Chapter 11

On the way back in the evening.

Wei He walked along, still savoring the nearly one kilogram of silver-kissed mystic snake meat in his stomach.

He could clearly feel the warmth in his body, similar to when he ate the money worm meat, but the silver-kissed mystic snake meat was clearly much stronger.

He was actually somewhat tempted by Cheng Shixiong's invitation, but for now, only Cheng Shaou had recruited him, and without any comparison, he was undecided.

After returning, as Cheng Shaou had said, he expected that others would soon come to recruit him one by one.

At that time, he could compare and make a decision.

Wei He hurried back. The Cheng family lived in Shiqiao Town, in the same town as Huishan Quan, but his residence was in another town, and he had to pass through a no-man's land in between.

As he walked, Wei He scanned the desolate streets around him.

It wasn't even dark yet, but there were already few people on the street, cold and quiet, with only the occasional barking of dogs from the yards of wealthy families in the distance.

Passing through an alley, he vaguely saw two beggars huddled together for warmth, motionless in a corner, not sure if they were dead.

Then, two men in tattered clothes, pushing two carts, slowly turned out of an alley on the right.

Wei He stopped and waited for them to pass.

On the carts they pushed, there were two bodies with blue faces, a mother and daughter. They looked similar, both emaciated to the point of being unrecognizable, clearly having starved to death.

After the carts passed, Wei He continued on.

He was now dressed in Huishan Quan's uniform, with a buzz cut, standing at 1.7 meters tall, and with a strong build.

Especially after breaking through the Qi and Blood stage, his eyes were bright and piercing, clearly indicating he was a regular practitioner, exuding a sense of authority.

Occasional passersby all kept their heads down, not daring to look at him.

Wei He continued forward, his feet stepping on the cracked stone path, silent.

As he passed street corners, he often saw incense sticks stuck in the ground.

The incense sticks had long since burned out, and there were spots of blood on the ground in front, some more, some less.

He wasn't sure if it was human blood.

Wei He involuntarily quickened his pace. In Feiye City, except for the early afternoon, the rest of the time was like a ghost town.

During the day, there were occasional patrols by the authorities, but at night, anything went.

After walking a bit further, he saw the Rat Alley in front of his house. At some point, two more thugs had appeared, lurking at the alley entrance.

As he approached, the two thugs lowered their heads and hurried away.

Wei He was silent. He had killed one Chen Biao, but there would be a second and a third.

This world was truly...

He sighed in his heart, passed through the Rat Alley, and returned to his house.

He had just sat down when someone knocked on the door.

Wei He got up to open it, and outside was a middle-aged man with a pockmarked face, wearing a black robe.

"Is this Wei He? I am Liu Yu, from the Three Tigers Gang."

Wei He knew immediately that this was a recruiter.

He invited the man in, sat down, and asked about the terms. If he could earn money more easily by relying on his strength, joining a faction was acceptable.

However, the Three Tigers Gang was a new gang that had recently risen, and their business was brothels. The terms were only slightly better than Cheng Shixiong's, and they didn't have the silver-kissed mystic snake meat.

Wei He politely declined.

After Liu Yu left, soon the Changfeng Escort Agency came. This was a large escort agency often seen in the area, but their terms were even worse than the Three Tigers Gang, and he also politely declined.

Next was the wealthy Zhang family, inviting him to be a head guard. The terms were good, slightly better than the Cheng family, but without the silver-kissed mystic snake meat, after considering, Wei He still declined.

Then came two more gangs, a wealthy family, and a restaurant, all inviting him to be a small leader.

After comparing them all, Wei He felt that Cheng Shixiong's terms were not low, and the silver-kissed mystic snake meat, if supplied without limit, would be a great temptation.

Because of the Breakthrough Pearl, his digestive ability was stronger than average, and he could quickly digest and convert any food into heat and energy, storing it in the Breakthrough Pearl.

For the Cheng family, the silver-kissed mystic snake meat, which could satisfy a person for two days with one kilogram, was a good deal for him.

Wei He was confident that just the meat alone would be worth it.

He guessed that the Cheng family dared to supply the silver-kissed mystic snake meat without limit mainly because it was extremely filling, and even martial artists couldn't eat much.

But they definitely didn't expect someone like Wei He.

After making his decision, the next morning, before dawn, Wei He got up, fetched water to wash, and then hurried to the Huishan Quan courtyard.

When he arrived, he wasn't the earliest; some people had already started training.

However, the news of his breakthrough to the bullhide level at the last moment seemed to have spread.

The new initiates looked at him with respect.

The senior initiates, who previously didn't pay much attention to him, now clearly took him more seriously.

Wei He walked to his position, took off his coat, and was about to start training.

A cleaning woman proactively brought him a cup of hot water and smiled warmly at him.

Not far away, his sister Wei Ying also looked at him with a smile, clearly in a good mood.

This was a completely different feeling from before, as if he had suddenly entered the field of vision of many people.

"How was it? Did you consider it?" Cheng Shaou patted Wei He on the shoulder from behind.

"I've thought it over. Your family's terms are the best, but I need to continue practicing martial arts and can't help for long periods." Wei He said.

"Of course, we will notify you in advance when we need you. As long as you can quickly arrive when needed, you are free the rest of the time." Cheng Shaou smiled and nodded.

"Alright, I agree." Wei He confirmed.

"Great! You are my brother, rest assured, I will not treat you unfairly." He said seriously.

Wei He was also pleased. With enough silver-kissed mystic snake meat, he could significantly shorten the time needed to accumulate the Breakthrough Pearl.

Cheng Shaou talked to him for a while, then returned to his position, starting to practice with a good mood.

Wei He noticed that this sociable third senior, at some point, had started talking to Xiao Ran, Jiang Yan, and Jiang Yan's small circle.

It seemed he had integrated into that small circle at some point.

Since coming to the courtyard, Jiang Yan had naturally formed a small circle centered around her.

Few people were favored by her, including the highly talented Xiao Ran, the wealthy Jiang Yan, and now Cheng Shaou.

These four people together formed a new small circle.

At this moment, they were having a quiet conversation.

"Speaking of which, my uncle brought back a specialty from Zaiye, Yunshi Iron.

If any of you are interested, you can come to my place to play with it. Also, we can set a schedule for the seamless training we discussed last time."

The one speaking was Jiang Yan, who rarely spoke in the courtyard.

He had a gentle face and soft features, giving a sense of calm and unobtrusive.

No one would have thought he came from one of the inner city families in Feiye City.

The seamless training he mentioned was to train everyone's ability to defend against ambushes and flying stones, and also, as a core disciple of the old master of Huishan Quan, to participate in special tasks with higher value.

Jiang Yan came from the inner city.

The inner city and the outer city were completely different areas.

This was one of the key reasons why Jiang Yan was favored by Jiang Yan.

"I have no objections to the seamless training. However, I want to bring a junior sister along. Is that okay?" Jiang Yan was the first to respond. She never missed any opportunity to enhance her strength.

"Of course, no problem." Jiang Yan nodded.

"I have no objections." Xiao Ran's face was cold, but his eyes unconsciously drifted toward Jiang Yan.

Clearly, his intentions were not what they seemed.

He paused, then added, "Also, I need to bring one person along."

"Sure." Jiang Yan nodded and smiled.

Cheng Shaou, who was nearby, also had a look of interest, openly admiring Jiang Yan.

"I have no objections to the seamless training."

He paused, then added, "I will bring Wei He along."

He pointed to Wei He, who was not far away, "My brother is generous and has a strong character, and will surely achieve something in the future."

Jiang Yan looked at Wei He, recognizing him as the one who had just broken through at the last moment. He frowned slightly.

The people they brought were all those who had already broken through or easily broken through the bullhide level.

While Wei He met the standard, his potential seemed a bit low.

Jiang Yan's private small circle was not open to just anyone.

People like Wei He, lacking in talent, might soon become just another head guard, fundamentally different from their level.

"Cheng, why not bring someone else?" Jiang Yan suggested.

"What? Wasn't it said that anyone who enters the initiation has the qualification?" Cheng Shaou was surprised.

"That's true, but isn't the threshold of our small circle a bit low?" Jiang Yan was dissatisfied.

Cheng Shaou immediately understood that they thought Wei He's talent was too poor and were dissatisfied.

He looked at Jiang Yan and Xiao Ran, who showed no reaction, clearly agreeing.

"Since we all saw Wei He break through at the last moment, it was inspiring, but if he wants to join our circle, I think he needs to be tested." Jiang Yan said seriously.

"Agreed." Jiang Yan nodded.

She agreed, and Xiao Ran had no objections.

Cheng Shaou was taken aback, then smiled.

"Then, how will he be tested?"

"Very simple." Jiang Yan smiled, "I have a fierce dog at home. If he can defeat it bare-handed, he will pass the test."

Cheng Shaou was speechless. He tried to argue a few more times, but Jiang Yan and the others were firm, unmoved.

Helpless, he found Wei He, who was practicing in a corner, and told him about the test.