Senior Brother Feeds Him Moves, the Gap Between Him and the Skin Grinding Realm!

"If the Blood Nourishing Medicinal Cuisine is to be used as a birthday gift, it was suggested by Yao Wenbai, the Yao Family head's illegitimate son... Luo Yongcheng has also reached the Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation these past few days, but Old Man Chou did not take him on as an official disciple..."

Zhou Yang lowered his voice and recounted the whole chain of events, as well as everything that had happened at Luo Family Pharmacy during this period.

A mouthful of tea slid down his throat. Jiang Shu sat by the window, gazing at the Inner City outside as he listened quietly.

Cutting all ties with Luo Yongcheng did not mean he had no need to care about this matter.

If he wanted to gain a foothold in Pingling County,

he had to understand Pingling County's rules.

Luo Family Pharmacy was a classic example.

Understand it, familiarize himself with it, dissect it.

There could only be benefits, no drawbacks.

For now, although the great households had Bone Forging experts among them, Pingling County's skies still belonged to the County Government.

With the County Government keeping watch, everything the great households did remained within the rules. They could have ruffians surround the Outer Area of Luo Family Pharmacy, but they would not directly smash it up.

Even in a remote little county, the County Government can keep the situation firmly under control. It seems the Great Jing Dynasty's grip is far stronger than I imagined.

The stronger a dynasty's control, the harder it is for commoners to rise in status. In chaotic times, even a beggar can become an emperor. Yet in prosperous times, with resources monopolized, even heroes may be buried among the common rabble.

But misfortune is where fortune lies. Prosperous times also mean stability. Just like Pingling County's County Government, which protects the stability of the entire county. For me right now, stability outweighs everything else.

As for resources, I can obtain them from Xuanxing. I have also become an official disciple of the Hungry Tiger Martial Hall, with martial arts that lead directly to Bone Forging. Before the Viscera Training Realm, all I need to do is steadily improve.

Once I become a Bone Forging expert myself, I will naturally learn about the world beyond Pingling County.

Jiang Shu gathered his thoughts and asked, "What about news of my senior brothers?"

On the day Old Man Chou accepted him as a disciple, he had only briefly introduced Jiang Shu to the twelve senior brothers. At the time, Jiang Shu had remained at the Hungry Tiger Martial Hall entertaining guests and had not exchanged many greetings with them.

Now that he had a little time and money, Jiang Shu intended to visit them one by one.

It was also proper etiquette for him as their junior brother.

Over the next three days,

with the information Zhou Yang provided, Jiang Shu prepared gifts according to each senior brother's preferences. With his deliberate efforts to build friendships, his relationship with several of them grew considerably closer.

Especially with his twelfth senior brother, Qi Yuan.

Since they were close in age, they found plenty to talk about.

At this moment, inside Qi Yuan's courtyard.

Fists and kicks flew fiercely, detonating the air.

The two figures touched and separated at once.

The Tiger Form Three Styles flowed effortlessly from their hands.

Though there were only three moves, they seemed to produce dozens of variations.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Qi Yuan loved wine most of all. He snatched up a wine flask from the ground and took a deep swig. His other hand never stopped moving, blocking five or six of Jiang Shu's fierce attacks.

"Junior Brother, this wine of yours is truly strong. But why are your fists so soft and limp?"

"You surely know that the difference between the Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation and a Skin Grinding Realm martial artist lies in force. But do you know what force is? If you cannot gather your body's entire strength at one point and erupt with it, you will never comprehend force!"

"Our martial hall's Hungry Tiger Howling Mountain Force carries an unstoppable momentum. Once a fist is thrown, there is no regret. Don't hold back just because I'm your senior brother. Surely you don't think a mere Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation like you can hurt me?"

As he drank the strong liquor Jiang Shu had brought, Qi Yuan fed Jiang Shu moves while pointing out his shortcomings.

A trace of drunkenness already colored his voice, yet every word was a pearl of wisdom.

Each time he spoke, Jiang Shu gained a fresh realization.

Jiang Shu adjusted himself, striving to gather the strength of his limbs and every bone in his body into a single fist. Before this sparring session, Jiang Shu had known Skin Grinding Realm martial artists were strong.

But he had never expected the gap to be this vast.

Qi Yuan had not even used Hungry Tiger Howling Mountain Force.

By relying solely on his control over strength, he could suppress Jiang Shu with one hand.

No wonder only upon reaching the Skin Grinding Realm could one be considered a true martial artist.

"Whew. Senior Brother Qi, let's rest for a moment."

The first burst of effort was strongest, the second weaker, and by the third, exhaustion set in.

After sparring for another twenty minutes, the strength in his body had begun to run dry. Jiang Shu withdrew his fists and stepped back, cupping his hands toward Qi Yuan apologetically.

He stood to one side, assumed a standing stance, breathed, adjusted his condition, and reviewed the gains and losses from this session.

In his mind, upon the translucent Panel,

the Hungry Tiger Martial Hall's Refining, Nourishing, Striking Three Methods had also risen several points in proficiency at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Time flowed slowly like water.

Jiang Shu came to the Small Courtyard almost every day to trade fists with Qi Yuan.

He would bring a flask of strong liquor from Xuanxing.

Their relationship grew increasingly harmonious, and gradually, they could talk about anything.

Besides trading fists, Qi Yuan would also occasionally tell Jiang Shu about the various martial arts and changes in the other martial halls of Pingling County.

"Junior Brother Jiang, once you become a Skin Grinding Realm martial artist, I'll invite a few friends over and arrange a small gathering. I'll take you to spar with them. Every martial hall's martial arts have something worth learning, and every Skin Grinding Realm martial artist has their own understanding of martial arts. The more you understand, the better your odds of victory in future battles."

"For us martial artists, the first priority is realm, the second is actual combat. Advancing in realm is slow, but improving through actual combat is incredibly fast, especially for someone like you, who has barely experienced any fighting. You must have gained quite a bit from trading fists these past few days, right? Take a break for the next few days. At the height of movement, one must consider stillness; the bowstring must both tighten and loosen."

"Don't go back tonight. Your senior brother will take you somewhere good to broaden your horizons."

"Cloud Sparrow Quarter?"

Jiang Shu blurted out instinctively.

He could hardly be blamed. Ever since arriving in Pingling County, every man he heard talk, without exception, had been to Cloud Sparrow Quarter.

"What's so interesting about that kind of place? If you want to visit Cloud Sparrow Quarter, you should find Third Senior Brother. He's the oldest. Still stuck at the Stone Skin Realm in his thirties, he has no hope of Bone Forging. For the past two years, he has been lingering around Cloud Sparrow Quarter. If you truly want to go, he's the right man to find."

"With your current wealth, Junior Brother, he could even introduce you to a pure courtesan."

Qi Yuan curled his lip. "Lust is a blade that scrapes the bones. Before you've reached Bone Forging, you should visit Cloud Sparrow Quarter less often. The place I mean is one you've definitely heard of as well."

"While you are at the Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation, you can still take Hungry Tiger Secret Medicine to improve rapidly. But once you reach the Skin Grinding Realm, will Hungry Tiger Secret Medicine still be of much use to you?"

"Ordinary meat can increase Blood Qi for those who practice martial arts. But for martial artists, eating only such meat is like ordinary people eating nothing but rice and no meat. The Blood Qi throughout their body cannot be replenished, and their strength will decline again and again."

"Therefore, every Skin Grinding Realm martial artist must have a way to make money."

"Only with gold and silver can you buy those things."

At this point, Qi Yuan looked at Jiang Shu with envy in his eyes.

Given his status, he naturally knew that Jiang Shu held a tenth of the profits from Zhou Family Restaurant.

That income alone was enough to support Jiang Shu's cultivation through the early stages of the Skin Grinding Realm.

Qi Yuan stopped there. He believed Jiang Shu had already guessed where he intended to take him.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Jiang Shu, who had been pursing his lips, wiped the smile from his face, looked at him, and voiced his two-word guess:

"The Black Market?"