Chapter 19: Closing the Door

After finishing his roll call, Chen Qing practiced the Gale Saber Technique for another hour before heading home.

"Mother, I'm back." Slipping into the boat, Chen Qing set his saber on the table and grabbed a water ladle, tilting his head back to gulp down several mouthfuls.

Only when the cool water hit his throat did the heat in his chest begin to subside.

He took off his short tunic, sweat leaving dark stains on the coarse cloth.

"Have you eaten? There are still some beans in the pot."

Lady Han sat by the window, her fingers flying as she stitched a shoe sole.

Chen Qing gave an affirmative grunt. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he saw Lady Han's expression tighten. She glanced left and right, lowering her voice: "The Tiger Gang came by to collect incense money again these past two days, but they bypassed our house. The water bandits have been rampant lately; the fishing boats on the river don't dare venture far for nets. Old Gao's family is strapped for cash—I heard they even pawned their iron pot just to scrape the amount together..."

Ever since Xu Chengfeng learned that Chen Qing had stepped into the Ming Jin stage, the Tiger Gang had not come to their door for incense money again. Lady Han sighed and continued, "Should we send a bag of rice bran over later? We're neighbors; we can't just stand by and watch them go hungry."

Chen Qing nodded. "Mother, you decide."

He often heard his fellow disciples in the courtyard discussing the water bandits; they were indeed more aggressive than before, and many merchant ships had fallen victim to them.

As dusk deepened, Lady Han quietly took a cloth bag and headed to the Gao family's boat.

Old Gao took the rice bran, his rough palms trembling slightly, his eyes rimmed with red.

In this world, those willing to lend a helping hand were true friends.

Uncle Gao's family had always been on good terms with Da Chun's family, but since the incident, Da Chun had remained silent.

In the days that followed, Chen Qing squeezed every drop of utility out of every moment.

He rose before dawn to practice, contemplated techniques while on patrol, and sparred with other guards after his shift.

Occasionally, he would exchange moves with the guards at the River Office, gaining insight into various fist and foot techniques, which allowed his combat experience to improve rapidly.

Time flew, and three months passed.

The weather gradually turned cool.

Chen Qing's stature had grown several inches, his muscles were well-defined, and his spirit and energy were vastly different from before.

【Heaven rewards the diligent; success is inevitable】

【Tongbi Stance: Minor Accomplishment (705/1000)】

【Tongbi Fist: Minor Accomplishment (601/1000)】

The progress of Chen Qing's Tongbi Stance was several times faster than in previous months.

Behind this rapid advancement, beyond his sweat, lay the accumulation of meat and precious Blood-Qi Powder.

As long as his supplies were sufficient and the medicinal potency was enough, a single session of cultivation could increase his progress by two points.

His martial arts were growing rapidly, but the expenses were staggering.

The windfall from Song Tie had long since run dry, and his salary from the River Office was barely enough to afford Blood-Qi Powder.

More troublesome was that as his blood and qi grew increasingly robust, the nutritional effects of ordinary meat became negligible, while medicinal supplements, though effective, were beyond his means.

One day, in the Zhou Courtyard, Chen Qing was sparring with He Yan.

"Hah!"

He Yan struck first, a "Cloud-Piercing Rock-Crushing" strike aimed straight at Chen Qing's face. The wind from the punch whistled, faintly producing a sound of breaking air.

Chen Qing remained unhurried. He shifted his body slightly, his right hand parrying like flowing water—the "Pushing the Boat with the Current" technique from the Tongbi Fist. He effortlessly neutralized the attack while his left leg lashed out like a whip, a "Tiger Descending the Mountain" strike aimed directly at his opponent's lower stance.

Fists and feet collided with a series of muffled thuds.

After several moves, Chen Qing suddenly changed his technique, his hand thrusting out like a venomous snake's tongue, striking He Yan squarely on the Jianjing acupoint.

"Step, step, step!"

He Yan retreated several steps, cupping his hands with a bitter smile. "Junior Brother Chen, I admit defeat."

At the beginning of the year, he could still suppress Chen Qing, but now he could barely parry.

Aside from the deepening refinement of his Ming Jin, the main reason was that Chen Qing had mastered the techniques more thoroughly than him.

Chen Qing wiped the sweat from his brow and cupped his hands. "You are too kind."

Just then, Zhou Liang's hearty laughter suddenly erupted from the backyard.

"What's happening!?"

The disciples stopped what they were doing and looked toward the moon gate leading to the backyard in unison.

A disciple came running out, stumbling, his face flushed red as he shouted, "Senior Brother Qin... he... he has broken through to An Jin!"

What!?

The words were like a clap of thunder, leaving every disciple present speechless.

Though Ming Jin and An Jin differ by only one character, the difference in strength was as vast as heaven and earth.

The so-called An Jin was the stage where one 'connected the Ren and Du meridians' to train mental strength and skin, allowing the internal force to burst forth through the entire network of muscles and bones.

Furthermore, the status of Ming Jin and An Jin within the Zhou Courtyard was vastly different.

Everyone was in a daze; they hadn't expected Qin Lie to break through to An Jin in less than a year after joining the sect.

Many disciples sighed inwardly, their expressions complicated.

They were all disciples of the Zhou Courtyard, yet the gap between them was immense.

He Yan let out a bitter smile. "We have struggled for so many years, yet Junior Brother Qin only needed less than a year..."

As one of the most senior disciples in the courtyard, his blood and qi had not only stagnated but had begun to decline.

Over the years, he had exhausted his family's wealth and practiced day and night, yet he could never touch the threshold of An Jin.

At this moment, a sense of despondency welled up in his heart. He Yan couldn't help but ask, "Junior Brother Chen, is 'Heaven rewards the diligent' ultimately just a joke?"

Chen Qing pondered for a moment but said nothing.

Just then, Zhou Liang emerged, leading Qin Lie, Sun Shun, Zhou Yu, Luo Qian, Zheng Ziqiao, and other disciples.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Zhou Liang's face was glowing with excitement, his hand trembling slightly as he stroked his beard, while Qin Lie's expression was one of high spirits.

After all, only a year ago, he was merely weaving mats and selling shoes on the street with his sister; now, he was an An Jin expert.

The expressions of the other An Jin disciples, such as Sun Shun, were quite complex.

Zhou Yu watched Qin Lie with a smile, her eyes full of gratification.

Zhou Liang glanced at the disciples and smiled, stroking his beard. "From this day forward, I have decided to take Qin Lie as my closed-door disciple."

The Master is taking a closed-door disciple!?

This sentence was like a massive boulder dropped into a calm lake.

Chen Qing noticed that although Sun Shun, standing in the front row, was smiling, his hands were trembling.

The other An Jin senior brothers had various expressions: envy, jealousy, and mostly an indescribable complexity.

In the Zhou Courtyard, disciple rankings were clearly defined.

Those who had not reached Ming Jin were considered apprentices; they essentially held a title but could not use it when out in public.

Once they reached Ming Jin, they could be considered registered disciples; they could use their title in public and stay at the Zhou Courtyard to practice martial arts. This was the largest group of disciples.

Those like Sun Shun, Zheng Ziqiao, Luo Qian, Liu Xiaolou, and Qi Wenhan, who were An Jin disciples, would sometimes receive individual guidance from the Master and were considered inner disciples.

The final category was the closed-door disciple, the primary focus of the old martial master's cultivation. In the future, they would not only inherit his legacy but also provide for the Master in his old age and defend him from attacks.

It was no exaggeration to say that a closed-door disciple's relationship with the Master was closer than that of a biological son.

Qin Lie would not only receive the entirety of Zhou Liang's lifelong teachings but would also inherit all his connections and resources.

How could such an honor not make people envious?

For years, Zhou Liang had been searching, and the position of closed-door disciple had remained vacant.

Now, seeing Qin Lie, he had finally made his decision.

"This disciple obeys the Master's command!"

Qin Lie bowed excitedly.

At noon, Qin Lie's sister arrived.

She had dark skin and an ordinary appearance, looking like an honest and simple person. Upon hearing that Zhou Liang was taking Qin Lie as an inner disciple, her eyes filled with tears, and she nearly knelt before Zhou Liang.

Everyone present was moved; from this day forward, the Qin family had truly turned their fortunes around.

This real-life manifestation of "when one person attains the Way, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" made the eyes of many impoverished youths burn with emotion.

"When will I be able to achieve such success?"

Watching this scene, He Yan's fists unconsciously clenched and unclenched.

He thought of his ailing father at home, the ancestral farmland that had been pawned, and the countless dawns spent sweating profusely on the training grounds...

Afterward, Zhou Liang led Qin Lie and his family to the apprenticeship banquet.

Although the other disciples returned to their positions to continue practicing, they were all distracted, with whispers rising and falling.

Only Chen Qing remained as usual, focusing intently on his hard training.

The proficiency of his stance steadily increased through his day-after-day persistence.

(End of Chapter)