After finishing dinner, Lin Yanqiu voluntarily took on the responsibility of cleaning up the mess. She tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, wiped the table clean, and then took the tableware to the kitchen to wash them.
Li Feng watched this scene, an inexplicable sense of unfamiliarity rising within him.
Back when his sister-in-law used to hold this family together, he did all of these household chores. Now that it was his turn to hold the family together, the chores had fallen back on his sister-in-law instead.
That Lei Hu from the Green Bamboo Gang gave the tabletop a gentle brush, yet he carved an indentation right into it, and his palm looked completely undamaged. I reckon his skin-grinding art has reached at least major accomplishment.
Recalling the scene of Lei Hu striking the table earlier and combining it with what he had seen and heard over the past two days, Li Feng guessed inwardly in the quiet of his mind.
Qi-Blood First Stage could be considered officially stepping into martial dao cultivation.
If one practiced the skin-grinding art to perfection, they could reach the Qi-Blood Second Level, which was considered an ordinary capable hand. Figures like this could easily become minor leaders in average gangs. As for someone like Lei Hu, if he entered official circles and pulled a few strings, he could easily become a regular constable.
As for Qi-Blood Third Stage, if there was a suitable opportunity and he made even the slightest contribution, he could manage to secure the position of chief constable. Placed in an ordinary gang, even if he wasn't the gang leader, he would still be at the vice-leader level to possess such strength.
Strength, strength! Only when one's own strength is strong enough can one establish a complete foothold in this world, and even do whatever one pleases without anyone daring to raise any objections.
Thinking of the skin-grinding art he had received during the day, a wave of burning heat surged in Li Feng's heart, raising boundless anticipation.
He no longer hesitated, reaching into his bosom to pull out the copy of the Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method that Jiang Yue had given him during the day.
This was the first true body-tempering method he had come into contact with since stepping into the martial dao.
Although he had previously forced his qi-blood to spike and stepped into the Qi-Blood First Stage by relying on the Water-Cutting Saber Art he had picked up while washing the ground, that was ultimately just an external killing technique. If he wanted to truly go far in the martial dao, it had to be through this method of tempering skin and flesh.
Li Feng opened the slightly coarse paper pages, reading through them carefully under the dim lamplight.
The skin-grinding art was a method of accumulation; one year for small accomplishment, another year for major accomplishment, and yet another for perfection...
Generally speaking, a person needed three years to cultivate the skin-grinding method to perfection, but this time was not fixed either. It specifically depended on a person's natural bones and other aspects. Often, the better the talent and the better the medicine used, the faster the skin grinding would be.
According to the descriptions in the cultivation method, the cultivation process of this Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method could be called self-abusing.
When first practicing, one needed to first bind the chest and back with coarse linen cloth, cooperate with a specific breathing technique, and frantically rub the skin all over the body until the skin membranes became swollen, burning hot, and on the verge of breaking. Only then would one stop to rest.
When the next day arrived, they would continue to repeat this action. Repeating it thusly, because the interval between times was too short, the skin membranes could never truly recover, which would lead to causing extreme damage to the human body. It wouldn't show when one was young, but when they grew old and their qi-blood declined, it would become excruciatingly painful.
Of course, it wasn't that there was no way to reduce the pain and damage; that was to immediately smear the whole body with externally applied secret medicinal ointment or soak in a brewed medicinal bath right as the skin was on the verge of tearing.
The icy or warm medicinal power would seep into the body through the damaged skin membranes, repairing the damage under the drive of the qi-blood and neutralizing the harm brought by the friction. By breaking and then standing anew, the newborn skin membranes would become as tough as iron armor.
This skin-grinding art looked simple, but during actual cultivation, if the method was improper and the intensity of the practice was not enough, it would have no effect. If the intensity of the practice went too far, it would greatly damage the skin. As a result, not only would it be twice the effort for half the result, but he was also afraid he would suffer a great deal of misery.
Medicinal bath, medicinal ointment...
Li Feng rubbed the space between his brows and let out a long sigh.
Where on earth did he have medicines to assist his cultivation right now? He hadn't even figured out what kind of medicine to buy or where to buy it.
I have the Heavenly Dao Advance Panel on me. I only need to get this skin-grinding art to initial mastery, and I can directly advance it to perfection.
Li Feng's thoughts churned, his gaze gradually turning resolute.
Since that's the case, I won't use medicine first. I'll stubbornly endure it a few times and see. As long as I can reach initial mastery, that's enough.
Doing it as soon as he thought of it.
Li Feng took off his upper garments, rummaged through the room for a circle, and found a few pieces of coarse linen cloth. Then he took a deep breath, and according to the contents recorded on the booklet, he grabbed the coarse linen cloth tightly with both hands, pressed it fiercely against his chest, and began to rub like crazy!
"Hiss!"
The moment the linen cloth exerted force and rubbed against the skin, a burning, stinging sensation rushed over.
"Continue!"
Li Feng sucked in a cold breath, clenched his teeth, and cooperated with the rhythm of his breathing to accelerate the speed of his rubbing.
The coarse linen garments were like countless tiny glass shards, continuously rubbing against his superficial skin.
In the span of just over a dozen breaths, Li Feng's skin was already a sheet of crimson. Urged on by his qi-blood, his skin was scorching hot and hurt terribly.
Persist... I must persist...
The veins on Li Feng's forehead bulged, and cold sweat rolled down from his forehead like a waterfall, sliding down his flushed chest.
"Ugh, ah..."
Finally, after forcibly rubbing for half an hour, he finally couldn't hold on any longer, let out a muffled grunt, and collapsed backward onto the ground.
He breathed heavily in huge gulps, lowering his head to look. The linen cloth in his hands was already somewhat damaged, and his skin was swollen and unsightly. Many places had faintly split open a little bit, hurting terribly at the slightest touch.
Too painful! I have to take it slow!
Li Feng decisively stopped continuing to practice the Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method, then closed his eyes and called out to the Heavenly Dao Panel in his mind.
[Heavenly Dao Advance Panel] [Advanced Project 1: Archery Mastery (100% completed)] [Advanced Project 2: "Water-Cutting Saber Art" Perfection (Completed: 100%)] [Current Available Advance Projects: 1] [Pending Unlock Advances: Bedchamber Arts, Culinary Arts...] [Current Realm: Qi-Blood First Stage]
Sure enough, the Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method had not yet appeared among the pending unlock advances on the panel, which indicated that the Iron Robe Skin-Grinding Method had not yet reached initial mastery and could not be advanced yet.
It seems wanting to reach initial mastery just by relying on practicing it once or twice is still thinking too beautifully.
Li Feng gave a bitter smile.
No matter what cultivation method it was, it had to be cultivated to initial mastery before it could be recorded by the panel. He had only practiced it once or twice and hadn't reached the threshold of initial mastery, so naturally the panel wouldn't record it.
It's too painful. I don't know how other people practice. Cultivating like this, can the body really handle it?
Li Feng shook his head, decisively giving up the idea of continuing to try tonight. If he kept grinding like this, the cultivation method wouldn't reach initial mastery, but his skin was going to break, leaving behind hidden injuries for nothing. The losses would outweigh the gains.
"Xiaofeng, drink a mouthful of water first."
Not knowing when it had happened, Lin Yanqiu had already finished washing the bowls and chopsticks and arrived in the courtyard.
Seeing that Li Feng had stopped, she picked up a bowl and walked over with a full bowl of clear water.
Li Feng didn't stand on ceremony either, taking it in one snatch and gulping it all down in one go. He drank too quickly, and the water spilled from the corners of his mouth, slowly flowing down.
At this moment, Li Feng was bare from the waist up, his skin flushed red with fine beads of sweat still hanging on it.
Lin Yanqiu stood to the side, her gaze naturally falling upon him. Although Li Feng had grown quite tall, his figure was still somewhat thin and frail, especially around his ribs where the faint outline could still be seen.
Watching this scene, a trace of heartache flashed in Lin Yanqiu's eyes.
Martial dao cultivation was fundamentally squeezing the body's potential and consuming qi-blood. Every day, Xiaofeng not only had to deal with official duties at the office, but he also had to frantically practice the martial dao at night. If he didn't have sufficient meat to nourish himself, his physique would sooner or later be worn out, leaving behind hidden injuries that were difficult to heal.
It seems I still have to make him eat more meat to properly nourish his body.
Lin Yanqiu made up her mind inwardly.
There were some savings in the family now, but this child Li Feng was far too sensible. The good meat he bought back was always placed into her bowl, while he himself merely made do with a few mouthfuls, giving it the high-sounding excuse that injured people needed to eat more meat to nourish their bodies.
Thinking of this, Lin Yanqiu spoke up, "Xiaofeng, I'll be the one to buy tomorrow's vegetables."
"Ah?"
Li Feng was stunned for a moment, hurriedly waving his hand to refuse. "How can that do? Sister-in-law, you still have injuries on you. I can just buy those few vegetables on my way back after finishing my shift; it's no trouble."
"I only injured my right hand, my legs aren't broken."
Lin Yanqiu cast a sidelong glance at him, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Besides, staying home alone during the day is boring and drives me stir-crazy anyway. I might as well go out for a stroll and get some fresh air."
"Alright then."
Seeing that his sister-in-law was persistent, Li Feng stopped declining.
Returning to the room, as soon as Li Feng lay down on the bed, sleepiness washed over him, and he fell soundly asleep before long.
When Li Feng woke up, the sky was already faintly bright.
Sleeping this time really is comfortable!
Getting up from the bed, Li Feng felt his body somewhat sore. After all, ever since he finished paying off the debt for the Water-Cutting Saber Art, he hadn't practiced for quite a few days, and suddenly practicing like this left his body somewhat unaccustomed. At the same time, the pain in his skin still faintly lingered.
It seemed that following this practice method, resting for just a single day wasn't enough for his body to fully recover; he had to purchase medicine to assist him before he could continue cultivating.
"Xiaofeng, you're awake. Perfect, time for breakfast."
Lin Yanqiu discovered that Li Feng was awake the very first moment, taking out the leftover dishes from last night that hadn't been eaten yet from the kitchen. The two of them sat down around the table to eat.
Eating and chatting as they went, Li Feng casually asked, "Sister-in-law, where in our Outer City are there ointments or medicinal materials sold that assist with the skin-grinding art?"
Lin Yanqiu replied, "There are some large pharmacies in the Inner City where the medicinal ingredients are more complete and the medicinal efficacy is better. However, the prices are quite expensive; a single dose of ointment costs anywhere from over a dozen taels to several dozen taels, which is not something we can afford right now."
"If you want to buy some, you can go take a look at Hundred Herbs Hall in Changle Ward."
"Hundred Herbs Hall?" Li Feng silently memorized the name.
"Mn." Lin Yanqiu nodded. "The proprietor of that shop has the surname Sun. In his early years, he was also someone who practiced martial arts. Later on, after sustaining an injury and retiring, he opened this medicine shop. Although he doesn't have any rare or precious medicinal materials there, it's definitely enough to use for basic cultivation. There are also quite a few regular constables in the City Guard Office who buy medicine from him."
"However, I haven't been there for a long time either, so you can ask about the specific prices when the time comes."
"Alright, I've got it noted down." Li Feng shoveled the rice in his bowl down in two or three bites, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said, "Today is a rest day, so I'll go out and take a look in a moment."
Before you continue