novelraw Chapter 56: Two Months
Chapter 56: Two Months
The city was bustling, filled with people who had come in to buy goods for the New Year. All sorts of vendors were everywhere.
Xu Qing rarely had the chance to visit the city, and everything she saw was a novelty. After walking for a bit, her hands were already full: candied fruit skewers, a ghoulish mask, a pinwheel...
Xu Yang bought her everything she wanted. Only when both of her hands were completely full did the two of them begin to shop for their own New Year’s supplies.
Cured ham, peanuts, melon seeds, glutinous rice...
In the end, they had so much they couldn’t possibly carry it all, so they found a flatbed cart to haul it home.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve. The Liu Family let their Tributors go home for the holidays, to return on the third day of the new year.
Xu Yang woke early. After breakfast, he took Xu Qing up the mountain to pay respects at their mother’s grave.
Upon their return, he saw three men standing at his front door. Two of them carried loads on shoulder poles, while the third stood empty-handed.
Seeing Xu Yang return, the empty-handed man hurried forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Greetings, Master Xu."
’So I’m being called "Master" now.’
This man was none other than Wang Xinggui, the minor boss from the Sanhe Gang responsible for managing collections at Bai Shi Workshop.
Xu Yang gave a slight nod, his gaze flicking to the loads carried by the two men behind Wang Xinggui. The baskets contained various fruits, bolts of cloth, yellow wine, as well as rice and meat.
"Master Xu, the Gang Leader was worried you’d be too busy with your training to prepare for the New Year, so he had me bring some supplies over," Wang Xinggui said, bowing with a sycophantic look on his face.
After word spread that Xu Yang had reached Qi Gathering Minor Achievement and killed Hong Feng, Li Sanhe had already come by once to deliver gifts.
He hadn’t expected Li Sanhe to specifically send Wang Xinggui with New Year’s goods today. ’The man certainly knows how to handle people.’
"Please thank Gang Leader Li for me," Xu Yang said with a smile.
It was once he who had to force a smile for the members of the Sanhe Gang, but now, the tables had turned.
"Of course. I will be sure to pass along the message."
With that, Wang Xinggui hurriedly had his two underlings carry the items into the house, then bid farewell and left.
Xu Yang didn’t try to detain them. He watched the three men leave, his expression gradually darkening. ’Sooner or later, I’ll slaughter every last one of you.’
The day he reached Qi Gathering Great Success would be the day Li Sanhe met his end.
He wouldn’t truly reconcile with Li Sanhe over a few friendly gestures. The only reason he hadn’t acted yet was a lack of strength.
On the first day of the New Year, Xu Yang accompanied Xu Qing into the city to watch operas and acrobatic shows.
On the second day, he took Xu Qing to pay a New Year’s visit to their maternal uncle’s family. He didn’t stay long, leaving Xu Qing at Zhou Shunchang’s home. Then, he bought a gift on the street and went to Weiyuan Hall to pay his respects to Lin Cheng.
This was the first time Xu Yang had met Lin Cheng’s family: one wife and three concubines.
The three concubines looked to be in their twenties. With their delicate features, small, shapely mouths, and slender brows, they were all quite exquisite.
There was also a girl of about seventeen or eighteen who had a sharp, capable air about her. Sun Tao introduced her as Lin Cheng’s youngest daughter, Lin Wei. She practiced martial arts at Sunv Hall and rarely visited Weiyuan Hall.
As for Lin Cheng’s other children, they were not present, so Sun Tao did not introduce them.
Many of his martial brothers had come today. In addition to the disciples of the Inner and Outer Courtyards, there were also many who had long since left Weiyuan Hall.
Weiyuan Hall was like a marketplace, with a constant stream of people coming and going.
Xu Yang only had a moment to say, "Master, Happy New Year. Your disciple is here to pay his respects," before someone else came forward to take his place.
He then paid his respects to each of his master’s wives one by one, stayed for a short while, and then left.
After that, he went to the Qiu Family’s home to pay a New Year’s visit.
He and Qiu Wenjie were good friends, and Qiu Yongqiang had supported him before he succeeded at Qi Gathering. He viewed Qiu Yongqiang as an elder, so it was only natural to pay a New Year’s visit.
More than half the day passed just like that. He took Xu Qing back to Bai Shi Workshop, then went to his eldest uncle’s home to pay a New Year’s visit.
During the years Xu the Second neglected him and Xu Qing, only their eldest uncle’s family would give them a bite to eat. If not for his uncle’s help on several occasions, he likely would have starved to death.
Xu Yang brought many gifts—tea, fruit, rice, meat, and bolts of cloth—and Xu the Second, who was living in a cowshed, watched on with eyes full of envy.
He sidled over to try and talk to them, but Xu Yang ignored him, and Xu Qing didn’t speak to him either.
The Xu the Second of today had a weathered look, his face lined with more wrinkles and his skin much darker than before.
Thoroughly rebuffed, he could only sigh and return to his cowshed.
Rumor had it that the woman, Zhang Cuiting, still hadn’t forgotten him and wanted to take him back, but Yang Jun wouldn’t allow it.
Time flowed by quietly. The weather grew warmer, and before he knew it, March had arrived.
The Martial Arts Ascension Dragon was held in July. In four months, the biennial event would take place.
In his room, a series of crisp pops, like the sound of roasting beans, echoed from Xu Yang’s bones and sinews. CRACKLE! POP!
His skin was flushed crimson and drenched in sweat. An agonizing, tingling itch bored deep into his bones, yet his face was all smiles.
’My Root Bone has finally reached the B+ level, same as Lu Ren.’
Xu Yang felt his whole body lighten, as if a great weight had been lifted from him.
[Root Bone: 60]
[Comprehension: 60]
[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Minor Achievement]
[Cultivation Techniques: Turtle and Snake Grand Posture·Minor Achievement (205/300), Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist·Minor Achievement (452/500), Vajra Skill - Introduction (197/1000)]
[Skills: Mining Level 3 (283/400)]
[Remaining Lifespan: 62]
[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 33]
His Comprehension had also reached 60, which was also Level B+.
The progress on his Cultivation Techniques was also gratifying. His Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist would reach Great Success as soon as he grasped Mixed Element Strength. However, even with his Comprehension now at sixty, he still didn’t have a clue about it.
’But with my Comprehension this high,’ he thought, ’it shouldn’t take much longer to achieve Primordial Unity and bring my Fist Technique to Great Success.’
The Vajra Skill was still the slowest to progress, though it was still much better than before.
It was said that Root Bone and Comprehension had little impact on this technique’s progress, but they clearly had some effect, as its progress had quickened.
His lifespan had also increased by a year. He hadn’t used the panel to raise it; it was likely a result of his long-term practice of the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture.
Lin Cheng had said this technique could prolong one’s life, and it turned out he wasn’t just boasting.
In terms of Cultivation, he was still at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, but the True Qi within his Dantian had doubled compared to two months prior, and it was also far more pure.
That afternoon, after leaving the Liu Family’s estate, Xu Yang went to Weiyuan Hall. He saw a group of Outer Courtyard Disciples gathered in a circle instead of practicing their techniques.
Xu Yang went over for a closer look and saw Xu Zheng in the center, practicing his techniques to attempt Qi Gathering.
The Huang Family’s second batch of candidates hadn’t repeated the success of Xu Yang’s group. Of the five selected, only one had managed to achieve Qi Gathering so far. And it wasn’t the one with the best Root Bone, but a youth with a Lower C-class Root Bone.
All the others had failed their Qi Gathering attempts, and Xu Zheng was the last one left.
If Xu Zheng failed too, that would mean only one success out of five. The Huang Family’s Second Master would probably die of rage.
Xu Yang didn’t maliciously wish for Xu Zheng to fail. A moment later, however, Xu Zheng suddenly began to tremble, his face went pale, and he collapsed to the ground.
He had failed at Qi Gathering too.
"Brother Ah Yang..."
He looked at Xu Yang with despair on his face. ’Why? Why could Xu Yang succeed at Qi Gathering when I can’t? Don’t we both have a Lower C-class Root Bone?’
’The Huang Family’s small gamble for a big return has failed once again.’
The words Zhou Yang had spoken back then were being proven true once again.
Although Huang Ping had increased the level of support for Xu Zheng’s group, in reality, it only amounted to an extra tael of silver on top of the previous standard.
What good was a single tael of silver? The one who succeeded out of the five only did so because his family had some money; he had invested another seven or eight taels himself to luckily achieve Qi Gathering.
"Don’t despair," Xu Yang said, walking through the crowd to console Xu Zheng. "Even though you failed, you’ll still be stronger than other people if you go home to farm. You’ve still come out ahead."
Hearing this, Xu Zheng fell even deeper into despair. ’After seeing the world of a Martial Artist, who would be content to go back to the countryside and farm the land?’
"Senior Brother Xu Yang, Senior Brother Sun Tao requests your presence in the Inner Courtyard."
Just then, an Inner Courtyard Disciple arrived to pass on the message.
Xu Yang paid Xu Zheng no more mind and strode toward the Inner Courtyard.