Chapter 65: Achievement

Surviving In A Martial Arts World To Become A Saint

Chen Qing returned home from Linfu Restaurant through the night, his steps steady but his thoughts surging like tides.

Wu Manqing's recruiting words still echoed in his ears.

Previously, when he had just begun learning martial arts, he lacked resources and needed support.

Now he was just one step away from the threshold of transforming strength, giving him his own confidence.

Others' assistance was certainly tempting, but it was like invisible shackles.

Furthermore, he would soon break through to transforming strength, so why bind himself to the Wu family's wagon?

With his mind decided, his steps became somewhat lighter.

Before long, that familiar small courtyard with green tiles appeared before him.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, he saw Lady Han holding needle and thread, staring at Chen Qing's old jacket for a long time without making a stitch, her brow slightly furrowed with a worried expression.

Lady Han seemed startled awake, put down her needle and thread, and sighed, "I inquired, ran around most of the day until my legs grew thin."

She looked at her son with complex eyes, "The girl's family background is clean, Shopkeeper Liu is honest and proper, and his shop is prosperous. As for her appearance, the neighbors all say she's pretty, her temperament seems gentle, she's literate and can use an abacus for bookkeeping, all of this is true."

Chen Qing nodded, "Sounds quite good."

"Yes, quite good..."

Lady Han's tone shifted as she lowered her voice, "But Ah Qing, mother inquired about some... other matters."

She paused, seemingly weighing her words, "This Miss Qiao Lan has high aspirations and values loyalty. Two years ago she was involved with a poor scholar surnamed Li from West Street! The two were compatible, composing poetry and painting together, they seemed truly good together."

Chen Qing raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't interrupt, waiting for his mother to continue.

"Sigh."

Lady Han sighed again, "But Shopkeeper Liu despises poverty and loves wealth, and forcibly separated them! I heard it caused quite a commotion, the girl even went on hunger strike and nearly... That scholar was also disheartened, later either moved away or something, no news since. From then on, Miss Qiao Lan became like an eggplant hit by frost, never leaving her room. Only then did Shopkeeper Liu and his wife become anxious, frantically asking people everywhere to arrange marriages, wanting to quickly marry her off and leave this place, fearing old feelings might be hard to break and cause problems over time."

She looked at her son with eyes full of worry, "Mother doesn't look down on the girl for having a past, this world has plenty of cases of breaking up lovebirds. Mother worries that in this girl's heart, she probably still holds that scholar! The Liu family is so anxious, they might well be trying to cover up and quickly settle this matter. Ah Qing, think about it, if you married and she entered the house but her heart wasn't with you, how stifling would those days be?"

Chen Qing listened and fell silent for a moment.

He hadn't been very enthusiastic about this matter to begin with, and now understood where his mother's unease came from.

"Mother is right."

Chen Qing's tone was calm and reassuring, "Marriage is a major matter, indeed it cannot be rushed."

Lady Han's worried heart finally settled as she said repeatedly, "Right, right, let's not mention it! Our Ah Qing is someone with a future ahead, no need to fill someone else's emotional knot. Mother will tell Aunt Zhang later that we don't have such thoughts right now, and thank her for her trouble. If anyone else brings this up in the future, mother will definitely investigate the background thoroughly and clearly!"

She picked up her needle and thread, this time stitching efficiently, as if a great stone had been lifted from her shoulders.

Over the next half month, due to Qin Lie's incident, the disciples practiced in much more silence. The casual jokes and idle chatter of the past diminished, and the air was filled with a kind of oppressive diligence.

Song Yufeng ultimately failed to break through to obvious strength and regretfully left Zhou's courtyard.

Luo Qian and Zheng Ziqiao appeared increasingly rarely, their figures in the courtyard like rare guests. Anyone with eyes could see their hearts were no longer here.

Zhou Liang still sat on the bluestone slab under the old tree, occasionally raising his hand to correct disciples' stances as usual.

Only his previously bright eyes now seemed covered with a layer of gray, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had deepened, as if someone had drained his vitality.

This day, Chen Qing was slowly moving his muscles and bones, feeling the ceaselessly surging qi and blood within his body, thinking to himself, "Tonight should be when everything falls into place naturally."

With the nourishment of one Blood Qi Pill every two days, plus his own unceasing hard practice, the perfect mastery of through-arm boxing was now within reach.

"Senior Brother Sun, Junior Brother Chen."

Zhou Yu's voice came, calling Sun Shun and Chen Qing to a secluded corner.

Sun Shun was somewhat surprised, "Sister Zhou, what's the matter?"

Zhou Yu took out a simple wooden box and handed it over, "Inside are several two-year Hundred Spirit Grass plants, you should keep them."

Sun Shun was stunned, "Hundred Spirit Grass? This is a precious medicine for cultivating essence and strengthening foundation?"

Chen Qing's eyes held a trace of inquiry.

"Yes,"

Zhou Yu nodded, "Lower-year precious medicines can be cultivated with some effort. These were originally reserved for Senior Brother Qin's portion."

Her voice grew slightly hoarse, then she rallied, "You've surely heard news of the Blue Scale Assembly, with experts gathering from all sides. Every bit of strength improvement brings more confidence."

Sun Shun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then I won't decline, thank you Sister Zhou, thank you Master!"

After his failed breakthrough attempt damaged his foundation, he needed exactly this type of precious medicine to warm and nourish his qi and blood and accelerate recovery.

Chen Qing also accepted it readily, "Thank you Sister Zhou."

"Go then, prepare well."

Zhou Yu watched the backs of the two as they turned and left, sighing heavily in her heart.

In this vast Zhou courtyard, during these turbulent times, who else could be counted on to shoulder the burden?

Senior Brother Sun Shun? He was loyal and reliable in his work, capable of teaching apprentices, but to have him take sole responsibility?

Junior Brother Chen Qing? Though his natural talent wasn't excellent, his achievements were highest, having placed highly in the martial examination, but...

Zhou Yu's heart was filled with confusion.

…

Back courtyard.

Zhou Liang bent over his desk writing rapidly, his pen tip making scratching sounds across the paper.

Zhou Liang's wife Lady Li quietly entered and asked softly, "What are you writing?"

"A letter to Brother Zhang." Zhou Liang didn't lift his head.

Lady Li's heart tightened, "Zhang Shitong of Four Seas Escort Agency?"

That was an old established escort agency in Shuangye County, where Zhou Liang had once served as an escort master before retiring.

"Yes."

Zhou Liang responded, his brush never stopping, his voice carrying deep fatigue, "My qi and blood are declining, I'm like a candle in the wind. Shi Wenshan is pressing aggressively and definitely won't let this opportunity pass. I fear... when the time comes, the city gates catching fire will harm the fish in the moat, implicating these innocent disciples."

He paused, his pen tip suspended as ink spread into a small blot on the paper, "They followed me for a time, gained no benefits, yet must have their futures cut short due to my old grudges. This title of 'Master,' I hear it with shame in my heart!"

Lady Li opened her mouth but ultimately remained silent.

"Can it work?"

"Four Seas Escort Agency currently lacks manpower. As long as the disciples are willing to go, they'll always have food to eat and a path to walk."

Zhou Liang looked at the writing on the letter and said slowly, "Sun Shun has a steady temperament and handles affairs thoroughly. Though his failed breakthrough damaged his foundation with no hope of transforming strength, his experience is seasoned. Working as a manager at the escort agency, leading convoy hands and escorting ordinary goods would be more than sufficient."

"As for Chen Qing..."

Zhou Liang's pen tip fell again, the writing seemingly heavier, "Though young in years, his character is as resilient as iron. He placed highly on the martial examination's third list, his through-arm boxing mastery has reached great achievement, and more rare still, he values relationships and keeps promises, definitely not a heartless person. If not for Zhou courtyard's decline, the assistance we could give him is truly limited..."

He sighed heavily, his following words becoming silent regret.

At this point, Zhou Liang sighed heavily.

"Luo Qian and Zheng Ziqiao have their own family businesses, no need for me to worry. The other few obvious strength disciples, as long as they're willing to go, Four Seas Escort Agency won't lack a few bowls of rice for them."

Lady Li nodded silently, only feeling her throat choked with emotion, unable to speak.

Zhou Liang set down his brush, his body heavily leaning back against the chair as he closed his eyes.

This letter was the last spark he lit for his disciples, and also his final accounting to the words "Master."

He carefully folded the letter paper, placed it in a thick envelope, took the heated sealing wax, and solemnly dripped and pressed his seal.

Tomorrow, it would be carried by the most reliable courier, riding fast horses, sent to Four Seas Escort Agency in Shuangye County.

…

Evening time.

Chen Qing returned home and said to Lady Han who was busy at the stove, "Mother, when the food is ready, just leave it on the stove to keep warm. I'll practice first."

After speaking, he walked directly to the center of the small courtyard.

Cold wind cut like knives through the bare branches of the small courtyard, making whimpering sounds.

Night had fallen deep, all was silent.

Chen Qing's eyes slightly closed as he felt the surging qi and blood within his body, already as docile as mercury and condensed like lead, yet now like cold water thrown into boiling oil, suddenly seething.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]

[Through-arm Stance Work: Great Achievement (1999/2000)]

That last bit of progress stuck before the threshold of perfection was finally completed at this moment.

Countless scenes flashed rapidly through Chen Qing's mind, finally crystallizing into one incredibly clear thought:

"When conditions are ripe, success will follow naturally, today is that day!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliant light appearing in them. No longer deliberately maintaining the stance work posture, his entire body suddenly began moving!

Through-arm boxing moves came easily to hand, yet were completely different from before.

No longer the fierce explosive power of obvious strength, nor the subtle cunning of hidden strength, but something between existence and non-existence, combining hardness and softness, flowing in perfect harmony.

"Whoosh!"

His sleeves moved without wind, fluttering loudly.

His form stretched like a spiritual ape exploring a ravine, his arms swinging like steel whips breaking through air. The movements seemed slow yet created trailing shadows, stirring the cold air in the courtyard and producing deep whooshing sounds.

Every inch of tendon, bone, and membrane vibrated at high frequency, producing fine, continuous crackling sounds from within his body like frying beans or muffled thunder.

This was the sound of tendons and bones resonating together, of qi and blood surging to the extreme and washing through acupoints!

Baihui! Yongquan!

These two final and most stubborn barriers now felt like red-hot branding irons, sending waves of needle-sharp, burning pain.

At the same time, an unprecedented sense of transparency instantly swept through his entire body!

The Baihui acupoint connected to the sky above, while the Yongquan acupoint seemed rooted in the earth below, with heavy power flowing endlessly.

The fierce power of obvious strength and the subtle flexibility of hidden strength seemed to find some point of convergence, completely blending like milk and water, indistinguishable from each other.

His mind moved slightly as he casually swung his arm forward.

No explosive roar breaking air, no howling winds.

In the courtyard, a withered leaf caught up by the cold wind, spinning around, happened to drift down toward his shoulder.

The withered leaf was neither bounced away nor fell under force.

It simply, quite mysteriously, suspended in the air about half an inch from the skin of his shoulder.

As if held up by an invisible, intangible yet incredibly resilient flexible field of energy, it trembled slightly, unable to fall another fraction!

"Flies and insects cannot land... not even a feather can be added..."

Chen Qing slowly withdrew his arm, looking at that suspended withered leaf and feeling the perfectly harmonized force within his body, his heart clear and bright as empty space.

Transforming strength, achieved!