Chapter 159: Yu Niang

After Wu Feng's affairs were handled properly, Cheng Feng secretly estimated that, judging by the current circulation of Blood Qi in his body, he might need to apply the Black Jade Intermittent Ointment one more time to fully recover.

Afterwards, Cheng Feng's gaze involuntarily fell upon Yu Niang, who was to the side.

In Cheng Feng's eyes, Yu Niang possessed extremely high talent, not at all inferior to Xu Miao. According to what Xu Miao had said, because of insufficient medicinal soup supply when she was young, it had taken her only three months to step into the Strength Refining Initial Stage.

If there had been sufficient medicinal soup support at that time, Xu Miao was even confident that she could have promoted to a Strength Refining Initial Stage Martial Artist within one and a half months. Precisely because of this, Cheng Feng began to think: if he provided Yu Niang with sufficient medicinal soup resources, would she be able to successfully break through to the Strength Refining Initial Stage in the same short amount of time—one and a half months?

Thinking of this, Cheng Feng decided to find a suitable time to talk to Yu Niang about this matter and observe her enthusiasm and determination for practicing martial arts. After all, talent is certainly important, but acquired effort is equally indispensable. Only by possessing both is it possible to achieve greater accomplishments on the path of the Martial Dao. And all of this would depend on Yu Niang's own choice and effort.

Cheng Mansion

Cheng Feng and Yu Niang were indulging in passion in the main room. After a bout of intensity, Cheng Feng held the sweat-drenched Yu Niang and said dotingly, "Yu Niang, Ba Bai once said that you possess extraordinary Martial Dao Root Bone, and I hope you can embark on the path of practicing martial arts. But Martial Dao cultivation is exceptionally arduous, so I want to ask for your opinion." Cheng Feng's gaze locked tightly onto Yu Niang's eyes, attempting to search for an answer within them.

Yu Niang nodded without hesitation, a firm light flickering in her eyes. "I am willing, Master. No matter what the final result is, I yearn to try it."

Ever since the moment she stepped into the Cheng Mansion, the life of Yu Niang and her daughter Xiao Yu had been a hundred times better than it was in the outside world.

They ate well and lived comfortably, and what Cheng Feng gave her was not only physical comfort but also spiritual care.

All of this made the drifting Yu Niang deeply realize the preciousness of the man before her.

Although receiving a man's doting love is a beautiful thing, if one cannot bear this heavy, overwhelming favor, I fear it will trigger much criticism in the Rear Courtyard in the future.

Yu Niang knew the stakes involved, so she naturally resolved to strive to grasp this opportunity and not let down Cheng Feng's expectations of her.

Ever since becoming Cheng Feng's woman, Yu Niang had felt a different kind of favor and love.

Since the Master had spoken, he certainly would not harm her.

Moreover, she truly needed to strengthen this body of hers. Every time she looked at Cheng Feng's unsatisfied appearance, Yu Niang would always feel secretly saddened, feeling that as a woman, she had not been able to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations she should have.

Now that she finally had such a rare opportunity placed before her, no matter what, she absolutely must not let it slip away easily!

Cheng Feng did not know what Yu Niang was thinking; seeing her agree so readily, he could not help but feel happy. He thought to himself: with someone as naturally intelligent as Yu Niang, as long as she is willing to learn and practice with focus, surely it won't be long before she achieves something, right?

From that day on, under Cheng Feng's attentive companionship, Yu Niang officially embarked on this incomparably difficult and bitter path of cultivation.

Every day, she had to drink a great deal of bitter, hard-to-swallow medicinal soup, and then she would begin to repeatedly drill those most basic martial technique movements day and night.

Although this process was exceptionally arduous and hard to endure, a firm and expectant light always flickered within Yu Niang's beautiful, moving eyes.

Cheng Feng naturally accompanied her attentively, guiding her by day and serving her by night, which not only made Yu Niang feel deeply warm but also allowed the other many women to deeply realize the Master's high regard for Martial Dao cultivation.

Consequently, they all began to work twice as hard to practice that complex and formidable Collapse Mountain Fist.

Meiniang, Cai'er, Cuier, Xiaohua, Chen Min, Xiao Qing, and Zheng Ya—these seven women were all Cheng Feng's women, and Cheng Feng was not stingy toward them either.

Now, Lian Niang was about to give birth, while Xu Miao was unable to cultivate due to being severely injured.

In addition, Xiao Fang, Maomao, and Xiao Ling were the three women Cheng Feng had specifically selected as good seedlings for martial arts, and they naturally became the objects he focused on cultivating.

Cheng Feng calculated carefully: according to the supplementary medicinal prescription for the early stage of the Collapse Mountain Fist, drinking two bowls of medicinal soup a day, with each bowl costing three taels of silver, would consume ninety taels a month.

These expenses were maintained solely by the subsidies from Cheng Feng's Fine Salt business. Currently, the shipment volume of the Fine Salt business had increased; each time he could earn four hundred taels of silver, and there were three such opportunities in a month, for a total of one thousand two hundred taels.

Cheng Feng believed this way of making money carried too high a risk, but because there were truly too many places where money was needed, he could only endure it for the time being and take it one step at a time.

As for the tools for refining the Fine Salt, Cheng Feng had always kept them carefully hidden and was prepared to destroy them at any time to prevent accidents.

The tavern had not yet expanded its scale, and the monthly income was still a mere twenty taels. As for the current earnings of the Hong Sect, after deducting various expenses, it could only provide Cheng Feng with sixty taels of surplus silver per month, which was already considered to be moving in a positive direction.

As time passed day by day, with the assistance of the medicinal soup, the three women—Xiao Fang, Maomao, and Xiao Ling—were the first to step into the Strength Refining Initial Stage.

This allowed the other women to see the hope of becoming Martial Artists. Watching these three lively, youthful girls already embark on the path of the Martial Artist, the joy in Cheng Feng's heart overflowed.

The next to achieve success was Yu Niang.

On a certain bright, sunny morning, the sunlight poured into the mansion's courtyard like a waterfall. The women were practicing the Collapse Mountain Fist, one move and one stance at a time, under the guidance of Cheng Feng and Xu Miao, coordinating their breathing rhythm with the movements.

Yu Niang was practicing with continuous and fluid movements, but when she finished the third set of the fist technique, she suddenly felt a continuous stream of power surging into her body, completely unlike the feeling of exhaustion she had on ordinary days.

She hurriedly continued to maintain her fist stance, doing her utmost to adjust her breathing, attempting to guide the powerful force surging within her body.

Sweat slid down Yu Niang's forehead, gradually soaking her clothes, and her breathing also became somewhat rapid and chaotic.

Cuier, who was preparing to rest, keenly sensed Yu Niang's abnormal situation; she was anxious and immediately shouted loudly for Cheng Feng and Xu Miao to come and check.

Hearing the shouts, Cheng Feng and Xu Miao ran over without hesitation. When they saw Yu Niang's current state, their moods were both excited and worried.

What they were happy about was that after only a month, Yu Niang had encountered an opportunity for a breakthrough. What they were worried about was that once the breakthrough process was interrupted, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Cheng Feng had a flash of inspiration; he stood in front of Yu Niang and demonstrated the Collapse Mountain Fist's routines and movements over and over again, hoping that this method could bring Yu Niang some inspiration and alertness.

Just as Yu Niang was about to lose control of the surging, turbulent power within her body, her gaze happened to fall upon the fist moves Cheng Feng was practicing. Thus, she unconsciously began to practice along with Cheng Feng's movements.

Xu Miao instantly understood Cheng Feng's intention; he quickly directed the other women to clear space and placed the already prepared medicinal soup in an easily accessible location.

Through unremitting effort, when Cheng Feng led Yu Niang to complete the third round of the fist technique practice, the anxious expression originally on Yu Niang's face gradually eased.

After all, she had witnessed the entire process of the three women—Xiao Fang and the others—breaking through, but when this matter fell upon herself, it was still impossible to avoid feeling nervous.

Just as her mind went blank, she had actually forgotten everything she had heard previously. Fortunately, with Cheng Feng guiding her from the side, Yu Niang was able to slowly calm down and recall the experience Xu Miao and Cheng Feng had shared.

Accompanied by the execution of each move and stance, Yu Niang's body began to undergo wondrous changes.

A layer of pitch-black grease gradually emerged on her originally fair face, and the exposed parts such as her neck and wrists also began to seep out black substances. Not only that, her muscle lines became increasingly distinct and full of power, and her breathing also became more and more steady.

Cheng Feng and Xu Miao keenly sensed the changes happening to her.

When Yu Niang went all out, mobilizing her entire body's strength to strike the final move, "Sacrificing Life to Forget Death," her body's tendons and bones chimed in unison, emitting a crisp sound. With this, Yu Niang finally successfully took the first step to becoming a Martial Artist—stepping into the Strength Refining Initial Stage!

Cheng Feng and Xu Miao looked at the woman before them with faces full of surprise; they knew in their hearts that Yu Niang had already achieved success.

"I really did it, Master, Sister Xu!" Yu Niang was uncontrollably excited; as she shouted these words with a trembling voice, tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew deeply that without the unwavering support and encouragement Cheng Feng and Xu Miao had provided all along, she absolutely would not have been able to reach this step today.

Cheng Feng and Xu Miao were likewise filled with deep emotion; they felt genuinely happy for the achievement Yu Niang had attained.

All the past efforts and dedication had now received their due reward. Looking at the reborn Yu Niang before them, their hearts were overflowing with pride and self-satisfaction.

From this moment on, Yu Niang officially entered the ranks of Strength Refining Initial Stage Martial Artists. Her strength advanced by leaps and bounds, and she herself became increasingly confident and firm.

Cheng Feng did not know how many Fortune Points the three women's aptitude could add, but the gap in progress between Yu Niang and the three women perhaps had something to do with that snake meat.

After all, the three women themselves had extraordinary aptitude and had eaten snake meat before, and then with the help of two doses of carefully brewed medicinal soup every day, only then could they have such rapid results.

Although Yu Niang entered the mansion later and was slightly older, and although she succeeded in catching up to the pace of the three women through her own unremitting efforts, becoming the fourth Martial Artist of the Cheng Mansion, such an achievement was already truly rare and commendable. But that superior natural talent was certainly indispensable.

Cheng Feng could see this point from the astonishing speed of Yu Niang's progress.

All the women revealed looks of surprise and joy, watching Yu Niang with envy.

They were all very clear in their hearts that Yu Niang, just like the three little ones, possessed exceptional talent for the Martial Dao.

Cheng Feng had once said that talent is something that can be met but not sought, and can only be compensated for through unremitting effort and sufficient resources.

Cheng Feng's requirements for the women were not high; he only hoped to improve their strength to the greatest extent within the scope of his own capabilities.

After all, if they ran into a hooligan while out buying groceries and didn't even have the power to resist, that would be too embarrassing.

However, if it really came to the last resort, Cheng Feng felt it didn't matter; at worst, he would just support his own women for a lifetime.

But long-term persistence in martial arts training can sculpt a slender waistline and full chest curves, which is simply a great blessing for women.

At the same time, martial arts training is also an all-around exercise for one's spirit and energy, which can improve physical fitness, enhance immunity, delay aging, and so on.

Cheng Feng also hoped that the women would become more beautiful and moving, with glowing complexions and delicate, lustrous skin.

If the women did not keep up with this pace, then they would be unable to enjoy these pleasantly surprising changes.

Added to the fact that the number of women had increased recently, Cheng Feng no longer suppressed himself.

Could it be that it was still their own man's fault?

This is not reasonable.

Completely unreasonable.

Seeing Cheng Feng's unsatisfied appearance,

it also ignited the women's determination to strengthen their physiques.

And martial arts training was also what Cheng Feng hoped to see.