Methods to Improve Root Bone

"What would my odds be if I faced Su Meiyi, who had Upper-Grade Bone Aptitude?"

After all, he did not know whether the Four Families possessed secret techniques that were never passed down—or cultivation arts beyond secret techniques.

"Against the nine senior brothers of the inner court, there probably wouldn't be any surprises now, right?"

"Zhao Shuiliu's realm is still unknown. I'll have to lie low for a while longer. Perhaps I can go test the waters at the arena..."

This was not a sudden whim.

He had long wanted to temper himself in the arena. After all, he had never truly traded blows with an expert of the same rank. Every time he made a move, it had been a crushing victory.

Though this was certainly prudent.

Deep in his heart, however, a restless, hot-blooded fervor had always been boiling.

He had merely been doing his utmost to suppress it.

Avoiding life-and-death battles against opponents of the same rank had always been his principle.

Yet the more he did so, the harder it became to calm the fervor in his heart after taking up martial arts. He longed for a battle fought to his heart's content.

At that thought, hunger suddenly surged over him.

Casting everything else aside, Lu Li hurried to the kitchen, found some of the pickled secret meat he had prepared earlier, and began to feast heartily.

Full and satisfied, he entered dreamland with a contented smile.

The next morning.

He rose very early and secretly practiced his boxing in the training room.

His appearance was far too frightening now, and he did not want to startle his young aunt and the others.

With the Form-Intent Secret Stance at perfection, the effects of Skin Tempering could be called a meteoric advance.

At this rate, he would need only three months to complete one round of Skin Tempering.

He was also nearing his fifth round of Skin Tempering... In roughly another half month, he should succeed.

After finishing his boxing practice, Lu Li hurried to the Road Division yamen.

He put on his uniform, fastened his badge, and began patrolling the streets with his three subordinate archers.

Over the past half month, he had gradually become familiar with the stretch from the north gate to Chessboard Street, and had gained a preliminary understanding of the Inner City as well.

In Blackwater City's Inner City, every inch of land was worth an inch of gold. Aside from Pang Shilang and the Three Gangs and Four Families standing at the pinnacle, there were also many deeply rooted aristocratic clans, gentry, and merchants.

These great households kept many guards. Though the Three Gangs wielded considerable power, they generally followed the rules in the Inner City.

The prosperity of the Inner City was a hundred times more peaceful and carefree than that of the Outer City.

He sighed inwardly. "While the poor outside the city are still struggling bitterly over a bowl of bran porridge, the masters of the Inner City are already clad in fine silks and fed on rich foods, singing and feasting every night."

Wine and meat rot behind vermilion gates; frozen bones lie by the roadside.

Was any dynasty not like this? More or less, they were all the same. The so-called nobles and powerful merely sucked the blood and sweat of common folk. The splendor and dignity of those grand households were mostly piled high upon the flesh and blood of those at the bottom.

Lu Li suddenly recalled an account from unofficial histories in his previous life.

One wealthy gentryman feared the cold in winter. When servants attended him during his bath, four maidservants holding warming pots waited until he entered the wooden tub, then warmed his back with their heated chests. Some said this was merely exaggerated unofficial history... but the real world was likely even more absurd.

In history, there had even been men who made their beautiful concubines and maidservants kneel to receive their phlegm and swallow it, calling them "Fragrant Sleep Pots." Others called them "Beauty Basins," and even competed over whose "basin" was more beautiful...

"While the people of the Outer City are still agonizing over Protection Silver, scrimping on their food rations to pay taxes and various fees..."

Wang Boxing's voice sank, carrying exhaustion and self-mockery. "The masters of the Inner City have probably grown sick of bear paws and deer tendons, and are pondering how to feed fighting cocks with ginseng juice and caged sparrows with polished rice."

They lived in the same city, yet under two different heavens.

Standing at the city gate, Lu Li looked toward Blackwater Bridge and nodded.

He had personally witnessed the absurd extravagance of the Inner City's masters: brocade spread over the ground, banquets beside pools of wine, candied fruits and fresh produce—things the poor of the Outer City would not even dare dream of.

Just then, rumbling tremors came from the distant bridge.

They moved with astonishing speed. The muffled thunder in the distance instantly became rapid hoofbeats, striking the bluestone pavement in a dense rhythm like drumbeats.

"Move! Get the hell out of my way!"

A furious roar erupted, accompanied by the sharp crack of a horsewhip splitting the air and the anxious snorts of horses.

At the end of the bridge, three magnificent tall horses came charging through billowing dust like a gust of black wind, showing no intention of slowing down.

"Neigh...!"

The pitch-black steed let out a shrill neigh and reared high on its hind legs, its front hooves nearly stomping on Lu Li's face.

When its hooves came down, they were less than an inch from Lu Li.

Lu Li raised his eyes slightly. His gaze passed through the black horse and fixed directly on the youth atop it, his eyes as still as water in a deep pool—so calm it was almost excessive.

"Are you blind, you dog-eyed fool? You didn't dodge in time—are you tired of living?"

The youth raised his horsewhip, preparing to lash Lu Li across the face.

"Zhao Tai, stop!"

At that moment, another youth who had caught up slightly behind said softly, "What mud-legged peasant is this, standing here like a wooden stake? Why aren't you opening the gates already?"

Only then did Zhao Tai lower his whip. He turned to look at the youth behind and to the side of him, smiling playfully.

"Hu Jingxing, have your father take some time to discipline these gatekeepers. They haven't got a shred of sense..."

Seeing this, the officials guarding the city hurriedly waved their command flags, threw open the gates, and let the three pass through.

"Boss, did you fail Gate-Breaking?"

Ma Liu of the Yang Family Martial Academy looked at Lu Li. In the end, he could not hold back any longer and asked the question he had been bottling up ever since they left the yamen.

Niu Lai and Wang Boxing also looked at Lu Li, wanting to hear his answer.

When they saw Lu Li that morning, they had all been shocked. In a single night, he had become gaunt and haggard, having lost far more than three rounds of weight. He looked like an entirely different person.

They thought that perhaps Lu Li had failed Gate-Breaking and damaged his foundation, which was why he had just stood there in a daze and even forgotten to dodge...

Lu Li did not answer. After a long silence, he asked, "Who... were they?"

"Those three are Martial Students of the Martial Lecture Hall."

Wang Boxing lowered his voice and slowly let out a breath.

"The one who saved you was the young master of Captain Hu's household. Those Martial Student young masters are people even the Three Gangs and Four Families do not dare offend lightly. It isn't because of the backing behind them, but because entering the Martial Lecture Hall is equivalent to stepping onto the broad highway of martial arts. Never mind how far their martial attainments may reach in the future—their official prospects are equally boundless..."

Wang Boxing's words carried complicated emotions: reverence, along with a trace of yearning envy that was difficult to detect.

Lu Li's spirits lifted at once, utterly unaffected by the startled horse from earlier.

Entering the Martial Lecture Hall was not merely a step to the heavens—it meant overwhelming wealth and glory.

After the street patrol ended, Lu Li returned to the Golden Gate Martial Academy.

The instant the disciples in the front courtyard saw Lu Li, all of them were deeply shaken. Yet because of Lu Li's status, none dared provoke him. They could only whisper among themselves from the side.

As usual, Lu Li silently found a spot in a corner of the courtyard and calmly practiced his boxing.

He continued until Shen Gangfu called him into the rear courtyard.

When Lu Li stepped into the training room, Shen Gangfu's eyes were filled with disbelief. Lu Li had been perfectly fine last night, yet such a drastic change had suddenly occurred. Shen Gangfu found it utterly incomprehensible.

"Hua Yuan, did you fail Gate-Breaking?"

Lu Li remained silent. It was not that he wanted to deceive his master; he merely wished to use this opportunity to send the outside world the false news that he had failed Gate-Breaking, buying himself more peaceful time to cultivate.

After all, he had killed two Grass Shoes from Ironwood Hall. That matter would not pass so easily.

Over the past half month, he had discovered several groups of people secretly following him.

Moreover, this could help Lu Li verify two things.

First, whether the hidden danger of his physical body being overdrawn was truly harmless, whether there was a way to recover quickly, and whether he could better protect his family. In such chaotic times, one could never be too cautious.

Second, the hidden dangers within the martial academy. He suspected someone was secretly watching him and feeding information about him to Ironwood Hall. At the same time, this would better help him avoid the jealousy of the inner court and reduce unprovoked arrows shot from the dark.

Who would have expected Shen Gangfu's next words to lift Lu Li's spirits and warm his heart at the same time?

"Come. Accompany me to the Liansheng Escort Agency."

Shen Gangfu spoke in a taut voice tinged with worry. "Today, I'll throw away this old face of mine if I must, but I will beg them for a method to improve your Root Bone."