He had spent ten taels of silver, but to Zheng Jun, this was nothing. Slashing Zhao Da had yielded him quite a harvest. The greatest harvest this time, aside from eliminating a major enemy and the significant improvement the Great Tao Martial Book provided for his Wave-Treading Saber, was learning about the Blood Refining Medicine, the 'Blood Nourishing Pill'!
Zheng Jun glanced at the Pills bestowed by the County Captain; there were three in total. Combined with the one previously obtained from Zhao Da, he had four. He didn't know exactly how effective the Blood Nourishing Pill was, but given how highly it was spoken of, the effects were naturally excellent.
"Phew."
Zheng Jun walked home alone. Although his hands were smeared with ointment and wrapped in cloth, the burning sensation still refused to dissipate. Moreover, his internal organs were genuinely damaged and required quiet recuperation.
It was rather strange, come to think of it. It had been over a month since he transmigrated, yet the days spent checking in for work and taking time off to recover from injuries were split evenly. He was either recuperating or on the verge of needing recuperation.
Sitting on his bed, Zheng Jun let his mind wander while simultaneously utilizing the Breathing Technique of the Eagle-Hawk Force to slowly regulate his breath. He absorbed the Heaven and Earth True Qi to nourish his body, hoping to heal his injuries sooner.
Facing off against Lou Wei had indeed been thrilling and dangerous. Fortunately, he had emerged victorious, and the repayment progress for his Wave-Treading Saber was nearly complete. Furthermore, he had even acquired the 'Wave-Treading Blade Intent'! To Zheng Jun, this was undoubtedly fantastic.
However, tonight's events might have exposed some of his secrets—for instance, his usage of the Wave-Treading Saber. Not that Zheng Jun thought the Black Officials around him could recognize the Wave-Treading Saber, nor was he worried about the forensic doctors finding traces of it during the autopsy. Using a Ceremonial Saber to execute the Wave-Treading Saber resulted in varying depths of cuts into the flesh. Furthermore, the decapitating Slash was a technique present in many Saber Techniques, and the skill level of the forensic doctors in Black Mountain County simply wasn't high enough to differentiate them.
Zheng Jun's only worry was County Captain Cai Xun, who had just rescued him, and his old servant Cai Liu, who led his horse.
"It truly is troublesome..." Zheng Jun exhaled, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
Since things had already come to this, he might as well make peace with it. Zheng Jun pondered silently, figuring that County Captain Cai must have thought highly of him; otherwise, he wouldn't have gifted him three of these unheard-of Blood Refining Medicines. He could only admit that his understanding of Martial Arts was still lacking. If he had free time, he needed to study it thoroughly. Even if he couldn't become a living encyclopedia, he at least had to grasp the most basic common sense of Martial Arts!
After completing a cycle of breathing exercises, Zheng Jun's body was exhausted. He didn't continue his training for the night; instead, he hastily wrapped himself in a quilt and fell asleep.
His sleep was muddled and groggy; he didn't sleep very well. After only two or three two-hour periods, he woke up from his slumber. Upon waking, Zheng Jun didn't feel any fatigue or headache. Instead, he stood up, looked at the pitch-black sky outside, and fell into a thoughtful silence.
"Whatever. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I might as well get up and practice."
Zheng Jun sighed and stood up. He clenched his fists, realizing the webbing of his hands wouldn't heal anytime soon. Feeling somewhat helpless, he began practicing the Eagle-Hawk Force.
After practicing for a while, Zheng Jun felt there were no issues. Following some thought, he took out Zhao Da's Blood Nourishing Pill and swallowed it.
BOOM!
The moment the Blood Nourishing Pill entered his stomach, Zheng Jun felt his entire body begin to heat up. It was as if a violent, surging current of heat had exploded from his intestines, releasing a deafening roar! A burning sensation, even more profound than Blood Refining, instantly spread throughout his entire body!
In an instant, from his internal organs to his limbs and bones, Zheng Jun felt as if he were being incinerated from the inside out! It felt as though all the blood in his body had been brought to a boil at this very moment! The boiling hot blood expanded once again. Zheng Jun's face flushed crimson, and he felt a faint wetness beneath his nose, as if blood was about to spurt out.
"Such agonizing pain!"
Unable to endure the pain any longer, Zheng Jun casually grabbed his Ceremonial Saber and stepped out the door.
He couldn't just suppress it; he had to move! If he wanted to dissipate this endless surge of Qi and Blood heat flowing through his body, he had to expend it through various techniques, allowing a portion of the True Qi to remain within his blood. Therefore, gripping the Ceremonial Saber, Zheng Jun began to wield the Wave-Treading Saber, his movements generating powerful gusts of wind!
Wave after wave of heat made Zheng Jun feel an irrepressible excitement. Recalling the scenes of his fight with Lou Wei, he executed the Wave-Treading Saber! After comprehending Lou Wei's Blade Form, executing the Wave-Treading Saber again was simply smooth and effortless, allowing him to strike exactly as he pleased.
Just like that, Zheng Jun danced with his blade for an unknown amount of time until the faint morning light appeared, illuminating the horizon. In the blink of an eye, the pale white of dawn had already touched the sky.
Seeing this, Zheng Jun finally slowed his aching arms, feeling the hot current within his body begin to recede.
"Phew."
Exhaling deeply, Zheng Jun disregarded his image completely and casually tossed the Ceremonial Saber aside. With a THUD, he sat down in the courtyard, panting heavily as he felt the vigorous Qi and Blood within his body.
The heat was still there, just not as explosive and scalding as before. Zheng Jun felt as if he were bathing in a hot spring—supremely warm and deeply nourishing.
[Achieved victory over an enemy, comprehended the Saber Technique through the night, Qi and Blood surged, using the Blood Refining Pill as a catalyst, bold and unrestrained! Wave-Treading Saber repayment progress +200. Current repayment progress: 2880/3000.]
The small ink-wash characters flashed past Zheng Jun's eyes, but he paid them no mind; he only wanted to rest here. He was tired. So incredibly tired.
But then again, this Wave-Treading Saber was truly the easiest Martial Arts he had borrowed to repay. Whether it was the Eagle-Hawk Force or the Cloak and Dagger, he had spent over ten days repaying the debt for each. Only this Wave-Treading Saber had taken a mere two days. Although he had only borrowed the Minor Achievement level of the Wave-Treading Saber, with this speed of repayment, even if he had borrowed the Great Success level, he would have repaid more than half by now.
"A life-and-death struggle against someone on the same path significantly speeds up the repayment progress, and the subsequent comprehension also has greater benefits," he thought silently as he lay on the ground. "In this way, it seems to be encouraging me to engage in life-and-death battles with Martial Artists who have learned the same Cultivation Technique."
Zheng Jun didn't know what to make of it, nor did he understand the standards of the Great Tao Martial Book. However, no matter what, he would definitely be able to repay the Wave-Treading Saber during his ten days off. Next, he might need to look for other Martial Arts, he mused to himself.
After resting for an unknown amount of time, Zheng Jun caught his breath. The soreness and pain in his limbs had significantly improved. To his astonishment, he found that after taking the Blood Nourishing Pill, the injuries to the webbing of his hands had also recovered considerably. By swallowing the Blood Nourishing Pill, he had also completed his second Blood Refining! It seemed that continuing to swallow the remaining three Blood Nourishing Pills and completing a third Blood Refining wouldn't be a difficult task!
Zheng Jun stood up, feeling utterly content. He picked up his Ceremonial Saber, and just as he was about to sheathe it, he suddenly heard a noise from outside. RUSTLE, RUSTLE. It was the sound of light footsteps, as if the person didn't want to disturb anyone inside the house.
"Hm?"
Hearing these footsteps, Zheng Jun's heart sank. He wondered what this meant. Did they think he was an easy target? Was someone else coming? If he hadn't taken the Blood Nourishing Pill today and completed his second Blood Refining, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect such subtle footsteps. Who sent them this time? Was it the Historian?
At this thought, murderous intent surged within Zheng Jun, and he couldn't help but grip his Ceremonial Saber tightly.
"What a scoundrel!" he thought furiously. "I was just worrying that I haven't fully repaid the loan for my Wave-Treading Saber, and here you are, delivering yourself to my door! I'm afraid that since you've come today, you won't be leaving!"