Zhang Bo clapped his hands sharply. "The problem most likely lies with the Violet Palace Method."
Li Cheng asked urgently, "Can the Violet Palace Method help with practicing the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude?"
Zhang Bo said, "The Violet Palace Method is an Internal Cultivation Method. In the Skin Tempering Realm, most people neglect internal cultivation. They think it's slow, and it doesn't show much fighting power in the short term.
"But an Internal Cultivation Method trains the circulation of qi-blood, the regulation of the organs and the foundations needed for a Mental Method.
"The Seven Forms of Settling Solitude looks like swordsmanship, but the difficulty isn't in its seven Sword Techniques. It's in the shifts of the Mental Method: how to draw qi-blood into a fine stream and carry force to the blade.
"Deng Qing practiced an Internal Cultivation Method, so he could reach the threshold of the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude's Mental Method sooner. That's why he's progressing a little faster."
Zhang Bo had put it as gently as he could, but Li Cheng understood. He lamented inwardly, I'm afraid I'll never catch up to Deng Qing in the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude.
"Senior Brother Deng, let's stop here for today."
Li Cheng cupped his hands toward Deng Qing. "You've been tired these past few days too. Get some rest. Once I've thought things through, I'll come find you."
Deng Qing knew he felt awful and said nothing more. He sheathed his sword, returned it to the weapons rack, cupped his hands toward Zhang Bo and Li Cheng, and left.
As soon as Deng Qing was gone, Li Cheng drew a sword from the weapons rack.
The blade slid free, flashing cold.
The next moment, he slashed out fiercely. With no technique behind his sword, he hacked and chopped wildly, venting his frustration.
Zhang Bo did not try to stop him. He let him vent.
Deng Qing, of course, had no idea how much pain he had caused Li Cheng simply by being there for comparison.
After leaving the Li Family, he returned to his little courtyard.
The courtyard was still dilapidated, but after some tidying, wind no longer blew through it from every direction. He had bought some clothes and bedding too. It barely resembled a home now.
Once home, his days fell back into a routine.
As usual, he ate at the Celebration Hall, practiced at home, and went out on night patrol.
But without meat from the Li Family, his progress with the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude immediately slowed.
Deng Qing could only use the one tael Wu Yun gave him each month, along with his night-patrol rewards, to buy meat and make up the shortfall. Of course, he ate every bit of the Pig Offal Wu Yun gave him each day too.
He knew full well that even so, it was only a cup of water against a cartload of firewood.
According to Fan Sheng, going from the Skin Refining Second Layer to the Skin Tempering Third Layer would take at least four hundred taels of silver to fuel his qi-blood.
After turning it over in his mind, Deng Qing decided he needed to earn extra money. That brought the Tianshun Apothecary to mind.
Of all the jobs he had done, tending medicine furnaces paid the fastest.
That day, he headed straight to the Celebration Hall and found Tu Wei to ask about working at the Tianshun Apothecary.
Tu Wei said times were growing more chaotic, and there was no shortage of people willing to trade their lives for money.
Ordinary people were willing to take half what the Martial Artists charged and endure the medicinal toxins with their bodies. Naturally, the Tianshun Apothecary would not pay a premium to hire them.
Deng Qing was stunned. He knew times were hard and competition was fierce everywhere, but he had never expected ordinary people to crowd into work meant for Martial Artists too.
There was nothing he could do but settle down, keep reporting for duty, practice diligently, and wait for an opportunity.
Another half month passed in a blink. He trained without pause. Though meat was scarce, his progress with the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude was encouraging: it had reached 19%.
The word "Initiation" had yet to flash, but he was already on the verge of a breakthrough.
One morning, Deng Qing was cooking offal at home when someone knocked on his door.
He opened it and found, to his surprise, Steward Liu from the Tianshun Apothecary.
Steward Liu wore a padded robe. Smiling, he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Deng Qing, it's been a while."
Deng Qing was a little surprised. He returned the gesture. "What brings you here, Steward Liu?"
Steward Liu smiled. "The apothecary has some work lately and would like Brother Deng Qing to lend a hand. The pay is the same as before."
Deng Qing was delighted, but his face gave nothing away. "Is Senior Brother Tu going too?"
He had heard from Tu Wei what the Tianshun Apothecary had been doing recently.
With ordinary people available, it no longer hired Martial Artists. Steward Liu's sudden visit gave Deng Qing reason to wonder.
Steward Liu said with a smile, "This job isn't big enough to need all those people.
"The apothecary's masters have nothing but praise for Brother Deng Qing's abilities.
"And I've heard Brother Deng Qing has reached the second layer. That's even better.
"I can guarantee you'll earn ten taels of silver from this job."
The more Steward Liu promised, the less at ease Deng Qing felt. "Senior Brother Tu took me there last time. Without him, I wouldn't even know this work at the Tianshun Apothecary existed.
"It would be wrong of me to take a job there behind his back. I hope you understand, Steward Liu."
Steward Liu froze.
He knew lower-ranked Martial Artists were struggling these days. He had assumed someone from Deng Qing's background would leap at an offer from the apothecary.
He had not expected the boy to refuse to keep the opportunity to himself.
He patiently tried to persuade him a while longer, but Deng Qing would not budge. Helpless, Steward Liu left.
Deng Qing, in turn, held firm. He went to work, ate, and practiced as usual.
Two days later, Steward Liu came again and agreed to let him bring Tu Wei.
Deng Qing immediately rushed to the Celebration Hall to find Tu Wei.
Tu Wei was not in the Back Courtyard. Deng Qing asked around and finally found him before the notice wall in the front courtyard.
Quite a few disciples had gathered beneath the wall, craning their necks to look while murmuring among themselves.
Wind swept in through the courtyard gate, rustling the freshly posted red paper on the wall.
Deng Qing squeezed to the front and glanced up.
New notice from the County Yamen:
Apprehend the remnants of the Donghuang Cult.
Rewards for identifying their strongholds.
Rewards for capturing or killing cult members.
Silver and Ginseng Pill rewards for killing Skin Tempering Realm fiends, amounts to be determined separately.
The items below spelled out the details.
Apprehend a follower: three taels of silver.
Kill a Skin Tempering First Layer cult member: ten taels of silver.
Kill a Skin Refining Second Layer cult member: thirty taels of silver.
Gold seemed to flash in Deng Qing's eyes as he read. But he soon calmed down. He could not look only at the rewards; the risks were enormous.
He steadied himself and looked around, quickly spotting Tu Wei in the crowd.
Tu Wei smiled when he saw him. "See that? Our chance to get rich has arrived.
"At the front, the Qingzhou troops won a battle and are combing through every last hideout. The Donghuang Cult's people are scattering everywhere, and the county can't sit still either..."
Tu Wei went on, then noticed Deng Qing signaling to him. Realizing he had something to say, he followed him somewhere quiet.
Deng Qing told him Steward Liu had come again to ask him to help at the Tianshun Apothecary.
Tu Wei said in surprise, "Looks like Steward Liu thinks highly of you."
Deng Qing said, "Don't misunderstand, Senior Brother. I haven't forgotten who taught me the Violet Palace Method or who brought me the money I earned guarding medicine furnaces.
"I told Steward Liu that if you weren't going, I wasn't going either.
"He left at first, but this was his second visit, and he agreed to let you lead the job.
"That's why I came to ask you."
Tu Wei's expression softened. He patted Deng Qing's shoulder. "Junior Brother Deng, you're a decent man.
"But Liu isn't. I can't be bothered with him.
"He'd rather send ordinary people to risk their lives than hire Martial Artists who know an Internal Cultivation Method. He's obviously trying to drive down the price.
"I'd wager he's got a batch of potent medicine to refine this time, and nobody else can withstand it. That's why he thought of you.
"Name your price. Don't let that bastard get a bargain."
"You're not going, Senior Brother?"
Deng Qing was startled.