Building Blocks

Over the next few days, Su Yuan's life was filled with routine.

Before dawn, he rose and practiced the Horse-Head Skyward Stance in the small courtyard.

Head raised, charge, circle back—over and over again.

[Golden Horse-Head Technique: 36/500 (Level One)]

The fate panel clearly marked his progress. He could advance four or five points a day at most; at this rate, it would take nearly half a year to accumulate enough Blood Qi and become a Martial Warrior.

According to the technique, martial training meant endlessly tempering oneself, supplementing one's diet with meat, and building up the Blood Qi throughout the body.

Once Blood Qi had accumulated to its limit, one had to condense the loose Blood Qi into a single stream, causing a qualitative transformation and becoming a Blood Condensing Martial Warrior.

This was slower than he had expected.

He had Slippery Escape and Split in Two supporting him. He could manage the charging and circling movements, but his neck simply could not withstand the Head-Raised Posture.

After training, a fierce hunger surged over him. Su Yuan's stomach rumbled as he grabbed a basin of venison and wolfed it down, then gnawed through an entire roast chicken.

"Is this meat really so useless?" Over the past few days, Su Yuan had spent four or five taels of silver on meat, yet the results felt mediocre.

"Looks like I need medicinal supplements or demon beast meat."

This world had martial arts, as well as strange beasts and demons.

He had once heard that the strongest Martial Saints could fly through the skies, burrow through the earth, and do anything they pleased. He wondered whether he could grind his way to such a realm within his lifetime.

Yet martial resources in the city were also strictly controlled by Great Liang. Without a Martial Registry, one could not buy them.

After eating, he casually wiped his mouth clean.

Then Su Yuan picked up his saw and got to work on the hard scraps of wood.

The rasping sound of saw teeth gnawing through wood repeated in dull monotony.

Before his eyes, the progress of [Sawing] ticked upward slowly but steadily.

[Sawing: 1656/2000 (Mastery)]

Instinctively, he ground away at every skill that could improve, as though every additional shred of proficiency gave him another bit of solid certainty to clutch in this troubled world.

He had not neglected business these past few days, either. After all, how could he practice martial arts without money?

Su Yuan sawed the wood in his hands into many small blocks, then made protrusions and recesses in their middles so they could fit together.

He then sketched out a blueprint depicting a Heavenly Horse, along with the steps for assembling it from wooden pieces.

[Painting: 101/2000 (Mastery)]

Afterward, they would need to be painted.

This was his new idea: wooden Building Blocks that could be assembled freely.

As for the design, it was a totem most beloved by Great Liang's nobility.

From Yun Xu's letters, he had learned that Great Liang and Great Jing had once belonged to the same lineage several centuries ago. After splitting apart, they had each evolved separately and undergone great changes.

Now, Great Liang had begun imitating Great Jing's culture again.

Great Liang's southward campaign also shouted the slogan of unifying north and south.

Great Liang had originally been divided into nine divisions, corresponding to Wolf, Tiger, Horse, Bear, Eagle, Leopard, Python, Camel, and Crocodile. Though they were no longer called that, the totemic traditions had endured.

The Great Liang lineages in Ji City had all belonged to the Horse Division in the past.

The Golden Horse-Head Technique was also a renowned cultivation method within the Horse Division. Yun Xu had not lied to him, yet there was little he could do for her.

Su Yuan glanced at the bound hanging wooden sculpture displayed on the shop's most conspicuous windowsill and let out a soft sigh.

That afternoon, a young man dressed like a scholar and draped in a thick green fur cloak lingered outside the shop for a long while.

He was tall and slender, with fair skin. As he stared silently at the wooden sculpture, his face grew paler and paler.

In the end, he said nothing. He merely gave Su Yuan, behind the window, one deep look and engraved him firmly in his memory. His gaze was icy and piercing, filled with hatred. Then he turned and strode away.

A chill suddenly ran through Su Yuan's heart. He raised his eyes and swept his gaze over the man's hands, understanding at once.

He rose, intending to chase after him, but ultimately sat back down.

"The risk of making contact now is still too high. I'll wait until I'm stronger."

Su Yuan also understood that the Liang People might have made craftsmen like them work on these portraits and sculptures precisely to lure out Martial Warriors from Cloud-Striding Martial Hall.

"It's all a misunderstanding!" Su Yuan sighed. After tidying up, he took his goods and went to find Old Liu.

Old Liu was a manager of the Xiangfu Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest chambers in South City. Its connections ran deep and wide, and Su Yuan entrusted all his large orders to them.

Upon reaching the chamber, Su Yuan got straight to the point. "Old Liu, I've recently made a batch of goods. Come take a look."

"Oh, Little Su, what fine thing have you brought this time? Those wolf-head carvings and Snowfield Fox ornaments you made some time ago were quite popular with the Great Liang lords." The moment Old Liu saw Su Yuan, he came forward with a smile.

Su Yuan did not follow up on that. He simply took out the various mortise-and-tenon wooden blocks. His fingers danced, and with several clicks, he swiftly assembled a fine horse with its head raised in a long neigh.

Then he took it apart and reassembled it. In moments, a vicious wolf poised to pounce appeared on the table.

Old Liu's eyes immediately went wide. He picked up the wooden wolf and inspected it closely. "What is this? It can change like this?"

"A little trinket. I call it Ever-Changing Blocks. It can be used as an ornament, or honored guests can assemble it themselves for amusement and novelty. Old Liu, do you think this thing can catch the eyes of the nobles?" Su Yuan asked calmly.

"It can! It absolutely can!" Old Liu could not put it down, nodding repeatedly. "Such a clever and ingenious item will surely delight those young masters and madams! Little Su, you truly have a remarkable mind! Whatever you have, we can take it all."

Su Yuan nodded slightly. "For now, I only have three trial sets. Following the blueprint, each set can be assembled into three forms, though they can also be freely combined. The wood is ordinary cedar, but the mortise-and-tenon work is precise enough. If there is demand later, I can use better wood, and naturally the price will differ."

"Easy, easy! For this cedar version, how about three taels of silver per set from the chamber?" Old Liu rubbed his hands together, considered briefly, and held up three fingers.

"Deal." Su Yuan did not haggle.

Other than the labor, these things cost him almost nothing.

Besides, with the aid of his traits, he could make several sets in a single day.

"I'll control the supply from now on. At least I won't need to worry about money for the time being."

After all, things were valued for their rarity.

Perhaps someone would imitate them in the future, but Su Yuan trusted his craftsmanship. Besides, he had countless blueprints from his previous life to draw upon.

Old Liu accepted the Building Blocks and handed over a wooden box. When Su Yuan opened it and counted the contents, there were actually twelve taels inside.

"Old Liu, this is?"

With an apologetic look, Old Liu said, "Little Su, I didn't investigate things thoroughly enough a few days ago and gave you a fright. This old brother ought to make it up to you."

Su Yuan shook his head. "It's nothing. Some matters are beyond either of our ability to foresee."

After a pause, he asked casually, "By the way, how is that madam at Shan Estate now?"

Old Liu lowered his voice. "I heard that recently, Young Master Shan allowed some people to go view her. One tael of silver for fifteen minutes."

He gestured as he spoke. "That woman really knows how to stir up trouble. Even locked up, she wouldn't stay put and still wanted to send messages outside. Unfortunately, the person she found was useless. Some coward turned around and sold her out. That person ended up dead, while she was fine. That young master is a strange one."

Su Yuan's heart sank.

Sure enough, he had made the right choice that day.

But Yun Xu was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any time and drag him down with her.

"Why would the young master..." he probed.

"Devoted love? Or perhaps he thinks a wild horse is more interesting when slowly worn down and tamed." Old Liu sneered. "Who knows what those nobles are thinking?"

Su Yuan nodded and changed the subject. "Old Liu, can you get medicinal meals for martial training?"

"Little Su, have you gotten a Martial Registry? If not, dealing in that stuff is a beheading offense!"

"Lord Han still hasn't replied to my letter."

"Then wait a little longer. This matter cannot be done, cannot be done..."

Back home, Su Yuan counted the money on him. He had a total of thirty-eight taels, and felt the helplessness of having money but nowhere to spend it.

"Martial Registry, Martial Registry... sigh. I'll just keep training and sawing wood! As long as grinding doesn't kill me, I'll grind myself to death!"

Three days later.

[Golden Horse-Head Technique: 51/500 (Level One)]

[Sawing: 1955/2000 (Mastery)]

Su Yuan was still sawing wood in the courtyard. Crack, crack—the sound of knocking suddenly rang out beyond the gate.

He opened the door and saw Han Gui standing outside with several others. His heart jolted, but a smile had already spread across his face. "Lord Han, why have you come personally? Please, come in..."

"No need." Han Gui raised a hand to cut him off, took a sheet of yellow paper stamped with a red seal from his robes, and handed it over. "Your third-class household registration. Keep it safe."

Su Yuan hurriedly accepted it with both hands and gave it a quick look. The faint hope in his heart instantly vanished.

The smile on his face did not change. "Thank you, my lord! Then, regarding the Martial Registry..."

"The Martial Registry isn't urgent. I came today because the First Madam of Shan Estate saw your wooden carvings and was very pleased. She wants you to come with us immediately. Bring your assistant along." Han Gui waved a hand, his tone casual.