"It seemed that while I ate Silver-Kiss Black Snake Meat every day, my fellow disciples had not been idling around either. Each of them had their own way of accelerating their accumulation of vital blood."
Wei He felt more and more that agreeing to Senior Brother Cheng back then had been an incomparably correct decision.
Over roughly half a year, not only had he failed to fall behind in his vital blood progress, he had also continued accumulating energy for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.
He picked up a towel and wiped away his sweat, glancing at his chest. Only one quarter of the Boundary-Breaking Pearl's pattern remained before it would be complete.
No matter what, I must first temper my vital blood to its peak. Only then can I use the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to advance further. Wei He's heart brimmed with expectation and hope, his gaze unwavering.
Suddenly, Cheng Shaojiu hurried in from outside with delight written all over his face. He walked up to Wei He and spoke in a low voice.
"Little He! There's hope!"
"??" Wei He looked utterly baffled. Hope for what?
Seeing this, Cheng Shaojiu was speechless as well.
"Have you forgotten? Finding you a wife?"
He lowered his voice in reminder.
"I picked out three suitable women from good families nearby. First, we'll exchange your personal information and see whether you like each other. Then, if it works out, it's settled!" Cheng Shaojiu said with a smile.
He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to their conversation, continued.
"I had an artist make portraits specifically for this. You can look at them yourself in a while. If you like one, I'll have someone send your information over. You're my junior brother, and also my best brother. Don't worry—I've definitely picked only the very best for you!"
He raised a thumb and spoke earnestly.
"But you should tidy yourself up too, lest the young lady takes a look and doesn't like what she sees."
"Isn't this a little early?" Wei He asked.
"Not early, not early. Look at your senior brother—I've been married for nearly two years already. How is this early?" Cheng Shaojiu laughed.
Wei He fell silent. He did not actually reject the idea, but he felt that his current life was quite good and did not wish to change it.
Yet leaving behind descendants was indeed a matter of paramount importance in this era.
After some thought, he simply went with the flow and let his senior brother arrange things for him.
A few days later, Cheng Shaojiu quickly brought over three portraits, all of women, for Wei He to examine.
First, he would see whether any caught his eye. Afterward, they would convey his interest to the other party and see whether she was willing to meet.
It was not like the ancient times of Wei He's previous life, where a marriage was decided without even seeing one another.
Women held considerably higher status here.
Wei He selected the one who looked the gentlest. Then a matchmaker delivered a letter on his behalf.
The woman's surname was Zhang, her given name Wanruo. Her family possessed a modest fortune and operated restaurants.
Because the Zhang Family had dealings with the Cheng Family on many occasions, Cheng Shaojiu had included her among his considerations.
Zhang Wanruo looked delicate and frail, yet she was quite decisive within. At fifteen, she had begun managing part of the family affairs.
When she received the matchmaker's letter, she was admiring flowers in her family's rear courtyard.
The area where the Zhang Family lived was not the chaotic district where Wei He had previously resided, but the comparatively peaceful Hongshi Town.
Constables and gang members patrolled the streets morning and night, ensuring that the businesses of shops, restaurants, stalls, and the like could proceed smoothly. Among all the towns in Feiye City, it had the strongest commercial atmosphere.
The Zhang Family's restaurant business was somewhat renowned here. It could not compare to the Cheng Family's standing in Shiqiao Town, but neither were they some petty household.
"The letter sent by the matchmaker at Young Master Cheng's request says this of Wei He: at seventeen, he broke through vital blood and became a formal disciple of Huishan Fist Academy. He even paid for a residence with its own courtyard himself.
"He is upright in appearance and character, loyal and righteous, plain and dependable in temperament. Only one elder sister remains in his family, with no parents requiring care. His future prospects are promising..."
A maid carefully read aloud the contents of the letter beside her.
Zhang Wanruo, true to her name, was delicate and petite in appearance. She wore a light green cotton dress, with refined features and black hair falling to her waist.
Aside from her somewhat darkened skin and rough hands from frequently going out to manage the business, she otherwise possessed precisely the appearance of a virtuous wife and good mother favored by many.
Hearing this series of details, Zhang Wanruo's brows furrowed slightly.
"Since he is Old Zheng's beginner disciple of Huishan Fist, he should not be too bad. By the way, Hongmei, do you know how long it took Wei He to break through vital blood?"
As a businesswoman, she knew a little about martial arts. She knew that the earlier one broke through, the greater one's potential.
In the current situation, martial strength was the best way to guarantee one's safety, so there could be no carelessness in that regard.
A house and such things were not important. The plague was severe and many had died, while the major grain-supplying towns outside had suffered insect disasters. It could be said that houses and such possessions were now the least valuable things.
Many people were trying to relocate and leave.
The maid called Hongmei hurriedly pulled out another letter.
"I already looked into it for you, Miss. I had someone obtain this information from other informed people at Huishan Fist Academy."
She unfolded the letter and read it aloud word by word.
"Wei He is patient and restrained by nature, and outsiders cannot fathom what lies in his heart. He only broke through vital blood with difficulty in the final two days, and his potential may already have been exhausted.
"He came from the chaotic district, the most disorderly and dangerous place in the Outer City. He has only one Second Sister at home; his parents and eldest sister have all gone missing. In the academy, he speaks little and associates with few people."
This letter was very objective and realistic, filling in all the details that Cheng Shaojiu's letter had omitted.
After hearing it, Zhang Wanruo's brows tightened faintly.
"He broke through in the final two days. His future potential is limited. Young Master Cheng did not mention any of this in his letter."
"Then, Miss?"
"Reject it. I, Zhang Wanruo, have not fallen so low that I need to marry off to someone of this level so casually."
Zhang Wanruo waved a hand.
Although frequent public appearances and trips out to handle business had resulted in few people willing to propose to her, she had not yet fallen to the point of marrying herself off to just anyone.
Though Wei He was Old Zheng's beginner disciple of Huishan Fist and could barely be considered a match for her in family standing, his potential was still lacking.
She intended to wait a little longer. She had waited this long already, after all.
"Alright, Miss. I'll go tell the matchmaker now." Hongmei put away the two letters and turned to leave.
On the other side, when Wei He received the news that the meeting had been refused, he did not take it to heart.
His thoughts were now entirely focused on how to accelerate his vital blood accumulation. As for love and marriage, he only wished to let matters take their natural course.
Though the matter of descendants was important, there was no rush if he had not encountered someone suitable.
Cheng Shaojiu, on the other hand, had initially been brimming with confidence. After the letter was rejected, he found it somewhat hard to save face.
He promptly brought Wei He several more portraits in one go. But after the first woman he liked had not worked out, Wei He's interest had faded, and he politely declined them one by one.
More than a month passed in this uneventful fashion. At last, the Boundary-Breaking Pearl's progress was nearly complete; it would likely reach natural completion before long.
Wei He also focused all his attention on rapidly improving his vital blood. Once his vital blood reached the critical point, he too could break into the next level, Stone Hide.
Xiao Ran's treatment alone showed that there was a considerable gap between Ox Hide and Stone Hide.
Whether in wealth or social standing, they were different.
But accumulating vital blood could not be accomplished at a single stroke. It required the body, its vessel, to expand and be tempered again and again.
At the Cheng Family training ground.
Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu stood facing one another.
They were more than five meters apart, with plain yellow earth beneath their feet.
Compared to neat and orderly stone slabs, ready-made yellow earth required no repairs. If it was damaged, one only needed to shovel it flat, and the problem was easily solved.
Thus, the Cheng Family's actual rear training ground used this method as well.
As for the stone-slab training ground first shown to Wei He, it was merely for putting on a respectable front.
"Senior Brother, I've always had a question. How great is the difference in actual combat when vital blood differs by one level? Could you help me test it?"
Recently, Wei He had been constantly pondering how to accelerate his vital blood accumulation.
But without a specific reference point for comparison, he did not know what degree of vital blood could be considered the limit of Ox Hide.
So he spoke frankly to Cheng Shaojiu, who had always held back against him.
"The difference in strength when vital blood is one level apart is indeed great. Since you intend to experience it properly, I'll demonstrate. But don't blame me for not warning you when you get beaten badly."
Cheng Shaojiu laughed heartily. Accompanying Wei He in sparring while keeping his hands tied was truly not much fun.
At once, he flicked both hands, and a grayish-white layer naturally appeared over the surface of his fists.
This was the mark of the Stone Hide level. Once vital blood reached a certain degree, it caused a qualitative transformation in the body's fists.
"Watch out!" The words had barely left his mouth.
Wei He felt a gust of wind blow head-on before him.
The several meters between them seemed not to exist at all. Before he could react, his senior brother had vanished from sight.
Fortunately, he was no longer the ignorant boy from Wu. He had some actual combat experience. He immediately raised both fists to guard his head, hunched his body, and swiftly moved left.
No matter what, he had to move first. That way, even if his opponent struck, it would be harder to judge his direction.
Bang.
At that moment, a heavy fist struck Wei He squarely on his right shoulder.
Though his movement to the left had weakened the blow somewhat, the disparity in speed and strength still scattered the guard formed by Wei He's raised fists in an instant.
"I'm going to hit your right shoulder." Cheng Shaojiu's voice came again.
Wei He's vision swam. He could not see anyone at all and could only pull his fists back to protect his head.
He waited for the other man's fist to come again, but the thought had barely arisen when his right shoulder was struck once more.
With a muffled puff, Wei He fell backward to the ground, utterly unable to move.
Just two strikes. Two moves.
He had been defeated in a complete rout. There had been no opportunity whatsoever to grapple or use any special move.
The difference in their reaction speed and explosive speed was simply too great.
Cheng Shaojiu stood still again, smiling broadly at Wei He.
"Well? Let me say first that I only used half my strength just now. Otherwise, you might have gone down from the first blow."
Wei He's chest heaved as he climbed up from the ground.
"Impressive!" he forced out through gritted teeth.
"If it's impressive, then train hard. Sooner or later, you'll reach my level too." Cheng Shaojiu smiled.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
"Oh, right, Little He. In a while, you'll have to come help me hold down the fort. I'm planning to take another concubine." The moment Cheng Shaojiu mentioned this, the corners of his mouth rose of their own accord, his face glowing with springtime pride.
"Take another concubine?" Wei He was speechless. Hadn't he just been talking about introducing someone to him? And now...
"Speaking of it, it's fate. Your new sister-in-law is the one I took a fancy to while arranging your marriage. When the time comes, there'll certainly be wedding beans for you." Cheng Shaojiu said smugly.
Because sugar was difficult to refine and exceedingly precious, wrapped roasted beans were commonly used here as small gifts at weddings.
"..." Wei He had no answer.
He knew that Senior Brother Cheng had already married, and not only that—he had taken two concubines as well. This would now be the third.
His principal wife had borne him one son, while each of his two concubines had borne him a daughter. Yet now he was taking a third...
"By the way, Senior Brother, compared with Cheng Jing, who is stronger?" Wei He suddenly thought to ask.
His previous fight with Cheng Jing had been interrupted by that monster and never finished.
He had been somewhat puzzled ever since.
"Cheng Jing? The Cheng Jing from the escort mission last time?" Cheng Shaojiu recalled. "She's no ordinary person. If you faced her, you probably wouldn't manage it. You'd certainly lose within thirty moves."
Before you continue