Good Deeds Don't Always Bring Good Fortune, Iron Whip Leg Reached Minor Mastery! His Qi and Blood Grew Dozens of Times Stronger

Inside the shabby mud-brick house.

Two figures dressed in fine clothes sat on wooden stools.

One was a middle-aged man of about fifty.

The other was a woman around twenty, dressed elegantly, with very fair skin. Her features were rather ordinary, though, and she carried herself with an air of superiority. Her eyes were full of scrutiny and disdain.

She had even laid a handkerchief on the stool before sitting down.

She held another handkerchief over her nose, as though breathing in the air might poison her.

On the table sat two bowls of water and some rice cakes—the sort they wouldn't even bear to eat during the New Year.

Neither of them had touched anything. Their faces plainly showed their disgust.

When Shi Wen saw the scene, how could he not know what was going on? He felt rather awkward.

All he wanted was to practice his martial arts in peace. What was with all this happening day after day?

Had he stumbled into a nest of women?

"A-Wen, you're back?"

Old Shi spotted him and hurried to his feet. "Miss Han came by today to pay us a visit and show us her appreciation."

"Mm. Thank you for what you did last time. It's about time I left. Let's leave it at that for today."

Han Xiaoyue suddenly stood up and tossed a money pouch onto the table. "By the way, you saved me back then. This money is a small token of my gratitude."

With that, she turned to leave.

Han Dachuan was a shrewd businessman who didn't like to burn bridges. He nodded to the others, then turned and followed his daughter.

Once they were in the carriage,

Han Dachuan finally asked, "Daughter, why did you leave as soon as you saw that young man? Didn't you come all this way specifically to see him?"

"Father, I came to see him because I didn't want idle gossip to damage our Han family's reputation. Haven't our competitors been attacking us lately, accusing us of ingratitude?"

"That's the reason we paid him a visit."

"Anyway, we've seen him now. Why stay there instead of leaving?"

"You've spent so much time dealing with those peasants that you don't mind the filth anymore. I do. I left him fifty strings of cash—that's more than enough!"

Han Xiaoyue's words were dripping with contempt.

Han Dachuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xiaoyue, I noticed that young man was wearing a Fist Academy uniform. Wouldn't it be unwise to offend him?"

"Maybe we should give him some more money. If he becomes a martial artist, our family could have a truly reliable one of our own in the future."

He meant it. A martial artist you had personally nurtured was different from one you hired from the outside.

The former was more reliable.

Han Xiaoyue's face filled with scorn. "Father, listen to yourself."

"Do you know how hard it is to become a martial artist?"

"Becoming one takes more than good bones. How much money does it take to nourish the body and temper the bones? And even if you spend the money, you might not be able to develop qi and blood!"

"Rather than spending money on him, we'd be better off using it to find a suitable martial artist for me to marry."

"If I find myself a satisfactory husband who's a martial artist, wouldn't that make our family's business at the docks even more secure?"

"I've been talking quite happily with a martial artist from a martial arts school lately. He told me all this, and he also told me about a profitable venture. I invested another hundred taels, and I'll get a hundred and fifty back, principal and profit together! Father, once we grit our teeth and scrape together some more money, we can put in a thousand taels. That'll earn us more than running a business..."

She spoke with an air of superiority.

She saw Han Dachuan deep in thought and immediately smiled. "Father, I know what you're worried about, but don't dwell on things that could never happen. How could a salted fish ever turn its life around?"

"Peasants can't become martial artists. He saved me, but I gave him money, didn't I?"

"We're even. Neither of us owes the other anything!"

"Families like his couldn't save up fifty strings of cash in ten years. Giving him fifty strings today was already generous."

"As for martial artists, we've already hired several to serve our family. There's no need to worry about the business. I've read plenty of books, Father. Trust me."

Han Dachuan sighed. "But what about the Red Lantern Gang..."

"The Red Lantern Gang has nothing to do with us. He saved me, we gave him money, and now we're even."

Han Xiaoyue smiled. "Father, instead of worrying about this, you should focus on hiring a family Attendant. Attendant Zhang's contract is nearly up, but he left Black Cloud County long ago. We'll have to look around town for a suitable martial artist to hire. Ideally, we should find someone young with potential."

"Then our family's business can grow even bigger!"

"Xiaoyue, you've read more books and know more than I do. You're right. I'll listen to you."

Han Dachuan gritted his teeth and nodded.

Still, he couldn't shake a nameless feeling of unease.

He was uneasy not only about investing more in the venture his daughter had mentioned, but also about the oppressive feeling he'd gotten from that young man's gaze.

That young man... had been far too calm!

So calm, as if he had the confidence of someone in control of everything, with the steady air of a man who saw no threat in those who posed none.

Could someone like him really be unable to claw his way out of the mire?

Inside the mud-brick house,

silence reigned. Old Shi and Mother Shi stared at the money on the table, looking terribly awkward.

Only Shi Wen's eyes held a flicker of indifference.

Fifty strings of cash was indeed a lot for a family like theirs, but it meant little to him now.

Though he disliked it,

Shi Wen understood that his predecessor had involved himself in someone else's cause, and this was the bitter fruit that followed.

That was human nature. You couldn't expect everyone to be a good person.

"A-Wen, now that you're practicing martial arts, you'll need money for all sorts of things. Take this and use it."

Old Shi spoke softly.

Shi Wen couldn't refuse, so he took the money.

He'd use it to buy more rice and meat whenever he could.

No matter how much they ate, his parents would get some and be able to improve their health.

If he left the money with them, they'd probably save it and be too reluctant to spend it.

After dinner,

Shi Wen practiced his forms in the back courtyard.

At home, he finally dared to give it everything he had.

Without using his qi and blood,

the minor-mastery foundation techniques he performed were far more powerful than those practiced by the Outer Courtyard disciples who had reached great mastery. His power rose from his feet, his fists followed his elbows, and his waist and hips worked as one. He moved with the ruthless, seasoned precision of someone who had immersed himself in the art for years!

He moved like a dragon, stepped like a tiger, and every strike boomed.

If the Fist Academy disciples saw this, who knew what they'd make of it!

"Whew! That felt great!"

After running through several sets of foundation techniques, Shi Wen was soaked in sweat, yet his whole body felt loose and invigorated.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Minor Mastery (26/100), Trait: Penetrating Momentum!]

[Iron Whip Leg: Beginner (18/30)]

"Tonight, I'll train Iron Whip Leg to minor mastery, then find a chance to check out the Red Lantern Gang."

Shi Wen brought his palms together.

He changed into a plain hemp-cloth outfit, picked up the Faceless Man mask he'd bought by the roadside on his way home, and walked through Peace Lane.

He emerged from a dark, deserted corner.

By then, he had become someone else.

Wearing the pale, shoddy Faceless Man mask, Shi Wen walked indifferently toward Ghost Lane.

Ghost Lane lay silent. Blood still stained the paving stones, while weeds and ruined houses choked the dark, lightless alley. Even the graves showed a bleak, desolate aspect beneath the moonlight.

Shi Wen headed for the corner where he'd hidden the wooden post, only to find that the shabby post had been replaced by a brand-new, more expensive custom elm training post.

Clearly, Zhang Sheng of the Robbery Gang was extending a gesture of goodwill!

Knock, knock, knock~

Shi Wen rapped the post with his fingers, drawing a dull sound from it.

Boom!

He abruptly kicked it and lost himself in his training.

Once, twice, three times...

The sky slowly shifted from deep black to deep blue. On the distant horizon, a pale blue strip appeared, like the belly of a fish turning upward.

The sky would be light

in just a few hours!

Shi Wen glanced at the Extreme Seal and kicked the post one last time.

[Iron Whip Leg: Minor Mastery (1/80)]

Boom!

In an instant, a rush of memories flooded Shi Wen's mind.

He felt as though he had spent countless years practicing this hard-body leg technique. Every move and stance unfolded in his memory. Iron Whip Leg became not only simpler and sharper, but also deadlier. With his eyes closed and his mind focused, he no longer needed to deliberately string together moves to use it. He could calmly perform any technique he wanted!

At the same time,

Shi Wen felt a numb, prickling sensation in his legs.

The muscles there seemed to writhe like earthworms. His thighs and calves had grown noticeably thicker, with clearly defined bands of muscle.

Even more astonishing,

the skin where his legs struck the post had grown harder.

The calluses had become a thick, hornlike layer, looking just like cowhide.

"I've heard that when a hard-body technique is trained to the utmost, the body itself changes."

"So it's true. This outer layer is incredibly tough."

Shi Wen squeezed it with his hand, then suddenly kicked the mud wall beside him.

Boom!

The mud wall crumbled on impact. Dust filled the air and obscured Shi Wen's figure, but it couldn't hide his joy.

"What a powerful hard-body technique. If I train it to perfection, I wonder if my legs will really become as hard as iron?"

"And Iron Whip Leg is much more complete at minor mastery. The footwork is simpler and faster, the kicks are nimble yet fierce, and the techniques are savage. It's as if this martial art has been adapted to my build."

"Those three killing moves... they've been refined even further!"

Shi Wen closed his eyes and practiced Iron Whip Leg in the open space!

His power rose from his feet. Each stomp boomed like thunder exploding from the earth.

He advanced one step at a time, his legs like iron rods tearing through the air. Dull booms followed each strike. His movements were swift yet nimble, and wherever he went, mud walls and wooden huts collapsed into rubble. The spectacle was astonishing!

Minor mastery of a hard-body technique was already this ferocious.

Shi Wen hadn't even used his qi and blood, yet his legs were like iron rods slamming into everything. Wherever they struck, things shattered!

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Minor Mastery (25/100), Trait: Penetrating Momentum]

[Iron Whip Leg: Minor Mastery (2/80)]

[Evolution Branch 1: Contaminated Fortune Meat (-9.2h)]

Shi Wen looked away and sensed the qi and blood in his dantian, which swam like a loach about the length of his little finger. His expression shifted. "What's going on?"

"Two martial arts at minor mastery have made my qi and blood grow by far more than just double. Why?"

Over the past two days, he'd practiced diligently and eaten meat and medicinal supplements.

Even then, he'd only managed to nourish his qi and blood until it was about the size of a few embroidery needles. But today, after training Iron Whip Leg to minor mastery,

his qi and blood had grown to the size of a loach?

How could that be merely double?

"Could it be that Iron Whip Leg is a hard-body technique, and because it tempers a different part of the body, the two techniques together have an effect greater than the sum of their parts?"

"If I get the chance, I'll have to find other martial arts and try them out."

Shi Wen looked away.

He ate some dried beast meat to replenish his qi and blood, then gazed toward the end of the alley.

Someone was coming.