Chapter 22

It seems that although I eat silver-kissed black snake meat every day, the other fellow disciples are not just sitting around either; each has their own way to accelerate the accumulation of qi and blood.

Wei He felt more and more that his decision to agree with Senior Brother Cheng was an incredibly correct one.

Because in about half a year, not only did his progress in qi and blood not fall behind, but he also continuously accumulated the energy of the breakthrough bead.

He picked up a towel to wipe the sweat, looked at his chest, and saw that the pattern of the breakthrough bead was only a quarter away from completion.

'No matter what, I need to polish my qi and blood to the top before I can use the breakthrough bead to advance further.' Wei He had a hopeful and determined look in his eyes.

Suddenly, Cheng Shaoju rushed in with a joyful expression, walked to Wei He's side, and whispered,

"Xiao He! There's a chance!"

"???" Wei He was puzzled. What chance?

Seeing this, Cheng Shaoju was speechless.

"Have you forgotten? To find you a wife?"

He lowered his voice to remind him.

"I've picked out three suitable women from nearby suitable families. We'll exchange some private information first to see if you like them. If it's a match, then it's a done deal!" Cheng Shaoju said with a smile.

He looked around and, seeing no one paying attention, continued,

"I had a painter draw their portraits. You can take a look later. If you like any of them, I'll send your information over. You're my junior brother and my best friend, so rest assured, I'll definitely pick the best for you!"

He raised his thumb seriously.

"But you should also take good care of yourself, so the girls won't look down on you."

"I think it's a bit early..." Wei He said.

"Not early at all. I've been married for almost two years. What's early about it?" Cheng Shaoju laughed.

Wei He was speechless. He didn't really mind this matter, but he felt that his current life was quite good and didn't want to change it.

However, leaving descendants was indeed a top priority in this era.

After some thought, he decided to go with the flow and let his senior brother arrange it for him.

A few days later, Cheng Shaoju brought three portraits, all of women, for Wei He to look at.

First, he would see if he liked them, and then propose to the other party to see if they were willing to meet.

Unlike in the ancient times of Wei He's previous life, where marriages were decided without even meeting,

the status of women here was much higher.

Wei He chose the one who looked the most gentle. Then, the matchmaker sent a letter on his behalf.

This woman was surnamed Zhang, named Wanruo, and her family had a bit of wealth from running a restaurant.

Because they had many dealings with the Cheng family, Cheng Shaoju included her in his considerations.

Zhang Wanruo appeared delicate but was quite decisive inside. At the age of fifteen, she began managing part of the family business.

When the matchmaker's letter arrived, she was admiring flowers in her backyard.

The Zhang family lived in a relatively peaceful area called Red Stone Town, not in the chaotic district where Wei He used to live.

The streets were patrolled by constables and gang members to ensure that shops, restaurants, and stalls could operate smoothly, making it the most commercially vibrant area in Feiye City.

The Zhang family's restaurant was well-known in the area, not the best, but not a small family business either.

"In the letter sent by Young Master Cheng, it mentions Wei He: at the age of seventeen, he broke through to the qi and blood stage and became a formal disciple of Huishan Fist. He even bought a courtyard house with his own money.

"He has a good appearance, is righteous and sincere, and has a simple and reliable personality. He has only one older sister at home, no parents to take care of, and has a promising future..."

The maid read the letter carefully.

Zhang Wanruo, as her name suggested, was delicate and petite, wearing a light green cotton dress with a delicate face and long black hair.

Apart from her slightly tanned skin and rough hands from managing the business, she was the ideal image of a virtuous wife and mother.

Hearing the information, Zhang Wanruo frowned slightly.

"Since he is a disciple of Old Master Zheng of Huishan Fist, he must be good. By the way, Hongmei, do you know when Wei He broke through to the qi and blood stage?"

As a businesswoman, she had some knowledge of martial arts. She knew that the earlier one broke through, the greater their potential.

In the current situation, martial prowess was the best way to ensure safety, so this aspect could not be taken lightly.

Houses were not important; with the plague and the locust disaster in the supply towns, houses were the least valuable things now.

Many people were trying to move away.

The maid named Hongmei quickly found another letter.

"I've already inquired for you, Miss. This is the information I got from other informants at Huishan Fist Academy."

She unfolded the letter and read it word by word.

"Wei He is a reserved person, and others can't figure out his thoughts. He barely managed to break through to the qi and blood stage in the last two days, and his potential might be exhausted.

"He comes from the most chaotic and dangerous district in the outer city. He has one older sister, and his parents and older sister are missing. He is quiet and has few friends in the courtyard."

This letter was very objective and realistic, supplementing the points not mentioned in Cheng Shaoju's letter.

Zhang Wanruo frowned after hearing it.

"Breaking through in the last two days means his future potential is limited. Young Master Cheng didn't mention this at all in his letter."

"What should we do, Miss?"

"Reject it. I, Zhang Wanruo, am not so desperate that I would marry someone of this caliber."

Zhang Wanruo waved her hand.

Although she received few marriage proposals due to her frequent business dealings, she wasn't desperate enough to marry just anyone.

Wei He, although a disciple of Huishan Fist and a match in status, lacked potential.

She decided to wait. She had waited this long, after all.

"Alright, Miss. I'll tell the matchmaker." Hongmei put away the two letters and left.

On the other side, Wei He didn't take the rejection to heart.

His focus was on how to accelerate the accumulation of qi and blood. He believed in going with the flow when it came to marriage and relationships.

Although having descendants was important, he wasn't in a hurry if he didn't find someone suitable.

On the contrary, Cheng Shaoju, who was initially confident, felt a bit embarrassed after the rejection.

He brought several more portraits to Wei He, but after the first rejection, Wei He's interest waned, and he politely declined them all.

After a month of such events, the progress of the breakthrough bead was finally complete.

Wei He focused all his attention on rapidly increasing his qi and blood. Once his qi and blood reached the critical point, he could also break through to the next stage, Stone Skin.

From Xiao Ran's treatment, it was clear that there was a significant difference between Leather Skin and Stone Skin.

Whether in wealth or social status, they were different.

However, accumulating qi and blood was not something that could be achieved overnight. It required continuous expansion and refinement of the body's capacity.

At the Cheng family's training ground,

Wei He and Cheng Shaoju stood facing each other.

They were about five meters apart, standing on simple yellow earth.

Compared to neatly arranged stone slabs, the natural earth didn't require maintenance and could be easily repaired with a shovel.

So the Cheng family's real training ground used this method.

As for the stone slab training ground shown to Wei He initially, it was just for show...

"Senior Brother, I've always had a question. How big is the difference in strength between one level of qi and blood? I wonder if you can help me verify it?"

Wei He had been thinking about how to accelerate the accumulation of qi and blood.

But without a specific reference, he didn't know how much qi and blood was needed to reach the peak of Leather Skin.

So he straightforwardly asked Cheng Shaoju, who had always held back during their sparring.

"The difference in strength between one level of qi and blood is indeed significant. Since you want to experience it, I'll show you, but don't blame me if you get beaten up."

Cheng Shaoju laughed. Accompanying Wei He in sparring while holding back was not a fun thing.

He shook his hands, and a layer of grayish-white appeared on his fists.

This was the mark of the Stone Skin stage, indicating a qualitative change in the body and fists after reaching a certain level of qi and blood.

"Be careful!" he said.

Suddenly, Wei He felt a gust of wind in his face.

The distance between them seemed to vanish, and before he could react, his senior brother was out of sight.

Fortunately, Wei He was not inexperienced. He quickly raised his fists to protect his head, crouched, and moved to the left.

No matter what, he needed to move to avoid being hit.

*Pang.*

At that moment, a heavy punch hit Wei He's right shoulder.

Although the leftward movement reduced the impact, the speed and strength difference still caused his defensive stance to collapse.

"I'm going to hit your right shoulder," Cheng Shaoju's voice came again.

Wei He's vision blurred, and he couldn't see his senior brother. He could only pull his fists back to protect his head.

He waited for the next punch, but before he could react, his right shoulder was hit again.

*Puf.* Wei He fell backward, completely drained of energy.

In just two moves, he was utterly defeated. There was no chance for a prolonged fight or to use any special techniques.

The reaction speed and explosive power difference was too great.

Cheng Shaoju stood still, smiling at Wei He.

"How was that? I only used half my strength. Otherwise, you would have fallen with the first hit."

Wei He's chest heaved as he got up from the ground.

"Amazing!" he gritted out.

"Amazing, so you should practice hard. Sooner or later, you'll reach my level," Cheng Shaoju said with a smile.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"By the way, Xiao He, you'll have to come and help me in a while. I plan to take another wife," Cheng Shaoju said, his face beaming with pride.

"Another wife?" Wei He was speechless. Didn't he just talk about introducing him to a match? What happened now...

"It's fate. Your new sister-in-law is the one I met when I was introducing you. You'll get your share of the wedding favors," Cheng Shaoju said proudly.

Since sugar was rare and expensive, wedding favors were usually roasted beans wrapped in paper.

"..." Wei He was speechless.

He knew that Senior Brother Cheng was already married and had two concubines, and now he was taking a third.

His wife had a son, and each concubine had a daughter. Now he was taking a third...

"By the way, Senior Brother, who is stronger between me and Cheng Qing?" Wei He suddenly thought to ask.

The last time he fought Cheng Qing, it was interrupted by a monster.

He was curious.

"Cheng Qing? The Cheng Qing from the escort mission?" Cheng Shaoju recalled, "She's not ordinary. If you face her, you'll probably lose within thirty moves."