Benefits of a Poor Family?

After another round of training, he swallowed three more Qi-Replenishing Pills.

By the time he came back to himself, his Body Tempering progress had unknowingly reached two percent.

He shook the small porcelain bottle in his hand. The last bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills was about to run out as well.

He had finished testing the effects of a Ninth Grade Realm cultivation art.

Without Qi-Replenishing Pills, he could only practice the fist forms three times before his Qi-Blood was exhausted. With food and rest, he could undergo Body Tempering two or three times a day.

In other words, without taking pills, he could temper at most nine body parts a day.

But with Qi-Replenishing Pills, he could practice the fist forms three additional times each session. Three pills a day was the physical limit for an ordinary Ninth-Rank Martial Warrior, which meant they could temper eighteen body parts a day.

But Su Xinghe did the math for himself, setting aside the hundred-percent bonus from the Perfect Mastery Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art.

As long as his supply of Qi-Replenishing Pills held up, excluding eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, he could temper more than thirty body parts a day.

Add the hundred-percent Qi-Blood bonus from the Listening to Tides Art, and it was equivalent to sixty rounds of tempering for anyone else.

Half the consumption, one hundred percent of the effect.

This Listening to Tides Art was absolutely a supreme secret manual.

He wondered what kind of force the Heavenly One Sword Sect was, to give its disciples such a miraculous cultivation art as a talent test.

A faint rustling sounded.

A little ball of flesh covered in pale yellow fuzz wobbled up from his bed. Its two sapphire-like eyes rolled around before it stuck out its tongue at him.

"Squeak, squeak..."

"What a lazy little thing!"

Feeling the faint spiritual connection in his mind, Su Xinghe knew it was feeding time.

But it had been fed too well lately. This Little White Bat had gotten so fat it could no longer fly.

As for the reason—

He figured it was because his Qi-Blood was vigorous and carried a trace of the medicinal power of the Qi-Replenishing Pills.

He walked to the bed and scooped up the Little White Bat. The little fellow nudged its round head forward, trying to burrow into his arms.

Su Xinghe gently weighed it in his hand.

It really had put on quite a bit of weight. It was already as big as a chick.

Silently, he picked up the short dagger and lightly drew it across his palm.

Hm?

It would not even cut through!

He put more force into it and tried again.

The next day, Su Xinghe got up as usual.

He raised his arm, spread open his palm, and looked closely.

All five fingers of his right hand had recovered, though their color was slightly darker.

But martial artists had hands full of calluses. Unless someone compared them carefully, they would never notice.

After breakfast, he arrived at the White Ape Martial Academy on time.

Together with the other disciples, he assumed a fist stance in the front courtyard and began a new day of grueling training.

After practicing his fists in the afternoon—

Su Xinghe went to the rear courtyard.

The moment he entered, he saw the old man brewing tea again.

"Why have you come over here, kid?"

Without even looking up, Xie Guang continued fussing with the teapot before him.

"Elder Xie, you're in fine spirits!"

Su Xinghe flattered him first.

"It's too hot outside, so I came to beg a cup of tea from you."

As he spoke, he walked to the table, found a stool, and sat quietly to the side, watching.

Scalding water washed over the tea cups, rinsing away their stale scent. Before the fresh tea in the cups had even been steeped, a clean fragrance already drifted out.

Four cups of crystal-clear green tea stood in a row. While they waited, Xie Guang raised his head.

"You're taking a jab at me, kid."

He still looked languid, as though he had not fully woken up.

"This old man's pitiful little bit of Qi-Blood isn't even enough for my daily needs. If I practiced a few more sets of fists, wouldn't that take my old life?"

Su Xinghe's heart stirred, and he picked up the thread.

"Elder Xie, don't joke around. Who could ever have enough Qi-Blood?"

"I feel like I'm about to break through to Inner Tempering, so I wanted to buy a few more bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills from you and make a push through the bottleneck."

With a ding, a tea cup fell to the ground.

Ignoring the tea splashed across his lapels, Xie Guang stared straight across the long table.

"What did you say?"

This was part of Su Xinghe's talent plan, and also a choice forced upon him by necessity.

The two bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills from last time had contained only forty pills altogether. After last night's consumption, they were nearly gone.

"I think I'm about to break through to Inner Tempering."

Su Xinghe pretended to be somewhat uncertain.

Xie Guang did not even care about the freshly brewed tea. He grabbed Su Xinghe's hand and hurried toward the strength-testing stone locks in the central courtyard.

As he walked, he muttered to himself.

"Ah, if only the old gang leader were still here. Poor old me doesn't even have a wisp of Internal Force left in my belly. If I want to check your Qi-Blood, I can only use a crude method."

The central courtyard was the territory of the Inner Disciples.

But because they were short-handed, the two senior brothers had both been sent out to handle the Martial Arts School's affairs.

They were both Inner Tempering apprentices, their single-arm strength reaching five or six hundred jin at most. Even when facing the higher-ups of small gangs, they could stand on equal footing.

Su Xinghe found a four-hundred-jin stone lock and easily lifted it one-handed.

Under Xie Guang's expectant gaze, he switched to a four-hundred-and-fifty-jin one.

Pretending to use every last ounce of strength, he barely raised it above his shoulder.

"Good!"

"Good! Good!"

"In another ten days or half a month, your strength will definitely fully merge into your Qi-Blood."

"Then my ten bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills..."

Su Xinghe looked somewhat guiltily at the steward elder, whose face was full of kindly reassurance.

Xie Guang nodded, about to agree.

Then his expression abruptly turned stern.

"What happened to those two bottles of pills last time?"

"There were forty pills in them. Don't tell me you ate them all without regard for your body!"

That hit the nail right on the head.

Su Xinghe could only nod honestly, then shake his head again.

Xie Guang's old face changed again and again, and he twisted his beard into a braid.

Then he suddenly thought of something.

"You took leave a few days ago?"

Su Xinghe nodded.

"I heard your younger brother got married?"

Su Xinghe nodded again.

Only then did Xie Guang's expression improve somewhat. He said earnestly,

"Forget it... Be more careful in the future. Don't let the other disciples find out, or I won't be able to explain it to the academy master either."

With ten bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills tucked against his chest, Su Xinghe was still utterly bewildered.

Not until after dinner, when he went outside and saw Little Beggar squatting by the main road waiting for him—

Did realization suddenly dawn on him.

"Taking leave, getting married..."

"Selling medicinal pills..."

"Was it because his family was poor?"

"Want to eat together?"

Su Xinghe beckoned to the youth.

"Boss!"

Little Beggar called out somewhat sheepishly.

He had been watching the street just now. How had he failed to notice the boss coming over in advance? Could it be that the boss's divine art had reached great mastery, and his detection range now surpassed Little Beggar's?

He needed to work harder!

Thinking this, he hurriedly shook his head.

"I've already eaten. I just came by to see you."

"Mm!"

Su Xinghe nodded and turned to enter the gate.

"Xiao He is back. Have a cup of tea first. Dinner will be ready soon."

Inside the house, Su Cheng was chatting with Chen Guilan. Seeing him enter, Su Cheng rose with a smile and greeted him.

The two elders were preparing to open a shop on the street-facing first floor, but they had not yet decided what to sell. Every day, they either went out to inspect the market or asked around about supply channels.

After greeting them, Su Xinghe headed toward the well in the rear courtyard. After practicing fists all day, his entire body felt sticky and uncomfortable.

The moment he stepped into the small courtyard, he heard the laughter of Su Haitao and his wife coming from the row houses.

"This is what home feels like..."

He felt that every bit of effort and sacrifice had been worth it.

A bucket of icy well water washed away the tail end of summer.