Hong Wei finally arrived at his house.
He was welcomed by his mother, who still didn't seem to know what had been happening outside. He had to talk with her for a while before he was finally able to head to the courtyard, where both Seren and Shan Mei followed him.
The first thing he did, naturally, was hand Seren the clothes he had bought for her, and then asked, "So, how about you change into them?"
"This…" Seren hesitated slightly as she held the robe in her hands. Her battle dress was a treasured item, and she always wanted to be prepared to fight at her best. But in the end, she was still happy to receive something from her master. So, after a brief pause, she simply said, "Okay."
Hong Wei had expected her to go inside before changing, but Seren just waved her hand… and before he knew it, she was already wearing the clothes he had given her.
A foreign beauty dressed in Eastern robes… she looked breathtaking. He couldn't help but stare for a few moments before saying, "You look beautiful."
With her radiant presence, Seren blushed slightly. Then she smiled softly and replied, "Thank you, Master, for your gift."
Hong Wei smiled at her gesture, and for a moment, he felt as though even his accumulated fatigue was gently melting away in the warmth of this peaceful atmosphere.
But eventually, he turned to the more serious matter at hand. And so, after briefly explaining the situation, he finally asked, "Okay, so, I want to decide which martial art to practice between these three. What do both of you think?"
Between the one he had confiscated from the Black Dog Gang, the one the town chief had given him as a "present," and the one taught at the Mountain Tiger School… which one was the best? Hong Wei couldn't tell. They didn't seem to have clear tiers, after all, and so he decided to ask for their opinions as cultivators.
Luckily, both of them gave the same answer: "The Inner Strength Breathing Method is the best."
It was the technique he had received from the town chief, and to Hong Wei, it had seemed more basic than the other two. But if both Seren and Shan Mei agreed on it, then it couldn't be wrong. So, he nodded in acceptance.
He was actually glad at the result. With this, he no longer needed to attend the Mountain Tiger School and become the center of attention. Now, he could simply focus on studying the Inner Strength Breathing Method on his own.
With that out of the way, Hong Wei turned to Shan Mei and said, "Can you help me set up the medicinal bath?"
"Immediately, Master!" Shan Mei responded promptly, before she began to busy herself with the preparations. Meanwhile, Hong Wei turned to Seren.
"You know," he said, "I just remembered something I forgot to ask until now, but how is the Qi density in the air around this town? Is it possible for you to cultivate here?"
Hong Wei was naturally satisfied with having a Spiritual Core Realm subordinate. But even so, he still wanted Seren to grow stronger if possible. The stronger she was, the more reassured he would feel, after all.
"The Qi here is too thin," Seren replied honestly, her tone calm and neutral. "While I can cultivate, I won't be able to make any noticeable progress in the foreseeable future."
'That means I should probably add relocating to the list,' Hong Wei thought silently.
Then he said aloud, "For now, we'll stay in this town for a while, so just focus on cultivating inside the house. You can monitor the entire town with your spiritual sense anyway, so you can leave Shan Mei to stay by my side and guard me."
Even after changing my clothes, there's still no change to that? Seren thought indignantly, but she said nothing and simply nodded.
It was then that the medicinal bath was finally ready.
Hong Wei looked at the tub filled with murky, steaming water for a moment before turning his gaze to Shan Mei, who stood nearby, and then to Seren, who stood a little farther away.
Do both of them want to watch?
Hong Wei actually had confidence in his appearance… and even in his little brother down there, but when it came to his scrawny body, that was another matter entirely. He hesitated slightly, but in the end, he tried not to care about their stares or tell them to leave.
If they want to watch… then let them be. I'll proudly show them!
But despite what he told himself, Hong Wei hurriedly took off his clothes and quickly plunged into the medicinal bath, grunting from the sudden rush of sensation as the hot liquid enveloped him.
Even while soaking, he left part of his attention on the two girls, and of course, he noticed their gazes, still glued to him. At that moment, he couldn't tell whether the heat rising in his body was from the medicinal bath… or from sheer embarrassment.
"Master, try to operate the Inner Strength Breathing Method while you are soaking in the medicinal bath," Shan Mei suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts.
It was a technique he had only skimmed through earlier. He wasn't proficient enough to use it properly yet, so he had to ask Shan Mei how to operate the said technique.
Perhaps it was because he was too immersed in the martial art, but before long, he forgot about the two girls entirely, and allowed himself to fall into the rhythm of the method.
The moment he began to move and breathe according to the Inner Strength Breathing Method, a strange warmth flooded through his body. And the medicinal bath, which had initially felt like simple hot water, now felt entirely different.
Everything seemed to seep into his body, flowing directly into his bones. And a numbing sensation spread across his limbs, followed by a faint tingling that traveled slowly under his skin.
This… this was really just martial arts, not cultivation?