Chapter 17

"I tell you to take it, so you take it! From today on, you must take some nourishing meat or pills that strengthen blood every day, practice diligently, and strive to become a fourth-rank Wu Shi as soon as possible, otherwise, you will be punished by family law!" Xia Daoming said sternly, not allowing any doubt.

"I obey, Master!" Liu Qiaolian replied solemnly, then stood up without a word of nonsense.

"Then you go down; I am going to practice," Xia Daoming said.

"Yes, Master," Liu Qiaolian bowed and left with lotus steps.

Watching Liu Qiaolian's graceful back disappear at the door, Xia Daoming shook his head helplessly.

Walking out of the door, Liu Qiaolian, who had disappeared from Xia Daoming's sight, walked quickly into her room, closed the door, and suddenly covered her face and wept.

After a long time, she took out the brocade box containing the Silver Deer Pill, looked at it for a while, then suddenly pressed it against her chest and laughed through her tears.

Xia Daoming naturally didn't know about Liu Qiaolian crying alone and laughing through her tears; after Liu Qiaolian left, he returned to the practice room, sat cross-legged, and silently thought about the strange phenomena he saw when observing the secret map.

The snake body twisted, and the snake skin peeled off inch by inch.

Feet broke out from under the body.

Meat bumps protruded from the forehead.

The snake's aura was changing, becoming more ancient, obscure, and powerful.

Just like bright energy going through many tempers and refinements, constantly condensing and purifying, turning into more powerful dark energy.

The Jiao dragon was born, either lurking in the abyss, or swimming in the lakes, or going up along the rivers, wanting to swim into the sea...

Xia Daoming "saw" more meridians and acupuncture points outside the four meridians.

They were like snakes and dragons winding and coiling in the body, seemingly intertwined and complex, but they had their own laws and rules.

Xia Daoming resisted the urge to impact the fifth meridian barrier with powerful internal force, and with the dark energy cultivation technique taught by Liang Jingtang, combined with the artistic conception sensed from observing the secret map, he rhythmically circulated blood and internal force within the four meridians.

Dark energy, from a certain perspective, is a more condensed and pure internal force.

Xia Daoming's meridians had experienced nine levels of expansion and strengthening at every rank of the Wu Shi realm.

Tough meridians could not only accommodate more internal force but also make the internal force within them more condensed.

The secret medicine mentioned by Liang Jingtang also had the effect of condensing internal force.

But the effect of the secret medicine was far worse than Xia Daoming's system.

From a certain perspective, Xia Daoming's bright energy was actually a semi-finished dark energy, but he didn't understand the secret of dark energy before, which led to him stopping at the semi-finished product.

Now he not only received the technique for practicing dark energy but also glimpsed the artistic conception of dark energy in the secret map, so it was naturally much easier to practice and transform the internal force in his body into dark energy than others.

Strands of filth and impurities seeped out from his skin.

The blood and internal force within the meridians were more pure and powerful, and also easier to restrain and become obscure.

Feeling the changes in his body, Xia Daoming immersed himself in it.

From the beginning of the Xu hour to the beginning of the Yin hour, for a full four hours, Xia Daoming was in deep meditation practicing dark energy, until his meridians and brain felt a tearing pain, and then he had to stop helplessly.

And under normal circumstances, even for a martial arts genius, when practicing dark energy for the first time, the meridians could generally only withstand half an hour.

Under the moonlight, Xia Daoming took off his clothes, drew several buckets of well water to wash away the filth on his body, and then returned to the bedroom and fell asleep.

Waking up the next day.

Xia Daoming felt that his meridians and brain were still aching faintly, but he felt that his whole person was much lighter, and at the same time, his whole body was full of an indescribable sense of power.

"Dark energy is indeed different; I only practiced for most of the night, and I actually felt that my strength had improved quite a bit," Xia Daoming was very pleasantly surprised.

After breakfast.

Xia Daoming gave a few instructions and went to Qianjiao Martial Arts Hall.

Becoming Liang Jingtang's personal disciple, not only did he have the qualification to observe the Divine Charm Secret Map and receive the dark energy technique, but he could also learn more profound martial arts.

One was fist and foot skills, Dragon Snake Nine Changes.

One was footwork, Wandering Dragon Nine Steps.

One was spear technique, Dragon Snake Nine Spears.

Previously, what Xia Daoming learned in Black Stone City were only some fist and foot skills derived from these three martial arts, focusing on frames and moves.

And the Dragon Snake Changes were the most mysterious and unpredictable.

Therefore, the three martial arts taught by Liang Jingtang focused on artistic conception rather than form.

Fist and foot skills were said to be nine changes, Wandering Dragon was said to be nine steps, and spear technique was said to be nine spears, but in reality, they were ever-changing and difficult to determine, and the key was to see the comprehension.

Xia Daoming had already glimpsed the entire process of the snake transforming into a lurking Jiao from the secret map, and with Liang Jingtang personally teaching the martial arts, he comprehended them very quickly.

This made Liang Jingtang very pleasantly surprised and also a bit regretful.

With this kind of martial arts comprehension ability, if combined with the cultivation base of the Great Wu Shi realm, the combat power would definitely be astonishing.

It's just that in Liang Jingtang's view, Xia Daoming had little hope of becoming a Great Wu Shi, so even if his comprehension ability was strong, the power he could exert would be limited.

A few days later.

Outside the east gate.

Wu Family Fort.

In a large courtyard, three coffins were placed.

In each coffin lay a corpse, and one of them was actually a headless corpse.

Beside the coffin of the headless corpse stood two men.

One person should have been nearly seventy years old, with a pair of thick and short bow legs, but his arms were long to his knees, and his palms were very large.

The other person was nearly sixty years old, thin and tall, but with a large frame and exceptionally long arms.

These two, the bow-legged one was Elder Wu Yueming of Wu Family Fort, Wu Changlu's father, and the other was Fort Master Wu Yueli.

However, it was very strange.

Wu Yueming looked at his headless young son in the coffin, but his expression showed little grief, even giving people a feeling of indifference.

While Wu Yueli obviously had a face full of grief and indignation, the veins on his forehead bulging.

"Daring to kill a descendant of our Wu Family Fort, this matter must be thoroughly investigated!" Wu Yueli said with murderous intent in his eyes.

Soon, eight Wu Family Fort Black Cloud Guards wearing black cloaks rode fine horses and rushed out of the fort gate like a whirlwind.

Floating Cloud Workshop, Drunken Cloud Building.

Xia Daoming and Yuchi Xiao had just gotten off the carriage when they saw a middle-aged man wearing brocade clothes, with a big belly, a fat face, and no beard, welcoming them with a beaming smile.

"Yuchi Shixiong, your arrival is a great honor; I have failed to welcome you!"

"Go, go, why are fellow disciples saying these polite words?" Yuchi Xiao laughed and waved his hand, then pointed to Xia Daoming beside him: "This is the new disciple Master accepted, Xia Daoming."

"So you are Xia Shidi; you are indeed a young talent, a man of talent and appearance," the middle-aged man immediately looked at Xia Daoming and praised him with a face full of smiles.

Xia Daoming couldn't help but be stunned.

With his appearance, what did it have to do with being a man of talent and appearance?

"Daoming, this is Jiao Yongbao, the owner of Drunken Cloud Building, who was once the most powerful disciple under Master, but later had some encounters, so he abandoned martial arts for business. Don't look at his rich appearance; he has the cultivation of a fourth-rank Martial Master, and if you really talk about martial arts, you are definitely not his match now," Yuchi Xiao said.

"Yuchi Shixiong, don't gild my face; with my fat, plus my age, my martial arts have long been no good, unlike Xia Shidi, who is young and strong, with vigorous blood!" Jiao Yongbao laughed and waved his hand, a hint of desolation flashing deep in his eyes.

"Xu Shixiong Jiao is too modest!" Xia Daoming smiled.

"Have Xingji and the others arrived?" Yuchi Xiao asked.

"Hehe, Xu Shixiong summoned us, and said you were introducing a new Xia Shidi Xu Shixiong; how could they not come? They have been waiting upstairs for a long time," Jiao Yongbao said with a smile, then personally led the two into the restaurant.

Third floor, Cloud-Return Residence.

Two men and one woman were already waiting.

"Daoming, this is Zhuo Xingji, the chief escort of Star Travel Escort Agency. We martial arts practitioners consume a lot of silver, especially if you want to break through to become a fifth-rank Great Martial Master; the expenses will inevitably be greater in these years.

Sometimes you can go to Star Travel Escort Agency to find work; it's hard work and has certain dangers, but everyone is a fellow disciple, and Xingji will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Yuchi Xiao pointed to a man who looked about thirty-four or thirty-five years old, with a tall and mighty figure, rough skin on his face, and the appearance of someone who often traveled outside, exposed to wind and sun, and introduced him.

"Haha, that's natural. As long as Xia Shidi is willing to come to my escort agency to help, I will pay you half the reward of a chief escort of the same level," Zhuo Xingji laughed heroically.

"Then Xia Shidi Xu Shixiong thanks Xu Shixiong Zhuo first," Xia Daoming cupped his hands.

"This is your Xu Shixiong Sister Liu Xiao Qiang; as for her side, you should try to go there less in these years!" Yuchi Xiao quickly turned to a charming young married woman and introduced her.

"Senior Brother Yuchi, what do you mean by saying this? Could it be that if our own brothers go to my Flower-Glory Building, I, Junior Sister, would charge money?" Liu Xiao Qiang raised her hand and gently hit Yuchi Xiao, not forgetting to roll her eyes at him.

"Cough, cough, I naturally don't mean that. I'm just worried that Xia Shidi is young and vigorous, full of blood, and will be addicted to female beauty, delaying his cultivation.

Besides, men, when they get to that place, some expenses must be paid by themselves; could it be that I would let you pay for it? Where would Xia Shidi's face be then?" Yuchi Xiao said.

"Pah, pah, what addiction to female beauty; the brothel I opened is a proper one, only listening to music and appreciating dance!" Liu Xiao Qiang rolled her eyes again.

"Yes, yes, the brothel Xia Shidi Sister opened is a proper one!" Yuchi Xiao nodded hurriedly.

Everyone looked at this scene, seemingly accustomed to it, and all smiled without speaking.

And Xia Daoming looked at this charming young married woman who was tightly wrapped in a purple dress, with a light gauze draped over her shoulders, looking not like a martial arts master but rather like a woman in the wind and dust, and was stunned.

So it turned out that this Xu Shixiong Sister of his actually opened a brothel!

Doesn't that mean he could go there and get it for free in the future? Pah, pah, am I that kind of person?