Proactive

"It seems that even though I eat Silver-Kiss Black Snake Meat every day, my fellow disciples aren't just slacking off. Everyone has their own way of accumulating Blood Essence faster."

Wei He felt even more that agreeing to Senior Brother Cheng's proposal was an incredibly correct decision.

In about half a year, not only had he kept up with his Blood Essence progress, but he was also continuously accumulating energy for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.

He picked up a towel to wipe his sweat and looked at his chest. The pattern of the Boundary-Breaking Pearl was only a quarter away from being complete.

'No matter what, I need to refine my Blood Essence to its peak first. Only then can I advance further with the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.' Wei He held onto his hopes, his gaze firm.

Suddenly, Cheng Shaojiu rushed in, his face beaming with joy. He walked up to Wei He and whispered.

"Little He! We've got a lead!"

"???" Wei He looked bewildered. A lead for what?

Seeing his confusion, Cheng Shaojiu was speechless.

"Did you forget? It's about getting you a wife?"

He lowered his voice to remind him.

"I've picked out three suitable women from families in the vicinity. We'll exchange personal details first to see if you like each other, and if it works out, then it's settled!" Cheng Shaojiu said with a smile.

He glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to their conversation, and continued.

"I've hired an artist to paint portraits. You can look at them later. If you like someone, I'll have your information sent over. You're my junior brother, and my best buddy. Don't worry, I'll definitely pick the absolute best for you!"

He gave a thumbs-up earnestly.

"But you'll need to tidy yourself up a bit, so the young lady doesn't look down on you."

"I think it might be a bit early," Wei He voiced.

"Not at all, not at all. Like your senior brother here, I've been married for almost two years. How is that early?" Cheng Shaojiu chuckled.

Wei He was speechless. He wasn't actually against the idea. He just felt his current lifestyle was quite good and didn't want to change it.

However, having descendants was indeed a top priority in this era.

After some thought, he decided to go with the flow and let his senior brother handle the arrangements.

A few days later, Cheng Shaojiu quickly brought three portraits of women for Wei He to examine.

The first step was to see if he liked them, and then he would convey his interest to them and see if they were willing to meet.

It wasn't like in Wei He's past life where marriages were decided without even meeting.

Women here held a much higher status.

Wei He chose the one who looked the most gentle. Then, a matchmaker was sent to deliver the message.

This woman's surname was Zhang, and her given name was Wanruo. Her family was moderately wealthy, running a restaurant business.

Because they had a lot of dealings with the Cheng family, Cheng Shaojiu had included her in his considerations.

Zhang Wanruo appeared delicate, but she was quite opinionated. At the young age of fifteen, she had already started managing some of her family's affairs.

When she received the letter from the matchmaker, she was admiring flowers in her family's backyard.

The area where the Zhang family lived was not the chaotic district Wei He had previously resided in, but the relatively peaceful Hongshi Town.

There were constables and gang members patrolling the streets day and night to ensure the smooth operation of shops, restaurants, and stalls. It was the town with the most vibrant commercial atmosphere in Feiye City.

The Zhang family's restaurant business was quite well-known here. It wasn't the strongest, and couldn't compare to the Cheng family's status in Shiqiao Town, but they weren't a small, insignificant family either.

"The letter from Young Master Cheng, delivered by the matchmaker, describes Wei He as follows: He broke through to Blood Essence at seventeen, becoming a formal disciple of Huishan Fist. He also used his own money to purchase a house with a courtyard. He is of good character and appearance, loyal and righteous, with a simple and reliable temperament. He has only one elder sister, no parents to care for, and his future development is promising."

The maidservant carefully read the contents of the letter aloud.

Beside her, Zhang Wanruo, true to her name, was delicate and petite in appearance. She wore a light green cotton dress, had delicate features, and her black hair cascaded down to her waist.

Aside from occasionally going out to manage the business, which resulted in slightly tanned skin and rough hands, she was otherwise the ideal wife and mother material that many would choose.

Upon hearing the series of information, Zhang Wanruo frowned slightly.

"Since he's an introductory disciple of Old Zheng of Huishan Fist, he shouldn't be bad. By the way, Hongmei, do you know how long it took Wei He to break through to Blood Essence?"

As a businesswoman, she had some understanding of martial arts. She knew that the earlier one broke through, the greater their potential.

In the current situation, martial power was the best guarantee of safety, so this aspect could not be taken lightly.

Houses were not important. The plague was severe, and many people were dying. The important supply towns outside were suffering from insect infestations. It could be said that houses and such items were the least valuable right now.

Many people were trying to move away.

The maidservant named Hongmei quickly flipped through another letter.

"I've already inquired about it for you, miss. This is what I got from someone who knows people at the Huishan Fist academy."

She unfolded the letter and read it word for word.

"Wei He's temperament is reserved; outsiders cannot fathom his thoughts. His breakthrough to Blood Essence was barely achieved in the last two days, so his potential may already be exhausted. He comes from the most chaotic and dangerous district in the outer city. He has one elder sister at home, and his parents and eldest sister are all missing. In the courtyard, he speaks little and rarely interacts with others."

This letter was written very objectively and realistically, supplementing the points that Cheng Shaojiu's letter had omitted.

Zhang Wanru's brow furrowed slightly after listening.

"Breaking through in the last two days, his future development potential isn't high. Young Master Cheng didn't mention any of this in his letters."

"What about Miss?"

"Reject him. I, Zhang Wanru, am not so desperate that I'd marry just anyone of that caliber."

Zhang Wanru waved her hand.

Although she often appeared in public and handled business outside, there weren't many people willing to propose marriage. However, she hadn't sunk to the point of marrying just anyone.

While Wei He was an introductory disciple of Huishan Fist, and they were considered a decent match, his potential was still lacking.

She planned to wait a bit longer. After all, she had waited this long.

"Alright, Miss. I'll go tell the matchmaker right away." Hong Mei put away the two letters and turned to leave.

On the other side, upon hearing that his meeting request had been rejected, Wei He didn't take it to heart.

His current focus was on how to accelerate his Blood Essence accumulation. As for relationships and marriage, he believed in letting things happen naturally.

Although having descendants was important, he wasn't in a hurry if he hadn't met the right person.

It was Cheng Shaojiu, however, who was initially full of confidence but felt quite embarrassed after his letters were rejected.

He brought Wei He a whole stack of portraits. But since the first one he liked didn't work out, Wei He's interest had waned, and he politely declined each one.

After a peaceful month like this, finally, the progress on the Boundary-Breaking Pearl was almost complete. It was estimated that it wouldn't take much longer for it to naturally reach its full potential.

Wei He also concentrated all his efforts on rapidly increasing his Blood Essence. As long as his Blood Essence reached the critical point, he could also break through to the next layer, Stone Hide.

From Xiao Ran's treatment, it was evident that there was a significant gap between Ox Hide and Stone Hide.

There was a difference in both wealth and social status.

However, the accumulation of Blood Essence wasn't something that could be achieved overnight. It required the continuous expansion and tempering of the body's container.

At the Cheng family's training grounds.

Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu stood facing each other.

They were more than five meters apart, standing on simple, loamy earth.

Compared to neatly arranged flagstones, the existing loamy ground required no maintenance. If it got damaged, one could simply shovel it and it would be easily resolved.

Therefore, the Cheng family's true training grounds in the back also used this method.

As for the flagstone training ground initially shown to Wei He, that was merely for appearances.

"Senior Brother, I've always had a question. How big is the actual combat difference when Blood Essence is off by one level? I wonder if you could help me verify it?"

Wei He had been pondering recently how to accelerate Blood Essence accumulation.

But without specific comparisons, he didn't know what level Blood Essence needed to reach to be considered the peak of Ox Hide.

So, he spoke frankly to Cheng Shaojiu, who had always held back when sparring with him.

"The difference in strength when Blood Essence is off by one level is indeed significant. Since you want to experience it carefully, I'll demonstrate a bit. But don't blame me if you get beaten badly later."

Cheng Shaojiu laughed heartily. Sparring with Wei He while holding back wasn't much fun.

He flicked his hands, and a layer of grayish-white naturally appeared on the surface of his fists.

This was the mark of the Stone Hide level. After Blood Essence reached a certain degree, it would cause a qualitative change in the body's fists.

"Be careful!" As soon as he finished speaking.

Wei He felt a gust of wind blow towards him.

The several meters between them seemed to disappear. He didn't even have time to react before his Senior Brother vanished from his sight.

Fortunately, he wasn't a pushover either. He still had some combat experience, so he immediately guarded his head with his fists and bent his body, moving quickly to the left.

Regardless, it was better to move first. This way, the opponent's aim would be thrown off.

Bang.

At that moment, a heavy fist landed squarely on Wei He's right shoulder.

Although his leftward movement had caused this strike to lose some of its force, the difference in speed and power still caused Wei He's guard to crumble.

"I'm going to hit your right shoulder," Cheng Shaojiu's voice came again.

Wei He's vision blurred. He couldn't see anyone and could only retract his fists to protect his head.

He waited for the next punch, but as soon as the thought arose, his right shoulder was hit again.

With a thud, Wei He fell backward to the ground, completely losing the strength to move.

Just two hits. Two moves.

He was utterly defeated. There was no chance for a prolonged struggle or using any special techniques.

The difference in reaction speed and explosive speed between them was too great.

Cheng Shaojiu stood still again, looking at Wei He with a smile.

"How was it? Let me tell you first, I was only using half my strength just now. Otherwise, you might have fallen after the first hit."

Wei He's chest heaved, and he got up from the ground.

"Impressive!" he gritted out.

"Impressive? Then you'd better train hard. Sooner or later, you'll reach my level too," Cheng Shaojiu said with a smile.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Oh, right, Little He, you have to help me out with a little something soon. I'm planning to take another wife," Cheng Shaojiu said, his lips involuntarily curling upwards with a smug look on his face as he brought up the matter.

"Take another wife?" Wei He was speechless. Hadn't he just been talking about introducing him to someone? How come now...

"It's fate, really. This new sister-in-law is someone I took a liking to while I was arranging your marriage. You won't be short of wedding beans then," Cheng Shaojiu said proudly.

Because sugar refining was tedious and quite precious, candied beans were often used, wrapped up, as small gifts during weddings.

"..." Wei He was left without words.

He knew that Senior Brother Cheng had already gone through the wedding ceremony, and not only that, he had also taken two concubines, and this would be his third.

His main wife had a son, and his two concubines each had a daughter. Now he was going to take a third...

"Right, Senior Brother, compared to Cheng Jing, who is stronger?" Wei He suddenly thought to ask.

His last match against Cheng Jing had been interrupted by that Oddity, so it hadn't concluded.

He felt a bit uncertain about it.

"Cheng Jing? The Cheng Jing from that escort mission you took last time?" Cheng Shaojiu suddenly remembered. "She's not ordinary. If you were to face her, you probably wouldn't stand a chance. You'd be defeated within thirty moves."