Moving into the Rich District! News of the Inner Three Harmonies Secret Medicine!

"A Hong, do you feel like the place is too small when you practice at home?

Auntie happens to have a courtyard house on Central Street that she can't rent out. It's fully equipped with practice facilities, and it's just sitting empty. Why don't you and Brother Huo move in and stay there for now...

You don't even need to pay rent. Once it can be rented out, you can move out then!" Wu Xiaoxia said with a smile.

Hearing this, Jiang Ting couldn't help but glance at her mother, a look of surprise on her face.

Didn't Mother originally plan to give that courtyard house on Central Street to that Hidden Strength expert as his residence? How did it become unrentable?

She admitted that Huo Yuanhong was indeed a genius. At only nineteen, he had already reached Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength, surpassing Yu Mingtang.

But he was still too young. It would take at least two years before he could truly help her mother after reaching Hidden Strength. There was no need to rush into wooing him with such a costly investment; it could be a gradual process.

In fact, she was being optimistic by calculating two years. It was a known fact that the leap from the peak of Manifest Strength to Hidden Strength was a chasm. Even the most elite geniuses cultivated by noble families from a young age usually took three to five years to slowly cross it.

However, the person her mother was currently trying to win over was already an established Hidden Strength master. He was the most crucial figure at the moment. As long as he was willing to side with them, her mother would gain another powerful asset, increasing her chances of securing the position of North China General Manager.

If she gave away this courtyard house, how would she explain it to that expert?

What if that expert felt displeased and directly joined the rival's faction? The loss would be too great!

Wu Xiaoxia wore a smile on her face, as if she hadn't even realized this, or perhaps she had already carefully considered it. Yet, during this critical period for competing for the general manager position, she made a choice that others would consider utterly foolish.

"Once it can be rented out?"

A trace of strangeness flickered in Huo Yuanhong's eyes.

So, if it remained "unrentable," they would live there for free indefinitely?

One must know that the courtyard houses on Central Street were occupied by wealthy people! It could be said to be Jinmen's affluent district!

The environment was excellent, with dedicated staff for cleaning, making it clean and tidy, unlike this old house that exuded a damp, musty smell and had cockroaches crawling everywhere.

Especially for a courtyard house equipped with a full set of practice facilities, the monthly rent was at least fifty silver dollars, equivalent to his father's hard-earned income for half a year!

The fact that she was willing to offer such a good courtyard house to his family was not simply because he had saved Jiang Ting by chance, but rather...

An investment!

Wu Xiaoxia saw his talent and intended to invest in him early!

"Then thank you, Aunt Wu."

Huo Yuanhong did not refuse, nor did he feel constrained by receiving a favor. He was confident that he could repay this kindness in the future, and thus had the confidence to accept this investment.

"Here are the keys to the courtyard house. I'll have someone clean and prepare it, and you can move in directly tomorrow...

Quickly take them before Brother Huo sees them. With his personality of not wanting to take advantage of others, he definitely won't accept them!"

Wu Xiaoxia smiled and took out a set of keys from her bag, handing them over while Huo's father was still busy in the kitchen.

Huo Yuanhong saw clearly that there were only two sets of keys in the handbag. It was obvious that Aunt Wu wasn't in the business of renting out houses at all.

"Fist is power! With the fist, you have everything!"

Looking at the keys in his hand, Huo Yuanhong couldn't help but recall this widely circulated saying.

In the past, he had tried his best but couldn't change his family's situation, always confined to this small, damp, dilapidated house.

And now, by merely displaying a small portion of his martial arts potential, the dream of moving into a clean, tidy mansion, which had eluded him for ten years of desperate effort, was so easily realized!

"Oh, and there's something else I'm not sure if A Hong would be interested in?" Wu Xiaoxia said with a smile.

"Please tell me, Aunt Wu."

"As you know, I am one of the main leaders of the Ocean Shipping Guild's North China region, but in fact, I also have another identity: I am a member of the Martial Prosperity Alliance."

"Martial Prosperity Alliance?"

Huo Yuanhong was a little confused. He had never heard of this organization.

"The Martial Prosperity Alliance is an organization founded by like-minded individuals from both within and outside the country to promote our Heavenly Dynasty's national martial arts...

Its members are mainly composed of martial artists who do not come from noble families, and also include some business people like myself. Its aim is to counter the noble family alliance that advocates for the prohibition of martial arts for commoners...

Now, the Martial Prosperity Alliance's influence has spread like wildfire, covering six provinces and thirty-seven prefectures. It's just that its focus has always been on inland provinces and prefectures, which is why it's not well-known in Jinmen..." Wu Xiaoxia said with a slight smile. "But that's different now. My trip to Jinmen this time is not only to establish a branch of the Ocean Shipping Guild but also to carry out an order from the Martial Prosperity Alliance to select geniuses from coastal areas like Jinmen and recommend them to the Alliance."

"But I've already apprenticed under a master, I wonder..." Huo Yuanhong frowned.

"No need to worry. The Martial Prosperity Alliance doesn't care if you already have a master. As long as you have the ambition to promote national martial arts, you can join. The Alliance has also launched the Spark Plan, specifically to support martial artists from commoner backgrounds, providing them with resources such as cultivation methods and secret medicines...

As for cultivation methods, you have Li Shuxing's inheritance, which is certainly enough. But in terms of secret medicines, Li Shuxing probably can't give you much support. He himself is burdened with debts that he can't repay in lifetimes, so where would he get the money to buy you medicine...

As for the Fang family, the financiers of the martial arts school, they already have cultivation targets like Wang Tianlong. They won't change their resource allocation at such a critical juncture when he is about to compete." Wu Xiaoxia said with a smile.

"Oh? What level of secret medicines can the Martial Prosperity Alliance provide?" Huo Yuanhong asked.

If it were just a secret medicine for the ordinary Manifest Strength stage, he could get it directly from Spring Return Hall and wouldn't need to join the Martial Prosperity Alliance.

"Many, some of which are secret medicines that even the prominent families near Jinmen might not possess. After all, our Martial Prosperity Alliance has vast influence and maintains secret contact with members of families in the Central Plains who disapprove of the ban on martial arts for commoners. This allows us to obtain some top-tier secret medicines unique to those Central Plains families!"

"As long as you can be selected for the Spark Plan, you can apply for one top-tier secret medicine for the Great Accomplishment stage for free!" Wu Xiaoxia said with a smile.

"Great Accomplishment stage? What is that?" Huo Yuanhong asked, a little confused.

"I'm not part of the martial arts world, so I don't know the specifics. I just know that transitioning from Manifest Strength to Hidden Strength is a qualitative leap in martial arts! After a Manifest Strength martial artist reaches their peak, to cultivate Hidden Strength, they must undergo the crucial Inner Three Harmonies!"

"These are the integration of heart and intent, intent and qi, and qi and strength! Some also call them heart-intent integration, intent-qi integration, and qi-strength integration, or simply intent integration, qi integration, and strength integration! Each of these three harmonies is a significant step, blocking countless Manifest Strength practitioners. Only after completing all three can one unleash Hidden Strength!"

"During these three steps, the consumption of spirit, qi, and essence is enormous, requiring the three secret medicines for Spirit Nourishment, Qi Nourishment, and Essence Nourishment. If the secret medicines are inferior and cannot fully compensate for the depletion of spirit, qi, and essence, it will leave flaws and hidden dangers, preventing one from reaching the extreme in the Hidden Strength stage later on and making it difficult to advance to Transforming Strength!"

"As for the top-tier secret medicines for the Great Accomplishment stage, although families near Jinmen have them, they are generally produced only once every few years. The last production was a year and a half ago, and the remaining stock is estimated to be scarce. Even if there are any left, they are reserved for emergencies and cannot be given to outsiders!" Wu Xiaoxia stated confidently.

"So... if I want to obtain top-tier secret medicines for the Great Accomplishment stage in a short period, it's almost only possible through the Martial Prosperity Alliance?" Huo Yuanhong pondered.

Given his martial arts cultivation speed, the first harmony—heart and intent integration—would likely be achieved in just a few days. He really needed to arrange for the secret medicines.

He didn't worry too much about the truthfulness of Wu Xiaoxia's words, as he could always ask his master and senior sister later to confirm.

"It's almost like that. As long as you are successfully selected for the Spark Plan, you can choose any one of the top-tier secret medicines for Essence Nourishment, Qi Nourishment, or Spirit Nourishment!" Wu Xiaoxia nodded slightly, saying with some anticipation.

"If you're interested, I'll submit the materials to the nearest North China branch tonight. The results should come out in three to four days. You can then decide whether to join based on the treatment offered by the North China branch."

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Wu. I also need to inform my master and see what his opinion is," Huo Yuanhong replied.

After Wu Xiaoxia and Jiang Ting left, Huo Yuanhong couldn't be bothered to travel all the way to the martial arts school. Since his master and senior sister weren't there, he didn't know anyone at the school anyway.

Since that incident, the fat manager hadn't contacted him again. Moreover, none of the other managers or senior disciples had extended any invitations.

Huo Yuanhong was content with the peace and quiet.

Since he still had plenty of Xuan paper at home, he decided to stay and practice.

His father, as usual, went out and headed to the rickshaw depot where he had worked for over twenty years.

Although his son's financial support made a significant difference, whether he pulled a rickshaw or not didn't matter much. An extra nine yuan a month wasn't a big deal.

But he was used to being busy, and when he had free time, he felt uneasy.

Besides, in his opinion, while his son was a genius, he was only a disciple privately taken in by Master Li, not someone who could be openly acknowledged.

What if, one day, Master Li no longer favored him? Then they would still have to rely on diligent work to earn money and support the family.

"Hey, my son has achieved Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength! He's only nineteen and already achieved Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength!"

"Let me tell you, my son is a genius!"

"My son is a genius, he's achieved Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength!"

Every time he encountered someone at the depot, Huo's father would slap them on the shoulder and say this loudly, his face full of pride and joy.

Previously, he had been afraid of causing trouble for his son regarding his apprenticeship under Li Shuxing, so he had never dared to speak of it publicly.

But now, the news of his son's Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength could finally be shared with others.

"Your son is truly remarkable..."

"Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength, that's amazing..."

"Old Huo, you've truly struck it lucky, to have such a son..."

Seeing the envious and amazed expressions of these familiar rickshaw pullers, Huo's father felt as if he were walking on air.

For so many years, whether outside or at the depot, he had never dared to speak loudly, only daring to accompany others with a cautious smile.

He had never experienced a moment like this, being flattered and praised by these acquaintances.

In that instant, Huo's father felt as if he had suddenly become twenty years younger, like the spirited young man he once was. He straightened his back and greeted people loudly.

He was so overjoyed that he didn't notice that a few familiar faces were missing from the depot.

"Old Huo, your son is truly wonderful. Unlike my son, who bribed someone a while ago to forge a perfect score paper to deceive me..." a rickshaw puller sighed.

The smile on Huo's father's face gradually disappeared as he looked at the man and said, "What do you mean?"

"My son wouldn't lie to me," Huo's father insisted, as if trying to convince himself.

The events of the past few days were too unreal, too unreal to the point where it felt like an illusory dream, making him find it unbelievable himself.

Wu Xiaoxia was afraid that when she woke up, everything would still be the same. Her Ah Hong had never been here before, and her own Ah Hong was still the apprentice abandoned by the martial arts school.

"No, Old Huo, don't misunderstand me. I'm just saying, just saying."

The man waved his hands repeatedly, then as if unintentionally, said, "I'm just thinking, my son is so smart, and I even hired an experienced master to guide him hand-in-hand, but he's already twenty-three, and he's still at the third step of Practicing Strength before Manifest Strength...

How smart must your son be, Old Huo, to achieve Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength at nineteen!"

Hearing the man's words, Father Huo's smile completely disappeared.

"My son wouldn't lie to me."

Father Huo repeated, his voice becoming hoarse at some point. He scanned his surroundings, instinctively wanting to find support from others.

But everyone whose gaze he met lowered their heads in silence.

After all...

Old Huo's son was notoriously useless. He had stayed at the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall for ten years and could barely manage the first step of Practicing Strength.

"My son wouldn't lie to me..."

Father Huo's eyes were a little vacant. He looked around helplessly, his voice trembling slightly, growing softer and softer.

"Boss, my son wouldn't lie to me..."

Just then, Father Huo saw the rickshaw company boss, the fat man with the thick gold chain, walking over. He immediately rushed forward as if he had found a lifeline, his voice shaking severely.

Over the years, the rickshaw company boss was the person he respected and trusted the most.

Back then, when he was poor and destitute, and even his wife had left him, it was the boss who, carrying his wife, secretly gave him powdered milk so he could raise Ah Hong, who was only three months old.

When he had a fever for days but was reluctant to see a doctor, it was the boss who called people to forcefully take him to the best foreign hospital and didn't charge him for it afterward.

When Ah Hong injured himself practicing martial arts and he couldn't afford medicine, it was also the boss who privately asked someone to give him a few packets of good medicine and lent him money to buy tonics.

Even now, he hadn't finished paying back the money he borrowed from the boss, and the boss never mentioned it. It was just that the original thick gold chain had been replaced with a fake one at some point.

All of them, his brothers, were able to stay safe in Jinmen because the boss looked out for them, and their monthly wages were three silver dollars more than other rickshaw companies.

What the boss said would definitely not be wrong.

It wouldn't be wrong...

So, under Father Huo's expectant, pleading, and even somewhat fearful gaze, the rickshaw company boss, who was also the president of the Chauffeur's Association, paused before speaking:

"Your son lied to you."

Father Huo's world... collapsed.