Different Paths (Thanks to Alliance Leader "Cutting an Artery to Drink Pulse" for the Reward)

Zheng Fugui smiled. With his hands behind his back, he wandered around the Inner Court, stretching his legs from time to time.

"Within Feiye City, the Seven Families Alliance and Hong Family Fort are the strongest. Next come the Three Gangs and Two Sects, then our various Martial Arts Academies. Below those are the little gangs and minor sects, like the Thief Gang."

He pointed at Wei He and continued, "The most formidable person in Feiye City is actually the head of the Ou Family of the Seven Families Alliance—Ou Chen, the city guard of Feiye City. Before Hong Daoyuan rose to prominence, Ou Chen was this."

He raised a thumb.

"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, exceedingly powerful. Touch it and you are maimed; take a hit and you die. He has reached the level of Force Cultivation. Once you temper your flesh to the limit, different forces will naturally emerge according to the martial art you cultivate.

"Ou Chen's force is the Ou Family's inherited Money Force. It is extremely domineering." Zheng Fugui sighed.

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

"Force Cultivation? Once you break through Iron Hide and fully comprehend the Scroll Realm of the Huishan Fist, combining the two to bring your Qi and Blood to the next level, you will be able to produce force. Still, the Huishan Force of our Huishan Fist is much weaker than the Ou Family's Money Force. But we have our own advantage—it is much easier to cultivate than Money Force!"

Zheng Fugui declared proudly, "The Ou Family has over a hundred people from top to bottom, yet only one has truly cultivated Money Force."

"Then Master, how many does our Huishan Fist have?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Our Huishan Fist..." Master Zheng suddenly fell silent. After a pause, he said, "There used to be many."

"..."

"Now, you only need to know that so long as your master is still here, the Huishan Fist will not fall." Zheng Fugui regained his proud bearing.

Though he was old now, and his Qi and Blood had declined greatly with age.

As a former Force Cultivation expert, even with his Qi and Blood weakened, dealing with a few Third Stage Qi and Blood experts was still no problem.

Wei He had more or less seen this as well, and he was somewhat astonished by the old man's strength.

A Force Cultivation expert. That seemed to be the highest level of strength in all of Feiye City.

"Then Master, are the other Martial Arts Academies also like our Huishan Fist?" Wei He asked again.

"Not necessarily. But anyone qualified to register with the City Guard Manor and establish a Martial Arts Academy must at least reach the peak of Third Stage Qi and Blood." Zheng Fugui nodded.

He shot Wei He a glance.

"Don't let your thoughts run wild, kid. First cultivate Nine-Cloud Flowers and lock in your Qi and Blood. Once you cultivate nine Nine-Cloud Flowers and reach Iron Hide, you can greatly slow the decline of your Qi and Blood, extending your peak years until age forty. Only then will you be qualified to consider breaking through to the level of force."

"This disciple understands." Wei He nodded.

After hearing Old Zheng's explanation, he had gained a rough understanding of the martial world within the city.

"In any case, you only need to know that you are no longer some insignificant errand-runner. Among the lower ranks, you can be considered to have a bit of strength. In ordinary small gangs and minor sects, the strongest members only reach the peak of Second Stage Qi and Blood."

"Enough dreaming of scaling the skies. Continue!" Zheng Fugui said gravely.

Shouldn't that be 'aiming too high'? Wei He could not help correcting him inwardly.

Before he could think further, Zheng Fugui's fist was already flying at him.

Only through this constant hammering of techniques could one comprehend the Scroll Realm—the fastest method of practicing moves.

This stage depended entirely on comprehension and one's ability to grasp things. The later Skin Grinding and accumulation of Qi and Blood, however, depended entirely on talent.

Together, those three stages formed the cultivation method of Stone Hide.

After receiving special instruction in the Inner Court for more than an hour, Wei He emerged just in time to see Cheng Shaojiu, who had only just changed clothes. Yawning, he was speaking with the newcomers under his charge.

When he saw Wei He approach, Cheng Shaojiu raised a hand and waved at him.

"Morning, Little He."

"Brother Cheng, what happened to you? Why are the circles under your eyes so dark?" Wei He asked in astonishment.

Cheng Shaojiu's eyes were swollen beneath, ringed with dark circles. At a glance, it was clear he had suffered a severe lack of sleep the previous night.

Hearing the question, he immediately waved it off and sighed. "Don't mention it. Yesterday, I worked hard on my techniques and suddenly gained some insight. In my joy, I rewarded myself with two drinks, then listened to music with a few brothers. I stayed up until the middle of the night before sleeping."

"..."

That might fool a child.

Their Qi and Blood were many times more abundant than an ordinary person's. One night without sleep had reduced him to this state? What a joke.

Cheng Shaojiu was somewhat embarrassed too. He scratched his head and gave two dry laughs, saying no more.

These past few days, ever since Wei He had provoked him that night, he had begun training hard the very next day. He studied and practiced diligently every day, but before long, his enthusiasm had begun to fade.

The day before yesterday had been like that.

He had worked hard all morning and gained a little insight. Delighted, he decided to reward himself. He opened a jar of fine wine he had been saving and drank every drop with his friends.

When he sobered up and his brothers departed, it was already late. So he thought that since it was too late to train today, he might as well rise early tomorrow morning. He would be more energetic then, and his comprehension would be better.

So he went to bed early.

Early the next morning, he got up and was about to begin training when he felt hungry. He thought he should eat something first. Sharpening the knife did not delay the cutting of firewood; only with something in his belly could he train with a settled heart.

So he enjoyed a splendid breakfast.

After breakfast, the sun had risen and shone onto the training ground, making his eyes ache.

Cheng Shaojiu felt that the sun was too vicious that day. If he stayed under it too long, he might not bear it. Training in such weather would be bad for his skin, and sweating too much would tire him easily, making it inefficient.

So he thought he would train after the weather cooled down a little. He closed his eyes to rest and waited for the sun to become less fierce.

When the sun gradually grew less hot, his concubine happened to bring their newborn daughter, Cheng He, to see him. Several of his other sons and daughters came along as well.

A family living in harmony had to spare some time to accompany one another.

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

What could he do? They were his children; he could hardly ignore them.

After lunch, he rested for a while. Then a brother he had not seen in a long time invited him out for drinks.

They had not seen each other for so long; he could not refuse. Cheng Shaojiu went with him to drink flower wine. A brother could not be left unaccompanied, and since the man had taken the initiative to invite him, refusing would be a loss of face.

So he went, played until evening, and on his return encountered several other brothers who also invited him for drinks.

He had just attended one brother's banquet. If he went to that brother's feast but refused these brothers, and word got out, would that not mean he looked down on them?

Left with no choice, Cheng Shaojiu went again, drank flower wine, and played until evening. He came out so drained that he could barely stand.

After returning home, he persevered and trained for half an hour. Then he found it was too late—it was already midnight, and time to sleep again. Otherwise, he would not be able to rise the next day. So he returned to his room and slept.

The following day, he got up early and was about to practice when he heard that a brother's family had suffered a mishap and urgently needed help. He immediately hurried over with some men.

After working for most of the day, he finally helped settle the matter. To thank him, that brother insisted on dragging him out for flower wine again, even hiring four girls to accompany him.

When Cheng Shaojiu returned home, he could barely remain standing. After resting for a while, his eldest uncle summoned him to help organize the storeroom.

He had spent many days focused only on his own affairs and neglecting the family. Feeling guilty, he went to help organize the storeroom.

Then that evening, the family of the escort agency's chief escort fell seriously ill. As the eldest young master, he had to lead people there to pay them a visit.

When he returned that night, he ran into another brother he had not seen in a long time and was dragged out to drink flower wine.

At this point, Cheng Shaojiu let out a long sigh. He looked at Wei He, who was staring at him strangely.

An indescribable gloom rose in his heart.

There was nowhere to vent that gloom, and in the end, it could only turn into a long sigh.

"By the way, Little He, now that you have broken through, you are on a different level from before. Someone came to me and wants me to arrange a match."

Cheng Shaojiu smiled and lowered his voice. "It is the daughter of the owner of Guanji Pharmacy. I secretly had someone take a look. Her face and figure are exceedingly alluring, definitely up to your standards.

"And Guanji Pharmacy is no small household. In Shiqiao Town, only my Cheng Family and the Jiang Family can keep them down. If you marry Miss Guan, you will certainly never lack food or clothing. They might even cover all the resources you need for martial arts practice."

He went on and on about the Guan Family's influence. In particular, the Guan Family had quite a few guards of their own and maintained supply relationships with many small forts outside the city, giving them deep foundations.

If such a marriage could be arranged, it would be a single step that turned Wei He's life around.

Unfortunately, Wei He was utterly uninterested.

He had obtained Master Zheng's promise. He could receive the resources for training and accumulating Qi and Blood from Master Zheng, while he could gather the rest himself through affiliation. He did not wish to depend on anyone else.

As for marriage, the situation was growing more difficult by the day, and Feiye City's circumstances were becoming increasingly tense. Parts of the Outer City were gradually declining, while each family was beginning to center itself around earthen forts and the Inner City.

If war truly broke out, would marrying now not give him more ties to worry about?

He could carry Second Sister on his back and run. But if there were several more people, there would be no solution.

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

"... Let's not mention that if we are still friends."

Cheng Shaojiu had been struck where it hurt and immediately shut his mouth.

He would never tell anyone that he had only cultivated his fifth Nine-Cloud Flower.

Only by breaking through to nine flowers could one reach Iron Hide and attain the third level of Qi and Blood.

When Wei He had first entered, Cheng Shaojiu had only just broken through to Stone Hide. Now nearly two years had passed.

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

"Work hard. I have already cultivated Stone Hide to the level of Qi and Blood Perfection. You must understand that you need at least five Nine-Cloud Flowers to attain perfection." Cheng Shaojiu said calmly.

"Senior Brother is indeed impressive." Wei He nodded in admiration.

"Speaking of which, I found a kind of poisonous powder you had been looking for. But it was precisely because I helped you look for it that I came into contact with the Guan Family," Cheng Shaojiu continued.

"Oh? Brother Cheng, did you find it?" Wei He's heart leaped with joy. At his current level, quicklime was becoming insufficient. Many quick-reacting experts could avoid their eyes, the vital target, even when faced with lime powder.

And if it did not get into the eyes, quicklime's lethality dropped drastically.

That was why he had asked Brother Cheng to help him seek a replacement.

"Only the Guan Family has this thing in storage now. If you want it, you will have to buy it yourself. Those were their exact words," Cheng Shaojiu answered.

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

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

And if he connected himself with a great household like the Guan Family, it would also be a good outcome for the security of his future life.