Chapter 28: Hidden Force

The next morning, after the river officials had finished their roll call.

Chen Qing was organizing his patrol medallion and saber.

Cheng Ming paced over and pulled him into the shadows of a corridor pillar.

Cheng Ming glanced left and right to ensure no one was watching before whispering, "I went home last night and mentioned you to my eldest sister."

"Oh!?"

Chen Qing looked up. Seeing the unusual expression on Cheng Ming's face, his heart stirred slightly.

"It's a done deal."

A relaxed smile appeared on Cheng Ming's face. "She agreed to give you an extra two Blood Qi Pills every month from now on."

Chen Qing clasped his hands deeply and said, "Boss, thank you."

Two Blood Qi Pills would cost at least five taels of silver, and since they were provided monthly, this was a rare and precious windfall for Chen Qing.

"Go on."

Cheng Ming patted Chen Qing on the shoulder and smiled. "Train hard. If luck is on your side, you might just break through to the second stage of cultivation."

With the martial examinations approaching, the atmosphere in the Zhou Academy was as taut as a drawn bowstring.

Zhou Liang paced back and forth within the academy every day, his gaze mostly fixed on the disciples with Dark Jin cultivation. After all, they were the main force for this upcoming examination.

Chen Qing simply practiced diligently in the courtyard, remaining inconspicuous. With the Blood Qi Pills provided by the Cheng family, supplemented by the Blood Qi Powder he purchased himself, his progress in the Tongbi Stance was growing visibly.

One evening.

"It's about time to try and trigger the Dark Jin."

The blood and qi within Chen Qing's body surged and roared like subterranean fires churning and burning deep within his veins. Every breath carried a scorching heat, his exposed skin turned an abnormal crimson, and a faint white mist seemed to steam from him.

In moments, his clothes were soaked through with sweat.

If one were to observe closely, a hint of something extraordinary could be discerned.

Unknowingly, the sun began to set.

The disciples of the Zhou Academy were packing up their equipment in small groups.

"It's almost dark, and he's still training."

"He's the second He Yan!"

"No, he's even more hardworking than He Yan!"

"Sigh, what's the use of just training like a mindless brute...?"

The murmurs, accompanied by sighs, soon dissipated into the twilight.

In the vast martial arts field, only Chen Qing remained.

He stood atop a wooden stake, his eyes tightly shut.

At this moment, he felt as if a ball of fire were burning inside his chest, spreading toward every part of his body.

It was his blood and qi connecting his feet, back, and shoulders, forming successive loops of circulation.

This was the hallmark of reaching the perfection of Bright Jin.

The breakthrough had officially begun.

As the night deepened, the academy fell into silence.

Standing atop the wooden stake, the blood and qi within Chen Qing boiled, rushing toward his limbs and bones. Wherever it went, he felt as if flames were igniting from within.

His flesh and bone felt as though they were being incinerated at this moment, gradually turning to ash, only for that ash to coalesce back into a single breath.

Bright Jin erupts in the flesh and resonates in the bones; Dark Jin, however, must sink into the marrow and penetrate the Ren and Du meridians, its power contained internally, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue—silent, yet lethal.

At this moment, Chen Qing was undergoing such an ordeal—tempering the bones with blood and qi was naturally far more difficult and painful than tempering the skin and flesh.

Initially, it was just a general heat throughout his body, but soon this heat spread like fire scorching his skin. Then, the fire invaded inward, burning fiercely between his bones and sinews.

The night was heavy and all was still.

The courtyard was empty, echoing only with his suppressed, heavy gasps.

Chen Qing was drenched, looking as if he had just been pulled from a river, yet the pain did not stop.

But he knew well that the longer he endured, the deeper the Dark Jin he would eventually trigger.

He could clearly feel his bones becoming increasingly resilient and his pores contracting violently—this was the sign of the complete integration of flesh and bone.

Time passed quietly.

Chen Qing sat like an old monk in meditation, with only his steady, rhythmic breathing.

The pain gradually dissipated as his flesh and bones finally achieved connection.

He had persevered to the end, finally reaching perfection.

*Boom!*

After an unknown amount of time, the burning pain finally began to recede.

A strange sense of connectivity arose spontaneously, as if a blocked riverbed had been completely cleared. His blood and qi no longer met any resistance, circulating smoothly between his flesh and bones, reaching every limb.

His pores opened and closed greedily, as if waking from sleep, inhaling the cool night air.

*Boom—!*

It felt as if something inside him had completely exploded, only to instantly return to stillness.

【Heaven rewards the diligent; success is certain】 【Tongbi Stance: Great Success (1/2000)】

"Phew!"

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes. "So this is Dark Jin?"

His body felt lighter than ever before, and his control over his blood and qi was incredibly precise.

Wherever his will went, a condensed, restrained, yet terrifyingly explosive force lay dormant within his bones, ready to strike.

Chen Qing thought to himself, "Qin Lie reached Dark Jin in about six months, making him the most outstanding disciple in the academy. By that standard, I'm doing quite well."

"I'll find a chance tomorrow to report this to Master."

It was necessary to appropriately demonstrate his strength so that people could see the value of their investment.

Hiding one's light was for protection; showing one's strength was for seizing opportunities.

Furthermore, he needed to ask Zhou Liang about subsequent cultivation issues; perhaps he could even secure more resources.

It was a move with nothing but benefits.

Afterward, Chen Qing left the academy and headed home.

The night was deep and quiet, and the streets were very empty.

In Gaolin County, once the curtain of night fell, pedestrians vanished from the streets, leaving only the inner city bustling.

Two old black-awning boats were moored quietly at the pier, swaying slightly with the night breeze and making creaking sounds.

Chen Qing skillfully untied the hemp rope connecting his boat to the neighbor's stern, stepped onto the slippery planks, and crawled from the rear cabin into his own connected boat.

Inside the cabin, an oil lamp flickered like a tiny bean.

Mrs. Han was using the dim light to mend a fishing net. Hearing the movement, she looked up, her face bearing unmistakable exhaustion and worry. "Why are you out so late? You must be starving. The porridge in the pot is still warm; Mother will go heat it up for you."

She set down her work and began to shuffle toward the inner boat where the stove was located, her back hunched.

"I lost track of time while training."

Chen Qing took off his sweat-soaked, stiff short tunic, which still smelled of the river, and tossed it over a worn oar.

"I'm exhausted. Mother, boil some more water; I need to wash. I'm covered in sweat."

"I know, I know."

Mrs. Han replied as she ducked into the narrow inner boat. "By the way, your eldest aunt came by today. She stood at the bow for a while. From what I gathered, the Yang family wants to scrape some capital together to open a small shop in Hundred Flower Alley."

Chen Qing scooped up half a ladle of cool water and gulped it down, wiping his mouth. "Since Uncle's leg was injured, he hasn't had anything to do. Opening a shop to do some odd jobs sounds good."

Mrs. Han sighed and said, "In this day and age, opening a shop isn't that easy."

Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "It should be fine."

He knew that ever since he had uprooted the Black Water Gang, the Tiger Gang had taken over Hundred Flower Alley and was relatively protective of the Yang family. Opening a small shop shouldn't be an issue.

"What do you know!"

Mrs. Han pursed her lips. "Opening a shop isn't that simple! It requires a lot of capital! If they lose money, they'll lose everything."

(End of Chapter)