Half an hour later.
At the inner city gate, the two met up again and set off together toward Xiaojing Bay.
Along the way, Chen An glanced at the stuffed creel on Shen Xiuhan's back and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
“Brother Han, why did you buy so many things?”
“We don't have any food left at home, so I had to stock up on a few essentials.”
Shen Xiuhan adjusted the straps of the creel on his shoulders.
He had indeed purchased quite a bit of food and supplies on this trip.
Two pounds of millet, two pounds of cornmeal, and half a pound of coarse salt.
He had originally wanted to buy some soy sauce, but when he asked the price, it was too expensive—twenty copper coins for just an ounce—so he had to pass.
Instead, he went to the butcher's and bought a pound of pork belly with plenty of fat.
He also made sure to get three ounces of roasted fish bones, a local snack unique to Changyun County, especially for Shen Momo.
The oil, salt, grains, flour, and meat cost him forty-seven copper coins in total.
Just as he was about to leave the East Market, he spotted a small stall selling salted duck eggs at a street corner.
Thinking of Momo's pale, thin little face, Shen Xiuhan didn't hesitate to pull out ten copper coins and buy two salted duck eggs.
Salted duck eggs were packed with salt, but more importantly, they contained a rich, reddish oil.
For someone who was malnourished and hadn't eaten meat in a long time, this was incredibly nourishing.
Together with the two black carps, it was a highly successful trip.
But it was also expensive!
Of the three hundred and thirty copper coins he had made from selling the fish, he had spent fifty-seven, leaving him with over two hundred and seventy coppers in his pocket.
That was right—the two strings of copper coins Ma Xianyang had given Shen Xiuhan amounted to a whopping two hundred coppers!
He was truly generous!
This made Shen Xiuhan very curious about Ma Xianyang, so he kept asking Chen An about him.
“Senior Brother Ma is the third disciple of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall's inner courtyard. He's a prominent figure among the younger generation in all of Changyun County!”
Mentioning Ma Xianyang, Chen An's face filled with awe and longing as he sighed.
“It is said... Senior Brother Ma's cultivation has already reached the peak of Blood Tempering!”
“You were standing far away earlier, so you couldn't feel it, but his vital energy and blood are as robust as a roaring furnace. He doesn't even need to wear a padded coat in the dead of winter!”
“I also heard that Senior Brother Ma tempers his body day and night, and is already incredibly close to the threshold of Bone Tempering!”
“Blood Tempering? Bone Tempering?”
Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat. Highly eager to learn about martial arts, he quickly pressed for more details.
“Chen An, could you explain these martial arts realms to me in detail?”
“We're brothers, of course I can tell you.”
Chen An grinned, clasping his hands behind his head as he walked and talked.
“The path of martial arts is divided into three major realms: Mingjin, Anjin, and Huajin.”
“Let's not talk about the higher ones for now. Let's just focus on the first hurdle of martial arts: Mingjin.”
“Mingjin is further divided into three minor realms: Blood Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Tendon Tempering.”
“Blood Tempering, as the name suggests, uses martial arts stance work to stimulate the vital energy and blood to surge through the body!”
At this point, Chen An cleared his throat.
“There's a mnemonic in the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall: ‘Blood boils like hot soup, resisting the winter frost, torn skin and broken flesh are no injury at all!’”
“Though the last line is a bit of an exaggeration, it contains truth. Once a martial artist enters Blood Tempering, any non-fatal external injuries heal much faster than those of an ordinary person.”
“Once you have these three characteristics, you are considered to have achieved great mastery in Blood Tempering and can attempt to break through to Bone Tempering.”
“I see...”
Shen Xiuhan's eyes were opened, and he curiously pressed further, “What about Bone Tempering? What are its characteristics?”
“Bone Tempering?”
Chen An suddenly put on a stern face and furrowed his brows in a mock scold.
“You haven't even crossed the threshold of Blood Tempering, yet you're already thinking about Bone Tempering? Too ambitious! Go, your punishment is... cough... actually, the Eldest Senior Brother hasn't taught us Tendon Tempering yet.”
“But Eldest Senior Brother said that only by entering the Blood Tempering Realm can one be considered to have officially stepped onto the path of martial arts.”
“Most people who practice martial arts in this world struggle their entire lives and can never cross this hurdle. In the end, they only learn a few basic tricks...”
As he finished, Chen An's voice grew quieter, and a hint of discouragement appeared on his face, as if he had thought of something.
Shen Xiuhan's heart stirred, and he patted Chen An's shoulder. “Even so, I still envy you.”
“Being accepted into an inner city martial arts hall is already a big step up. If you achieve even a little success, it will bring great honor to your family.”
“Even if you can't officially cross the threshold, the foundation you learn at the martial arts hall will allow you to become a guard for a wealthy family, an escort for a security agency, or secure a job as an officer at the county magistrate's office... Your livelihood for the rest of your life will be secure.”
Hearing this, Chen An's mood instantly improved, and he grinned sheepishly.
“That's true... My mother said that since our family scraped together eight taels of silver for my tuition, as long as I'm willing to work hard, I won't have to worry about making a living. Marrying, having kids, and starting a career should all happen in the next couple of years.”
Eight taels of silver for tuition!
Shen Xiuhan's eyelids twitched.
One tael of silver was worth one thousand copper coins, so eight taels was a massive sum of eight thousand coppers.
Carrying over two hundred coppers in his pocket, he had felt like he had struck it rich.
Now, it seemed he was still far from it.
He couldn't rely on entering a martial arts hall through the official route anytime soon.
Shen Xiuhan fell silent for a moment before starting another topic. “By the way, Chen An, is there an even higher realm above Huajin?”
“Of course there is...”
A look of confusion appeared in Chen An's eyes.
“But as an outer courtyard disciple, I don't have access to those details.”
“In any case, there certainly aren't any legendary figures of that caliber in our Changyun County.”
“Perhaps only the Nanxiang Prefecture capital has them.”
...
The two chatted as they walked, arriving in the territory of Xiaojing Bay before they knew it.
Shen Xiuhan had originally wanted to stop by the northern woods to look for the winter food hoarded by the Gold-Tailed Rat from Intelligence ②.
But since he was walking with Chen An, he had to temporarily give up on the idea and wait until he had some free time tomorrow.
Arriving at the entrance of Chen An's home, the two waved goodbye.
Stepping through the snow, Shen Xiuhan walked up the slope alone.
Soon, three dilapidated thatched huts came into view.
The wicker gate was wide open.
From a distance, a small, thin figure could be seen huddled at the doorway, seemingly waiting for someone.
Hearing the sound of footsteps crunching on the snow, the small figure suddenly stood up, tiptoeing to peer into the distance.
The next second, she threw herself toward him like a little swallow.
“Big Brother! Big Brother is back!”
“Momo missed you so much!”
Hearing her crisp, joyful cheers, Shen Xiuhan felt the fatigue of freezing in the snow for half the day instantly melt away.
No matter how tired he was, it was all worth it.
Smiling, he crouched down and opened his arms, catching the little girl securely in his embrace.
Shen Momo hugged him tightly, looking up with worry in her eyes.
“Big Brother, why did you take so long? It's already dark, Momo waited for a very, very long time...”
“I went to catch fish for Momo, of course. Look, what did I bring you?”
Entering the thatched hut, Shen Xiuhan took off the creel, pulled out a paper-wrapped package, and opened it to reveal the golden, roasted fish bones inside.
This was a local snack unique to Changyun County.
Made by coating leftover fish scraps and small bones in flour, deep-frying them, and sprinkling them with salt, they were crispy and savory—a favorite among children.
“It's roasted fish bones!!”
The little girl's eyes widened, and she practically began to drool.
“Is this for Momo?”
“Of course.”
Shen Xiuhan picked up a piece and held it to her mouth.
As if receiving a precious treasure, the little girl carefully leaned in and took a tiny bite.
With a crisp crunch, the rich oil and savory flavor instantly burst in her mouth.
Shen Momo's large eyes curved into two happy crescents.
“It's delicious! So delicious! You eat too, Big Brother!”
...
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