Blood-Qi Pill

A few more days passed. Chen Jing was standing in Fierce Tiger Stance in the courtyard when a vast surge of heat suddenly exploded from his dantian, pouring along his meridians into his limbs and bones.

The bones throughout his body crackled in a crisp burst of pops. His muscles swelled and tingled, and his whole body shuddered involuntarily.

[Fierce Tiger Stance, Entering the Hall!]

[Fierce Tiger Stance (Entering the Hall: 0/2000)]

[Realm: Body Tempering (Entering the Hall)]

[Talent Improved: Tiger Valiance]

[Tiger Valiance: Grasp the marvel of force circulation, able to erupt with the force of the entire body in an instant, instantly increasing strength by 100%]

Chen Jing lightly clenched his fist.

The [Tiger Valiance] talent had doubled. His strength could instantly increase by 100%, which meant the power he could erupt with in an instant was twice what it was normally. With such strength, if he wanted to lop off a head with one stroke in the future, it would probably be even easier.

And the essence of the [Tiger Valiance] talent lay in grasping the technique of erupting with force. Chen Jing tried it out a little and found that he could control the intensity of the force eruption—that was, increase his strength by 50%, 75%, or 100%.

In other words, he could balance explosive power and endurance in a prolonged fight, allowing for more flexible operation. With this, his means of preserving his life had also become richer.

Chen Jing pressed down the excitement in his heart and continued standing in stance.

Soon, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month arrived.

Shuang'an Town hung up festive lanterns.

Though it was a small place, once every household hung one at its door, the entire street shone bright and clear, gaining a few traces of liveliness.

Butcher Zhang's health suddenly worsened. He had been coughing especially badly these past few days, but he wanted to see the lanterns, saying that lying in bed had left him stifled and bored.

So Chen Jing supported him out the door.

The night wind in the first lunar month was still bone-chillingly cold.

Chen Jing supported Butcher Zhang's arm with one hand and carried a paper lantern in the other, slowly walking along the alley.

The lamplight beneath the eaves on both sides of the alley reflected on the bluestone path, like stars shattered all over the ground.

From far away came the faint sound of children laughing and playing, and the crack of firecrackers.

Butcher Zhang walked very slowly, but he kept his head raised the whole time, looking at those festive lanterns, looking at the villagers coming and going along the street.

The two of them reached the old locust tree at the town entrance. Butcher Zhang could walk no farther, so Chen Jing helped him sit down on the stone pier beneath the tree.

Several lanterns hung from the branches overhead. When the wind blew, they swayed, and light and shadow rippled back and forth over the ground like water.

"You're still young. What wishes do you have for the future?"

Butcher Zhang suddenly spoke.

His voice drifted a little in the night wind.

Chen Jing was startled for a moment, not expecting Butcher Zhang to ask this.

He was silent for a while, thought it over seriously, and answered:

"Maybe I'll go out and travel in the future. To the ends of the sky and the corners of the sea, to see the world outside."

Butcher Zhang chuckled and said nothing more. He only patted Chen Jing on the shoulder, then leaned on him and stood up.

"Come on. Let's go back."

Chen Jing supported Butcher Zhang as they walked back.

Moonlight fell over master and disciple, stretching their shadows out, one long and one short.

Before sleeping that night, Chen Jing opened the panel and glanced at it.

Name: Chen Jing

Realm: Body Tempering (Entering the Hall)

Martial Arts:

Fierce Tiger Stance (Entering the Hall: 165/2000)

Basic Spear Technique (Entering the Hall: 0/2000)

Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique (Entering the Hall: 682/2000)

Talents:

[Butcher] You are extremely familiar with the pig-slaughtering blade. When holding a pig-slaughtering blade, your blade speed increases by 25%, and your strength increases by 25%.

[Spear Like a Dragon] You are well-versed in spear and staff weapons. When using spears and staffs, accuracy increases by 25%.

[Tiger Valiance] Grasp the marvel of force circulation, able to erupt with the force of the entire body in an instant, instantly increasing strength by 100%.

All his martial arts had entered the hall and were steadily growing.

Chen Jing could not help feeling a little dazed. Although it had not even been half a year since he crossed over, it felt as if a whole lifetime had passed.

He set aside his sighs.

No matter what, a new year meant a new atmosphere.

Wang Chong had already sent word through someone: the militia training would resume tomorrow. Chen Jing had made his preparations too, ready to keep grinding.

Early the next morning, Chen Jing got out of bed.

By the time he arrived at the drill ground, quite a few people had already gathered.

After the New Year, there was still a bit of holiday looseness on everyone's faces.

They gathered in twos and threes, greeting one another with "Happy New Year." Chen Jing also cupped his hands and greeted a few familiar young men.

After sweeping his gaze around, he noticed there were fewer people on the drill ground than before the year's end.

The troop that had originally numbered over eighty had only forty or fifty present today.

Most of the young men Wang Chong had gone door to door to temporarily recruit before felt the roving bandits had already been scattered, and there was no need to train bitterly every day anymore. Nearly half had left.

Most of those who remained were veterans who had trained under Wang Chong for years.

There were also a few young people like Zhao Tianli and Liu Xiaolan, who were willing to put in hard effort.

Wang Chong arrived late.

When he strode in from outside the drill ground, everyone froze for a moment.

This iron-tower-like instructor was not carrying his iron spear today. Instead, he had a bulging bundle on his back, and it looked none too light.

His face wore a smile he could not suppress no matter how hard he tried. The corners of his mouth were almost splitting to his ears, making him look like a completely different man from his usual ashen-faced self.

"Instructor Wang, what good thing are you carrying?"

Someone shouted at the top of his lungs.

Wang Chong strode up onto the packed-earth training platform and set the bundle on the ground with a muffled thud.

He patted the dust off his hands, swept his gaze over the crowd below the platform, and did not hurry to open it. Instead, he kept them in suspense.

"Guess what this is?"

Everyone looked at one another and began guessing in a clamor.

Some said it was newly forged spearheads, some said it was a New Year's reward, and others jeered that it couldn't be steamed buns made by Instructor Wang's wife, could it?

Wang Chong laughingly cursed, "Get lost," then yanked open the cord tying the bundle.

Inside the bundle were individually divided pouches, bulging full and stacked in neat rows.

"This is the bandit-suppression reward issued by Six Gates!"

There was a note of pride in Wang Chong's voice. "Everyone who took part in suppressing the bandits gets one share!"

The crowd below immediately exploded.

The veterans swarmed forward with a whoosh. Wang Chong did not stop them either, handing the pouches out one by one while calling out names. Each time he called a name, he passed over a pouch.

Chen Jing also received one. The pouch felt heavy in his hand, and from the feel of it, there seemed to be more than just silver inside.

After Wang Chong finished distributing the pouches, he stepped back two paces and said in a ringing voice, "There are two things inside the pouch."

"The first is twenty taels of fine silver. This is a reward from the imperial court, clean and proper. Spend it without worry!"

Twenty taels! Everyone cried out in surprise.

Together with the ten taels of reward silver the village head had issued before the year's end, these two sums alone were enough for an ordinary household to live on for quite a few years.

"As for the second, it's a Blood-Qi Pill. Open it and have a look."

Wang Chong folded his arms, his face showing an expression like he was watching a play.

Chen Jing's heart stirred. He opened the pouch and felt out a small porcelain bottle from inside. The mouth of the bottle was tightly sealed with wax.

The young men beside him also pulled out identical porcelain bottles one after another, all looking bewildered.

"Blood-Qi Pill? What's that?"

"Country bumpkins." Wang Chong laughed and cursed, then his expression turned serious. "A Blood-Qi Pill is a fine treasure."

"It's a precious body-tempering medicine. It can raise blood and qi and strengthen your foundation. One pill is enough to equal three months of bitter stance-training!"

"When I was in the frontier army, only soldiers who had rendered military merit were qualified to receive Blood-Qi Powder. Blood-Qi Pills are a grade higher than Blood-Qi Powder, and their medicinal strength is several times greater. This Blood-Qi Pill was specially requested for everyone by Chief Constable Li. Not everyone has the good fortune to enjoy one!"

The crowd below was immediately in an uproar. Everyone looked at the porcelain bottles in their hands, their eyes instantly shining. Someone could not help sighing with emotion.

"Chief Constable Li may look cold, but who would've thought he had such a warm heart?"