[God rewards hard work, and your persistence and effort will bring you real progress.]
[Through every punch you throw in the morning, you feel the warmth of the sun.]
[Through every punch at dusk, you sense the interplay of the sun and the moon.]
[The repetition of ordinary fist movents has led to their evolution, and your understanding of martial arts and boxing has deepened.]
[Seven years of consistent practice without interruption have transford the “Qi Blood Chang Fist.” Congratulations, you have mastered the “Qi-Blood Hegemony Fist.”]
[Your punches now radiate with the intensity of the sun.]
[Your energy and vitality exude a dominating presence, like an oven.]
[Having advanced to the Blood Exchange Realm, your strength has increased trendously. You are now unafraid of monsters below the innate level.]
[The girl witnessed you shatter a blue steel stone with a single punch, her face frozen in disbelief.]
[Despite your repeated explanations that it was rely an ordinary punch, she seed convinced you were hiding your true abilities.]
[Her attitude towards you shifted.]
[She sincerely sought your guidance, asking how one could unleash such incredible power without advanced martial arts skills or supre techniques.]
[She no longer addressed you as Xu Xi but respectfully called you “Mr. Xu.”]
[In martial arts, a master is also a teacher. Since you are older than the sixteen-year-old Wu Yingxue and possess martial arts skills beyond her comprehension, she directly asked you for instruction.]
[Feeling slightly embarrassed, you realized all your strength stemd from your perseverance, and you were unsure how to teach that.]
[Wu Yingxue handed you a bottle of Qi Pills.]
[These elixirs greatly enhance the success rate for Blood Exchange Realm warriors attempting to overco natural limits.]
[Suddenly, you felt like an excellent teacher.]
[You began sharing your experience with Wu Yingxue—not for any other reason, but simply because you could.]
The days of recuperation passed slowly.
As the saying goes, “It takes a hundred days to heal bones and tendons.”
To fully restore her strength, prepare for a perfect return to Beijing, and uncover the truth behind her attack, Wu Yingxue stayed hidden at Xu Xi’s ho to recover.
The mountains stood tall, one peak overlapping the other, their trees forming a thick canopy of shade. From Qingniu Town, located at the Daqian border, one could see the massive expanse of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Their oppressive shadow stretched endlessly, making it hard to breathe.
For Wu Yingxue, who had grown up in the bustling imperial capital, the scenery was both fascinating and awe-inspiring.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains were also called the Hundred Thousand Demon Caves, known to harbor countless demons—real, terrifying creatures that could chew human bones and drink human blood.
Wu Yingxue had only read about such places in storybooks. Now, seeing the mountains with her own eyes, she realized they were far more fearso than the tales described.
Life on the Daqian border was far harsher than she had imagined. If not for being attacked and becoming wanted by the authorities, Wu Yingxue would have returned to Beijing early, unwilling to endure such a difficult existence.
“Sir…”
“Are you really going to eat this again today?”
The warm sunshine bathed Qingniu Town in silence. Wu Yingxue’s words broke the tranquility like a stone rippling the surface of a lake, creating an awkward atmosphere.
The uneven wooden dining table held two bowls of rice porridge and a bowl of enticing-looking at. However, while the rice porridge seed bearable, Wu Yingxue looked at the at with fear and disdain. If Xu Xi were not sitting across from her, she might have flipped the table.
“How can you eat the flesh and blood of a demon!” she exclaid.
“Why not?” Xu Xi replied calmly.
Wu Yingxue found this hard to believe. She had tasted it before, and the experience had been indescribably unpleasant. Yet Xu Xi chewed the at with an expression so indifferent that it made her doubt herself.
Was it truly delicious?
Maybe last ti had been a fluke?
Hesitantly, her curiosity got the better of her. She picked up a piece of braised demon at with her chopsticks, took a bite, and chewed.
The result was disastrous.
“So sour! So tough!”
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!” Wu Yingxue spat it out, her face scrunched in agony. She couldn’t fathom how Xu Xi could eat the demon at so effortlessly.
To her amazent, the other residents of Qingniu Town seed thrilled whenever Xu Xi shared the demon flesh.
“Sir, why do you and the people of this town eat this?”
“It’s necessary,” Xu Xi replied. “For a town like Qingniu, bordering the Hundred Thousand Mountains, emigration is strictly forbidden.”
Wu Yingxue was stunned. Her pupils shrank as a wave of realization washed over her. “Doesn’t that force the people here to…”
Xu Xi interrupted her thoughts with words she had never considered. “Daqian’s rules on household registration are strict. Most demon at is either poisonous or infused with demonic energy, but the few edible portions are what sustain towns like Qingniu on this harsh border.”
Wu Yingxue fell silent, reluctant to voice her thoughts aloud. Holding onto a sliver of hope, she asked, “Does the court not intervene to help?”
“The court collects annual tributes,” Xu Xi answered matter-of-factly.
“The demon tides that co each spring and winter destroy the crops and livestock, leaving only what you see now.”
“But why don’t the townsfolk move to safer places?” Wu Yingxue asked, her voice filled with confusion.
“It’s forbidden. Violation is considered a severe cri,” Xu Xi said plainly.
The reality clashed violently with Wu Yingxue’s understanding of the world. She had always believed that under Daqian’s rule, the human race led stable and prosperous lives. The contrast left her shaken.
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