Chapter 43 - 42: Accelerated Growth

Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Accelerated Growth

In a shantytown within the Inner City, Li Yuan walked in briskly from outside, his arm around a woman.

"Brother Hao, I’m back."

A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Hao Wenzuan’s eyes. In his view, Li Yuan, whom he had taken under his wing, wasn’t showing him the proper respect he deserved.

"Where is Xu Guang? Didn’t you invite him over?"

At the mention of Xu Guang, Li Yuan immediately looked disgruntled. "That brat said there’s food in the city now. He’s too afraid of death and refuses to come. He doesn’t know what’s good for him!"

A gloomy expression surfaced in Hao Wenzuan’s eyes. His outward amiability was merely a disguise; he had known since he was a child how to rope in these newly successful country bumpkins. Xu Guang’s sheer ignorance of his own good fortune shattered Hao Wenzuan’s usually foolproof expectations.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Everyone has their own ambitions. Since Brother Xu isn’t willing, we’ll leave it at that. For tomorrow’s mission, just the six of us brothers will go." Hao Wenzuan lowered his voice. "This mission is far from simple, but precisely because of that, if we complete it, our gains will be unimaginable. Everyone, go back and prepare well!"

"Don’t worry, Brother Hao."

Once everyone had cleared out, Hao Wenzuan’s expression instantly darkened. Xu Guang’s ungratefulness infuriated him.

"That dog. That lowly peasant! One day, I’ll make you kneel before me!" Hao Wenzuan muttered under his breath.

On the other side of the wall, Xu Guang had his ear pressed against the surface. He listened to the group’s discussion and Hao Wenzuan’s solitary cursing. He wasn’t actually angry. After all, Hao Wenzuan had expended so much effort trying to recruit him only to find it utterly ineffective; it was only natural for the man to curse him behind his back. Besides, there was no need to get worked up. If they truly became a threat, he could just kill them after they left the city tomorrow.

Having eavesdropped to this point, Xu Guang stopped listening. He only wanted to confirm whether Li Yuan would say anything provocative to instigate Hao Wenzuan’s murderous intent toward him. Now, it seemed he had overestimated Li Yuan—the man simply didn’t have the brains for it.

After that day, life settled back into a peaceful routine.

Cultivation in the Bone Forging Realm was actually quite simple. He practiced for three hours a day—any more would be detrimental—and spent the rest of his time pondering over Technique routines and honing his martial arts. Furthermore, he studied the Secret Manual he had nearly finished modifying, the Returning Mountain Skill. The reason he chose to search for and modify this Cultivation Technique first was simply that its accompanying martial art was a Spear Technique: the Six Returning Mountain Spears.

With his daily Cultivation and martial arts practice, everything was progressing steadily, and the vitality within the Blood Eye remained abundant. Apart from Cultivation, he accompanied Ji Xiaolu on strolls around the Inner City to buy trinkets that young women liked, or he would take the Little Black Tiger out for a walk like a dog.

Strangely enough, despite being a tiger, the Black Tiger only grew to the size of a cheetah. Its temperament was practically identical to a dog’s, endearing it to the whole family. The only downside was its voracious appetite.

"Brother Guang, taking the big cat out again?" A slightly short, middle-aged man with a bamboo basket on his back greeted Xu Guang.

This man was his new neighbor, Song Yue. He was an exceedingly good-natured fellow. Xu Guang had only heard a few things about him from Ji Xiaolu: his younger brother served in the military and was rarely home. Song Yue made a living by preparing the dead and making coffins for the city’s nobility. Though his life was tight, he managed to scrape by.

"Brother Song, looking at your glowing face, you must have had a good haul today," Xu Guang said with a smile. As his life had calmed down and stability returned to the city, he was no longer as guarded against his neighbors, freely offering them a smile when they met.

Song Yue smiled warmly. Ever since their first meeting, when Xu Guang had helped him push his wooden cart up a hill, he had harbored a strong liking for this newly relocated youth of the Xu Family. "Hahaha, it’s about the same as usual, but I really did get my hands on some good stuff. Guang, come over to my place for some drinks tomorrow night."

Xu Guang smilingly agreed. Ji Xiaolu was on good terms with Song Yue’s wife, and Xu Guang had met Song Yue a few times; they hit it off quite well.

"Sure, but tomorrow won’t work. I have to help Wang Ming move. Let’s do it in a few days."

Song Yue gave an honest, good-natured laugh. "Alright, then I’ll prepare some good food. You’re just like my Erlang—both martial artists, both capable men. I’ll make sure you eat well."

"You’re too kind, Brother Song."

Wang Ming’s official paperwork had finally come through, granting him the right to reside in the Inner City. Of course, it wasn’t in the shantytowns, but in another alleyway close to the City Guard’s Mansion. It was a spacious courtyard; the yard alone was nearly two hundred square meters and encompassed five rooms. When the war broke out earlier, Wang Ming had made significant contributions. Combined with his Bone Forging Cultivation, he was allocated such an excellent residence.

When moving day arrived the next morning, Xu Guang brought Ji Xiaolu along. Ji Xiaolu spent a long time chatting with Xu Chun.

On their way back, while walking through a deserted alleyway, Xu Guang held Ji Xiaolu’s hand. "What’s wrong? Are you envious?"

Ji Xiaolu shook her head slightly, wrapping both her arms around his arm. "What’s there to be envious of? Wherever my husband is, that’s where I’ll be. As long as you are with me, anywhere is a good home."

He mused that she truly was a woman hopelessly devoted to love. A sense of tender affection welled up in Xu Guang’s heart.

"We’ll live in a big courtyard of our own in the future."

"Mhm, I believe you." Ji Xiaolu practically hung her entire body off Xu Guang’s arm, soft and pliant as water.

Ji Xiaolu possessed the reserve and shyness unique to women of this traditional era. In front of others, she called him Brother Guang, but when they were alone, she addressed him as her husband. That term of endearment never failed to leave Xu Guang completely helpless against her charms. As a result, Xu Guang quickened his pace.

Deep into the night, inside the small room, two pale bodies entwined, dispelling the chill of the winter night. ℯ

Xu Guang once again felt that long-absent mysterious energy from Ji Xiaolu, which unexpectedly triggered a restless stirring in his bloodline. Noticing the man’s movements slow down, Ji Xiaolu half-closed her eyes and murmured shyly, "Push harder... don’t be afraid of hurting me..."

Those words left Xu Guang, who had been focused on feeling the changes in his meridians, utterly speechless. Casting aside his observation of his meridians, he flipped over and pressed his wife down.

The next morning, Xu Guang gathered up Ji Xiaolu’s long hair from beneath the pillow and carefully lifted the quilt. He was about to boil some water, only to find that Mrs. Xu was already doing it.

"How is it? Is Lu pregnant yet?" Mrs. Xu asked secretively.

Xu Guang was instantly rendered speechless. Before, she had been desperate for him to get married; now, she was desperate for a child. This mother of his...

However, he didn’t plan on having children just yet. In his eyes, the current stability in the city was merely a facade. He had always harbored concerns about the Yellow Heaven Sect. It was only the network of connections the City Guard’s Mansion had displayed recently that gave him a glimmer of hope that Feiyun City could actually fend them off. After all, if one city couldn’t defeat the Yellow Heaven Sect, three cities combined should be able to hold the line.

He had already made up his mind. He would wait a few more days, elevate his Cultivation a little further, kill Han Qing of the Han Family and Qian Cheng, and only then would he settle down to raise a family and live as an ordinary man.

"How could it be that fast?"

"Then you and Lu will just have to work a little harder. I know a few folk remedies..."

Xu Guang hurriedly cut her off. "Mother, please don’t. Children born from folk remedies aren’t smart. Lu and I will just work hard on our own."

Hearing this, Mrs. Xu looked somewhat skeptical. Finding her reaction amusing, Xu Guang quickly slipped away.

He needed to go out today. Last night, he had finally deciphered the method to formulate the Secret Medicine for the Returning Mountain Skill, so he had to visit the pharmacy to buy the necessary ingredients. He also needed to make a trip to the Immortal Institute. Before he joined the army, Old Zhao had generously given him a large batch of Bone Forging Secret Medicine. Now that he had used it all up, he needed to restock.

Exiting the Inner City, Xu Guang noticed the changes even more distinctly. There were many more pedestrians on the streets; the vitality of a grand city was gradually recovering. However, this also brought trouble. This era had no traffic laws. Pedestrians led their livestock through the streets, and the animals defecated everywhere, right next to food stalls. The stench was truly unbearable. Not wanting to take a detour, Xu Guang pinched his nose and squeezed through the crowd.

Fifteen minutes later, he finally arrived at the Immortal Institute.

Today was the day Master Zhao instructed his disciples, but there didn’t seem to be many people in the courtyard—only a scattered few in groups of twos and threes. Fortunately, Xu Sanduo was present. Xu Guang was a little surprised, but he hurried over to pay his respects to Master Zhao.

"Master Zhao."

Old Zhao seemed equally surprised to see Xu Guang, but he maintained his usual aloof front. "You’ve returned."

Xu Guang nodded. "By a stroke of luck, your disciple has broken through to Bone Forging. However, the Secret Medicine from before got wet, so I was hoping you could prepare some more for me, Master." As he spoke, he took out the prepared silver from his robes and offered it.

Zhao Fu was actually quite generous. To every disciple who reached Skin Grinding Mastery, he would gift some Bone Forging Secret Medicine. Xu Guang had previously purchased a little extra under the guise of wanting to soak in the Secret Medicine more frequently to enter Bone Forging as quickly as possible.

"You’ve reached Bone Forging this quickly? That is rather fast." Old Zhao accepted the silver without hesitation and immediately said, "Wait here."

He didn’t harbor much suspicion. After all, he quite appreciated Xu Guang as a person—principled, polite, knowing when to advance and retreat, and possessing a steady temperament. He figured Xu Guang wasn’t one to lie. He only lamented that while Xu Guang’s aptitude wasn’t great, his luck was exceptionally good.

In truth, he hadn’t used much Secret Medicine since reaching Bone Forging. The usage of Secret Medicine during the Bone Forging Realm wasn’t as frequent as in the Skin Grinding Realm; typically, using it once every five days to heal hidden injuries was sufficient. After he reached Bone Forging, the majority of his Cultivation had been forcibly elevated by that day’s Blood Refining, so he hadn’t used much Secret Medicine at all. As a result, Old Zhao didn’t question him about his Bone Forging progress.

Only after receiving the Secret Medicine did Xu Guang ask, "Master, why are there so few people in the courtyard today?"

Old Zhao snorted coldly, seemingly carrying a trace of dissatisfaction. "Your senior martial sister Han Juan and Bai Ran are getting married today. Everyone else went over to watch."

Han Juan? The image of the senior martial sister whose face always bore a somewhat mean-spirited expression instantly surfaced in Xu Guang’s mind. Hearing this, he shook his head and didn’t ask further. He had no interest in attending the wedding banquet; he was simply curious about Zhao Fu’s attitude.

He thought it was truly strange. And who was Bai Ran? It seemed he must be someone who had a grudge against Master Zhao, which would explain his displeasure. This world didn’t have Confucianism and its etiquette systems were incomplete, so perhaps Han Juan’s attitude towards their master was simply lacking.

With neither Zhao Yong nor Senior Martial Brother Xu Sanduo around, Xu Guang didn’t linger at the Immortal Institute and left in a hurry.