Night dew lay heavy. Ye Qingxuan slipped out from the shadows of the alley. When he pushed open the courtyard gate, he made not the slightest sound, stirring only a faint breeze.
The clamor and fishy stench of the Ghost Market still seemed to cling to the hem of his clothes. The blackened bamboo slip and the words "five taels of silver" had circled once through his mind before sinking away. Five taels of silver would not quench a thirst at hand. The remnants of the Green Fish Gang were elusive; finding and capturing them alive within a day would be no different from fishing for a needle in the sea.
Tomorrow would be the tenth day. Hu Jiudao's face and his venomous words about his sister hung above him like a sword suspended over his head.
He did not return to his room to sleep. Instead, he searched the kitchen for a few half-burned charcoal sticks and found several sheets of coarse straw paper. On the small table in the outer room, the bean-sized flame of the oil lamp cast his shadow against the wall, stretching it high.
Holding a charcoal stick, he wrote swiftly across the paper. What he wrote was no earth-shaking martial manual, but a pure external body-tempering method he had compiled from the fitness knowledge of his previous life, combined with the body-refining methods of this world, separating the wheat from the chaff.
This method was called the Layered Waves Bone Forging Art. It held none of the mysteries of circulating inner breath, only the most straightforward movements. It taught one how to repeatedly stimulate the flesh, skin, sinews, and bones through specific actions, coordinating them with breathing and circulation to generate vital energy and blood and strengthen the body. The method took effect quickly and had a low threshold. No innate talent was required; as long as one was willing to work hard, one could train a body of brute strength, with flesh and skin a few notches tougher than ordinary people's.
Of course, its upper limit was also extremely low. Even if practiced to the utmost, it could only reach the peak of the Body Refining First Layer, making further progress impossible. Moreover, because it drove the vital energy and blood too hard, it demanded an extremely high level of food and nutritional support. Without a family fortune to sustain it, it would instead deplete the body.
But to those desperate men in the Ghost Market who scraped out a living on the edge of a blade, or to low-level martial artists eager for quick success, this was already the most practical "shortcut" they could buy with money.
He wrote extremely quickly. The charcoal scratched across the paper with a rustling sound. By the time the eastern sky showed the pale belly of a fish, seven or eight sheets covered in writing and illustrations lay neatly across the table.
He carefully folded the straw paper and tucked it into his clothes before pushing open the door and stretching. After a sleepless night, he felt no fatigue. Instead, his vital energy and blood surged throughout his body, and his spirit was bright and vigorous.
"Brother." The door to the inner room opened, and Ye Caiwei came out rubbing her eyes, still wrapped in the warm drowsiness of sleep. She glanced at the water vat in the corner and said softly, "There isn't much water left. I'll go draw some with you later."
"No need." Ye Qingxuan walked to the water vat. The stone vat stood more than half a person tall, its walls thick and sturdy. When full of water, it likely weighed three or four hundred jin. At present, only a little remained at the bottom, but the vat itself was still so heavy that even two strong men would have to exert some effort to lift it.
The place where the bottom of the vat met the ground had grown slick with green moss from years of dampness. Ye Qingxuan bent down and gripped the rim with one hand, the muscles in his arm tightening slightly.
Ye Caiwei was just about to fetch the shoulder pole and small buckets when a teeth-grating creak came from behind her. She spun around, her eyes instantly going round. Her small mouth fell open, and the wooden ladle in her hand dropped to the ground with a clatter.
She saw her brother lift the heavy stone water vat clean off the ground with one hand. It rose a full half-foot into the air!
His arm was steady, without the slightest tremor, as if he had not lifted a stone vat but an ordinary wooden bucket. With his other hand, he picked up the broom and swept the moss from the ground in a few strokes before slowly setting the vat back in place.
Throughout the entire process, his breathing remained even, and not the slightest hint of strain showed on his face.
"Brother... you..." Ye Caiwei's voice trembled. She hurried over and reached out her small hand to touch Ye Qingxuan's arm, then the cold stone vat, as if she could not believe what she had just seen.
"My training has shown some results, that's all." Ye Qingxuan pulled her into his arms and tousled her hair, his voice gentle. "Nannan, don't be afraid. From now on, your brother will only grow stronger. No one will be able to bully us again."
As he spoke, he turned a little too forcefully, and his arm inadvertently slammed hard into the rim of the stone vat.
Bang!
The muffled impact sounded like a wooden mallet striking a leather drum.
Ye Caiwei jumped and hurriedly examined his arm. "Brother, does it hurt?"
Ye Qingxuan raised his arm. Not even a red mark remained where he had struck it. He pressed the flesh there with his fingers and found it incomparably tough. When pressed, the muscle felt dense and firm, carrying a powerful elasticity. The texture truly resembled thin cowhide that had been tanned.
The minor mastery of the Indestructible Vajra Body had already brought about a metamorphosis in his body.
This strength was what gave him the confidence to visit the Ghost Market today.
The siblings ate breakfast. Ye Qingxuan ate far more than usual, sweeping away three large bowls of meat porridge and several wheat cakes. Resting her chin in her hands, Ye Caiwei watched her brother wolf down his food. The worry in her large eyes had vanished, replaced by full-blown adoration and relief.
After breakfast, Ye Qingxuan changed into a somewhat cleaner set of old clothes.
"Brother, aren't you going to the government office for duty today?"
"Not today. I'm going out to take care of something and earn some silver. Lock the door once you're home. Don't open it for anyone, and wait for me to return." He gave her careful instructions.
"Mm!" Ye Caiwei nodded hard. "Don't worry, Brother. I won't go anywhere."
Ye Qingxuan covered himself once more with that black cloth, concealing most of his face and leaving only a pair of tranquil eyes exposed. He pushed open the courtyard gate, and beneath the morning sunlight, his figure flashed before vanishing at the mouth of the alley.
This time, he knew the way by heart and headed straight for the Ghost Market in the western part of the city.
The Ghost Market was somewhat more desolate by day than at night, but people still came and went without end. Those dealings that could not see the light of day never distinguished between day and night.
He did not visit any of the stalls. Instead, he went straight to a relatively secluded corner. Several "middlemen" here specialized in selling things on others' behalf. These people were well-informed and widely connected, each possessing their own rules for survival in the Ghost Market.
Ye Qingxuan sought out the middle-aged man who looked the shrewdest and most capable. The man leaned against the wall, picking his teeth with a blade of grass. His eyelids drooped, and he looked as though he had not yet woken up.
Ye Qingxuan walked over without a word and directly handed him the stack of straw paper from inside his clothes.
The middleman lazily raised his eyelids and swept Ye Qingxuan a glance before taking the papers and casually flipping through two pages. At first, he had been paying no attention, but the more he read, the higher his drooping eyelids rose. In the end, he sat upright and spat out the blade of grass in his mouth.
"The Layered Waves Bone Forging Art?" he read aloud. He carefully flipped through the illustrations and writing that followed. The disdain on his face shifted to caution, then finally became a flash of sharp brilliance.
"You wrote this?" he asked.
Ye Qingxuan nodded.
"Interesting." The middleman closed the straw paper and slapped it against his palm. "The method's a little crude, but it wins through directness. For those who've only just glimpsed the threshold and have no way to find a master, it really is a good thing. How much do you want for it?"
"I don't want money." Ye Qingxuan lowered his voice, deliberately making it hoarse.
The middleman froze. "You don't want money?"
"I want to trade it for something." Ye Qingxuan said, "A Meat Refining Method. A genuine one—not one of those scam manuals sold on the market."
The Body Refining realm was divided into the levels of Skin Refining, Meat Refining, Sinew Altering, Bone Forging, and Blood Exchange. Ye Qingxuan had now reached perfection in the Body Tempering First Layer, and his next step was Meat Refining. But he possessed no subsequent cultivation method. The martial arts of the Fengtian Division could not be taught to anyone who was not an official constable. And a genuine Meat Refining Method was worth a thousand gold pieces on the market, yet still difficult to obtain.
His words served one purpose in testing the value of the Layered Waves Bone Forging Art, and another in paving the road for his future cultivation.
The middleman narrowed his eyes and examined Ye Qingxuan anew. Someone who could casually write a body-tempering method like this was certainly no ordinary person. And the fact that he had immediately asked for a Meat Refining Method showed that his horizons were anything but low.
"A Meat Refining cultivation method is a rare treasure." The middleman pondered for a moment. "Your Bone Forging Art is decent, but to trade it for a true inherited Meat Refining Method, it's still a little lacking in weight."
"Then forget it." Ye Qingxuan reached out to take back the straw paper.
"Hey, don't rush." The middleman pressed down on his hand, a merchant's smile appearing on his face. "I can't trade it for one. But I can still help you sell it for a good price. I'll find you a buyer who knows its value, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied. We'll split the money three-seven: seven for you, three for me. How about it?"
Ye Qingxuan fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Now that's refreshing!" The middleman rose to his feet. "Wait here for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Remember, don't wander around."
With that, he took the stack of straw paper and hurried into a side passage deep within the karst cave.
Ye Qingxuan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and closed his eyes to rest. He could hear the footsteps of people passing around him and smell the mixture of various scents in the air. His hearing and sense of smell were several times sharper than before.
The time it took an incense stick to burn was neither long nor short.
Just as he was growing somewhat impatient, the middleman finally returned, delight on his face. Behind him followed a burly man with a black cloth covering his face as well. The man's steps were steady, his temples bulged high, and a fierce aura emanated from him. He was clearly a trained martial artist.
"Friend, I found you a buyer." The middleman introduced him with a smile. "This gentleman is very interested in your Bone Forging Art."
The burly man wasted no words and spoke directly, his voice deep and resonant. "I've seen the thing. Not bad. Name your price."
"Fifteen taels of silver." Ye Qingxuan uttered the four words.
"Fifteen taels?" The middleman behind the burly man cried out first. "Friend, that asking price is far too high! This is only the crudest body-tempering method..."
"It's worth that price." Ye Qingxuan cut him off. "With three months of hard work, it can give an ordinary person the strength to split stone monuments and crack boulders. Fifteen taels to buy a skill that can save your life in the martial world isn't expensive."
The masked burly man waved his hand, stopping the middleman. His sharp eyes swept over Ye Qingxuan, as if he wanted to see through him.
"Fourteen taels," the burly man said in a deep voice. "That's all I have on me. If you agree, we can complete the exchange now."
Ye Qingxuan met his gaze for a moment, then nodded. "Deal."
The burly man took a heavy money pouch from his clothes and tossed it over. Ye Qingxuan caught it and weighed it in his hand before loosening the drawstring. Inside were several pieces of broken silver in different sizes.
He tucked the money pouch into his clothes and turned to leave.
"Friend, wait!" the burly man suddenly called out. "With a body-tempering method like this, you must have something even better in your possession. If you have more goods in the future, come back here and find him." He pointed at the middleman.
Ye Qingxuan did not stop. His figure quickly vanished into the flow of people in the Ghost Market.
The fourteen taels of silver in his clothes weighed heavily. The great stone that had pressed on his heart for months had finally hit the ground.
He left the Ghost Market beneath a sky already bright with daylight. Without wasting a moment, he headed straight toward the Southern District.
The Fierce Tiger Hall. Duan Tianbao. Hu Jiudao.
Today, it was time to settle everything.
Before you continue