Chapter 40: The Current Situation

At this moment.

Jiang Ning had a rough idea of the kind of power the "burst of hidden strength" mentioned in the remnants of the *Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual* truly was.

The five viscera and six entrails of the human body inherently contain many secrets.

He had heard stories in his previous life, such as a mother seeing her son trapped under a car; under a burst of latent potential, she managed to lift the vehicle and rescue him.

Such examples were countless.

If human potential could be unleashed, it could exert strength far exceeding the ordinary.

And these hidden powers, such as adrenaline, were concealed within the viscera and entrails.

Therefore, Jiang Ning knew very well that if he could achieve this step, he would undoubtedly gain a trump card.

"However, grinding out these thousand experience points for the *Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual* won't be done overnight!"

Jiang Ning muttered to himself, looking at the progress of the manual on his status panel.

Afterward.

After resting for a moment and feeling no abnormality within his organs, he continued to take advantage of the time between the end of the Mao hour and the beginning of the Chen hour.

Facing the sun that had recently risen, he practiced the breathing and exhaling techniques recorded in the *Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual*.

【Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual experience +1】

【Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual experience +1】

【...】

He only stopped when the Chen hour was approaching.

【Skill】: Internal Alchemy Vitality Manual (Beginner 6/1000)

That night.

Jiang Ning took two silver ingots from his robe, a complex expression on his face.

Each ingot weighed ten taels, so two ingots made twenty taels.

These twenty taels had been personally delivered to the martial arts hall's gates earlier that afternoon by a former colleague of his eldest brother, Jiang Li, who had been commissioned to hand them over.

Guilt flickered in Jiang Ning's eyes.

"Twenty taels of silver! I wonder where Brother had to borrow it from again!"

He shook his head, his expression somewhat wistful.

"Forget it, I won't dwell on this!"

"The priority is to increase my strength. Only by increasing my strength can I change my own fate and the fate of Brother's family!"

"Once my martial arts reach a formal rank and I enter the Inspectorate, I will bring Brother, Sister-in-law, and their family to live in the Inner City!"

"I will repay the kindness of Brother and Sister-in-law slowly in the days to come!"

Jiang Ning made a silent decision in his heart.

Then, he tucked the twenty taels into his pouch and continued grinding his fist technique experience.

The following day.

At the fourth quarter of the Chen hour, after the martial arts hall opened.

Upon entering the hall, Cheng Ran followed Jiang Ning out of the front courtyard and toward the small courtyard where Jiang Ning resided.

Once they stepped into the small courtyard, Jiang Ning finally spoke.

"Senior Brother Cheng, how is it?"

Cheng Ran nodded. "Your guess was correct. There were indeed two people keeping watch at the entrance of the martial arts hall; they are members of the Green Snake Gang."

"The Green Snake Gang?"

Cheng Ran nodded. "There are three major gangs in Luoshui County: the Green Snake Gang, the Black Tiger Gang, and the Bamboo Gang. All three are backed by certain families. Among them, the Green Snake Gang is involved in water transport and human trafficking, and they are backed by the Cao family."

"As expected!" Jiang Ning nodded, not feeling surprised in the least.

Cheng Ran looked at Jiang Ning. "As for the other matter you entrusted to me, Junior Brother Jiang, I have also investigated it clearly."

"A few days ago, the Yamen took the initiative to crack down on the God-Worshipping Sect, but they ended up suffering a setback, which has caused the sect's momentum in the Outer City to grow even stronger these past few days."

"However, your brother and sister-in-law's family are currently safe and sound. Patrol forces around their house have increased significantly recently, with constables passing by at regular intervals. No chaos has broken out!"

Hearing that his brother and sister-in-law were still safe, Jiang Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good!"

Cheng Ran continued, looking at Jiang Ning, "As for Xu Yunfeng, whom you asked me to investigate, there are some results! There is no record of Xu Yunfeng taking action personally, but his last recorded intervention involved capturing a fleeing criminal single-handedly. That criminal was not weak; he was a martial artist whose blood qi had reached great success and had successfully connected his four limbs."

Jiang Ning said, "In that case, is Xu Yunfeng likely a martial artist with perfected blood qi, on the verge of reaching a formal rank, just like you, Senior Brother?"

Cheng Ran nodded. "Likely so! He is one of Cao Bin's men, backed by the Cao family. If his martial arts reach a formal rank, his position and status in the Yamen will inevitably rise. As the saying goes, 'the common people do not fight with officials.' It is indeed bad that you have been targeted by him, Junior Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Ning said helplessly, "There's no other way."

"Indeed, there is no other way!" Cheng Ran nodded in agreement. "The fact that Cao Bin suddenly took an interest in your sister-in-law is purely an unprovoked disaster!"

He continued, "It's a pity that I, Cheng Ran, have little influence and cannot have my father step forward to ask for a favor to make Cao Bin let your sister-in-law go!"

"I appreciate your good intentions, Senior Brother Cheng!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands in thanks.

In his heart, however, he shook his head silently. He had analyzed this matter repeatedly; whether or not Cao Bin had personal motives, it was not that simple.

In all likelihood, it involved the struggle between the County Magistrate—the "dragon crossing the river"—and the local "earth snake."

His brother and sister-in-law being caught in this vortex might involve Cao Bin's personal interests, but it was more due to the struggle between these two powers.

Since his brother had been chosen as a pawn in this struggle, let alone Cheng Ran being unable to get his father involved, even if his father did step forward, the Cao family would not simply let it go.

"I must rely on myself!"

"Becoming a true disciple of Wang Jin could alleviate the initial crisis."

"Joining the Inspectorate and having that great tree to lean on is the only way to completely resolve this situation."

Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

Cheng Ran then said, "As for the other matter you entrusted to me—finding suitable medicinal supplements for cultivation. I checked, and a ten-year-old wild ginseng is the most suitable; it offers the best value for money for you!"

"On the market, ten-year-old wild ginseng is priced at fifteen taels. You might as well go to Senior Brother Zhou Xing."

"I've heard before that as long as we are disciples of this martial arts hall, we can buy ten-year-old wild ginseng from Senior Brother Zhou Xing for only ten taels, which is about five taels cheaper than the market price."

"Senior Brother Zhou Xing's family is one of the largest medicinal herb traders in Luoshui County. This ten taels is likely the Zhou family's cost price, so it's very worthwhile."

"This afternoon, during the 'Tiger Leaving the Cage' event, Senior Brother Zhou Xing will most likely come to the martial arts hall. You can go to him to purchase the wild ginseng then."

After listening intently, Jiang Ning cupped his hands again. "I've troubled you these past two days, Senior Brother Cheng!"

Cheng Ran laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Jiang, you're being too formal! If you hadn't helped me a few days ago, how could I be standing here chatting with you today!"

"The chances of me entering the Inspectorate would be even slimmer! You are the one who truly helped me greatly, giving me a chance to compete with Xiao Peng for that spot."

Seeing Cheng Ran speaking with such vigor, Jiang Ning couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Senior Brother Cheng sounds so full of energy. Has your injury healed?"

"Indeed!" Cheng Ran nodded with a smile. "When my father heard I wanted to join the Inspectorate, he knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he spent a fortune to buy a Great Restoration Pill. My injury healed in a single day, and my blood qi has even grown by more than ten percent!"

As he spoke, Cheng Ran clenched his fist. "When I get the chance, I must settle the score from a few days ago and let Xiao Peng taste the bitterness of being injured."

"What spirit, Senior Brother Cheng!" Jiang Ning praised.

Cheng Ran chuckled. "Anyway, I can't stand that Xiao Peng; he's too insidious. He hid that trick and almost caught me off guard!"

"It is a pity, though!" Looking at Jiang Ning, Cheng Ran's expression turned to one of regret. "Your talent for learning fist techniques is the most outstanding I have ever seen. To reach this level in just a few days of training... if you had started martial arts a year or so earlier, that spot wouldn't have gone to Xiao Peng. Though, that would mean it wouldn't go to me either, so I suppose it's actually to my advantage!"

Jiang Ning shook his head with a smile. "There's nothing to regret. Who can say what the future holds? Being able to practice martial arts already means I've escaped the fate of an ordinary person, and I am very satisfied with that. As for how far I can go in the future, it ultimately depends on myself!"

"Junior Brother Jiang is truly open-minded! I admire you!" Cheng Ran cupped his hands, then patted his own chest. "Rest assured, with me around, that kid Xiao Peng won't get that Inspectorate spot so easily. I will definitely fight him for it!"

Jiang Ning smiled and said no more.

Regarding his own intention to compete for the Inspectorate spot, he had never told anyone, and he would not say anything now.

(End of Chapter)