A clear and crisp crowing of a rooster startled Li Qing awake from his deep martial training.
The sky was dimly lit, the fire in the stove gradually extinguishing, yet Li Qing felt no chill at all.
After a whole night of cultivation, he was astonished to discover that there seemed to be a peculiar sensation within his meridians.
With a thought, a warm current flowed through his body, but this feeling was very subtle, as fine as a thread; if one did not carefully sense it, it would be nearly imperceptible.
After several attempts, Li Qing finally confirmed a fact.
"I have cultivated inner strength!"
Inner strength!
A hallmark of internal martial arts, being able to cultivate inner strength meant that he had officially entered the realm of this internal martial art.
Realizing the existence of inner strength, Li Qing was both astonished and delighted, unable to hide the smile on his face.
Unlike external martial arts, internal martial arts place great emphasis on innate talent; many people, even if they obtain a superior internal martial art, may not be able to cultivate inner strength.
This was also why Li Qing had temporarily given up on the Turtle Breathing Technique before; it was indeed because his progress was too slow, and for a long time, he had seen no advancement, not even managing to enter the door, and he found it difficult to find a direction to strive for.
What he never expected was that practicing the Turtle Breathing Technique alongside the Golden Body Technique would produce a complementary effect, allowing him to cultivate inner strength in just one night.
Of course, this was certainly due to Li Qing's previous diligent practice.
But even so, if word got out that Li Qing had mastered two martial arts—one external and one internal—that could be cultivated simultaneously, the entire Jianghu would surely go wild.
"This secret must be kept; if others find out, even those masters of inner strength would not be able to sit still!"
He did not want to become the public enemy of the Jianghu, living every day in fear of being hunted by a group of experts.
Having cultivated inner strength, Li Qing felt refreshed and stepped out early in the morning, a smile that could not be wiped away gracing his face.
"Master Li, good morning! Would you like a bowl of wontons?" the owner of the wonton shop next door asked with a smile.
Li Qing returned the smile and said, "Yes! Two bowls of wontons, with extra chili oil!"
Before long, two bowls of steaming wontons were served, topped with red chili oil, the aroma wafting enticingly, stirring one's appetite.
"Master Li, why hasn't Xiao Qi come today?" the wonton shop owner casually asked.
Hearing this, Li Qing was momentarily taken aback, then remembered that Qi Kang had left last night; he still subconsciously ordered two bowls of wontons.
"Oh, he mentioned something about a matter back home; he probably won't be returning to Shengtian for a while," Li Qing replied, his tone slightly calmer as he began to eat.
Seeing this, the owner merely smiled, casually draping a cloth over his shoulder before attending to his own business.
While Li Qing was focused on eating his wontons, someone at the next table suddenly shouted excitedly:
"The war has stopped! The war has stopped! The court is no longer fighting Liang Kingdom!"
This excited shout initially drew the attention of some, but it was quickly ignored by other diners.
For the people in Shengtian, no matter how intense the fighting was at the border, as long as it did not reach Shengtian, it could not affect their mood.
In their view, although the army of Liang Kingdom was formidable, it still paled in comparison to the Wuli Army composed of warriors from Feng Dynasty; they had great confidence in the court.
Li Qing, however, pondered for a moment.
The ceasefire was within expectations; neither side would likely have plans to engage in battle again in the short term.
In the current harsh winter, the prairie bandits had also gone silent; neither side could do anything to the other, and continuing to fight would only lead to unnecessary casualties without much significance.
As Li Qing had thought, with the snowstorm intensifying, the prairie bandits no longer participated in the war between Liang Kingdom and Feng Kingdom. Finally, both sides reached a consensus to cease hostilities during this cold winter.
Previously, Liang Kingdom had used three crossbows to break open the gates of Wangyuan City more than once, but unfortunately, under the steadfast defense of the Wuli Army, they could only breach the gates but could not capture the city.
After a prolonged stalemate, both sides finally chose to call it quits.
Both sides had paid a considerable price; the Wuli Army, with a total of eighteen thousand men, suffered over six thousand casualties by the end of the war.
On the Liang Kingdom's side, the losses were even more severe, with casualties exceeding ten thousand!
However, most of the Wuli Army were warriors; nearly twenty external strength captains had died, and even an internal strength captain was lost on the battlefield.
These reports made the commanding general of the Wuli Army feel as if his heart was being cut, causing the court to feel considerable pain as well.
"Even internal strength experts have died on the battlefield; war is indeed terrifying," Li Qing remarked, unable to suppress his emotions as he looked at the battlefield intelligence he had just collected.
For the common people, perhaps these casualties were just numbers.
But Li Qing knew that these casualty figures were not merely numbers; they represented a tangible cost, a rather heavy price.
The court spent a significant amount of money to train each soldier of the Wuli Army, especially those external strength warriors and internal strength cultivators, each one being a costly investment.
And when these soldiers died on the battlefield, generous compensation had to be awarded, which was another heavy cost that had to be paid and could not be avoided!
"Regardless, the war has ultimately come to an end," Li Qing slowly set down the intelligence from the border, letting out a soft sigh.
With Qi Kang no longer by his side, Li Qing would have to gather information himself in the future.
This made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he suddenly found himself missing Qi Kang.
In the following days, Li Qing worked in the blacksmith shop, forging iron to earn lifespan while also dedicating time to martial arts practice.
Occasionally, he would visit the inn on the next street, eavesdropping on the conversations of patrons to gather news about recent happenings in the Jianghu.
Finally, news about Xiao Cuiling emerged.
"Someone died! Someone died over at Xiao Cuiling!"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of some Jianghu individuals present widened.
Clearly, many people were already aware of the recent events concerning Xiao Cuiling; it was no longer a secret.
"Brother, could you elaborate?"
"Yes, yes! Quickly tell us what happened over at Xiao Cuiling; it's been so long, and finally, there's news!"
Faced with the crowd's inquiries, the person who first brought up the news maintained a mysterious demeanor, not in a hurry to speak.
However, the innkeeper, clearly adept at handling such situations, immediately said, "Guest, today I’ll cover your drink; please tell us about what happened at Xiao Cuiling."
Upon hearing this, the person finally revealed a satisfied expression.
"Hahaha, it's not really a secret; you would probably know in a few days anyway."
"As for Xiao Cuiling..."
(End of Chapter)