Chapter 40

Zheng Fugui smiled. With his hands behind his back, he wandered around the inner courtyard, occasionally moving his feet.

"In this Feiye City, the Seven Families Alliance is the strongest, with the Hong Family Castle leading the way. Next are the three gangs and two sects, followed by our various martial arts academies. After that, there are the small gangs and sects, like the Thief Gang."

He pointed at Wei He and continued, "The most powerful person in Feiye City is actually the head of the Ou Family from the Seven Families Alliance, the city governor Ou Chen. Before Hong Daoyuan rose to power, Ou Chen was the top."

He raised his thumb.

"Ou Chen..." Wei He memorized this name, placing it on the same level as Hong Daoyuan.

"Ou Chen's money force is extremely vicious and powerful. It can cripple anyone it touches and kill anyone it strikes. He has reached the level of practicing force, where the refinement of the skin and flesh reaches its peak, and different forces naturally develop according to the cultivation method you practice.

His force is the money force passed down by the Ou Family, which is very domineering," Zheng Fugui sighed.

"Old Master Zheng, how does one practice force?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Practicing force? Once you break through the Iron Skin and fully comprehend the essence of the Return Mountain Fist, combining the two will elevate your qi and blood to a higher level, and then you can generate force. However, the Return Mountain Force of my Return Mountain Fist is still weaker than the Ou Family's money force. But we have our advantages, which is that it's easier to cultivate!"

Zheng Fugui said proudly, "There are over a hundred people in the Ou Family, but only one has truly cultivated the money force."

"Teacher, how many of us in the Return Mountain Fist have cultivated it?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Our Return Mountain Fist..." Zheng Fugui suddenly fell silent, paused, and then said, "There used to be many."

"......"

"Now, you just need to know that as long as I'm still around, the Return Mountain Fist won't fall." Zheng Fugui resumed his proud demeanor.

Although he was old now, with his age and declining qi and blood, he was still a former force practitioner. Even with his declining qi and blood, he could still handle a few three-time qi and blood experts.

Wei He roughly understood this point and was somewhat surprised by the old man's strength.

A force practitioner. It seemed to be the highest level of strength in the entire Feiye City.

"Teacher, are the other martial arts academies the same as our Return Mountain Fist?" Wei He asked again.

"Not necessarily, but to have the qualifications to register with the city governor's office and open a martial arts academy, one must at least reach the peak of three-time qi and blood." Zheng Fugui nodded.

He glanced at Wei He.

"Don't think too much, kid. First, cultivate the Nine Dawn Flowers to lock in your qi and blood. Once you cultivate the Nine Dawn Flowers and reach the Iron Skin level, you can significantly lock in the decline of your qi and blood, extending your peak qi and blood period to forty years. Only then can you consider breaking through to the force level."

"Disciple understands." Wei He nodded.

Hearing this from Old Master Zheng, he now had a general understanding of the martial arts scene in the city.

"Anyway, you just need to know that you're no longer a mere errand boy. You have some strength at the bottom level. The strongest in the small gangs and sects are usually at the peak of two-time qi and blood."

"Alright, don't aim too high. Continue!" Zheng Fugui said sternly.

'Isn't it "aim too high and too far"?' Wei He couldn't help but correct him in his mind.

He didn't have time to think more as Zheng Fugui had already thrown a punch at him.

Through this continuous refinement of techniques, comprehending the essence of the scroll is the fastest way to practice.

This process relies entirely on insight and mental comprehension. The subsequent skin refinement and qi and blood accumulation depend on talent.

Combining these three aspects forms the cultivation method of the Stone Skin.

After receiving special training in the inner courtyard for over an hour, Wei He left the inner courtyard and saw Cheng Shaojiu just finishing changing his clothes, yawning, and talking to the new recruits he was leading.

Seeing Wei He approach, Cheng Shaojiu raised his hand and waved.

"Good morning, Xiao He."

"Brother Cheng, what's up? Why are your eyes so dark?" Wei He asked in surprise.

Cheng Shaojiu had dark circles and swollen eyes, clearly indicating a lack of sleep the previous night.

Hearing the question, he immediately waved his hand and sighed, "Don't ask. Yesterday, I was practicing techniques and suddenly had an insight. I was so happy that I rewarded myself with a couple of drinks, then listened to some music with a few brothers, staying up most of the night."

"......" Wei He was speechless.

This story was more likely to fool a child.

With their abundant qi and blood, staying up all night wouldn't leave them in such a state. It was a joke.

Cheng Shaojiu was also a bit embarrassed, scratching his head and laughing dryly, not saying more.

Since that night when he was spurred on by Wei He, he had started to practice diligently, training hard every day. However, his enthusiasm soon waned.

It was the same the day before yesterday.

He trained hard in the morning and had a sudden insight, which made him very happy. So, he decided to reward himself by opening a jar of his cherished wine and drinking it with his friends.

When he sobered up and his friends left, it was already late, so he thought it would be better to start practicing early the next morning, as he would be more energetic and have better insight.

So, he went to bed early.

The next morning, he got up and was about to start practicing when he felt hungry. He thought it would be better to eat something first, as a well-fed stomach would make his practice more focused.

So, he had a hearty breakfast.

After breakfast, the sun came up, shining brightly on the training ground, which was a bit blinding.

Cheng Shaojiu thought the sun was too intense and that prolonged exposure might be unbearable. Practicing in such weather would be bad for the skin and cause excessive sweating, leading to fatigue and low efficiency.

So, he decided to wait until it cooled down a bit before practicing. He closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the sun to cool down.

When the sun finally cooled down, his concubine brought his newborn daughter, Cheng He, to see him, along with his other children.

He had to spend some time with his family.

So, he played with his family and had a happy lunch.

After all, he couldn't neglect his children.

After lunch, he rested a bit, and an old friend invited him for a drink.

He hadn't seen this friend in a long time, so he couldn't refuse. They went to a flower party, and he couldn't let his brothers down, especially since they had invited him.

So, he went, played until evening, and on his way back, he met a few more brothers who also invited him for drinks.

He had just been to one brother's party, and if he didn't go to these brothers' parties, it would be seen as looking down on them.

Reluctantly, Cheng Shaojiu went again, drinking and playing until evening, feeling very weak.

When he got home, he practiced for half an hour but found it was already midnight. He decided to go to bed, as he wouldn't be able to get up the next day if he didn't sleep.

The next morning, he got up early and was about to practice when he heard that a brother's family had an emergency and needed help. He immediately gathered some people and rushed over.

After a busy day, he finally helped solve the problem. The brother, to thank him, insisted on taking him to a flower party, inviting four girls to accompany them.

When Cheng Shaojiu got home, he could barely stand. After resting for a while, his uncle called him to help organize the warehouse.

He had been neglecting his family for a few days, so he felt guilty and went to help organize the warehouse...

In the evening, he heard that the head of a security company's family was seriously ill, and as the young master, he had to go and visit...

On his way back, he met another old friend who invited him to a flower party...

Thinking about this, Cheng Shaojiu sighed deeply, looking at Wei He, who was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

He felt a deep sense of frustration.

This frustration had nowhere to vent, and it could only be expressed in a long sigh.

"By the way, Xiao He, now that you've broken through, your level is different from before. Someone has come to me to propose a match."

Cheng Shaojiu smiled and lowered his voice. "It's the daughter of the owner of Guan's Medicine Shop. I secretly sent someone to check, and she is very attractive, definitely meeting your requirements.

Moreover, Guan's Medicine Shop is not a small family. In Shiqiao Town, only my family and the Jiang family are above them. If you marry Miss Guan, you will be well-provided for, and you might even get all the resources you need for martial arts practice."

He continued to talk about the Guan family's influence, especially their many guards and supply relationships with small castles outside the city, indicating a deep background.

If this match were to happen, it would be a significant step up for Wei He.

Unfortunately, Wei He was not interested at all.

He had Zheng Fugui's promise and could get the resources for practicing and accumulating qi and blood from him. He could also gather the rest through connections and did not want to rely on others.

As for marriage, the situation was becoming increasingly difficult, and the tension in Feiye City was rising. The outer districts were gradually declining, and families were increasingly focusing on their castles and the inner city.

If a war broke out, getting married now would only add more burdens.

He could carry his older sister on his back, but if there were more people, it would be impossible.

"By the way, Brother Cheng, how many Nine Dawn Flowers have you cultivated?" Wei He suddenly asked.

"......" Let's not talk about this, and we can still be good friends...

Cheng Shaojiu was hit where it hurt and immediately fell silent.

He would never admit that he had only cultivated five Nine Dawn Flowers...

Only by cultivating nine Nine Dawn Flowers could one reach the Iron Skin level and the three-time qi and blood level.

When Wei He first joined, Cheng Shaojiu had just broken through to the Stone Skin level. It had been almost two years.

Even Wei He had reached the Stone Skin level, but Cheng Shaojiu's progress was slow.

"Work hard. I have already refined my Stone Skin to the peak of qi and blood. You need to understand that you need at least five Nine Dawn Flowers to reach the peak." Cheng Shaojiu said calmly.

"Brother is indeed powerful." Wei He nodded in admiration.

"Speaking of which, the toxic powder you were looking for, I found something. However, it was because of helping you find this that I got in touch with the Guan family." Cheng Shaojiu continued.

"Oh? Did Brother Cheng find it?" Wei He was delighted. At his current level, quicklime was not enough. Many skilled practitioners could avoid critical areas like the eyes when faced with quicklime powder.

If it didn't hit the eyes, the killing power of quicklime would be greatly reduced.

So, he asked Cheng Shaojiu to help find a substitute.

"This item is now only in the Guan family's possession. If you want it, you have to buy it yourself. That's what they said." Cheng Shaojiu replied.

He genuinely cared for Wei He. Now that Wei He had broken through to the Stone Skin level, with his potential, breaking through to the next level would be almost impossible.

He should plan for his future and life ahead.

If he could connect with a large family like the Guan family, it would be a good result for his future security.