"Senior Brother Wei, it's early," greeted Wang Lianshan as Wei Tao entered the inner courtyard of the martial arts hall. Wang Lianshan had just finished training a set of Red Line Fist and was shirtless, with a sheen of sweat on his body.
"Good morning," Wei Tao nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Wang Lianshan's forearms. Notably, Wang Lianshan's qi and blood had not yet dissipated, and his arms were bright red from his fingertips to his elbows, indicating that he was close to reaching the level of Skin Refinement Perfection.
Comparing the before and after, Wei Tao could roughly gauge the effects of a Blood Activation Pill. If he had taken one himself, he might have saved a gold coin by advancing from Skin Refinement to Muscle Refinement level. With the saved gold coin, his status bar might have reached the height of Muscle Refinement Perfection by now.
"I just finished a set of punches, and I'm itching for a fight. Senior Brother Wei, if you have time, why don't you spar with me?" Wang Lianshan wore an inexplicable smile as he blocked Wei Tao's path.
"I'm currently occupied, let's do it another day," Wei Tao slowly shook his head, took a step to the left, and continued towards the hall in the inner courtyard.
Wang Lianshan followed suit, trailing behind with a glint of irritation in his eyes and a ceaseless flow of words from his mouth.
"Senior Brother, aren't you afraid?"
"But yes, you are a Senior Brother, and losing to a Junior Brother would be quite embarrassing for you."
"Senior Brother Wei, you still live in a dilapidated alley on the edge of the outer city, completely unaware of our identity as Red Line Sect Disciples."
"Our Eldest Senior Brother is about to become the ideal son-in-law of the Huang Family, and even Fifth Senior Brother Peng Yue, who has been training in the military, has risen to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Wind Forest Guard Army under his Adoptive Father."
Now it makes sense why I haven't seen Peng Yue lately. He must have entered the military town.
Wei Tao halted his steps, turning around slowly. "Eighth Junior Brother, that's enough talking."
"If you think I talk too much, then let's settle it through a fight. If Senior Brother wins, Junior Brother will never say another word in front of you again." Wang Lianshan's peculiar smile grew more intense.
Wei Tao locked his gaze onto Wang Lianshan's eyes, feeling his blood start to surge, creating a tense and frozen atmosphere between them.
Just then, a calm voice interjected. "Seventh Junior Brother, today you were supposed to guide the honorary disciples in their practice. Why don't you go to prepare the medicinal powders and liquids?"
"Eldest Senior Brother, I'll go," Wei Tao dispersed the condensed qi and blood, flashed a meaningful smile at Wang Lianshan, then turned and headed towards the warehouse.
......
Late at night, the carriage came to a slow stop at the headquarters of the Silver Wolf Gang.
Wang Lianshan stepped out of the carriage, his eyes filled with confusion and a hint of drunkenness. Pushing away the support of his companion, he stumbled through the path between two majestic stone lions and entered the high-walled courtyard.
Inside the mansion's main hall, a woman with a slender figure and a beautiful face sat at the table, enjoying her meal. Despite being alone, the table was filled with an abundance of meat, while vegetables were scarce.
Her movements were elegant, but she ate with great speed. She swiftly finished off a large bone in a few bites and then drank the soup from a half-filled basin.
"Big sister," Wang Lianshan walked in and naturally took a seat opposite the woman.
"You drank and took Five Stones Powder!?" Wang Yingxue's delicate nose twitched as she slightly furrowed her brows. "Father has been away recently, and you seem to be behaving recklessly. You should know that Five Stones Powder has a powerful hallucinogenic effect on the mind. Taking too much can lead to madness, personality changes, and even the Great Overarching Divine Immortal cannot save you."
"Elder sister, the younger brother had no choice. After all, those influential young masters in the inner city made an appointment, and I couldn't refuse," Wang Lianshan lowered his head, concealing the frustration in his eyes.
"I don't object to you socializing with those guys, but remember one thing," Wang Yingxue put down the plate of marinated meat that had just been served and spoke in a serious tone, "Strength alone is the foundation of our existence in Cangyuan City. Everything else relies on this foundation."
"When you are strong, they are a bunch of rascals. When you are weak, they become tigers, leopards, and jackals surrounding you."
"Don't worry, big sister, the little brother understands."
"That's good," she nodded and focused on the dishes in front of her, "Go practice your boxing for one hour before going to bed."
Wang Lianshan acknowledged, preparing to leave but was called back.
"What was your business with surnamed Wei this morning?" Wang Yingxue inquired.
"Big sister, the reason is simple. I noticed that he was unhappy, and I wanted to challenge him," Wang Lianshan narrowed his eyes, a twisted smile forming on his face, "I want to test the effectiveness after taking two doses of the Blood Activation Pill."
"Xiaoshan, you are too impatient, too obvious, and too naive," Wang Yingxue said sharply.
Wang Lianshan raised his head abruptly, unconvinced. "Not to mention that he stepped in and took the position of the Martial Arts Hall's steward, disrupting the plans I made with my friends in the inner city."
"Moreover, from the first moment he laid eyes on me this morning, I could sense that he is skilled in concealing his true abilities. He is not weak, and if allowed to rise, he will surely strike us hard."
"Do you think we can patch things up with someone surnamed Wei?" he asked Wang Yingxue.
Wang Yingxue pondered silently for a moment and slowly shook her head. "People's true intentions lie in their hearts. Even if he takes the initiative to reconcile with us, I cannot trust him completely."
The intense expression in Wang Lianshan's eyes grew stronger. "Big sister, what do you intend to do? If you ask me, we shouldn't do anything at all. Just let me go tomorrow and beat him to death, putting an end to all.
"Don't act impulsively. The school exam and the Blood Activation Pill were arranged behind the scenes by me. Other senior and junior brothers are just going along with it because of my influence. There are other transactions happening offstage in exchange for their cooperation in this matter.
We need to pay a price and gain some benefits. What we should do now is to restrain ourselves and hide within the sect. At least, we shouldn't openly violate the sect rules. Let's let the limelight pass first."
Wang Yingxue pushed her bowl and chopsticks aside, poured herself a cup of hot tea, and took a slow sip. "We are all disciples of the same sect, and it's difficult to choose in certain situations. It's one thing for everyone to understand tacitly, but it's another to make it obvious."
"What do you mean, big sister?"
"What I mean is simple. Let's wait for the right opportunity. Then, we can take action without leaving any consequences."
She paused, a cold smile appearing on her face. "The outer city is vast and chaotic. It's not unusual for someone to meet with accidents."
"You always think ahead, big sister."
Wang Lianshan smiled. "However, I want to personally show him what true innate talent in martial arts cultivation is."
"Idiot! Both of us using Red Line Fist would be too obvious. Even with our Silver Wolf Gang background, Eldest Senior Brother would easily find out."
"Xiao Qian will be back soon. Let her handle this."
She paused and took the last sip of tea from her cup. "Lately, your mental state has been off. Don't take Five Stones Powder in the future, or you'll just waste yourself."
Wang Lianshan quickly walked out of the door and stood in the courtyard, looking back.
"Big sister, you don't understand."
.........
Name: Red Line Fist.
Progress: 40.2%.
Status: Slightly accomplished.
Realm: Muscle Refinement.
Would you like to spend a gold coin to improve the quality?
Wei Tao stared at the ethereal interface in front of him, falling into deep silence.
Since the last time it increased to 40 percent, more than twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye.
He had been diligently practicing every day and took advantage of his position as a steward to increase his access to medicine. Yet, his cultivation progress only increased by 0.2 percentage points.
In Wei Tao's view, this increase speed could be described as painfully slow, even among the entire martial arts hall. From Eldest Senior Brother to Junior Brother, it would be difficult to find someone with a slower cultivation progress.
Fortunately, after more than twenty days of accumulation, he finally obtained a new gold coin.
If he used it directly, he could instantly increase his cultivation progress by ten percent. He would then become a formidable opponent within the Martial Arts Hall, capable of defeating others on his own.
Although he wondered what would happen when his progress reached fifty percent, Wei Tao didn't aspire to rise within the Martial Arts Hall. He gathered his spirits and exited the status bar.
As the evening approached, the setting sun painted the Martial Arts Hall in warm, pastel hues. Wei Tao finished cleaning up and went out, indulging in two bowls of soup at a street stall. After dropping a few copper coins, he blended into the flow of people on the street.
Instead of heading straight home, he made his way to the vicinity of the most bustling bluestone square in the outer city. Today was a semi-monthly gathering, and the atmosphere was filled with excitement.
Shops, both large and small, called out to attract customers who were returning from their day. Additionally, merchants set up stalls on the road, further crowding the streets.
A crowd had gathered around a clearing, pointing fingers and engaged in animated conversation. Wei Tao initially planned to take just a quick glance and leave. However, through the gaps in the crowd, he realized that the items laid out in the clearing were not merchandise, but people kneeling there.
They were selling themselves.
Most of them were women and children, with only a few young and middle-aged men. Elderly individuals were scarce among the group. All of them were ragged, dirty, and appeared malnourished, a stark contrast to the onlookers in the crowd.
While Wei Tao considered the outer city of Cangyuan City to be a chaotic slum, he rarely witnessed such dire circumstances where people were on the verge of starving to death.