After lunch, with no patients at the clinic, Lu Zheng lounged in a chair, dozing off, only to be jolted awake by Hu Zhou’s shouts.
“Master! Master!”
Lu Zheng grumbled, “I’m only twenty-three, my ears still work!”
Since Lu Zheng began teaching Hu Zhou martial arts, impressed by his filial nature, reform, and exceptional talent, Hu Zhou had called him Master. Though Lu Zheng clarified he wasn’t taking disciples, Hu Zhou persisted, nearly tearing up when pressed, so Lu Zheng reluctantly accepted him as a pupil.
“Master! Master!” Hu Zhou rushed into the clinic, brimming with excitement.
“I said… huh?” Lu Zheng sat up, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve cultivated martial blood energy?”
“Yes, yes!” Hu Zhou nodded eagerly, striking a stance. His newly formed martial blood energy surged, roaring like the sea, heavy as a mountain.
“Master, Sister Liu, I’ve cultivated martial blood energy!”
A buzz in Lu Zheng’s mind signaled thirteen strands of fate’s light added to his tally.
What an unexpected bonus!
“Impressive!” Lu Zheng gave a thumbs-up. “Truly a rare martial genius, born once in ten thousand years. The peace of Great Jing will depend on you!”
Hu Zhou blushed at the praise. Liu Qingyan, cutting off Lu Zheng’s teasing, smiled at Hu Zhou. “Cultivating martial blood energy is a big deal. Tonight, bring your sister and join us for dinner at home.”
“Great, great!” Hu Zhou nodded eagerly.
“Master—” Hu Zhou turned to Lu Zheng.
“What?” Lu Zheng leaned back, unaccustomed to Hu Zhou’s earnest flattery.
“I want to learn the blade,” Hu Zhou said eagerly.
“Tiger Roar Blade?”
“Tiger Roar Blade!” Hu Zhou nodded vigorously.
“Alright,” Lu Zheng agreed readily.
“Really? You’re agreeing?” Hu Zhou was thrilled.
“Why not? Since you’ve mastered *Mountain-Bearing Eighteen Styles*, you can learn *Tiger Roar Blade*. Just don’t neglect your fist techniques.”
“Of course, I won’t!” Hu Zhou assured.
Lu Zheng had learned from drinking sessions with Xin Zhanting that *Tiger Roar Blade* could be taught freely. Hu Zhou, naturally strong and upright, was suited for it. Lu Zheng wasn’t stingy, especially since Liu Qingyan saved Hu Zhou’s mother, and he helped at the clinic daily. Boosting his strength also meant boosting Liu Qingyan’s safety.
They agreed to dine and play mahjong at the Liu residence that afternoon. Lu Zheng returned home, grabbed a bottle of Wuliangye, and, after a thought, bought two pounds of pork knuckle and three pounds of apples from the supermarket.
Pork knuckle was straightforward, but apples in early spring? Picked in the mountains, obviously. Why were they there? Who knows? For a cultivator, conjuring fresh fruit was perfectly reasonable.
That evening, at the Liu residence.
“Wow, apples!” Liu Qingxuan cheered, grabbing one and biting in. “Crunch!”
Her eyes sparkled. “So sweet!”
Lu Zheng handed a washed apple to Liu Qingyan, who took it with delight and nibbled.
Modern-bred Fuji apples were sweet, crisp, juicy, and slightly tart, far surpassing Great Jing’s apples in flavor.
Liu Qingyan was amazed. “Lu, where’d you get such delicious apples? Better than any I’ve had!”
Lu Zheng grinned. “Tasty, right?”
Liu Qingyan’s eyes curved with her smile. “Delicious!”
“Good enough,” Lu Zheng laughed. “Found a rare tree in the mountains that fruits even in winter. I’ll check it now and then, so we won’t lack fruit.”
“Really?” Liu Qingyan blinked, nodded, and didn’t press further.
After a winter, the sweet apples were irresistible. Everyone ate one before dinner.
“Congrats, Sister. Hu Zhou’s cultivated blood energy. Life will only get better,” Liu Qingyan said.
Hu Zhou’s mother, however, looked complexly at her son. “I’d rather he never leave Tonglin County, just live safely.”
Now more sensible, Hu Zhou, though proud of his martial progress, stayed grounded. “I won’t leave, I’ll stay with you, helping at the clinic.”
“You can’t help forever! Won’t you marry?” Old Man Liu raised his chopsticks.
Hu Zhou scoffed. “Marry? The men in the neighborhood with wives don’t seem happy.”
Mrs. Liu: “…”
Hu Zhou’s mother: “…”
Liu Qingyan: “…”
Young man, you’re narrowing your path!
Lu Zheng, grinning, gave Hu Zhou a piece of pork knuckle as a reward for his honesty.
Naturally, he kept silent.
Hu Zhou thanked him, devouring the meat. “Master, this morning at work, I suddenly cultivated blood energy. I feel like I could carry enough bags in one morning to match three days before!”
Already strong, Hu Zhou’s morning work outdid others’ daily efforts. Now faster, he was becoming a beast.
Lu Zheng shook his head. “When you carry bags tomorrow, don’t show your blood energy. Keep your usual pace. Don’t let anyone know you’ve achieved martial success.”
Hu Zhou looked puzzled. “Why?”
His mother smacked his head. “Listen to your master, stop asking why!”
“Oh—” Hu Zhou shrank back.
“A tall tree catches the wind,” Lu Zheng explained. “Your strength already drew riffraff calling you brother, mostly because you could fight and take the lead.
If they knew you’d cultivated blood energy, it wouldn’t just be riffraff coming for you.”
Hu Zhou’s eyes widened.
“If you want to venture out or join the army for glory, fine. But if you want a peaceful life with your mother in the county, don’t flaunt your martial energy.”
“Right, exactly!” Hu Zhou nodded, straightforward but not foolish.
“Don’t worry about money,” Lu Zheng laughed. “Your master’s got plenty. When you’re ready to marry, I’ll cover the dowry.”
Hu Zhou waved it off, not declining modestly but insisting, “I’m not marrying!”
Alright, a bit foolish after all.
“It’s past the tenth, and the Lantern Festival is coming,” Old Man Liu said, shaking his head. “Time flies, another year gone.”
Mrs. Liu nodded, smiling at the table. “This year’s good! Really good!”
Liu Qingyan’s face glowed, smiling silently, while Liu Qingxuan clapped excitedly. “Lantern Festival! Temple fair!”
During the New Year, families stayed home, then visited relatives after the first. The Lantern Festival in mid-month marked the start of the new year’s work, with rituals at Daoist temples, Buddhist monasteries, and city god shrines. It hosted the year’s biggest market, grander than the Qixi Festival.
At night, adults and children alike loved the lantern displays, the liveliest evening of the year.
“Sounds great,” Lu Zheng said, smiling at Liu Qingyan. “After a hard year, let’s take the Lantern Festival off, visit the temple fair, and see the lanterns.”
Liu Qingyan’s eyes sparkled, her smile radiant. “Alright.”
After dinner, Hu Zhou’s mother stayed to play mahjong with the Lius, while Lu Zheng took Hu Zhou home, grabbed two Embroidered Spring Blades, and began teaching him the blade technique.
An hour later, Hu Zhou and his mother left.
That weekend, at Fulong Plaza’s Old Qingyu Hotpot.
Luo Yun channeled her frustration into eating, chopsticks flying, head down, as the others exchanged glances and joined in.
Finally, she set down her chopsticks, exhaling. “I’m good!”
“Good, it’ll pass. You’re not the only one this happens to, and people move on,” Huang Xiu Min said, blunt as ever. “No need to be dramatic.”
Luo Yun choked on her drink.
Lin Wan smacked Huang Xiu Min, then advised, “A setback’s also a lesson. You didn’t lose much, and you’ve got time ahead.”
Lu Zheng glanced at Huang Xiu Min, gesturing: See, that’s how you comfort someone.
Huang Xiu Min shot him a disdainful look: Lovebirds!
Seeing Luo Yun recover, Su Mengmeng’s gossip sparked. “So… any other victims? From Luo Liang?”
“Not Luo Liang, his accomplices,” Lin Wan clarified, shaking her head.
“The guy in the video?” Luo Yun asked.
Lin Wan’s video had trended for days, seen by Luo Yun and Su Mengmeng, who gave Lu Zheng odd looks.
Lu Zheng: Õ_Õ
Lin Wan nodded, explaining briefly.
“There’s an overseas training program?” Tong Muxuan was stunned.
“Yes, for men and women,” Huang Xiu Min nodded, smirking. “Want to learn?”
Tong Muxuan, indignant, said, “No!”
Everyone laughed, lightening the mood.
After the meal, Lu Zheng followed Lin Wan home, coaching her martial arts, guiding her through poses all day, then returned to Great Jing for idle, leisurely cultivation.
Days later, the Lantern Festival arrived…
