Dividing the Spoils on the Spot

Chen Ping sat on the edge of the bed and, by the faint light of the bean-sized oil lamp, opened the heavy money pouch once more.

Three hundred-tael banknotes and fifty taels of loose silver gleamed beneath the dim yellow light with an alluring yet dangerous sheen.

He did not rush to read Shattered Stone Palm. Instead, he carefully rolled the banknotes into thin tubes, stuffed them into a hollowed-out old brush handle, sealed it with wax, and mixed it in with a pile of discarded writing brushes.

As for the loose silver, he divided it into three portions.

One portion, weighing five taels, was buried beneath the loose earth deep inside a rat hole under the bed;

Another portion of ten taels was sewn into the lining of a torn cotton-padded coat he never wore;

The remaining portion, along with several strings of copper coins from Wang Meng's pouch, would serve as recent daily expenses and funds for "getting things done."

"Money must not be flaunted. That is an iron law in any age."

Only after finishing all this did Chen Ping let out a long breath.

This money was the last escape route he had left for himself in the man-eating Lin Manor, as well as the foundation for buying back his freedom and cultivating in the future.

A few days later, the turmoil in Lin Manor gradually subsided.

Wang Meng's disappearance was ruled as "fleeing in fear of punishment." Though the Head Steward still wore a gloomy expression, the atmosphere in the manor was no longer so tense.

Taking advantage of the kitchen being short-handed for purchasing supplies, Chen Ping volunteered to fetch medicine from an apothecary in the south of the city.

The air inside Huichun Hall was thick with the scent of herbs.

Chen Ping wore a faded blue robe washed nearly white, his back hunched and his manner excessively cautious.

He did not directly purchase the medicinal ingredients needed for martial arts training. Instead, he first got several doses of medicine for colds, then casually questioned the clerk.

"Young man, I heard there is a formula called Bone-Strengthening Powder that can treat sore waists and weak legs. Does your shop have ready-made packets?"

The clerk shot him a sidelong glance. Seeing that he was dressed like a servant, he impatiently pointed toward a corner of the counter.

"That stuff is expensive. One packet costs two taels of silver. Mostly martial artists buy it to brew into soup or use for soaking baths. Can a body like yours handle it?"

"Two taels..."

Chen Ping shrank his neck, a pained expression appearing on his face. He fumbled inside his clothes for a long while before tremblingly taking out two pieces of loose silver, then counted out several copper coins as a "little gratuity" and handed them over.

"This is the wife money I've saved for years... Please, young man, give me a good packet."

After accepting the copper coins, the clerk's expression finally softened a little. He swiftly gathered the medicine and wrapped it up.

When he left the apothecary, Chen Ping clutched the medicine packet tightly against his chest, while his heart bled.

Two taels of silver for merely one medicinal bath. Martial cultivation truly was a bottomless pit that devoured gold.

But when he thought of the helplessness he had felt facing Wang Meng that night, he felt the money had been well spent.

On the way back to Lin Manor, Chen Ping deliberately took a detour and passed by the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

Beyond its vermilion gates, the shouts from the training ground remained powerful and resonant.

He stood in the shadows at the street corner and looked from afar.

He saw his distant uncle, Liu Sanjin, standing with his hands behind his back, spittle flying as he berated several newly arrived apprentices. His arrogant manner was utterly different from the bedraggled state he had been in at the stables that day.

"Waist and horse as one! Haven't you eaten? With fists as limp as yours, you'll only be marching to your deaths out there!"

Liu Sanjin cursed with great enthusiasm, utterly unaware that the youth who had once humbly begged him to teach him a health-preservation technique was watching coldly from afar.

Chen Ping had no intention of going over to greet him.

That deal for two taels of silver had been settled fairly, money and goods exchanged.

Now, in his eyes, Liu Sanjin was no longer the "martial arts master" he needed to look up to.

"Just wait."

Chen Ping shifted his gaze away, pulled down the brim of his hat, and turned to merge into the bustling crowd.

When he returned to Lin Manor, night had fallen.

Chen Ping hid deep inside the woodshed and carefully studied Shattered Stone Palm several times.

It was a pure external martial art, emphasizing hard striking against hard. Once cultivated to Great Accomplishment, one's hands would become like iron and stone, capable of splitting steles and shattering rocks with ease.

Compared with the obscure mysteries of Longevity of Pine and Crane, this palm technique was far simpler and more direct.

"Breathe—in—out—"

Chen Ping assumed his stance. Following the book's instructions, he mobilized the weak yet unceasing Crane and Pine Inner Qi within his body and slowly poured it into both palms.

Cultivating external martial arts ordinarily required years upon years of tempering one's sinews and bones, a process both agonizing and slow.

But Chen Ping possessed a foundation in internal cultivation, and he also had the blessing of the [Heaven Rewards Diligence] fate. The moment he began, everything went astonishingly smoothly.

Smack!

He struck the wooden post before him with one palm, producing a dull thud.

His palm grew slightly hot, yet he felt no pain. Instead, he experienced the exhilaration of blood and qi flowing freely.

[Shattered Stone Palm Proficiency +1]

[Shattered Stone Palm Proficiency +1]

During a break in his training, the woodshed door was gently pushed open a crack.

A slender figure slipped inside, bringing with it a gust of cold wind and the faint fragrance of soapberry.

"Brother Ping?"

Yun Niang carried a food box. Only after recognizing Chen Ping in the moonlight did she pat her chest and walk over in small steps.

"I saved you two hot steamed buns, and some pickled vegetables too."

Chen Ping ended his practice and rose. He accepted the food box and set it aside, but did not rush to eat.

He took a Silver Hairpin he had prepared long ago from his clothes. Its head bore a small, unrefined Little Plum Blossom, which he had casually bought from a roadside stall while purchasing medicine that day.

"This is for you."

Chen Ping held the Silver Hairpin out before Yun Niang, his voice dry.

Yun Niang froze. She stared blankly at the Silver Hairpin, and her eyes reddened.

She was a widow who had endured nothing but cold looks in Lin Manor. When had anyone ever given her jewelry?

"This... how much did this cost...?"

"It wasn't worth much."

Chen Ping awkwardly pressed the Silver Hairpin into her hand, clasped her rough palm, and said quietly:

"These times are chaotic, and our lives are bitter, but we still need something to hope for. From now on... as long as I have a mouthful to eat, I won't let you go hungry."

Yun Niang clenched the Silver Hairpin tightly as tears silently slid down her face. Then she suddenly threw herself into Chen Ping's arms, her body trembling faintly.

In that cold woodshed, two humble souls held each other tightly.

Though they had no formal bond and no vows of eternal love, they were each other's only support in this troubled age.

The days passed one by one.

As his proficiency in Shattered Stone Palm steadily rose, Chen Ping discovered that his hands had undergone obvious changes.

The hands that had once been those of a bookboy—though accustomed to work, still fairly slender—now had thickened knuckles, with a thick layer of calluses growing across his palms and fingertips. They felt as hard as tree bark.

A faint blue-black hue showed beneath his skin, a sign that his external martial arts had entered the threshold.

If these hands were seen by someone observant, they would surely arouse suspicion.

To conceal them, Chen Ping deliberately grabbed a handful of stove ash before beginning work each day, mixing it with dirt and smearing it over his hands so they looked merely grimy and rough from labor.

Even when sweeping floors or chopping firewood, he dug out an old pair of fingerless gloves to wear, doing his best not to expose his hands before others.

Half a month later.

Late at night, Chen Ping sat cross-legged on his bed and slowly finished his cultivation.

With a slight movement of his mind, the familiar attribute panel surfaced before his eyes again.

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Skills:]

[Longevity of Pine and Crane (First Layer 15/1000): Progress is slow; strengthens the foundation and nurtures vitality.]

[Shattered Stone Palm (Minor Accomplishment 230/500): Fierce palm force; can shatter bricks and stones.]

Looking at the data on the panel, Chen Ping frowned slightly.

Over the past half month, he had cultivated bitterly day and night. Shattered Stone Palm had advanced at lightning speed and already reached Minor Accomplishment.

Now, one palm strike from him was enough to shatter a blue brick.

But the progress of Longevity of Pine and Crane crawled along as slowly as a snail.

After all, it was merely a health-preservation cultivation technique with too low a ceiling. The inner qi it produced was soft and weak. It was sufficient for nourishing the body, but if he wanted it to support Shattered Stone Palm in displaying greater power, or to break into higher realms of martial cultivation, it was already unable to bear the burden.

"A health-preservation cultivation technique alone can't fight people, and it won't take me far on the road of cultivation."

Chen Ping clenched his fist, feeling the strength surging from his palm as longing flashed in his eyes.

"I have to find a way to get a true internal cultivation manual. Even the most basic internal art of the martial world would be a hundred times stronger than this Health Preservation Fist."

He looked toward the pitch-black night sky outside the window, calculating his next move.

This Lin Manor, this Qinghe County, was ultimately still too small.