Red Snake Leg Mastery

Early morning:

Technique: Red Snake Leg Mastery—practice a hundred times daily, take secret medicine for ten days, achieve perfection after a thousand days.

Promotion Condition—1: 3 portions of Red Snake Secret Medicine, 2: Giant Snake Entwining Legs once

Red Snake Leg Mastery.

With Toad Skill as a prerequisite this time, consuming one portion of secret medicine actually added six Iron Sinews.

Chu Qing was lucky. The Iron Sinews from Red Snake Leg did not overlap with those from Mantis Fist.

Chu Qing

Realm—Iron Sinew 42/5%

Technique: Mantis Fist Perfection...

Promotion Condition: 1: Punch ten enemies to death, 2: one Stone Bamboo Pearl

...

Technique: Toad Skill Proficient...(Secret Transmission)

Promotion Condition: 1: 100,000 Frog Jumps, 2: one portion of Toad Secret Medicine

...

Technique: Red Snake Leg Mastery...

Promotion Condition—1: 3 portions of Red Snake Secret Medicine, 2: Giant Snake Entwining Legs once

"Forty-two Iron Sinews."

"Zhao Hongxiu said that Outer Court disciples of the Martial Academy have one hundred and eighty Iron Sinews."

"I'm about to have half their number."

"But it still isn't enough."

Shi Tiezhu and Zhao Hongxiu were willing to be someone's dogs just to enter the Martial Academy.

But he did not want that.

Because the Martial Academy was divided into two levels, inner and outer.

The Inner Court taught more exquisite martial arts and possessed greater resources.

Those who became dogs could only learn crude martial arts in the Outer Court, where resources were scarce.

Fatty Jin and the others had all said it before: in martial cultivation, one step ahead meant every step ahead.

Chu Qing wanted to enter the Martial Academy, but he wanted even more to enter the Inner Court.

He wanted to keep moving faster.

Competition for Inner Court slots was even fiercer.

Silver and connections were useless; one had to possess genuine ability to enter.

So... he still had to work harder.

"If I want to improve quickly, I can only rely on Red Snake Leg for now."

"And to promote Red Snake Leg, I still need secret medicine."

"I could go to Red Snake Martial Arts Hall to buy secret medicine."

"But... Liu Jun just died. If I go buy medicine, I'll definitely be watched."

"I need to find another way to get medicine."

Chu Qing's first thought was to buy it at Black Harbor.

But... his former self had never heard of it.

Besides, with his identity, it would not be easy to ask around.

What should he do?

Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind:

"Since I could get secret medicine and manuals from Liu Jun, would the other Chief Subordinates have them too?"

Chu Qing paced back and forth, thinking without stop:

"Hall Master Liu has thirteen Chief Subordinates under him. Since I've already killed one, why not kill all the rest?"

"Sooner or later, I'll clash with Hall Master Liu anyway. Killing those Chief Subordinates would be just the thing to clip his wings."

It was not that he did not want to kill Hall Master Liu directly, but that he did not know the other man's strength.

So... he could not confront him head-on for now.

More than ten minutes later:

Chu Qing tucked some silver away and left the house.

He crossed streets and wound through alleys, openly entering and leaving shops that sold rouge, powder, hairpins, and ornaments.

In truth, he was observing Red Snake Martial Arts Hall and the residences of the other twelve Chief Subordinates.

An hour later:

A simple map appeared in Chu Qing's mind.

Then he bought a Phoenix Head Hairpin and Phoenix Tail Tassel Earrings before going to see Madam Jin.

Hall Master Liu of Head-Slicing Hall was in a foul mood.

Because a constable had just come to tell him that his nephew, Liu Jun, was dead.

The yamen had plundered Liu Jun's estate clean.

That constable had even demanded silver from him as an investigation fee.

He also wanted one thousand silver ingots to search for the true murderer.

Hall Master Liu forcibly suppressed his anger. In the end, he handed over silver notes and said:

"What I want is the real murderer, not a scapegoat."

The constable swiftly pocketed the silver notes and said with a smile:

"With Chief Constable Shi taking action, even if the murderer is a noble scion from a fortified stronghold, he can still be brought to justice."

Hall Master Liu nodded. Chief Constable Shi's promise carried the weight of a thousand gold.

In all of Stone Rock County, only a handful of families dared contend with Chief Constable Shi. After all... he came from the Armored Soldier Sect.

Now, the empire faced a thousand-year calamity to its National Fortune. Storm clouds loomed within, and sects and the empire ruled the realm together.

In Stone Rock County, one could resist the empire a little, but one absolutely could not resist the Armored Soldier Sect that held sway over a thousand li.

Jin Family Manor:

In a bright study, Chu Qing, linen-clad and barefoot, sat upright and wrote.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may simply have been renamed!

The plump madam, dressed in silk and satin, had rolled up her sleeves to reveal a stretch of pale, scallion-white arm as she diligently ground ink.

At the doorway, Xiao Taohong watched this scene, feeling something strange in her heart:

The man was handsome and carried an extraordinary bearing.

The woman was mature, charming, and richly alluring.

"Madam... your hair has fallen onto Chu Qing's face."

"Madam, he touched your waist."

Xiao Taohong dearly wished she could loudly rebuke the two of them.

But she did not dare, because she was a concubine and Madam Jin's confidante.

"Madam, please hurry and pull away. You're too close..."

After a long while, Madam Jin gave up grinding ink, sat in her chair, and muttered:

"Xiao Taohong, come massage my shoulders."

Chu Qing suddenly rose. "Godmother, I'll massage them for you."

Xiao Taohong quickened her steps. "Absolutely not."

Yet the next second, Chu Qing's large hand landed on Madam Jin's fragrant shoulder.

Xiao Taohong stopped in her tracks.

"Godmother, my hands are strong. I'll do a better job."

Madam Jin stiffened, flustered. "This... isn't proper."

Chu Qing smiled. "I'm easing my adoptive mother's fatigue. What's improper about that?"

With that, he began to massage her.

Madam Jin only felt scorching heat on her shoulders. Whenever that large hand brushed her neck, every hair on her body stood on end.

It felt good.

"Never mind. Qing'er comes from a linen-clad and barefoot background. He doesn't understand etiquette or rules."

"I'll slowly teach him in the future."

One minute...

Five minutes...

Ten minutes...

Xiao Taohong wanted to cry.

Madam, why weren't you refusing? Why weren't you scolding him?

Madam... why was your head resting against his chest?

Madam... how could he put a hairpin on you? He even touched your ear and put earrings on you?

Madam, your face is red, and so are your ears.

Madam!

Half an hour later:

Chu Qing bid Madam Jin farewell and returned to the Martial Hall.

In the past, Madam Jin would have asked him to stay for a meal.

But today, she did not.

Before he left, Madam Jin merely said, "Qing'er, remember to come study this afternoon. Mm, study the Great Rites Discussion!"

Mantis Martial Arts Hall:

After eating and drinking his fill, Chu Qing went to the training ground to do Frog Jumps.

One jump...

Ten jumps...

A hundred jumps...

When the Assault Class students saw him, they secretly shook their heads:

"This Chu Qing is truly insane."

"He hops around like a toad every day. In a few days, will he start croaking like one too?"

"His will is weak. He's wasted fifty taels of silver for nothing."

Shi Tiezhu secretly sighed. Thinking of how this linen-clad and barefoot youth had once caught toads for him to eat, he felt that Chu Qing had meant well.

He stopped Chu Qing and said, "I know you're under a lot of pressure, but don't be under so much pressure yet."

"In this entire Martial Hall, only Senior Sister and I can enter the Martial Academy."

"You... never had a chance from the beginning."

"Still, even if you can't enter the Martial Academy, you can do other things."

"For example... how about becoming a blacksmith? When I enter the Martial Academy, my family's Blacksmith Shop will definitely expand. When that time comes, I'll have my father look after you a little more."

Chu Qing smiled and continued doing Frog Jumps.

One lap...

Three laps...

Under the blazing sun, sweat poured down Chu Qing's body, but he did not stop.

Suddenly:

Zhao Wuji led a group of constables and Martial Hall disciples onto the training ground.

Seeing Chu Qing doing Frog Jumps, he secretly nodded, then called out loudly:

"Everyone... come line up."

The crowd gathered.

Chu Qing blended into the crowd.

Seeing the constables, he secretly frowned. What are these people doing here?

The many students began murmuring among themselves.

A constable shouted:

"Silence!"

The vast training ground, with its hundreds of people, fell utterly silent.

Zhao Wuji, Zhao Hongxiu, Senior Disciple Brother, and the others all let their hands hang at their sides, deeply respectful.

Everyone was baffled. "What are the constables going to do?"