Zhu Ju spread his five fingers. As the Qi Blood in his body surged, streams of invisible Powerful Qi shot out from his fingertips.

With just a light swipe, five deep cracks appeared on the hard, solid wood table.

If it were to land on a person, it could easily tear through their Skin and Flesh, even penetrating the body to pierce their Vital Organs.

Red Blood Divine Claw!

As the ultimate Martial Skill legacy of the Red Blood Sect, the ’Red Blood Divine Claw’ was anything but ordinary. Its moves were profound, and its Qi Blood Transporting Method was particularly unique. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the number one Claw Skill in the Martial World.

For such a complex Claw Technique, even a regular person with a foundation in Martial Arts would need months, or even more than a year, to reach the Entry Level.

If it were the old Zhu Ju...

...he would have needed several years to master its Cultivation.

But now!

In just over ten days, he could already wield it at will. He had even integrated some of its Qi Blood Transporting Methods into his Mixed Element Iron Hand to increase its power.

He was able to achieve this for two reasons. First, his foundation had deepened after reaching the Gui Cang Realm, allowing him to grasp most Martial Arts in the world with ease. Second, he had acquired Dugu Ming’s Martial Arts Talent.

At a young age, Dugu Ming had already succeeded in Body Tempering and mastered dozens of Martial Skills. Such Martial Arts Talent was rare in the world. And when combined with Zhu Ju’s original foundation...

Well,

...no matter how poor his original foundation was, he was no fool. The combination of the two had ultimately allowed him to break his former limits and reach a new height.

’Qi Blood like wolf smoke, condensing into armor. This is called Qi Blood Gang Force...’

Zhu Ju stretched his limbs inside the room. His Qi Blood surged All Over the Body, and an invisible layer of Qi Force actually coalesced outside him.

Qi Blood Gang Force!

The Red Blood Sect has the Red Blood Divine Gang, the Five Elements Fist has the Five Elements Fist Gang, and the Pure Yang Qi Technique naturally has the Pure Yang Gang Qi.

Protected by this layer of ’Gang Qi’, a Gui Cang Martial Sect master could be fearless against volleys of arrows and thrusts of blades and spears.

Grandmaster!

Only then did one truly deserve the title.

PENG!

He struck sideways with his elbow, and Powerful Qi surged.

’Qi Blood Martial Arts has its own profound aspects, especially when it comes to nourishing the body and Body Tempering, where it far surpasses Strength. As for the weakness of the Physical Body and lack of explosive power, the Body Tempering Realm has already begun to compensate for that, and a Grandmaster Gui Cang has completely overcome this flaw.’

’Unfortunately...’

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju thought to himself:

’It’s only stronger than Entering the Realm. Compared to an Inner Qi Expert, it’s still a notch below.’

’If there are no other changes after Breaking Limit, then I’ll have to return to the Martial Arts path of this world.’

The upper limit of Qi Blood Martial Arts was too low; Breaking Limit was its ultimate peak. However, Inner Qi was not the pinnacle of this world’s Martial Arts. After it, there was talk of Innate Qi Refiners.

’But it’s still too early to worry about that. Qi Blood Martial Arts should be able to help my Cultivation reach the stage of Great Success in Inner Qi, and this top-tier legacy can also make up for the shortcomings of the Thirteen Body Refinement.’

’Now...’

Zhu Ju mentally calculated:

’My strength should be about the same as someone who has just entered the Inner Qi realm. My actual combat power might even be stronger, since I’ve mastered the three great Killing Moves of the Mixed Element Iron Hand.’

The foundation of his Physical Body, built by the Thirteen Body Refinement, combined with the Qi Blood Martial Arts of the Gui Cang Realm, gave him a foundation no less profound than someone who had just entered the Inner Qi realm.

As for Martial Skills...

His Mixed Element Iron Hand had reached the Third Realm of Martial Arts, a level his grandfather had only achieved when he accomplished Inner Qi Release.

"Young Master."

Elder Qin’s voice came from outside the door:

"The pharmacy and the Forest have sent over this month’s ledgers. Would you like to take a look?"

"Set them aside for now," Zhu Ju said, pausing his movements.

"I’ll look at them when I have time."

"Yes, sir."

"Elder Qin, have you been taking your medicine on time?"

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master." A smile appeared on Elder Qin’s face, his deep wrinkles smoothing out slightly as he bowed and replied:

"I have been taking it on time."

"That’s good," Zhu Ju nodded.

"Next month is my sister’s child’s 100-day celebration. We’ll go to the Prefecture City together, and I’ll find a good doctor to give you a thorough examination."

"Young Master..." Elder Qin looked up.

"There’s no need. I know my own body best. Finding someone to treat me would just be a waste of time."

"It’s settled," Zhu Ju said with a frown, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

"You just focus on resting, Elder Qin. Don’t worry too much about the pharmacy or the Forest. We’re not short on that little bit of income."

Now that the cloth business was on the right track, its monthly dividends alone amounted to over a thousand silver taels. Indeed, the income from these other businesses seemed trivial in comparison.

"Well..." Elder Qin hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"Yes, sir."

When he returned to the front courtyard, he saw Ma Xun organizing the ledgers. Besides practicing Martial Arts with Elder Qin, he was also learning to read and write.

Without literacy, it was also difficult to succeed in Martial Arts.

"Master."

Seeing Elder Qin return, Ma Xun hurried to greet him.

"Please, be careful."

"I’m not so old that I need to be careful just walking," Elder Qin said, rolling his eyes. He then asked:

"How are the ledgers?"

"The pharmacy is lukewarm, and the Forest’s income has dropped again," Ma Xun said, then asked curiously,

"Master, besides the pharmacy and the Forest, what other businesses does the Young Master have? The Mansion always has money coming in."

And it wasn’t just some money; the income was substantial.

Ever since he became Elder Qin’s apprentice and started living in the Zhu Mansion, he had never seen the Young Master short on silver taels.

Even he would receive rewards from time to time, living a more comfortable life than the stewards of other large manors.

If they relied only on the pharmacy and the Forest, they could get by, but they certainly wouldn’t be very wealthy.

"Don’t ask what you’re not supposed to ask."

"Yes, Master."

Ma Xun’s eyes darted, and he added,

"Master, after you left just now, Liu Youx, the steward from the pharmacy, secretly told me that Manager Ding from the Forest wants to see the Young Master."

"Ding Anx?" Elder Qin frowned.

"What could he want? Why didn’t he come and say so himself?"

Since the discovery last year that the Forest had been maliciously lowering the purchase price for the mountain folk, Yuan Chong had been replaced as the Forest’s steward by Ding Anx.

Yuan Chong and his son were only responsible for guarding the Forest’s security.

As steward, Ding Anx was responsible for purchasing Yintao Wood, while the pharmacy handled the payments. The three parties kept each other in check.

In Elder Qin’s view, the Young Master’s arrangement was flawless. His method of managing subordinates was in no way inferior to the Old Master’s.

"Hmm..."

After a moment of thought, Elder Qin turned and walked toward the rear courtyard.

"Young Master."

There was no response.

"Sigh."

Elder Qin let out a soft sigh, seeming to be used to this, and didn’t press further about Zhu Ju’s whereabouts.

"Ma Xun, prepare the donkey cart. You’re coming with me to the Forest."

"Yes, Master."

*

*

*

The rains had just passed, followed by a cold frost, which had turned the road into a muddy mess. Ma Xun guided the donkey cart forward, swaying and bumping along.

He was at an age full of restless energy, constantly looking around and playfully flicking the long whip in his hand.

CRACK!

The sound of the whip was crisp.

Elder Qin lay curled up in the cart, swaying with its rhythm, a look of envy in his eyes as he watched Ma Xun.

’It’s good to be young...’

"Cough, cough!"

"Master."

Ma Xun turned to look, his voice tinged with worry.

"Are you all right?"

"I’m fine," Elder Qin said, pulling his sleeves tighter.

"This little chill is nothing to worry about."

"If you ask me, we should have taken the horse carriage from the Mansion. The Young Master wouldn’t have blamed us," Ma Xun said with a frown.

"If the Young Master knew, he’d definitely let you take the horse carriage. The cabin protects you from the wind and rain, and it’s a much smoother ride."

"There’s a difference between master and servant." Elder Qin lowered his gaze.

"The Young Master wouldn’t blame us, but we as servants cannot act out of place. Besides, the donkey cart gets us there all the same."

"Alright!" Ma Xun sighed. As he steered the donkey cart onto the mountain path, his eyebrows suddenly shot up.

"Did someone go up ahead?"

"Oh!" Elder Qin sat up straight, his expression changing slightly. He leaped from the cart and hurried toward the Forest.

CRACK!

"AHHH..."

"I’ll never do it again!"

Before they even got close, they heard a series of miserable screams.

"Stop!"

Elder Qin rushed onto the scene, roaring at the men who were brandishing long whips.

"What are you doing?"

"Steward Qin." Yuan Chong crossed his arms over his chest, an eyebrow twitching.

"What brings an old man like you all the way out here?"

"Yuan Chong!" Elder Qin’s face was grim as he shouted.

"Who gave you the right to whip Ding Anx? He is the Forest’s manager. You are just a guard responsible for its security."

The Forest’s manager, Ding Anx, and several men who were usually in charge of procurement were being held on the ground and whipped.

In theory, Ding Anx and Yuan Chong were of equal rank. Even if there was a conflict, they should have gone to Zhu Ju for judgment, not taken matters into their own hands with a private punishment.

"Steward Qin," Yuan Chong said with a smile.

"I am responsible for protecting the Forest’s security, but I discovered this Ding Anx colluding with outsiders to secretly sell Yintao Wood."

"As a guard of the Forest, how could I ignore such a matter?"

Elder Qin frowned and looked down at Ding Anx.

"Even so, you should have reported it to the Young Master. How could you administer punishment yourself?"

"Elder Qin." Just then, a strange voice came from nearby, and a middle-aged man strolled over.

"You can’t blame Brother Yuan for this matter. It was I who discovered someone smuggling medicinal materials, so I asked for his help in apprehending them."

"That’s not asking too much, is it?"

"Zhou Ye!" Recognizing the newcomer, Elder Qin’s expression shifted slightly.

"Chief Zhou is here as well?"

"I am," Zhou Ye nodded.

"Because the matter was urgent, I failed to inform Young Master Zhu. It was my mistake. I will certainly visit in a few days to offer my apologies."

Elder Qin said nothing. Ever since the Black Tiger Gang was wiped out after the new year, the Zhou Family’s status in Leping County had been steadily rising.

Zhou Ye himself had been promoted to Chief Constable.

"Ding Anx," he asked, looking down.

"Is what Chief Zhou said true?"

"..." The battered and bruised Ding Anx lifted his head. A flash of terror crossed his eyes, and he immediately lowered his head again, muttering in a muffled voice:

"It is."

"Huuu..." Elder Qin took a deep breath.

"If that’s the case, then the punishment is deserved."

"Ma Xun!"

"We’re leaving!"

He didn’t linger on the matter.