Chapter 68: Driving Piles, Changing Address to Senior Sister? Gossip

Xia He took several steps back, a sharp pain shooting through the web of his hand.

A Bone-Refining expert was truly extraordinary; just thirty percent of her strength had been enough to put him at a disadvantage. But a gap in strength was only natural—otherwise, what would be the point of striving so hard to improve his cultivation?

"Lord Shan, I'm coming at you again!"

Griping his long saber, Xia He surged forward like a squall of wind and rain. The blade flashed, weaving a dense web of saber light.

He felt a secret surge of excitement as he realized that this sparring session with Shan Ling was far from futile; his proficiency in wielding saber techniques was steadily climbing!

This progress only fueled his excitement, making his movements even fiercer and more rapid.

Yet, as the exchange continued, Shan Ling grew increasingly astonished.

Initially, she had assumed Xia He was merely a martial artist with shallow foundations and weak vital blood. What she was witnessing now, however, completely overturned her initial assumptions.

Not only did Xia He show no signs of momentum waning, but as time wore on, he fought with ever-increasing valor, as if an endless, inexhaustible reservoir of strength kept welling up from within him.

If he truly possessed an unstable foundation as she had first suspected, he would likely have collapsed from exhaustion after delivering his very first strike. How could he possibly sustain such formidable combat prowess for so long?

Xia He remained silent, relentlessly pounding away at Shan Ling like a pile driver!

Shan Ling felt helpless. She could not simply call a halt on her own accord, but the thirty percent of her strength she had mentioned at the start was no longer enough.

Unnoticeably, she began to scale up her output, rising first from thirty to forty percent, then to fifty, and finally deploying a full sixty percent of her power!

Thus, the two of them traded blows in a fierce engagement for about the span of a tea-making session, until Xia He finally brought his movements to a halt.

At that moment, waves of intense heat and white steam billowed from his entire body. He looked as though he had just stepped out of a steaming basket—drenched in sweat, yet feeling incomparably exhilarated!

Gazing at Xia He, Shan Ling could not help remarking, "Your vital blood seems rather unique..."

"Lord Shan, I can still go on!"

In truth, Xia He did not possess some legendary innate physique.

It was simply that his vital blood had been enhanced by the blessings of the Blood Fiend Art, fused with the fierce and wild blood of tigers and wolves, and further compounded by the Spirit-Snake Fist's second stage—the Spirit Python Transforming Blood.

His vital blood was likely more than twice as dense and thick as that of ordinary Blood-Refining martial artists.

In short: immense strength, thick vital blood, and endless endurance.

[Skill: Blood-Refining. Superior Grade. Spirit Serpent Fist Technique (Spirit Python)]
[Progress: 222/1000]
[Effects: Body like a roaming python, indestructible as steel]

[Skill: Blood-Refining. Blood Fiend Art (Blood Condensation)]
[Progress: 940/1000]
[Effects: Blood energy bursting forth, blood of tigers and wolves]

"The Blood Fiend Art is about to break through!"

Whenever he mobilized his vital blood, both the Spirit Serpent Fist Technique and the Blood Fiend Art gained proficiency.

Xia He had a strong intuition that the moment the Blood Fiend Art broke through, he would be able to use it as a stepping stone to break through to the Bone-Refining realm.

When that time came, he would likely attain a true tiger-and-wolf physique—a genuine tempering and reconstruction of his innate bones and foundation!

Rumble...

Just as Xia He was about to open his mouth to reply, a fierce wave of hunger suddenly surged from the pit of his stomach.

No wonder! He thought to himself. No wonder it had only lasted for the span of a tea-making session; if he had been properly fed, he could have kept going for at least the length of an incense stick.

He had been so focused on sparring upon his return that he had entirely forgotten to eat.

Shan Ling nodded, the cold aloofness she had previously held toward Xia He completely vanishing.

Seeing this, Xia He hurriedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Lord Shan, for accompanying me in this practice."

To his surprise, Shan Ling's remaining aloofness entirely dissolved as she said, "It was my eyes that failed me earlier! Given your talent and foundation, entering the Xuanwu Camp is now a certainty."

"That being the case, from this day forward, you may change your address and call me Senior Sister."

Hearing this, Xia He was stunned for a moment before breaking into a wide, ecstatic grin.

He couldn't help marveling at how strength could alter the course of things; otherwise, Shan Ling would never have shown him such goodwill.

While the two of them had been fiercely battling, Li Hailan had prepared a meal, and Xia He promptly invited Shan Ling to join them.

"There is no need..."

Shan Ling refused flatly.

Having reached the Bone-Refining realm, one could go without food for several days; fueled by the vigorous vital blood within their bodies, they would not feel hungry in the slightest.

Even so, fatigue still lingered, especially after days of continuous hard travel.

"There may be major events happening in the town over the next few days. If anything unexpected occurs, I will have someone notify you in advance."

With those words, Shan Ling departed straight away.

As she walked away, Shan Ling fell into deep thought.

Judging by Xia He's strength and the attitude previously displayed by Prefect Fan and the Circuit Intendant toward him, he likely had not yet chosen a side, nor had he been tainted by the persecution of the common people.

This was naturally a good thing.

The military households of these border garrisons were untamed and arrogant. The Crown Prince's desire to restore military discipline had stepped on their core interests, so there was no telling what irrational actions they might resort to!

With troubles both internal and external, not to mention those barbarians eyeing them covetously from the shadows...

His Highness the Crown Prince had given secret instructions: once evidence of these scoundrels' wrongdoings was uncovered and reported to the imperial court, the Xuanwu Camp was authorized to execute first and report later!

She wondered how her younger brother was faring on his investigative mission.

Compared to her, Shan Xiong was flighty and impulsive, and more importantly, his mind was loath to dwell too deeply on things. Bringing him along to temper him this time was also a deliberate consideration on the Crown Prince's part.

"Let us hope Xiong-er does not disappoint His Highness..."

...

Scarcely had Shan Ling departed when Magistrate Chai arrived hot on her heels, sniffing the air like a hound catching the scent of food, hurrying over to freeload a meal.

Seeing this, Xia He was left speechless, muttering inwardly, "Does Magistrate Chai possess a dog's nose?"

Back when they first returned to town, Chai had found an excuse to slip away in haste, only showing his face once it was confirmed that Shan Ling had already left.

Not only that, he wore a guilty expression, glancing furtively about as if terrified that Shan Ling might suddenly double back and catch him red-handed.

"Old Chai, what on earth is your relationship with Senior Sister Shan?"

Chai He kept mum, his lips sealed tighter than a clam shell. No matter how Xia He pressed him, he refused to utter a single syllable.

"If you won't talk, then don't! Who cares anyway!"

Still, Xia He felt a lingering wave of gratitude; after all, Chai had feared for his safety earlier and asked Shan Ling to bail him out of the military camp.

Moreover, he had assumed the Chai family was in decline and devoid of backers, never expecting them to have ties to the Xuanwu Camp. Why hadn't they pulled out such a formidable backer much sooner?

The atmosphere at the dining table felt somewhat subtle.

Looking nervously at Xia He, Chai He asked, "So... how did your assessment go?"

Xia He smiled faintly and replied, "Rest assured, everything went smoothly. I've already changed how I address Shan Ling—she's my Senior Sister now."

Hearing this, Chai He let out a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. A look of joyous delight spread across his face as he hastily said, "That's wonderful, simply wonderful! That being the case, the man surnamed Fan won't dare to move against you so easily anymore."

"That's hardly a certainty!"

"Magistrate Chai, why be so pedantic? Why not ask Senior Sister Shan to step in directly and wipe out the man surnamed Fan?"

"We are plagued by a lack of evidence..."

Xia He furrowed his brows, a firm decision settling in his heart.

The Circuit Intendant had harbored a faint murderous intent toward him; was he supposed to just sit around and wait for the man to come looking for more trouble next time?

After finishing his meal, seeing Chai He off, and lingering affectionately with his wife for a while before personally escorting her back to her elder sister's home, Xia He picked up his javelin and stepped out into the dark of night.