Hard Work, Fame Wine! (Seeking Daily Reads)

In the Outer City, within a small courtyard in the east, Zhao An finished his meal and instructed Li Gou'er and his companion not to disturb him before returning to the inner room.

Inside the room, five large bowls of Red Blood Root decoction were lined up on the table.

Beside them sat five Earth Origin Pills, which he had poured out from their bottle.

Furthermore, a large bathing tub stood by the table, filled with a prepared medicinal decoction for him to soak in.

This was a new method of replenishment he had devised after reading through numerous medical texts and herb manuals: medicinal bathing.

Relying solely on consuming pills and drinking Red Blood Root decoction to supply the energy required for his body's transformations placed a significant burden on his internal organs and digestive system.

Soaking his entire body to absorb the medicine through his skin helped alleviate some of the strain caused by his energy intake.

Moreover, using both methods simultaneously allowed each of his physical transformations to conclude more rapidly.

He stripped off all his clothing and proceeded.

[Soul Slave Chen Song, the twenty-year term of servitude has ended. Extract Karma Fruit?]

"Extract."

The next moment, a vast amount of cultivation memories surfaced and flashed rapidly through his mind.

The content of these memories was filled with monotony, almost entirely unchanging.

As he accepted this information, his body began to change quietly.

His blood began to flow faster throughout his body, and his heart beat with higher frequency and greater force, sounding like the rhythmic thumping of a large drum.

His internal energy surged, spreading through his limbs; his skin turned scalding hot, and his muscles ached with tension.

His entire person seemed to have transformed into a great smelting furnace.

The food he had just consumed was digested and depleted by this furnace in an instant.

A sense of hunger surged up immediately.

Zhao An had been well-prepared; he swallowed one of the Earth Origin Pills from the table, downed a bowl of Red Blood Root decoction in one gulp, and finally stepped into the tub, leaving only his head above the surface.

The concentration of medicinal herbs in the tub was extremely high.

Some of the precious ingredients had been gifted by the noble families of the Inner City, and he had put them to use in this bath.

He could feel the skin all over his body like parched earth meeting sweet rain, his pores wide open, greedily absorbing the nutrients from the medicinal bath.

At this moment, with the influx of energy, his muscles actually began to ache even more intensely.

Yet, amidst the soreness, strands of new strength were constantly sprouting.

His skin was also becoming tougher, as resilient as cowhide, impossible to cut!

It was not until the medicinal ingredients in the tub were fully absorbed, three Earth Origin Pills were consumed, and all five bowls of Red Blood Root decoction were finished that his physical transformation finally began to subside.

Zhao An let out a long breath and slowly stepped out of the tub, standing barefoot on the floor to examine himself.

"The results of this hard-body cultivation technique are always the most energy-consuming..." Zhao An muttered to himself.

If not for the wealth and pills gifted by the noble families of the Inner City, he truly would not have been able to afford it.

He clenched his fist abruptly, and the muscles on his arm bulged, hard as iron!

He threw a punch, the wind of the strike sweeping away everything in its path, the force of the blow crashing out like a steel pillar!

This punch was as hard as it could possibly be!

The sound of the air breaking was like a firecracker exploding; before the fist even arrived, the candle flame on the table was extinguished.

"My strength has increased by more than fifty percent! To think that reaching the second stage of this hard-body skill would be this powerful!"

Zhao An was filled with pleasant surprise.

The technique he had the Soul Slave Chen Song practice was the Grade Eight Hard Bone Skill.

Even though it was a time-consuming and laborious process, the Soul Slave Chen Song had pushed through in one go, not only completing the first stage but the second as well.

The first stage tempered the skin, while this second stage tempered the flesh!

His muscles were now incredibly dense, with every single fiber concealing more explosive power than anyone else!

This second stage focused primarily on tempering raw strength!

Zhao An had already possessed extraordinary strength, but now, a mere twitch of his arm felt as if it held the power of ten thousand jun!

"Even martial artists whose internal energy surpasses mine would likely be unable to match my raw physical strength!" Zhao An chuckled to himself, truly satisfied with the results of this Soul Slave's cultivation.

This hard-body skill had failed to display its proper power when used by the Martial Academy master, but in his hands, it was like a tiger gaining wings, yielding exceptional results!

He raised his hand and executed another strike, Mountain-Shaking Heaven-Opening, hitting a wooden post placed in the room.

The post was as thick as a person's waist, like a water barrel, yet when struck by Zhao An's punch, it shattered into pieces in an instant!

Looking at Zhao An's fist, there was not even a trace of abrasion on his skin.

If this punch were to land on a person's head, the effect would likely be the same.

"It is a pity, though, that only one Martial Master Soul Slave remains." Zhao An looked at the number of Soul Slaves floating in the Soul Pool; it had decreased significantly compared to before.

There was only one Martial Master Soul Slave left idle.

Among them, Guo Fenglin, who possessed the strongest martial arts prowess during his lifetime, had a servitude period of thirty years—a significant cut above the other Martial Masters—so he was assigned to the cultivation of finger techniques.

After a brief thought, Zhao An invested the final Martial Master Soul Slave into the Hard Bone Skill, determined to continue refining his physical strength to break through to the third realm!

The next day.

The County Magistrate hosted a banquet at his residence, sending men to invite the twenty individuals who had made the list this year to drink.

There is a folk saying that this is both an official banquet and a "merit wine," held by every County Magistrate throughout the years.

Zhao An was among them, entering the County Magistrate's residence for the first time in his life.

The sprawling official residence faced south, covering an area of over ten mu, with high walls of blue brick and grey tiles, and several official banners snapping in the wind atop the walls.

Vermilion gates, stone lions, and long stone steps—it was all there.

Four bailiffs guarded the entrance, solemn and dignified.

After stepping off his carriage, Zhao An was led to the banquet hall.

The twenty successful candidates gathered, ten scholars and ten burly martial artists, each with a different expression.

There were those with high spirits, those who spoke with eloquence, the refined and scholarly, and those who appeared somewhat crude.

Zhao An remained silent and reserved, not participating much in the discussions.

Sitting beside him was Xu Hong, the second-ranked on the martial list, and further down was Shen Pan, the third-ranked.

The three of them were not talkative, merely sipping wine and occasionally picking at the dishes.

At the banquet, the County Magistrate showed little official arrogance, kindly asking about everyone's circumstances and offering words of encouragement.

As the banquet drew to a close, Tao Heng's gaze fell upon Zhao An and the young scholar who had topped the literary list.

"Since you two are first in both literature and martial arts, according to the rules, you may skip the County Academy after autumn and go to the Prefecture Academy for advanced studies. Of course, whether you go or not is up to you."

The young scholar looked slightly excited and hurriedly said, "Naturally, I will go. To pass up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would be foolish."

Zhao An glanced at the kid, his eyes cold.

He had also looked into the rules of the county examinations over the years and was aware of this privilege granted to the top-ranked.

However, he had not yet decided whether he wanted to go to the Prefecture Academy.

"Of course, if you don't go this year, you may go the next," Tao Heng noted Zhao An's expression, sensing his hesitation, and offered a reminder.

"Many thanks to the County Magistrate for informing me." Zhao An nodded.

Tao Heng smiled at him slightly, raised his cup, and drank a few more rounds with the group before the banquet finally dispersed.

Watching Zhao An and the others leave, Tao Heng stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.

"Since the Lord thinks highly of Zhao An, why not recruit him into your service?" the guard Tao Jinyi asked.

During the banquet, Tao Heng had not shown much intention to recruit Zhao An, keeping the interaction to standard conversation.

"The kid is too lazy to even go to the Prefecture Academy; do you think he would accept if I tried to recruit him now?" Tao Heng said casually.

"My Lord, your status is noble. How would a mere commoner dare to refuse your favor?" Tao Jinyi replied.

Tao Heng smiled faintly, shaking his head. "Though this child comes from humble beginnings, I can see that his pride is immense; he may not even hold me in high regard."

"This person cannot be recruited through ordinary means; it must be done gradually."

"My Lord, you might be overestimating him," Tao Jinyi said after a moment of silence.

"Whether I am overestimating him or not, you will know in time. Right now, compared to recruiting talent, I am more concerned about the war situation in the entire Xiding Province!" Tao Heng lowered his voice, his tone grave.

On the other side, sitting in the carriage, Zhao An exhaled the scent of wine, looking out at the moonlit night.

His eyes were clear, without a hint of drunkenness.

The carriage passed through the quiet, deserted streets, and after turning a corner, his own small courtyard came into view.

"Hm?" Zhao An suddenly sensed some unusual movement coming from the courtyard.

There was a faint sound of sharp shouting.

Zhao An's expression changed instantly; he grabbed the two sabers resting on the carriage and leaped out.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

Zhao Chunzi was clutching a small box tightly, trying his best to curl into a ball.

Li Gou'er lay beside him, both of them bruised and swollen.

Zhao Ke was landing punch after punch on them.

"Are you going to let go or not!"

"Ch-Chunzi, just give it to him. Money can be earned again, but if you lose your life, you lose everything," Li Gou'er wheezed, on the verge of collapse.

"This is Big Brother's money! No one can take it!" Zhao Chunzi was stubborn.

Zhao An had told him to guard this money, so he would not let go even if it killed him.

"Fine, I've had my fun beating you. You won't let go, huh? I'll just chop your hand off and see how you protect it then." Zhao Ke stood up, calmly wiped the blood from the back of his hand, and drew the long saber at his waist.

Seeing Zhao Ke draw his blade, Li Gou'er became even more desperate.

"Chunzi, hurry up, hand over the money! We'll deal with everything else once Brother Zhao returns!"

Zhao Chunzi, however, kept his eyes tightly shut; even though his lips were trembling uncontrollably, he showed no intention of letting go.

"What a loyal dog! My dear brother certainly didn't raise you for nothing!" Zhao Ke sneered, raising his blade high.

Just then, the disheveled figure sitting on the stone table nearby suddenly lifted his head and looked toward the courtyard wall.

Zhao An vaulted over the wall and landed in the courtyard. His gaze swept across the scene, his brows instantly knitting together as his eyes turned chillingly cold!

A murderous aura erupted from his entire body, truly resembling a fierce, golden-eyed tiger in a rage!