54 – Revisit the Market, Young Noble in Fine Clothing

Lu Qing initially wanted to strike while the iron was hot to see if he could directly cultivate the Four Directions Blade Technique to a small achievement.

Unexpectedly, the wooden sword broke, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

As for achieving mastery or perfection in the blade technique, he dared not think about it for the time being.

Those were realms that only experts above the Bone Refining Stage could touch, not something he, a mere Blood and Qi Stage cultivator, could hope for.

Although he understood the key points and insights of the blade technique in his mind, he didn’t dare to attempt them.

Because the extremely explosive exertion methods were not something his current body could endure.

Only those above the Bone Refining Stage could recklessly wreck their own bodies like that.

In fact, given Lu Qing’s current level at the initial Blood and Qi Stage, it was almost impossible to cultivate the Four Directions Blade Technique to a small achievement.

His qi and blood were not sufficient to sustain so many consecutive explosive moves.

Realizing this, Lu Qing’s head, which was somewhat overheated from his successful practice of the blade technique, also cooled down.

He glanced at the wooden sword in his hand, shook his head, tossed it into the woodpile under the eaves, and turned to go back indoors.

Early the next morning, Lu Qing prepared breakfast, practiced several sets of Body Nourishing Fist, aligned his breath, and completely invigorated his qi and blood.

Only then did he take out a snow-white porcelain bottle, poured out a pill, swallowed it, and continued practicing his fist techniques to absorb the medicinal power.

According to his master’s instructions, it was best to take one Blood Nourishing and Qi Replenishing Pill per day.

Any more, and his body wouldn’t be able to immediately digest the medicinal power, causing unnecessary waste.

The century-old ginseng brought by the little black beast had been refined into twenty Blood Nourishing and Qi Replenishing Pills, enough for Lu Qing to use for more than half a month.

By the time he finished all twenty Blood Nourishing and Qi Replenishing Pills, he would surely make significant progress in the Blood and Qi Stage.

As for the ginseng the little black beast brought last night, Lu Qing planned to wait until he finished this batch of Blood Nourishing and Qi Replenishing Pills before using it.

The medicinal power of the Blood Nourishing and Qi Replenishing Pill was much milder compared to the powerful Golden Eel Soup from the previous day.

After practicing Body Nourishing Fist for a while to slowly absorb and refine the medicinal power, Lu Qing finally stopped.

Feeling that his qi and blood had become more vigorous, Lu Qing was overjoyed.

He then went to wake up the lazy Xiao Yan for breakfast.

“Xiao Yan, have you grown a bit taller?”

While helping the little one wash her face and brush her teeth, Lu Qing suddenly noticed her sleeves were a bit short and couldn’t help but ask.

“Really, Brother?”

The still somewhat groggy Xiao Yan instantly woke up.

“Let me measure you.”

Lu Qing wiped the little one’s face and had her stand at the threshold of the front door to measure her height.

After measuring, he found she had indeed grown a little taller.

“You have grown taller. Look, this was where we measured last time, and this is the new mark.”

Lu Qing pointed at the markings on the door.

Every time he measured Xiao Yan’s height, he would make a mark. This new mark was indeed slightly higher than the previous one.

“I really have grown taller!”

Xiao Yan tilted her head up at the markings, her face beaming with happiness.

Lu Qing ruffled the little one’s head.

Not only had she grown taller, but her body was also much healthier.

Her hair was no longer dry and yellow, and her complexion was rosy. Compared to how she looked when he first woke up, she was much better.

“Alright, let’s go inside and eat. If you eat well, you’ll grow taller even faster.”

Seeing Xiao Yan still smiling foolishly at the markings on the door, Lu Qing smiled and urged.

So, the little one ate an extra half bowl of breakfast.

After breakfast, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain to pay respects and study with the master.

Lu Qing didn’t tell the Old Doctor that he had already mastered the Four Directions Blade.

Everything should be done in moderation. Previously, when he mastered the Body Nourishing Fist in one night, it was enough to shock his master.

At that time, he could still use the excuse of sudden enlightenment.

But he couldn’t have sudden enlightenment every time, that would be truly unbelievable.

So Lu Qing planned to keep a low profile and keep this matter secret for now.

That morning, nothing special happened.

However, the Old Doctor began formally teaching Lu Qing some medical theory and knowledge about drying herbs.

Before he knew it, the entire morning had passed.

After finishing his studies, Lu Qing left Xiao Yan at the small courtyard halfway up the mountain. He found an excuse, saying he wanted to go out and buy some things at the market.

Now that Lu Qing was a martial artist in the Qi-Blood Realm, with his intelligence, the Old Doctor naturally had no worries about him.

When he said he wanted to buy some things, the Old Doctor agreed right away.

After leaving the courtyard halfway up the mountain, Lu Qing went straight home, took a sum of money, packed it well, carried a large bamboo basket on his back, tied a red ribbon around the sacred tree at the village entrance, and directly headed to the market.

It wasn’t long before Lu Qing appeared at the market.

Looking at the lively crowd at the market, he smiled.

Indeed, today was market day.

Since the last time he went on a major shopping spree at the market with Brother Da An, Lu Qing hadn’t returned.

He knew his behavior during that shopping spree was a bit conspicuous.

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, he simply stopped appearing here.

Now that he had become a martial artist in the Qi-Blood Realm and had some ability to protect himself…

…and his household was running low on rice and meat, he decided to replenish supplies.

However, his visit today wasn’t just to buy household items. He had a more important purpose.

Walking around the market, Lu Qing soon spotted his target, Master Ma.

He was about to go over and greet him, but suddenly stopped in his tracks and stepped aside.

Because he saw that Master Ma was accompanied by someone else.

It was a young man dressed in luxurious clothes, with a haughty expression.

Behind him were several sturdy men, who looked tough and unapproachable.

In particular, Lu Qing noticed that the previously domineering Master Ma was now fawning over the young man in luxurious clothes.

He decided to observe quietly and see what would happen.

He saw Master Ma and his group walking towards him.

Lu Qing quietly hid to the side, minimizing his presence and pricking up his ears.

He didn’t use any special abilities to probe for information about them.

After entering the Qi-Blood Realm, he knew that martial artists were very sensitive to others’ gazes and investigations.

If he used any special abilities, he might alert them and get into trouble.

So he just planned to listen and see if he could gather any useful information.

Fortunately, the young man in luxurious clothes was very arrogant, not bothering to lower his voice.

“Ma Gu, your place is really a dump, just like the alleys in the west side of the city where beggars sleep… disgusting!”

Walking in the market, the young man in luxurious clothes had a face full of disdain.

“Young Master Wei has a noble body, naturally he’s not used to my rural place. I ask for your understanding.”

Ma Gu, with a half-bent body, had a humble expression on his face.

“If it weren’t for the fact that I wanted to go into the mountains this time to find a good birthday gift for my father and had no other place to stay, I wouldn’t have come here. This place is revolting!”

Seeing that the market had stalls selling pork, with piles of pig entrails, the young man’s face turned pale, almost making him throw up.

This place actually sells such vile meat!