A Modest Improvement

Seeing this, Chen Xia smiled, though inwardly he didn't think much of it.

His cousin had once called their family a bunch of poor wretches and hardly ever called him "cousin." His uncle-in-law had never urged him to show respect, either. His aunt had mentioned it, but Zhu He always brushed her off. It was good enough that he didn't openly berate Chen Xia; he simply looked down on Chen Xia's family.

If not for his aunt treating them well, Chen Xia wouldn't have wanted to get involved in this matter. As for his uncle-in-law, his attitude toward their family had been even more obvious.

It was fair to say that the relationship between the two families depended entirely on his aunt.

Of course, all that was in the past. It was naturally a good thing that his aunt's son had been released. After all, they didn't have any deep-seated hatred between them; there was no need to let things get so ugly.

"Chen Xia, we really have you to thank for Zhu He's situation this time. Otherwise, I'm afraid he wouldn't have gotten out. Here... have a cigarette!"

His uncle-in-law beamed as he spoke, pulling a pack of Dahua Cigarettes from his pocket and offering one to Chen Xia. But Chen Xia didn't smoke.

His uncle-in-law smiled. He knew Chen Xia didn't smoke; the gesture was what mattered. In any case, his son was out, and their family could finally breathe easy. A huge problem had been resolved.

Thinking about his son, he still felt a lingering fear.

When they had first gone to Chen Xia for help, Zhu He hadn't been released yet. But Chen Xia's aunt had given them money, and he hadn't been entirely happy about it.

A few days later, though, when they went to visit their son again, Zhu He told them that, for some reason, his food and living conditions had improved a lot. He'd even been moved out of the group holding area and given a room of his own.

Only then had his uncle-in-law realized that Chen Xia might have had something to do with it. But Zhu He still hadn't been released, and he remained worried. Later, they'd approached plenty of people, but none of them could pull strings or help.

No one dared accept money when they didn't know what it was for. So the matter had gone nowhere, and the family had been beside themselves with worry. It wasn't until they received a phone call yesterday that they learned their son had been released.

Even then, he hadn't realized it was because of Chen Xia. He only found out later, when Zhu He told them Chen Xia was the reason he'd been let go.

Hearing this, his uncle-in-law finally understood. When they went to bring their son home, the person in charge of guarding him had told him that Zhu He was lucky to be alive. No one who got mixed up with the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group had ever been released. If it weren't for their connection to Chen Xia, Zhu He would probably have been done for.

The man had also told him that Chen Xia was a martial artist who had killed a wanted criminal, been promoted to captain, and caught the attention of the Chief Office. It was because of Chen Xia that the higher-ups had gone through the proper procedure, ruled that Zhu He had no ties to the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group, and released him.

At the time, his uncle-in-law had been utterly shaken. A Patrol Inspection Office captain, a favorite of the Chief Office? This... Even if a captain wasn't one of Yijiang City's influential figures, their family had never produced anyone powerful. Neither the Chen Family nor the Zhu Family was anything but ordinary. Just holding a public post as a Patrol Inspection Office captain was astonishing enough. And Chen Xia had even become a martial artist and killed a wanted criminal? It was unbelievable. A martial artist...

After the family picked Zhu He up, the couple spent a day making preparations, then brought gifts to visit Chen Xia.

Thinking of this, his uncle-in-law turned to Wang Xin with a smile. "Elder Sister, your Xiar has really made something of himself. He's become a martial artist and even a Patrol Inspection Office captain. He's a different person now. You'll have a good life from here on, Elder Sister."

"I could tell from the start that your Chen Xia was talented and capable. Ahem... Zhu He, why don't you say a few words to your cousin?" His uncle-in-law glanced at his standing son, prompting him.

"Cousin, thank you. That place was no place for a person to stay. If not for you, I don't think I would've gotten out," Zhu He said gratefully.

"Good that you're out. As long as you don't get mixed up with the Mercenary Group again, you'll be fine."

Chen Xia nodded. If Zhu He got into trouble like that again, he'd have only himself to blame.

Hearing this, Zhu He nodded repeatedly. "You're right, Cousin. I'll never drink with those people again."

"Remember what your cousin said. Don't go running around and getting mixed up with people! If not for him, who knows how bad things might've gotten this time?" his uncle-in-law quickly added.

His aunt's family thanked Chen Xia at great length. Most of what they said was praise, singing his praises. Part of it was sincere—after all, Chen Xia really had saved their son. The other part was so they could ask him for help if they ran into trouble again.

His uncle-in-law had worn a smile ever since he walked in. He wouldn't dare give Chen Xia a sour look now.

After chatting for quite a while, they couldn't impose any longer, so they took their leave.

After leaving, his aunt's family got into a luxurious sedan. They rolled down the window and called out their farewells for quite some time before finally hitting the gas and driving away.

After watching his aunt's family leave, Chen Xia and his mother went back to the Small Shop.

A pile of things lay on the floor at home: cigarettes, liquor, and the like. There was also a stack of cash, eighty thousand.

Chen Xia told his mother to accept it without feeling guilty. His aunt wouldn't take it back even if they returned it. He told her not to work so hard from now on. Their family's difficult circumstances had improved quite a bit, so she didn't need to exhaust herself anymore.

His mother wiped away a tear and nodded...

After helping his family tidy up, Chen Xia went upstairs to his room and continued training.

He'd spent the past few days drinking, which had delayed his investigation into the Evil Cult. But he hadn't let up on his daily training.

Over the past ten days, he'd taken ten Qianyang Pills and one Lingpo Pill. He'd reversed all of them, causing his blood and Internal Energy to keep growing.

Especially when paired with the Seven Injuries Fist, they made his whole body burn with heat, and filled his dantian with even more Primal Qi.

The next morning, when he went out, he headed straight to the nearby Martial Arts Hall and found a testing machine in the corner. He swung at it three times in a row.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"1,622 kg!" "1,621 kg!" "1,625 kg!"

Seeing the figures, Chen Xia's expression turned serious. If he remembered correctly, his previous result had been 1,444 kg. Less than half a month had passed, yet his strength had increased by more than two hundred kilograms.

That rate of improvement was far beyond what an ordinary person could manage.

It made sense. Chen Xia's cost of taking pills was relatively low, and he also used the Seven Injuries Fist to temper his body. His growth was naturally impressive.

Based on his punching power, Chen Xia had advanced from Grade 1, fourth stage to sixth stage.

Thinking of this, he opened his status panel to take a look.

[Name: Chen Xia]

[Cultivation: Grade 1 Martial Artist (Stage 6)]

[Technique: Seven Injuries Fist (Minor Completion)]

[Punching Power: 1,625 kg]...

At the Martial Arts Hall, Chen Xia didn't test his speed or footwork. As his strength increased, his other attributes improved along with it, and the difference wouldn't be too great. He would only pay attention to the figures during an assessment. Since Chen Xia hadn't reached Grade 2 yet, it didn't matter much.

After checking his results, Chen Xia didn't leave. Instead, he continued practicing a set of the Seven Injuries Fist. This technique benefited him greatly, and he practiced whenever he had time.

As he trained his Five Viscera and body, his vital essence, energy, and spirit all improved. He could clearly feel the Primal Qi between heaven and earth pouring into him. His sight, hearing, and intuition had also become much sharper than before.

Bang! Suddenly, he threw a punch, channeling the Qi energy in his body into his fist. It landed with a rumble. Then he tried drawing the Hanging Knife at his waist and slashing with it, striving to channel the Qi energy into the blade.

It was said that some martial artists could channel the Qi energy in their bodies into a blade's edge. If he could do the same, his swordsmanship would become even more powerful, and he might even condense a sharp blade aura.