Chapter 93 - 78: Young Hero
By May, midsummer had arrived, and the days grew longer.
In the evening, Chen Cheng returned to Willow Lane on Shisong Street, carrying a large bundle of food and supplies he had bought at the market.
He took out his key and opened the courtyard gate, only to see Xi’Er come jogging from the inner courtyard, her face alight with joy.
"Young Master, you’re back?"
"Yes," Chen Cheng said, casually closing the gate. His eyes immediately fell on the large, strange bird with a cat-like head trotting closely behind Xi’Er.
It was a Night Owl, covered in grayish-brown feathers. It had long legs and stood over two feet tall, reaching almost to Xi’Er’s waist.
Its ear tufts stood ramrod straight as it tilted its head, its large, yellowish-red eyes fixed on the cotton bundle in Chen Cheng’s hands.
The Chen Family’s other birds had been lured in by Xi’Er with millet and other treats, but this Night Owl was different. It was a thief.
Once, when Xi’Er had hung a piece of cured meat outside the kitchen to air-dry, this Night Owl had appeared out of nowhere and stolen more than half of it.
After that, the Night Owl became a frequent visitor to the Chens’ home. Xi’Er could tell it had only recently left its nest and wasn’t fully grown. It sometimes failed to catch prey and would look pitiful, so she would occasionally feed it some bone scraps and bits of meat. Gradually, she grew fond of it.
The creature simply made itself at home at the Chens’, trotting eagerly behind Xi’Er every day, mooching food and drink.
"Young Master, you bought leg of lamb! I’ll make a clear-broth lamb stew for dinner tonight."
Xi’Er took the bundle, opened it to take a look, and said.
"Sounds good," Chen Cheng said with a smile.
The Night Owl sidled up to Xi’Er, craning its neck to peck at the lamb in the bundle.
"Xiaoguzi, be nice!" Xi’Er said, pushing away the Night Owl’s large, cat-like head. "Young Master, someone slipped a letter under the gate today. I put it on the table in the main hall."
"Alright, I’ll take a look." Chen Cheng smiled, then walked into the main hall. He picked up the letter, a smile involuntarily gracing his lips.
The letter was from Mu Xiaowan. She had learned to write before, but not much, so her characters were crooked and looked a bit unpracticed. Still, it was a huge improvement from when she was at home.
In it, she poured out her feelings of longing for him and assured him she was safe, telling him not to worry.
She also described her daily life at the Zheng Martial Arts Hall. Her master, Gongsun Rou, was teaching her the Phantom Sword Technique, a Superior Swordsmanship. If cultivated to its peak, one could not only comprehend Sword Momentum but could even go a step further to perceive the Fundamental Diagram and comprehend Sword Intent.
Mu Xiaowan’s Cultivation Progress was extremely fast. In just a short time, she had already brought her Swordsmanship to the Small Success Level. Because of this, her master Gongsun Rou had praised her effusively in front of Mr. Zheng.
Mu Xiaowan had met this Mr. Zheng a few times. She wrote that not only was his Martial Arts Power formidable, but he was also a man of many talents, a refined individual who was an expert in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting.
Mr. Zheng’s other four wives were all peerlessly beautiful, and each was skilled in a particular art.
The Second Madam excelled at playing the zither and flute, the Third Madam was an expert in Go, the Fourth Madam specialized in poetry, and the Fifth Madam was a master of calligraphy and painting.
Instead of Cultivating the Martial Dao, Mr. Zheng spent most of his days with his four wives, indulging in the seven arts of leisure—zither, Go, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and flowers—while tasting tea, drinking wine, and composing poems about the moon and the breeze.
The First Madam, Gongsun Rou, was very much against this. She rarely joined them, focusing solely on the Cultivation of her Swordsmanship.
The Sixth Madam, Luo Yunzhi, was often away from home, managing business for her own family, the Luo Family.
At the end of the letter, Mu Xiaowan mentioned that Mr. Zheng would be accepting disciples in half a month...
After finishing the letter, Chen Cheng shook his head slightly, lost in thought.
Mu Xiaowan had gone into detail about Mr. Zheng of the Zheng Martial Arts Hall, obviously so that Chen Cheng could be familiar with him and be prepared when it was time for his own apprenticeship.
But this Mr. Zheng seemed completely different from the rumored image of a supreme martial arts expert.
Composing poems in the company of beautiful women every day instead of cultivating the Martial Dao—where was the heroic spirit of a man who could dominate an entire city and stand proudly independent despite the pressure from the Four Great Clans of the Inner City?
Thinking of how those four wives came from the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, Chen Cheng sighed softly.
’Could these four wives have been deliberately arranged by the Four Great Clans to dull Mr. Zheng’s edge?
Even heroes find it hard to resist a beautiful woman’s charms. Don’t tell me Mr. Zheng has truly become lost in sensual pleasures and let his spirit waste away?
Whatever. How Mr. Zheng conducts himself is none of my business. I just want to learn more profound Martial Arts Skills from him.’
Chen Cheng left the main hall and went to his bedroom in the rear courtyard. From a hidden compartment under his bed, he retrieved a sandalwood box. Inside were his valuables: silver notes, gold coins, and pieces of broken silver.
Chen Cheng’s net worth had previously been over four hundred taels of silver. Recently, he had spent over a hundred taels on food and the Medicinal Materials for the Bear Skin Grinding Technique’s Herbal Decoction, leaving him with nearly three hundred taels.
He had earned two hundred taels of reward silver for killing the South City Thirteen Thieves, and the Money Bag he’d taken from Lou Hui had contained another hundred-plus taels of silver.
His net worth had now risen to over six hundred taels. This much money was enough for him to continue his Cultivation of the Bear Skin Grinding Technique all the way to the Perfection Realm.
He placed the letter in the box and returned it to the hidden compartment. A sense of security settled over Chen Cheng.
’Finally, I don’t have to worry about money anymore!’
He thought to himself and summoned his status panel.
[Name: Chen Cheng
Realm: Skin Grinding Realm (Great Success)
Skills: Iron Armor Skill (Great Success 3456/10000), Wind Chasing Saber Technique (Perfection 6201/100000), Bear Skin Grinding Technique (Great Success 2450/10000)]
The Cultivation Progress of his Bear Skin Grinding Technique was increasing rapidly. He could cultivate it about once every seven days, and each session increased his progress by around 1000 points.
To reach the Perfection Realm, he only needed about eight more sessions, which would take roughly two more months.
And as his Cultivation Progress in the Bear Skin Grinding Technique improved, his qi and blood grew stronger by the day. This, in turn, accelerated his progress in the Iron Armor Skill, which was now increasing by nearly two hundred points daily.