Chapter 3

The Great Qi State is located on a prominent peninsula in the eastern part of the Dongzhou Continent, sharing the same region with the Yan State and the Huang State. All three countries back onto the vast Eastern Sea and face the barbarian wilderness to the west. For several hundred years, they have maintained an alliance, often advancing and retreating together. The Great Qi State is situated at the center of the peninsula, sandwiched between the other two countries, but it is the most powerful, boasting a standing army of a million armored soldiers. The Huang State is second, and the Yan State is the weakest. Apart from the capital region directly under the jurisdiction of the Great Qi State, the rest of the territory is divided into nine prefectures and thirty-six states, each state governing several to over a dozen cities. As for towns and villages, they are countless.

Fengcheng is the largest city in Quanzhou and also the capital of the state. Even in the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture, it ranks among the top five. The Jin family is one of the prominent families in Quanzhou, owning vast tracts of land and estates outside the city. They also engage in the trade of medicinal herbs and minerals, with their influence extending to almost half of Quanzhou. Shi Mu learned all this from the old man in the green robe. At this point, he already knew that the old man was named Jin Cheng, a steward in charge of external affairs for the Jin family, and seemed to have some status among the family's servants, as the Jin family knights all treated him with great respect.

The group traveled for about a month, passing through two cities before finally arriving at Fengcheng. They passed through the city gates and headed toward the northwest corner of the city. Shi Mu sat by the window of the carriage, constantly looking at the streets on both sides. He had grown up in a fishing village and had rarely traveled far. The largest city he had ever been to was a nearby county town. Fengcheng, as the largest city in Quanzhou, was indeed bustling, but Shi Mu felt surprisingly calm, with no significant emotional波动.

The city was enormous and lively, with tall buildings lining the streets and a constant stream of people. Despite the city's size and activity, Shi Mu remained unusually calm, feeling no agitation. The carriage slowed down, and after about half an hour, it stopped in front of an unremarkable residence. Shi Mu jumped out of the carriage, glanced at the white banner hanging by the gate, and his expression changed slightly. He then followed the old man in the green robe into the gate, while the knights remained near the carriage.

A short while later, Shi Mu entered a mourning hall decorated with white cloth and saw a woman in mourning and a girl of about ten years old. The woman appeared to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with a dignified and elegant demeanor. Upon seeing Shi Mu, she said in a firm tone, "You are late. Your father passed away a few days ago. I don't know what you think of your father, but since you are his biological child, you should come and pay your respects. We can discuss other matters later."

The girl's eyes were slightly swollen, but she still looked at this brother she had never met with curiosity. Shi Mu looked at the black coffin in the center of the hall, his expression complex. The woman in mourning did not urge him. The old man in the green robe took this opportunity to step forward, whispered a few words to the woman, and then silently left.

After a while, Shi Mu finally moved, slowly approaching the coffin and calmly said, "Open the lid. I want to see him one last time."

"Sure," the woman clapped her hands twice. Immediately, two men emerged from both sides of the hall, opened the coffin lid, and revealed the body of a man lying inside. Shi Mu looked down at the man in the coffin, who bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to him, and his face turned pale. After a moment, he took out a seemingly ordinary bronze mirror from his waist and silently placed it next to the man's body.

"This is..." the woman in mourning frowned.

"I don't know what my father's reasons were for abandoning us for so many years, but my mother had a last wish before she died, hoping to bury this relic with my father," Shi Mu said slowly, then turned to light a stick of incense in the incense burner in front of the coffin and bowed three times on the ground. The woman in mourning was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised, but did not stop him. Shi Mu stood up again and stared at the coffin in silence.

At this moment, the woman waved her hand, and the two men closed the coffin lid again. "Follow me. This is not the place to talk. Your father had some things to entrust to you before he died," the woman said, then led the girl to a side hall. Shi Mu raised an eyebrow and followed without a word.

"Since you are willing to bow, it was not in vain for me to have Cheng the steward bring you here. I don't expect you to call me 'mother.' If you wish, you can call me 'Aunt Zhen.' This is your half-sister, 'Yuhuan.' Yuhuan, come and meet your brother," the woman said as soon as they entered the side hall.

"Hello, Brother Mu," Shi Yuhuan, with her large eyes and delicate nose, looked very cute and lively. Upon hearing her mother's words, she immediately called out in a clear and pleasant voice. Shi Mu nodded at the girl and managed a faint smile.

"Your father, although he married into the Jin family, left a property, including an estate outside the city, which you, as his eldest son, will inherit. Yuhuan and I will only keep this residence in the city. After all, I am a member of the Jin family and do not lack for money. In addition, your father once performed a great service for the Jin family, which is also the reason for his early death. He never used this service. Now, I can give you two choices," the woman paused.

Shi Mu looked at the woman, feeling quite surprised.

"One, as Cheng the steward said, I can use this service to exchange for a Qi Ling Dan from the Jin family, giving you the opportunity to enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy. The second is to use the Jin family's influence to secure a low-ranking noble title for you in the Great Qi State, ensuring you a life of comfort and even the honor of passing it down to your descendants," the woman continued, looking at the young man seriously.

"A real noble title?" Shi Mu's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes. The noble titles in the Great Qi State are divided into Duke, Marquis, Count, Baron, and Knight. Each corresponds to a specific status and power. Without going into the higher ranks, with this service and the Jin family's influence, a Knight title is definitely possible, and we can also secure a certain official position for you in the future," the woman explained.

"No, I want the Qi Ling Dan!" Shi Mu said without hesitation after hearing this.

"You should think carefully before making a decision. If I were you, I would choose the latter," the woman said with a strange expression.

"What do you mean by that?" the young man sensed something.

"How much do you know about Qi Sensing and martial arts?" the woman asked in return.

"From Aunt Zhen's tone, are you also a martial artist?" Shi Mu asked after a moment of hesitation.

This time, the woman did not answer. Instead, she moved her body and suddenly appeared in front of a wall. She raised her arm, and a decorative golden-handled long sword on the wall instantly appeared in her hand.

With a loud whistling sound, the sword was swung in her hand, creating multiple sword shadows around her body. Then, a flash of cold light and a clear ringing sound, the sword turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the wall, leaving only the hilt trembling slightly. This scene left Shi Mu speechless!

"Don't look at my appearance; I am actually one of the three accomplished martial artists in the Jin family. Otherwise, how could I have obtained a Qi Ling Dan from the Jin family? After all, a Qi Ling Dan is worth a fortune and is often unavailable even if you have the money. When a person dies, their light goes out. Even if your father had performed a great service for the Jin family, in the eyes of some people in the Jin family, it is not worth such a precious pill. This is one of the reasons I advise you to give up. If you want the Qi Ling Dan, it will definitely make some people in the Jin family unhappy. I can protect you for a while, but not forever."

"No matter what difficulties I face, I must become a true martial artist," Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"Since you are determined, I won't try to persuade you further. Let's talk about the martial artist realms you know," Aunt Zhen sighed and said.

"Aren't martial artists divided into Body Tempering, Formal Martial Artists, and National Martial Artists? I heard that once you become the most powerful National Martial Artist, you can sit on equal terms with dukes and ministers!" Shi Mu said.

"Did you learn all this from the martial arts school in town? The names are not entirely wrong! However, the highest cultivation of the instructors in those martial arts schools is probably just at the beginning of the Afterbirth stage. They cannot possibly explain the true division of martial artist realms to ordinary disciples like you," Aunt Zhen said with a look of confirmation.

"I hope Aunt Zhen can enlighten me!"

"The terms Body Tempering, Formal Martial Artist, and National Martial Artist are just common names used by ordinary people. The true names of the martial artist realms in the entire Dongzhou Continent are Martial Disciple, Afterbirth Martial Artist, and Prebirth Martial Artist. These correspond to Body Tempering, Formal Martial Artist, and National Martial Artist, respectively. In the Martial Disciple stage, anyone can practice Body Tempering techniques, but those with poor physical conditions may never achieve great success. Afterbirth Martial Artists are those who have grasped Qi Sensing and can cultivate True Qi. At this stage, with the assistance of True Qi, they can often fight a hundred armored soldiers, making them true martial artists in the eyes of ordinary people. Prebirth Martial Artists are those whose True Qi has reached a certain level, successfully opening a Qi Mansion in their Dantian and generating Prebirth True Qi in their bodies. Prebirth Martial Artists are true martial arts experts! While a dozen accomplished Martial Disciples might be able to kill an Afterbirth Martial Artist, even a hundred Afterbirth Martial Artists working together often cannot defeat a Prebirth Martial Artist. At the Prebirth stage, they can project their True Qi outside their bodies and kill from a distance, making it almost impossible for Afterbirth Martial Artists to get close under normal circumstances. However, reaching the Prebirth stage is extremely difficult, beyond the imagination of ordinary people. As far as I know, there are only seven or eight Prebirth Martial Artists in the entire Great Qi State," Aunt Zhen explained in detail.

"Only that few Prebirth Martial Artists?" Shi Mu was truly surprised.