Chapter 22: Blood Like Mercury

Night.

Jia Yanyong’s eyes were red and swollen.

After receiving treatment from a physician, his eyes had been saved.

However, his eyes were currently swollen and his vision was blurred, making it difficult to see things clearly.

"Chief, I went specifically to invite Lin Zheyu, but he refused to come," Jia Yanyong said.

"What did he say?"

Xu Jingwu took a sip of tea and gave the waist of the woman beside him a squeeze.

He appeared to be around forty years old and was very well-maintained. He did not possess the heavy banditry of Jia Yanyong; instead, he even carried a somewhat refined and scholarly air.

"He said he is busy tomorrow morning. If the Chief wishes to hear a story, he can go to the Bidan Teahouse tomorrow afternoon," Jia Yanyong said bluntly.

If one had a dirtier mind, they would have directly spoken ill of Lin Zheyu.

However, Xu Jingwu knew this about Jia Yanyong, which was why he valued, employed, and cultivated him.

"I told you to invite him—did you use force to threaten him?"

Xu Jingwu glanced at Jia Yanyong.

He knew Jia Yanyong's temperament; he was a brute who would use his fists to solve anything that could be settled without using his brain.

"No... uh, just a small threat," Jia Yanyong muttered sheepishly after seeing the Chief's sidelong glance, having intended to protest.

"Forget it, forget it. It is my fault for forgetting to remind you to be polite."

"But this scholar does have some backbone. Not only did he refuse your threat, but he even dared to launch a preemptive strike. Interesting."

"I will go to the Bidan Teahouse personally tomorrow to invite him. I'll listen to a story while I see if this fellow is truly as tough as he seems."

Xu Jingwu chuckled and looked at Jia Yanyong. "Your eyes are injured; rest well for the next few days."

"Luo Tian, take five taels of silver and let Jia Yanyong see a doctor."

"Thank you, Chief."

Watching Jia Yanyong's departing figure, a trace of amusement appeared on Xu Jingwu's face.

"An interesting fellow, quite a bit of courage. No wonder he could write such an exciting story as *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*."

He had no interest in the romantic tales of fox-spirits and demons involving scholars.

As a martial artist, Xu Jingwu preferred stories like *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* that narrated the hot-blooded life of the martial world.

The story was told very brilliantly. After hearing several gang members discussing it a few days ago, he had inquired out of curiosity and found himself drawn in.

However, since it was only told once a day, he couldn't get enough, so he had the idea to invite Lin Zheyu to come and tell stories in person.

...

By the time he returned home, the night was deep.

Lin Zheyu's entire body was aching, and his skin was covered in bruises.

Master Liang had been too heavy-handed, holding nothing back. Lin Zheyu felt a stinging sensation on his face.

"My handsome face has been disfigured."

Applying medicine to himself in front of a bronze mirror, Lin Zheyu couldn't help but cry out in pain.

After washing up, he climbed into bed, exhausted.

The several hours of combat practice with Master Liang had caused immense depletion of his physical strength, energy, and mental focus.

Yet, Master Liang seemed completely unaffected; he was still full of vigor when Lin Zheyu left.

Lin Zheyu couldn't help but wonder exactly what level of expert Master Liang was.

"I'll ask him tomorrow morning, and also ask about the subsequent martial realms," Lin Zheyu thought to himself before falling into a deep sleep.

...

Just as dawn was breaking.

Lin Zheyu arrived at Liang Song's house early.

The medicine Master Liang gave him was miraculous; after applying it last night, the pain had vanished by this morning, and the bruises on his face had disappeared as well.

"Master, what is the realm after Organ Refining?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"Fine, I shall tell you."

"On the path of martial arts, Flesh Tempering, Bone Forging, and Organ Refining are merely the foundations, meant to lay the groundwork. Only after completing Organ Refining can one begin deeper levels of training."

"After Organ Refining comes Blood and Qi, Marrow Refining, Force Transformation, Grandmaster, and the Martial Innate Realm."

"On the path of martial arts, Organ Refining is a threshold. Beyond that, every realm is a different heaven; a single layer of difference in realm means a world of difference in strength," Liang Song said, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Due to certain events in his youth, his right leg had become lame, causing his martial progress to stagnate.

"Then Master, what realm are you in now?"

Lin Zheyu was incredibly curious; he felt his master must be extremely powerful.

"Heh, I am currently in the Blood and Qi Realm. But due to old age and declining health, my martial realm has slipped slightly," Liang Song said, shaking his head with a sigh.

'Grandmaster, Martial Innate...'

Lin Zheyu murmured, his heart filled with longing.

The strength of a Martial Innate expert must be unpredictable, like gods or demons, right?

Liang Song looked at Lin Zheyu, and seeing his expression of yearning, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Don't aim too high; stay grounded."

"The path of martial arts is incredibly difficult. Even at the Organ Refining Realm, one is considered a skilled fighter in Songyi City," Liang Song said.

"Yes, Master."

Lin Zheyu snapped back to reality.

He took off his outer coat, remaining in his tight-fitting vest, and went to the center of the courtyard to begin practicing his fist techniques.

After he practiced his fist techniques for half an hour, Liang Song watched closely and nodded with satisfaction.

"That will do."

"Next, I will teach you another technique."

"The Savage Bull Fist is merely a third-rate technique; even at its peak, it only reaches the Organ Refining Realm."

"The technique I am about to teach you is considered second-rate. If you can master it and train it to its limit, your strength can reach the peak of the Blood and Qi Realm!"

Liang Song spoke with extreme seriousness.

In his view, only techniques of second-rate or higher could be considered true martial arts techniques.

Third-rate martial arts like the Savage Bull Fist could only be considered mediocre.

In the past, what he taught others were also third-rate martial arts.

However, after seeing Lin Zheyu's astonishing comprehension and talent, Liang Song felt a desire to nurture such talent and thus decided to teach him another technique.

"Master, is the gap in strength between Organ Refining and Blood and Qi very large?"

Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

The Savage Bull Fist could be trained to the peak of Organ Refining, yet Liang Song's tone suggested he looked down upon it.

Yet, when speaking of a technique that could reach the peak of the Blood and Qi Realm, his words were incredibly earnest.

"Of course."

"Flesh Tempering, Bone Forging, and Organ Refining are just the foundational processes to lay the groundwork for the martial path. Reaching the peak of Organ Refining means your physique has reached the limit of an ordinary person."

"Once you reach the Blood and Qi Realm, your strength will undergo a massive, leap-like improvement."

"What is the most important thing for a martial artist?"

Without waiting for Lin Zheyu to answer, Liang Song continued: "It is Blood and Qi!"

"Blood and Qi is the fundamental essence of the body; it is the foundation of the martial path."

"If you wish to step onto the path of a Grandmaster, or even break through to the Martial Innate Realm, Blood and Qi is crucial."

"Please guide me, Master," Lin Zheyu asked respectfully, pouring a cup of tea for his master.

Liang Song took the tea cup and took a satisfied sip.

He continued: "Blood and Qi is extremely important to the martial path. Through in-depth research, seniors have divided the Blood and Qi Realm into nine minor stages."

"These nine stages are also known as the Nine Transformations of Blood and Qi."

"If one can complete the Nine Transformations within the Blood and Qi Realm, reaching a state where the blood is like thick mercury and condensing it into a 'Blood and Qi Smoke,' there is a high probability of stepping into the Grandmaster realm!"

Liang Song explained, his tone filled with aspiration.

He shook his head. "However, completing the Nine Transformations is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Most martial artists can only reach the First Transformation."

"Even in my peak state, I only managed to cultivate my Blood and Qi to the Third Transformation," Liang Song said.

He took off his outer robe, remaining in his vest and martial trousers, and walked to the center of the courtyard.

"What I am about to teach you is my primary technique, called the Golden Wild Goose Skill."

"The Golden Wild Goose Skill focuses on leg techniques, specializing in leg-based offensive arts."

"The strength of our legs is the greatest and most explosive among all parts of the body."

"The Golden Wild Goose Skill focuses on the legs, excelling in speed and extreme agility; it can both advance to attack and retreat to defend."

"But it has a weakness: because leg flexibility is inferior to that of the arms, while its offensive explosiveness is strong, it lacks the dexterity of fists and palms."

"..."

Liang Song spoke slowly.

After introducing the Golden Wild Goose Skill, he began to explain each move and form to Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu studied extremely seriously and possessed good comprehension.

Liang Song was indeed mediocre at teaching disciples, but fortunately, Lin Zheyu's comprehension and talent were excellent, allowing him to quickly understand Liang Song's meaning.

The more Liang Song taught, the more satisfied he became.

Encountering a disciple with such good comprehension gave him an excellent teaching experience, giving him the illusion that he was actually quite skilled at the art of teaching.

(End of Chapter)