The next day, the first ray of morning sun illuminated Ning Yue's face.
His body, which had been guarding against the pillar outside the door all night, was a bit stiff. Ning Yue stretched, listening to the continuous, rhythmic footsteps outside the courtyard, his sleepy eyes still half-open.
He stood up, kicked open the door of the side room, and pulled Chen Song, who was sleeping sprawled out, to his feet. "Go to the door and relieve Wei Xian. Remember, no one is allowed into this courtyard without my order!"
"Yes... yes!"
Chen Song, woken up abruptly, widened his groggy eyes and smoothly left without any hint of morning grumpiness.
The Guard Station had canceled all holidays and arrangements for returning home at night. During the day, they searched everywhere and drilled on schedule; at night, they could only sleep in the barracks.
It seemed that as long as Xue Zhenfu didn't catch the bandits, these days would not be peaceful.
Since the Guard Station was empty during the day, Ning Yue took the opportunity to relax. It wouldn't be too late to go out if something came up.
He brought up the system, finally having time to tally his gains.
Host: Ning Yue
Bone Structure: Ape Back, Wasp Waist, Mantis Legs
Talent: Heavenly Martial Star
Realm: Lian Rou Realm Perfected
Internal Arts: Military Department Skin Grinding Method (Perfected), Gold Jade Skin Grinding Art (Perfected), Profound Gang Body Tempering Art (Perfected)
External Arts: Cloud Chasing Step (Perfected), Star Mark Step (Initiated), Night Battle Eight Desolations (Perfected), Cold Star Archery (Perfected)
Secret Techniques: One Blade Startling Swan, Stepping on Clouds, Three Arrows Chase Stars
Wealth: 7689 points
The Military Department's thousand taels of silver bounty for the second-in-command had been credited, along with three second-class merits, which allowed him to exchange for a profound-grade light body skill.
It was said that a profound-grade cultivation method could be exchanged for with one second-class merit, but for this Star Mark Step, it was three times as much.
Besides the extraordinary potential of this footwork itself, it was also because it was part of a continuous lineage. Subsequent advanced cultivation methods were available for when he entered the Forging Bone Realm and even broke through to the Innate Realm.
The four cultivation methods combined into one grand outline, named Moon Trailing Star Chasing Art. The initial stage was Star Mark Step, which could only be cultivated after achieving Great Accomplishment in the Lian Rou Realm. Subsequent stages, 'Moon Shadow Evasion', 'Star Picking Leap', and its highest form, 'Stride the Void Tread the Ground', had even higher thresholds, and their power was self-evident.
This continuous lineage of cultivation methods was obtained by the Great Yuan Dynasty after its founding, sweeping through the martial arts world, and destroying mountain strongholds and temples.
His wealth had soared to an unprecedented high, reaching a new peak, which was truly gratifying.
However, when Ning Yue clicked on the 'Bone Structure' section and saw that it required a whopping 5000 wealth points to upgrade to the next level, the corners of his mouth, which had just curled up, immediately dropped.
Upgrading from "Mortal Bone" only cost 1000 taels, but for "Ape Back, Wasp Waist," it was five times as much.
But he couldn't afford not to upgrade. Ning Yue had spent half the night flipping through the newly acquired Earth-grade martial art, only to become more confused. He then realized the system prompt indicated that due to his bone structure limitations, he couldn't even practice it, let alone get started.
Ning Yue had heard of methods used by aristocratic families to cultivate their children, like Xue Ren, Mo Yingshuo, and even the Zhao family siblings, who were undoubtedly nurtured with various rare medicinal herbs and natural treasures from a young age.
In such cases, unless one was foolish or slow-witted, their bone structure would be inherently strong, and their talent outstanding.
The most famous example was Zhao Zhige, who possessed an innate Dao bone, progressing a thousand miles a day in cultivation. He entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm at a young age. If it weren't for Zhao City Lord's suppression and his own lack of experience, how could Han Yu, who was over forty, have become a Baihu?
And after reaching adulthood, it was even more difficult to improve one's bone structure, unless it was certain specific spiritual medicines like Earth Vein Dragon's Tooth Ginseng or Blood Vine Bodhi Fruit, which required venturing deep into the barren heartland of the demon race for a slim chance of obtaining them. The dangers involved were immense, making it not worth considering.
Such rare items were not something someone without power or influence like him could covet.
Ning Yue estimated that even among the four great families and the Zhao family, there wouldn't be many such items, and they would certainly not be given lightly to anyone who wasn't a direct descendant.
So, there was no point in struggling. Ning Yue gently clicked on the panel.
Streams of icy current appeared out of nowhere, rapidly condensing in his meridians. After converging, they began to impact various acupoints.
A tremendous pain once again swept through his entire body, but this time, Ning Yue's consciousness was a bit clearer, and he could even spare some attention to observe the changes happening within his body.
Before long, Ning Yue gained a lot.
The icy currents gathered or dispersed, and the distribution of acupoints was also irregular.
However, the way they impacted the acupoints was very interesting: sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes shallow, sometimes deep; at times like a rushing river pounding the shore endlessly, at other times like a sudden cold arrow, a surprise strike. Moreover, the icy currents were endless, Eternal Life Without End, and exceptionally persistent.
With such ingenious and peculiar methods, what stubborn acupoint could possibly resist?
As one acupoint after another was opened, a thin layer of grime, as black as ink and emitting a strange odor, appeared on his body at some point.
But Ning Yue felt an boundless sense of exhilaration, as if he were in the cosmos, soaring freely.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, your bone structure has been upgraded to 'Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone'!
Ning Yue, soaring, was ruthlessly awakened by the system. He reluctantly opened his eyes, but suddenly realized that he seemed to have made a huge profit!
He remembered that his Zongqi had this very bone structure!
Ning Yue also knew that if this "Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone" could be matched with specific cultivation methods, it would not only bring extraordinary progress and incredibly fast cultivation speed, but also, upon striking, produce a tiger's roar and dragon's cry, adding thirty percent to its power.
Moreover, in battle, one could fight for a long time without retreating, truly enduring!
It was just that such cultivation methods were exceptionally rare, some even being secret treasures of the Great Yuan imperial family, and they also required certain spiritual medicines to achieve. The difficulties involved were not to be spoken of to outsiders.
Ning Yue merely pondered for a moment before reluctantly giving up.
So, next... Ning Yue turned his gaze to the most powerful martial art he had acquired to date—Jie Mai Qinlong (Arresting Dragon Vein).
Ding! This cultivation method is incorrect. Correcting it will cost 500 wealth points.
Ning Yue was startled.
All along, his cultivation methods and martial arts had come from quite legitimate sources; neither the Guard Station nor Xie Qing would harbor ill intentions, which had made Ning Yue complacent.
He hadn't expected to almost fall into a trap!
Ning Yue felt a chill down his spine. These schemers not only were ruthless to their enemies but also betrayed their collaborators, truly inhumane. No wonder the second-in-command couldn't unleash this technique even to his death; it would be strange if he could even get started.
After calming his somewhat scattered breath, he silently clicked on the panel, and his eyes instantly glowed with golden light!
A vast and boundless map of human acupoints filled Ning Yue's sea of consciousness. Each acupoint was deep and dim, yet faint golden light flickered, and for a moment, Ning Yue felt as if he were in the starry sky.
Complex, inexplicable golden lines connected each acupoint, dazzling the eyes. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to form the shape of a divine dragon flicking its tail.
Ning Yue's eyes were as deep as the sea. He didn't know how long passed, as if it were an instant and yet an eternity.
Dazed and confused, the sun was already high in the sky. When Ning Yue opened his eyes again, the golden light in his eyes flashed and disappeared, as the slightly scorching sunlight of spring, guided through the window lattice, shone all over his body, plating his faded blue flying fish robe with a golden edge!
Ding! Congratulations, Host, Jie Mai Qinlong (Arresting Dragon Vein) has been upgraded to the Minor Accomplishment Realm (30%)!
As expected of an Earth-grade martial art, just reaching Minor Accomplishment consumed Ning Yue's last two thousand taels of silver.
In just one morning, Ning Yue transformed from a rather wealthy Xiaoqi officer back into a pauper, and his newly acquired light body skill could only gather dust for now.
Sigh! So poor, he sighed silently, wondering when he would be able to live in a mansion and keep beautiful maids.
...
Xue Ren, currently lounging lazily in his mansion in front of a writing desk, only sat up properly when Butler Fu quietly entered the curtained area: "Any results?"
Butler Fu's hands were clasped in front of him. Although they had been thoroughly washed, a faint smell of blood still lingered. In the dim room, his smile appeared somewhat sinister. "Bandits are rarely tough. They confessed everything without much effort."
Xue Ren raised an eyebrow and asked, "Tell me."
"The Blood Exchange Realm elder today was from the He family. The batch of military equipment half a month ago was also arranged by the He family, who offered an internal cultivation method for the Forging Bone Realm and an Earth-grade martial art as payment, instigating these bandits to descend the mountain and loot. The spoils were used to arm private soldiers, and on the night of the successful raid, they entrusted several local small-family merchants' channels to enter the city."
"But not all of these military supplies were transported into the He residence. The one-eyed bandit only knew that roughly a small portion was taken over by another group of people after entering the city and disappeared without a trace... Young Master, should this matter be investigated further?"
Xue Ren pondered for two breaths, then asked, "What did my father say?"
Butler Fu bowed and said, "The Master said that this matter is entirely up to Young Master to decide, at any cost, and even allowed Young Master to use the dark guards and private soldiers!"
His son was almost beaten to death; it would be strange if the old man wasn't furious.
"Hmm," Xue Ren nodded and said, "Don't investigate for now, lest you alert them. It's just those newly risen families anyway. Don't touch the few small merchants either. When my affairs here are settled, I'll deal with these petty clowns."
"This time, not only will I root out these troublesome elements, but the position of Baihu is also mine for the taking!"
Upon hearing this, Butler Fu smiled with relief, "Young Master is far-sighted. This old servant congratulates Young Master in advance."
Xue Ren waved his hand and continued, "That He family is also said to be a prominent aristocratic family from the south. I didn't expect them to act so unscrupulously. For the past six months, they've been the most active. Using them as an example to warn others is quite fitting."
"It's just... I wonder how many people in the military they've bribed to work for them..."
Yesterday's encounter made Xue Ren unable to distinguish between his apparent brothers and comrades and the hidden ghosts and demons among them.
Coupled with today's planning, he felt the heavy pressure of being a family head even before ascending to the position, and his heart sank.
Last night, Xue Ren said he had no one useful under him and could only trust Ning Yue, which wasn't entirely false.
"By the way, did you bring the cultivation method and secret medicine I asked you to bring?" Xue Ren asked.
Butler Fu took out three treasure boxes from his embrace, lined them up, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Young Master cultivates this person so much, showing his loyalty and bravery. It's just... forgive my impertinence, but this cultivation method is hard to come by, not much inferior to the one Young Master practices. Isn't it a bit too valuable?"
Xue Ren looked out the window, recalling the look Ning Yue gave him at last night's banquet when Han Yu tried to recruit him. He felt a touch of emotion and said, "To win people over, you can't be too petty. Besides, he deserves it."
Butler Fu's gaze followed, vaguely seeing the young man dozing against a pillar, the overhanging eaves acting as a hat, shielding him from the scorching sun.
The spring breeze rolled his green robe, leaning against the pillar, he slept soundly.
Butler Fu said helplessly, "I only hope this young man lives up to Young Master's painstaking efforts and proves to be of great use..."
Xue Ren also said helplessly, "This is a last resort. Rashly replacing him with someone of higher rank might make people wary, which would be counterproductive and mess things up. However..."
Xue Ren changed the subject, "I always feel that this kid might give me a surprise."