When Liang Qu reappeared in the main hall fully dressed, everyone's eyes lit up.
Ape arms, wasp waist, and mantis legs—in short, long arms, long legs, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders. Coupled with the mountain-ox leather belt that bound the robe snugly to show off his physique, he looked tall, upright, and strikingly gallant, like a poised spear.
Yang Dongxiong praised him warmly. "Good! That is the vigor of youth!"
"It's over. My title of the most handsome is truly about to change hands!"
"Save it, Senior Brother Xu. It's always been me, all right?" Cao Rang scoffed.
"It's a pity Eldest Senior Brother isn't here. He's the richest of us all; whatever he gave would certainly be the best, maybe even some miracle elixir."
"Right, Master, did you inform Eldest Senior Brother?"
Yang Dongxiong nodded. "I wrote a letter last night, but haven't sent it yet. I'll dispatch someone shortly. We should have a reply in about a month or so, and he'll surely make up for it then."
Seeing Liang Qu's confusion, Xu Zishuai explained, "Eldest Senior Brother went to enlist in the Western Army. He's already a battalion commander now, and word has it he's due for another promotion soon. It isn't convenient for him to return, which is why you haven't seen him."
Liang Qu understood.
The group chatted a while longer, mostly asking about Liang Qu's living situation.
A little under an hour later, Third Senior Brother Lu Gang took his leave. A man of few words who preferred the forge, he was already eager to head back and design the spear.
"Junior Brother, just come by my house this evening. Follow the road outside Yang Manor straight ahead until you see a grain shop called Xu's. There's an alley beside it. Go straight in and you'll see a large anvil—that's my home."
"Understood. Take care, Third Senior Brother."
After Lu Gang left, the others chatted a bit more before taking their leave one after another as the time drew on, leaving behind only the three youngest disciples.
Yang Dongxiong took a sip of tea. "Little Ninth, how thick is the qi in your chest?"
Liang Qu had no intention of lying about his cultivation, as that would only harm his own interests in the end. He answered honestly, "About as thick as an index finger."
At those words, Hu Qi and Xiang Changsong were both stunned. "Junior Brother, you've only been practicing for a month, right? How could your progress be so fast? We haven't seen you take any medicine!"
"A few days ago, I caught another treasure fish." Liang Qu scratched his head. "It was an eel, vermilion all over, with an ox tail growing out behind. I was overjoyed, so I stewed and ate it right away. Afterwards, my entire body burned with heat, so I practiced my boxing continuously. When I finished, the qi that had been as thick as a chopstick grew to the thickness of an index finger."
"A vermilion eel with an ox tail?"
Hu Qi and Xiang Changsong sank into deep thought. In their memory, there seemed to be no such treasure fish.
"Master Yang, do you know what kind of fish that is?"
"I don't know either. But Zeye Marsh is vast; there are far too many unknown fish species to find it strange," Yang Dongxiong concluded.
*It makes sense that you don't know—I made it up entirely.*
At first, Liang Qu had considered claiming he caught another ox-horn pomfret, which was the most potent fish he knew of. But on second thought, even that fish probably couldn't cause his qi and blood to surge to the thickness of an index finger all at once, so he simply invented one.
In modern times, countless river species remained undiscovered, let alone in an ancient setting.
Besides, with red-blood perch worth one tael per jin and ox-horn pomfret worth two, there naturally had to be other treasure fish worth ten or even a hundred taels per jin. Whatever effects they had would hardly be surprising.
"Still, for Junior Brother to train his qi to chopstick thickness in a single month without medicine proves his talent is extraordinary. Master, when you have time, perhaps you could weigh his destiny pattern to see how his natural aptitudes truly lie. Bone reading reveals too little, after all."
*Destiny pattern?*
Having learned another new term, Liang Qu chewed on it quietly, unsure of its meaning.
Seeming to sense his confusion, Hu Qi said, "This destiny pattern isn't that destiny pattern—it doesn't mean predestination. It refers to innate talent; you can just think of it that way for now. Exactly what it entails will become clear once your destiny pattern is weighed."
To their surprise, Yang Dongxiong shook his head. "I have no incense ash on hand, and my tools are incomplete. Weighing his destiny pattern will have to wait a while."
Liang Qu asked, "Master, I heard Senior Brother Hu mention before that once the qi in one's chest reaches the thickness of a pinky finger, one can break through the skin gate. Back then, I didn't know how to break through and forcibly compressed it until it was as thick as an index finger. Could that cause any problems?"
"You needn't worry about that. It makes no difference. After breaking the skin gate, you still have to keep accumulating the qi in your chest. Pinky thickness is merely the minimum requirement to break through; index-finger thickness will only make it easier."
Liang Qu felt relieved. He had indeed worried he might have practiced incorrectly. After all, he had never been exposed to this before, and the novels he had read in his past life certainly didn't count—fantasy and reality could never be conflated, leaving him understandably anxious.
"Your injuries haven't fully healed yet, so you can wait until they heal before cultivating. For now, continue to follow Hu Qi. He can guide you whenever he is at the martial hall, and teach you some common knowledge and key points while he's at it. Then have Xiang Changsong take you to Changchun Medical Clinic to familiarize yourself with the place, so getting medicine and prescriptions will be easier in the future."
With a few words, Yang Dongxiong settled the matter. He had accepted Liang Qu as a disciple, but Liang Qu's realm was simply too low; there was no need for him to teach him personally when having Hu Qi do it worked just as well.
"By the way, can you read?"
"A little, but not much."
"Then you will also need to find time each day to attend a private school to learn characters. I'll arrange a tutor for you."
"Thank you, Master."
By the time Yang Dongxiong finished his instructions, it was already nine in the morning. Liang Qu and his two senior martial brothers lingered no longer and headed together to Changchun Medical Clinic to introduce him.
Changchun Medical Clinic was the largest medical clinic in all of Pingyang Town. In the main hall alone, four or five physicians sat behind counters examining patients, and a long queue stretched outside the entrance.
Hu Qi and Xiang Changsong showed no intention of waiting in line, leading Liang Qu straight into the main hall.
The moment they stepped through the door, Xiang Changsong called out toward the counter, "Shopkeeper Chen! This is the ninth disciple my master just took in, my junior brother. We brought him over to introduce him."
The gray-haired shopkeeper hurriedly stepped out from behind the counter to greet them. Glancing at Liang Qu, he flattered, "This must be Ninth Young Master! Ninth Young Master is truly a distinguished talent, striking and unforgettable. You lads, hurry over and greet him! Look sharp!"
Several busy attendants put down their work and hurried forward to offer greetings, though instead of "Ninth Young Master," they addressed him as "Master Nine."
"Have you memorized his face?"
"Yes, Shopkeeper, clearly memorized!"
"All right, get back to work." Shopkeeper Chen turned around and said, "Then we shall proceed as customary: whenever you come, it will strictly be half price."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Chen."
"You are too kind. Your presence brings immense honor to our humble clinic."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three prepared to leave the clinic. As they departed, Hu Qi had three packets of medicine fetched, but the shopkeeper refused to take a single coin, treating it as a congratulatory gift for Master Yang taking in another fine disciple.
Basking in the flattery, Liang Qu thought back to the promissory note he had signed when accompanying Chen Qingjiang to get medicine at a clinic, and his heart was stirred with emotion.
Truly, a single step to heaven.
On the way back to the martial hall, Hu Qi began explaining to Liang Qu how to break through the gates.
The method was straightforward: surge his qi and blood—that continuous breath of qi in his chest—allowing it to circulate and disperse, stimulating the skin across his entire body.
Once stimulated to a certain degree, the skin would experience a leap in toughness, becoming as resilient as ox hide.
"This cultivation carries some risk, so it's best to have someone guide you. Once we reach the martial hall, I'll demonstrate it for you.
"As for what lies beyond the four gates of skin, flesh, bone, and blood, there are the seven paths: Galloping Steed, Wolf Smoke, Tiger Hunter, Attaining Elephant, Ascendant Dragon, Crucible, and Rainbow Transformation. Each path is further divided into finer stages.
"The Galloping Steed realm: at its peak, one can hold back dozens of galloping steeds without budging an inch.
"The Wolf Smoke realm: one's qi and blood billow like wolf smoke, rising a zhang high, resembling a celestial being. When strength is unleashed, it feels like facing a wolf pack, fearsome and overwhelming.
"The Tiger Hunter realm: qi and blood surge like crashing tides. When power is unleashed, ordinary folk tremble in terror like helpless rabbits before a ferocious tiger, their courage shattered.
"The Attaining Elephant realm: with a casual gesture, one shakes the earth, shatters mountains, and pacifies rivers, fit to serve as a grand general wherever they go.
"The Ascendant Dragon realm: a martial artist is like a heavenly dragon, breaking free from worldly shackles to leap three thousand zhang in a single bound, soaring amidst the clouds—a martial saint of a nation.
"As for the Crucible and Rainbow Transformation, I don't know much, only having heard that with Rainbow Transformation, one's physical body can turn into a soaring rainbow and achieve ascension.
"In truth, after skin, flesh, bone, and blood, there should be another gate for the internal organs. But because breaking the internal organs gate brings one directly into the early stage of Galloping Steed, capable of holding back galloping horses, the two realms are usually spoken of together."
*Is martial arts in this world really this formidable?*
Liang Qu didn't know whether this description contained hyperbole, but it certainly sounded incredible.
"Then what realm is Master Yang in?"
"Tiger Hunter."
"Tiger Hunter?!"
Liang Qu's pupils contracted slightly. Could tiny Pingyang Town really hold an expert of the Tiger Hunter realm?
Could martial cultivation be easy to break through, as common as cabbages?
Hu Qi smiled. "Junior Brother, do you know why there are three martial halls in our Pingyang Town?"
"I know."
"The other two remain in Pingyang Town because they are only qualified to run a hall in Pingyang Town. Master Yang stays in Pingyang Town simply because it is his hometown."
Liang Qu saw the light. Wasn't that just the difference between scoring ninety-nine because that was the limit of one's ability, and scoring a hundred because the test only went that high?
The martial arts of this world were far stronger than he had imagined, and he found himself anticipating breaking through the gate all the more.
As for that sword of Damocles previously hanging over his head, Squire Zhao—what kind of petty nobody was he now?
Chapter 40