Chapter 6

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Hao Qicai finished his class and immediately headed towards the canteen. There, he had a date with a beautiful girl who had promised him a bowl of meat soup and a plate of pork ribs...

Just then, a clear female voice rang out loudly, "Hao kid, stop right there!"

Hao Qicai's whole body stiffened. It seemed as if one could hear the sound of his neck bones grinding as he slowly turned his head. He immediately saw a girl with dark red hair and fair skin standing there with her hands on her hips. Beside her stood a tall military officer with a smile.

"B-Big Sister, you're back?" Hao Qicai stammered.

The girl immediately flashed a toothy grin and walked up to Hao Qicai, measuring his height with her hand. She then pouted and said, "When I left, you were sixteen. It's been more than two years, almost three, and you've only grown about ten centimeters? If you're not at least one meter eighty by the time you're twenty, don't even say you know me, it's embarrassing!"

Hao Qicai smiled helplessly. At that moment, the officer walked behind the girl, patted her head, and then clasped his hands in front of Hao Qicai, saying, "Brother Hao, it's been a while."

"Brother Li." Hao Qicai returned the gesture and then asked, "You're back in the capital area? Is the war over?"

The officer shook his head and said, "No, I'm just here for a report. Then Nao said your nineteenth birthday is coming up. She's been talking about it for a while, saying you have a promise with her. She said that after your nineteenth birthday, you would start practicing a different martial art. So we came to visit you and to set a place for your nineteenth birthday."

Hao Qicai felt a mix of warmth and bitterness in his heart, his mind filled with thoughts.

Xue Nao was also an orphan, but she had shown a talent for martial arts from a young age. Because of this, she was favored by the orphanage director and never suffered much. Relying on her martial arts talent, she was known as the "big sister" in the orphanage. She was two years older than Hao Qicai and Lin Xiong, and she had just turned twenty-one this year.

Although Xue Nao was a bit of a bully in the orphanage, her character was actually quite good. She often stood up for the underprivileged in the orphanage, protecting the weaker children. Because of her, the orphanage director forgave many of the children's misdeeds, and she had done a lot of good for the majority of the children in the orphanage.

Hao Qicai and Xue Nao's connection centered around the Luohan Fist he practiced. This low-level martial art often drew ridicule from Xue Nao, but she was a tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside person. Her ridicule was more to discourage Hao Qicai from continuing, as the nutritional standards were poor and it could harm his health, and the martial art had no future.

However, Hao Qicai had his own plans and ignored Xue Nao's well-intentioned advice. After several confrontations, they became familiar with each other, often arguing when they met. This is why, even after leaving the orphanage, Xue Nao still came back to see Hao Qicai.

However, Hao Qicai didn't really want to see Xue Nao. One important reason was that she resembled his girlfriend from his previous life, and he admired her character. In a way, he had a crush on her.

But in this life, he was an orphan with no martial arts talent. Although he had a system, it would take at least ten years to develop. For now, he looked like an ordinary kid. Xue Nao had joined the military at sixteen and later met Li Pancheng, a second-generation politician.

If Li Pancheng were the typical corrupt politician in a novel, Hao Qicai would have confidence in winning Xue Nao back in the future, even using his inner strength to create some dramatic scenes. But unfortunately, Li Pancheng was a good person, truly good. He was kind, warm-hearted, and had almost no flaws except for being a bit naive. He was also powerful and from a prominent family, and it was said that the girls from the upper echelons of the capital area who pursued him could form a battalion.

When Li Pancheng met Xue Nao, he fell in love at first sight. After many events, by the time Xue Nao was eighteen, she had become Li Pancheng's fiancée, recognized by his parents. Hao Qicai could see that Xue Nao and Li Pancheng truly loved each other, so he could only silently wish them a long and happy life.

Although he accepted it, he still felt a bit down, so he tried not to think about Xue Nao and avoid seeing her.

But now, he had no choice. Xue Nao was always strong-willed. After Li Pancheng finished speaking, she walked up to Hao Qicai, put her arm around his shoulder, and said, "Come on, why are we having such a formal conversation here? Let's go have a fight first. I want to see if you're still practicing that trashy martial art and if you've improved. Oh, and call that good-for-nothing Lin Xiong. Don't think I don't know he's selling soft drugs to support your martial arts training. I have some connections in the capital area, you know."

Hao Qicai smiled bitterly and said nothing. Li Pancheng, standing beside him, sighed and bowed apologetically, indicating that the informants watching him and Lin Xiong were likely from the Li family in the capital.

Li Pancheng then said, "Brother Hao, although it's not my place to say, selling drugs is not good, even if they are soft drugs. The government is considering legislation to ban hard drugs, and soft drugs will likely be restricted or banned as well. If that happens, Brother Lin's business will be illegal, which is not good. If you're short on money, Brother Li and I have some savings. Helping our brothers is nothing to worry about."

Hao Qicai's expression turned serious. Ignoring Xue Nao's disapproving look, he clasped his hands and replied, "Brother Li, if the government bans soft drugs, I will be the first to stop Brother Lin's business. Rest assured, I won't let him do anything reckless. Of course, while it's still legal, we should try to be self-sufficient. After all, it's better to help in emergencies rather than in poverty, don't you think?"

Li Pancheng opened his mouth but only sighed, saying nothing more. Xue Nao, though displeased, was familiar with Hao Qicai's pride and character. He was proud, more so than anyone else. Even after living together for four or five years, his childhood friends could see that. He wouldn't ask for help unless it was a last resort.

The three fell silent and continued walking. Meanwhile, Hao Qicai thought about his bowl of meat soup and plate of pork ribs, and the quiet, long-haired girl...

The quiet, long-haired girl, Su Shiyun, had finished her meal. Although she was a martial artist and had ordered a lot of food, she ate gracefully and quietly, without any vulgarity. Instead, she gave off a refined and ladylike aura, a hallmark of her family's upbringing.

After finishing her meal, she frowned and looked at the bowl of meat soup and pork ribs on the table, then at the time. She hesitated between leaving the canteen and waiting a bit longer. After thinking for a few seconds, she took out a handwritten book and started reading, but didn't leave the canteen.

(Ten minutes, if he doesn't come in ten minutes... I'll feed the meat soup and pork ribs to the cats.)

Su Shiyun thought with a hint of malice. Suddenly, she sensed something and her right hand moved slightly towards the sword at her side. At her speed, she could draw the sword in an instant.

"Third Miss, your Ice Heart Technique has improved."

The elderly voice made Su Shiyun relax. She didn't look around but moved her lips slightly, knowing the owner of the voice could see her words.

"Fourth Uncle, why are you in the Blue Shadow Republic? Is it family business?"

"Ha ha, the Blue Shadow Republic is too far from our family, and we have little contact. That's why you're here for your studies. What business could I, an old man, have here? I'm just here to deliver something to Third Miss."

Su Shiyun was immediately alert. The elderly man was a true inner strength master, one in a hundred thousand. In the Su family, only five people were such ultimate martial artists. For such a person to deliver something, it must be significant.

"It's the Jade Muscle Pill. Your grandmother has emerged from her ten-year seclusion, using the precious materials collected by the Su family over fifty years. Six pills were produced, the foundation of the Su family's standing in the Thousand Mountains Empire. The Jade Muscle Pill, a family treasure never shared outside, can be produced only once every sixty years... This is what I've brought for Third Miss."

Su Shiyun was almost shocked into jumping but managed to control herself due to her Ice Heart Technique. Her body still trembled slightly.

The Jade Muscle Pill, a secret of the Su family, was a formula found by an ancestor a thousand years ago in the ruins of an ancient sect. It required countless precious materials and a decade-long seclusion by an inner strength master. This pill's rarity was evident.

The pill had one effect: to improve a person's innate constitution. This wasn't a result of training or medication but a fundamental improvement. For example, if a person's parents were short, the person would likely be short unless they had exceptional talent. The Jade Muscle Pill improved this innate limit. Even a small improvement could cause significant changes, potentially causing turmoil in the martial world of the Thousand Mountains Empire and neighboring countries.

Su Shiyun started learning martial arts at three, laid the foundation at four, practiced internal techniques at five, and external techniques at six. She had been practicing for over a decade and knew that the basic condition for inner strength was to push the body to its limits, after which inner strength would naturally emerge. However, people were different. If a person's body was like a bucket, their physical attributes were the planks. Some had strong hearts but weak lungs, or strong livers but narrow blood vessels. These imbalances prevented the bucket from being full, and only when it was full or nearly full could inner strength emerge. This is why only one in ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand, could achieve inner strength, due to innate, acquired, and other factors.

But if a person's innate attributes could be improved, their bucket would be higher, even with imbalances. The amount of water it could hold would increase, and once it exceeded the original limit, the person would... gain inner strength!

"Third Miss, in the last sixty years, the Su family produced five pills, which were shared among the five of us, creating the current five inner strength masters. Modern society, with its scientific advancements, has made martial artists more impatient, but it has also increased resources. Money can buy things that couldn't be bought before. The last batch of five pills was the most we've ever produced, making the Su family a top family in the Thousand Mountains Empire. This time, we produced six pills, and the Su family's prosperity will continue and surpass the past. The family has decided that you will receive one pill. Take it now."

Su Shiyun was moved but remained cautious and polite. She stood up, glancing at the meat soup and pork ribs on the table, and left the canteen.

When Su Shiyun left the canteen and walked to a secluded path, almost instantly, a shiny, glass-like pill appeared in her hand. The elderly voice continued, "Take this pill immediately. The change in your innate attributes will begin gradually over a hundred days, about three months. After a hundred days, you will enter a ten-day seclusion to focus your mind. The pill's effects will be maximized. Take it now."

Su Shiyun didn't dare delay. She knew the elderly man wouldn't let her take the pill away, for safety and to prevent leaks. The pill was crucial to the family's future, and only a few family members knew about it, mostly as a legend. Now, with the real thing, she couldn't take it away.

Su Shiyun swallowed the pill, which dissolved in her mouth, turning into a sweet liquid that entered her throat and stomach, disappearing in moments. The elderly voice then said, "My task is complete. The family awaits your success. Don't disappoint us."

"I will follow the family's teachings."

Su Shiyun bowed deeply and finally spoke, "I will always remember the Su family..."

"Even at the cost of my life!"

(A hundred days... I probably won't make it to that silly boy's birthday...)

For some reason, Su Shiyun thought of the silly boy who had practiced a low-level martial art to perfection...

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