Chapter 54: Returning to the Grand Market, The Youth in Splendid Attire

Lu Qing had originally intended to push forward in one breath to see if he could directly cultivate the Four Directions Saber to the stage of minor achievement.

To his regret, the wooden saber snapped, leaving him feeling somewhat disappointed.

As for the subsequent stages of Great Success and Perfection, he did not dare to think of them for the time being.

Those were realms that only experts above the Bone-Strengthening Realm could touch; they were not something a mere Blood-Qi Realm practitioner like him could covet.

Although his mind held the key points and insights of those saber techniques, he did not dare to attempt them.

The reason was that the extremely violent method of exerting force was simply more than his current body could endure.

Perhaps only those experts above the Bone-Strengthening Realm could so recklessly ravage their own bodies.

In reality, with Lu Qing's current level of having just entered the Blood-Qi Realm, it was unlikely he could even cultivate the Four Directions Saber to minor achievement.

His blood-qi was not yet sufficient to support such frequent, continuous bursts of power.

Realizing this, Lu Qing's head, which had been running hot from the success of his saber cultivation, cooled down.

He looked at the wooden saber in his hand, shook his head, tossed it into the woodpile under the eaves, and turned back into the house.

Early the next morning, Lu Qing prepared breakfast and practiced several rounds of the Body-Nurturing Fist to smooth his breath and fully invigorate the blood-qi throughout his body.

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

According to his master's instructions, it was best to take this Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pill once a day.

Taking more than that would mean his body could not immediately digest the medicinal power, resulting in unnecessary waste.

The century-old wild ginseng gifted by the little black beast had yielded a total of twenty Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pills, which was enough for Lu Qing to use for more than half a month.

Once he finished the twenty pills, he would surely make great progress in the Blood-Qi Realm.

As for the ginseng the little black beast brought last night, Lu Qing planned to wait until this bottle of pills was finished before using it.

The medicinal power of the Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pill was much gentler than yesterday's Golden Loach Great Supplement Soup.

After practicing the Body-Nurturing Fist for a while to slowly absorb and refine the medicinal power, Lu Qing ceased his movements.

Feeling that the blood-qi in his body had become even more surging, Lu Qing felt a sense of joy in his heart.

He then went to wake up the sleepy Xiaoyan for breakfast.

"Xiaoyan, have you grown a little taller?"

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

"Really, Brother?"

Xiaoyan, who had been somewhat drowsy, suddenly became wide awake.

"Let me measure you."

Lu Qing wiped the little girl's face, had her stand by the threshold of the main door, and measured her height.

After measuring, he found that she really had grown a little bit.

"You have grown. Look, this was where we measured last time, and this is where you are now."

Lu Qing pointed to the markings on the door.

Every time he measured Xiaoyan's height, he would carve a mark; this time, the mark was slightly higher than the previous one.

"I really did grow taller!"

Xiaoyan tilted her head back, looking at the markings with a face full of happiness.

Lu Qing rubbed the little girl's head.

Not only had she grown taller, but her physical condition had also improved significantly.

Her hair was no longer withered and yellow, and her complexion was rosy; she looked incomparably better than when he had first seen her upon waking up.

"Alright, go inside and eat. As long as you eat well, you'll grow even taller very soon."

Seeing Xiaoyan still smiling foolishly at the marks on the door, Lu Qing smiled and urged her along.

As a result, the little girl ate an extra half-bowl during breakfast.

After breakfast, Lu Qing took Xiaoyan to the courtyard on the mountainside to pay his respects to his master and begin his studies.

Lu Qing did not tell the old doctor that he had already mastered the basics of the Four Directions Saber.

Everything required moderation; his previous feat of mastering the Body-Nurturing Fist overnight was already enough to shock his master.

At that time, he could use "sudden enlightenment" as an excuse.

But he couldn't have sudden enlightenments all the time; if he did, it would truly be too world-shaking.

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

Nothing special happened that morning.

However, the old doctor began to formally teach Lu Qing some medical principles, as well as knowledge regarding the drying of medicinal herbs.

Soon, the morning passed.

After finishing his studies, Lu Qing left Xiaoyan at the mountainside courtyard and made an excuse, saying he wanted to go out to the large market to buy some things.

Since Lu Qing was now a Blood-Qi Realm martial artist and was quite intelligent, the old doctor naturally had no worries about him.

Seeing that he wanted to go shopping, the doctor agreed immediately.

After leaving the courtyard, Lu Qing went straight home, took a sum of silver, slung a large bamboo basket over his back, tied a red string around the divine tree at the village entrance, and headed straight for the large market.

Before long, Lu Qing's figure appeared before the market.

Watching the bustling crowds coming and going, he revealed a smile.

That was right, today was market day.

Ever since his last massive shopping trip with Brother Da'an, Lu Qing had not returned here.

He knew that his performance during that shopping trip had been somewhat conspicuous.

To avoid being targeted by those with ill intentions, he had simply stopped appearing.

Now, he had become a Blood-Qi Realm martial artist and possessed some ability to protect himself.

Additionally, the rice and meat at home were nearly exhausted, so he had decided to restock.

However, he hadn't come here merely to buy daily necessities; he had a more important purpose.

Walking into the market, Lu Qing wandered around, and before long, he spotted his target: Master Ma.

Just as he was about to step forward to greet him, he suddenly stopped and stepped aside.

This was because he saw that there was someone else beside Master Ma.

It was a young man dressed in luxurious clothing with an arrogant expression.

Following behind him were several men with steady strides and powerful builds, looking like people who were not to be trifled with.

In particular, Lu Qing noticed that Master Ma, who had been quite domineering last time, actually had a fawning expression in front of this richly dressed youth.

He decided to wait and see the situation first.

Seeing Master Ma and his group walking this way, Lu Qing quietly hid to the side, minimizing his presence and pricking up his ears.

He did not use his special ability to probe the information of those people.

After entering the Blood-Qi Realm, he knew that martial artists were extremely sensitive to the prying gazes of others.

If he used his ability, he might alert them and potentially invite trouble.

So, he only intended to listen and see if he could gather any useful information.

Fortunately, the richly dressed youth was quite proud and made no effort to lower his voice.

"Ma Gu, this place of yours is truly dilapidated. It's just like those stinking alleys where the beggars in the west of the city sleep."

Walking through the market, the youth's face was full of disdain.

"Young Master Wei possesses a noble constitution; it is only natural that you are unaccustomed to this rustic place. I hope for your forbearance."

Ma Gu bowed slightly, his face full of humility.

"If it weren't for the fact that I want to enter the mountains this time to find a decent birthday gift for my father and currently have no place to stay, I would absolutely never come to your place. It really stinks to death!"

When the richly dressed youth saw that there were actually people selling pork in the market, the pile of pig entrails caused his face to turn pale, and he nearly vomited.

To think people actually sold such lowly meat in this place!