Chapter 56: Chapter 52: Moving

Chen Qing pushed open the door to his home and said, “Mother, the deed is signed. Let’s pack up and move.”

Ms. Han nodded. “Alright, I’ll start packing right now.”

Ms. Han only had a few bundles, which contained a change of clothes and some old keepsakes she couldn’t bear to throw away.

Hearing the commotion, the next-door neighbor, Aunt Gao, poked her head out. “Sister-in-law Chen, are you really moving?”

At her words, Ms. Han couldn’t help but straighten her back, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Yes, we are. We’re moving near the courtyard where Ah Qing trains. It’ll be more convenient from now on.”

“That Xiaoqing is really something else now!” Aunt Gao’s eyes were filled with envy.

Of all the dozen or so children in Mute Bay, Chen Qing was the most capable, allowing his old mother to live a good life.

Ms. Han smiled. “Come visit our new home when you have the time.”p>

Aunt Gao nodded. “I definitely will!”

The mother and son quickly finished packing, and Zhao the Third had someone send over a flatbed cart.

The cart creaked all the way through the noisy market of Changping Street and turned into a deep, quiet alley.

Pushing open the heavy camphor wood gate, the afternoon sun filtered through the lush branches of an old locust tree, casting dappled spots of light on the green brick ground.

Ms. Han stood in the courtyard, sizing up the spacious grounds and the sturdy well platform, murmuring, “This is a good place…”

Her calloused hand carefully caressed the cool rim of the well, then felt the heavy door latch, a sense of stability settling in her heart.

Chen Qing silently placed his mother’s bundles in the eastern room. He then turned, walked to the well, and lowered the bucket. The rope scraped against the deep grooves with a RUMBLE, and he drew up a bucket of cool well water. He scooped a ladleful and handed it to Ms. Han. “Mother, have some water.”

Ms. Han took the water ladle, her face breaking into a relaxed smile as she looked at Chen Qing’s tall, straight figure.

The days of being tossed by the waves on the boat had finally come to an end, settling into this peaceful corner of the world.

After a short rest, Ms. Han couldn’t sit still and began tidying up the courtyard with nimble hands and feet.

Chen Qing, however, returned to his room and took out the items he had gotten from Song Hu: seventy taels of silver, mostly in broken pieces; nine Blood Qi Pills; and a parchment scroll.

He unrolled the parchment scroll and read the words on it in a low voice, “Inner Strength Secret Technique… Fishing Toad Force?”

This parchment scroll, it turned out, recorded a Martial Arts Secret Technique—the “Fishing Toad Force.”

The path of Martial Arts was vast and varied, with a particularly sharp distinction between Hard Skills and Inner Strength.

Hard Skills train the muscles, bones, and skin externally. Their methods of attack are extremely simple—fierce and direct strikes. The Power they use is mostly Manifest Force, and they are generally considered Lower-Grade Martial Arts.

The most famous of these are the likes of “Iron Cloth Shirt” and “Golden Bell Shield.”

Of course, there are also a few rare, exquisite, and profound Hard Skill masterpieces.

Inner Strength, on the other hand, is an extremely precious type of Martial Arts Secret Technique. It is based on unique breathing methods and specializes in tempering the internal organs.

Therefore, Inner Strength Methods are generally considered Upper-Grade Martial Arts.

Chen Qing focused his attention and examined the parchment scroll.

This “Fishing Toad Force” had three realms.

The first realm is ’Swallowing Qi and Filling the Belly.’ One swallows Qi through the mouth and nose into the abdomen, distending the stomach and intestines, producing a sound like a frog’s croak.

It provides initial training for the internal organs, allowing one to resist the impact of ordinary punches and kicks.

The second realm is ’Internal Shock of the Viscera.’ The breath sinks to vibrate the Dantian, with the effect spreading to the internal organs.

This makes the internal organs as tough as ox-hide, able to withstand heavy blows from a Manifest Force expert. An ordinary iron fist to the abdomen would cause no injury, and it can even neutralize thirty percent of the penetrating Power of Dark Force.

The third realm is ’Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing.’ The breath is used to guide vibrations through the bone marrow, emitting a ’buzzing’ thunderous sound.

This can achieve Purification and Marrow Cleansing, expelling impurities from the body.

It makes one’s qi and blood as vigorous as a furnace, impervious to heat and cold.

“This is truly great stuff!”

Chen Qing’s heart stirred as he looked at the Fishing Toad Force in his hands.

’Never mind the effects of the Third Realm, like Purification and Marrow Cleansing; the first two realms alone offer unimaginable benefits.’

’Ordinary attacks become ineffective, and fatal blows are reduced to heavy strikes. This undoubtedly adds a huge layer of security for me.’

Chen Qing picked up the parchment scroll and began to study it carefully. Before long, a golden light flashed in his mind.

[Fishing Toad Force Entry-Level (1/100)]

Chen Qing clenched the parchment scroll in his hand and muttered to himself, “This Fishing Toad Force can protect my internal organs. If I can master it, I’ll have another way to save my own life!”

’After all, in a life-or-death fight, the internal organs are a vital weak point and also a very easy target.’

’However, this “Fishing Toad Force” came from Song Hu. I can’t practice it at the Zhou Institute, to avoid unnecessary trouble. It’s safer to cultivate at home.’

In the afternoon, Chen Qing carefully checked the Blood Qi Pills to make sure they were fine, swallowed one, and then set off for the Zhou Institute.

It was now the height of summer. The weather was oppressively hot, and the ground felt like a furnace.

Some of the disciples in the courtyard were gritting their teeth and continuing to practice their fists, while others were panting in the shade of the trees to cool off.

“Brother Chen!”

“Brother Chen!”

Seeing Chen Qing arrive, many disciples stood up to greet him.

After responding to each of them, Chen Qing went to his usual spot to begin his training.

He stood quietly before his wooden post, focusing his mind. His feet were rooted to the ground, his shoulders sank and elbows dropped. His arms extended slowly like a stretching ape, fingertips slightly tensed as if containing infinite power.

His spine relaxed vertebra by vertebra, tailbone tucked in, as his breath flowed long and deep, sinking into his Dantian.

After one round of the Long Arm Pile Skill, his progress had tripled its usual rate.

This was thanks to the medicinal effects of the Blood Qi Pill.

Medicinal supplements and dietary supplements were both highly beneficial to him, allowing him to increase his progress extremely quickly.

Chen Qing practiced the Long Arm Fist two more times, then sat to the side to rest.

Just then, he noticed the disciples in the courtyard whispering among themselves. The name “Qin Lie” came up frequently in their conversations.

Chen Qing’s interest was piqued. He called Song Yufeng over and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Brother Chen, you haven’t heard?”

Song Yufeng glanced around and lowered his voice. “Master spent a great sum to invite Mr. Sima from Qingnang Hall. He prescribed a secret formula for Senior Brother Qin, and his major tendon… it’s actually starting to heal!”

Chen Qing’s eyes narrowed. “Oh?”

He wasn’t surprised that Zhou Liang was putting all his effort into healing Qin Lie.

After all, Qin Lie was Zhou Liang’s Closed-door Disciple. Their relationship was extremely close; in the eyes of some Veteran Martial Artists, it even surpassed that of a typical father and son.

Besides, Qin Lie had been injured by Gao Sheng of the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall. While it couldn’t be ruled out that his ’own’ issues played a part, Zhou Liang was also a major reason for it.

It was the news that a torn major tendon could actually heal that truly surprised him.

“This Mr. Sima really is a master physician…”

Song Yufeng sighed with emotion. “I heard Senior Sister Li speculate that if Qin Lie can recover, he might achieve a breakthrough from his setback and directly reach Dark Force Perfection, with a chance to challenge the gate three times.”

Chen Qing nodded slightly, then sought out Sun Shun to confirm the story.

When the topic came up, Sun Shun’s brow smoothed, and his face lit up with joy. He was genuinely happy for Qin Lie.

Looking around, many of the other disciples had complex and subtle expressions. Only Zhengzi Bridge stood alone, his brow deeply furrowed, his gaze occasionally sweeping toward the back of the courtyard.

’I’ll just wait and see how things develop.’

Chen Qing couldn’t shake the feeling that something was strange. ’A torn major tendon can just heal, just like that?’

…..

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep