Thus, Wang Xuance began several days of "sparring," and his True Martial Qi steadily grew day by day.
For some unknown reason, Wang Xuance's immediate superior, Chen Feng, did not make things difficult for him or stir up trouble, allowing him to live peacefully for a time.
Naturally, he did not know that Chen Feng had recently been preparing to break through to the Martial Practitioner Realm, open three acupoints, and cultivate true qi, leaving him no time to concern himself with other matters.
Life in the army was simple and unadorned. Generally, they were granted three days of leave every month, so after this month's rest day, Wang Xuance came to the largest Medicine King Shop in the outer city.
It was a shop that specialized in selling spiritual medicine.
As the saying went, "The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts." Beyond unceasing hardship and accumulation over time, martial training required more as well.
Certain unique medicines were equally crucial.
After a month of experimentation, he gradually came to understand that the "cheat" on his body came with considerable restrictions.
Anyone who had fought him and from whom he had drawn True Martial Qi seemed to have been marked. The next time they fought, he could no longer obtain True Martial Qi from them.
Secondly, if he could defeat his opponent, the amount of True Martial Qi he gained would be the greatest. Wang Xuance had fought nearly every Two-Knock Blood Pass fighter in the Mountain Sea Guard, yet he had defeated only a handful.
But the abundance of True Martial Qi he gained had left even him astonished, once again confirming that his decision to join the army had been the right one.
Wang Xuance raised his head and stared at the extravagant, luxurious Medicine King Shop, his expression slightly dazed.
The Medicine King Shop had four floors. Its main hall was paved with countless slabs of white marble, while rare spiritual medicines were displayed in colorful boxes and cases.
The dense medicinal aura stirred a yearning that seeped out from every pore of his body. Just within his line of sight, there were several clusters of rare herbs that would greatly benefit him.
"Sir, what medicinal herbs do you need?"
A woman's crisp voice, like a yellow oriole's song, came from beside him.
Wang Xuance turned at the sound. Not looking was one thing; looking gave him quite a fright.
The woman approaching him was no taller than his chest.
She wore a spring-colored cheongsam and embroidered shoes. Her lotus-white arms hung beside her hips, while the pair of full, overflowing "weapons" before her made the young man's blood surge at once.
"Cough, cough..."
Wang Xuance waved a hand, shifted his gaze aside, and said bluntly,
"I need two ten-year Vermilion Summer Fruits. Please pack them in a jade-stone box for me. Here is one tael of silver!"
He flipped out a purple pouch and handed it to the woman in the cheongsam, not daring to look at her even a fraction longer.
Seriously, what's the difference between this and those foot-massage parlors from my previous life? They only hire women dressed like blossoming branches!
Wang Xuance forcefully suppressed the pounding in his heart. Next time, he would definitely choose another apothecary.
"Hehe, sir, judging by the herbs you want, you must be planning to break through the Jiuwei Acupoint in the Three-Knock Blood Pass. Consider these two Vermilion Summer Fruits a gift, a token of friendship!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman clapped twice. A young attendant in green brought over a pearwood tray.
On it lay precisely the Vermilion Summer Fruits Wang Xuance wanted.
A Vermilion Summer Fruit was no larger than an infant's fist, crimson all over with faint golden threads running through it. Its fragrance was rich, accompanied by a clear and refreshing aura.
It was one of the essential medicines for those attempting the Three-Knock Blood Pass.
The usual market price was one tael and five mace per Vermilion Summer Fruit. Wang Xuance had practically emptied his savings for these two.
Yet with one airy sentence—"Give them to him, consider it making a friend"—the woman before him inevitably aroused his suspicions.
Unsolicited kindness means either treachery or thievery.
Without caring whether the woman accepted it, he shoved the pouch into her hand, grabbed the two Vermilion Summer Fruits, and turned to leave.
Seeing that Wang Xuance ignored her goodwill, the voluptuous woman lightly twisted her fingers and said bluntly,
"Could it be that you intend to wait for Chen Feng's retaliation?"
Whoosh!
A sharp gaze locked onto the woman. Whether or not she could stir his blood and qi no longer mattered; he openly revealed an icy killing intent.
Under his stare, the voluptuous woman could not help but shudder. With a wave of her hand, she led him into a private room.
Countless questions flashed through Wang Xuance's mind. He had only been in the army for a full month. Just who was this woman, to know about the matter between him and Chen Feng?
"Please do not blame me, Young Master. I truly had no other choice!"
The woman rose and bowed, making no attempt to conceal her proud "weapons."
"Young Master Wang, my name is Chen Linger. Chen Feng and I are both members of the Chen Clan in the outer city!"
Chen Linger's words were startling. Wang Xuance's eyes shifted, and he shot her a fierce glare.
"What a spoiled habit. Your family has problems—what does that have to do with me?"
"In another month or so, I'll be a Martial Disciple of the Three-Knock Blood Pass myself, and I'll be able to challenge the Martial Practitioner Realm. I'm not afraid of him."
"When that time comes, if he truly wants to deal with me, he'd better be ready to have his teeth shattered!"
In any case, Wang Xuance would be perfectly safe during these hundred days. He was not worried that Chen Feng would make any moves against him.
After all, the iron-blooded rules of the army were not something Chen Feng could easily shake.
Seeing Wang Xuance remain silent and merely stare at her, Chen Linger felt slightly uncomfortable. Then she gritted her silver teeth and placed a sandalwood box between them.
"Young Master Wang, to show my sincerity after my presumptuousness, I am willing to give this item to you!"
With a snap, the sandalwood box opened, revealing what lay inside.
Wang Xuance merely glanced at it, but his pupils suddenly contracted. There was now an odd glint in the way he looked at her.
"Miss Chen!"
"We seem to have no connection whatsoever, do we?"
"What? Are you trying to throw your weight around? Or force a sale?"
Wang Xuance said coldly and without the slightest politeness.
"I would not dare, Young Master Wang. It is merely a token of friendship!"
"It depends on whether Brother Wang wishes to accept my goodwill."
As if she had thrown caution to the winds, Chen Linger directly laid out the matter at hand.
"Hmph! Others may fear your Chen Clan, but I do not!"
Wang Xuance sneered, flicked his sleeve, and prepared to leave.
Clearly, the woman before him wanted something from him, yet her manner made him deeply displeased. To a young man, improving his martial cultivation was what truly mattered.
As long as his strength was sufficient, no demons or monsters would amount to anything.
"Wait, Young Master Wang. If the two of us work together, we can get rid of Chen Feng. Once it is done, I am willing to offer a mortal-rank high-grade fist technique and two maids whose primordial yin remains intact as payment!"
"Oh?! Miss Chen, have you perhaps suffered some problem with your brain? Chen Feng is someone preparing to challenge the Martial Practitioner Realm!"
"I am only at the Two-Knock Blood Pass. At most, you are my equal. You want to kill someone at the Three-Knock Blood Pass? Isn't that nothing but wishful thinking, a daydream in broad daylight?"
Wang Xuance inwardly sighed. This woman was truly reckless. No wonder she had offered such generous terms. If he had been the original owner of this body, he might have agreed.
But as someone who had lived two lives, he knew that "a true man could bend and stretch." He would never stand beneath a crumbling wall.
"Young Master Wang, if I have a way to make his strength fall below the Three-Knock Blood Pass for a certain period of time, would you be interested?"
Chen Linger slowly spoke words that meant death without reconciliation.
Wang Xuance rested his fingers on the tabletop.
Tap!
Tap!
"Miss Chen, do you not know that Chen Feng is my immediate superior?"
"He is the squad leader of my Mountain Sea Guard unit. We are the best of friends, as close as family! To have me kill him..."
"It would... cost extra!!"
Before you continue