Some Rejoiced, Some Worried

Anping County in the seventh month was as hot as a steamer.

The sun baked the flagstones of Willow Alley until they burned underfoot. The wonton stall owner had already moved his tables beneath the trees at the alley entrance and brought over a stool to doze on.

Cicadas shrilled from morning till night, loud enough to make anyone's head ache.

Ye An hardly noticed the heat. The Martial Hall's training yard was open on all sides and fairly cool.

His patrols at the North Granary were at night, so those were bearable too.

Zhao Tieshan said Ye An was the most diligent of all his fellow disciples. Ye An thought little of it. Only he knew how much fun it was to have a cheat.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Level): 156/200]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Level): 163/200]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Level): 171/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 32/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 48/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 65/200]

Ye An looked at the numbers in his vision and did the math in his head.

He needed fewer than thirty points to complete the second level of Azure Cloud Finger. At his current pace, he could reach Second Body Tempering by late in the seventh month.

The Qi-Nourishing Formula was slower. It needed two hundred points, and he had only just reached sixty-five. It would probably take another two or three months to advance.

Ye An was in no hurry. To him, cultivation was work that wore stone down like water.

One evening, Ye An had just left the Martial Hall and was about to head to the North Granary. As he reached the entrance to Willow Alley, the wonton stall owner called out to him.

"Ye An, someone's looking for you."

"Who?"

"Stone." The owner pointed down the alley. "He's waiting outside your house."

Ye An turned into Willow Alley. From a distance, he saw Stone squatting on the steps outside his door, dragging a foxtail grass stalk across the ground.

"Stone?"

Stone looked up, saw Ye An, and hurried to his feet.

He looked ill at ease, shifting awkwardly as though something weighed on his mind that he could not bring himself to say. "Brother An."

"Just tell me what it is."

Ye An had noticed his behavior.

Stone scratched his head, unsure how to begin. After hesitating for a long while, he finally said, "Brother An, I... I'd like to borrow some money."

Ye An said nothing. He just looked at him.

Stone grew uncomfortable under his gaze. He lowered his head, and his voice dropped. "My dad's sick. The doctor says he needs medicine, but we can't afford it..."

"How much?"

"Two taels... No, one will do." Stone looked up and quickly added, "I'll pay you back. Once I've saved enough, I promise."

Ye An took out his money pouch and handed him two taels in silver pieces.

They had been friends as children. Growing up brought troubles that were hard to face, and Ye An figured he should help where he could. He was not so short of money now.

Stone stared at the two taels Ye An held out. His hand reached forward, then drew back. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted them.

"Brother An, thank you." Stone's voice was muffled.

"What's wrong with your dad?" Ye An asked, making conversation.

"The doctor said it's from years of strain, carrying loads all the time." Stone put the silver away. "He said Dad needs rest and can't carry goods anymore. But if he doesn't, where will we get money..."

He said no more.

Ye An did not know what to say. He was no doctor and could not do much else. Two taels would buy a few doses of medicine, but they would not support a family.

"If you need help with anything, let me know."

Stone nodded, his eyes brimming with gratitude. "Brother An, you're a martial artist now. You're different from us. But you're still the same as you were before. You haven't changed."

Ye An watched Stone's figure disappear at the alley entrance. That was how the world worked: misfortune singled out those who already had it hard.

At noon one day, Qian Duoduo delivered the pills but did not leave immediately as he usually did. He stayed beside Ye An, doing nothing but watching him train.

"Ye An, can I ask you something?"

"How far have you gotten with Azure Cloud Finger?"

Ye An drove a finger into a wooden board. A crack split it from front to back.

"Almost there."

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Ye An did not say exactly how far he had left to go, but those two words alone made Qian Duoduo happy.

Sometimes Ye An feared Qian Duoduo would be cheated someday. If Ye An failed to reach Second Body Tempering, would Qian Duoduo still support a second attempt? Even if he did, what about a third?

Trust would crumble, and friendship would fade.

But Ye An would not fail. The [Sage of Martial Dao] had no bottlenecks, much less failed breakthroughs.

Qian Duoduo said excitedly, "Then I'll get a few extra Body Tempering Pills ready for you next month."

Ye An did not refuse.

After Qian Duoduo left, Zhao Tieshan came over.

"That Qian Duoduo really does treat you well."

Ye An nodded. He knew exactly how many resources Qian Duoduo had invested in him.

"Did you know his father doesn't approve of him taking on retainers?"

Ye An stopped practicing Azure Cloud Finger and turned to look at Zhao Tieshan.

Zhao Tieshan shifted uneasily under that look and waved a hand. "Don't look at me. I wasn't the one who said it. The Martial Hall's only so big. What doesn't get around?"

Ye An understood that, in the end, these factions cared about profit. Zhou Yuanlong and Sun Wanqing both hovered around Lin Shaoyun because they wanted to win over a promising talent who might reach Third Body Tempering.

And Ye An? He had upper-grade C Bone Structure and had only reached First Body Tempering.

How much pressure must Qian Duoduo face to recruit an ordinary martial artist like him?

"Qian Wanguan is a shrewd man."

"But that kid Qian Duoduo is standing up to his father and still bringing you pills every month. You don't find many people like him these days."

"Don't overthink it. I'm just saying, don't let him down." Zhao Tieshan put his worries to rest.

Ye An understood. Only a breakthrough could prove anything.

Otherwise, it was all empty talk.

Patrols at the North Granary had grown tighter than before.

"Have those people from Blackwind Stronghold quieted down lately?" Ye An asked Old Zhou.

Old Zhou was wiping his blade. He did not look up. "Quieted down? They're probably plotting something nasty. Lord Gu will be back soon. That's the only reason they don't dare make a move."

"When will Lord Gu arrive?"

"Soon. Word from the prefectural city says he's reached Qingstone Ridge. He'll be here in a few days."

That night, it was already late when Ye An returned from the North Granary.

The moon was full and bright, lighting Willow Alley almost like day.

Ye An stopped suddenly as he reached his house.

Someone was sitting on the steps by the courtyard gate.

Moonlight fell over him. He wore a faded gray short jacket, and his hair was a mess. He looked worn out.

It was his second brother, Ye Ning.

Ye Ning lived at the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall and came home only once every half month. By Ye An's count, it would be several more days before his next visit.

"Second Brother?"

Ye Ning looked at Ye An, his face as expressionless as ever.

"Back this late?"

"Night patrol at the North Granary."

"Why did you come back?"

Ye Ning did not answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own.

"Ye An, how far have you gotten with Azure Cloud Finger?"

"I'm close to Second Body Tempering."

"Not bad," Ye Ning said in approval.

First Body Tempering in three months, then Second Body Tempering four months later—with Ye An's Bone Structure, that pace showed diligence, nothing more. The hard part was breaking through.

Ye An stood in the courtyard, watching his second brother's retreating back. He could not shake the feeling that something was troubling Ye Ning.

When soldiers come, send a general; when water comes, build a wall of earth. What was coming would come.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Level): 179/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 81/200]

By the end of the month... he should be able to reach Second Body Tempering.

Then he would finally have some real strength.