Chapter 10

"Shall we celebrate a bit when we get back?" Wei Ying stepped forward to tidy his hair and suggested.

"Tomorrow, I'll be invited to Third Senior Brother's place later," Wei He replied.

"Alright. Remember to bring a gift."

"Sure. Big Sister, remember to get some rest and don't stay up late."

"I know, I know. Go on, I'll take care of myself," Wei Ying smiled, her eyes and face full of joy.

Wei He looked at her and suddenly felt deeply that every move he made, every small change, had a significant impact on the people around him.

If he failed, his second sister, Wei Ying, would also have to leave this safe place and return to the previous environment.

But now, he had entered the sect, and his second sister naturally followed him, staying here in a life that, though tiring, was peaceful.

His every situation directly influenced his second sister's fate.

With a complex mood, Wei He returned to his corner and began to practice the basic routines of the Return Mountain Fist.

He took a moment to secretly glance at the Breakthrough Pearl on his chest, where the black had completely faded, restoring its original flesh-colored pattern.

"This will take a while to accumulate again, what a pity..."

Wei He sighed in his heart. To replenish the Breakthrough Pearl once, he had accumulated for over half a year.

"If only I could find something to replace the money bug meat and speed up the accumulation," he thought.

But Wei He also knew that even if such a thing existed, he couldn't afford it now.

By afternoon, the yard began to clear up, and a few men started to shoo people away, then together they bowed to the old man Zheng and said goodbye.

After completing these fixed procedures, Cheng Shaoju pulled Wei He along and got into the carriage to go back.

Cheng Shaoju's carriage, though not pulled by high horses, was sturdy and powerful. It might not look impressive, but it was very practical.

This was exactly the case.

In this era, families that could afford carriages were not ordinary.

When they arrived at the Cheng family, Wei He deeply understood this point.

Sitting in the carriage, he looked out the window.

Red-painted gates, white walls, and blue tiles, with two stone mastiffs standing guard at the entrance, looking quite fierce.

Although he was a bit puzzled why they used stone mastiffs instead of stone lions, Wei He didn't ask.

Cheng Shaoju led him out of the carriage, and under the flattering greetings of the gatekeeper, they walked straight into the courtyard.

The courtyard was as large as a school playground, with a flagpole on the right side, where a black banner with white letters "Yonghe Escort Agency" was hung high.

The flag flapped in the wind, fluttering back and forth.

Cheng Shaoju led him to a corner of the courtyard, next to a weapons rack.

He pointed to a thick wooden post wrapped in cowhide on the ground and smiled.

"Want to try a set?"

Wei He was just breaking through, feeling his strength had no outlet, and his fists were itching.

"Then, let's give it a try?"

He stepped forward, stood in front of the wooden post, and got into position.

With a sudden right punch, he struck the side of the wooden post, starting the first test.

Then he threw a series of punches, three per second, and continued for over ten breaths before gradually slowing down, retracting his fists, and standing straight, assuming a defensive stance.

"Full-force attack for fifteen breaths, not bad at all," Cheng Shaoju clapped his hands.

He walked to the wooden post wrapped in cowhide, lifted the cowhide, and saw deep and shallow fist marks on the post.

These wooden posts were made of special wood, much harder than ordinary wood. Being able to leave fist marks through the cowhide had a different meaning.

An ordinary person's punch would likely only leave a shallow indentation, with their bones possibly broken.

"Although you've broken through the cowhide layer, your strength control is not precise enough. You need to work on this aspect next."

"Understood, thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!" Wei He nodded solemnly.

"Want to practice a bit?" Cheng Shaoju smiled, took off his coat, revealing the tight-fitting clothes underneath, and beckoned to Wei He.

"Sure." Without a word, Wei He took a step forward and threw a punch.

Cheng Shaoju blocked the punch with one hand and quickly countered.

He was already at the Stone Skin level, with a much thicker and more robust body than Wei He. His quick eyes and hands allowed him to continuously block Wei He's attacks.

Their feet moved constantly, and the dust on the ground was kicked up.

In a moment, fifteen breaths had passed.

Cheng Shaoju landed a quick punch on Wei He's left shoulder, forcing him to step back several steps.

He laughed and beckoned to a few guards watching from the side.

"Get someone to practice with my brother, to gain some experience."

Immediately, a middle-aged man stepped forward and rushed toward Wei He.

Without a word, Wei He began to face off against the middle-aged man.

Unlike Cheng Shaoju, this man was a complete stranger. Wei He first needed to observe his strengths and where he would make his first move.

Generally, people who practiced boxing had well-developed upper bodies and strong arms, while those who practiced leg techniques had a stable and agile lower body, strong and powerful.

But these were things the old man Zheng had only talked about. This was the first time Wei He truly faced an opponent.

"Hey!" The man lunged forward, grabbing at Wei He's shoulders with both hands.

However, although his movements were sudden, they were not fast in Wei He's eyes.

He suddenly realized that after his blood and qi reached the cowhide layer, his reaction speed and sensory acuity had improved to varying degrees.

This seemed to be a passive effect of the enhanced blood and qi.

Wei He sidestepped, avoiding the lunge.

Although he was startled, his body reacted much faster than the opponent's, easily dodging the attack.

Then he lightly tapped the man's back with his right fist.

Peng.

The man was easily knocked to the ground.

"Get two more," Cheng Shaoju laughed.

Immediately, two more guards stepped forward.

But Wei He easily dodged and knocked them down one by one.

He was very measured. After realizing his blood and qi had strengthened and his strength had increased, he didn't use full force, only half his strength to knock them down.

"Great, great! Your practical skills are much better than mine were back then," Cheng Shaoju clapped his hands and walked over.

"How about it? Do you feel the changes after breaking through?" he asked with a smile.

"I do," Wei He nodded.

"That's it," Cheng Shaoju smiled, "At the Return Mountain Fist, Old Master Zheng won't teach you any real practical skills. If you want to practice, you can come to me. My uncle's escort agency has many people."

"Senior Brother is too kind," Wei He said, but Cheng Shaoju laughed.

"Don't be in a hurry to decline. You are now officially a disciple, and your blood and qi at the cowhide layer are much more abundant than ordinary people. If you wear leather armor, even three or four strong men with weapons can't get close to you.

So... the treatment is different from before. Do you understand?" Cheng Shaoju winked at him.

"Treatment?" Wei He was puzzled.

"Exactly, follow me," Cheng Shaoju led Wei He into the inner room.

They passed through a large house with a through door, and behind it was a training ground with various sandbags hanging.

A few people were training in the sandbag array, bare-chested.

"This is the training ground. If you come to help me, you can use it.

Additionally, your meals will be provided for free, and you will receive a monthly salary of one stone of white rice, ten pounds of meat, and one hundred silver coins.

If there's an occasional escort job, a short trip will pay fifty silver coins, and a long trip will pay one hundred to five hundred silver coins. How about it?"

Cheng Shaoju's sudden recruitment surprised Wei He, but it also made sense.

Actually, he had some guesses before coming.

The previous confrontation had proven his skills. After his blood and qi reached the cowhide layer, he was indeed different from ordinary people.

"You can think about it carefully and compare the offers from others.

Now that you've broken through and entered the sect, you are considered a true expert, and many people will soon come to invite you and offer you money," Cheng Shaoju smiled.

"Really?" Wei He was a bit confused.

"Of course. In this world, skilled martial artists are always watched. Once a good hand is trained, they are quickly invited to be hired."

Cheng Shaoju's smile faded, and he sighed, "This world is tough. You know, the Hong Family Castle outside the city has made a big move and no longer allows anyone to pass on the official road next to them."

"Hong Family Castle?"

"Yes, outside Feiye City, the largest clan is the Hong Family. They built a fort outside the city, called Hong Family Castle, which can almost be considered a small city," Cheng Shaoju nodded and explained.

"Don't be fooled by the prosperity of the inner city. The true powerful clans build their castles outside the city. You'll understand more as you see more. Now, let's not talk about this. Come, I'll show you the best benefit here!"

Cheng Shaoju laughed and led Wei He to another courtyard.

Soon, the two sat opposite each other in a small room.

In the middle was a black wooden table with two dishes and a soup.

The two dishes were stir-fried green bamboo shoots with pork and cold mixed celery.

The soup was stewed pig's feet with yellow beans.

"Little brother, if you come to me, the biggest benefit you'll get every day is this," Cheng Shaoju smiled and pointed to the dish of green bamboo shoots with pork.

The green bamboo shoots, mixed with brown stir-fried pork, had a few slices of dried chili and garlic. It looked very appetizing.

"Isn't this just stir-fried meat?" Wei He looked up, puzzled.

"This is not ordinary meat. Try it," Cheng Shaoju said mysteriously.

"..." Wei He picked up his chopsticks, carefully picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth, chewing it a few times and swallowing it.

The taste was not great, too bland, and there were no seasonings, dry and different from its appearance.

But the meat was indeed chewy and fresh, not like pork.

Soon after swallowing, Wei He felt a warm, burning sensation rising from his stomach.

"How about it? Do you feel the warmth in your stomach?" Cheng Shaoju said proudly, "This is a unique feature of my Cheng family."

He picked up a piece of meat and introduced it: "This is silver-kissed black snake meat, a great tonic. Eating one pound can keep you from feeling hungry for two days. After being prepared with alcohol, the effect is even better.

Of course, as martial artists, we consume much more than ordinary people, so eating it every meal is fine and very beneficial for strengthening blood and qi. The key is, you can't buy it outside. This is a unique benefit of my Cheng family, not for sale."

"Silver-kissed black snake..." Wei He picked up another piece and immediately noticed the difference.

The silver-kissed black snake meat had a black outer skin and was very elastic inside