Leaving the City, Part One

On the way back that evening.

As Wei He walked, he was still savoring the full pound of Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat in his stomach.

He could clearly feel the warmth in his body that came from eating Money Worm meat, and compared to Money Worm meat, this Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat was clearly much more potent.

He was somewhat tempted by Third Senior Brother Cheng's offer, but Cheng Shaojiu was the only one recruiting him at present. Without anything to compare it to, he could not make up his mind yet.

Once he returned, according to Cheng Shaojiu, the others looking to recruit him would likely come knocking one after another soon enough.

By then, he could compare their offers before making a decision.

Wei He hurried all the way back. The Cheng Family lived in Shiqiao Town, the same town as the Huishan Fist Academy, but he lived in another town, with a stretch of lawless territory between them.

As he walked, Wei He swept his gaze over the somewhat desolate streets around him.

The sky had not even darkened yet, but there was barely anyone on the streets. They were cold and empty, with only bursts of barking dogs drifting over from the courtyards of wealthy households in the distance.

As he passed an alley, he vaguely saw two beggars huddled together for warmth, curled up motionlessly in a corner. He could not tell whether they were dead.

Then, two raggedly dressed men pushing two carts slowly turned out from an alley on the right.

Wei He halted and waited for them to pass before him.

Two corpses with bluish faces lay crookedly on the carts—a mother and daughter, one grown and one young. Their features resembled each other, and both had been starved down to skin and bones, barely human in shape. One look was enough to tell that they had died of hunger.

Only after the carts had gone far away did Wei He continue onward.

He was dressed in the fine uniform of Huishan Fist, his hair cut close, standing nearly six feet tall with a powerfully muscled frame.

Especially after breaking through in qi and blood, his eyes shone brightly. One could tell at a glance that he was a frequent martial arts practitioner, carrying considerable intimidation.

Even the occasional passerby lowered their heads and did not dare look at him too closely.

Wei He continued forward, stepping over cracked stone paving in silence.

Whenever he passed street corners, he would see incense sticks planted in the dirt beside the road.

The incense had long burned out, yet scattered bloodstains remained on the ground before them. Some were plentiful, others sparse.

Who knew whether it was human blood.

Wei He could not help quickening his pace. Other than before noon, when Feiye City still had some semblance of life, the rest of the day made it seem like a ghostly domain.

In daytime, constables still occasionally patrolled. Once night fell, they no longer cared about anything.

Wei He walked a little farther toward home and spotted Rat Alley ahead. At some point, two more thug-like men had appeared there, lurking furtively at the alley entrance.

When they saw him approaching, the two thugs lowered their heads and hurried off to the side.

Wei He said nothing. He had beaten one Chen Biao to death, but there would be a second Chen Biao, then a third.

This world truly was...

Sighing inwardly, he passed through Rat Alley and returned to his own door.

Not long after he entered and sat down, someone immediately knocked at the door.

Wei He got up and opened it. Outside stood a pockmarked middle-aged man wearing a black mandarin jacket.

"Are you Brother Wei He? My name is Liu Yu, from the Three Tigers Gang."

The moment Wei He heard that, he knew someone had come to recruit him.

He invited the man inside to sit and asked about the terms. If he could earn money more easily through his strength, he did not mind joining some force.

However, the Three Tigers Gang was a newly risen gang in the area. After asking around, he learned that they were in the brothel business. Their offer was only slightly better than Third Senior Brother Cheng's, and they did not have the crucial Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat.

Thus, Wei He politely declined.

Not long after Liu Yu left, someone from the Changfeng Escort Agency came by. The Changfeng Escort Agency was also a major local escort house whose shops could often be seen nearby. Their offer was even worse than the Three Tigers Gang's, so he declined them as well.

Next came the nearby Zhang Family, inviting him to become the head of their guards. Their offer was decent, slightly higher than the Cheng Family's, but without Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat, Wei He still rejected them after doing the calculations.

Then two more gangs came, along with a wealthy household and a tavern. All had come to invite him to take positions as minor leaders or the like.

After comparing each offer, Wei He truly felt that Third Senior Brother Cheng's terms were not low. And if the Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat could be supplied without limit, its appeal might have been ordinary to others.

But to him, it was an enormous temptation.

Ever since obtaining the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, his digestive ability had surpassed that of ordinary people. No matter how difficult something was to digest, he could quickly process it, turning it into heat and energy to accumulate within the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.

For ordinary people, a pound of Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat would keep them full for two days. For him, the Cheng Family's offer truly was not a loss.

Wei He was confident that he could eat back the value of the offer through the meat alone.

Third Senior Brother Cheng's family probably dared to offer unlimited Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat mainly because the meat was exceptionally filling. Even martial artists could not eat much of it, no matter how freely they stuffed themselves.

But they could never have imagined that there was someone like Wei He in this world.

Having made up his mind, Wei He rose before dawn the next morning, fetched water to wash up, then headed toward the Huishan Fist Academy.

When he arrived at the courtyard, he was not the earliest. Some people had already begun their Skin Grinding practice again.

However, the matter of him breaking through the Door at the very last moment yesterday and reaching the Ox Hide level seemed to have spread throughout the academy.

The newly initiated students mostly looked at him with awe.

The senior disciples who had previously barely spared him a glance also clearly began taking him more seriously.

Wei He went to his spot, removed his outer robe, and prepared to train.

The sturdy woman responsible for cleaning voluntarily brought him a cup of hot water and warmly smiled at him.

Not far away, Second Sister Wei Ying also smiled brightly at him several times, clearly in an excellent mood.

This felt completely different from before. It was as though he had suddenly entered the direct line of sight of many people.

"How was your consideration yesterday?" Cheng Shaojiu patted Wei He on the shoulder from behind.

"I've thought it over. Your family's terms are the best, but I still need to continue training. I can't help for long periods of time," Wei He said.

"Of course. We'll notify you in advance whenever something comes up. As long as you can arrive quickly when needed, you'll be free the rest of the time," Cheng Shaojiu said with a smile and a nod.

"Fine. I accept," Wei He answered decisively.

"Good! You're my brother. Rest assured, I'll never treat you unfairly," he said earnestly.

Wei He was also quite pleased. So long as he had enough Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat, he could drastically shorten the time needed to accumulate power in the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.

Cheng Shaojiu chatted with him for a while longer, in high spirits. Only after quite some time did he return to his own spot and begin practicing.

Wei He noticed that this well-connected Third Senior Brother had somehow started speaking with Xiao Ran, Jiang Su, and Jiang Yan's little circle.

It seemed that he had joined that small circle at some point.

Ever since Jiang Su had come to the academy, a small circle centered around her had naturally formed.

Very few people earned her regard. Among them were the highly talented Xiao Ran, the well-off Jiang Yan, and now Cheng Shaojiu had joined them.

The four of them gathered together, forming what looked like a new small circle.

At that moment, they were chatting quietly.

"Speaking of which, my uncle returned from Zaiye this time and brought back some local Cloud Stone Iron.

"If any of you are interested, you may come to my place and examine it. And since we discussed joining forces for No-Gap Training last time, why don't we settle the schedule and arrangements this time?"

The one speaking was none other than Jiang Yan, who rarely spoke in the academy.

His expression was mild, his brows and eyes gentle, giving people a plain, unsharp, unassuming impression.

No one would have expected that he came from one of the Lineages in Feiye City's Inner City.

As for the No-Gap Training he spoke of, firstly, it was meant to train everyone's ability to guard against ambushes, flying stones, and the like. Secondly, as core disciples of Old Zheng's Huishan Fist, it was a private gathering that allowed them to take on more cost-effective assignments.

The Jiang Family came from the Inner City.

And the Inner City and Outer City were completely different worlds.

This was also one of the key reasons Jiang Su regarded Jiang Yan so highly.

"I have no objections to No-Gap Training. But I want to bring a junior sister with me. Is that all right?" Jiang Su was the first to reply. She never let an opportunity like this slip by, especially one that could strengthen her own abilities.

"Of course." Jiang Yan nodded.

"I have no objections either." Xiao Ran's face was cold, but his gaze drifted unconsciously toward Jiang Su.

Clearly, the old man who got drunk was not interested in the wine.

After pausing, he seemed to recall something and added, "Also, I need to bring someone along as well."

"Certainly." Jiang Yan nodded with a smile.

Cheng Shaojiu was close enough to hear them and looked somewhat eager. Looking at Jiang Su beside him, he did not conceal his admiration for her in the slightest.

"I have no objections to the No-Gap Training you mentioned last time."

After a pause, he continued, "I'll bring Junior Brother Wei along."

He pointed toward Wei He in the distance. "My brother is magnanimous and steadfast in temperament. He will surely accomplish great things in the future."

Jiang Yan glanced at Wei He and recognized him as the person who had only broken through in the final few days. He frowned slightly.

The people these few were bringing had all either broken through long ago or easily reached the Ox Hide level.

Though Wei He technically met the standard as well, his potential seemed a little too low.

Jiang Yan's private gathering was not something just anyone was qualified to attend.

People like Wei He lacked aptitude. Perhaps before long, he would merely become the head of some household's guards. In the future, he and they would belong to entirely different strata.

"Brother Cheng, why not choose someone else?" Jiang Yan said.

"What? Didn't we say last time that anyone who entered the Door was qualified?" Cheng Shaojiu asked in astonishment.

"That is true, but isn't the threshold for our little circle becoming a bit too low?" Jiang Yan said unhappily.

Cheng Shaojiu immediately understood. They thought Wei He's aptitude was too poor and were dissatisfied with him.

He looked at Jiang Su and Xiao Ran. Neither of them showed any reaction, clearly believing that this was only proper.

"We all saw Wei He break through at the last moment. It looked inspiring at the time, but if he wants to enter our circle, I think he needs to undergo some testing first," Jiang Yan said seriously.

"Indeed." Jiang Su nodded in agreement.

With her agreeing, Xiao Ran naturally had no objections.

Cheng Shaojiu froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Then how will you test him?"

"Very simply." Jiang Yan smiled faintly. "My family keeps a fierce dog. If he can defeat that dog barehanded, he will be considered to have passed the test."

Cheng Shaojiu was left speechless. He tried to argue a few more times, but Jiang Yan and the others stood united and refused to budge.

Left with no choice, he went to find Wei He, who was practicing offense and defense in a corner.

He told him about the test.