Half an hour later.
At the inner city gate, the two met up again and headed together toward Little Path Bay.
On the way, Chen An saw Shen Xiuhan's basket stuffed to the brim and could not help asking curiously,
"Brother Han, why did you buy so much?"
"There's no surplus grain at home. We have to stock up."
Shen Xiuhan adjusted the fish basket on his shoulder.
This trip, he had indeed bought quite a lot of rice, grain, and food.
Two jin of millet, two jin of cornmeal, and half a jin of coarse salt.
He had originally wanted to buy some soy sauce, but upon asking the price, he found it far too expensive—twenty copper coins per liang—so he could only give up.
Instead, he went to the butcher's and bought a jin of pork belly, fattier than it was lean.
He had even specially brought Shen Momo three liang of Longcloud County's local specialty, Grilled Fish Bones.
Oil, salt, rice, flour, and meat came to forty-seven copper coins altogether.
As he was leaving East Market, he spotted a small stall selling salted duck eggs on a street corner.
Thinking of Momo's sallow, skinny little face, Shen Xiuhan did not hesitate. He took out ten copper coins and bought two salted duck eggs.
Salted duck eggs had plenty of salt, but more importantly, they held a pool of bright red duck fat inside.
For someone sallow and weak who had not tasted meat in ages, this was a great tonic.
Together with the two black carp, this trip had truly yielded a full harvest.
But the expense had been high too!
Of the three hundred and thirty copper coins he had received from selling fish, he had spent fifty-seven, leaving just over two hundred and seventy in his pocket.
That was right—those two strings of cash Ma Xianyang had given Shen Xiuhan contained a full two hundred copper coins!
He was truly generous with his money!
This made Shen Xiuhan immensely curious about him, and he kept asking Chen An about Ma Xianyang.
"Senior Brother Ma is the third disciple of the inner courtyard at Through-the-Back Martial Hall. Among the younger generation of all Longcloud County, he's a renowned figure!"
At the mention of Ma Xianyang, Chen An's face filled with reverence and longing. He could not help sighing,
"I heard... Senior Brother Ma's cultivation has already reached the peak of Blood Tempering!"
"You were standing too far away earlier to feel it. His qi and blood blaze like a great furnace—he doesn't even need to wear a padded coat in the bitterest days of winter!"
"I also heard that Senior Brother Ma tempers his body day and night and has already come infinitely close to the threshold of Bone Tempering!"
"Blood Tempering? Bone Tempering?"
Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat. He had long yearned for martial arts, and he hurriedly asked,
"Chen An, could you explain these martial arts realms to me in detail?"
"We're brothers—what is there that I can't tell you?"
Chen An grinned and clasped both hands behind his head as he walked.
"The martial path is divided into three great realms: Bright Force, Hidden Force, and Transformation Force."
"Let's not talk about the higher ones yet. We'll start with the first hurdle of martial practice: Bright Force."
"Bright Force is further divided into three minor realms: Blood Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Tendon Tempering."
"Blood Tempering, as the name suggests, is using martial stances to drive the qi and blood within the body into a gallop!"
At this point, Chen An cleared his throat.
"There's a saying at Through-the-Back Martial Hall: 'Qi and blood boil like soup; withstand the bitter frost of deepest winter; torn skin and rotting flesh count not as wounds!'"
"The last line is a little exaggerated, but it is true enough. Once a martial artist enters Blood Tempering, any nonfatal superficial injury heals much faster than it would for an ordinary person."
"With those three traits, one has achieved Blood Tempering Great Accomplishment and can try to break through into Bone Tempering."
"So that's how it is..."
Shen Xiuhan's eyes were opened wide. He asked again with curiosity, "Then what about Bone Tempering? What are its traits?"
"Bone Tempering?"
Chen An suddenly put on a stern face, his brows shooting up as he barked,
"You haven't even entered Blood Tempering, yet you're already thinking about Bone Tempering? Reaching for the stars! Go, I sentence you to... cough, cough... Senior Brother hasn't taught Tendon Tempering yet."
"But Senior Brother did say that only after entering the Blood Tempering Realm can one be considered to have stepped through the door of martial arts."
"Most martial practitioners in this world struggle their entire lives without crossing this hurdle. In the end, all they have are a couple of farmer's tricks..."
By the end, Chen An seemed to have thought of something. His voice gradually fell, and a trace of dejection showed on his face.
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Shen Xiuhan's heart stirred, and he patted Chen An on the shoulder. "Then I envy you too."
"Being able to enter a Martial Arts School in the inner city already counts as making something of yourself. If you achieve even a little success, it'll be a glorious thing that brings honor to your ancestors."
"Taking a step back, even if you cannot enter through the door, the foundation you learn at the Martial Arts School will still let you work as a household guard for a wealthy family, an escort hand at an escort agency, or find a post with the county yamen's constables... You'll have your livelihood for the rest of your life firmly in hand."
Hearing this, Chen An's mood indeed improved. He gave a simple, foolish grin.
"That's true... My mother said that the family scraped together eight taels of silver for my tuition. As long as I'm willing to endure hardship, I definitely won't have to worry about work in the future. Getting a wife, having children, starting a family and a career—that should happen within the next couple of years."
Eight taels of silver for tuition!
Shen Xiuhan's eyelid twitched.
One tael of silver exchanged for a thousand copper coins. Eight taels meant the enormous sum of eight thousand copper coins.
With just over two hundred copper coins in his pocket, he had felt as if he had struck it rich.
Now, it seemed he was still far, far behind.
If he wanted to enter a Martial Arts School through the proper route, there was no hope of it anytime soon.
After a moment of silence, Shen Xiuhan raised another topic. "By the way, Chen An, are there higher realms beyond Transformation Force?"
"Of course there are..."
A trace of bewilderment appeared in Chen An's eyes.
"But an outer courtyard disciple like me has no access to what they are called."
"Anyway, Longcloud County definitely doesn't have any such heaven-reaching figures."
"I'm afraid only Southern Township Commandery City does."
The two chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they had entered Little Path Bay.
Shen Xiuhan had originally intended to make a detour to the northern woods and search for the Golden-Tailed Rat's winter food stores mentioned in "Intelligence ②."
But with Chen An beside him, he could only put it off for now and go tomorrow when he found the time.
When they reached Chen An's home, the two waved goodbye.
Shen Xiuhan stepped over the snow and walked up the slope alone.
Before long, three dilapidated thatched huts came into view.
The wicker gate stood wide open.
From afar, a small, thin figure was curled up by the entrance, as though waiting for someone.
Then she heard the crunch of footsteps on snow.
The little figure sprang to her feet and stood on tiptoe, peering carefully for a moment.
The next instant, she rushed toward him like a fledgling swallow, heedless of everything.
"Brother, Brother's back!"
"Momo missed you so much!"
Hearing that clear, joyful cry, Shen Xiuhan felt the exhaustion from half a day in the ice and snow vanish in an instant.
No matter how tired he was, it was worth it.
Smiling, he crouched down and opened his arms, catching the little girl securely against his chest.
Shen Momo clung tightly to him, lifted her little face, and looked up with worry shining in her eyes.
"Brother, why were you gone so long? It's already dark. Momo waited and waited for so long..."
"Of course I went to catch fish for Momo. Look, what did I bring you?"
Entering the thatched hut, Shen Xiuhan removed his fish basket, took out an oiled-paper package, and opened it to reveal the golden-brown Grilled Fish Bones inside.
This was a local snack unique to Longcloud County.
Bits of fish meat and small fish bones left from filleting were coated in flour, deep-fried in oil, and sprinkled with salt. Crispy, savory, and fragrant, they were children's favorite.
"Grilled Fish Bones!!"
The little girl's eyes went round as saucers, and she nearly began to drool.
"Are these for Momo?"
"Of course."
Shen Xiuhan picked up one and held it to her mouth.
As if she had obtained a priceless treasure, the little girl carefully leaned forward and took a small bite.
With a crisp crunch, the rich fat and savory fragrance burst across her mouth.
Shen Momo's big eyes immediately curved into two little crescent moons of happiness.
"Delicious! So delicious! Brother, you eat some too!"
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