Chapter 68 - 64: Mountain Stronghold

"What the hell is this supposed to be!?"

Qian Baolu’s face fell as he stared at the food that had just been brought over. He roared at the White-Plaque Disciple who had set down the bowls and was already trying to sneak away.

"Do you take us for fools!? Or do you think we’re blind!?"

The disciple who delivered the meal flinched, his face flushing crimson. He stammered, wanting to say something but not daring to speak.

He knew, of course, that the dining hall’s standard meals were always served in two large bowls, filled to the brim.

But the portions in front of Chen Cheng and Qian Baolu were clearly much smaller, and the pork in the stew was almost all fat, with hardly a single slice of lean meat to be found.

No wonder Qian Baolu was so furious.

"That’s enough."

Chen Cheng stopped Qian Baolu first, then turned and waved a hand at the White-Plaque Disciple.

"This has nothing to do with you. You can go."

The disciple scurried away with his head down, as if he had just received a pardon.

Qian Baolu was stunned for a moment before he quickly realized what was going on. He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"It’s that son of a bitch Xiao Yi! I can’t believe his retaliation came so quickly!"

"You eat. I’m going to the Inner Hall."

Chen Cheng stood up and walked out at an unhurried pace.

"Senior Brother Chen..."

Qian Baolu called out. Seeing Chen Cheng walk away without a glance back, he could only sigh helplessly.

’It’s useless to go complain to the Inner Hall... With Xiao Yi’s current influence, no one will care about something so minor... Besides, Xiao Yi would never admit to it... Ugh...’

...

Chen Cheng walked up to the small, crimson-lacquered door of the Inner Hall and raised his hand, knocking three times—not too lightly, not too heavily.

A moment later, the door creaked open a crack from the inside, then swung fully open.

Standing behind the door was Zhuang Zhen, yet again. In Chen Cheng’s memory, she was always the one to answer.

"Senior Sister Zhuang."

Chen Cheng cupped his fist in his palm and bowed.

"Junior Brother Chen, what brings you here?"

Zhuang Zhen was as gentle and serene as ever, though a hint of curiosity flickered in her eyes.

Today, she wasn’t wearing the usual training attire of the Martial Arts Hall but had changed into a simple cyan dress, which made her skin seem even fairer.

The collar and cuffs were neatly tailored, and a silk ribbon of the same color was tied loosely around her waist, outlining a slender yet strong waistline and accentuating her stunningly curvaceous figure.

Her jet-black hair was held up by a simple wooden pin, with a few soft strands escaping to frame her cheeks. This gave her already lovely face an added touch of natural, pristine beauty.

"I’ve succeeded again," Chen Cheng said calmly.

"Succeeded again? Succeeded at what?"

Zhuang Zhen didn’t understand at first and asked instinctively.

But as soon as the words left her lips, it was as if something had suddenly struck her Heart Spirit. Her whole body trembled, and her beautiful, serene eyes widened in an instant.

"Today, I was fortunate enough to condense my third pillar of Blood Qi."

Chen Cheng smiled and extended his hand.

"Please verify it, Senior Sister."

"This... Alright."

Zhuang Zhen was stunned for several more seconds before she managed to suppress the crashing waves of shock in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she slowly placed her cool palm on Chen Cheng’s offered forearm.

Upon inspection, the turbulent astonishment and doubt in her heart finally settled.

’He really did it...’

Zhuang Zhen let out a soft sigh, her thoughts unexpectedly calming down as she suddenly recalled the detail Lu Song had noticed that afternoon.

’Perhaps Chen Cheng’s rapid breakthrough this time was due to the help of a Treasure Medicine.’

’If that’s the case, then it’s not so strange.’

As for where the Treasure Medicine came from... everyone has their own fortuitous encounters. Among Martial Artists, the greatest taboo was prying into another’s opportunities. Naturally, Zhuang Zhen would not press the matter.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen."

After her sincere congratulations, Zhuang Zhen added.

"First, go to the General Affairs Room to register and exchange your waist token. Come back in half an hour, and I’ll take you to see Master Ye."

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Chen Cheng cupped his fist in thanks and immediately headed for the General Affairs Room.

...

「Meanwhile, in the dining hall.」

Luo Boqing and the handful of cronies who always followed Xiao Yi’s lead had gathered around Qian Baolu.

"Qian Baolu, how’s the food tonight? To your liking?" Sun An sneered.

Qian Baolu kept his head down and didn’t respond, merely grinding his back teeth in silent fury.

"Hey! I’m talking to you!"

Dong Li slammed a palm on the table and roared.

"Are you fucking deaf? Or dumb?!"

Qian Baolu neither looked up nor retorted. The knuckles of the hand holding his chopsticks were white from the strain, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly.

"Senior Brother Qian."

Luo Boqing took half a step forward, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Technically, since you already kowtowed and admitted your mistake to Senior Brother Xiao, we shouldn’t be making things difficult for you... You should know this isn’t about you."

"Just promise that you won’t associate with Chen Cheng anymore, and I’ll have your normal meal swapped back immediately. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

A lean figure, looking somewhat haggard and worn, approached from a distance. He casually pushed aside Sun An and Dong Li, who were blocking the way, and came to a steady stop beside Qian Baolu.

"Senior Brother Lin!"

Qian Baolu’s head snapped up, his eyes instantly shining with light as if he had just grasped a life-saving rope. His perpetually stooped back straightened unconsciously.

"Lin Fengxiao!"

Having been shoved aside, Dong Li lost face. He immediately puffed out his chest and threatened with false bravado.

"Last time, Qian Baolu kowtowed and apologized, but you still haven’t! If Senior Brother Xiao wasn’t busy preparing for the Middle Courtyard assessment, you’d have been fucking finished long ago!"

"If you know what’s good for you, get lost! Don’t look for trouble! You... What do you think you’re doing!?"

Dong Li’s words trailed off as his expression changed drastically, for Lin Fengxiao had taken a step closer to him.

In that instant, the Blood Qi around Lin Fengxiao surged, his bones and tendons humming with power. Dong Li felt as if a ferocious beast was about to pounce on him. A chill shot through his heart, the hair on his body stood on end, and it felt like an invisible hand was choking him, leaving him on the verge of suffocation.

"Lin Fengxiao, what’s so impressive about bullying a junior brother with only One Pillar of Blood Qi?"

Just then, two young men wearing silver, dragon-engraved waist tokens emerged from the crowd, their cold gazes fixed on Lin Fengxiao’s face.

The Blood Qi surging within both of them was powerful; even individually, neither was weaker than Lin Fengxiao.

"If you want a fight, we’ll be happy to oblige."

These two were Su Ziyang and Guo Chun. They had just recently thrown in their lot with Xiao Yi’s faction and were itching for an opportunity to show their loyalty.

"Senior Brother Lin, forget it..."

Qian Baolu’s newly straightened back slumped once more.

In his eyes, it had only been about half a month since Lin Fengxiao had condensed his second pillar of Blood Qi. But the two opposite him were senior disciples who had been honing their skills in this realm for over a year. If they really fought, Lin Fengxiao would surely suffer a great loss.

"Who are you to say forget it? Get lost!"

Su Ziyang snapped at Qian Baolu before turning his provocative gaze back to Lin Fengxiao.

"You, surnamed Lin! How about we go outside and ’practice’? You dare?"

Guo Chun, standing beside him, was already cracking his knuckles. His posture made it clear that even if Lin Fengxiao backed down, he wouldn’t let it go.

Lin Fengxiao’s face was cold, showing no intention of backing down or admitting defeat.

The surrounding atmosphere instantly grew tense and hostile.

"Senior Brother Chen is here... Break it up! Everyone, break it up!"

Just then, a disciple who did odd jobs in the General Affairs Room ran over as if his pants were on fire. In appearance, he bore a slight resemblance to Guo Chun.

"Senior Brother Chen? Which Senior Brother Chen?"

Su Ziyang, Guo Chun, and the others all glanced out the window and saw Chen Cheng walking unhurriedly toward the dining hall.

"It’s him? Hah, we’re all at the second pillar of Blood Qi. Why would we need to hide from him? What a joke!"

—