Chapter 52

In the evening, the sky grew increasingly dark.

Guanji Apothecary was not in Shiqiao Town but in Hongshi Town.

When Wei He arrived, the apothecary was almost closed. A few apprentices were moving the door panels, sealing the shop.

However, a small side door was left open for people to enter and exit.

At this moment, people were still coming and going, seemingly doing the last bit of business.

Wei He followed and entered through the small side door.

Inside, a shopkeeper was wearing a mask and talking to two people. Seeing Wei He walk in, he was slightly taken aback and quickly bowed to him.

Then the shopkeeper called over an apprentice and whispered a few words in his ear.

The apprentice immediately walked over to Wei He.

"May I ask if you are Mr. Wei He?" the apprentice asked respectfully.

"Indeed, I am," Wei He nodded.

"Miss knows you are coming, please follow me," the apprentice said respectfully.

Wei He's expression changed slightly, and he had some guesses in his mind.

He followed the apprentice up to the second floor via a side staircase.

Upstairs was a spacious and wide living room.

In the middle was a large brass incense burner, from which a faint smoke and a strong fragrance were rising.

A girl in a red dress was sitting cross-legged in front of the incense burner. She had long hair flowing over her shoulders, cherry-red lips, and almond-shaped eyes that calmly moved from the incense burner to look at Wei He.

"Is this Wei He in person?" the girl stood up and smiled brightly.

"Indeed, it is me. May I ask, young lady..." Wei He bowed.

"My name is Guan Ye. Have you heard of me from Cheng Shaohou?" the girl in the red dress stood up, revealing her slender waist.

The most striking feature about her was her waist.

While the rest of her body had good proportions, her slender waist, emphasized by a corset, was hard to look away from.

"So, you are Mr. Wei He. Cheng Shaohou has indeed mentioned you. But..." Wei He didn't finish his sentence before being interrupted.

"I know. Actually, the moment I saw you come upstairs, I knew you weren't my type, but it's fine. To be honest, I didn't think much of Cheng Shaohou's character at first. But..."

Guan Ye walked around Wei He, smiling. "But after you generously spent a fortune to help the Cheng family, I knew your character. So..."

She seemed to like to speak in a rush and then pause suddenly.

"So, if you want to buy bait, I'll give it to you. If you want to buy a highly toxic substance, I'll give it to you. Since you can be friends with Cheng Shaohou, you should be able to be friends with me, Guan Ye. What do you think?"

The girl was only seventeen or eighteen, exuding a mischievous charm.

"I..." Wei He started to speak, wanting to explain that his brotherhood with Cheng Shaohou wasn't formed overnight.

But Guan Ye immediately interrupted him again.

"Do you know how much a portion of exotic beast bait costs?"

She held out her white, delicate hand.

"Five hundred taels of gold, and it's hard to find."

"Expensive, right?"

"Expensive..."

"I'll give it to you!" Guan Ye smiled. "Do you know how much a portion of the toxic substance you want, Green City Water, costs?"

"I don't know..."

"One thousand taels of gold per portion! Expensive, right?"

"Expensive..."

"I'll give it to you!" Guan Ye patted Wei He on the shoulder.

"Look, you spent a fortune to help Cheng Shaohou, and I can do the same. We can't be husband and wife, but we can be brothers, what do you think?"

"..." Wei He was speechless, just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted again.

"I know you've reached the second stage of Qi and Blood, and your potential is exhausted, but it doesn't matter whether you practice martial arts or not! In my family's Poison Water Team, a few sprays can sweep away even a third-stage Qi and Blood warrior, leaving no survivors.

So don't worry about practicing martial arts; it's just one path. What else do you need? I have money! I'll lend it to you!"

Guan Ye had heard about the Cheng family's difficulties and how Wei He had generously spent a fortune to help. She was immediately moved, thinking that in life, having a brother who would go all out for you in a critical moment was truly commendable!

This led to the current situation.

She had a very good impression of Wei He. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't meet her aesthetic standards, she might have been truly attracted to him.

She ran her business and built the Poison Water Team, sweeping through her peers, even defeating a third-stage Qi and Blood warrior.

This made the Guan family's reputation soar.

The members of the Poison Water Team were all loyal and righteous, and thus, she, Guan Ye, most admired loyal and righteous people.

That's why she looked at Wei He differently. He was the kind of righteous person she admired!

When Wei He left the Guanji Apothecary, he still felt a bit dazed and unreal.

He was carrying large and small packages, and the gold in his money bag was still untouched.

His ears were filled with the chatter of the Guan family's young lady.

On his way home.

He suddenly had a clear realization.

"So this is the power of reputation."

He finally understood why everyone valued reputation so much, especially in this era, when there was no internet to verify the truth and judge a person's character.

The only way to assess someone was through their reputation.

He had benefited from the reputation he gained by generously spending a fortune to help the Cheng family.

If he hadn't helped then, Guan Ye wouldn't have looked at him differently now.

He suddenly deeply understood the impact of reputation on a person's fate.

On his way back.

Wei He was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a heavy, dull sound of footsteps coming from ahead.

He stopped and looked up.

He saw that the pedestrians on the streets of Hongshi Town were also slowing down, avoiding the middle of the road, and moving to the sides.

Wei He's heart stirred, and he quickly followed suit, making the road wider.

Hongshi Town was busier than Shiqiao Town, and at least there were people living and working here.

Although Wei He didn't come often, he could clearly feel the liveliness here.

But he had never encountered such a scene before.

Soon, a group of giant men, clad in black armor with spikes, walked slowly and steadily down the road.

The shortest of these giants was at least 2.5 meters tall, and the one in front was nearly 3 meters.

Each of them was muscular, wearing black metal armor with spikes all over.

From a distance, they looked like black giants, with a fierce and terrifying aura.

The leader had a face full of scars and was holding a spiked mace, the end of which was as thick as a bucket, looking extremely terrifying.

"It's the Juchizhi Army!"

Someone nearby couldn't help but call out in a trembling voice.

Wei He was also seeing such exaggerated giants for the first time.

This kind of physique must be a case of gigantism, right?

He was shaken. Compared to his own height of less than 1.9 meters, he felt like a child next to these giants.

What did they eat to grow so big?

Wei He stared at the group, watching them pass through the center of the street and quickly disappear.

He then收回视线，迅速加快步伐，朝家赶去。

从程少久的信上，他愈发感受到当前局势的紧张。

必须得早做打算了。

“巨齿军……没想到欧家连他们都出动了……”

回山拳院内。

郑富贵背着手，将算盘放回书架，关上面前的账本。

如今收益每况愈下，他每次算账都是一次心痛。

索性懒得算了。

“老师，这巨齿军一个个身材巨大，到底是怎么培养出来的？”

魏合站在一旁，等待老师的回答。

他现在回想刚才所见一幕，也感觉有些震撼。

之前见识了洪道元的气势，当时还觉得七家盟拿什么去抵挡洪家堡。

现在看来，这七家盟也不是善茬，那巨齿军一看就是神力，那种块头，随便挥舞一下狼牙棒，就是一场血雨腥风的屠杀场。

“巨齿军……是用欧家独有的异兽肉从小培养长大的兵种。

培养出来的士兵，你也看到了，身强力壮，具有神力。再辅修武道，简直是战场上的屠杀凶兽，无人能挡。”郑富贵沉声解释。

“不过也不用太过担心，巨齿军虽强，但也敌不过三次气血高手。他们行动迟缓，力量虽大，也不过是活靶子。

而且他们因为食用的异兽肉中含有一定毒素，所以一般都性情暴虐，极其易怒，稍有挑动就容易失去理智。

所以只要注意别在狭窄地方和他们交手就行。”郑富贵平静道。

“你就把他们当做是欧家手下的二次气血就行。”

“明白了。”魏合点头。

“好了，你先回去吧。”郑富贵道，“程少久一事，他也给我留了信，际遇如此，无可奈何。”

他回想起魏合的一掷千金，顿时看向他的目光也柔和了许多。

一掷千金这个名声，无形中给了魏合一个印象大加分的好处。

每个人都希望身边的人能在自己危难之时，倾注全力相助。

每个人都希望身边有这样的人，有这样朋友。

所以连带着，对这一类人都会心存善意，都希望和他们拉近关系。

虽然一定会有对此不以为然的人，但无论如何，这都是加分项。

魏合依言回家，再度恢复了原本的日常生活。同时，也开始暗暗准备后手，应对随时可能变化的局面。

程家离开后，日子照常一天天过。

只是没了程少久，魏合感觉回山拳院更加冷清了。

他唯一算得上朋友的，就是程少久，如今少了一人，院子里本就冷清，现在更是感觉空荡。

时间流逝。

转眼又是两个月过去。

破境珠只差一点就能圆满了。魏合对此充满期待。一旦圆满，他便能突破三次气血。

虽然只是五岭掌这样的邪道功夫突破，气血必然比不上回山拳浑厚，但再差那也是三次气血。

他得了关楪的赞助，没有一时冲动，第一时间就去狩猎异兽，而是静静蛰伏，等待突破后再行动。

这两个月里，程少久的离开，刺激到了不少人。

姜苏很快宣布，气血圆满，开始冲击三次气血。但可惜失败，气血逆转，反而伤了根基。

紧接着是萧然，也尝试冲击三次气血，但同样失败了。

---

Translation:

He then收回视线，迅速加快步伐，朝家赶去。

From Cheng Shaohou's letter, he increasingly felt the tension of the current situation.

He had to make plans early.

"The Juchizhi Army... I didn't expect the Ou family to even mobilize them..."

Inside Huishan Boxing Academy.

Zheng Fugui, with his hands behind his back, put the abacus back on the bookshelf and closed the ledger in front of him.

With the declining income, each time he calculated the accounts, it was a painful experience.

He decided to stop calculating.

"Teacher, these Juchizhi soldiers are all so huge, how are they trained?"

Wei He stood by, waiting for his teacher's response.

Recalling what he had just seen, he felt a bit stunned.

Previously, he had witnessed the imposing presence of Hong Daoyuan and wondered what the Seven Families Alliance could use to resist the Hong Family Fortress.

Now, it seemed the Seven Families Alliance was not to be underestimated. The Juchizhi soldiers were clearly powerful, and with their massive build, a single swing of their maces would create a bloodbath.

"The Juchizhi soldiers... are trained from a young age using a unique type of exotic beast meat from the Ou family.

The soldiers you saw are strong and powerful, and when trained in martial arts, they become unstoppable killing machines on the battlefield," Zheng Fugui explained solemnly.

"However, you don't need to be too worried. Although the Juchizhi soldiers are strong, they are no match for a third-stage Qi and Blood expert. They move slowly, and despite their great strength, they are like living targets.

Moreover, the exotic beast meat they consume contains toxins, making them generally aggressive and easily angered. They can lose control with the slightest provocation.

So, just be careful not to engage them in narrow spaces," Zheng Fugui said calmly.

"Just consider them as a group of second-stage Qi and Blood warriors under the Ou family's command."

"Understood," Wei He nodded.

"Alright, you can go home now," Zheng Fugui said. "Cheng Shaohou also left me a letter. Such is fate, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Recalling Wei He's generous act, Zheng Fugui's gaze softened.

The reputation of being generous had无形中给了魏合一个印象大加分的好处。

每个人都希望身边的人能在自己危难之时，倾注全力相助。

每个人都希望身边有这样的人，有这样朋友。

所以连带着，对这一类人都会心存善意，都希望和他们拉近关系。

虽然一定会有对此不以为然的人，但无论如何，这都是加分项。

Wei He returned home as instructed, resuming his normal daily life. At the same time, he began to secretly prepare for any changes that might come.

After the Cheng family left, life continued as usual.

But without Cheng Shaohou, Wei He felt that Huishan Boxing Academy was even more desolate.

Cheng Shaohou was his only real friend, and now with one less person, the courtyard, already quiet, felt even more empty.

Time passed.

Two months went by in the blink of an eye.

The Breakthrough Pearl was almost complete. Wei He was filled with anticipation. Once it was complete, he would be able to break through to the third stage of Qi and Blood.

Although it was a breakthrough using the evil technique of Wuling Palm, his Qi and Blood would not be as robust as those trained in Huishan Boxing, but it would still be the third stage of Qi and Blood.

With Guan Ye's sponsorship, he did not act impulsively and immediately go hunting exotic beasts. Instead, he remained in hiding, waiting to act after his breakthrough.

In these two months, Cheng Shaohou's departure had a significant impact on many people.

Jiang Su soon announced that her Qi and Blood had reached fullness and she was attempting to break through to the third stage. Unfortunately, she failed, and her Qi and Blood reversed, damaging her foundation.

Next was Xiao Ran, who also tried to break through to the third stage of Qi and Blood, but he also failed.