Chapter 5: Gege, I Missed You So Much...

An hour later.

The two met up again at the inner-city gate and set off together toward Xiaojing Bay.

On the road, Chen An eyed the creel on Shen Xiuhan's back, now stuffed to bursting, and couldn't resist his curiosity:

"Han'er, what'd you buy all that for?"

"Not a grain left at home. Had to stock up."

Shen Xiuhan hitched the creel higher on his shoulder.

This trip, he'd done some serious provisioning.

Two pounds of millet, two pounds of cornmeal, half a pound of coarse salt.

He'd wanted to pick up some soy sauce too, but one look at the price — twenty wen per tael — and he let it go.

Instead, he swung by the butcher and cut a pound of streaky pork belly, heavy on the fat.

He'd also picked up three ounces of "crispy fish bones" especially for Shen Momo — a snack unique to Changyun County.

Oil, salt, rice, flour, meat — forty-seven wen altogether.

On his way out of the East Market, he'd spotted a small shop on the corner selling salted duck eggs.

Picturing Momo's thin, sallow little face, Shen Xiuhan hadn't hesitated. He fished out ten wen and bought two.

Salted duck eggs packed plenty of salt, but the real prize was the dollop of rich, rust-red duck oil inside.

For someone sallow and frail, who hadn't seen a scrap of meat or oil in ages, those eggs were a godsend.

Add in the two black bighead carp, and this haul was more than satisfying.

But the spending had been steep!

Of the three hundred and thirty wen from selling fish, he'd spent fifty-seven. That left just over two hundred seventy in his pocket.

That's right — the two strings of coins Ma Xianyang had given him came to a full two hundred wen!

Generous didn't begin to cover it!

It also made Shen Xiuhan curious enough to keep pressing Chen An about Ma Xianyang.

"Senior Brother Ma is the third disciple of Tongbei Martial Hall. Among the young generation in all of Changyun County, he's a name that carries real weight!"

At the mention of Ma Xianyang, Chen An's face was all awe and yearning, and he couldn't help gushing:

"They say... Senior Brother Ma's cultivation has already reached the peak of Blood Tempering!"

"You were standing too far off to feel it, but the vital energy rolling off him is like a furnace — he doesn't even need a padded coat in the dead of winter!"

"And I've heard he's been grinding his body day and night, closing in on the threshold of Bone Tempering!"

"Blood Tempering? Bone Tempering?"

Shen Xiuhan's heart quickened. He was burning with curiosity about the martial path, and pressed for details:

"Chen An, can you break down these martial realms for me?"

"We're brothers — what can't I tell you?"

Chen An grinned, laced his fingers behind his head, and strolled on:

"The martial path divides into three great realms: Manifest Strength, Hidden Strength, and Transforming Strength."

"Let's skip the higher ones for now and just talk about the first gate — Manifest Strength."

"Manifest Strength splits into three sub-realms: Blood Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Sinew Tempering."

"Blood Tempering — like the name says — means using martial stance arts to drive your qi and blood into a roaring torrent!"

At this, Chen An cleared his throat:

"There's a mnemonic at Tongbei Martial Hall that goes: 'Blood boils hot as broth, frost cannot harm; torn skin, raw flesh — no cause for alarm!'"

"That last bit's a stretch, but it's true enough. Once you step into Blood Tempering, minor cuts and scrapes that aren't life-threatening heal way faster than a normal person's."

"Hit all three markers and you've reached Blood Tempering mastery — ready to push for Bone Tempering."

"I see..."

Shen Xiuhan was drinking it all in. He pressed further: "And Bone Tempering? What does that look like?"

"Bone Tempering?"

Chen An abruptly straightened up, brows furrowing in mock severity, and barked:

"You haven't even set foot in Blood Tempering and you're already eyeing Bone Tempering? Don't run before you can walk! Go — you're punished with... ahem..." He coughed. "Sinew Tempering hasn't been taught by the senior brother yet."

"But Senior Brother did say that stepping into Blood Tempering is what counts as truly entering the gates of the martial path."

"Most people who train their whole lives never clear that hurdle. They end up with nothing more than a farmer's trick or two to show for it..."

By the end, something seemed to weigh on Chen An's mind. His voice trailed off, and a hint of deflation crept into his expression.

Shen Xiuhan caught the shift and clapped him on the shoulder: "Then I envy you."

"Getting accepted into an inner-city martial hall — that's already a step above most. If you make even a little progress, that's something to make your ancestors proud."

"And even if you don't break through, the foundation you build at the hall opens plenty of doors. You could guard a wealthy estate, ride escort for a courier house, or land a post with the county constabulary... your livelihood would be set for life."

That seemed to do the trick. Chen An brightened, flashing a guileless grin:

"True enough... my ma said the family scraped together eight taels of silver for the tuition. Long as I'm willing to eat bitter, I'll never want for work. Getting married, settling down — should all happen in the next year or two."

Eight taels of silver in tuition!

Shen Xiuhan's eyelid twitched.

One tael was a thousand wen. Eight taels meant eight thousand wen — a staggering sum.

With just over two hundred wen in his pocket, he'd felt like he'd struck it rich.

Now he saw how far he still had to go.

Any thought of entering a martial hall through proper channels could be shelved for the time being.

After a pause, Shen Xiuhan steered the conversation: "By the way, Chen An — above Transforming Strength, are there even higher realms?"

"Of course there are..."

A flicker of blankness crossed Chen An's eyes:

"But as for what they're called, an outer-court disciple like me doesn't have the clearance to know."

"One thing's for sure — nobody in Changyun County has reached that level."

"You'd probably have to look to Nanxiang Commandery's capital for anyone that powerful."

...

The two chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they'd reached Xiaojing Bay.

Shen Xiuhan had been planning to detour north into the woods and search for the food stash from Intelligence ② — the golden-tailed rat's winter hoard.

But with Chen An alongside him, he had no choice but to shelve that plan. He'd find time tomorrow.

At Chen An's door, the two waved goodbye.

Shen Xiuhan trudged up the slope alone through the snow.

Before long, three ramshackle thatched huts came into view.

The fence gate hung wide open.

In the distance, a tiny figure huddled by the doorway, as if waiting for someone.

The crunch of footsteps in snow carried over.

The small figure shot to her feet, rose on tiptoe, and peered into the fading light.

A heartbeat later, she launched herself toward him like a baby swallow, heedless of everything.

"Gege! Gege's back!"

"Momo missed you so much!"

At the sound of that bright, ringing cheer, Shen Xiuhan felt every ounce of exhaustion from half a day spent freezing on the ice melt away in an instant.

No matter how hard it got, it was all worth it.

He smiled, crouched down, and opened his arms to catch the little girl snugly in his embrace.

Shen Momo clung to him tight, tilted her small face up, eyes shimmering with worry:

"Gege, why were you gone so long? It's already dark. Momo waited and waited and waited..."

"Had to catch fish for Momo, of course. Here — look what I brought you."

Inside the thatched hut, Shen Xiuhan set down the creel and pulled out an oil-paper packet, unwrapping it to reveal golden-brown crispy fish bones.

This was a snack unique to Changyun County.

Made from scraped fish meat and small bones, coated in flour and deep-fried, then dusted with a pinch of salt — crunchy, savory, and irresistible. An absolute favorite among children.

"Crispy fish bones!!"

The little girl's eyes went perfectly round, drool practically spilling over:

"Are these for Momo?"

"Who else?"

Shen Xiuhan pinched one up and held it to her lips.

The little girl leaned in as though handling a priceless treasure, and ever so carefully took a tiny bite.

CRUNCH — the sound of something glorious breaking apart, and a burst of rich oil and salt exploded across her tongue.

Shen Momo's big eyes instantly curved into two happy little crescent moons.

"Yummy! So yummy! Gege, you have some too!"

...