Locust Throwing Technique Minor Success, Ling Xiao Provokes

The sky suddenly brightened, and the morning sun dyed the old tiles in this Southern District with a layer of pale gold.

Ye Qingxuan stood in the courtyard, with several broken tile fragments he had picked up last night scattered at his feet. He bent down and picked up a piece, about two fingers wide, with a relatively flat edge.

He didn't strike any particular pose, just stood casually, holding the tile fragment in his right hand. Mimicking the "yin hand" technique described in the booklet, he flicked his wrist lightly.

"Whoosh!"

The tile flew out of his hand, tracing a crooked trajectory, and hit the opposite courtyard wall with a "snap," shattering into several pieces.

In his mind, the dormant scroll stirred almost imperceptibly.

[Flying Locust Throw, improper technique, Merit +1.]

Even though it was "improper technique," he still gained Merit. This proved his path was correct, just lacking in execution.

Ye Qingxuan was neither rushed nor impatient. He picked up another piece. This time, he calmed his mind and recalled the small, red-inked figures in the booklet. Qi rose from his dantian, his hips twisted slightly, and a surge of power traveled up his spine, over his shoulders, down his arm, and finally concentrated at his fingertips.

He imitated the "shuai pie" motion, channeling all his bodily strength.

"Swoosh!"

This sound of air being split was much sharper than before. The tile turned into a black streak, embedding itself directly into the bluestone bricks of the courtyard wall, sinking half a finger deep, yet the tile itself remained unbroken.

[Shuai Pie Technique, initial mastery, Merit +1.]

Ye Qingxuan walked to the wall and used his finger to pry out the tile, leaving a clear white imprint on the wall. He looked at his finger, which showed no signs of redness or swelling, and a plan began to form in his mind. This technique didn't rely on finger strength, but on the subtle force generated by the coordinated movement of the entire body.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

Ye Caiwei rubbed her eyes, standing by the door. She looked at the imprint on the wall, then at the tile in her brother's hand, her small face full of curiosity.

Ye Qingxuan turned around, tossed the tile aside, and dusted off his hands.

"Practicing a new skill."

He picked up a pebble, one he had specifically found by the river. In front of his sister, he flipped his wrist, and the pebble vanished. With another flip, it reappeared in his palm. He was imitating the concealment method of the "yin hand" from the booklet, and after just a few repetitions, he had become quite proficient.

Ye Caiwei's eyes widened as she watched, clapping her small hands.

"Brother, you're like a street magician! No, you're much better than them!" She thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "Brother, you're a genius."

Ye Qingxuan was amused by her words and walked over to pinch her nose. Whether he was a genius or not, he didn't know, but he knew that in this world, a genius alone couldn't survive.

The Fengtian Division compound bustled with its usual morning activity.

Ye Qingxuan, along with Wei Datong and Xiong Tiezhu, was inventorying the water-fire staffs used for street patrols.

"Well, well, isn't this our great hero, Constable Ye?"

A sarcastic voice drifted over from the side.

Ye Qingxuan looked up and saw Zhang Lingxiao strolling over leisurely, hands behind his back. He was wearing a new set of black, fitted clothing today, which made his figure appear even more robust. The tassel on the standard-issue saber at his waist was brand new, bright yellow, and the black iron waist token on the other side glinted in the morning sun.

He walked up to Ye Qingxuan and looked him up and down, taking in his faded, temporary constable's tunic. A contemptuous smile curled his lips.

"I heard you received a reward of five taels of silver a few days ago? What, you didn't even bother to change your clothes? This outfit looks older than you are, doesn't it?"

As he spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest, letting the new waist token flash before Ye Qingxuan's eyes.

Wei Datong's face twitched as he listened, and he was about to speak when Ye Qingxuan stopped him with a look.

Ye Qingxuan ignored Zhang Lingxiao, lowering his head to continue wiping the water-fire staff in his hand with a cloth, doing so with extreme diligence, as if there were intricate patterns on the staff.

Zhang Lingxiao felt like he had punched empty air and was somewhat embarrassed. He took a step forward, bumping his shoulder heavily towards Ye Qingxuan.

He had secretly used some force in this shove; an ordinary person would have stumbled.

However, Ye Qingxuan's body merely shifted with the force, pivoting half a step to the side, completely deflecting the momentum. He moved like a piece of driftwood in water, unaffected by the waves, remaining unharmed.

He turned sideways, clearing the path, still looking down and wiping the staff.

Zhang Lingxiao's shove missed its mark, and he nearly lost his balance himself. He steadied himself, looked back, and saw Ye Qingxuan's indifferent demeanor. He took it as cowardice and an unwillingness to fight back, and the nameless anger in his chest burned even hotter.

"Hmph, a shrinking turtle."

He spat out the insult and, feeling bored, walked away with his hands behind his back.

"That guy!" Wei Datong lowered his voice and spat on the ground. "He's gotten a bit of power and forgotten who he is! Qingxuan, don't take it to heart. He's just a good-for-nothing relying on his uncle!"

Ye Qingxuan looked up and leaned the wiped-clean water-fire staff against the wall.

"Brother Wei, it's alright."

He watched Zhang Lingxiao's retreating back. The new black clothes, in his eyes, were no different from a living target.

In the past, he might have been angry, resentful. But now, with two martial arts under his belt and his strength growing daily, his perspective had changed. Why bother with a summer insect chirping at his feet? When the autumn wind blows, it will naturally perish.

What he needed to do now was wait. Wait for that autumn wind to arrive.

The sun set, and the day's patrol passed without any significant incident.

Ye Qingxuan returned home. As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, a rich aroma of meat wafted towards him.

The fire in the stove blazed, and something was simmering in a small clay pot, bubbling away. Ye Caiwei sat on a small stool in front of the stove, fanning the flames listlessly with a cattail fan. Her small face was flushed red by the firelight.

"Brother, you're back!"

Seeing Ye Qingxuan, she immediately dropped her fan and ran over happily.

"What's for dinner? It smells so good," Ye Qingxuan asked, putting down his water-fire cudgel with a smile.

"Hehe, guess?" Ye Caiwei took his hand and led him to the stove.

Ye Qingxuan lifted the lid of the pot. Steam billowed out, revealing half a chicken simmering within. The soup was milky white, and several plump bird eggs lay beside it.

"Where did the chicken come from?"

"This morning at the market, I ran into Butcher Zhang's wife. She said this old hen had been laying eggs for years and sold it to me cheap," Ye Caiwei said, as if presenting a treasure. "I also bought some quail eggs. The books say they're the most nourishing!"

Ye Qingxuan looked at her proud little face, his heart warming. His meager silver was indeed difficult to hide. This girl claimed to be frugal, but she was always thinking of ways to nourish him.

Dinner was served on a small table in the courtyard.

A pot of chicken soup, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a large bowl of white rice.

Ye Qingxuan was truly hungry. He didn't stand on ceremony, scooping a large bowl of rice, ladling chicken soup over it, and finishing it in three gulps.

Ye Caiwei, on the side, nibbled on a chicken wing bit by bit, her eyes fixed on her brother's rice bowl. Seeing him finish, she immediately got up, ready to refill his rice.

"Brother, you've been… eating a lot lately," she said softly, holding the bowl.

"Practicing martial arts takes a lot of energy, so I naturally eat more," Ye Qingxuan took another heaping bowl of rice and placed a chicken leg into his sister's bowl. "You eat more too, you're so thin."

He ate a total of five large bowls of rice during this meal and drank the chicken soup down to the last drop. As he put down his chopsticks, a warm current rose from his stomach and flowed through his limbs, sweeping away the fatigue from patrolling the streets all day.

Martial Path cultivation was truly a bottomless pit. Not only did it consume money, but the appetite required was far beyond that of ordinary people. Without the Heavenly Machine Codex, he suspected the money he earned wouldn't even be enough to fill his stomach.

After tucking his sister into bed, Ye Qingxuan returned to the courtyard.

He retrieved a small bag of pebbles he had prepared by the corner of the wall and took a deep breath.

Under the night sky, his figure flickered, twisting his waist, turning his hips, and swinging his arms.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sound of air being sliced through was continuous.

Pebble after pebble flew from his hand, some in straight lines, others with an arc, accurately striking different points on the courtyard wall. He was a bit clumsy at first, but as he practiced, his movements became smoother, his entire body's strength coalescing into one, flowing freely.

[Locust Throwing Technique, progressing well, Merit +3.]

When he threw the last stone from the bag, the scroll in his mind finally showed new changes.

[Name: Ye Qingxuan]
[Realm: Body Tempering Second Tier (Perfection)]
[Martial Arts: Indestructible Vajra Body (Perfection, Scale: Six Inches, Merit: 0/500)]
[Locust Throwing Technique (Uninitiated, Merit: 5/5)]

The Merit was full.

Ye Qingxuan moved his mind.

[Merit Perfected, proceed with integration?]

"Integrate."

BOOM!

A different heat current from the breakthrough of Indestructible Vajra Body surged from the Heavenly Machine Codex. This heat current was not violent but extremely sharp. It did not impact his bones, muscles, or skin, but precisely followed several meridians in his right arm, flowing rapidly.

The muscles and tendons in his arm emitted faint ringing sounds under the scouring of this heat current. An unprecedented sense of clarity spread from his fingertips. He could seemingly clearly "see" how the force was transmitted from his waist and hips to his fingertips with every exertion.

After a long while, the heat current dissipated.

Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes. His arm looked unchanged externally, but when he clenched his fist, he could feel a controllable explosive force contained within.

He brought up the scroll again.

[Locust Throwing Technique (Realm: Initiated, Merit: 0/20)]

After initiation, further improvement would require twenty Merit points.

Ye Qingxuan clenched his fist. His blood and qi, stimulated by this breakthrough, became even more active, subtly showing signs of impacting that invisible barrier.

Indestructible Vajra Body specialized in the physical body and had reached perfection. Although Locust Throwing Technique was an external skill, it trained the entire body's force application, and it could even nourish his blood and qi, helping him approach the threshold of Body Tempering Third Tier.

He had a premonition that as soon as he mastered Locust Throwing Technique to minor completion, with the mutual verification of the two, it would be the time for him to enter the "Body Tempering Third Tier: Tendon Transformation Realm."

Body Tempering Third Tier, within the Fengtian Division, would be comparable to veteran constables like Hong Qingshan. In the martial world, it would be considered a capable individual, enough for sects like the Fierce Tiger Hall to truly treat you as a person of consequence.

At most, three days.

He looked up at the night sky and set a deadline.