Tendon Changing Imminent, Returning to the Old Place with Tragic News

Several days have passed since the disturbance at Chunhua Restaurant that shook East Street.

A cyan carriage quietly pulled out from a secluded alley on East Third Street, merging into the flow of people and vehicles on the main road.

[Yang Ning]

[Destiny System: Destined Martial Saint, Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Realm: Body Tempering]

[Techniques: Tiger Soul Fist (Tendon Changing 743/1000)

Wind Howling Blade Technique (Entry 79/100)]

Inside the carriage, Yang Ning looked at the panel before him, his knuckles tapping rhythmically against his knees.

The life-and-death battle against Wang Teng of the Blood Ape Gang, though brief and perilous, had forced him to exhaust almost all his current means.

After this brush with death, the harvest was far beyond his imagination.

The pressure and insights gained from a life-or-death struggle far surpassed the benefits of ordinary, bitter training.

Under the extreme exertion of his life force, he could faintly feel the barrier to the next stage.

Above Body Tempering lay Tendon Changing.

This was the beginning of the second transformation of one's life force and the foundation for the birth of a martial artist's "internal power."

Once successful, life force would no longer merely nourish the body and increase raw strength; it could be condensed and transformed into "manifest power" that could be projected through the body to injure enemies from a distance.

The power of punches and kicks would undergo a qualitative change, greatly enriching his combat options.

According to martial artists he had befriended in the Qin Mansion, and what Qin Yurong had occasionally mentioned, there was Bone Forging after Tendon Changing.

That was the third transformation of life force, where one's internal power could shift from "manifest" to "hidden," combining hardness and softness, controlled entirely by the mind.

It could even be imbued into weapons, greatly enhancing their lethality.

In ancient times, these were called "manifest power" and "hidden power," but now they were more intuitively named "Tendon Changing" and "Bone Forging."

Additionally, the newly added Wind Howling Blade Technique on his panel was another significant achievement from these past few days.

After becoming a guest of the Qin Family, he had limited rights to browse some of the martial arts manuals in the Qin Mansion's Library Pavilion.

He did not choose blindly, but instead used his core technique, Tiger Soul Fist, as a foundation to sense which skills were compatible.

After testing several blade and sword manuals, he finally chose to exchange for this Wind Howling Blade Technique.

With several days of diligent practice and the aid of "Heaven Rewards Diligence," his progress had been rapid, and he was on the verge of mastering the basics.

Dismissing the panel, Yang Ning's thoughts returned to his experiences at the Qin Family over the past few days.

Qin Yurong was indeed thorough in her actions.

She had gifted the Yang Family a small inn located in a relatively peaceful district that belonged to the Qin Family's assets.

This solved both the problem of housing and their livelihood.

With his family's situation stabilized, the heaviest stone in Yang Ning's heart finally fell to the ground.

After settling his family, Yang Ning asked for a half-day leave from Qin Yurong.

The carriage rumbled along, passing through streets he was becoming increasingly familiar with; his first destination was the vicinity of his original home to verify a suspicion in his heart.

However, as he approached that familiar, dilapidated neighborhood, he signaled the driver to slow down and lifted a corner of the carriage window, his gaze sweeping across the street.

Sure enough.

Looking from afar, there were clearly many more idlers than usual near his old house, which still had its faded blue cloth curtain hanging.

If one observed closely, although they were all going about their own business, their eyes would always inadvertently sweep toward the tightly shut door of the Yang residence.

Those gazes were cold, scrutinizing, and carried the patience of hunting hounds.

Yang Ning's eyes turned cold; he gently lowered the curtain and whispered:

"Don't go there. Change course, head to Wu's Grocery Store."

The carriage silently turned into another side street.

Wu's Grocery Store was located on the main road of East Third Street. It was an old shop run by the Wu father and son for many years and had been the Yang family's primary place for purchasing daily necessities.

Before long, the carriage stopped at a street corner some distance from the grocery store.

Yang Ning put on a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, lowered the brim, and stepped off the carriage like an ordinary passerby.

However, as he approached the grocery store, his heart sank.

Wu's Grocery Store, which would certainly be open for business at this hour, was now tightly shut!

The heavy wooden door was bolted firmly, and the old "Wu's" sign on the lintel looked somewhat crooked.

An ominous premonition, like a cold viper, suddenly slithered into Yang Ning's heart.

Just as Yang Ning was about to find a familiar shopkeeper nearby to inquire, he saw the small side door next to the grocery store creak open, revealing a narrow gap.

A young shop assistant poked his head out, looking left and right nervously, before slipping out with an empty food box, looking as if he were heading out to buy lunch.

Yang Ning recognized him; he was a clever and diligent young shop assistant from Wu Xian's shop named Aji, whom he had often dealt with when buying things in the past.

Seeing Aji head down with his head lowered, walking quickly toward a relatively quiet alley at the end of the street, Yang Ning pondered for a moment before quietly following him.

As soon as Aji turned into the alley, Yang Ning moved, covering his mouth with one hand while dragging him into a secluded corner deep within the alley with the other.

"Don't scream, it's me."

Yang Ning let go and lowered his voice.

Aji was still shaken, but upon seeing Yang Ning's face beneath the bamboo hat, he was first delighted:

"Young Master Yang!"

But immediately, this joy was replaced by an emotion mixed with fear and sorrow, and his eyes instantly turned red.

Yang Ning's heart tightened, and he quickly asked:

"Aji, why is the shop closed?

Where is Brother Wu? Where is Uncle Wu?"

Aji's lips trembled, and his tears finally couldn't be held back, falling as he said with a sobbing voice:

"Young Master Yang, you've finally come!

Something terrible has happened!

The shopkeeper and Uncle Wu were forcibly taken away by people from the Blood Ape Gang a few days ago!"

"What?!"

Yang Ning's pupils constricted.

"When did this happen? Tell me clearly!"

"It was a few nights ago..."

Aji wiped his tears and said intermittently:

"A lot of people came, smashed open the door, broke into the backyard, and tied up both the shopkeeper and Uncle Wu, who was resting in the shop!

They even interrogated the shopkeeper, asking if he knew any information about you, Young Master Yang.

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and refused to speak, so they beat him..."

Aji's voice was filled with terror:

"Later, I secretly inquired and found out that it wasn't just our shopkeeper; many uncles in the porter guild who were close to your family, Young Master Yang, and even...

Even some distant relatives of your sister-in-law's family who lived nearby seem to have been captured or driven away by the Blood Ape Gang!

They are trying to wipe out everyone who has any connection to you, Young Master Yang!"

What a Blood Ape Gang; he had truly underestimated them!

Yang Ning's fists clenched until they creaked, the killing intent in his chest boiling, almost impossible to suppress.

He forcibly pushed down the surging blood in his heart and said in a cold voice:

"Where were they taken?

The Blood Ape Gang headquarters?"

Aji shook his head, the fear on his face deepening:

"I don't know.

Those people were vicious; they only said they were 'inviting' the shopkeeper to be a 'guest,' then covered his head and took him away.

We reported it to the authorities, but...

The officials just took a look and said they would 'keep an eye on it.'

The porter guild is no match for a gang.

They don't dare to interfere with the Blood Ape Gang at all!

Young Master Yang, the shopkeeper treated us assistants with great kindness; now that he is imprisoned, we..."

Just then, Aji suddenly seemed to remember something and grabbed Yang Ning's sleeve:

"Right! Young Master Yang!

Before the shopkeeper was taken away, he secretly had me keep something, instructing me to hide it well.

He said if you came back, I must give this to you!"

A treasure?

Yang Ning was stunned.

Could what Wu Xian was looking for for him be...

"Where is the item?" Yang Ning asked.

"I was afraid it wouldn't be safe in the shop, so I hid it in the corner of the wall in the attic I rent!"

"I'll go get it right now!"

Aji said this, then turned to run back.

He darted out of the alleyway at high speed.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, he ran back, panting heavily, his arms clutching a long, object wrapped in layers of oilcloth.

He solemnly handed the oilcloth bundle to Yang Ning and whispered:

"The shopkeeper only said that this is what you need.

He said the seller originally wanted to inspect the goods in person, but the shopkeeper felt this item was fated for you, and fearing complications, he gritted his teeth and used almost all the shop's liquid silver, even dipping into his own savings, to buy it in advance.

He said... 'you need this'."

Yang Ning took the oilcloth bundle, feeling its considerable weight. He slowly unwrapped the layers of oilcloth.

As the final layer was peeled away, a dark, profound cold light suddenly flashed before his eyes!

It was a long saber in its scabbard.

The scabbard was made of hardwood with a rustic grain.

There were no excessive decorations, only worn, dark copper bands at the mouth and tail of the scabbard.

The hilt was wrapped in dense, deep cyan cord, and the grip had been polished smooth and shiny from use.

Yang Ning took a deep breath, gripped the scabbard with his left hand, and slowly grasped the hilt with his right.

"Clang—!"

A clear, dragon-like hum of steel rang out quietly in the silent alley.

The long saber was drawn half a foot, revealing a blade of a deeper, more restrained gray-cyan color, as if it had been forged with some special metal.

A line of cold light flowed along the edge, and even in the dim light, it exuded a sharpness that seemed to slice through the air.

What was even more peculiar was that when Yang Ning tried to channel his blood-qi into it, the blade emitted a faint, rhythmic resonance, like a heartbeat.

Blood-qi resonance!

This was a true blood-qi weapon, capable of bearing and amplifying a martial artist's blood-qi!

Looking at the gray-cyan blade, faint, wind-like patterns seemed to flicker and vanish.

The quality was quite extraordinary!

This saber seemed to show Yang Ning:

Wu Xian, this brother in all but blood who was closer than kin, seemed to be expressing his earnest expectations now that he knew his brother had made something of himself.

"Did he... not say anything else?"

Yang Ning's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Aji shook his head, tears welling up again:

"The shopkeeper only repeatedly urged me to make sure it reached your hands...

Young Master Yang, those people from the Blood Ape Gang are vicious by nature. The shopkeeper and Uncle Wu are getting on in years, if they fall into their hands..."

Yang Ning gripped the saber tightly; the cold scabbard seemed to take on a hint of warmth—the weight of a friend's absolute trust and entrustment.

He looked up, his voice now unnervingly calm, a calmness that made one's heart tremble:

"Aji, go back and hide.

Lock the doors tight, and do not show your face for the next few days."

"Brother Wu, Uncle Wu, and all the innocent people implicated because of me..."

Yang Ning's knuckles turned white from the force of his grip on the hilt, each word hammered into the cold air like an iron nail:

"I will... I will definitely save them all."

The young man turned, his hand clutching the new long saber, and his figure merged into the boundary of light and shadow at the alley's end.