nyslfriends Chapter 11 Sparring
Chapter 11 Sparring
After returning from the warehouse, Feng Xiu, as usual, began to inspect the various restaurants, shops, and grain stores, checking the accounts for expenses and revenue.
In theory, this job should only require summarizing and submitting the accounts every Monday.
However, Feng Xiu is currently in the process of demonstrating his abilities as the successor, and most of the time, Feng Ao's praise for him stems from this.
Upon arriving at Fengji Grain Shop, the largest in the west of the city, the shopkeeper, Old Liu, was already waiting at the door, having prepared the account books well in advance.
Attending to Feng Xiu's left and right, he reached out and poured a cup of plain tea.
Zheng Bo then went to the grain depot to check whether the inventory list was accurate and whether there was any suspicion of tampering.
Feng Xiu opened the account book, his gaze sweeping over a few pages, his fingertips lightly tapping the last income and expenditure record from six days ago.
"Explain why, given that grain prices have risen so much, there hasn't been a corresponding increase in revenue recorded in the accounts?"
Feng Xiu knew that grain prices would rise, after all, spring planting was still in the works and the reservoirs were not yet open.
But what about the money after the price increase?
He's an old-timer in the Feng family; he shouldn't be resorting to such low-level tricks.
Upon hearing this, Old Liu showed no sign of panic. He bowed and said, "Young Master, you are wise. This was not due to my negligence; there was another arrangement."
He turned around and took out a slightly worn private book from a hidden compartment in the counter, presenting it with both hands.
"Half a month ago, the head of the family came in person and ordered that half of the grain shop's revenue be withheld, not recorded in the public accounts, and handed over to Old Master Zheng for management and expenditure. All expenditures are recorded in this book. Please take a look, young master."
Feng Xiu took the booklet and opened it. Inside, he saw a dense record of various expenses over the past half month, ranging from one or two taels to more than ten taels.
All of them add up to almost a hundred.
The items listed were: three qian of Red Flame Fruit, one liang of Jade Bone Grass, one section of five-year-old tiger bone, old ginseng rootlets, etc.
The characters are densely packed, all of which are items used by martial artists to nourish their muscles and bones, replenish their qi and blood, and serve as dietary supplements and medicinal foods.
"No wonder practicing martial arts is so expensive!!" Feng Xiu was speechless at just these words.
It's only been a few days, and you've already spent a hundred taels of silver?
I didn't really feel anything about the resources provided by the seclusion system, but I did find that the medicinal baths after each workout were very addictive.
I thought these highly nutritious medicinal herbs were Feng Ao's private stock, but who would have thought they were going into the grain shop's public account, and at such a high price.
The concept of "poor scholars, rich warriors" was instantly brought to life.
"What the eldest young master says is absolutely right. In the path of cultivation, aptitude is paramount. Your bone age is already fixed. Without external assistance, the accumulated internal injuries will only make you worse the more you train."
Just as Feng Xiu was sighing, Zheng Bo came over after inspecting the warehouse.
Old Liu, who looked uneasy, nodded slightly.
Old Liu breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully bowed to Uncle Zheng.
Feng Xiu closed the booklet, feeling a mix of emotions and curiosity.
"Uncle Zheng, in your opinion, with these martial resources, how many years would it take me at the fastest to reach the Blood Burning Realm?"
"Young Master, martial talent can help you progress quickly, but how far you can go depends on yourself. If your innate talent and comprehension are lacking, even mountains of gold and silver won't get you to the Blood Burning Realm."
"I understand." Feng Xiu's heart stirred upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything more.
Actually, he wanted to ask Uncle Zheng what he thought of his talent.
Since martial arts skills can change one's realm, it is because one has the blessing of the cultivation manual.
Even if he's not a genius, he's probably pretty close.
After leaving the grain shop, Feng Xiu led Zheng Bo to inspect several restaurants.
In recent days, grain prices in Qingyan City have soared, causing a significant drop in business for restaurants. As a result, there are now more people hurrying about in the streets and alleys.
When they arrived at the last grain shop as usual, there was a line of more than a dozen people in front of the shop, carrying cloth bags, earthenware pots and the like.
On the bulletin board to one side, next to the sign for millet, the other types of grains all showed the word "sold out".
Like other family-owned grain merchants, the Feng family owned their own farm, but the wheat sold in their shop was not Golden Ear Wheat.
Normally, the crops are all locally produced millet. Golden wheat is an economic grain, and ordinary people simply cannot afford it.
This is also the real reason why Feng Ao has not been seen for several days: the Feng family's inventory is insufficient to support the large-scale trade planned with the Zhou family's escort agency.
I'll have to go to other big cities to buy it, which will probably take several days.
After completing the round of inspections, the sun was already setting in the west.
On the way back, Zheng Bo did not go straight home, but instead had the driver turn and head south of the city.
The carriage finally stopped in front of the Chu family's pharmacy.
Feng Xiu looked puzzled, and Zheng Bo immediately explained, "Young Master, before the patriarch left, he specially ordered a batch of White Deer Pills for you from the Chu Family Pharmacy."
"This elixir strengthens the foundation and nourishes the blood and qi, helping you to solidify your base and make vigorous progress," he said with a smile.
Then, he gestured for Feng Xiu to wait a moment.
A short while later, Uncle Zheng handed over a palm-sized jade box that he had taken from the pharmacy.
When Feng Xiu opened it, he found thirty pills, each the size of a longan, with a warm, jade-like color and a faint fragrance, neatly arranged inside.
"Let's go back to the manor." After closing the jade box, Feng Xiu waved his hand.
Zheng Bo smiled and then cracked his whip, quickening his pace.
Back to the mansion.
Feng Xiu couldn't wait any longer and first practiced the Five Strength Fist twice in the courtyard.
I activated my sense of blood and energy throughout my body, stretched my muscles and bones, and worked until I broke a light sweat.
He then took out another White Deer Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
Bailudan has a herbal and stone-like feel, and its effects are almost immediate after it goes down the throat.
A warm and powerful current exploded in my chest, and the strong medicinal power rushed to my limbs and bones, merging into my surging blood and qi.
Feng Xiu felt his blood and qi boil instantly, his heart beat rapidly, and his temples throbbed. He quickly assumed a boxing stance, trying to guide the medicinal effects through his practice.
But as soon as he reached the eighth move, the drug's power surged out of control into his right hand's meridians, causing his forearm's veins to bulge and his muscles to spasm uncontrollably!
Feng Xiu's expression changed. He forcibly stabilized his body, slowed down the range of his movements, and forcefully suppressed the violent medicinal power back into his dantian.
After one round of boxing, his whole body was soaked in cold sweat.
Then, Feng Xiu took a deep breath and forcibly stabilized the explosive surge of qi and blood, slightly lowering the range of his movements.
After sensing that the medicine had been initially absorbed, he resumed his original boxing techniques.
After one, two, and five repetitions, I felt incredibly refreshed and my breath was full and long.
On the other side, Zheng Bo couldn't help but nod in approval. "Chief Escort Zhou is indeed quite skilled. He didn't rashly teach the young master the internal energy cultivation method; otherwise, it would have only ruined his foundation."
Internal breathing techniques are of paramount importance in martial arts; to be precise, they are the profound secrets of circulating qi and blood.
If one were to learn the internal energy cultivation method now, it would certainly be able to quickly improve one's strength, but in reality, it would only damage the meridians and leave hidden injuries.
After all, even Feng Xiu couldn't withstand the effects of the White Deer Pill. Once his internal energy started circulating, his blood and qi would surge, risking tearing his meridians.
Seeing that Feng Xiu was still somewhat unsatisfied after finishing his practice, Uncle Zheng clapped his hands and called out to him, "Young Master, please wait a moment."
Feng Xiu turned around and looked back.
Immediately afterwards, a lean and sharp-eyed young man walked out of the corridor.
The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt. His muscles were not exaggerated, his temples were slightly bulging, and he walked with light and silent steps.
His face was quite ordinary, except for a shallow scar on his left eyebrow bone, which added to his serious and unsmiling demeanor.
"This is Han Che, a skilled fighter under Chief Escort Zhou. Although he hasn't reached the Blood Burning stage, he has considerable experience in combat and fighting within the Body Refinement realm, and is especially adept at close-quarters combat."
Uncle Zheng introduced, "Young Master, your boxing skills are just beginning to improve. Please spar with Brother Han a few more times."
Feng Xiu's eyes lit up; he had long heard that the Zhou family's escort team consisted of top-notch fighters.
I didn't expect the opportunity to practice with them to come so soon.
At this moment, Han Che stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute to Feng Xiu, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant, his eyes calm, clearly indicating that he had experienced a real battle.
"Young Master Feng, please." The words were concise and to the point; he extended his hand, gesturing for him to enter.
Feng Xiu took a deep breath and clasped his hands in return, "Brother Han, please give me your guidance."
The two stood in the courtyard. Han Che did not make the first move, but instead lowered his waist slightly, his eyes like an eagle's, and locked onto Feng Xiu.
Feng Xiu focused his mind and launched the first attack. With a low shout, he stepped forward and delivered a straight punch to Han Che's center.
A glint flashed in Han Che's eyes. He neither dodged nor avoided the attack. Only when the fist was close did he suddenly turn to the side.
Han Che's left hand shot out like a serpent, slicing across Feng Xiu's wrist. Feng Xiu immediately felt a subtle force coming from him, and just as he was about to change his move, Han Che's right hand instantly formed a knife-like shape with his fingers together.
It grazed Feng Xiu's throat bone with lightning speed!
Although there was no direct contact, in an instant, Feng Xiu's neck skin suddenly tightened, his hair stood on end, and he abruptly took two steps back.
He reached out and touched his perfectly intact throat, and broke out in a cold sweat.
After practicing for so many days, I thought I was so strong, but when it really came down to it, I couldn't even withstand a single move from my opponent.
If it weren't for the sparring, I would be dead by now.