Perfect

Qi Yu mastered the Serpent Stance Cultivation Method in one go. Without waiting at all, he hurried to the Liu residence while it was still early.

As it happened, his father, Qi Changshun, was home as well.

After asking a few questions, Third Master Qi learned about the wager between the mother and son.

He sized up his son with faint curiosity. His expression was stern, but his tone was gentle. "You still have three days. There's no need to rush."

Qi Yu naturally couldn't really drag it out until the seventh day. Even if he succeeded by then, his parents' opinion of him would inevitably take a hit, which would affect the family support he needed for his future martial training.

"Father, Mother, your son is ready."

Qi Changshun gave a slight nod and immediately set the standard. "Then half an hour."

As soon as he spoke, Qi Yu drew a deep breath, sank into a squat, and rooted his feet to the ground. The qi and blood throughout his body began to burn quietly like flames.

The form of this Spirit Serpent Posture was so precise that a trace of reminiscence flashed through Qi Changshun's eyes.

His gaze drifted into the distance, as though he had recalled some events from the past.

As he thought about it, his pupils suddenly shrank...

Because he discovered that his son's stance work was not merely precise—it was flawless in every respect, practically... perfect.

After the time it took to burn one incense stick, Qi Yu remained utterly motionless. His body did not tremble, and his legs did not quiver.

At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard. The newcomer had a square face and an imposing presence. He was Ding Yi, the residence's head guard and a seventh-grade martial artist.

Qi Yu had seen his combat power before. With a saber, it ranged from 47 to 72. That was considerably stronger than Green Bamboo beside his mother, whose combat power was "32 to 52," but... he was still far inferior to Uncle Song of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall.

Uncle Song was also seventh-grade, but even without a weapon, his combat power had already reached 55 to 110. The gap between them was clearly more than a little. That was why Qi Yu insisted on going to the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall instead of asking the household guards for instruction.

Granny Zhao, who guarded the entrance, naturally did not dare stop the head guard.

Ding Yi hurried over and halted outside the door. He first bowed respectfully to Qi Changshun and Madam Liu, then lowered his voice and called, "Master..."

Qi Changshun leisurely finished savoring the cup of nourishing tea in his hands before turning to Madam Liu. "I'll step out for a moment."

Madam Liu watched her husband with a solemn expression, though a faint smile curled at the corners of her lips. "You're not going to finish watching Yu'er's stance work?"

"One incense stick is enough to reveal the truth."

As Qi Changshun rose and passed by, he lightly patted his son's shoulder. Approval flashed in his eyes. "You really have put in the work."

With that, he hurried away with Ding Yi.

Once Qi Changshun and Ding Yi left, the room immediately fell silent.

Madam Liu watched the retreating figures beyond the courtyard gate, her brows faintly furrowed and a trace of worry showing in her eyes.

Outside the courtyard...

Dusk surged across the sky. The blood-red setting sun of deep winter resembled... a frozen nether flame, its light carrying a chill.

She slowly withdrew her gaze and sat down again, her eyes settling on her son, who was standing in the courtyard.

Qing Dai blinked playfully. "Madam, half an hour is up."

Madam Liu suddenly snatched up the ebony ruler from the table, walked over to Qi Yu, and without warning struck his thigh...

Smack!

Qi Yu's figure was as steady as a mountain. Even after that blow, he did not move in the slightest.

Madam Liu's expression suddenly turned peculiar.

"Yu'er, this stance of yours... how much longer can you hold it?"

Qi Yu closed his eyes and sensed the qi and blood within him. Not only did he feel no fatigue, he instead felt as though his qi and blood had come alive. He even felt energetic enough to carry a heavy load and sprint several rounds.

He glanced at the panel: [Technique: Spirit Serpent Posture Cultivation Method (2/2)]. An understanding arose in his heart: when ordinary people cultivated a technique, even after attaining minor mastery, flaws still remained when they used it. What he had learned, however, was "perfect and flawless, proven true once and forever." It could be said that even if Song Qinghong personally demonstrated the Spirit Serpent Posture, he might not surpass Qi Yu by the slightest bit, because the Spirit Serpent Posture Cultivation Method he performed was already the most perfect version.

"However long Mother wants me to stand, I'll stand that long."

Madam Liu looked surprised. Her expression grew increasingly complicated. She lowered her eyes slightly, then quickly raised them again, carefully examining her son again and again. After confirming that he was not merely forcing himself to hold on, she fell into a deep silence.

After a long while, she finally said slowly, "Very well. A Bi may remain in your courtyard for now."

Qi Yu relaxed out of the stance and rose, exhaling a long breath of stale air. His eyes shone brightly as he smiled. "Mother, this actually has nothing to do with A Bi. The main reason is that I've recently become obsessed with martial training. Even without A Bi, I'd still have to train."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu suddenly pressed her palms together and bowed toward the heavens, relief shining in her eyes.

"My Yu'er has finally seen the light. He's truly grown up. Thank heaven, thank heaven."

As she spoke, she pulled her son down to sit beside her and said earnestly, "Yu'er, now that you've become more sensible, you should understand why Mother had to play the villain and transfer A Bi away from your side, shouldn't you?"

Qi Yu said, "Mother is doing it for my own good."

Madam Liu grew even more relieved, but then said, "Once you truly marry, it may not be better for A Bi to remain by your side. It would be better to let her leave now. I can find her a good home."

Qi Yu clenched his fists, his gaze blazing. "Mother, rest assured. My martial training will only get better. Good enough that even after I take a wife, I'll still have the final say over everything in the inner residence."

Madam Liu fell silent. From time to time, she looked at the young man across from her, as though pondering something. After a long while, she said, "A Bi may remain in your courtyard for now. But if a marriage proposal comes to the door, she'll still have to be transferred to my side. However, this time I promise you: I absolutely will not marry her off."

After a pause, she raised two fingers. "If you truly want to keep A Bi, first defeat Old Gu, then beat Green Bamboo. If you can really do that, I'll believe you have the ability to command the inner residence. From then on, you'll decide whether A Bi stays or goes. I won't ask again."

As she continued, her tone suddenly sank, and she said sternly, "But if you rely on martial strength to act violently, pick fights with others, or greedily use secret medicines to boost yourself temporarily and end up damaging your health, then this agreement is immediately void."

Qi Yu nodded solemnly.

Madam Liu secretly let out a breath of relief, then smiled brightly and said gently, "From now on, I'll arrange the Essence Replenishing Soup and other supplements for nourishing your qi and blood. How could good things be left in the kitchen? And where could that little maid A Bi possibly find them?

"As for stretching and massage, I'll specifically invite a physician from the medical hall to oversee it."

The mother and son continued chatting...

Qi Yu suddenly asked, "Father and Uncle Yi suddenly went out earlier. Did something happen?"

Madam Liu said, "Just some trivial matters concerning the Qi Family's business. If Yu'er truly wants to know, why not have the steward take you to the Herb Gathering Pavilion at the foot of Wei Mountain for a look?"

Although the Qi Family's business involved every trade under the sun, its true lifeline—the core business it controlled—was "medicinal herbs."

It was said that the "secret poison formulas" of the Poison Water Army came from the Qi Family.

It could be said that... the Qi Family used the government's silver to buy its own medicines and raise its own Poison Water Army.

As for the source of the "medicinal herbs," they came from mysterious herbs found in a secret place on Wei Mountain. The Qi Family's Herb Gathering Pavilion was located there.

As the Qi Family's primary industry, the Herb Gathering Pavilion involved all three branches of the Qi Family. However, the Qi Family's old master had never clearly assigned ownership, and quite a few struggles were taking place beneath the surface.

Qi Yu said, "Forget it. I'll focus on martial training first."

He understood his mother's meaning perfectly.

She was merely fobbing him off.

His father and Ding Yi had almost certainly not gone out because of family business.

Qi Yu faintly suspected that it might have something to do with Master Chen, who had visited several days ago.

However, he was still too weak. Even though he had won today's stance test, even though he had displayed his transformation, in his mother's eyes he was still a child who needed protection. Naturally, she would not tell him about these hidden matters.

If he wanted more right to know and more say in things, he still had to become stronger.