Several days passed.
The commotion caused by the fire at Hundred Flowers Pavilion gradually subsided, but beneath the surface, the undercurrents grew fiercer.
The Six Gates turned the Bai Family upside down, and the account books from White Horse Pharmacy piled high on Li Dingfang's desk.
Every merchant, bookkeeper, and shop assistant who had dealt with Zhou Yunhan was summoned for strict questioning.
Even the soldiers checking travelers at the city gates had doubled in number. Everyone entering or leaving the city had to prove their identity.
The person who suffered the heaviest losses in the case was undoubtedly the proprietor of Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
A fine three-story establishment had burned to ruins. Fortunately, the evacuation had been swift, and few of the women and staff inside were killed or injured.
To show its regret, the Bai Family also paid a large sum of silver. The proprietor recognized that the Bai Family had suffered too, and let the matter rest.
For Chen Jing, life returned to its orderly rhythm.
The Six Gates' commendation arrived at Lianshan Martial Arts Hall the day after the incident.
A Clove-Clad Constable came to deliver two rewards.
The first was the bounty for killing two wanted criminals. Du Hai and Du Shan had each been worth thirty taels, for a total of sixty taels of silver.
The second was a commendation for the two men's righteous actions at Hundred Flowers Pavilion, where they had foiled Clear Wind Stronghold's plot.
The reward had originally been substantial, but the case had also caused considerable damage to public property and alarm among the people.
The amount was therefore reduced to fifty taels of silver. Cheng Qingshi received a share as well.
Once the constable had handed over the rewards, he promptly left.
Meanwhile, Bai Deyuan had finally found a moment to breathe amid the chaos of searching for the traitor.
His first act was to prepare generous gifts and bring his son, Bai Zhixing, to offer his thanks in person.
A small sedan chair draped in blue cloth stopped outside Lianshan Martial Arts Hall. The Bai father and son stepped out, followed by four servants carrying a heavy rosewood chest.
Cheng Lianshan received them in the inner hall.
After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Bai Deyuan had the gifts brought forward.
The rosewood chest opened to reveal a silk-lined interior, with porcelain bottles and oil-paper packets arranged neatly inside.
Chen Jing and Cheng Qingshi each received five Blood-Qi Pills in blue-and-white porcelain bottles. When the stoppers were pulled free, a rich medicinal fragrance spread through the room.
Each also received ten portions of Blood-Qi Powder, wrapped tightly in oil paper.
There were also several sets of prepared medicinal-bath ingredients, all of excellent quality.
For martial artists, this was a gift offered with unmistakable sincerity.
Blood-Qi Pills and Blood-Qi Powder were essential to a martial artist's training. Demand was so great that they were often unavailable even to those who could pay.
The formula and methods for refining Blood-Qi Pills, in particular, were controlled by the imperial court, great families, and sects. Ordinary martial artists could not buy them even if they had the money.
For White Horse Pharmacy to provide so much at once, it had dipped deep into its reserves.
Compared with White Horse Pharmacy's gift,
the Six Gates' reward seemed rather meager.
Chen Jing and Cheng Qingshi did not refuse. They cupped their fists in thanks and accepted the generous gifts.
Chen Jing was naturally the happiest of all.
Unlike others, he had no bottlenecks in his cultivation. With enough Blood-Qi Pills, he could keep piling on resources and rising higher.
These five Blood-Qi Pills and ten portions of Blood-Qi Powder from the Bai Family would save him more than half a year of hard work.
Besides, the start of the month was nearly here.
The Monthly Examination Cheng Lianshan had mentioned was just around the corner.
Since joining the hall, his foundation had improved steadily, and his Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord had reached Minor Accomplishment. This was the perfect chance to push further.
Back at his quarters, Chen Jing shut the doors and windows.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, took out a Blood-Qi Pill, and swallowed it.
As the pill reached his stomach, a warm medicinal force rose from his Dantian and spread along his meridians to every limb and bone.
He circulated the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord's Inner Force, refining the medicinal power bit by bit into the blood and qi throughout his body.
After about an hour, he had absorbed the pill completely. His blood, qi, and Inner Force surged like underground fire bursting forth, climbing higher with every breath.
This was more than the pill's nourishing effect. He had trained his blood, qi, and Inner Force into every gap between his bones and deep into his marrow, triggering a change at his very core.
Then he broke through!
[Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord: Entering the Hall!] [Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord: 326/4000] [Talent improved: Mountain Lord] [Mountain Lord] You have gained some understanding of fist techniques. Your fists carry the might of the Mountain Lord, a fierce tiger. When you circulate your Inner Force, speed increases by 30% and power by 30%.
Chen Jing slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.
Besides the improvement to his blood, qi, and Inner Force throughout his body, the bonus from his [Mountain Lord] talent had doubled. His strength had soared.
With the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord at Entering the Hall, he had also reached what was known as Marrow Refining: training the Inner Force throughout his body into his bone marrow.
At this stage, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, he could make his marrow vibrate, strengthen his tendons and bones, and create fresh blood. This was the transformation Cheng Lianshan had spoken of.
He could also summon his strength through force of will and project his Inner Force beyond his body. This was called Hidden Force.
Cheng Qingshi's cultivation was a level deeper still.
After that transformation, he had created enough fresh blood to make his blood and qi flow like mercury. Every punch and kick carried immense weight and terrifying power. This stage was called Blood Exchange.
Over the following days, Chen Jing devoted himself to training. By day, he went to the Slaughterhouse as usual to slaughter pigs and practice his blade work. At night, he returned, swallowed a Blood-Qi Pill, and refined its medicinal power.
Five days passed in steady, painstaking work, each day building on the last.
His proficiency in the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord shot up as though riding a rocket. By the time he had absorbed all five Blood-Qi Pills, his foundation had entered an entirely new realm.
Name: Chen Jing Realm: Blood and Qi (Marrow Refining) Martial Arts: Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord (Marrow Refining: 2401/4000) Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique (Great Accomplishment: 1715/5000) Basic Spear Technique (Entering the Hall: 500/2000) Fierce Tiger Stance (Perfection) Talents: [Butcher] While wielding the Butcher Knife, blade speed increases by 50%, power by 50%, and Bone-Breaking by 50%. [Spear Like a Dragon] You are adept with spears and staffs. Accuracy increases by 25% when using them. [Tiger Valiance] You have mastered the art of circulating Inner Force and can unleash all the Inner Force in your body in an instant, increasing power by 300% for that instant. [Mountain Lord] You have gained some understanding of fist techniques. Your fists carry the might of the Mountain Lord, a fierce tiger. When you circulate your Inner Force, speed increases by 30% and power by 30%.
That evening, Cheng Lianshan sent a young servant with word that all his direct disciples were to gather at the Academy Training Ground the next morning.
The Monthly Examination was upon them.
The following day, Chen Jing and Liang Youheng arrived together a quarter of an hour early.
Zhang Chengji, Mei Qinghe, Cheng Qingshi, Liu Yunfei, and Hu Yang arrived afterward.
The disciples stood in the middle of the training ground. The morning breeze tugged at their robes, setting the fabric snapping softly.
Cheng Lianshan entered the training ground precisely on time and stood before them with his hands behind his back. His gaze passed over each disciple's face.
"Today is the Monthly Examination."
Cheng Lianshan spoke without haste, yet his voice carried a teacher's natural authority.
"Let me see how far you've come this past month."
For the Monthly Examination, they would first demonstrate their fist techniques before Cheng Lianshan so he could assess their progress and foundations.
Then the disciples would face one another in sparring matches.
Starting with Zhang Chengji, they took the field in order of seniority.
Zhang Chengji cupped his fists in salute and walked to the center of the ground.
He was nearly thirty, with a powerfully built frame.
Standing there, he looked like an iron tower.
He nodded slightly to Cheng Lianshan, then lowered his waist, settled into his stance, and slowly pushed out both fists. The Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord unfolded in his hands.
His stances were exceptionally steady.
Every punch and kick brought a heavy rush of air.
As he moved, the blue bricks beneath his feet seemed to tremble. When he finished the form, he drew back his fists and stood still.
His breathing was deep and even, his expression utterly calm.
Chen Jing watched closely from the side and nodded to himself.
The eldest disciple's fist technique had been honed to a profound level. Every move bore the mark of a thousand hammer blows and ten thousand rounds of tempering.
Chen Jing suspected that Zhang Chengji had already trained the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord to Great Accomplishment—the Blood Exchange stage of blood and qi.
Before you continue