Zhao Xing was quite happy, but Madam Cai was not pleased.
She wanted to hide the meat to eat later, but it was already in the pot, making it difficult to take it out. So, she decided to add more; otherwise, Little Zheng wouldn't be full. The child had already started cultivating, and his nutrition needed to keep up.
“Eat, eat, eat! You’ll choke on that mud leg!” Madam Cai glared fiercely at the pot, banging the cutting board, as if that piece of meat were Zhao Xing.
The commotion in the kitchen grew louder, but no one paid attention.
Because Zhao Ruide was training Zhao Zheng in the courtyard.
He was practicing his stance, not knowing how long he had been standing, yet he remained motionless, like a green pine.
Though he was nearing sixty, his breathing was still long and steady, his blood and Qi flowing like mercury, the richness of his vital Qi far surpassing that of Zhao Xing.
“Mountain Sitting Technique, standing like a mountain. This technique can barely be considered a middle-grade martial artist's stance, yet it has been practiced to an upper-grade feeling. It seems that with enough training, even minor spells can wield great power,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.
Whether martial arts or spells, they could break through established ranks and yield new insights; one could say there were no limits.
Of course, such situations were rare in the current version. One reason was the abundance of paths to acquire spells and martial skills. After reaching 'Nine Turns' (full proficiency), one would generally choose to cultivate higher-level techniques. The second reason was the restrictions of the laws of heaven and earth; such situations would only become common in a revival version.
Zhao Ruide was serious in his practice, his posture correct, breathing in and out with vital Qi, while Zhao Zheng, on the other hand, was being careless.
He would move his feet, twist his waist, scratch his ears and cheeks, his mind clearly not focused on this.
Upon seeing Zhao Xing return, his eyes lit up, as if he had finally found an excuse to avoid training: “Big Brother is back! Big Brother! Father, you chat! I’ll go get towels for you!”
This little rascal didn’t genuinely like his brother; he simply wanted to escape from training!
Even if a dog were brought over, he would still call it brother. This little guy was quite clever!
Having said that, he immediately got up and tried to sneak away.
“Come back! Who told you to move?!” Zhao Ruide shouted.
Zhao Zheng ran off with a grin, completely disregarding Zhao Ruide's words.
Zhao Xing found it amusing. It was rare for a father to teach his son martial arts because he couldn't bear to be too harsh. Moreover, Zhao Ruide, having a son late in life, was quite indulgent towards Zhao Zheng, only saying a few stern words. Was this really training?
“Zhao Zheng, come here.”
“Ah? Big Brother…” Zhao Zheng stood in place, somewhat conflicted.
“One, two~~”
“Coming, coming!” Zhao Zheng jolted and immediately ran over.
“Father hasn’t said to stop; why are you running? Keep standing!”
Zhao Zheng’s little face immediately fell, his brows drooping, reluctantly standing beside Zhao Ruide.
“Bend your knees, straighten your chest, hands in the right position!” Zhao Xing unceremoniously kicked Zhao Zheng’s leg.
“I’m standing properly, Big Brother, I’m standing properly.” Zhao Zheng didn’t dare to get angry and even showed a flattering smile.
Zhao Ruide pretended not to see his younger son’s worthless expression.
But this couldn’t be blamed on Zhao Zheng.
He had a doting mother and a loving father; even when he misbehaved, they never truly hit him.
Only this older brother was different; he would really beat him, and it hurt however it came.
If he complained to his father, his father would only say a few words.
If he complained to his mother, she would even side with him!
Though there was no blood relation, there was a sense of bloodline suppression.
As a result, when Zhao Zheng saw Zhao Xing, he was as obedient as a quail.
Dinner was eaten in the courtyard. Zhao Ruide wasn’t too particular, and Madam Cai, being a former songstress, didn’t care about these little details. It was cool in the courtyard, so they decided to eat there.
With Zhao Xing present, Zhao Zheng behaved much better during meals, but after a while, he still couldn’t sit still: “Mother, I’m hot.”
Though he was speaking to Madam Cai, Zhao Zheng’s eyes were expectantly looking at his big brother.
“Mother will fan you.” Madam Cai immediately put down her chopsticks to get a fan.
“No need to be so troublesome.” Zhao Xing pointed up, and dark clouds suddenly appeared, just covering the sunlight.
At the same time, a gentle breeze blew, making Zhao Zheng’s eyes shine brightly.
Even Zhao Ruide was somewhat surprised: “You can already summon the wind? Those clouds have grown quite a bit.”
Zhao Xing nodded: “I’ve made some progress recently.”
Not just a little progress; Zhao Xing’s Cloud Movement had already exceeded 5000 in proficiency. In technical terms, it was Cloud Movement at Five Turns, capable of covering five thousand meters.
Zhao Ruide was knowledgeable and could clearly feel the improvement in the spell. At the same time, looking at his foster son, this casual demeanor felt quite different from before.
“Is there hope for you to take an official position this year?”
Zhao Xing put down his bowl and chopsticks: “There’s an eighty percent chance.”
Zhao Ruide asked: “What are the missing two percent?”
Zhao Xing pondered: “A good teacher and a recommender.”
Although Xue Wenzhong had agreed to take him as a disciple, it was still not publicly acknowledged. How much effort the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau head would put into recommending him was uncertain. Moreover, just having the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau head might not be enough.
Taking an official position mainly depended on assessments, but recommendations also held some weight, especially when multiple candidates had similar scores or were very close.
Zhao Ruide nodded, not asking further.
However, in the following days, Zhao Xing noticed that the family’s meals suddenly improved significantly, mostly consisting of nourishing vital Qi dishes.
At the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, just as dawn broke, Zhao Xing had already arrived at Xue Wenzhong’s Huai Liu Courtyard.
“Boom~” “Boom!”
A cloud only three meters square swirled five meters above Zhao Xing’s head.
The sound of thunder was incessant, and the flashes of lightning made Zhao Xing’s face flicker between light and shadow.
Moments later, the dark clouds dispersed.
Zhao Xing looked at the panel.
[Thunder: Beginner Spell]
[Progress: (3005/9999)]
[Effect: Can produce thunder sounds within the cloud layer when preceded by Cloud Movement.]
“Thunder has already reached Three Turns, and its power is getting stronger. The old Agricultural Affairs Bureau head is truly a treasure of an old man,” Zhao Xing couldn’t help but exclaim.
Just a few days ago, he had just learned Thunder, and now it had already reached Three Turns in just a few days.
Such rapid progress, aside from the Dao Embryo Pills and Fortune enhancement, Xue Wenzhong’s exclusive guidance was also a significant boost.
For instance, just now, Xue Wenzhong had him control Cloud Movement to around three meters and then cast Thunder. This method of spellcasting tested control greatly but had a tremendous training effect.
In other words, the proficiency gained was substantial!
“Cloud Movement in the palm, three feet of thunder; this is something I’ve figured out myself.” In Xue Wenzhong’s palm, clouds appeared, and lightning snakes rolled within.
“The court transmits myriad methods; anyone can learn. However, finding the best, the most suitable method for oneself, that is the ‘art’.”
“Think carefully about this. Practice while thinking in the backyard this morning. After the lesson, I will come to check on you from time to time. I heard you scored top marks in the minor summer assessment a few days ago; you must not become arrogant. You still have a significant gap compared to the outstanding individuals from other courtyards. The thirty people on the top list are all stronger than you.”
“Yes, student will remember.” Zhao Xing cupped his hands.
(End of Chapter)