Grace and Authority in Equal Measure

"Not bad. Though your body is depleted, your willpower and comprehension are outstanding. In merely a few days, you've glimpsed the gateway to Skin Tempering."

Li Bufan had just raised his fists in salute to give thanks when a streak of white flashed through the air. Crack! A whip lashed through the air toward him.

Li Bufan couldn't dodge in time. The whip struck him squarely, tearing his thin coarse-cloth shirt apart as though sliced by a blade before landing viciously across his chest.

"This lash is punishment for your disrespect toward me that day. Though you protected your master and earned merit, it was still a grave offense."

Li Bufan said in a deep voice, "Thank you for the reward, Miss. I did indeed offend you that day. Miss took pity on this subordinate's weak body and did not administer punishment at the time. Today, you have absolved me of that past offense."

Before Eldest Miss Lin could speak, Li Bufan continued, "I also thank Miss for your grace. You gave me an opportunity, allowing me to gain the means to settle down and survive in this troubled world."

"Not bad. You do know how to sweet-talk."

"How would I dare? Every word Bufan spoke was true. I ask Miss to bestow nine more lashes, to make it ten in perfect fullness."

The moment Li Bufan finished speaking, crack, crack, crack! Another nine lashes tore through the air and landed on his thin yet sturdy body. Though he had only glimpsed Skin Tempering, his flesh still split and bled.

"In three days, the Lin Family will hold its Winter Hunt. You will come lead the horses." With that, Lin Zhiyan flicked her delicate hand, and an exquisite jade bottle dropped into Li Bufan's torn clothes. "Skin Tempering Paste. Apply it to your wounds, and you'll know its benefits yourself."

Li Bufan wanted to offer his thanks again, but there was no one before him.

Li Bufan stood where he was, his chest burning as if seared by branding irons. Ten whip marks crisscrossed over his torn flesh, blood slowly seeping out and staining his ragged clothes red. Yet he stood straight, his gaze calm, as if the agonizing pain hadn't been inflicted on him at all. Lin Zhiyan's final words, along with that cool jade bottle, clearly conveyed the meaning of grace and authority in equal measure. Authority was punishment, a reminder that status separated high from low, and merit could not erase faults. Grace was recognition, resources, and an opportunity to go further.

"Winter Hunt... leading horses..." Li Bufan savored those words, a gleam flashing through his eyes. This was definitely not a simple servant's task. It was likely another test—and perhaps another opportunity. He knew well that within these deep estates and grand courtyards, rising to the heavens in a single step was nothing but a fool's dream. Only by seizing every seemingly tiny opportunity could he steadily build his position step by step.

He didn't tend to his wounds immediately. Instead, he endured the pain and carefully cleaned the area of the training ground where he usually practiced. Only then did he clutch his chest and limp toward the row of low communal bunkhouses at the edge of the Guard Camp.

Along the way, other apprentices and guards saw his blood-stained chest. Some were indifferent, some held barely concealed mockery, and a few showed a trace of sympathy, but no one stepped forward to speak. Here, hierarchy was strict, and preserving oneself wisely was the foremost rule.

When he returned to the dark, damp communal bunkroom crammed with more than ten people, fortunately most of them were still at the training ground or occupied with other work. The room was empty. Only then did Li Bufan breathe a sigh of relief and carefully take the exquisite jade bottle from his clothes.

When he pulled out the stopper, a crisp, refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately spread through the room, even temporarily suppressing its moldy smell. Inside was a lustrous green paste, cool and smooth to the touch. One look told him it was no ordinary item.

He removed his utterly ruined shirt, revealing a lean, sturdy upper body covered in old and fresh scars. The ten whip marks sprawled across his chest like savage centipedes, slightly swollen and beaded with Blood Beads. Enduring the pain, he dipped his fingers into the cool ointment and carefully, evenly applied it over each wound and the surrounding skin.

The moment the paste touched his wounds, an extreme chill spread through him, instantly suppressing the burning pain and making him nearly groan in comfort. Then it transformed into a strange warmth that seeped strand by strand into the depths of his flesh, nourishing the damaged tissue. An even more powerful medicinal effect spread out and merged into his blood qi, actually drawing that faint thread of blood qi within him to seep into the skin membrane faster, tempering it!

Such potent medicinal power! No wonder it was bestowed by a young miss of the Lin Family! Li Bufan was secretly astonished and didn't dare waste a drop. He immediately sat cross-legged on the cold edge of the kang bed, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and circulated the breathing method of the Mighty Ox Fist, guiding the blood qi within him as he fully cooperated with the surging medicinal power to temper the skin over his entire body.

The intense pain turned into a warm current, and the medicine's power fused with his blood qi. The skin all over his body gradually heated up, taking on an increasingly distinct bronze sheen. The ten whip marks stopped bleeding at a visible rate, forming thin layers of dark scab. Waves of numbness, itching, and pain kept washing over him—signs that flesh was healing rapidly and new skin was growing!

[Martial Arts Realm]: Skin Tempering (Glimpsed) -- Medicinal Power Tempering in Progress

He immersed himself in the sensation of growing stronger so quickly, unaware of how much time passed. Only when the lustrous green paste had been completely absorbed, leaving only faint pink traces of new flesh at his wounds, did the medicinal power within him gradually settle.

Li Bufan opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing past them. He rose to his feet and felt his blood qi brimming, his entire body seemingly filled with inexhaustible strength. His skin was taut and resilient, and he felt better than ever before!

A thought struck him. He went to a corner outside the room, gave a low shout, and once again assumed the stance of the Mighty Ox Fist.

"Roar!"

His fist wind howled, its force several degrees stronger than the previous night! With every punch, he felt his blood qi surge and churn, while his control over muscle and skin membrane became even more precise. The painful memory of those ten lashes and the lingering medicinal power seemed to become the finest catalyst, sending his understanding of this fist technique soaring forward!

One round, two rounds, three rounds...

He practiced tirelessly. The blood qi inside him rushed like a stream, faster and fiercer with every passing moment! The bronze glow beneath his skin flickered with the movement of his fists.

When he performed the final move, Mighty Ox Charge, during his tenth round of the fist technique, the blood qi throughout his body suddenly boiled as if bursting through a sluice gate. The speed and power of his punches abruptly surged by another level! An aura far stronger than before radiated from his body!

[Mighty Ox Fist] Breakthrough! Realm: Minor Mastery (1/2000)

Effect: Greatly tempers muscles and skin membrane, stimulates blood qi, significantly enhances strength. Punches carry the force of a Mighty Ox Charge.

He'd broken through! The Mighty Ox Fist had entered the realm of Minor Mastery!

An even more surprising change followed immediately after—

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Forged through a Hundred Refinements. Mighty Ox Fist realm increased, feeding back into the foundation; blood qi erupts!]

[Martial Arts Realm]: Skin Tempering (Minor Success!)

Boom!

An even more violent transformation erupted within him! Newly born Blood Qi Power, more vast and pure than before, driven by the Mighty Ox Fist's Minor Mastery realm, surged madly toward every inch of skin across his body like a flood bursting through a broken dam! The fierce numbness, itchiness, and stabbing pain returned, even more intense than before!

The skin over his entire body visibly became denser. Its bronze luster stabilized and became distinct, as if he had been covered in a thin layer of copper hide! His toughness and defensive strength instantly rose by an entire tier!

Li Bufan couldn't help letting out a long cry. Though it wasn't loud, it was filled with exhilaration and strength! He suddenly drove a fist into a Blue Stone beside him that was used as a stepping block!

Bang!

A dull impact rang out, and stone chips scattered slightly. Li Bufan withdrew his fist and saw that the skin over his knuckles had only turned faintly pale—not even a red mark remained. Yet a shallow fist print had appeared on the Blue Stone!

Minor Success in Skin Refining! Skin like copper hide! Ordinary clubs and staves could no longer injure him in the slightest!

After the wild joy faded, Li Bufan quickly calmed down. He clenched his fist, feeling the surging strength within him and the toughness of his skin.

"The Winter Hunt in three days... leading horses..." His eyes flickered. "It's definitely not as simple as leading horses. The mountains and forests are dangerous, with fierce beasts lurking everywhere. Without the strength to protect myself, I'm afraid I won't be able to take a single step."

Now that his fist technique had reached Minor Mastery and his Skin Tempering was stable, his close-combat ability had greatly increased. But he lacked any long-range means. He recalled that his father had been an excellent hunter in life, and there seemed to be an old hunting bow his father had used in his early years tossed in the corner of their home...

With that thought, Li Bufan didn't delay. He carefully hid the remaining half-bottle of Skin Tempering Paste, changed into an old garment that could barely cover his body, and hurried out of Lin Manor toward his home outside the city.

Pushing open the creaking wooden gate, he found his younger brother, Li Ping'an, carefully watering several cold-resistant vegetable seedlings behind the house. When Li Ping'an saw Li Bufan return—especially when he sensed the distinctly different, hardened aura around his elder brother—he ran over in delight. "Brother! You're back! You... you seem even stronger now!"

Li Bufan smiled and rubbed his younger brother's head. "Yeah, your brother's martial training has improved a little lately. Ping'an, is Father's old bow still here?"

"It is, it is!" Li Ping'an hurried to rummage through a pile of clutter in the corner. Before long, he dragged out an ancient-looking Hardwood Longbow covered in dust, along with a Quiver containing only five or six remaining arrows, their arrowheads all mottled with rust.

"Brother, are you going into the mountains?" Li Ping'an asked worriedly. He knew all too well how dangerous the forests were.

"Yes. In three days, I'll be accompanying Eldest Miss Lin on the Winter Hunt. I need to prepare in advance." Li Bufan took the longbow, his fingers brushing its body as he felt its resilient texture, which eased his mind somewhat. He tried drawing the bowstring. Even with the strength of Minor Success in Skin Refining, he found it quite difficult and could only barely pull it halfway.

"Fine bow!" Li Bufan praised. The bow his father had left behind was definitely no ordinary hunting bow. It likely required several hundred jin of force to draw fully.

He took the bow and arrows to the open space behind the house.

He had no foundation in archery whatsoever. But he had Heaven Rewards Diligence!

He recalled the essentials of archery that his father had occasionally mentioned while alive: feet shoulder-width apart, body turned sideways to the target, shoulders lowered and elbows dropped, index finger hooked around the string, eye, arrowhead, and target aligned in a single line...

He nocked an arrow, took a deep breath, and used all his strength to draw the bow halfway. Holding his breath, he focused his mind and aimed at a dead tree ten paces away.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew from the string but missed the target by a wide margin, landing crookedly in the snow some distance away.

[Archery] Not Yet Initiated (1/100)

There really was proficiency! Rather than being alarmed, Li Bufan was delighted. He wasn't afraid of failure; he only feared having no direction.

He walked over to retrieve the arrow and drew the bowstring again. His arms trembled faintly from the exertion, while the blood qi of his newly Minor Mastery Mighty Ox Fist naturally began circulating, striving to steady both arms.

Whoosh! Another arrow flew out, still missing the target, but it didn't seem to be off by quite as much.

[Archery] Not Yet Initiated (2/100)

He practiced tirelessly like this. Again and again, he drew the bow, aimed, fired, then walked over to retrieve the arrows. His arms soon became unbearably sore, and the pads of his fingers were rubbed red by the rough bowstring, but he barely noticed.

Gradually, he began to feel out some of the secrets. The rhythm of breathing, the technique of applying force, the subtle adjustments to his aim...

By sunset, one or two arrows out of every ten could barely hit the trunk of that dead tree, though they were still far from the bullseye.

[Archery] Not Yet Initiated (55/100)

His progress was astonishingly rapid!

Li Bufan looked at the proficiency and put away the Hardwood Longbow with satisfaction. He knew one had to eat one bite at a time. Today's gains were already immense.

Over the next two days, Li Bufan's daily rhythm became even more frenzied. During the day, he completed his regular training at the Guard Camp and used the Medicinal Cuisine allotment of an official apprentice to replenish his Vital Energy like mad, tempering the Mighty Ox Fist and Nameless Fist Technique while consolidating his Minor Success in Skin Refining. After returning in the evening, he seized every moment to practice archery.

His archery proficiency rose at breakneck speed. The arm that drew the bow grew steadier, and his eyes grew increasingly accurate.

[Archery] Not Yet Initiated (86/100)

[Archery] Not Yet Initiated (99/100)

At dusk on the second day, the day before the Winter Hunt, Li Bufan nocked another arrow and drew his bow. By now, he could barely pull the bow to seven-tenths full draw! His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, locked firmly onto a mark he had carved into a tree thirty paces away.

Whoosh!

The arrow became a black streak and tore through the air!

Thock!

With a crisp sound, the arrow buried itself deep in the trunk, only half an inch from the mark!

[Archery] Breakthrough! Realm: Initiated (1/500)

Effect: Mastered basic archery. Hit rate greatly increased within thirty paces; arm strength and eyesight slightly enhanced.

He'd made it! Archery initiated!

Li Bufan slowly lowered his somewhat trembling arm, a tired yet gratified smile appearing on his face.

Three days of bitter cultivation: Savage Ox Fist at Minor Mastery, Minor Success in Skin Refining, and Archery Initiated! He had also thoroughly absorbed and digested the Skin Tempering Paste bestowed by Eldest Miss Lin. His strength had undergone an earth-shaking transformation!

He was no longer that impoverished youth who could only risk his life through sheer ruthlessness. Though the road ahead remained perilous, he now held far more cards in his hand.

He looked toward the Lin Family estate, his gaze calm and resolute.

Winter Hunt, I'm ready.