Leaping the Wall to Startle Younger Sister, Sandstone Skill Accelerates

The night was deep, and the alleys in the Southern District were cut into alternating strips of light and shadow by the moonlight.

Ye Qingxuan's figure moved through the shadows, his steps light and soundless as he landed. The six-plus taels of silver in his bosom felt heavy, like a red-hot branding iron pressed against his skin, constantly reminding him of the danger and the gain of this trip.

When he reached his own courtyard, he didn't push the wooden door that would creak at the slightest touch. He stepped back two paces, gathered his breath, and lightly tapped his toe against the mottled wall. His body rose like a fallen leaf carried by the wind, silently flipping over the wall.

Both feet hit the ground, steady as roots.

Just as he let out a sigh of relief and prepared to cross the small yard, the door to the outer room creaked open from the inside, revealing a crack.

A sliver of dim oil-lamp light seeped through the crack, illuminating a pale little face.

Ye Caiwei held the lamp aloft, her small body hidden behind the door, her big eyes filled with terror. The sudden dark figure in the yard made her blood run cold.

"Who is it?" Her voice trembled, the last syllable carrying a sob.

Ye Qingxuan's heart tightened. He strode forward and yanked the black cloth from his face.

"Nannan, it's your brother."

Moonlight and lamplight intertwined, lighting up his face.

When Ye Caiwei saw it was her brother, the chill that had risen from the soles of her feet dissipated. Her tense body went limp, and tears streamed down her face. She didn't cry out loud, just bit her lip as big teardrops rolled down her cheeks, the oil lamp in her hand trembling along with her.

"Brother..." She choked, unable to form full words, "You... you scared me to death..."

Ye Qingxuan closed the distance in three quick strides, took the lamp from her hand, set it aside, then crouched down and pulled her tightly into his arms. The little girl's body was still trembling, like a frightened sparrow.

"It's brother's fault. I shouldn't have climbed the wall." He gently stroked her back, his voice as soft as he could make it.

Ye Caiwei buried her face in his chest, crying quietly for a while, then lifted her head, her reddened eyes full of lingering fear and grievance. "I... I heard a noise in the yard and thought... thought it was a bad guy..."

Her small hands clutched tightly at Ye Qingxuan's clothes, as if letting go would make him disappear.

"It won't happen again." Ye Qingxuan wiped away her tears, his fingertips touching her icy cheeks, deepening his guilt. He cupped her little face and spoke each word solemnly. "Brother promises, from now on, I'll use the front door. I won't scare Nannan anymore."

Ye Caiwei sniffled, nodded, then burrowed closer to him, whispering, "Brother, coming back so late, did you go catch bad guys again? Was it dangerous?"

"Not dangerous." Ye Qingxuan picked her up and walked toward the house. "Brother just went to take care of some business. See? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

He carried his sister into the outer room. On the table, the pile of silver coins hadn't been put away yet, gleaming under the lamp. Ye Caiwei's gaze fell on the largest silver ingot, and her mouth formed a perfect circle.

"Brother... so much money?"

Ye Qingxuan set her down on a stool, sat down himself, and gathered the silver together. "Mm, just earned it."

He didn't go into detail about the Ghost Market, only picking out things he could say and making up a story about helping someone with heavy labor and being rewarded.

Ye Caiwei only half understood, but seeing her brother home safe with so much money, her fear gradually faded into joy. She reached out a tiny finger, carefully touched the silver ingot, then quickly pulled it back, looking up at Ye Qingxuan with sparkling eyes.

"Brother, are we... are we almost able to pay off the debt?"

"Almost." Ye Qingxuan ruffled her hair. "Once the debt is paid, brother will buy Nannan new clothes and osmanthus cakes."

"I don't want new clothes or osmanthus cakes." Ye Caiwei shook her head, calculating like a little adult. "This money, plus what we have at home—is it enough for fourteen taels?"

Ye Qingxuan fell silent.

A little over seven taels—still nearly half short of fourteen.

Seeing her brother say nothing, the little spark of joy in Ye Caiwei's heart died down. She lowered her head, counting on her fingers, and murmured, "Still so far... then... what about tomorrow? The people from Fierce Tiger Hall are coming."

"Brother has a plan." Ye Qingxuan took her small hand. "Do you trust brother?"

Ye Caiwei looked up at her brother's calm eyes and nodded firmly. "I do!"

"Then go to bed early." Ye Qingxuan carried her back to the inner room, tucked the blanket around her, and said, "Leave tomorrow to brother."

Watching his sister close her eyes and her breathing gradually steady, Ye Qingxuan quietly retreated to the outer room.

He sat at the table, staring at the pile of silver. His gaze swept over the standard-issue constable's short blade in the corner—a relic left by his father, and the token of his current identity. He couldn't touch it unless absolutely necessary.

Still seven taels short, and tomorrow was the deadline.

He let out a long, heavy breath, carefully put away the silver, and hid it at the bottom of a chest. Then he stripped off his shirt and sat cross-legged on the wooden bed.

Tomorrow's business needed tonight's effort as its foundation.

He closed his eyes and began circulating the mental method of the Indestructible Vajra Body. Blood and Qi surged, and the familiar ache, numbness, and swelling in his left arm returned. The cloth bundle rubbed against his skin, making it burn.

Now that he was at Body Tempering First Layer Perfection, the pain of this cultivation was no longer as unbearable as before. Instead, it felt like a kind of nurturing—within the pain, he could clearly perceive every change in his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

After completing the technique, his whole body steamed with heat, sweat pouring out like water.

He waited for the scroll in his mind to react.

A point of light infused, and words appeared.

Merit: +2

Ye Qingxuan's breath suddenly caught.

He opened his eyes, and the darkness of the room seemed to brighten a little.

Two?

Not one?

He focused his mind inward, and the words on the scroll were clear and distinct—indeed, a "two."

[Name: Ye Qingxuan]

[Realm: Body Tempering First Layer Perfection]

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Minor Accomplishment, Scale: Two Inches, Merit: 2/45)]

A single complete cultivation session, and he had actually gained two points of Merit!

Ye Qingxuan's heart thumped wildly.

He recalled the scene from his breakthrough that day—blood and qi surging like molten lava, sinews, bones, skin, and flesh repeatedly tempered. Could it be that after his realm advanced, the effectiveness of cultivation had doubled as well?

Once this thought arose, he could no longer suppress it.

Forcing down the turmoil in his heart, he picked up the cloth bundle again and selected only the simplest arm-rubbing technique from the Indestructible Vajra Body. Following the mental method, he practiced it once with meticulous precision.

This effort took no more than a quarter of an hour.

After finishing, he immediately stopped and focused his senses.

The scroll unfurled, and another point of light infused it.

[Merit: +2]

Still two!

Ye Qingxuan's clenched fist slowly relaxed. A surge of immense joy welled up from the depths of his heart, washing through his limbs and bones.

The effectiveness of gaining Merit had truly doubled!

He had originally thought that gathering these forty-five points of Merit to advance to the third layer, the "Tough Skin" realm, would take at least a month. But now it seemed that with diligent, unceasing practice, he could achieve full Merit in just over twenty days!

This "Martial Path Heavenly Machine Codex" had truly handed him an enormous advantage!

But...

He looked down at his left arm. The skin on that arm, after repeated rubbing, had become exceptionally tough. During the cultivation just now, he had noticed that the pain from the cloth bundle had weakened considerably, the stimulation far less than before.

He recalled a line from the general outline of the Indestructible Vajra Body technique: The method of body tempering externally refines skin and flesh, progressing from the surface inward. Begin with cloth, then sand, then stone, and finally staff. Advance layer by layer to achieve great success.

The effect of the cloth bundle had nearly reached its limit. To continue improving and maintain this doubled Merit efficiency, he would need to take the second step—sand rubbing.

Rubbing with fine sand caused pain far beyond that of cloth, like thousands of steel needles stabbing in unison, and its tempering of skin and flesh was incomparable to cloth.

Tomorrow was a rest day, perfect for preparing.

But fine sand and coarse gravel were hard to find in the city. He suddenly thought of someone.

When his father was alive, he often interacted with a bricklayer surnamed Zhang on East Street, known as Uncle Zhang. In Uncle Zhang's yard, there were always plenty of river sand and pebbles stored for emergencies. After his father passed, though their families interacted less, Aunt Zhang was a warm-hearted person. On holidays, she would occasionally send her children over with some homemade food.

Asking them for some shouldn't be difficult.

With his plan settled, Ye Qingxuan pushed aside stray thoughts and stopped dwelling on tomorrow's clash with Fierce Tiger Hall.

Meet force with force, block water with earth. Strength was the foundation for standing firm in the world.

The next day, the sky was fully bright.

Since it was a rest day, the Fengtian Division didn't require roll call, so Ye Qingxuan had a rare, peaceful sleep.

When he woke up, Ye Caiwei had already prepared breakfast: a bowl of thick rice porridge and two soft, steamed black-flour buns.

"Brother, you're not on duty today. Can we go outside the city for a walk?" Ye Caiwei asked, sipping her porridge with hopeful eyes.

"Not today." Ye Qingxuan finished a bun in two or three bites. "I have some errands to run this morning, and this afternoon, I need to meet with the people from Fierce Tiger Hall."

He said it lightly, but Ye Caiwei's little face fell again.

"After I'm done, I'll come back and keep you company." Seeing her expression, Ye Qingxuan added, "Once this matter is settled, I'll take you to buy some sugar paintings."

"Mm!" Ye Caiwei cheered up again.

After breakfast, Ye Qingxuan changed into a clean old short-sleeved shirt, said goodbye to his sister, and headed out.

He first went to the general store at the street corner, spending over a dozen coppers to buy two thick burlap sacks.

Then, he walked straight toward East Street.

The Southern District was mostly small households with cramped courtyards. East Street, however, was home to many craftsmen—blacksmiths, carpenters, and bricklayers' yards lined up one after another, the clanging of hammers ringing incessantly.

Relying on his memory, Ye Qingxuan navigated the alleys and soon found Uncle Zhang's house.

It was a yard with its gate wide open, piled with mounds of sand, gravel, and rows of neatly stacked blue bricks. A woman in her forties, sleeves rolled up, was washing something in the yard.

"Aunt Zhang." Ye Qingxuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

The woman looked up, saw him, paused in surprise, then broke into a warm, enthusiastic smile.

"It's Qingxuan! Rest day today? Come, come, sit inside!" Aunt Zhang wiped her hands on her apron and moved to pull him indoors.

"Auntie, no need to go in." Ye Qingxuan waved his hand and got straight to the point. "I came to ask for something from you."

"Child, what's this about 'asking'?" Aunt Zhang gave him a playful scolding. "Still being polite with your aunt? Whatever you need, just say it."

Ye Qingxuan pointed at the pile of sand in the yard, then at a smaller heap of rounded pebbles beside it.

"I'd like... a sack of fine sand, and another sack of these small stones."