"Junior Brother Yang, you should practice your calligraphy when you have time," Sun Ningxiang said as she took the booklet. Looking up at him, her eyes suddenly curved into a smile, revealing two faint dimples. "You have to do your best in the courtyard trial. Perform well—I have faith in you!"

Her smile was pure and bright, like a cool breeze on a summer day. Yang Jing’s heart skipped a beat, as if something had gently bumped against it.

Although he had broken through to the Dark Energy realm and was preparing for the courtyard trial, no one believed in him. Not his Fourth Senior Brother Liu Maolin, with whom he was close; not his many fellow disciples; not even his Master thought he could fight his way through the competition.

But now, someone had suddenly told him they had faith in him.

’It’s probably just a polite pleasantry...’ Yang Jing was stunned for a moment before finding his voice. He gave a slight smile and a small nod, saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

After speaking, he turned and walked back to the wooden training dummy he often used. He took a deep breath, suppressing the strange flutter in his heart.

As the wind from his fists stirred again, he deliberately focused his mind, concentrating on the coordination between his fist techniques and his Inner Strength.

The courtyard trial was imminent, and he couldn’t allow any distracting thoughts to affect his condition.

Sun Ningxiang watched his back as he once again threw himself into his focused training, the smile on her lips unwavering. She then turned to greet Xu Hong, who had just walked over to register...

Lin Yue was the last disciple to come and register.

Now that no one else was coming over to interrupt, he could exchange a few more words with Sun Ningxiang.

...

At noon, with the sun at its peak, Yang Jing finished his training. He wiped the sweat from his neck with a cloth towel, picked up his cloth bag from the corner, and left the Martial Arts Hall.

He didn’t go straight home. Brother An was there and had probably already prepared a meal for his return. But before heading home, he needed to pick up some medicinal herbs.

Yang Jing headed straight for the Liu Family Medical Hall.

At his level, simply supplementing his diet with the meat of fierce beasts was no longer enough for his martial arts needs. Unless he had a sufficient supply of Spirit Fish to eat, but Spirit Fish were too expensive. Even the Liu Family Medical Hall only gave him five Spirit Fish a month, which was nowhere near enough.

Under these circumstances, to prevent his progress on the Martial Dao from slowing, Yang Jing had to use every method he could to supplement his training. Medicinal supplementation was a crucial one.

Yang Jing currently possessed an old ginseng root that was several decades old. However, its nourishing effects were too potent, so he only used a few slices at a time, brewing them with various other restorative herbs.

As he walked, a thought crossed Yang Jing’s mind, and a panel materialized before his eyes. It clearly displayed the progress details for his two martial arts techniques, Mountain-Shattering Fist and Shocking Wave Leg—

[Great Success of Mountain Shattering Fist (61/1000)]

[Minor Achievement of Shocking Wave Leg (93/500)]

Compared to Mountain-Shattering Fist, his progress in Shocking Wave Leg was advancing much more quickly.

As for why, the first reason was his ample dietary and medicinal supplementation recently. The second, more important reason was that he had already broken through to the Dark Energy realm with his Mountain-Shattering Fist. Looking back to cultivate Shocking Wave Leg now, his progress was naturally much faster.

Yang Jing considered that if he acquired other martial arts in the future, he could train them in the same way.

Lost in thought, Yang Jing soon arrived at the Liu Family Medical Hall.

The medical hall was bustling with people, and the air was thick with the scent of herbs.

He familiarly greeted the apprentice dispensing herbs and the physician on duty. Without breaking stride, he entered the medicinal herb storeroom in the back courtyard.

According to their prior agreement, Yang Jing could select medicinal herbs at cost price each month, up to a total value of fifty taels of silver.

He was never greedy, nor did he take his full allotment at once. He always took only what he needed, a few items this time, and a few different ones the next. This prevented the herbs from spoiling in his hands due to improper storage and also allowed him to test which ones had better effects.

The total cost of all the herbs he took was kept within the fifty-tael limit.

Besides, he wasn’t short on silver coins at the moment. If he came across a valuable herb he truly wanted, he could buy it with his own money, and the medical hall would still sell it to him at cost.

Inside the storeroom, shelves stood in rows, with all kinds of medicinal herbs sorted by category and stacked neatly.

Yang Jing walked to the area where the restorative herbs were stored and began to choose carefully.

He planned to select a few more herbs to use with the ginseng slices, aiming for a richer, more mellow nourishing effect.

He chose some angelica root and fo-ti root, then added some goji berries and Solomon’s seal. Estimating the cost of these herbs to be just over ten taels, he had the hall’s bookkeeper calculate the total. Then, he carefully wrapped them in oiled paper and tied them into a bundle.

Just as Yang Jing, carrying the herbs, was about to leave the storeroom, he heard voices from the courtyard. One of them was very familiar—it was none other than his Fourth Senior Brother, Liu Maolin.

Yang Jing paused. Thinking he might as well say hello before leaving, he lifted the door curtain and stepped into the courtyard.

He had just poked his head out when he saw two people standing in the courtyard.

Liu Maolin had his back to him and was speaking to the person opposite him, his tone tinged with familiarity.

When that person turned, it was revealed to be a strikingly beautiful woman. She wore an elegant, lake-blue dress, her hair was meticulously styled in a bun, and her eyes conveyed a sense of tranquility. Though she wore no makeup, she possessed a gentle, graceful charm.

Yang Jing faltered for a second, a little surprised.

He had been to the Liu Family Medical Hall many times but had never seen this woman before.

’Could she be Senior Brother’s new concubine? I’ve seen his other concubine, and I don’t think she looks like this.’

"Junior Brother? You’re here." Hearing the noise, Liu Maolin turned and saw Yang Jing. He immediately smiled and waved him over. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Miss Jinlian."

The woman followed Liu Maolin’s gaze. As her eyes fell on Yang Jing, they held a polite, assessing quality. She gave a slight nod, her expression serene.

Seeing this, Yang Jing, who had been thinking of leaving quietly, knew he couldn’t get away now that they had both seen him.

He smiled faintly, walked forward, looked at the two of them, and clasped his hands politely. "Greetings, Miss Pan."

The woman was slightly taken aback by his words, then said gently, "My surname is Jin, not Pan."

Her voice was soft, and she didn’t seem to mind in the least.

"Heh, it’s Jin as in ’golden,’ and Lian as in ’lotus flower,’" Liu Maolin chimed in with an explanation, then laughed. "Miss Jin’s name is quite beautiful, isn’t it?"

Only then did it dawn on Yang Jing. An apologetic look crossed his face. "My apologies for being so forward. Greetings, Miss Jin."

He had heard Liu Maolin call her ’Miss Jinlian’ and had subconsciously associated it with that other, infamous name. It was a careless mistake.

Liu Maolin laughed and clapped Yang Jing on the shoulder, then said to Miss Jinlian with a smile, "This is my junior brother from the same master, a Dark Energy Martial Artist from the Martial Arts Hall. I’ve mentioned him to you before. He’s a steady and very reliable person."

Upon hearing this, realization dawned on Miss Jinlian. Her gaze toward Yang Jing became more serious, and much of the previous distance in her eyes dissipated. A polite smile appeared on her face as she gave a slight curtsy. "So it is Young Hero Yang. Forgive my lack of respect."

Yang Jing gave a polite nod in return.

’Sure enough, when you’re out in the world, you earn your own respect. Only when Liu Maolin mentioned I was a Dark Energy Martial Artist did she offer a smile.’

Miss Jinlian paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "Young Hero Yang, if you have some free time, you should come visit the Lu Family. I will be sure to host you well."

Yang Jing was taken aback, a little bewildered.

’If her surname is Jin, why is she inviting me to the Lu Family?’

Suddenly, he recalled how she referred to herself—a term used by wives—and then looked again at her married woman’s hairstyle. He began to understand. The Lu Family was likely her husband’s family.

Though many thoughts were racing through Yang Jing’s mind, his movements were not slow. He immediately clasped his hands politely and said, "Thank you for your kind invitation, Miss Jin. If I have the chance, I will certainly pay a visit."

Miss Jinlian smiled and nodded, then exchanged a few more simple words with Liu Maolin. She gave a slight curtsy to both of them and prepared to take her leave.

"We’ll see you out," Liu Maolin said with a smile.

Yang Jing nodded as well.

Miss Jinlian smiled and didn’t object.

The three of them chatted as they left the medical hall’s courtyard, passed through the main hall, and arrived outside the main gate.

"Young Master Liu, Young Hero Yang, I will be staying in Yuhe County for a while. When you two have time, you can come find me at the Lu Mansion or the Exotic Beast Pavilion for tea."

After speaking, Miss Jinlian boarded a horse-drawn carriage waiting by the road. The curtain fell, and her graceful figure was hidden from view.