There were several public spots to draw water in Pear Blossom Alley, but the closest one to Chen Ping'an's home was beneath the big mulberry tree to the east.
Beside the big mulberry tree ran a small creek where neighborhood women often came to wash clothes. There was also a small clearing where many children who accompanied the women played and frolicked. In the clearing sat a water well, which served as the fetching spot for the surrounding households.
Chen Ping'an walked at a brisk pace and soon reached the shade of the big mulberry tree.
Sure enough, plenty of people were there. Children ran back and forth, playing happily.
"Have you heard? Old Sister Gao's family down in the southeast corner seems to be doing really well for themselves lately!"
"What happened?"
"A few days ago, when I dropped by for a neighborly chat, I happened to catch them at dinner and saw they were actually eating braised pork!"
"Braised pork?! Sister Gao's husband has neither a craft nor physical strength. What brought this on? Did they strike it rich?"
"Who knows! Don't you find it strange?"
"Very strange! Let's go ask around together another day to see if they found some way to make good money!"
"..."
Beside the small creek, several women scrubbed clothes and gossiped about neighborhood affairs.
Chen Ping'an paid them no heed. He walked straight to the well and prepared to draw water.
Beside the well was a wooden bucket used specifically for drawing water. Chen Ping'an tossed it into the well with a flick of his hands.
Clear water splashed and scattered.
Chen Ping'an skillfully shook the well rope. The bucket tipped over and began to swallow the clear well water.
He watched closely over the well's edge. Once the bucket was brimful, he hauled it up with a pull.
Huh?!
Chen Ping'an froze slightly. He noticed that the bucket full of water felt somewhat light, entirely unlike what he remembered.
He lifted the bucket out of the well and poured it into one of the buckets he had brought, filling it right to the brim.
Repeating the motion, he filled his second bucket as well.
*Did my strength really increase this much?*
Hauling the bucket the second time still felt remarkably effortless, leaving Chen Ping'an silently marveling.
Hoisting the two buckets onto his carrying pole, Chen Ping'an headed back toward home.
All along the way, his steps were light and brisk, utterly unlike his past experiences of carrying water.
In the past, although he could lift two full buckets, he would wobble the entire way. By the time he reached home, nearly half the water would have sloshed out. Carrying two full buckets essentially meant wasting half a bucket along the road.
Not only did that waste energy, but it was also inefficient. Because of that, Chen Ping'an had usually only filled them a little more than half full.
Yet today...
Chen Ping'an carried them with absolute stability, showing complete ease.
Even after dumping the water into the kitchen water vat, he remained utterly composed, not feeling tired in the slightest.
*So this is the change brought by the Qi and Blood First Layer!*
Chen Ping'an felt an indescribable surge of delight.
This was the first time he had so tangibly experienced the transformation within his body.
"Again!"
Full of vigor, Chen Ping'an dashed out the door.
He repeated the trip back and forth until the water vat was filled right to its brim.
Ordinarily, it took ten trips to fill the vat, but today he only made seven or eight. Because each bucket had been filled to the brim, he had not needed to deliberately stop at half full as he had before.
*My strength has increased by more than half!*
After savoring the feeling thoroughly, Chen Ping'an began to practice the Iron Shirt.
Half an hour later, the familiar prompt of +1 experience appeared.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi and Blood First Layer
Martial Art: Iron Shirt (Beginner 3/15)
...
In the days that followed, Chen Ping'an lived an extremely disciplined life.
Every day, he woke early in the morning and practiced the Iron Shirt once before heading to the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office for roll call on time.
According to the Suppression Office's assignments, he patrolled the various streets and alleys of Nanquan Lane to deter petty criminals.
Every day after coming off duty, he ate dinner with Chen Er Ya and then practiced the Iron Shirt once more.
Over the course of several days, he also crossed paths with Old Qin once.
Old Qin had graying hair and a genial smile.
Approaching sixty, he was nearly at the age where he took things in stride. He lacked the fierce, bellicose swagger and ruthless edge of his youth; if not for the registered runner's black uniform he wore, he would have looked like a short, elderly neighbor in a crowd.
Only the occasional sharp glint flashing through his eyes revealed his martial cultivation in the Qi and Blood Second Layer.
To become a registered runner in the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office with neither background nor wealth, Old Qin naturally had to possess genuine skill.
Old Chen had been that way back then, and Old Qin was naturally the same.
For once, Old Qin didn't slack off and went out on patrol with them.
Having not seen them for a while, Old Qin was quite generous and paid out of his own pocket to treat the group to tea.
In the course of their conversation, Old Qin brought up Chen Ping'an's father, Old Chen, his tone carrying a touch of wistfulness.
"Old Chen was quite a figure back in his day! If not for that operation suppressing the Ten Thousand Demons Cult, where an executive of the cult gravely wounded him... given Old Chen's potential, he probably would have stepped into the Qi and Blood Third Layer in another two years! By then, he couldn't have missed out on becoming a head runner!"
Qi and Blood First Layer: skin tempering! Qi and Blood Second Layer: flesh tempering! Qi and Blood Third Layer: tendon changing!
As long as a runner could smoothly advance to the Qi and Blood Third Layer without any glaring misdeeds on his record, the Nancheng Suppression Office would generally confer the rank of head runner upon him.
Once one was appointed head runner, that was when a true leap in social standing was achieved.
Chen Ping'an fell silent, his father's voice and expression surfacing in his mind.
*The Ten Thousand Demons Cult...*
"A head runner! In our Nanquan Lane, that means rubbing shoulders with the most prominent figures!" Old Qin took a sip of tea and sighed with emotion.
"Old Qin, you're not doing badly yourself. With your cultivation in the Qi and Blood Second Layer and a set of Thirteen Yamen Sabers mastered to perfection, you're a well-known figure in Nanquan Lane too!" Monkey flattered from the side.
"Isn't that right, Dashan?"
Dashan gave a silly grin and nodded in agreement.
Of the thirty-odd registered runners in Nanquan Lane, at least half had failed to step into the Qi and Blood Second Layer, remaining stuck at the Qi and Blood First Layer, perfected.
"I'm old, old! In the path of martial arts, advanced age brings waning strength, draining vitality, and decaying qi and blood! I'm already fifty-nine this year. In spite of having a Second Layer cultivation on paper, in a real fight, I could probably only manage the level of the Qi and Blood First Layer, perfected." Old Qin glanced at the saber hanging at his waist, seemingly lost in thought.
"When a person gets old, there's no choice but to accept it!"
"The older the ginger, the spicier it gets! You're still formidable, Old Qin!"
"Hahaha..." Old Qin burst into hearty laughter.
Seeing that, Monkey and Dashan chuckled along dryly.
Though they had not embarked on martial cultivation, they still knew a thing or two about common martial knowledge.
In the Six Heavens of Qi and Blood, each realm was stronger than the last! Aside from the final two layers, the first four could hardly escape the natural law of waning strength and decaying qi and blood that came with age.
Once past fifty, one inevitably walked a downward slope.
Only by nourishing the body with all kinds of precious medicinal treasures and great elixirs could one delay the onset of those declining years by several, or even a dozen, years.
Chapter 15