Before Shopkeeper Wang left, he handed Lu Chen six taels of silver on the spot.
The weight of the silver in his palm made Lu Chen's heart tremble.
It was the first time he had earned so much money as a martial artist.
Shopkeeper Wang had not brought the Blood-Qi Powder with him, so he told Lu Chen to come to the Yam Herb Shop in three days to take up his position. He would give it to him then.
After Wang Shouyi left, Lu Chen did not rush to decide how to spend the six taels. He returned to his quarters in the inner courtyard first.
The bottle of Blood-Qi Powder his master Qin Wuhe had given him yesterday still sat quietly on the wooden table.
The white porcelain bottle was small, yet it was worth two taels of silver.
He pulled out the stopper and tipped out the pill.
The pill was no bigger than a fingertip, dark red all over, with faint, fine lines across its surface. Up close, it smelled pungent with a hint of bloody sweetness, like dried beast blood mixed with the medicinal scent of aged ginseng and red peony root.
"I heard from my senior brother that this pill is excellent for stabilizing blood and qi and aiding Blood-Moving Realm cultivation."
"All Blood-Moving Realm martial artists take it to strengthen their blood and qi."
Lu Chen did not hesitate. He tipped back his head and swallowed it.
He had only just entered the Blood-Moving Realm. His blood and qi had newly awakened and were still weak.
This pill would help him consolidate his realm and build a firm foundation.
Before long, the pill dissolved in his stomach like a ball of fire.
At first, he felt only warmth. Then wave after wave of heat surged through his chest and abdomen and spread to every limb and bone. The wisp of blood and qi he had just cultivated seemed to awaken under the medicine's power, pulsing faintly near his heart.
Lu Chen wasted no time. He went straight into the courtyard and assumed the Coiling Dragon Stance.
He shifted his feet apart, planted them firmly on the ground, and slowly rotated his waist and hips, setting his entire spine undulating like an azure dragon coiling around its body.
With each breath, his chest and abdomen swelled and fell, as though thunder rumbled within...
Following his senior brother's instructions, he used the stance art to gather and guide the medicine's power little by little.
When he inhaled, the heat sank into his lower abdomen.
When he exhaled, his blood and qi circled through his chest and abdomen, slowly returning to his heart.
Once around, then again.
The Blood-Qi Powder's power was more concentrated than Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup's, and far more forceful. Without the stance art to dissolve it, it would rampage through his body, leaving him unbearably feverish or even bleeding from his nose and mouth.
Sweat soon beaded on Lu Chen's forehead.
His legs ached and swelled, his shoulders and back grew heavy, but the heat in his chest kept rising.
Nourished by the medicine, the wisp of blood and qi that had once been as thin as a drifting thread gradually steadied. It no longer wavered as it had when he first broke through.
An hour later, Lu Chen slowly released the stance.
Sweat had soaked his clothes through, but his complexion was much rosier than before.
Unlike Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup, the Blood-Qi Powder's power did not fade quickly. It settled deep in his flesh and blood like a bed of warm coals, continuing to nourish the blood and qi that had only recently come into being.
He clenched his fist.
His palm was hot, his muscles faintly swollen, and his strength felt a little more solid.
"This Blood-Qi Powder works several times better than Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup."
"Just one pill is worth days of hard training!"
Lu Chen marveled inwardly.
No wonder martial artists could not cultivate without medicinal pills.
They might practice the same stance and circulate the same blood and qi, but having pills to help and having none were worlds apart.
Then he glanced at the transparent screen before him:
[Coiling Dragon Stance Art: Minor Achievement] [Progress: 201/500)]
"The stance art has four stages: Beginner, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection."
"Each advance multiplies the efficiency of circulating blood and qi."
"Next, I should bring the stance art to Major Achievement as soon as possible, build up my blood and qi faster, and reach Blood-Moving Minor Achievement."
An early-stage Blood-Moving Realm martial artist was nothing special in Scarlet Cloud County. Even those with poor talent could use various medicinal pills to help them break through over time.
But cultivating a martial artist to Blood-Moving Minor Achievement required far more resources than reaching the early stage.
Many lineages in the county town, such as the Huang Family, could raise a group of household servants to the early stage of the Blood-Moving Realm themselves.
Yet not one of them was willing to pour that much money into cultivating a Blood-Moving Minor Achievement martial artist.
The return on the investment was too low.
That was why a Blood-Moving Minor Achievement martial artist stood far above an early-stage one in Scarlet Cloud County.
An early-stage martial artist could only guard gates and courtyards.
But one at Blood-Moving Minor Achievement was qualified to escort goods or caravans alone, hold a territory, or even claim a mountain and become a stronghold chief.
Their pay, status, and influence were as far apart as clouds and mud.
"With the stance art at Major Achievement, I'll accumulate blood and qi faster. Add the Blood-Qi Powder and those ten taels of silver, and I wonder how long it'll take to reach Blood-Moving Minor Achievement..."
With his goal set, Lu Chen rested briefly, then resumed practicing the Coiling Dragon Stance.
Three days passed in a blink.
The day came for him to take up his position at the Yam Herb Shop.
Lu Chen packed his belongings early that morning and was about to leave when shouts rang out from the martial hall's entrance.
"Which one of you is Lu Chen? Get out here!"
The voice was loud and carried undisguised anger.
The disciples practicing in the Martial Practice Yard stopped and looked toward the entrance.
Chen Chong frowned and headed out. Lu Chen followed him.
Outside the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall stood seven or eight young martial artists in gray training clothes. The words "Mighty Far" were embroidered on their chests. They were clearly disciples of Mighty Far Hall, another martial hall in the county town.
Their leader was in his early twenties, tall and thin, with prominent cheekbones and a brooding gaze fixed on the martial hall's gate.
The others behind him looked just as aggressive. Some folded their arms and sneered; others raised their fists. They had plainly come looking for trouble.
Chen Chong's face darkened. "Mighty Far Hall? What are you shouting about outside the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall?"
The lanky young man sneered. "Chen Chong, I'm not here for you today."
With that, he swept his gaze over the crowd and called out, "Which one of you is Lu Chen?"
Lu Chen was bewildered. He had no idea how he had provoked these people.
He looked at his senior brother Chen Chong, only to find Chen Chong looking back at him with the same confusion.
"Did you offend someone from Mighty Far Hall?"
Chen Chong directed the question at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen shook his head. "Senior brother, I practice at the martial hall every day. When would I have time to go out and cause trouble?"
Then he faced the newcomers. "I'm Lu Chen. May I ask what you want?"
The young man's eyes turned cold at once. Through gritted teeth, he said, "So you're Lu Chen!"
A Mighty Far Hall disciple beside him immediately shouted, "You stole Senior Brother Liu's position, and you still dare act like nothing happened?"
Lu Chen frowned slightly.
"Position?"
The young man stepped forward, his voice thick with barely restrained anger.
"My name is Liu Xiaolou. I'm an inner-court disciple of Mighty Far Hall. Yesterday, that old bastard Wang Shouyi suddenly sent someone to tell me he didn't need me anymore!"
"So he took my livelihood to feed a worthless wretch like you, who's only just broken through!"
At those words, some of the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall disciples began to put it together.
"I heard Shopkeeper Wang of the Yam Herb Shop offered Senior Brother Lu a sky-high price: six taels of silver and a dose of Blood-Qi Powder."
"That's enough to hire two or three early-stage martial artists for such positions."
"To hire Senior Brother Lu, Shopkeeper Wang must have dropped Liu Xiaolou from Mighty Far Hall and given Senior Brother Lu the money he saved."
"Ha! Mighty Far Hall has been arrogant and overbearing for years, always trying to suppress our Hidden Dragon Martial Hall. Who'd have thought one of their disciples would have to swallow such a bitter loss today!"
"No wonder they came looking for him."
Liu Xiaolou's expression grew uglier as he listened to the discussion around him.
He had held a position at the Yam Herb Shop for over half a year, earning three taels of silver each month.
For a martial hall disciple from an ordinary family, that was excellent pay.
He had counted on the position to buy medicine, maintain his health, and keep training. But the Wang Firm had suddenly dismissed him, leaving him without the money and costing him face before his fellow disciples at Mighty Far Hall.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew.
He could not afford to offend wealthy merchants like the Huang Family or the Wang Firm.
And there was nothing he could do to Wang Shouyi.
So Lu Chen was the only one he could take his anger out on.
"Lu Chen!"
Liu Xiaolou pointed at him and said coldly, "The Wang Firm is paying you such a generous salary. Let's show everyone today whether a worthless wretch like you deserves it!"
"Today, you and I are going to settle who's stronger!"
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