Feeling Secure

Carrying a medicine bag and a bucket of ice, Shi Feizhe headed back to the large courtyard.

Passing by the bustling Eighth Grade Street, he saw a monk with a pipe in his mouth trying to sell a Buddha statue to a well-dressed old man.

"I see, benefactor, that you have deep blessings and are fated with my Buddha. Would the elder like to take home a golden Buddha statue consecrated by a high monk from Golden Buddha Temple?" The monk took out a half-foot tall bronze statue from his embrace and said to the old man.

"Isn't this bronze? How is it a golden Buddha statue?" The old man was discerning. He glanced at the shiny Buddha statue and knew it was brass.

"Ah, benefactor! You are mistaken!" The monk said, "This is the golden Buddha worshipped in our temple. As the saying goes, sincerity can move mountains and break through stone. This is 'gold,' representing sincerity of heart!"

"As for 'Buddha,' it refers to Sakyamuni and Mahavairocana, whom we worship. Chanting their names can transcend suffering and save people from hardship. What's more, if you take it home and enshrine it, it will surely protect your home and family and bring many sons and grandsons!"

"Furthermore, it has been consecrated by a high monk from our temple! After taking it home, it will have even more wonderful uses!"

The old man was initially a bit impatient listening to the monk boast, but when he heard "protect your home and family, many sons and grandsons," he became interested and asked, "How much is this Buddha statue?"

"Benefactor, you are mistaken! How can a Buddha be bought and sold? You should say 'take it home.' Ten taels of gold and you can take this golden Buddha home!" The monk said.

"Ten taels of gold? Too expensive, too expensive!" The old man immediately shook his head upon hearing ten taels of gold and said, "Ten taels of gold is enough for me to marry several beautiful young wives, which would also increase the chance of having many sons and grandsons!"

"..."

The monk's face darkened. How could the people of Qiu Yang City be so unconventional!

"Benefactor! Benefactor, be careful with your words! If you see a golden Buddha and do not take it home, it is disrespectful to the Buddha. Be careful that after death you will descend into hell and suffer the torment of the Hell of Tongue Removal!" The monk saw that persuasion wasn't working and switched to intimidation.

"You, a monk, dare to scare me? You should know that I, Old Man Chen, am not easily frightened!" The old man's face changed upon hearing the monk speak like this, and he said angrily.

He was old and quite sensitive about death. How could he not be angry when he heard the monk's intimidation!

Just then, a tall scholar came from a distance. When the old man saw him, he immediately shouted, "Cunren! Come quickly, this monk is so rude, he's trying to force a sale!"

"You good-for-nothing Blessing Monk, how dare you pester my uncle! You should know that matters of the Jianghu are not as important as family!" Bu Cunren leaped and arrived in front of the old man, shielding him from the monk's harassment.

Blessing Monk looked at Bu Cunren. He hadn't expected that today it would be his turn to deliver blessings. He hadn't delivered many blessings yet when he encountered his nemesis, Bu Cunren.

Indeed, fate is truly wondrous.

He didn't want to conflict with Bu Cunren, fearing it would delay his progress in delivering blessings today. With their expenses in Qiu Yang City, the daily task of delivering blessings was not easy.

However, so many people on this street were watching. If he retreated, wouldn't it tarnish the reputation of Golden Buddha Temple?

"This old benefactor is fated with the Buddha, please do not obstruct him, you barbarian!"

"What fate? Isn't it just about money?" Bu Cunren said with a cold smile.

"Only with money can we better spread the Dharma. Without money, how can people believe in Buddha? Therefore, those benevolent men and women who donate money are surely blessed by the Buddha. So, wealthy people are those who are fated with the Buddha!" Blessing Monk chanted a Buddhist name and stated the purpose of Golden Buddha Temple.

"Full of nonsense, you're asking for a beating!"

"Is this poor monk afraid of you, you Confucian barbarian?"

Shi Feizhe hadn't expected to encounter the two people he saw at Three Talents Manor that day again in Qiu Yang City. It seemed the two were still evenly matched, and the outcome had not yet been decided; they were still fighting.

He wouldn't watch the subsequent excitement. If he watched any longer, the ice would melt!

Returning to the large courtyard, he poured the ice cubes into a wooden basin and added clean water. As long as the ice in the water basin hadn't completely melted, the water in the basin would remain at least zero degrees Celsius. He then soaked the purchased medicinal herbs in another wooden basin.

Afterward, he began practicing Punish Evil Leg.

Punish Evil Leg was different from Reward Good Fist. It was extremely fierce and even damaged the muscles and tendons of the body. Through the regrowth of muscles and tendons, it trained the Blood Qi. After practicing one set, Shi Feizhe's skin was red and he was covered in sweat. He stripped off his clothes and went into the wooden basin, slowly immersing himself in the ice water.

It was just the beginning of May, and the weather wasn't too hot yet. Shi Feizhe, whose body was sore and swollen, gritted his teeth and felt the biting cold of the ice stimulating his skin.

It was truly cold, chilling, and painful!

Pain was normal.

Becoming stronger was never something that could be achieved by just shouting. It required effort, pain, and perseverance to gain rewards!

After soaking for a quarter of an hour, Shi Feizhe got up. He took the soaked medicinal herbs to the pot and prepared to start boiling the medicinal bath.

After the medicinal bath was boiled and cooled slightly, he practiced Punish Evil Leg again. Afterward, with his body sore and swollen, he soaked in hot water that was close to sixty or seventy degrees Celsius.

After soaking for about a quarter of an hour, he felt like he was almost cooked and finally got out of the medicinal bath tub. He then rubbed his entire body according to the method in the Nether Springs Divine Shadow Record, rubbing the medicinal power on the surface of his skin into his skin.

If Hua Xiaomei hadn't explained it in detail, Shi Feizhe would have thought this step was for scrubbing off dirt!

Every day there were two immersions, one cold and one hot. Money flowed like water, but in just seven or eight days, Shi Feizhe clearly felt his physical fitness had improved significantly.

A large amount of exercise and good nutrition slowly made his originally thin body stronger, and he even grew a little taller. He looked much more robust overall.

He could even feel himself getting stronger every day!

A feeling called "confidence" appeared in the depths of Shi Feizhe's heart as his body gradually became stronger.

Strength that was cultivated little by little brought a sense of stability and reliability.

The feedback from his body made his essence abundant, and coupled with the visualization of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the divine sword becoming clearer and stronger day by day, his "spirit" was also growing.

"Blood Qi Spirit" was increasing simultaneously!

And "True Origin True Qi" was also gradually growing within his body, becoming stronger every day than the day before!

This feeling was great!

Besides practicing martial arts every day, Shi Feizhe was occasionally dragged by Fan Jianqiang to watch the excitement and pick up scraps.

Fan Jianqiang, that guy, really loved watching the excitement.

So whenever there was any excitement involving other people in the city or the Sun Moon Radiance Sect, he would rush over to watch immediately.

Shi Feizhe didn't like watching the excitement, but Fan Jianqiang's words moved him.

"Watching them fight more can increase your Jianghu knowledge. If you travel the Jianghu in the future, you can't possibly not even know some basic Jianghu common sense, right?"

As for picking up scraps, that was even simpler.

"Once the Sun Moon Radiance Sect finishes their bloody battle, won't the two of us reserve disciples naturally inherit the Sun Moon Radiance Sect?"

"Then I'll be the Sect Leader, and you'll be an Elder. Won't that be great?" Fan Jianqiang said with a grin.

Shi Feizhe: Huh? There's such a move?