Xue Na watched Meng Chuan eat, her face beaming with delight. She loved seeing him wolf down his food.
"Slow down, Chuan'er. Don't choke. Nobody's going to steal it from you."
"Auntie, your cooking is just too good."
Meng Chuan swept the table clean. Just as he was about to get up and wash the dishes, Xue Na stopped him.
"I'll do it. You've worked hard at your training, Chuan'er. Go sit down and rest."
Seeing how resolute his aunt was, Meng Chuan had no choice but to give in.
He sat on the couch, peeled a tangerine, and quietly felt the changes in his blood and qi.
Unable to look within himself, he could only judge the concentration of his blood and qi by its outward effects.
He took out the old walnuts his uncle had been turning in his hands for years. Holding one in each hand, he rolled them gently in his palms, then suddenly squeezed. The two walnuts cracked and crumbled.
"My strength really has increased quite a bit. This is one sign that my blood-and-qi concentration is rising.
"Before I mastered Pao Fist, there was no way I could've crushed two polished old walnuts in one hand. But I think I might've caused trouble..."
Just then, a knock came from outside the door.
Meng Chuan tossed the crushed walnuts into the trash and got up to ask from beside the door:
"Who's there?"
"Open up! Your big sister's home!"
Meng Chuan remembered her saying a couple of days ago that she wouldn't be back until the evening of the seventh. He hadn't expected her to arrive so early in the morning.
As he thought this, he kept moving.
He opened the door for his cousin, then called toward Xue Na, who was washing dishes in the kitchen:
"Auntie, Sis is back!"
Overjoyed, Xue Na didn't even bother to dry her hands. She wiped them on her apron and hurried out.
"My daughter's home?"
When the door opened, there was a man in a padded jacket standing behind Meng Yiyi.
The two had their arms linked. Meng Chuan could tell at a glance what their relationship was.
Meng Yiyi pulled her arm free, changed her shoes, and looked around the house.
Then she introduced them to Meng Chuan and Xue Na:
"Mom, little brother, I'm home! Where's Dad? This is Yu Kaidong, my high school classmate. He's a freshman at Yong'an Martial Arts University now, and he's my boyfriend!"
Yu Kaidong was carrying premium liquor, cigarettes, and cosmetics. Meng Chuan took them from him and set them beside the couch.
At first, Xue Na didn't quite process it. Meng Yiyi had never told her she had a boyfriend.
She studied him for a moment, then lit up when she heard he attended Yong'an Martial Arts University.
"That's wonderful! Come in, come sit down."
Yong'an Martial Arts University was a top-tier Martial Dao university in Yong'an City. It was far below the Special Grade Martial Universities, but it was still beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Meng Yiyi led her boyfriend to the couch and pouted, pretending to be upset.
"I told you when I'd be back, but neither of you came to pick me up. Xianyang Airport is so far from Yong'an. Kaidong had to get up early and drive all the way there to bring me home."
Seeing her daughter complain, Xue Na hastened to reassure her.
"Your dad's on duty at the bureau today, and I can't drive."
Once she saw her daughter was no longer upset, Xue Na changed tack and began grilling her boyfriend about his background.
Meng Chuan was on the verge of cracking up as he listened from the side.
His aunt's mouth was like a machine gun, rattling off one question after another.
Yu Kaidong was sweating under the barrage.
"Yes, Auntie. I'm twenty this year. I started school a little late."
Great Chu was under threat from the Heavenly Demons, and the government's foremost policy was to encourage people to have children.
On top of that, the rise of the Martial Dao had steadily improved people's physical fitness.
So Great Chu's laws allowed anyone to register a marriage once they turned eighteen.
Yu Kaidong sat on the couch, continuing to answer questions rapid-fire.
"There are four people in my family. I..."
Meng Chuan was finding it too boring and was about to head back to his room to practice his stance when his sister stopped him as soon as he stood.
"Little brother, don't go. Sit down a while."
Seeing her boyfriend struggle to keep up, Meng Yiyi decided to divert the attack and save him.
"Kaidong, he's the little brother I've told you about. He's crazy about martial arts.
"His name is Meng Chuan, and he's a high school freshman. When you have time, you should teach him a thing or two."
After speaking, Meng Yiyi gave him a sly wink. They were of one mind, and Yu Kaidong immediately understood what she meant.
"Ahem. Of course I have time. Xiao Meng, right? I'll show you a couple of moves right now."
Seeing this, Xue Na chimed in:
"That's a great idea. Chuan'er, haven't you always wanted to get into Yong'an Martial Arts University? This is the perfect chance to have your big brother Kaidong give you some pointers."
Xue Na's understanding of Meng Chuan was still stuck in the past. He was no longer the same person he'd been.
His goal had long since shifted to Northern United University. With his blood-and-qi strength already over eight, he could get into Yong'an Martial Arts University with his eyes closed.
Xue Na continued:
"Kaidong, Xiao Meng's only a high school freshman. Please give him some guidance."
At the mention of Yong'an Martial Arts University, Yu Kaidong spoke with a hint of pride.
"You want to come to our school too, Xiao Meng? Then you'd better start working hard now.
"I'm of average bone structure. I had to train through the bitterest winter and hottest summer to get in. Yong'an Martial Arts University is no easy school to enter."
Since this was his cousin's boyfriend's first visit, Meng Chuan didn't want to embarrass him, so he simply nodded.
Seeing that Meng Chuan wasn't much of a talker, Yu Kaidong spoke to him again to avoid having Meng Yiyi's mom continue grilling him.
"To improve your boxing, nothing beats real combat. Come on, Xiao Meng. Shall we go downstairs and spar?"
Meng Chuan quite agreed with him. Back when he sparred with Instructor Liu Ru, he had improved incredibly fast.
Although he'd already mastered Pao Fist, he could still raise his proficiency and work toward breaking its limits.
And Cun Step wasn't mastered yet, so sparring with Yu Kaidong would be useful.
"Sure. Let's go."
Since this was her daughter's boyfriend's first visit, Xue Na decided to make an especially lavish lunch and stayed behind instead of going downstairs to watch.
The three of them found an open space. Meng Yiyi flashed her tiger teeth in a bright smile and urged them to get started.
Her bone structure and comprehension were both poor, so she had no choice but to give up martial arts and pursue a literary path.
But that did nothing to lessen her love for the Martial Dao. Whenever she had free time, she watched Martial Dao competitions. Her favorite Martial Dao star was River-Mixing White Dragon Zheng Zhiyu.
She reminded them:
"Go easy on my little brother. Don't hurt him."
Yu Kaidong said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Yiyi. I know what I'm doing."
The two of them walked to the center of the open space. Yu Kaidong folded his arms and called to Meng Chuan:
"Come on, Xiao Meng. Give me everything you've got. I'll feed you moves."
That was how their teachers trained them at school, and today he was going to put what he'd learned into practice.
"What's your blood-and-qi strength?"
Seeing Yu Kaidong's confidence—and knowing he was already a college freshman—Meng Chuan wasn't sure what to make of him.
Yu Kaidong answered proudly:
"7.89. I'm about to break through the fourth Qi-Blood Pass!"
"Let me explain something else, too. If you want to get into Yong'an Martial Arts University someday, you'll need to meet three requirements."
"First, you need to reach the third Qi-Blood Pass. A blood-and-qi value of six is best, just to be safe.
"Every year, there are more than twice as many qualified applicants as places available, so there's also an additional practical combat test to select the best of the best."
"The second and third requirements are for martial arts: mastery of a third-rate fist technique and proficiency in movement techniques."
"Those requirements aren't easy to meet. Come on, Xiao Meng. I'll give you some good pointers.
"Follow what I teach you today when you train, and you'll get twice the results for half the effort."
Before you continue