Different (Part 2)

Zheng Fugui chuckled. With his hands behind his back, he ambled around the inner courtyard, occasionally stretching his legs.

"In Feiye City, the Seven Families Alliance and Hong Family Fort are the strongest. Next are the Three Gangs and Two Sects, followed by our various Martial Arts Academies. After that come the smaller gangs and sects, like the Thief Gang."

He pointed at Wei He and continued, "In Feiye City, the most powerful is actually the head of the Ou Family from the Seven Families Alliance, the City Lord of Feiye City, Ou Chen. Before Hong Daoyuan rose to prominence, Ou Chen was the one."

He gave a thumbs-up.

"Ou Chen." Wei He committed the name to memory, placing him on the same level as Hong Daoyuan.

"Ou Chen's Money Force is vicious and insidious, extremely potent. It's said that a mere touch leaves you crippled, and a hit means death. He has reached the Force Cultivation stage. When the tempering of flesh and bone reaches its peak, different forces will naturally emerge according to the techniques you cultivate. His force is the Ou Family's ancestral Money Force, which is exceptionally overbearing," Zheng Fugui sighed.

"Old Zheng, how is this Force Cultivation achieved?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Force Cultivation? Once you break through Iron Hide and fully comprehend the Scroll Realm of Huishan Fist, combining the two and advancing your Blood Essence to the next level, you'll be able to generate force. However, the Huishan Force of my Huishan Fist is still considerably weaker than Ou Family's Money Force. But we have our advantages; it's easier to master than Money Force!"

Zheng Fugui said proudly, "Even among the hundred or so people in the Ou Family, only one has truly mastered Money Force."

"Then, Teacher, how many of us practice Huishan Fist?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Our Huishan Fist..." Teacher Zheng suddenly fell silent, then paused. "There used to be many."

"..."

"For now, you just need to know that as long as your teacher is still here, Huishan Fist will not fall," Zheng Fugui regained his proud demeanor.

Although he was old now, his Blood Essence had significantly declined. But as a former Force Cultivation master, even with his diminished Blood Essence, he could still handle a few Third Stage Qi and Blood experts.

Wei He could see this and was somewhat surprised by the old man's strength. A Force Cultivation master. It seemed that was the highest level of strength in all of Feiye City.

"Then Teacher, are the other Martial Arts Academies the same as our Huishan Fist?" Wei He asked again.

"Not necessarily. However, those qualified to register with the City Guard Manor and establish a Martial Arts Academy must at least have reached the peak of Third Stage Qi and Blood," Zheng Fugui nodded.

He glanced at Wei He.

"Don't get any ideas, kid. First, cultivate the Nine-Cloud Flower to stabilize your Blood Essence. Once you bloom the Nine-Cloud Flower and reach the Iron Hide level, you can significantly slow down the decline of your Blood Essence, extending your peak Blood Essence period to forty years old. Only then will you be qualified to consider breaking through to the Force level."

"Disciple understands," Wei He nodded. Hearing Old Zheng's explanation, he had a general understanding of the martial arts scene within the city.

"Anyway, you just need to know that you're no longer just an errand runner. You have some strength at the lower levels. The strongest in most small gangs and sects are only at the peak of Second Stage Qi and Blood."

"Alright, stop aiming too high. Continue!" Zheng Fugui said sternly.

'It should be "aiming too high",' Wei He couldn't help but correct him mentally.

He didn't have time to think further; Zheng Fugui had already thrown a punch at him. Under the constant tempering of techniques, comprehending the Scroll Realm was the fastest way to practice moves. This stage relied entirely on comprehension and mental acuity. The subsequent stages of Skin Grinding and Blood Essence accumulation depended entirely on talent. These three stages combined formed the cultivation method for Stone Hide.

After receiving a private lesson in the inner courtyard for over an hour, Wei He exited and saw Cheng Shaojiu, who had just changed his clothes, yawning and talking to the newcomers he was guiding.

Seeing Wei He approach, Cheng Shaojiu raised his hand and waved.

"Morning, Little He."

"Brother Cheng, what's with you? Your eyes are so dark?" Wei He asked in surprise.

Cheng Shaojiu's eyes were puffy with dark circles underneath, clearly indicating severe sleep deprivation. Hearing the question, he immediately waved his hand and sighed, "Don't mention it. Yesterday, I was diligently practicing my moves and suddenly had an epiphany. In my excitement, I treated myself to a couple of drinks, then listened to some music with a few brothers, and only got to sleep past midnight."

"..." Wei He was speechless. This excuse was only believable for a child. These people had Blood Essence several times that of ordinary people; could staying up one night really make them look like this? He had to be kidding.

Cheng Shaojiu also looked a bit embarrassed, scratching his head and giving a dry laugh, saying no more. In the past few days, ever since that night Wei He had spurred him on, he had begun to practice martial arts diligently the next day, training hard every day. Soon, however, his enthusiasm began to wane. It happened the day before yesterday. He had worked hard for a morning and had a moment of insight. In his joy, he decided to reward himself, opened a jar of his prized fine wine, and drank it all with his friends. By the time he sobered up and his friends dispersed, it was already late. So, he thought, since it was too late today, he might as well wake up early tomorrow to practice, as he would be more alert and have better comprehension. Thus, he went to bed early. The next morning, he woke up and was about to start practicing when he felt hungry. He thought he should eat something before training, as sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting. With a full stomach, he would feel more at ease while practicing. So, he had a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, the sun rose, shining brightly on the training ground, making it a bit dazzling. Cheng Shaojiu felt that the sun was too harsh today, and prolonged exposure might be unbearable. Practicing martial arts in such weather would be bad for the skin, and the excessive sweating would lead to fatigue and low efficiency.

He thought he'd wait until it cooled down a bit later to train. So, he closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the sun to become less intense.

When the sun gradually became less scorching, his concubine brought his newborn daughter, Cheng He, to see him. Several of his other daughters and sons were with them.

The family was harmonious and happy; he always had to set aside some time to spend with his family.

So, he played with his family for a while and happily ate lunch.

What else could he do? They were his children, after all. He couldn't just ignore them, could he?

After lunch and a short rest, a brother he hadn't seen in a long time invited him out for drinks.

After so long, he couldn't refuse. Cheng Shaojiu went with him for drinks at a pleasure house. He had to accompany his brother; after such a long time, if the other man took the initiative to invite him, wouldn't it be disrespectful to refuse?

So, he went and stayed out until evening. When he returned, he ran into several other brothers who also invited him for drinks.

He had just attended one brother's banquet. If he didn't go to these other brothers' gatherings, wouldn't word get out that he looked down on them?

With no other choice, Cheng Shaojiu went again, drank at a pleasure house, and played until evening. He came out feeling utterly drained.

Back home, he persevered and trained for half an hour. He realized it was too late; it was already past midnight. It was time to sleep, or he wouldn't be able to get up the next day. So, he went back to his room to sleep.

The next day, he woke up early and was about to train when he heard that a brother's family was in trouble and urgently needed help. He immediately rushed over with some men.

After a busy half-day, he finally helped resolve the issue. To thank him, the brother insisted on dragging him out for drinks at a pleasure house again, even hiring four girls to accompany them.

When Cheng Shaojiu returned home, he could barely stand. After resting for a while, his uncle called him over to help organize the storeroom.

He had been so preoccupied with his own affairs for days that he had neglected his family. Feeling guilty, he went to help organize the storeroom.

Then, that evening, he encountered the family of a镖局 (escort agency)镖头 (head escort) whose relative was gravely ill. As the eldest young master, he had to bring people to visit.

Upon returning home that night, he ran into another brother he hadn't seen in a long time and was pulled away for drinks at a pleasure house.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shaojiu let out a long sigh. He looked at Wei He, who was watching him with a strange expression.

He felt an indescribable sense of melancholy.

This melancholy had nowhere to go, ultimately only turning into a long sigh.

"Oh, right, Xiao He, you've broken through now. Your level is different from before. I have someone looking for me, wanting me to act as a matchmaker."

Cheng Shaojiu smiled and lowered his voice. "It's the daughter of the owner of Guanji Pharmacy. I secretly had someone go take a look. Her appearance and figure are incredibly alluring, absolutely fitting your requirements.

And Guanji Pharmacy isn't a small family. In Shiqiao Town, only my family and the Jiang family can slightly outrank them. If you marry Miss Guan, you'll surely have a life of ease and wealth. Perhaps you could even get all the resources for martial arts training covered."

He rambled on about the Guan family's prowess, especially mentioning that the Guan family had many guards and maintained supply and demand relationships with many small forts outside the city, indicating a deep background.

If this marriage were to be successful, it would be a huge step up for Wei He.

Unfortunately, Wei He wasn't interested at all.

He had received a promise from Master Zheng that he would get resources for accumulating Blood Essence through training. The rest he could gather himself by affiliating with others. He didn't want to be dependent on anyone else.

As for getting married, the current situation was becoming increasingly difficult. The situation in Feiye City was growing more tense. Some towns in the Outer City were gradually declining, and families were increasingly focusing on their earth forts and the inner city as their core.

If a war were to break out, wouldn't marrying now just add more burdens?

He could carry his Second Sister and run, but if there were more people, it would be unsolvable.

"By the way, Brother Cheng, how many Nine-Cloud Flowers have you cultivated so far?" Wei He suddenly asked.

"..." If you don't bring that up, we're still good friends.

Cheng Shaojiu's sore spot was hit, and he immediately shut his mouth.

He would absolutely not tell anyone that he had only cultivated his fifth Nine-Cloud Flower.

Only by breaking through to nine flowers could he reach Iron Hide and the Third Stage of Qi and Blood.

When Wei He first entered, he, Cheng Shaojiu, had barely broken through to Stone Hide. Now, almost two years had passed.

Even Wei He had reached Stone Hide, yet his progress remained slow.

"Keep working hard. I've cultivated Stone Hide to the level of Qi and Blood Perfection. You need to understand that you need at least five Nine-Cloud Flowers to reach perfection," Cheng Shaojiu said with a calm expression.

"Senior Brother is truly impressive," Wei He nodded in admiration.

"Speaking of which, I found something for that poisonous powder you've been looking for. However, it was precisely because I was helping you find this that I got in touch with the Guan family," Cheng Shaojiu continued.

"Oh? Brother Cheng, did you find it?" Wei He's heart leaped. At his current level, quicklime was becoming insufficient. Many skilled fighters who reacted quickly could avoid targeting critical areas like the eyes when faced with lime powder.

And once the lime powder missed the eyes, its lethality would be greatly reduced.

Therefore, he had asked Brother Cheng to help him find a replacement.

"Only the Guan family has this item in their collection now. If you want it, you'll have to buy it yourself. That's what they said," Cheng Shaojiu replied.

He was sincerely considering Wei He's future. Now that Wei He had broken through to Stone Hide, with his potential, it was basically impossible for him to advance further.

It was time for him to plan his development and his future life.

And if he could connect with a prominent family like the Guan family, it would be a good outcome for securing his future livelihood.