The storm raged on, and the streets were deserted, shrouded in darkness.
No one could see anyone else.
Liang Qu, clutching a small stove wrapped in a damp cotton coat, dragged his exhausted body back to the shore.
From the nearby reeds, he plucked two withered leaves, tore them into thin strips, and threaded them through the gill cover of the Red-Blood Perch he had caught.
Holding the prized fish, he hurried home.
Once inside, he shut the door tightly, rekindled the stove, and added firewood.
As the water boiled, he tossed in the fish chunks.
Just as the fish was about to cook through, Liang Qu stood up to ensure all the gaps in the house were sealed.
He then lit the Focused Mind Incense he had brought back earlier.
A faint, soothing fragrance began to fill the room.
Liang Qu could feel his focus sharpening, his thoughts becoming quicker and more agile.
The physical exhaustion had made him drowsy, but after inhaling the incense, he felt as refreshed as if he had just woken from a deep, restful sleep.
With the incense still burning, Liang Qu quickly devoured the steaming fish and began practicing the Ape Fist technique.
[Water Essence +3.5]
The vitality he had expended during the day was now being replenished.
As it circulated through his body, Liang Qu could feel the soreness in his muscles easing, bringing him immense relief.
Vitality was a reflection of a martial artist's physical strength, but it wasn't the abundance of vitality that made one strong.
Rather, it was the strength of the body that allowed one to condense sufficient vitality.
Vitality wasn't the cause of strength; it was the result.
And this result, in turn, could enhance the cause.
This cycle continued endlessly.
As long as the body wasn't severely depleted, replenishing vitality after it was exhausted could be done quickly, especially when energy was abundant.
One could fully recover twice in a single day.
Hu Qi had estimated that Liang Qu would break through his current barrier in about twenty days.
That meant he needed to temper his skin around fifty times to achieve a qualitative transformation.
As the fish churned in his stomach, a surge of energy was extracted from it.
Strands of vitality began to gather, starting as thin as a few strands of hair, then thickening to the size of a chopstick, then a pinky finger, and finally a thumb—all within a few minutes.
Liang Qu took a deep breath, savoring the incense's aroma.
Following the sensation Hu Qi had imparted to him earlier, he guided the flow of vitality through his body.
With the help of the Focused Mind Incense, the circulation of vitality was smooth and swift.
Soon, it transformed into a warm current, dissolving into his skin and fascia.
His skin quickly turned red, radiating intense heat for a full half-hour before finally subsiding.
Liang Qu exhaled deeply, a cloud of white mist billowing from his mouth and nose, swirling endlessly.
His taut skin relaxed, feeling soft to the touch, yet it seemed to have gained a newfound resilience against attacks.
After one round of skin tempering, Liang Qu didn't stop.
He continued to condense his vitality.
The Red-Blood Perch provided far more energy than this.
However, he had already extinguished the Focused Mind Incense.
The stuff was expensive—half a tael of silver per stick, according to Hu Qi!
Since the room was sealed, the lingering fragrance was enough.
He could afford to be frugal.
Liang Qu had become a disciple of Yang Dongxiong, which had brought a significant improvement in his status and living conditions.
But after all, a master wasn't a father.
Yang Dongxiong teaching him was already a great blessing.
Now that Liang Qu had just entered the school, his senior brothers naturally looked out for him.
But he couldn't rely on them for everything.
In the end, resources had to be earned by himself.
Otherwise, what difference was there between him and a parasite?
Not to mention Yang Dongxiong, Liang Qu himself would look down on such behavior.
He had hands, feet, and even a cheat—he was no worse than anyone else!
As the fish continued to digest, a surge of energy poured out from his body, repeatedly condensed into vitality.
His crimson skin hadn't even returned to its normal color before it tightened again, becoming increasingly extraordinary through countless tempering sessions.
By dawn, Liang Qu had condensed his vitality twenty-eight times using the Red-Blood Perch, continuously refining his skin and fascia.
The energy from the Red-Blood Perch was completely exhausted, not a trace left.
What was originally estimated to take twenty days and fifty tempering sessions now only required twenty-two more sessions—less than ten days.
The cost was that Liang Qu was utterly exhausted.
As he listened to the distant clamor and the sound of carts rolling over the bluestone slabs, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke again, it was still dark.
For a moment, Liang Qu was disoriented, unsure of what day it was.
After a long silence, he finally remembered the situation.
He had slept from morning until night.
In the middle of the night, the martial hall was certainly closed.
There was no way to find his senior brothers.
Hearing footsteps outside, likely fishermen preparing to set out, Liang Qu decided it was the perfect time to head to the water and hone his underwater skills.
Clenching his fists, Liang Qu swung them through the air, feeling the rush of excitement.
His Marsh Spirit fusion rate was nearing fifty percent.
He had a premonition that once it truly broke through fifty, something significant would change.
His martial path was also on the verge of a breakthrough in the Skin Barrier, making him a true martial artist.
While there was a difference between a martial artist and a martial master, and he wouldn't be able to enjoy imperial benefits, it was like the difference between a scholar and a provincial graduate.
Even as a scholar, one was already far above the common folk—a dream for many.
Both paths were advancing rapidly.
Oh, and there were also Fatty Catfish and The Immovable.
The two beasts required less Water Essence to evolve than Liang Qu, and their progress was already past the halfway mark.
It was a triple breakthrough.
Once that happened, in the shallow waters of the Jianghuai Marshlands, as long as no deep-water demonic beasts showed up, Liang Qu could practically be considered the king of the shallows, the top dog of Righteous Prosperity City!
Putting on his clothes, Liang Qu made his way to the dock.
The temperature had dropped even more today, perhaps signaling the arrival of colder air after yesterday's rain.
Reaching the shore, he saw scattered lights, much brighter than the previous night.
However, there were still quite a few boats docked, about half the usual number.
Small groups of fishermen gathered in the tea shops by the shore, discussing something.
Liang Qu was about to untie his boat when a voice called out to him.
"Ah Shui, are you heading out?"
He turned to see Li Libo's father, Li Dakang, and stayed on the shore.
"Yes, Uncle Li. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing major. I just wanted to ask, my boy hasn't come home in two days. Is he still at the martial hall, or has he gone off somewhere?"
Another voice chimed in—Chen Jiechang's father, Chen Cheng.
"Yeah, my boy hasn't come back either. I was going to go to Peaceful Sun Town to look for you all, but then I thought, three grown men together, you couldn't have gotten lost. So I didn't bother. But since I ran into you, I thought I'd ask."
"Oh, we got back late yesterday, and I forgot to tell you, Uncle Li and Uncle Chen. The three of us performed well, and the martial master took notice. He set aside a room in the courtyard for us to stay in, so we've been focusing on training and haven't come back."
Li Libo and Chen Jiechang had both been injured, and their faces were still bruised.
They were too embarrassed to go home and worry their parents, so they had asked Liang Qu to cover for them with a little white lie.
Liang Qu's recent rescue of Chen Qingjiang's family had greatly improved his reputation in Righteous Prosperity City.
While he was far from being a local hero, at least his words carried weight.
But after returning, he had gone straight to catching the prized fish, encountered two great demons, and been too shaken to remember this matter.
It wasn't until now, when asked, that he recalled it.
As for the fact that he had become a true disciple...
"Returning home in wealth without showing it off is like walking at night in fine clothes."
Liang Qu really wanted to announce it, but looking at the small groups of fishermen around, it didn't seem like the right time.
He couldn't make a big splash just yet.
Chen Cheng and Li Dakang, upon hearing this, beamed with joy.
They slapped the shoulders of the fishermen around them and shouted.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that? My boy was noticed by the martial master! My boy was noticed by the martial master!"
"We heard, we heard. Congratulations, congratulations!"
"I've always said Ah Shui, Ah Jie, and Ah Bo were different. They're the smartest kids in our village. Look, they're going to make something of themselves!"
"Wow, has Righteous Prosperity City ever produced martial artists? And now three at once?"
"There have been a few, but they all moved to Peaceful Sun Town and never came back."
The expressions of the surrounding fishermen changed instantly.
No matter how they felt inside, they had to say something nice to their faces.
"Hahaha, congratulations to you all. If they really become martial artists, I'll treat you all to drinks!"
Li Dakang and Chen Cheng were practically bursting to tell everyone about their sons' achievements.
Having seen this kind of scene countless times in his past life, Liang Qu shook his head and headed for his boat.
But Li Dakang stopped him again.
"Ah Shui, I was going to stop you earlier, but I didn't get a chance to explain. Did you know it rained heavily last night?"
"Yeah, I know. What about it?"
"Then you don't know that the River God appeared last night, do you?"
Liang Qu was stunned.
"The River God?"
"Yes! The River God jumped out of the river and caught a flaming bird! The sky was shattered! It's better to wait a couple of days before heading out. Let the village chief gather a few wealthy families to lead, and each household can contribute some money for a River God sacrifice. After the sacrifice, then we can go out. Otherwise, it's not safe to set sail."
The fishermen around nodded in agreement.
"That's right. If the River God appears, we must hold a sacrifice. Otherwise, if we anger him, not catching fish would be the least of our worries. The River God's wrath is no small matter!"
(End of Chapter)