Feeding Him Moves

Qin Mansion, East Wing.

After dealing with the Silver Frost Fox,

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

It was related to the talent inscription.

He couldn't afford to drag his feet.

After all, the Red Seal couldn't preserve a talent. If he wasn't careful one day and his golden talent got overwritten, it would be a huge loss.

Only after inscribing it could he feel at ease.

"Cold Jade Marrow?"

Wang Yue paused, then said, "It's a kind of mineral marrow used to forge ranked weapons. It's extremely rare, though, and practically impossible to buy, no matter how much you offer. If Young Master wants a weapon that suits him, this old servant would recommend other materials instead."

"The secret storehouse has quite a few."

"Ranked weapons..."

Qin Jiu furrowed his brow slightly.

These weapons were far stronger than those made through a hundred rounds of forging. Each one was worth a fortune. Other than Wang Yue, even the several Three Refinements martial masters hadn't been equipped with such weapons by the Qin Family.

That showed just how expensive Cold Jade Marrow, as a ranked material, had to be.

And it was scarce, to boot.

"Can we find this material in the county town?"

"This old servant doesn't know."

Wang Yue shook his head, then added, "The Silver Frost Fox's spirit-beast blood needs to be taken to the Four Seasons Pharmacy for pill refining. I can stop by the Weapon-Forging Shop and ask while I'm at it. That's the place in the county town most likely to have Cold Jade Marrow in stock."

"How much do you want to buy?"

"One jin."

Wang Yue nodded in surprise, though he was puzzled. That amount fell far short of what was needed to forge a weapon. But he had served the Qin Family for many years and knew what he should and shouldn't ask. He dismissed the thought, took the butchered Silver Frost Fox, and left the East Wing.

Watching him walk out of the courtyard,

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

The city was in turmoil.

His best course was to seize the time and improve his strength.

Although all signs currently suggested that the demon attacks weren't targeting the Qin Family, that was even more frightening than his suspicion that some faction had its eye on them. If an unseen hand truly lay behind these events, the county town would soon be in turmoil.

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

"Then I'll use my qi and blood to strike at the pass and polish my skin three times. That will take me into Second Refining Bone Forging."

"The Qin Mansion has no shortage of martial resources. On top of that, there's the Third-Order Spirit Beast, the Silver Frost Fox. My progress shouldn't be slow. But besides tempering my qi and blood, I need to improve in other areas too."

Qin Jiu mused silently.

About half an hour later,

a servant brought medicinal food. Only then did he stop practicing his stance and go sit in the pavilion.

"Young Master, would you like to bathe and change?"

"No. Go tell the mansion's guards to gather at the Martial Arts Arena."

Qin Jiu gave the order.

His gaze fell on an exquisite silver platter atop the stone table.

It held Silver Frost Fox meat.

There wasn't much.

Wang Yue had probably ordered it that way. Meat from a Third-Order Spirit Beast was nothing like that of a First-Order one. Eating too much at once might not be good for him.

As he pondered this, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

Before long,

a warm sensation rose from his lower abdomen, spreading quickly to his chest and limbs.

Qin Jiu's expression shifted. The qi and blood that had settled inside him began to roil for no apparent reason. He hurriedly finished the rest of the spirit-beast meat, then rushed outside the pavilion and began practicing the Dragon-Tiger Great Stake, digesting the tremendous medicinal potency in his body.

Almost half an hour passed

before his qi and blood finally settled.

"Sure enough, it's nothing like First-Order Spirit Beast meat."

"The medicinal potency is incredibly strong."

Qin Jiu let out a long breath. He didn't continue practicing his stance. Instead, he returned to his room, changed out of his soaked training clothes, and headed for the Martial Arts Arena.

By then, the Martial Arts Arena

was already crowded with more than forty people.

They stood in little groups of two or three, boasting about this and that. Clearly, each had their own circle.

As soon as Qin Jiu entered the Martial Arts Arena,

the noisy voices fell silent all at once.

"Greetings, Family Head!"

A sharp-eyed middle-aged man reacted quickly and cupped his fists in salute.

Only then did the others belatedly follow suit.

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

"Reporting to the Family Head, including myself, there are eight."

"Mm. The city hasn't been peaceful lately, so be especially vigilant when patrolling at night. Also, I need two experienced fighters. Do you have anyone in mind?"

He paused, then added, "They only need plenty of combat experience. First-Refining martial masters will do too."

"Plenty of combat experience..."

Instructor Xu paused, then thought it over.

Before long,

he called two men out of the crowd.

One was rather old, looking even older than Instructor Xu. The other appeared to be in his early thirties.

After asking a little about their backgrounds,

Qin Jiu took them back to the East Wing.

"I called you here for one reason: to spar with me."

In the pavilion,

Qin Jiu looked at the two men before him and got straight to the point. "As for why I asked Instructor Xu to find men with plenty of combat experience, it's simple. I want you to teach me practical fighting skills and what to watch out for when fighting someone."

"Starting today, your stipends will be doubled."

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

"Do either of you have any objections?"

At these words,

the two men exchanged astonished glances.

"Of course we have no objections."

The older man hesitated before saying, "But, Family Head, fighting another person is dangerous. The slightest mistake could leave you injured. We warriors are a rough lot, and you've never practiced martial arts. If we accidentally hurt you..."

"I forgot to tell you that."

Qin Jiu waved a hand. "I'm already a First-Refining martial artist, so you don't need to worry too much. Also, no one is to speak of this without my permission."

"First Refining?"

A strange look appeared on both their faces.

They said nothing more.

After all, a First-Refining martial artist was already beyond the ordinary. They only had to be careful while teaching him practical combat, and doubling their monthly pay was an offer no one could resist.

Once the two men agreed,

Qin Jiu led them to the center of the courtyard.

But he didn't hurry to have them spar with him.

"You're both Second-Refining martial masters, and your martial experience and skill are above those of others at the same level. I've broken through the Blood Pass, but I've only been practicing martial arts for a short time and have learned just one stance technique. Watch me practice it first."

As he spoke, Qin Jiu assumed the stance.

He wasn't worried about the two of them learning it.

A stance technique consisted of a posture and a breathing method. Without the latter, no matter how much you practiced, it was nothing but an empty show.

But when the two men heard this,

they both frowned.

"Family Head, forgive my bluntness, but you haven't even learned how to strike. How can you expect to fight someone? Even if we were willing, I'm afraid there's little we could teach you. Having us spar with you wouldn't mean much either."