Leng Ni's Assistance

"This tournament, I hope you all give it your best. Do not bring shame upon Greenwood Martial Hall!"

Li Qingliang raised his voice slightly, his expression stern.

"Yes, Master." Everyone hurriedly cupped their fists and replied.

"Yan Qing, I'm afraid you'll have to give way this time. It has been unanimously decided that the tournament will send disciples of the Organ Refinement Realm."

Li Qingliang turned his gaze toward Yan Qing, the eldest disciple. His tone softened somewhat, carrying a trace of apology.

Whether in martial halls, lineages, or the government, Blood Exchange Realm martial artists were the highest echelon of strength.

With Eldest Brother Yan Qing's Mid Blood Exchange strength, unless the masters of the major martial halls personally entered the fray, no one would likely be able to defeat him.

Yan Qing had been one of Li Qingliang's earliest disciples. If he had been a disciple from another martial hall, with his strength, he would probably have long since established his own school.

As for why he had not, it was because he was an orphan adopted by Li Qingliang. To him, Li Qingliang was both master and father, so naturally he could not leave.

"No matter. Let the younger brothers have the opportunity." Yan Qing spoke slowly, his face calm.

Hearing Yan Qing's answer, Li Qingliang secretly let out a breath of relief. He then looked at Li Buhui before glancing at Zhou Muyun.

"Before the tournament, Organ Refinement Realm disciples are strictly forbidden from fighting privately. If you wish to spar, Yan Qing or I must serve as a witness."

Everyone answered, "Yes." Since their master had spoken, they all understood that Li Qingliang had likely watched the earlier fight from beginning to end.

He had done so to gauge Zhou Muyun's true depth. Clearly, he had been quite satisfied, which was why he had said those words.

After reminding everyone once more, Li Qingliang dismissed them.

On the way out of the rear courtyard, Liu Yan, Li Buhui, and Bai Yu walked together. Li Buhui would occasionally glance at Zhou Muyun, a thread of hatred in his eyes.

He had thought that by striking first, he could give Zhou Muyun a show of force. Yet not only had he failed, he had instead allowed Zhou Muyun to steal the spotlight.

It had left him utterly humiliated. Worse, Li Qingliang had ruled that sparring required a witness.

It was obvious that he meant to protect Zhou Muyun. That meant no one could strike with lethal intent.

The more Li Buhui thought about it, the angrier he became. Since he could not act against him in the same martial hall, then he would find someone from another martial hall!

He planned to ask his cousin to take action and cripple Zhou Muyun at the Martial Hall Tournament.

The various martial halls competed with one another, so naturally there were old grudges between them.

Martial contests were cruel to begin with. On the arena stage, it was perfectly normal to use a little too much force and cripple someone; no one could find fault with it.

At that thought, a smile appeared at the corner of Li Buhui's mouth. He withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at Zhou Muyun.

As for Zhou Muyun, he was asking Mo Qi about the Martial Hall Tournament and whether the various martial halls had any disciples worth watching out for.

After all, five-year-old medicinal herbs were far too tempting. If he could obtain them, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Qi named three people.

"Zhang Chong of Soaring Cloud Martial Hall, Xiang Yang of Pine Jade Martial Hall, and Shui Yunyue of Bright Mirror Martial Hall.

"Both Zhang Chong and Xiang Yang are veteran Viscera Refinement martial artists. They have been steeped in this realm for six or seven years, so they cannot be underestimated.

"As for Shui Yunyue, like Junior Brother Bai, she is considered exceptionally talented. She has been in the Organ Refinement Realm for a year already.

"The rest are mostly like me, having entered the Organ Refinement Realm through slow grinding effort.

"Although they have also tempered themselves to the peak of this realm, they fall far short in other aspects."

Zhang Chong, Xiang Yang, Shui Yunyue—Zhou Muyun silently committed their names to memory.

There were still three months left. He had made up his mind: no matter how much the jade pendant sold for, he would accelerate his progress during this period.

Once the medicinal herbs were securely in his pocket, he would no longer need to worry about having no support for his martial training.

"Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother," Zhou Muyun said gratefully.

"Not at all. It's merely some insignificant information."

Mo Qi waved a hand, indicating that it was nothing worth mentioning.

Zhou Muyun nodded and did not dwell on the matter any further.

Just then, a fragrant breeze drifted past, and a graceful figure stepped in front of them.

The two looked up and saw Leng Ni. Today, she wore a fiery red fitted martial outfit that accentuated her exquisite curves.

Especially her long legs—straight and slender, they were particularly eye-catching.

"Junior Brother Mo, I have something to discuss with Junior Brother Zhou. Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Of course. Then I'll be leaving first."

Mo Qi naturally knew that the Leng Household was supporting Zhou Muyun.

So he readily agreed, patted Zhou Muyun on the shoulder, and quickly left.

Leng Ni then led Zhou Muyun to a corner of the front courtyard.

Her gaze swept over him from head to toe. Then she smiled. "Junior Brother Zhou, you truly gave me quite a surprise.

"Not only did you break through to the Organ Refinement Realm, you even blocked Li Buhui's punch. You should know that he is at the Peak Organ Refinement Realm.

"Though his martial arts are not much to speak of, his strength is the real deal."

"I cultivated a body-refining technique. Otherwise, I probably would not have been able to withstand Senior Brother Li's punch."

Zhou Muyun did not conceal it. He chose to tell Leng Ni the truth.

Leng Ni was his sponsor. Naturally, the stronger he was, the happier his sponsor would be.

Moreover, he was desperately short of money right now. If Leng Ni increased her support because of this, that would be perfect.

Sure enough, when she heard that Zhou Muyun had not neglected his martial cultivation even while practicing a body-refining technique—

A trace of appreciation flashed through Leng Ni's eyes. If her previous support had merely been a casual whim—

Then now, she had genuinely developed a desire to nurture talent.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you've made me see you in a new light. Do you have confidence in this Martial Hall Tournament?"

"Everyone wants the medicinal herbs."

"Oh? Junior Brother, are you actually aiming for first place? Then I presume defeating Bai Yu would be no problem for you?"

Leng Ni folded her arms over her chest, raising a delicate brow in surprise.

"If Senior Sister can increase her support a little, my confidence will be greater."

"Let's hear it."

"An additional six packets of Qi-Blood Powder and four bottles of Body-Tempering Liquid every day."

Zhou Muyun was certain that Leng Ni intended to increase her support, and he also knew she definitely would not agree to those terms.

Negotiations were like that: start with a higher price, and only then was there room to come down and reach an agreement.

Hearing Zhou Muyun's conditions, Leng Ni shook her head. "To be honest, Junior Brother, I am not the only child of the Leng Household. With these conditions added to the support I already promised you, it would likely cost three hundred taels per month. That is not something I can decide on my own."

"What if I don't want the ferocious beast meat?"

"The price of Qi-Blood Powder has recently fallen, so that would be possible. But for the Body-Tempering Liquid, I can only provide two bottles."

"Fine. Then we'll go by what Senior Sister says. As long as the support arrives, I will definitely defeat Bai Yu at the Martial Hall Tournament."

A flicker of joy crossed Zhou Muyun's face. He cupped his fists and spoke solemnly.

"Alright." Seeing Zhou Muyun's resolute attitude and brimming confidence, Leng Ni nodded in agreement. Then her tone shifted, turning serious.

"The support can be delivered to your home this afternoon. But Junior Brother, do not disappoint me."

"I will certainly not betray Senior Sister's trust."

Leng Ni nodded, then parted ways with Zhou Muyun.

Zhou Muyun, meanwhile, returned to the training ground and continued practicing.

That afternoon, Zhou Muyun still went to East Market as usual, completing his daily street patrol and pawning the jade pendant along the way.

To his surprise, the jade pendant was quite valuable. It fetched a full two hundred taels of silver.

Once his patrol ended, he hurried home impatiently.

Xu Rou handed him the medicines, saying they had been delivered by the person who usually brought the meat.

"Reliable indeed. As expected of a great lineage."

Zhou Muyun once again gained a new appreciation for Leng Ni's capabilities.

With her support, Qi-Blood Powder could completely replace ferocious beast meat.

After all, who would eat six packets of Qi-Blood Powder in a single day for no reason?

As for the two bottles of Body-Tempering Liquid he lacked each day, he could buy them himself.

At two taels a day, three months would only cost one hundred and eighty taels.

He could completely afford it. If he won first place at the Martial Hall Tournament, not only would the medicinal herbs be in his hands—

The reputation he gained from it would likely bring him tremendous profits as well.

Showing his skill at the martial hall today and receiving additional support was the best proof of that.

As for the two hundred taels from pawning the jade pendant, he already knew how to use them.

He would buy a house in the Inner City and move out of the Outer City.

The World-Saving Sect in the Outer City was far too strange now. He had to get his mother and younger sister away from here as soon as possible.

At that thought, Zhou Muyun decided that he would go look at houses first thing tomorrow morning.