Undercurrent

Life went on as usual.

The only change in Ye An's current situation compared to before was that he practiced the Qi-Nourishing Formula when it got dark.

Ye An was still doing the night patrol at the North Granary, earning four taels of silver a month. Even mosquito meat was meat no matter how small.

He practiced the Azure Cloud Finger during the day and the Qi-Nourishing Formula at night.

Finger techniques trained the tendons, bones, skin, and flesh, while internal arts trained the qi, blood, and meridians.

With both combined, Ye An could clearly feel the changes in his body.

His reflexes and strength had both improved a little, and even the progress of the Azure Cloud Finger had sped up somewhat.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Layer): 71/200]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Layer): 79/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Initial Glance): 1/100]

Ye An did not know what level Initial Glance counted as, but that faint, wispy current of qi in his dantian truly existed.

Usually imperceptible, it would only course along the meridians when he circulated his cultivation art, adding a fraction of penetrating force to his every finger strike.

At noon that day, Zhao Tieshan walked over, leaned against the wooden dummy nearby, and looked at Ye An.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zhao Tieshan did not know when he had walked up behind Ye An.

"Nothing." Ye An withdrew his thoughts. "I was just wondering when I'll reach Second Body Tempering."

"What's the rush?" Zhao Tieshan casually poked a finger at the wooden dummy. The dummy did not budge, but a chip of wood burst off the back. "Back then, it took me over half a year to go from the first to the second. Your progress is fine."

"Senior Brother, how long have you been at Peak Second Body Tempering?"

Zhao Tieshan's smile froze; he had not expected Ye An to ask him this question.

"Two years."

His flat voice harbored helplessness.

"How many times did you attempt it?"

"Three times."

Zhao Tieshan lowered his hand, turned around, and continued leaning against the wooden dummy, his gaze sweeping over the others in the courtyard.

Zhou Yuanlong was whispering to Sun Wanqing, Lin Shaoyun was practicing his martial arts, and Su Qing was maintaining the wooden dummy.

"The first time I attempted Third Body Tempering was last spring." Zhao Tieshan's voice was not loud, as if he were talking to himself. "I saved up money for half a year, bought three Body Tempering Pills and one Realm Breaking Pill, and went into seclusion for ten days."

"And the result?"

"Just a hair short." Zhao Tieshan waved his hand with a feigned casualness. "Just missed by that much. Accumulated progress cleared to zero, the pills wasted, and I even owed twenty taels of silver."

"The second time was last autumn. This time I prepared more thoroughly, buying five Body Tempering Pills and two Realm Breaking Pills." Zhao Tieshan gave a bitter laugh, clearly having failed.

"What about the third time?"

"This spring."

"By then my money was almost gone. I borrowed all around, scraped together thirty taels, and bought two Body Tempering Pills and one Realm Breaking Pill. I figured if it didn't work this time, I'd accept my fate." Zhao Tieshan shook his head as he spoke.

Ye An already knew the ending.

Zhao Tieshan reminded Ye An, "So you see, even I'm not in a rush, what are you in such a hurry for?"

Although Zhao Tieshan claimed with his mouth that his mindset was very good, Ye An knew that his mindset regarding the pursuit of Third Body Tempering had long since changed.

Zhao Tieshan, Peak Second Body Tempering, failed three attempts at Third Body Tempering, in debt, and still had a family to support.

His bone structure was Low-B Grade, a tier higher than Ye An's. Yet that hurdle of Third Body Tempering was simply one he could not cross.

Such was the fate of ordinary martial artists.

Hard work did not guarantee success, and effort did not always yield rewards.

Failing a realm breakthrough meant accumulated progress was wiped clean, with time and silver all going down the drain.

After enough times, one would gradually resign themselves to fate.

Ye An remained silent; this was a feeling he would never experience.

Ye An possessed the Sage of Martial Dao and had no bottlenecks.

Others would fail when breaking through, but Ye An would not.

Yet this matter was known to Ye An alone.

At noon, just as Ye An was eating some dried meat, Qian Duoduo sidled up to him.

Instead of his usual smiling and joking demeanor, he squatted beside Ye An and fell silent for a long while.

"Spit it out if you have something to say."

Hearing this, Qian Duoduo did not beat around the bush.

"Ye An, I want to talk to you about something."

"After you broke through to First Body Tempering, you've still been working this hard, practicing martial arts every single day without missing a beat."

"I've been watching you for two months."

"What are you trying to say?"

"My dad said that whether someone can accomplish things isn't judged by how brilliant they are when the wind is at their back and water is smooth, but by whether they become proud and complacent after succeeding." Qian Duoduo stared intently at Ye An. "You're the most diligent and hardest-working person I've ever seen."

"?" Ye An felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at like that.

Qian Duoduo took a deep breath, as if having made some kind of resolution.

"I want to invite you to be a retainer. No binding blood contract, just register your name. I'll supply you with Body Tempering Pills every month."

"It's just that when there's a need, I might require your help, but I won't have you throw your life away, you can rest assured of that."

Ye An looked into Qian Duoduo's sincere eyes and fell silent for a moment.

Through these months of getting along, among all the senior and junior apprentice brothers in the courtyard, Qian Duoduo was the one who interacted with him the most. Since he was willing to invest in him now, why shouldn't Ye An agree?

What was more, Ye An very much wanted to make this friend.

"Alright."

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up. To show his sincerity, he asked, "Three Body Tempering Pills a month, is that enough?"

"Enough."

A single Body Tempering Pill had a market price of ten taels. The Qian Family probably had channels and could get them a bit cheaper. Regardless, Ye An memorized this favor.

After Qian Duoduo left, the trainees gathered together to eat their dry rations and chat.

"Have you heard? Lord Gu is coming back to the county seat."

"Which Lord Gu?"

"Who else? Pacification Envoy Lord Gu Changfeng, of course."

"Didn't he go to the prefecture city to report on his duties?"

"He's back. I heard he's already on the road and will arrive in a few days."

"Lord Gu is an expert who opened his meridians years ago. Once he's back, the county seat will be at peace."

"You bet. That 'Changfeng Sword' of Lord Gu's is said to cut through iron like mud and is a Spirit Grade weapon. Back then, he single-handedly leveled eighteen guard posts of the Blackwind Stronghold, slaughtering Pang Hu until he abandoned the mountain and fled, not daring to return for a long time."

"A Meridian Opening expert... How many years has it been since our county seat produced such a figure?"

Listening to these words, Ye An kept this idle chatter in his mind.

Gu Changfeng, Meridian Opening, Spirit Grade weapon Changfeng Sword.

The strongest people Ye An had seen in the county seat were Su Yuanshan and Han Bao, both at Third Body Tempering. What concept was Meridian Opening? Ye An could not imagine it, but he knew it was a realm far beyond his reach at present.

"It's good that he's back." Zhao Tieshan picked up the conversation. "Blackwind Stronghold hasn't been very peaceful lately. With Lord Gu around, they might rein it in a bit."

"What's wrong with Blackwind Stronghold again?" someone asked.

"I heard Pang Hu has been recruiting troops and buying horses recently, not knowing what he's up to."

"I have a friend who runs trade routes over at Blackwind Ridge, and he said there have been a lot of unfamiliar faces in the stronghold lately."

"Pang Hu is that bold? Not afraid of Lord Gu?"

"Didn't Lord Gu leave Anping County several months ago?"

"Those people are only daring to make a move precisely because Lord Gu isn't around. Once Lord Gu comes back, let's see if they still dare."

"True. No matter how formidable Pang Hu is, he's just freshly stepped into Meridian Opening. Lord Gu's sword technique is superb; he can squash him with a single move."

Listening on, Ye An did not chime in.

Pang Hu—rumor had it that shortly after Gu Changfeng left, Pang Hu broke through and entered the Meridian Opening stage.

Ye An thought of that Master Liu he had killed that night—Peak First Body Tempering—who had been a man from Blackwind Stronghold.

Ye An reined in his stray thoughts and stopped dwelling on the details.

Without strength, everything was empty talk.

Rather than indulging in wild fantasies, it was better to calm his mind and raise his strength. Action followed thought.

In the blink of an eye, his current martial arts progress:

[Azure Cloud Finger (Second Layer): 109/200]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Initial Glance): 78/100]