True Love

According to the panel, all his techniques had reached the Transcendent Realm, and his sinews, bones, skin, and membranes had fused into one.

For a whole month, Feng Xiu had trained hard by day and soaked in medicinal baths by night, with an unlimited supply of pills to help him along.

"At last, I've made it this far. All that hard work wasn't for nothing."

Now, the force of qi and blood inside him was no longer a fine, feeble trickle of warmth. It was a surging river, roaring through his meridians. Everywhere it passed, his limbs and bones trembled faintly.

As long as he wished, he could touch Guanyuan at any time!

Feng Xiu's lips curled up slightly. He looked down at the back of his hand. His skin was rough and wrinkled, covered in thick calluses.

He gave a light squeeze, and his knuckles cracked. A powerful sense of strength spread from his fingers to his wrist, forearm, and elbow.

His muscles were sleek and powerful, his shoulders and back broad, his waist firm. Just standing there, he was like an iron spear driven into the earth. He was now half a head taller than Han Che.

As martial artists delved deeper into their training, qi and blood nourished the body, remolding it from the inside out. His bones had actually been forced to expand another notch.

Han Che had trained with Zhou Gang for more than ten years and was considered his personal disciple. Yet Feng Xiu's qi and blood were now nearly three times stronger than his!

Feng Ao had originally set a three-month deadline for Feng Xiu to reach the peak of Body Refining. He had done it in just over a month, so Feng Xiu was naturally pleased.

"Once I reach the peak of Body Refining, I'll be able to advance to Blood Burning with the help of the Blood Returning Pill."

"And now I can use the synthesis function on the Technique Record, too. I have no idea what it does, but I'll have to give it a try."

"Hopefully I'll get a free attribute point. Then I can crush the likes of the Tang Reservoir owner and Su Wantang."

"I'll just add points and steamroll them!"

Feng Xiu looked at the synthesis option, now glowing brightly on the screen, and felt a spark of anticipation rise in his heart.

With that thought, Feng Xiu headed toward Uncle Zheng again. Before he could get there, a sturdy figure hurried over.

Feng Shouzhuo saw that Feng Xiu had finished training and immediately broke into a smile, jogging over to him.

"Big Brother, wipe off your sweat."

Feng Shouzhuo held out a towel with both hands, his smile ingratiating.

Feng Xiu took the towel and casually wiped his forehead. His expression turned cold at once.

"Feng Shouzhuo, I brought you here. Have you done any reading today?"

Feng Xiu just couldn't bring himself to like this younger brother of his. In a sense, everything the Feng Clan was doing now was to pay for Feng Shouzhuo's love debts.

He'd had his fun between the sheets, and now Feng Xiu had to clean up his mess?

At that, Feng Shouzhuo's smile stiffened. "I did read! I read for an hour this morning. If you don't believe me, ask Uncle Zheng."

"Great. Then I'll quiz you." Feng Xiu grinned, his expression half-mocking.

"White Willow Village has seventy-three tenant households this year, and each household has thirty acres of land. How many acres is that in total?"

"Also, spring planting requires eight jin of Golden Ear Seed per acre. The granary has eighteen thousand jin of seed. Work out whether that's enough, and how much will be left over."

Feng Shouzhuo froze completely, his lips twitching as his fingers curled in on themselves.

He furrowed his brow and started muttering, "Seventy-three households, thirty acres each, eighteen thousand jin..."

"Two thousand one hundred and ninety acres. Four hundred and eighty jin left over." Feng Xiu cut him off.

"You took that long to work out two simple problems?"

Feng Shouzhuo laughed awkwardly. "I-I was doing it in my head. Mental arithmetic is slower. I study the sages, not bookkeeping."

"So the sages taught you to make excuses, huh?"

Feng Shouzhuo fell silent, afraid that he would provoke an even harsher scolding from Feng Xiu.

Feng Xiu looked at him, then abruptly changed the subject. "All right, what did you want from me?"

Seeing that his big brother wasn't going to press him further, Feng Shouzhuo perked up and stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Big Brother, um... I... I want to learn martial arts."

Feng Xiu raised an eyebrow.

Feng Shouzhuo hurriedly explained, "Look, Big Brother, I'm living at home now. I can't just eat and drink for free. And I've seen how impressive your moves are, so I thought I'd give it a try."

He made his case convincingly, but his eyes clearly showed that he was trying to curry favor.

Feng Xiu didn't call him out on it.

Still, Feng Shouzhuo had indeed been much more well-behaved during his time at the residence.

Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent his days hiding in his room, reading and writing. Letting him learn some martial arts would give him something to do, strengthen his body, and temper his nature.

As for the owner of the Tang Reservoir, the one who wanted him dead...

Feng Xiu's gaze darkened. A month had passed without a word from them. That was what unsettled him most.

"Sure." Feng Xiu smiled. "Since you're eager to learn, I'll have Xiao Han teach you."

"Xiao Han!" Feng Xiu called out more loudly.

"My younger brother thinks your training is all show and wants to spar with you."

The people in the training hall had been keeping an eye on the Feng brothers as they practiced. When Han Che heard this, he understood what Feng Xiu meant.

Someone laughed. Han Che's usually wooden face took on a "menacing grin" as he strode over.

Everyone in the escort company knew the Feng Clan was "full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers"—in the literal sense.

Here, you could see not only a big brother who trained relentlessly and had superb martial talent, but also a second brother who felt ants crawling all over him if he went a single day without teasing a maid.

As for Feng Shouzhuo, he'd long been a good-for-nothing who neglected his studies.

"Big Brother, I'm not sure..."

Seeing this, Feng Shouzhuo finally caught on. His face went pale, and he gave a strained smile.

"Too late to regret it now!" Feng Xiu said with a cold smile, giving him a push.

He pushed, but Feng Shouzhuo didn't budge?!

Not only that, Feng Shouzhuo took several steps backward.

Feng Xiu put another thirty percent of his strength into his right arm.

He pushed again, but Feng Shouzhuo still didn't move?!

"Big Brother, why are you touching me?"

Feng Shouzhuo stood perfectly still, then turned to look at him in confusion.

Feng Xiu's expression stiffened. With his strength, a casual punch could snap a wooden post as thick as a bowl.

He hadn't used all his strength, but Feng Shouzhuo still shouldn't have been able to resist him.

"Stand still." Feng Xiu was astonished. His voice turned serious.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Feng Shouzhuo asked, unnerved by the way he was looking at him.

Feng Xiu didn't answer. He fell into thought.

A person's martial talent and physical constitution largely depended on the strength of their frame. The stronger the frame, the greater the muscle density it could support.

Anyone could see that Feng Shouzhuo was strong, but Feng Xiu wasn't sure what to make of it. He turned to Han Che.

"Come test him."

Han Che had also noticed Feng Xiu's puzzlement, so he stepped forward.

He rested a hand on Feng Shouzhuo's shoulder and chest, then applied a little pressure with his fingers to feel how his qi and blood flowed.

His brow furrowed at once.

Feng Shouzhuo's confusion turned to fear. "Xiao Han, go easy on me."

"Shut up. You think you can call me Xiao Han?"

Han Che snapped at him, then released him and stopped examining him.

He looked at Feng Xiu, stunned, almost dumbstruck.

"Young Master, Second Young Master's physique..." He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

He spoke an absurd conclusion Feng Xiu didn't want to believe.

"He's no weaker than a martial artist at the peak of Body Refining!"

"His foundation is extremely solid, too," he added after a pause.

Han Che had almost said that Feng Shouzhuo's foundation of qi and blood was even stronger than Feng Xiu's. But the thought seemed too outrageous, so he changed his words.

"It's even more solid than mine."

Feng Shouzhuo was bewildered by their conversation, but he understood what that meant. His face immediately lit up.

"Really? Does that mean I'm a martial arts genius?"

Feng Xiu stared at him, also stunned by what Han Che had said.

The peak of Body Refining. A genius?

A month ago, Feng Shouzhuo had been lying in bed, skin and bones, without even the strength to speak.

A month later, his complexion was rosy, his physique robust, and his foundation was no weaker than that of someone at the peak of Body Refining.

Who was the key to this?

Feng Xiu said nothing. After turning the thought over in his mind, he looked toward Uncle Zheng, who was still refining the boxing manual. "Uncle Zheng, come check Shouzhuo's constitution."

He wanted Uncle Zheng to verify it as well.

At Feng Xiu's words, Uncle Zheng put down his brush, came over, and felt Feng Shouzhuo's pulse and bones. His expression grew more and more serious, tinged with a wonder he had never felt before.

It was true that Su Wantang had used some special method to restore Feng Shouzhuo's vitality, transforming him from the frail person he used to be.

But nobody had thought to connect it to martial arts.

"Uncle Zheng, you once said Uncle Zhou was depleted of qi and blood. Yet Shouzhuo is so robust."

As Feng Xiu spoke, a thought flashed through his mind. He gave it voice in a grave tone.

After Zhou Gang's recovery, Feng Xiu had told the two of them what had happened. Before he could finish speaking, Han Che and Uncle Zheng already understood what he meant.

Han Che opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Uncle Zheng remained silent for a long while before letting out a slow sigh. "Unheard of. Incomprehensible."

Feng Shouzhuo wanted to say something, but he saw Feng Xiu's stern expression and wisely kept quiet.

"Go back for now." Feng Xiu glared at him. "We'll talk about learning martial arts later."

He shoved the towel into Han Che's hands, then ran off in a flash.

The training ground fell quiet.

"Indeed. Unheard of. Has there ever been a martial arts technique that could transfer qi and blood from one person to another?"

Feng Xiu hadn't spent the past month doing nothing but training.

He had also read extensively about medicine and martial arts: the eight extraordinary meridians, the body's acupoints, and the circulation of energy through the channels.

To steal someone's qi and blood as well—unbelievable!

"I've heard of methods for transmitting one's cultivation or dissipating it, but both take time. Su Wantang had only just met Chief Escort Zhou. This method of transferring it is truly astonishing."

Uncle Zheng shook his head.

As he thought about it, his heart grew heavy.

Su Wantang's uncanny methods had once again surpassed everyone's expectations.

He himself had taken pills and trained bitterly just to barely reach the peak of Body Refining.

Yet Feng Shouzhuo had done absolutely nothing and still surpassed the vast majority of martial artists.

Damn it, just how much do you love him?!