The Hall Master's Disciples

"My lord, is the news confirmed?"

"Do you think I'm joking? Whether you go is up to you. Remember to have someone notify the nearby villages."

With that, Gao Fei did not linger. He took the other two and hurried toward the county seat.

He had said what needed to be said. What they chose to do was up to them.

The five killed during the encirclement, plus the dozen or so Rat Demons killed during the pursuit, brought his Merit Points to 376.

If he did not deduce any martial arts, it should be enough to cultivate to the Spirit-Absorption Realm.

Just as he was thinking.

Lu Xiaoliu hesitantly opened his mouth with a mournful face. "My lord, you even told me to practice less and enjoy life more. I never thought you'd secretly practice every day and become this strong."

Gao Fei gave a bitter smile. He had definitely never said that.

"I've been secretly practicing for hundreds of years. Of course I'm strong."

"Heh heh!"

Even Zhang Constable, who had always been stern and unsmiling, was amused by that.

Lu Xiaoliu did not laugh. He looked rather awkward.

"If you want to fool me, at least make it sound believable. That was completely half-hearted!"

Gao Fei glanced at his little brother. He didn't believe the truth, so I might as well tell him a lie.

"Actually, I'm a genius—a genius who hasn't fallen yet."

"Aren't you a Pure Yang Constitution? You locked so many beautiful women in a room to spend time alone with them, and you still haven't lost your virginity?"

"What do you know about losing one's virginity?"

"There are books about it, and illustrations too..."

As Lu Xiaoliu walked and thought, he seemed to realize something. He immediately went girlish again. "Don't tell me you like men? You're not thinking anything about me, are you?!"

Gao Fei stopped. Watching Xiao Liu walk past him, he gripped his saber one-handed and slowly drew it.

"I'd better kill you to silence you."

Only then did Lu Xiaoliu sense the killing intent. Even Gao Fei's voice had gone cold.

"Stop, I admit I was wrong..."

The three returned to the county seat.

After agreeing to drink together another day, they went their separate ways.

They had not brought back a single demon corpse from this trip, and their clothes had been torn to shreds. If his strength had not improved so much, he would have suffered a huge loss.

He had just changed into fresh clothes when his second uncle, Gao Linyue, called out to him.

"Get up early tomorrow and prepare. The Hall Master's Disciples Tournament is being held. The top three will receive Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pills. You're already at Perfect Skin Tempering Realm. Even if you can't make the top three, you still need to show your edge. Otherwise, everyone will come looking for trouble with you. How will you continue practicing martial arts?"

Gao Fei was rather surprised.

"I'm still the hall master's disciple? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Take a look at what you used to be like. The hall master not kicking you out of the school was already giving me plenty of face..."

"As long as it was never announced, you were still the hall master's disciple. Before, he thought you were too disappointing and wanted you to reflect on your mistakes..."

Gao Fei truly had not expected that he was still the hall master's disciple. He hurriedly cut off Gao Linyue's lecture and asked what he cared about.

"So if I place in the top three, I'll get a Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pill? And what does this pill do?"

"This..."

Gao Linyue rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly. "It nourishes the five viscera and six bowels, provides spiritual energy, and unifies the qi and blood of the five viscera. It's the best pill for the Organ Tempering Realm."

"This pill is that good, and the martial arts hall is willing to give it out?" Gao Fei did not believe the people of this world were so noble in character.

"This is Great Wu Kingdom giving those with slightly poorer talent an opportunity. The martial arts hall is merely handling it on their behalf!"

"Didn't the Martial Suppression Guard leave long ago?"

"Can't they leave it behind before they go? Why are you asking so much..."

"Fine. Call me when you go to the martial arts hall tomorrow."

Gao Fei thought for a while and decided to tell him about Chief Constable Liu's betrayal.

He only concealed the matter of his cultivation increasing, saying only that the county magistrate had saved the three of them.

His cultivation had risen too quickly. He could not be bothered to explain, so he simply said nothing about it.

After listening to everything, Gao Linyue's expression did not change at all.

"Next time you leave the city, don't go too deep. There are still quite a few people at Perfect Bone Tempering Realm in Yueyang City. They won't dare act too wildly."

Hearing this, Gao Fei did not answer. If he had not fought the Rat Demons and learned their numbers, he might really have believed his second uncle's "ghost talk."

Not a single sentence was true. He did not know what the point of hiding it was, treating him like a child and coaxing him along.

Hundreds of years of martial practice had tempered his heart and nature until they were unyielding.

"Second Uncle, let me take a look at an Organ Tempering Realm martial art. Broaden my horizons."

"What are you looking at so much for? Practice the Bone Tempering Realm properly first."

Gao Fei's Organ Tempering section had been deduced with more than four hundred years' worth of Merit Points. He wanted to see how it differed from other martial arts.

"Second Uncle, tell me—if I accidentally tell Second Aunt about how you siphoned off 'water' when buying Qi-Blood Soup, what do you think..."

"Fine, fine, I'll let you see it, all right?"

Before Gao Fei could finish, his second uncle interrupted him.

Then he hurried back to his room and brought out a finger-thick leather-bound book.

Gao Fei looked at the system prompt.

Detected Viscera Tempering Art. Learn it?

Using one Merit Point, he began rapidly flipping through this martial art whose name was rustic beyond belief.

In the first year, you discovered that the martial art you had created differed greatly from the Viscera Tempering Art.

The Purple-Viscera Organ-Tempering Art used qi and blood to shake and temper the organs, while spiritual energy replenished them. It was simple and brutal.

The Viscera Tempering Art emphasized using medicinal power to train them and spiritual power to replenish them—a strategy of nurturing while cultivating.

No wonder controlling the force of those vibrations alone had taken several years.

"This martial art in the book belongs to the Martial Suppression Guard. It's the one I cultivate."

"You're just letting me look at the martial art like this? Aren't you afraid they'll come looking for trouble with you?"

Gao Fei was puzzled. "Shouldn't martial arts be kept hidden away, difficult for ordinary people to obtain?"

Gao Linyue shot him a disdainful glance.

"You've read too many storybooks, haven't you? This is an age of demons and chaos. The Great Wu Emperor hopes everyone will practice martial arts. The techniques for the Four Body-Tempering Practices can be bought for a few taels of silver, and private circulation is allowed."

"Only Spirit-Absorption Realm martial arts are difficult to obtain. You must join a sect or the Martial Suppression Guard to learn them."

"Drawing qi into the body—that is the limit ordinary people can reach."

Gao Fei listened with interest. He was now beginning to think about where he could obtain a Spirit-Absorption Realm martial art.

If he could find a ready-made technique, that would naturally be best. These martial arts had undergone extensive practice, so why waste Merit Points?

After resting for a while, the two chatted about household matters.

From what he heard, Gao Fei learned that grain prices in Yueyang County had begun rising today, and they were rising sharply.

The coarse-flour steamed buns that had originally cost one copper coin for two now cost two copper coins each...

Someone had leaked the news: demons had eaten all the people in the villages outside the city, and would soon surround the city.

The two chatted idly, making random analyses of the current situation.

Before long, Second Aunt returned with Qiu Mei, Xiaocui, and Gao Yan.

At that moment, Gao Yan had three huge sacks slung over his shoulders, while each of the three women carried one sack as well.

They set them down at the entrance, panting heavily as they looked at the two men chatting leisurely.

"Second Uncle, how about we go help them?"

"Yes, yes, of course we should."

After dinner, they walked to aid digestion.

Qiu Mei and Xiaocui changed into fitted martial outfits and actually stood in horse stances together with Gao Yan.

It seemed carrying grain during the day had been deliberate.

That surprised Gao Fei, while also making him doubtful. Can they really endure this kind of hardship?

Thinking of the physique after practicing Iron Shirt.

He hurried to Gao Linyue's side and asked softly into his ear:

"Second Uncle, when women practice Iron Shirt at the Skin Tempering Realm, will they end up like us—covered in muscles?"

"They will!"

Gao Fei looked at Qiu Mei and Xiaocui and shook his head, recalling a classic figure.

A daughter had grown up in the household, able to pull up mountains and overwhelm the world with her strength. So it was Nezha growing up after all!