Squeak—a light sound echoed.
Wei Tao glanced around, then gently pushed open the wooden door to his small courtyard.
The house lay in darkness until he lit the oil lamp, illuminating the figure that carried him to the front door of the main house.
"It's Tao'er who's returned, and your meal is still on the stove," Wei Rongxing said, placing the wooden stick used to secure the door and opening it.
"What about Mother?" Wei Tao entered the room, picked up the water bowl from the table, and took a sip.
"Today, she went to work at the Jade Work Market with your sister. They aim to earn a couple of extra dollars for the Yue family, so we can afford some meat to nourish your body."
Wei Rongxing brought a large bowl of rice from the stove and retrieved a piece of pickles from the jar, placing it all in front of Wei Tao.
Wei Tao turned around and fetched an empty bowl, dividing the rice in half. "I ate a lot at the Martial Arts Hall during noon. This large bowl of rice cannot be finished alone. Father, help yourself."
"I already had porridge for dinner," Wei Rongxing rubbed his hands, initially declining but succumbing to the determined gaze in his son's eyes. He reached out, took the bowl and chopsticks, and began to eat.
"Do Mother and Elder Sister live together at the Jade Work Market?"
"Yes, they manage to live and eat there. It's good for them to earn more and stay safe," Wei Rongxing replied, eating swiftly. Within two sentences, he had already consumed half a bowl of rice with pickles.
"I recently took on a big job, so when I complete it, I'll be able to save up enough for two months' accommodation at the Martial Arts Hall. No more back and forth."
"What job did Father take?"
"Well, the patron seems to be a gentleman who recently purchased a yard near the inner city. A few of our old partners are helping construct the house and furnish it."
Wei Tao nodded, emphasizing, "I heard from my teacher that the city has been quite turbulent lately, so you should be cautious when you go out."
"I know. That gentleman mentioned that there seems to be a war outside, and various bandits and rogues are causing trouble," Wei Rongxing replied. After finishing his meal, he blew out the oil lamp and began clearing the dishes by the dim moonlight. "Don't worry, we go out with a few others and always return before dark. There shouldn't be any issues."
The night grew deeper.
Wei Tao lay on his bed, his mind replaying the brutal battle that had taken place in the alley.
Over a dozen lives had turned into cold corpses in an instant.
A beam of moonlight seeped through the crack in the window, casting straight lines on his cheeks like the edge of a sword.
These were turbulent times.
Human life held less value than grass and trees.
Without real strength, the threat of death loomed at any moment.
After a while, Wei Tao gathered his scattered thoughts, quietly opened the door, and stepped into the courtyard.
He picked up the homemade stone lock and began practicing repeatedly.
Sensing the flow of qi and blood in motion.
Guiding it to move more skillfully.
Suddenly, the sound of gates opening and water rushing echoed in his hands.
Wei Tao instinctively heightened the flow of qi and blood in his hands.
Two streams of heat meandered beneath his skin,
Circulating along the meridian paths,
Finally, converging at the center of his palm.
His heart stirred, hands intertwined, palms meeting.
The crisp sound of jade clashing filled the air.
"The palm is bright red like blood, with a touch as hard as stone."
"It took me over two months, with the help of the Traveling Stone Fist technique, and it wasn't until the recent nighttime skirmish that I finally unlocked the gateway to the Red Line Fist technique before the deadline arrived."
Wei Tao slowly opened his eyes.
A hint of joy flickered within his gaze.
............
Shua~ shua~ shua~!
Beside the scorching cauldron, Wei Tao repeatedly immersed his arms deep into it.
The qi and blood swiftly converged in his palms, stabilizing in a state of bright red, resembling blood, and hardness akin to stone.
He could distinctly feel that his absorption of the medicinal powder was at least double that of before.
And this chain reaction was enough to alter the effect of his entire cultivation.
After performing two sets of exercises, Wei Tao slowly dissipated the qi and blood in his palms and went to rest on the nearby stone bench.
Many people on the field continued their diligent practice under the scorching sun, and silence prevailed. Only Wang Lianshan stood alone, with whispers from a few unknown individuals reaching his ears.
Today, it was Second Senior Sister's duty. Apart from initially standing next to Wang Lianshan and providing some instructions, she spent the rest of the time sitting alone under the shade of a tree, appearing as though she were unapproachable.
Naturally, Wei Tao didn't approach her to report his breakthrough.
It wasn't until the next day that Eldest Senior Brother Tan Pan appeared on the Martial Training Stage.
Wei Tao first practiced in the iron sand for an hour before heading to the corner where the stone locks were located.
After using the Gold Coin to directly progress to a higher level, and with over a month of continuous practice, he had raised his proficiency in the Traveling Stone Fist by another 10%, reaching 70% and approaching the realm of perfection.
Under his control, the stone lock flew up and down, displaying remarkable agility, as if it possessed a life of its own.
Tan Pan quickly noticed and approached, his interest piqued as he observed closely.
As time passed, his eyes grew brighter.
Especially when Wei Tao raised his palm, effortlessly lifted the heavy stone lock with one hand, and rapidly rotated it, producing the sound of gold and jade clashing and rubbing together, Tan Pan involuntarily caressed his palm and exclaimed.
"Eldest Senior Brother."
Wei Tao lowered the stone lock, cupped his fists together, and bowed.
Tan Pan's gaze fell upon his hands as he spoke with a faint smile, "Junior Brother Wei, do you know that you have surpassed the entry standard?"
"Ah, I've actually met the standard?" Wei Tao was initially stunned, but a look of surprise slowly spread across his face.
Originally, he had planned to wait until Peng Yue was on duty to reveal that he had met the entry standard, which would save him a lot of trouble.
After all, among the six Official Disciples in the inner courtyard, he and Peng Yue, who were both paupers, were the closest.
Not only did they share the secret of "kill one, split the money" from the first day of their initiation, but after that, Wei Tao had used the money allocated to him at the time to invite Peng Yue for a drink and strengthen their relationship.
The saying goes, the deeper the relationship, the shallower it appears.
Especially when the status between two individuals is unequal, maintaining the relationship becomes more costly.
Whether in the modern society before his time travel or in the world after his journey, the dynamics between people remain somewhat the same.
And a few days ago, Peng Yue's words in the White Building had given him a vague understanding that seeking out Eldest Senior Brother would have a similar effect.
"Junior Brother Wei, come with me to the inner courtyard to meet the teacher."
Tan Pan headed towards the inner courtyard, smiling as he said, "Junior Brother Peng has spoken highly of you to me on more than one occasion, and now it seems that his judgment was correct."
At the Martial Training Stage, Wang Lianshan withdrew his arms from the iron sand and looked pensive as he watched the two figures entering the inner courtyard.
"Heh, after observing for so many days, I actually overlooked it."
Wang Lianshan turned to glance at the honorary disciple by his side and let out a hearty laugh, "I thought he would keep bouncing around for a few more days, but I didn't expect him to meet the entry requirements at the last minute and enter the inner courtyard before me, becoming the seventh direct disciple of the Red Line Sect."
His eyes turned cold, and his expression was far removed from that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, "However, I, Wang Lianshan, don't particularly like the number eight."
"Young Master Wang, has Wei Tao really met the entry requirements?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Wang Lianshan's smile faded, and a sense of irritability and anxiety resurfaced in his eyes.
He lightly clapped his palms together, creating a crisp sound akin to gold and iron colliding, "Just now, my state of mind fluctuated, and even I met the entry requirements."
At the Martial Training Stage, a crowd of honorary disciples cast envious and jealous glances at him.