On a particular day, Mo Qian was standing in a secluded corner of the martial arts field.By this point he had been practicing the second level of inner breath for nearly a month. The inner breath in his Dantian was already as thick as a little finger, long and coiling, like a small snake, lively and agile, spinning without pause.Mo Qian estimated that it would take about ten more days to complete the second level of inner breath.Mo Qian was standing in the round stance when he suddenly heard a clear female voice calling out in front of him: "Hey, you there, stop your practice!"Mo Qian felt a flash of irritation. He was nearly at the end of his full cycle and almost lost his concentration from the interruption. Mo Qian steadied his inner breath with effort, completed the full cycle, and started it circling again in his Dantian. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Zhu Xiaoqi. His irritation vanished at once.This was the first time Zhu Xiaoqi had called out to him directly like t

The damage to this knife was likely connected to the destruction of Xiao Zongting's martial foundation.It had been in that same battle that the blade was broken and he was gravely wounded. Although he had barely survived, he lost all his martial arts.Xiao Zongting's lame leg and this broken blade both bore witness to the brutality of that battle.However, even with all three martial arts incomplete, the weapon spirit was still at level five. That alone spoke to how formidable Xiao Zongting had been in his prime.Having been an apprentice escort for over a month, Mo Qian had gradually learned that Xiao Zongting in his prime had also reached the second level of the true qi realm.Among the three martial arts, Cloud Snake Steps was evidently a movement technique.The Five Tigers Sheep Knife was without question a foundational martial art.The remaining one, the Thirteen Soul-Breaking Styles, must be a mid-level martial art.Martial arts were generally divided into three tiers: foundati

The two talked for a while. Before half a stick of incense had burned, Gu Suxiu came out from the east room.Gu Suxiu, white-haired and slightly stooped, moved with a heaviness. His forehead carried a fine layer of sweat, and his eyes were somewhat dull.It was clear that treating Xiao Baiyu had drawn heavily on his energy."Brother Gu! Baiyu, how is she?"Xiao Zongting saw him come out and immediately stood up, asking with urgency.Mo Qian stood to one side, watching Gu Suxiu with concern.Gu Suxiu's lips moved for a moment, but then his gaze swept toward Mo Qian and he paused.Mo Qian understood at once. What Gu Suxiu wanted to say was likely not only about Xiao Baiyu's condition but about her prognosis and the nature of her illness. Such things were not appropriate to speak in front of an outsider.Although Mo Qian was deeply worried about Xiao Baiyu's wellbeing, he understood that his presence here was a hindrance."Old Xiao, I still have some things to attend to. I will come and

Mo Qian was not particularly worried. He had anticipated this, and his pockets were already well padded. For a short while at least, he did not need to focus intensely on earning money for cultivation.Even when the queue was thin, Mo Qian would sit until the appointed time and then pack up at the agreed hour.Mo Qian returned to Yuanshun Escort Agency. He put his things in the dormitory, then went to the cafeteria for dinner, after which he went to his corner of the martial arts field and began his stance.Mo Qian had been standing for about an hour when a clear voice suddenly rang out in front of him."You there!"As soon as Mo Qian heard it, he knew it was aimed at him. Apart from Zhu Xiaoqi, no one else addressed him that way. He had not even opened his eyes and a smile had already come to his face.Mo Qian opened his eyes and dispersed his energy. Sure enough, he saw Zhu Xiaoqi standing in the shadow of the old tree before him, the dim light and the shifting tree shadows weaving

Although Mo Qian was smarting, he was genuinely grateful to Zhu Xiaoqi for tending to it. He thanked her before walking out of the yard.Zhu Xiaoqi sat by the well and went back to scrubbing the clothes with vigour, paying no attention to his thanks.Mo Qian's back disappeared through the courtyard gate, and she muttered under her breath: "What is so great about it. It is just a sachet."Zhu Xiaoqi muttered and scrubbed the clothes even more energetically.Mo Qian walked out of the courtyard with the sachet.The moment he stepped out, he came face to face with someone walking toward him.A stiff, expressionless face. If it was not Kong Bin, who else could it be?Mo Qian then realised he had not seen Kong Bin in quite some time.The two made eye contact, and Kong Bin's gaze swept briefly over the sachet in Mo Qian's hand.Neither of them paid the other much attention.Although Kong Bin and Mo Qian had been selected as apprentice escorts in the same intake, their progress in training wa