Feeding Fists

Qin Mansion, Eastern Wing.

After finishing with the Silver Frost Fox.

Qin Jiu called out to Wang Yue, who was about to leave, and asked him about the Cold Jade Marrow.

This matter concerned the talent engraving.

He couldn't afford to delay it.

After all, the Red Mark had no retention function. If he wasn't careful one day and let a gold-grade talent get overwritten, the loss would be immense.

Only by engraving it could he feel at ease.

"Cold Jade Marrow?"

Wang Yue was taken aback, then said, "That's a type of mineral marrow, used to forge entry-grade weapons. But it's extremely rare, basically priceless with no market. If the young master wants to forge a suitable weapon, this old servant would recommend other materials instead."

"There's plenty in the mansion's secret vault."

"Entry-grade weapons..."

Qin Jiu's brow furrowed slightly.

These were far stronger than weapons forged from a hundred temperings, but each one could be said to be worth a thousand gold without exaggeration. Aside from Wang Yue, even those few Third-Refining Martial Artists in the Qin family hadn't been given such equipment.

This showed that Cold Jade Marrow, as an entry-grade material, would certainly not be cheap.

Let alone its scarcity.

"Can this material be found in the county town?"

"This old servant does not know."

Wang Yue shook his head, then added, "The spirit beast blood of this Silver Frost Fox needs to be taken to the Four Seasons Pharmacy to have pills refined. This old servant can make a detour to the weapon forging shop and inquire. The county town is most likely to have Cold Jade Marrow stored there."

"May this old servant ask how much the young master wishes to buy?"

"One catty."

Wang Yue nodded in surprise at this, but felt somewhat puzzled in his heart, because this amount was far from enough to forge a weapon. However, having served in the Qin Mansion for many years, he knew what to ask and what not to ask. He immediately dismissed the thought, took the butchered Silver Frost Fox, and left the Eastern Wing.

Watching him walk out of the courtyard gate.

Qin Jiu pondered for a moment, then returned to his room to change into training clothes. Afterward, he slowly began to push through the Dragon-Tiger Health-Nurturing Stake in the courtyard.

Now that the city was in turmoil.

It was best to focus on improving his own strength.

Although all current signs indicated that the demon attacks weren't targeting the Qin family, this was actually more frightening than his speculation that some force coveted the Qin family. If there really was an invisible hand manipulating things behind the scenes, the county town would likely become unsettled soon.

"After breaking through the Blood Gate, I need to temper my qi and blood."

"Then, using qi and blood to knock on the gate and temper the skin three times will be the moment I step into the Second Refining, Bone Forging."

"The Qin Mansion lacks no martial resources, and with the third-rank spirit beast Silver Frost Fox, my progress shouldn't be slow. But aside from refining qi and blood, I need to improve in other areas as well."

Qin Jiu silently pondered.

About half an hour passed.

A servant brought medicinal cuisine, and he stopped his stake practice, walking over to sit in the pavilion.

"Young master, would you like to bathe and change clothes?"

"No need. Go notify all the guards in the mansion to assemble at the training ground."

Qin Jiu gave the order.

Then his gaze fell on an exquisite silver plate on the stone table.

On the silver plate was placed the meat of the Silver Frost Fox.

The portion wasn't large.

He guessed this was Wang Yue's arrangement. Third-rank spirit beast meat was far from comparable to first-rank; eating too much at once might not be a good thing.

He pondered, picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, and put it into his mouth to chew.

Not long after.

A warm sensation rose from his lower abdomen, rapidly spreading to his chest and even his limbs.

Qin Jiu's expression shifted slightly. The qi and blood that had settled in his body inexplicably surged. He hurriedly finished the remaining spirit beast meat, then quickly walked outside the pavilion to push through the Dragon-Tiger Great Stake, digesting the medicinal power that was practically surging within him.

Nearly half an hour passed.

His qi and blood slowly calmed.

"Indeed, it's nothing like first-rank spirit beast meat."

"This medicinal power is truly potent."

Qin Jiu let out a long breath. He didn't continue standing in the stake, but returned to his room to change out of his sweat-soaked training clothes, then headed toward the training ground.

At this moment, the training ground.

Already more than forty figures had gathered.

These figures stood in clusters of two or three, some huddled together boasting about something, clearly each with their own little circles.

The moment Qin Jiu stepped into the training ground.

The previously noisy chatter quickly fell silent all at once.

"Greetings, Clan Leader!"

A middle-aged man with shrewd eyes flashing in them promptly cupped his fists in salute.

Only then did the others belatedly follow suit with their own salutes.

Qin Jiu waved a hand and asked the middle-aged man, "Instructor Xu, how many of the guards here are already Second Refinement martial masters?"

"Reporting to the Clan Leader, including myself, eight in total."

"Mm, the city hasn't been stable lately. You must be extra careful during the night patrols. Also, I need two seasoned hands with rich combat experience right now. Do you have any recommendations?"

Having said this.

Qin Jiu added, "As long as they're seasoned in combat, even a First Refinement martial master will do."

"Seasoned in combat..."

Instructor Xu was momentarily taken aback, then quickly fell into thought.

Not long after.

He called out two figures from the crowd.

One was slightly older, looking even more aged than Instructor Xu himself, while the other appeared to be just over thirty.

Qin Jiu briefly learned about the two men's backgrounds.

Then he led them back to the eastern wing.

"The reason I've called you here is only one: to serve as my sparring partners."

Inside the pavilion.

Qin Jiu looked at the two men before him and said bluntly, "As for why I had Instructor Xu find those seasoned in combat, simply put, it's so you can teach me practical combat experience and the precautions for fighting and killing."

"Starting today, both of your salaries will be doubled from the original amount."

"If you teach well, there will be other rewards as well."

"Do either of you have any objections?"

After these words fell.

The two men exchanged stunned glances.

"Naturally, we have no objections to this."

The older one hesitated before saying, "But Clan Leader, sparring one-on-one is a dangerous affair. A slight carelessness could lead to injury. We martial artists are crude by nature, and on top of that, you've never trained in martial arts. If we accidentally hurt you..."

"Ah, I forgot to mention this to you."

Qin Jiu waved his hand and said, "I am now a First Refinement martial artist. You don't need to worry too much. Also, without my permission, this matter is not to be disclosed to anyone outside."

"First Refinement?"

A strange look simultaneously appeared on both their faces.

They said nothing more.

After all, a First Refinement martial artist was no ordinary person. Just focusing on practical combat training with some caution shouldn't be a big problem, and besides, who could resist the temptation of a doubled monthly salary?

Seeing that the two agreed.

Qin Jiu led them to the center of the courtyard.

But he wasn't in a hurry to have them spar with him.

"Though you two are Second Refinement martial masters, both your martial experience and skill depth surpass others at the same level. Although I've already broken through the Blood Barrier, I've only been training in martial arts for a short time and have only practiced one stance technique. Watch me go through it first."

As he spoke, Qin Jiu spread his legs into a stance.

He wasn't worried about them learning it.

A stance technique consisted of the posture and the breathing method. Without the latter, no matter how much one practiced, it would only be a hollow shell.

Hearing this, the two men.

Both furrowed their brows.

"Clan Leader, forgive my bluntness, but if you haven't even learned any combat techniques, how can you talk about fighting and killing? Even if we have the intention, I'm afraid there's little we can teach you. Sparring with you would be meaningless."