Chapter 39: Forging Bones Like Iron

...

The two walked toward No. 33 Jidong Street.

This had previously been Liang Song's courtyard, but now it belonged to Lin Zheyu.

Master Liang liked peace and quiet; there were few residents living around the courtyard, so the noise of martial arts practice would not disturb others.

Entering the courtyard, he took off his coat.

"Junior Brother Lin, make your move."

Holding a blunt saber, Han Mo assumed the stance of the Six-Harmony Saber.

"Alright!"

Lin Zheyu's muscles bulged, and with a *bang*, he shot toward Han Mo.

His movement was incredibly fast, reaching Han Mo's side in the blink of an eye.

*Swish—*

The blade whistled past the tip of Lin Zheyu's nose. Using his waist as an axis, Lin Zheyu spun his upper body in a circle to evade Han Mo's blunt saber.

Drawing power from his waist, he unleashed a "Wild Bull Charge," driving both fists toward Han Mo's face and abdomen.

Han Mo took a step back, quickly pulling away to create distance.

With a sweep of his blunt saber, he forced Lin Zheyu back.

The two traded blows with extreme speed, exchanging over a dozen rounds within a few breaths.

*Bang—*

After more than forty rounds of combat, as Lin Zheyu moved to evade a blade, Han Mo seized the opportunity to kick him flying.

"Again!"

Lin Zheyu performed a "carp leap" from the ground, springing up to launch another attack.

The two fought continuously for over two hours before finally collapsing onto the ground, both panting heavily.

After this bout of venting, they both felt refreshed.

"With Master Liang gone, it feels like something is missing."

Looking at the empty courtyard, Lin Zheyu felt a sense of loneliness.

"Don't worry. With Master's strength, he'll be fine. He might even come back in the future," Han Mo said, both to comfort Lin Zheyu and to reassure himself.

"Do you know where Master's hometown is?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"I'm not sure."

"Master never mentions it. Even if you ask, he won't say."

"Besides, he disappears for periods of time every so often. No one knows what he's up to; he's very mysterious," Han Mo complained.

Master Liang was so secretive that if they wanted to find him in the future, they wouldn't even know where to start looking.

"Yeah, Master Liang is too mysterious."

"Do you think he might be a secret assassin for some organization? That's what he's doing during those disappearances," Lin Zheyu offered his speculation.

"I thought about that too, but in the last ten years, I've rarely heard of anyone being assassinated. It's probably not that."

The two chatted idly.

...

"So bitter."

"I'll add some sugar next time to balance the taste."

In the courtyard, Lin Zheyu muttered to himself.

The Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup was incredibly bitter, especially when brewed from three doses at once.

Since Liang Song's departure, Han Mo's strength was only at the Viscera-Refining Stage, showing nothing extraordinary.

Lin Zheyu intended to raise his own strength to provide more security in this chaotic world.

On the table sat two large bowls filled with the medicinal soup.

Each bowl contained the decoction from three doses of the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening herbs.

After a moment's thought, Lin Zheyu drank both bowls in one go.

As the medicine entered his stomach, an intense, scorching heat surged through his body.

He closed his eyes and sent out a thought: *'Use three units of Source Power to enhance the Golden Goose Technique.'*

In an instant, a mysterious energy surged forth, guiding the medicinal potency from the soup into his limbs and bones.

Lin Zheyu's consciousness entered a familiar, special state, and he began to cultivate the Golden Goose Technique frantically. Constant popping and cracking sounds echoed from within his body.

In that state, he worked without sleep or rest, ceaselessly.

Having used three units of Source Power at once, it felt as though years had passed; the duration was so long that his spirit felt somewhat exhausted.

This was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Under the moonlight.

Lin Zheyu's chest heaved. Combined with the unique breathing method of the Golden Goose Technique, his internal organs began to gradually strengthen.

The resonance of his bones and sinews grew increasingly dense.

Gradually, the sound of bones and sinews clicking in unison echoed throughout his entire body.

Bone Forging—Great Success!

Opening his eyes, Lin Zheyu's gaze held deep fatigue, yet it shimmered with a sharp light.

"It's about what I expected. Almost all the medicinal soup I drank was consumed, leaving only a trace," Lin Zheyu said to himself, sensing his physical state.

Standing up, his figure moved like a phantom through the courtyard, incredibly fast.

As he moved, his bones and sinews emitted faint popping sounds.

This was because he had just reached the Great Success of Bone Forging and had not yet had time to adapt.

As he adapted, the popping sounds gradually weakened and eventually vanished.

*Bang!*

*Crack—*

With a sudden movement, he arrived before a wooden training post. His right leg lashed out like a whip, and the post exploded with a loud crack.

"Bones forged like iron... this is truly bones forged like iron!"

Lin Zheyu patted his right leg; he felt nothing at the spot that had struck the post.

The hardness of his leg bone was astonishing, as tough as metal.

Lin Zheyu performed whip kicks, leaps, and punches, his qi whistling through the air.

**[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]**

**Name:** Lin Zheyu

**Source Power:** 1

**Skills:** * Wild Bull Fist (Proficient 5%) * Golden Goose Technique (Third Layer 23%) * Turtle Breath Method (Third Layer 0%)

"Third Layer of the Golden Goose Technique, Viscera-Refining Stage."

Lin Zheyu adjusted to his current strength, feeling more powerful than ever before.

Compared to before, his strength and speed had increased by at least fifty percent.

More importantly, after reaching the Great Success of Bone Forging, his entire skeletal structure was incredibly hard, allowing him to withstand much greater explosive force.

His hardened bones made his physique even more robust; even if struck by a weapon, he would not easily suffer a fracture.

"Only 1 unit of Source Power left, and there are only enough herbs for six more doses of the soup in the house."

"Martial arts really burns through money," Lin Zheyu muttered, lamenting the high cost of cultivation.

...

In the blink of an eye, nine days had passed.

Strolling through Songyi City, the pedestrians on the streets were much fewer than usual.

The shops were not as bustling as they once were.

As the New Year approached, today was also a festival for worshipping the gods.

The smiles were gone from people's faces, replaced by sorrow.

Life was becoming increasingly difficult.

He took a stroll through the teahouse, but business there was even more dismal.

"Mr. Lin, the owner asked me to come and negotiate a price with you. The owner wants to lower the fee for each storytelling session to 300 wen," Manager Wu said, walking over somewhat sheepishly.

"Fine," Lin Zheyu nodded.

Yesterday, Jia Yanming had also come to discuss the price, lowering it to 300 wen.

His income was decreasing day by day; currently, his daily earnings were less than one silver tael.

But compared to ordinary people, he was still doing much better.

Lin Zheyu accepted the money from Manager Wu. Starting tomorrow, the rate would be 300 wen.

"Brother Lin, over here!"

Not far away, Jia Yanyong waved to Lin Zheyu.

He walked over and sat opposite Jia Yanyong; Xie Jiang was also there.

"Have you heard? The government has posted notices to recruit soldiers," Xie Jiang said.

"Notices?"

"I just came back from the city gate; why didn't I see any?" Lin Zheyu asked, puzzled.

"They haven't been posted yet."

"It was Lord Qiu who mentioned it; someone in his family holds an official position in the government," Xie Jiang explained. "Banditry outside the city is increasing, and the City Guard lacks the manpower to handle it."

"Will members of our Flying Rainbow Gang be conscripted?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"Not likely. They are conscripting ordinary residents."

"However, something happened at the Flying Rainbow Gang's iron mine at White Stone Mountain. I don't know if they'll send us there to support them," Jia Yanyong said.

"What happened?"

"Is it a haunting?" Lin Zheyu asked.

The group had discussed the haunting at Qinghe Mountain before, so when he heard something was wrong at the mountain mine, his first thought was ghosts.

"No."

"A powerful group of bandits has arrived near White Stone Mountain. They are very strong and quite brazen; they've set their sights on the iron mine and the iron weapons forged there," Xie Jiang said.

"Oh..."

Lin Zheyu felt a bit disappointed.

He had hoped to witness the ghosts of this world and experience the feeling of using a detonator to blast a ghost.

"You're not actually interested in those specters, are you?"

"Thinking it'll be like the stories you tell—a female ghost falling in love with a scholar, creating a beautiful legend?"

Xie Jiang laughed loudly. "You'd better give up on that idea. Those specters have no intelligence, and they look absolutely hideous and terrifying."

After chatting for a while, Jia Yanyong suggested they head to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to have some fun.

Lin Zheyu did not join them in carousing at the pavilion.

He returned to his own courtyard to practice martial arts.

...

(End of Chapter)