Chapter 172. Organ Nourishment!
Yu Qingwan listened from the side, her heart feeling heavy.
The Yu Family came from a nearby county town. Though they had built up a flourishing business there, their foundation in Jiuyang Commandery City was still shallow, especially when it came to the lack of martial artists capable of holding the line.
As the Yu Family steadily grew and its business improved, the bandits entrenched along the family's main trade routes had also become increasingly restless. The "protection money" they demanded kept rising.
That was why she had entered Fangcun Sect. First, it was for her own cultivation. Second, it was to help her family find people of exceptional strength to serve as resident retainers.
Although she had used money to open doors and had gathered a number of disciples who could be considered fairly capable, something still felt lacking in the end.
"Qingwan?"
Noticing that she had drifted off, Luo Ziyan asked with concern, "You don't seem very interested. Are you still worrying about the bandits?"
Yu Qingwan came back to herself, slowly walked into the room, and sighed.
"Those trade routes have been unstable lately. Several of our important shipments have been harassed, and the losses have not been small. My father and the clan elders have been pressing me to find someone capable to go hold the line as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, if the trade routes are cut off, then not long after we've finally gained a foothold in the commandery city, we'll probably be knocked right back to where we started."
When Zhong Hong heard this, her eyes flickered, and she immediately picked up the conversation.
"Didn't I mention this to you a few days ago?"
"My second uncle has a Liu-surnamed guest retainer under him. He's a genuine Grandmaster in the Organ Nourishment realm and has quite a reputation in the commandery city."
"There's also another one, my cousin's junior fellow disciple. His family background is a bit inferior, but his talent is excellent. He's only a little over seventeen, yet he's already at the peak of the Extraordinary Meridians realm, and his foundation is extremely solid!"
"As long as you say the word, I'll introduce them to you immediately. I guarantee they'll be far better than anyone you can find here!"
Luo Ziyan nodded in agreement as well. "Zhong Hong is right. Fangcun Sect may be full of hidden talents, but in the end, we're still only in the outer sect. The number of truly capable people we can reach is limited."
"The matter of resident retainers is no small thing. It concerns both your family's reputation and the safety of its trade routes. It would be safer to find people with clear backgrounds and outstanding strength. The two she recommended are both quite good."
As Yu Qingwan listened to the two of them enthusiastically offering advice, her brows drew together slightly.
She had already secretly sent people to investigate the two men Zhong Hong had recommended.
That Liu-surnamed guest retainer in the Organ Nourishment realm was certainly strong enough, but the employer he served was frequently raided by the authorities for smuggling contraband. The man himself was probably not clean either.
As for the other young genius, his employer had collapsed after being dragged into a power struggle among great clans. Yet he himself had managed to withdraw from it all a little too smoothly, which made her feel uneasy.
Besides, if she truly used the resident retainers Zhong Hong had suggested, then the already weak Yu Family would likely end up branded with the mark of the Zhong Family and reduced to one of its dependents.
Seeing that she remained silent, Zhong Hong shook her head and said, "Qingwan, why be so stubborn? The Yu Family is already in trouble. The earlier you make preparations, the better."
"I'll think about it."
Yu Qingwan felt somewhat vexed and distracted. She gave a perfunctory reply and walked out of the room.
Just then, she happened to see that junior brother in the distance throwing Lin Zhiyuan and the others out of the courtyard, causing waves of shocked cries from the surrounding area.
She stared at that junior brother and could not help shaking her head. Inwardly, she thought, Yes... why insist on being this hard-headed and stubborn?
...
After Xu Yuan threw Lin Zhiyuan and the others out, he also drew the attention of Yan Wuguan and the others.
When he explained the matter truthfully, Yan Wuguan and Cai Kun did not think much of it.
But the other two eight-meridian disciples gradually began distancing themselves from Xu Yuan, whether intentionally or not.
They were probably afraid of being implicated by him.
Xu Yuan felt nothing at all about that and continued cultivating in the small courtyard every day as usual.
Day after day, over and over again.
His life became extremely regular, even rigid.
During the day, he cultivated the Purple Sun Treasure-Tempering Art. At night, he practiced the Golden Bell Shield and the Layered Wave Palm.
As for Lin Zhiyuan, Liu Yang, and the others, they never came to trouble him again, as though they had truly been beaten into submission by Xu Yuan.
But everyone around them knew that this matter was far from over.
Time slipped away like sand running through one's fingers.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
...
It was now deep into the night.
Inside the room, Xu Yuan sat cross-legged.
Steam rose from his entire body, and his skin had turned red. He looked as though he were sitting inside a blazing furnace.
The blood and qi within him surged like a furious river, roaring with dull thunder as it madly washed through and condensed within his limbs and bones.
Amid it all were ten thick strands of white energy, exceptionally eye-catching.
They were the vital essence Xu Yuan had refined over the course of this month.
With this vital essence, he already possessed the qualifications to break through.
"It shall be today..."
Xu Yuan drew in a deep breath. His mind became highly focused as he precisely guided every strand of vital essence, carefully striking at his increasingly powerful kidneys.
Compress! Condense! Wash through!
In Xu Yuan's senses, it felt as though the entire world had dimmed. The smell of the burning candle around him grew stronger, and even his spirit seemed to lighten somewhat.
Even a random gust of wind made his body tremble, as though he had become weak to the extreme.
At this crucial moment, all Xu Yuan could see was a streak of white light slowly flowing along a meridian, with darkness everywhere around it.
The process was clearly extremely long, yet outside, the candle had burned only about a third of its length.
Bzzzt—!
A strange hum, audible only to him, rang out from deep within his body.
It was like a tiny spark stubbornly lighting up within endless darkness.
An extremely warm sensation suddenly spread from his kidneys, containing immense power as it continuously flowed toward his limbs and bones.
Xu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through them before vanishing.
The blood and qi that had been surging and roaring within him gradually calmed, like a furious sea receding into profound stillness.
He had broken through into the Organ Nourishment realm as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
【Skills: Purple Sun Treasure-Tempering Art (Beginner 100%) Golden Bell Shield (Major Mastery 96%) Layered Wave Palm (Major Mastery 10%)】
【Aptitude: 48 (one in ten thousand)】
【Martial Seed (0): Berserk, Paralysis, Rebound Shock】
Xu Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened the panel in his mind.
"Not bad. The Purple Sun Treasure-Tempering Art has reached Minor Mastery, and the Layered Wave Palm also reached Major Mastery a few days ago. Altogether, that brought me an increase of 3 points in aptitude."
As for that mysterious and profound vital essence, Xu Yuan could clearly sense the tremendous power contained within it. It was obviously on an entirely higher level than ordinary force.
He had a feeling that with this vital essence alone, he could defeat ten versions of his former self.
"Still, although this Purple Sun Treasure-Tempering Art is indeed extraordinary, its consumption is also quite intense..."
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan let out a sigh.
After advancing into the Organ Nourishment realm, all the resources on him had already been completely used up.
"The follow-up cultivation method will require silver. Looks like I need to find some tasks to do. Besides, I also want to see what the martial arts in Fangcun Sect are like. Are they all ranked martial arts?"
After thinking it over, Xu Yuan put on his clothes, only to suddenly hear a burst of noise coming from next door, as if people were drinking and making merry.
Xu Yuan knew it was Wang Yan.
That man seemed either exceptionally hospitable or simply fond of liveliness. Every so often, loud noises of clinking cups and grand discussions could be heard coming from the neighboring courtyard.
Fortunately, the courtyard had fairly good soundproofing, so Xu Yuan was not affected by it.