Fine Bones and Flesh
The surging tide washed over the rocks, splashing up white foam.
Liang Qu sat on the bluestone slab, his muscles, wet with Rain Water, clearly defined, and his bare upper body radiating heat.
He reached back and smoothed his damp black hair, combing it neatly backward, Spirit-Settling tossed the scroll in his hand.
Wei Shao's mind went blank, as if a cold, venomous snake was crawling down his spine, hissing and flicking its tongue.
He lost his balance, took a few steps back, looked around, and heard the snickers amplified in the wind and rain.
The world spun around.
The Thunder Character Seal Technique for 3,400 Taels...
How is that possible?
Why is it faster than me? Treasure Fish ...
The crimson skin of the Red Blood Perch pulled at Wei Shao's spine, his long Rain Water- soaked hair clung to his face, and water dripped down his chin.
He rested his hands on his thighs, his eyes wide open, panting heavily, like a dehydrated fish lacking oxygen.
A hand climbed onto his shoulder and patted him gently.
"The Martial Master of the River Conservancy Office still need to practice swimming more, after all, it's their specialty."
However, compared to others, you're not too bad; you've barely reached the required standard.
"Come work for us. If you're willing to come, I'll personally give you a bottle of Qi Recovery Pill. What do you think, Lord Shao?"
A Qi Recovery Pill worth only a Minor Merit of effort!
Wei Shao's eyes twitched, as if something was throbbing under his skin. He gripped his kneecaps tightly with his five fingers, the joints gleaming with a bluish-white light.
Wei Shao did not answer.
Liang Qu wasn't annoyed. He wasn't as wealthy or powerful as others, so it was normal that he couldn't offer the dog any sausages to tease it, only rice.
After saying that, he picked up the fish basket and headed towards the crowd, the faint sunlight casting a gray halo around his back.
The figure lagging behind remained slumped over, bathed in the heavy rain.
The sky and earth were a deep blue, and a torrential downpour was falling.
Compared to the dejected and lonely state of Wei Shao and others, Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong's side was much more lively, with everyone offering their congratulations to Liang Qu.
Liang Qu repeatedly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, indicating that he was merely a foil to his peers.
As an official of the River Conservancy Office, one should be diligent in one's duties. Swimming is a crucial basic skill that reflects one's abilities, and I am merely fulfilling my responsibilities.
He's getting better and better at making polite remarks.
"Good lad, good lad, of all the people I've met, you're the best swimmer! You've made the right choice by joining the River Conservancy Office."
Xu Yuelong patted Liang Qu on the shoulder and laughed.
Even though Wei Lin didn't show any emotion, he knew that the other party must be extremely unhappy! Losing a swimming contest with a difference of a whole realm!
It would be understandable if it were the Demon Subduing Division or the Three Laws Department, since their main tasks are not on the water and they rarely practice the corresponding Cultivation Method.
What kind of place is the River Conservancy Office? Which of the people holding official positions there doesn't possess water skills? Losing a duel would be truly embarrassing.
This is why Liang Qu was compared to Fushui – a blatant and overt Overt Stratagem.
As a superior area, not comparing would be a disgrace not only to Wei Shao himself, who is on a completely different level.
The comparison was exactly what Liang Qu wanted.
"A Shui should be number one in the year-end performance evaluation, and he will surely receive a reward. If he is truly outstanding, he may even make Great Merit."
Perhaps because of his outstanding performance today, Xu Yuelong called Liang Qu by his childhood nickname, which sounded even more affectionate.
"It's all thanks to Brother Yue Long's care."
Liang Qu Fist Dao.
As the saying goes, even if you don't have great achievements, you still have worked hard.
No matter how much Minor Merit one accumulates, it cannot be exchanged for Great Merit. However, in reality, it is not so absolute.
At the annual year-end assessment, the top-performing official receives an extra reward, and those who excel can be awarded Great Merit.
So in a sense, accumulating a lot of Minor Merit doesn't mean you can't "exchange" Great Merit.
Liang Qu's contributions cannot compare to those of Xiang Fangsu, Ran Zhongshi, and others.
They charged to the front lines of the Great Marsh, taking credit for the heads of the Ghost Mother Sect members. It was said that they had killed two cult members a while ago, a feat far greater than killing Spirit Monster.
However, the assessment compares officials of the same level and from the same region.
Liang Qu currently has over two hundred Minor Merit and two Great Merit in hand, making him the most outstanding among the eighth-rank officials and the undisputed number one.
With one more push, Great Merit at the end of the year is not impossible.
After a brief period of excitement, Liang Qu bid farewell to Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong and hurriedly headed to the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild to Red Mountain.
On the way, he held the scroll in his hand and examined it carefully.
The scroll opening is sealed with sealing wax, and two vertical and two horizontal lines are engraved in gilding on top, forming a well shape, which means that the Thunder Character Seal Technique is a mid-level martial art.
It doesn't sound very high-end at first glance.
Liang Qu's Azure Dragon Spear technique is superior in its first three moves, while the Falling Star Arrow is of medium quality, and can be further extended to become superior Chasing Moon Arrow and Sun Piercing Arrow.
That's not actually how it's calculated.
As a Cultivation Method with myriad aspects, being at the intermediate level is already quite good.
In Feng Bu County, which is located nearby, a Blood Rain struggle is likely to erupt over this Cultivation Method.
Liang Qu stood on the shoulders of giants, learning from Yang Dongxiong's decades of military service and the valuable lessons he accumulated through hard work and experience.
Superior martial arts are indeed much more difficult to learn than intermediate or Lower Vehicle ones, but many people cannot obtain this "difficulty".
The unorthodox Galloping Horse Martial Master of the Galloping Horse Sect, who do not have a master in the Hunting Tiger Sect, can only use martial arts that are mostly of the Lower Vehicle third level. Occasionally, they may have a mid-level martial art, which is a pretty good trump card.
The Wolf Smoke signal is a level above the Galloping Horse, mainly of medium quality, with occasional superior quality.
The same applies to martial arts techniques, and the Cultivation Method are also quite similar.
This is how those with established traditions crush those who follow unorthodox methods.
Aside from their expertise in history, medicine, and artifact identification, they can acquire techniques that ordinary people rarely encounter in their lifetime without much effort, while others painstakingly spend time and money learning martial arts.
The gap that is created by saving time, money, and energy becomes difficult to bridge.
The current lineage that overthrew the Great Qian was no small figure before achieving unification.
At the Sky Vessel Tower stables, a servant swept away the water stains on the ground and led Crimson Horse to them.
"Sir, your horse."
Liang Qu collected his thoughts, took the reins from the servant, and put on the raincoat given to him by the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild.
Underwater, it doesn't matter how miraculous the performance is.
When you're out in public, you should still be mindful of your public image and try to behave in a similar way to others.
He stuffed the scroll and glass bottle into the leather tuck next to the saddle, secured them with hemp rope, and rode home.
Plum Rain Season, when the weather is occasionally sunny, every household will rush to bring out their quilts and clothes to air them out, but this usually doesn't last more than half a day.
The last sunny day was five days ago. Several rainstorms, both light and heavy, have made the road from Ping Yang County to Yi Xing Town very muddy, with puddles everywhere.
The slippery ground and puddles did not affect Red Mountain. As Dragon Blood Warhorse, it braved the wind and rain, transforming into a burning flame under the dim light of the sky, and sped past.
Fallen leaves twirl in the puddles.
"One two three!"
A donkey-drawn cart loaded with goods got stuck in the mud, and the gray donkey brayed.
Three elderly men wearing straw raincoats shouted slogans as they pushed the cart with all their might, trying to push it out of the mud pit. Their lower bodies were soaked with yellow mud and they shivered in the cold.
Liang Qu pulled on the reins, grabbed one end of the whip and made a loop around it, bent down and put the loop in place, hooked one corner and pulled the cart out of the mud pit.
The three thanked him repeatedly, and one of them even took off his straw hat and bowed in the rain. Liang Qu nodded slightly and was about to leave when suddenly a malicious needle pierced his brow.
This is...
He yanked the reins hard, and Red Mountain's long neck was violently bent, causing the horse's entire body to fall uncontrollably downwards like an open bow arm!
The old man in the rain suddenly threw his bamboo hat away, and a long-accumulated blade of light tore through the hat in mid-air, splitting it into bamboo strips. The strips then felled several giant trees, but barely grazed the fallen Red Mountain.
"What a fine physique!"