first day as a patrol guard.

He used his meager savings to buy several pounds of beef. When he returned home, Song Changming suddenly discovered that the house had acquired quite a few more things.

Rice and grain, meat and eggs, even several live chickens and ducks.

"These were all sent by the neighbors. They said it was to congratulate you on becoming a patrol guard. Your mother simply couldn't refuse them, so she accepted them for now." Father Song said cheerfully, his face seeming more spirited than it had been in days.

Ever since the Song Family had fallen from grace, who had ever given them a second glance? Now that another promising young man had emerged from the family, their circumstances had changed in an instant.

Song Changming becoming a patrol guard meant that the Song Family still had hope of rising again.

That hope was the most important thing. Otherwise, ordinary fallen households would gradually find no way forward and, in the end, would most likely meet the bleak fate of leaving no heirs.

No one was willing to associate with a fallen household that had no hope.

Song Changming nodded without asking further, carrying the several pounds of beef into the kitchen.

He had now made up his mind to begin practicing the Great Strength Bull Demon Art. This meat would be the nutritional supplement for the start of his training.

That evening, after practicing the required saber techniques for a while, Song Changming began attempting body tempering.

The sheepskin parchment described thirteen body-tempering stance forms in both text and illustrations, as well as the more important tricks for circulating qi through the body.

Combined with the series of medicinal ingredients needed for body tempering, if one persisted day after day and tempered oneself daily, success was certain to come.

Although Song Changming had not formally begun practicing this art over the past half year, he had never neglected his research and preparations.

He discovered that body tempering was very different from saber practice.

Saber practice placed greater emphasis on comprehension. Sometimes, that flash of insight was more effective than ten million stiff, mechanical swings.

Body tempering, on the other hand, lay in being hammered and forged a thousand times. What it required more was the sweat and effort of unwavering perseverance. The body could not be honed in a day or two, nor could it be accomplished through a single moment of enlightenment.

Only through bit-by-bit accumulation, piling sand into a tower, could one achieve something.

"Let's begin."

Song Changming leaned forward, stretching his left leg behind him. Both fists were raised before his head, palms facing the sky. He breathed and circulated his qi, like a stone ox breathing toward the heavens.

Moonlight spilled down, spreading over his body and adding an unusual sheen to him.

Before long, Song Changming's flesh began to grow scorching hot, as though he were inside a furnace, gradually heated and baked.

The more precisely every detail of the stance art was performed, the more outstanding its effect became.

After each stance had been maintained through enough cycles of breathing, he changed to the next one, repeating the process over and over.

This was undoubtedly a dull and tedious process, but cultivation had always been so.

In truth, Song Changming, who was practicing this Ox Demon Art for the first time, had only managed three stances in a single round before he was drenched in sweat, his stamina exhausted and unable to continue.

His physique already counted as robust among ordinary people, yet his first attempt had been this difficult. It showed that these seemingly simple stances were far from easy.

And this was with the temporary state bonus from Heaven Rewards Diligence. Otherwise, his body-tempering results on this first night would only have been worse.

Touching his stomach, he found that although he had eaten dinner not long ago, hunger was already rising from within.

He had to admit that the consumption required by practicing the Great Strength Bull Demon Art was indeed as great as the sheepskin parchment described.

Fortunately, he had prepared beforehand. He took out the two pounds of beef he had set aside, wrapped it in wild vegetable leaves, and stuffed it down in a frenzy. Only then did heat rise all over his body, leaving him feeling much more comfortable.

After replenishing his nutrition, he had intended to rest before continuing, but the muscles, tendons, and bones throughout his body were sore and weak, no longer obeying him. He could only wash up hastily and return to his room to rest.

[Today's evaluation: A somewhat meaningful day. Lifespan +3. Obtained temporary state: 'Single-Minded Focus']

Just as expected.

During the day, following Lu Gang at work had been a relatively leisurely, half-slacking affair. He had made up for some of it through diligent practice that evening, but today's evaluation had still dropped by one grade. The Heaven Rewards Diligence state was gone.

Fortunately, the Single-Minded Focus state was also good. It added a little Lifespan and provided a certain boost to cultivation as well.

The next day.

As expected, Song Changming's skin felt overly taut, his muscles sore and swollen, while his tendons and bones carried a faint numbness.

This was a process unavoidable in the early stages of body tempering. Only after practicing for some time would these negative effects ease.

After dressing neatly, Song Changming went to the Patrol Guard Headquarters early in the morning to report for duty as usual.

Today, he met his superior, Liang Chuanshan.

"Changming, this is yours." Upon seeing Song Changming, Liang Chuanshan casually tossed him a money pouch.

"What is this?" Song Changming froze.

"This is the reward for capturing Chen Beihu. I collected it yesterday. It's all here—one hundred silver coins," Liang Chuanshan said.

"So much?" Song Changming had actually heard Lu Gang mention yesterday that the government's reward for Chen Beihu's capture was as high as one hundred silver coins.

He had assumed Liang Chuanshan would only symbolically give him a portion, while keeping the lion's share as Patrol Captain.

Even if Liang Chuanshan were greedier and gave the patrol guards under him none of the reward money, it would not have been unusual.

Yet he had not expected Liang Chuanshan to give him the entire reward after collecting it.

This was a full hundred silver coins!

Most of the time, one silver coin was worth one string of copper coins, a ratio of one to a thousand, though it fluctuated depending on circumstances.

During most turbulent times, copper coins depreciated, while Great Han's silver coins remained largely stable.

The Patrol Captain's salary was paid in official silver coins of Great Han, rather than copper coins, which showed the value of silver coins.

These hundred silver coins were nearly equivalent to a year and a half of his monthly salary. The reward was truly generous.

He had definitely struck it rich.

"Brother Lu and the others also contributed. I merely happened to run into Chen Beihu at the end and received this merit through luck. How about we spread this reward around and give some to Brother Lu and the others?" Song Changming said without much thought.

"Enough nonsense. This belongs to you. If I tell you to take it, then take it. I'll pay their hardship compensation out of my own pocket, and their contributions have all been recorded. You don't need to worry about it." Liang Chuanshan waved a hand.

That was the Patrol Captain's responsibility. Song Changming needed to concern himself less with it.

Hearing this, Song Changming said no more and put away the heavy pouch of silver.

This money had arrived at a particularly timely moment.

His body tempering required large amounts of money to burn through. If he spent these hundred silver coins sparingly, they would be enough to support him for quite a long time.

About a quarter of an hour later, the Patrol Guard Team had assembled in the small courtyard.

Including Song Changming, there were eleven people in all.

It was said that the team had originally numbered fifteen, but during the previous encirclement of Chen Beihu, one patrol guard had died and four others had been injured and were recuperating at home, leaving only eleven.

Nothing major happened today either. Song Changming still followed Lu Gang to patrol the streets.

After that, Song Changming familiarized himself with patrol guard work and grew closer to his colleagues while on duty. At night, he practiced both saber techniques and body tempering in tandem.

About ten days later.

[Great Strength Bull Demon Art: Not Initiated (0/100)]