The two fellow disciples walked toward No. 33 Jindong Street. This had once been Liang Song's courtyard, but it now belonged to Lin Zheyu. Master Liang had preferred peace and quiet, so few people lived around the courtyard, and the noise of martial training would not disturb anyone. They entered the courtyard and removed their outer garments.
"Junior Brother Lin, make your move," said Han Mo.
Han Mo gripped his blunt saber and assumed the stance of the Sixfold Saber.
"Alright!" Lin Zheyu replied.
Muscles swelled across Lin Zheyu's body as he shot toward Han Mo with a sharp crack. His movements were extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Han Mo.
Whoosh.
The saber's edge whistled past the tip of Lin Zheyu's nose. Using his waist as a pivot, he twisted his upper body in a full turn, narrowly avoiding Han Mo's blunt saber. With a surge of force from his waist, he unleashed a Barbaric Ox Charge, both fists driving toward Han Mo's face and abdomen.
Han Mo stepped back swiftly, pulling away to widen the distance. With a sweeping strike of his blunt saber, he forced Lin Zheyu back. The two exchanged blows back and forth with blistering speed, clashing more than a dozen times in just a few seconds.
Bang.
After more than forty rounds, as Lin Zheyu dodged the saber's edge, Han Mo seized the chance to kick him flying.
"Again!" shouted Lin Zheyu.
Lin Zheyu flipped up from the ground like a carp leaping from water and launched another attack. The two fought continuously for over two hours before finally collapsing onto the ground, gasping for breath. After that bout of release, both of them felt utterly refreshed.
"With Master Liang gone, it will always feel like something is missing," murmured Lin Zheyu. He gazed at the desolate courtyard, a trace of melancholy in his eyes.
"Don't worry. With Master's strength, nothing will happen to him. He might even return someday," said Han Mo. His words were meant to comfort Lin Zheyu, but also to reassure himself.
"Do you know where Master's hometown is?" asked Lin Zheyu curiously.
"I have no idea. Master never mentioned it. He wouldn't answer even if we asked. And every so often, he'd vanish for days. Who knows what he was doing? He's far too mysterious," muttered Han Mo.
With Master Liang being so secretive, even if they wanted to find him one day, they wouldn't know where to begin.
"Yeah, Master Liang is far too mysterious. Do you think he might be some secret assassin for a powerful faction, disappearing during those times to carry out missions?" Lin Zheyu teased.
"I thought that too at first, but in all these years, I've hardly heard of anyone being assassinated, so that's probably not it," replied Han Mo.
The two continued chatting idly, their words scattered and unhurried.
***
In the courtyard, Lin Zheyu muttered under his breath, "So bitter. Next time I'll add some sugar to balance the taste."
The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction was unbearably bitter, especially when three doses were boiled down into one bowl of medicine.
Even after Liang Song's departure, Han Mo's strength remained at the Organ Forging Realm, showing no clear improvement. With that in mind, Lin Zheyu intended to raise his strength, seeking an extra layer of security in these chaotic times.
On the table sat two large bowls, each filled to the brim with medicine. Each bowl contained the concentrated result of three full sets of the decoction. After a moment's thought, Lin Zheyu lifted both bowls and downed them in one go.
As the medicinal decoction entered his stomach, an astonishing wave of scorching heat spread through his body. He closed his eyes and willed his thought outward. Use three units of Origin Force to advance the Golden Goose Technique.
In an instant, mysterious energy surged forth, pulling the medicinal power from the decoction and flooding into his limbs and bones. Lin Zheyu's consciousness entered that familiar special state. He began frenziedly cultivating the Golden Goose Technique, while crackling sounds echoed continuously from within his body.
In that state, he neither slept nor rested, cultivating ceaselessly without pause. By using three units of Origin Force at once, he felt as though several years had passed, the span so long that his spirit grew weary. This sensation was something he had never experienced before.
Under the moonlight, Lin Zheyu's chest rose and fell in rhythm with the unique breathing method of the Golden Goose Technique. His internal organs slowly grew stronger, and the resonant sounds of his tendons and bones grew more and more frequent within his body. Gradually, his entire body rang with the chorus of bones and tendons resonating together.
Advanced Mastery in the Bone Forging Realm!
When he opened his eyes, exhaustion lingered within them, yet a sharp brilliance flickered there as well.
"As I expected. The energy from the medicinal decoction I drank has been almost completely consumed, with only a trace left," murmured Lin Zheyu to himself as he assessed his condition.
He stood up, his figure flitting through the courtyard like a phantom and moving with incredible speed. As he shifted around, faint crackling sounds came from his bones and tendons—signs that he had only just reached Advanced Mastery in the Bone Forging Realm and had yet to fully adapt. As he grew accustomed to it, the crackling gradually lessened and finally faded away.
With a sudden blur of movement, he appeared before the wooden training post. His right leg lashed out like a whip, and with a sharp crack, the post shattered apart.
Forged bones like iron. So this is what it means to have bones like iron! thought Lin Zheyu.
Lin Zheyu patted his right leg. The spot that had struck the post felt absolutely no pain. His leg bones were astonishingly tough, as hard as forged metal. Lin Zheyu lashed out with whip-like kicks, leapt, and punched, his force howling through the air.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 1]
[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 5%), Golden Goose Technique (Third Stage: 23%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 0%)]
The third stage of the Golden Goose Technique has brought me to the Organ Forging Realm,
He adjusted to his current strength, feeling more powerful than ever before. Compared to before, his strength and speed had increased by at least fifty percent. More importantly, after reaching Advanced Mastery in the Bone Forging Realm, his tendons and bones had become incomparably tough, able to withstand even greater bursts of power. The hardened bones made his physique far stronger. Even if struck by weapons, it would be difficult to fracture them.
"I only have one unit of Origin Force left, and just six sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction herbs in the house. Martial training really burns through money," he muttered, sighing at how costly martial cultivation was.
***
In the blink of an eye, nine days had passed. Strolling through Songyi City, he noticed that the streets held far fewer pedestrians and the shops were no longer as lively as before. With the year's end approaching, today was another day of worship. Yet the smiles on people's faces were gone, replaced by sorrow. Life for the people was becoming harder by the day.
When he stopped by the teahouse, he saw that business there had grown even bleaker.
Manager Wu walked over, looking rather embarrassed as he said, "Mister Lin, the boss asked me to discuss your salary with you. He wants to lower the payment for each storytelling session to 300 wen."
"Alright," replied Lin Zheyu with a nod.
Just yesterday, Jia Yanming had spoken to him about lowering the rate to 300 wen as well. His income had been dropping day by day. Now, he earned less than one tael of silver per day. Still, it was far better than what ordinary people earned. He accepted the money Manager Wu handed over. Starting tomorrow, it would be 300 wen per session.
"Brother Lin, over here!" Not far away, Jia Yanyong waved to Lin Zheyu. He walked over and sat opposite Jia Yanyong and saw that Xie Jiang was there as well.
"Have you heard? The authorities have issued a recruitment notice for soldiers," said Xie Jiang.
"A notice? I just came back from the city gate. How come I didn't see it?" asked Lin Zheyu in confusion.
"It hasn't been posted yet, but I did hear this from Lord Qiu. He has a family member serving in the government office," Xie Jiang said. "The bandit problem outside the city keeps getting worse. The City Guard doesn't have enough manpower to handle it anymore."
"They won't conscript us from the Feihong Gang, will they?" asked Lin Zheyu.
"No, they're only conscripting ordinary residents. But one of the Feihong Gang's iron mines at White Stone Mountain ran into trouble. I don't know if they'll send us to support," said Jia Yanyong.
"What happened? Is it haunted?" asked Lin Zheyu.
They had talked before about the haunting at Qinghe Mountain. Now, hearing about trouble at a mine outside the city, that was the first thing that came to his mind.
"No, it's not that. A powerful group of bandits appeared near Baishi Mountain[1]. They are formidable and utterly reckless, daring to target the iron mine and the weapons forged there," said Xie Jiang.
"Oh..." Lin Zheyu looked a little disappointed. He had thought he might finally get to witness ghosts in this world and experience the thrill of blasting them with explosives.
"You're not actually interested in those spirits, are you? Are you thinking it would be like the stories you tell, where a ghost maiden falls in love with a scholar and writes a beautiful tale together?" Xie Jiang laughed loudly and said, "You'd better drop that idea. Those spirits have no intelligence, and they look terrifyingly grotesque."
After chatting for a while, Jia Yanyong suggested that they have some fun at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Lin Zheyu, however, did not join them in their merrymaking at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Instead, he returned to his courtyard to practice martial arts.
1. This translates to White Stone Mountain. ☜