The sixteenth day since Tu Xiaotian, the Ninth Chief of Chenjian Dock, was blinded.
The first light of dawn was just beginning to break.
Shen Xiuhan's ears twitched slightly. He heard light, rapid footsteps approaching from a distance, as swift and nimble as a young deer.
With a soft thud, a fair, tender little hand pushed the wooden door open.
A plump, adorable little girl with her hair tied in a single topknot poked half her body into the room, her large, round eyes scanning the space.
The moment she saw Shen Xiuhan on the bed, the little one's eyes lit up with sheer delight, and she cheered happily:
“Big bwother!”
Along with her shout, Shen Momo kicked off her small cloth shoes, scrambled onto the bed using both hands and feet, and dove headfirst straight into Shen Xiuhan's embrace.
“Hahaha!”
Shen Xiuhan laughed heartily.
He grabbed the little girl by her armpits and hoisted her high above his head, causing her short legs to kick wildly in the air as she let out a cascade of bell-like laughter.
The siblings played affectionately on the bed for a moment.
Reaching into his bag, Shen Xiuhan retrieved two duck eggs. Their shells bore faint purple patterns, indicating they were indeed the eggs of the Purple-Beaked Duck!
“Momo, these are Precious Beast eggs. Just like the Blue-Spire Chicken eggs from last time, they can be hatched and raised. Consider them a gift for you...”
“Wow! Cluck, cluck, quack, quack!”
The little girl was overjoyed, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. She carefully cradled the Precious Beast eggs in her arms, unable to put them down, rubbing her chubby cheeks against the smooth shells again and again.
The three Blue-Spire Chickens raised in the backyard had already grown hard, dark feathers, shedding their fluffy, adorable appearance from when they were chicks.
They spent their days strutting around their coop with their heads held high, looking incredibly smug and energetic.
Now that she had two more duck eggs, the little girl was brimming with excitement. Clutching the eggs tightly, she prepared to bolt toward the backyard.
“Shen Momo!”
Madam Zheng's voice echoed from the main hall. “Come and eat your breakfast quickly! Otherwise, you'll be late for school, and you'll have to watch out for the teacher's ruler!”
If Madam Zheng had not repeatedly urged her, this girl would have happily spent the entire day playing with the chickens and ducks in the backyard all by herself.
After breakfast, Madam Zheng escorted Shen Momo to school.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiuhan stood in the courtyard and took out a Jasper Blood Pill.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved into a scalding, fiery torrent, surging down his throat and flooding into his limbs and bones.
“Phew!”
Leveraging the medicinal power, Shen Xiuhan sank his waist and settled into his stance, focusing on practicing the forms of the Golden Eagle Soaring Technique.
When still, he was like a dormant beast of prey; when in motion, he was like a golden eagle soaring through the heavens!
He practiced continuously for half an hour.
Only when a cloud of white blood qi steam rose from his head, and the medicinal force and blood qi had repeatedly washed through his body, circulating smoothly, did he finally draw in his breath and bring his stance to a close.
Afterward, he went to the well to draw water, washing away the sticky sweat before changing into a clean, neat set of teal practice robes. Then, he made his way toward the Mei Courtyard.
In the backyard coop.
“Cluck!”
An old hen clucked twice, shifting her body to reveal the two eggs beneath her rump, which were noticeably larger than normal. She tilted her head, seemingly lost in deep thought...
...
Mei Courtyard.
The martial arts field.
The shouting and sounds of punching and kicking echoed like rolling thunder, carrying far beyond the front gates.
Stepping over the threshold, Shen Xiuhan swept his gaze across the area and noticed a new batch of unfamiliar faces with clumsy movements and raw expressions.
Most of these boys and girls were around fifteen or sixteen, dressed in coarse cloth garments. Some of their legs trembled violently as they held horse stances, while others had crooked, unstable stances—clear signs that they had only recently joined.
Meanwhile, several familiar faces from before had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
The path of martial arts was like thousands of soldiers and horses trying to cross a single-plank bridge; it was exceptionally brutal.
Most likely...
...their tuition had expired, and having failed to break through the Blood Tempering stage, they could only leave in dejection.
“Xiuhan!”
Today, the one supervising the training at the front of the formation was Second Senior Brother Xu Chuan.
Dressed in coarse cloth training clothes and drenched in sweat, Xu Chuan's eyes lit up the moment he spotted Shen Xiuhan. He immediately halted his form and waved, flashing a broad, toothy grin.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Shen Xiuhan smiled and stepped forward to exchange warm greetings.
Meanwhile.
In the back hall.
Wisps of sandalwood incense smoke drifted lazily into the air.
Mei Shuangfeng stood in the center of the room, holding a teapot with her delicate hand as she personally brewed tea.
As boiling water was poured into the purple clay teapot, a rich tea aroma filled the room.
She poured the tea into several celadon cups and served them to the guests seated on both sides.
On the left, seated in a huanghuali armchair, was Jiang Qinghong, dressed in a sharp black training suit.
On the right, three figures sat in a row.
The one at the head was dressed as an elegant young nobleman.
He wore a moon-white brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist, gently waving a folding fan. With a face as fair as carved jade and a faint smile playing on his lips, he cut a highly dashing and refined figure.
In the middle sat a slender, graceful young woman with neat, ear-length short hair, giving her a very crisp and capable look.
The last person was a tall, lean, and powerful man clad in pitch-black robes.
His face was cold and stern, as if carved from stone, with a resolute jawline. A sharp, menacing aura radiated from his entire body, warning others to keep their distance and making it difficult to look at him directly.
Once Mei Shuangfeng finished serving the tea.
The fan-wielding nobleman took a sip, then swayed his head and clicked his tongue in admiration, laughing:
“It has been so long since I last drank tea brewed by Master's own hands... Ah, sweet and refreshing indeed, hahaha!”
Mei Shuangfeng spared him a glance and said flatly, “Just drink your tea.”
The man chuckled, completely unbothered, and turned his gaze to Jiang Qinghong across from him, his eyes filled with a touch of amazement.
“Junior Sister... congratulations! Breaking through to the Anjin stage in your early twenties is truly the mark of a heaven-sent genius.”
“Such talent would make you a top figure even within the inner sects of the Four Great Sects!”
Jiang Qinghong smiled and said:
“Senior Brother Zuo, you are too kind. I am far from matching your achievements. You broke through to Anjin two years ago and became an inner disciple of Bixia Villa's Qi Dao branch. You are much more outstanding than I am.”
“Oh, Qinghong, don't flatter Zuo Guangshu like that...”
The short-haired young woman let out a crisp laugh upon hearing this:
“He broke through to Anjin two years ago, but the moment he joined the Qi Dao branch, he began slacking off, loafing around all day. To this day, he hasn't even opened his second acupoint. If you keep putting yourself down like this, his tail will rise straight to the heavens.”
“Ding Ning, just drink your tea!”
Zuo Guangshu rolled his eyes dramatically and retorted in a mimicry of Mei Shuangfeng's tone, drawing a round of soft laughter from the room.
Seated in the host's chair, Mei Shuangfeng wore a gentle smile, clearly in a very good mood.
These three were all core disciples who had graduated from her martial arts hall.
Back when they were still practicing in the courtyard, Jiang Qinghong was just the naive little junior sister who followed behind her seniors.
Now, they had spread their wings and made names for themselves within various powerful factions.
Take Zuo Guangshu, for instance. He hailed from the Zuo Clan of Changyun. Although they were not a massive, prestigious family, his achievement of reaching the Anjin stage at such a young age and entering the inner sect of Bixia Villa's Qi Dao branch made him quite a prominent figure.
The other young woman with short hair, Ding Ning, was the older sister of Ding Qing, who currently held the fifth rank in the inner courtyard.
She and the silent, black-clad man, Wang Lin, both served in the Longxiang Army.
Each of them had a bright and promising future.
With these thoughts in mind, Mei Shuangfeng set down her teacup, swept her gaze over the two of them, and asked:
“Ding Ning, Wang Lin, what brings the two of you back this time? Could it be for the Longxiang Martial Feast?”
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