Hardening Techniques

After entering the city.

The escort convoy slowly made its way toward the delivery point.

Jiang Che noticed that Hengsha City seemed somewhat more desolate than the last time he had come.

After arriving, Sun Yong went to handle the usual formalities.

The other escorts dispersed in twos and threes.

Jiang Che went to a teahouse to rest for a while.

"Sir, what would you like? We have Biluochun Tea, jasmine tea, medicinal tea, and ginger tea." The gray-clad waiter came to Jiang Che's table with a smile.

"A pot of Biluochun Tea," Jiang Che said. "By the way, may I ask what has happened in this city? Why does it feel so much more bleak?"

The waiter hesitated somewhat.

Jiang Che took out a few bits of silver from his robes and handed them over.

The waiter accepted them with a chuckle, looked around, then bent down and said:

"You're from out of town, aren't you, sir? Lately, people in the city have been disappearing for no reason.

"It used to be experts from the various Martial Arts Halls. Now even some wealthy households have vanished.

"Everyone's saying that some evil spirit has been secretly snatching people away at night to eat them! Quite a few people have already moved away!

"If you're staying here overnight, sir, remember not to wander around outside!"

After saying that, the waiter left.

Jiang Che's mood grew somewhat heavy after hearing this.

After finishing his tea, Jiang Che decided to walk around nearby and see if he could learn anything.

Although Hengsha City felt strange.

Now that he had Flying Swallow Steps, even if he encountered danger, he should be able to escape.

Although he had not yet broken through to Stone Skin, if he activated Flow State and used Flying Swallow Steps.

Even someone at the Iron Skin Realm might not necessarily be able to catch him.

As Jiang Che walked along, he suddenly noticed a household moving out in front of a large residence. Box after box of belongings was being loaded onto carriages.

A wealthy middle-aged man in a silk robe was covered in sweat as he directed the servants.

Jiang Che continued onward. After turning through an alley, he found another wealthy household that was moving away.

There were also people on the road dragging carts piled high with luggage, relocating with their entire families.

Combined with what the teahouse waiter had said, Jiang Che felt even more troubled.

He stopped wandering around and headed to the agreed meeting place.

Before long, Sun Yong returned after delivering the escort goods.

"Brother Jiang, I didn't get to show you around properly last time. How about we take a look around this time?" Sun Yong asked with a smile.

Jiang Che considered it. "All right."

The two headed toward the Inner City.

Hengsha City was also divided into an Inner City and an Outer City.

Compared with the desolation of the Outer City, the Inner City was far more prosperous.

Carriages and horses streamed along the streets, while crowds packed together in a lively bustle.

All kinds of shops lined both sides of the streets.

There were teahouses, restaurants, gambling dens, gold shops, noodle shops, pawnshops, cloth stores, and more.

The dazzling array of sights left one scarcely able to take it all in.

Suddenly, a boat filled with fresh flowers slowly "floated" toward them.

Several brightly dressed dancing girls were performing atop it.

Their graceful figures and captivating dances drew wave after wave of cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Jiang Che looked carefully and realized that several dozen men below were carrying it, allowing it to "float" down the street.

"That's a flower boat." Sun Yong smiled. "Never seen one before, have you? Our Abyss-Facing City has them in the Inner City too. If you're interested, I'll take you to see one when we get back!"

Jiang Che smiled but said nothing.

He was still thinking about what the teahouse waiter had said earlier.

As well as all those people he had seen moving away.

Before long, they arrived at a restaurant.

The restaurant had three floors, with carved beams and painted rafters, looking quite imposing.

Its plaque was black with golden lettering, bearing the three words: Phoenix Perch Inn.

People continuously entered and exited through the doors, while a gray-clad attendant welcomed guests outside.

Sun Yong led Jiang Che inside as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.

The two found an empty table on the first floor and sat down.

In the center of the hall, a young songstress was singing, accompanied by someone playing the zither beside her.

Jiang Che could not understand much of it, but it sounded like some tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady.

Sun Yong called over a waiter and began ordering.

"One grilled snow hare, one mountain pheasant stewed with wild mushrooms, one water shield and perch stew, and braised deer tendons."

Sun Yong seemed extremely familiar with the dishes here and finished ordering quickly.

"Chief Escort Sun, how could I accept this? There's no need to order such fine dishes. A few simple bites would have been enough for me," Jiang Che quickly tried to dissuade him, sensing from the names alone that these dishes were no ordinary fare.

"Why be so polite? You don't know this, but Phoenix Perch Inn's cooking is truly unrivaled.

"Every time I come to Hengsha City, I eat here. The taste lingers endlessly in the memory. You'll know after trying it once!"

Sun Yong was practically drooling as he spoke.

"Chief Escort Sun certainly knows how to enjoy himself," Jiang Che said with a smile.

"Don't be so distant. Just call me Brother Sun."

"Alright, Brother Sun!"

Before long, all the dishes arrived.

Jiang Che tasted them and found that they truly had color, fragrance, and flavor in perfect measure.

Sun Yong ordered a pot of yellow wine as well. The two clinked cups and drained them in one gulp.

"By the way, Brother Sun, which Martial Arts Hall did you learn your hardening techniques from?" Jiang Che hesitated before finally asking.

He had always been very interested in hardening techniques.

At present, he relied on the Layered Cloud Fist for attack and Flying Swallow Steps for evasion, but his body itself was fragile and could not withstand direct blows.

He thought that if he could learn another hardening technique, he could make up for his weakness in defense.

Although cultivating other martial arts alongside his own was somewhat improper.

These days, however, many people secretly practiced other techniques behind the scenes. Everyone understood without saying it aloud.

"You mean Wild Ox Fist? I didn't learn this at a Martial Arts Hall. It's a family-inherited technique."

Sun Yong said, "You want to learn it, little brother? According to family rules, I can't pass it on to outsiders... But if it's only some methods for training the skin and flesh, that would be fine!"

Jiang Che's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Brother Sun!"

"Actually, training the skin and flesh is very simple. There are mainly two parts.

"The first is strength training. Use stone locks every day to temper your muscles and make them thicker and stronger.

"The second is striking. At the beginning, use a wooden stick to strike your entire body.

"At the same time, take some medicine internally to speed up recovery, such as Gold Injury Pills. Any pharmacy sells them.

"Once you've adapted to wooden sticks, switch to bricks and stones. Later on, use iron rods."

Jiang Che silently committed it all to memory and decided to begin trying it after he returned.

Although it was not a proper hardening technique, it would still be good if it could make his body somewhat tougher.

After the two finished eating, they wandered around the Inner City for a while longer.

Seeing that it was getting late, they returned to the escort convoy.

As they neared the city gates, Jiang Che saw one of the households that had been moving earlier leaving the city.

The guards had stopped the family, though he could not hear what they were saying.

Then the wealthy man in the silk robe took out a heavy bag of silver and handed it to the guards. Only then was the family allowed to leave the city.

"That's the fee for leaving the city," Sun Yong whispered to Jiang Che.

"What is a fee for leaving the city?" Jiang Che asked curiously.

"Not everyone has to pay it when leaving. But if an entire household relocates and no longer intends to remain here, they have to hand over one-tenth of their property. Otherwise, they aren't allowed to leave."

"I see." Jiang Che nodded.

On the way back, the escort convoy encountered several Ox-Hide Realm Black Beasts, but they killed them all with ease.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and everyone returned to Abyss-Facing City.

After arriving home, Jiang Che immediately bought stone locks of varying weights, then found some wooden sticks, stones, iron rods, and other items.

After that, he went to the pharmacy and bought Gold Injury Pills.

Gold Injury Pills were mainly used to treat all kinds of injuries sustained during training. They were fairly well-known, and their effects were decent enough.

Only, they were somewhat expensive. A small bottle cost one tael of silver and could last for around ten days.

Jiang Che did not have great wealth now, but he still had several dozen taels of silver.

So he bought several extra bottles to keep in reserve.

Once everything was ready, Jiang Che stood bare-chested in the courtyard, holding a wooden stick.

He took a deep breath, then began striking his body.