Chapter 130: Bone Forging

I stayed in Xu Hongyu’s courtyard for a long time.

It was past noon when Chen Mu quietly left. However, before he could return to his own courtyard, just as he stepped out of the main courtyard to the east, a figure who seemed to have been waiting for a long time came forward to greet him. Dressed in a steward’s uniform, the elderly figure was none other than the Yu family’s old steward.

"Master Chen, this old servant has been waiting for you for a long time. The Master said that the courtyard to the north was not suitable for your stay, so he arranged a new courtyard for you to the east. It’s a bit more spacious and has already been cleaned. If you don’t find it suitable, you can choose another one."

The old steward’s aged face wore a kind smile. As an elder who had followed the previous generation head of the Yu family in his early years, he had watched most of the direct descendants of the fourth and even third generations on the eastern main courtyard grow up. He was also relieved that Xu Hongyu had found a suitable husband.

When he saw Chen Mu last time, he felt that Chen Mu’s temperament and manner were excellent, but his talent and aptitude might not reach the top level. However, he did not expect Chen Mu to comprehend the Artistic Conception. He was indeed a suitable match for Xu Hongyu.

"Thank you, Elder Yu."

Chen Mu nodded slightly. Although his marriage with Xu Hongyu would not be settled soon, it was indeed not suitable for him to live in the previous two-courtyard residence in the north. In fact, he was also considering whether to move out of the Yu family, but the environment in the inner city was quite special.

Basically, all suitable living areas were occupied by the four major families, or some other affiliated families. Therefore, apart from the Yu family’s residence, there was no other place to go in the vast inner city, unless he went to the outer city or built a manor outside the city, but that was not under consideration.

Although staying at the Yu family residence had a strange feeling of ‘being an adopted son-in-law’, as Yu Zuyi said, they didn’t pay too much attention to that in the Martial World. Moreover, they were in an extraordinary period, and they shouldn’t be too concerned about minor details. He certainly wouldn’t limit himself to Yu City, no matter where he was, it was only a temporary abode.

As for whether he would become a lone swordsman who roamed the world, or a hegemon who ruled a region, Chen Mu did not think about it because it was still too far away for him. Thinking ahead about things within one or two steps was considered planning ahead and strategizing. Thinking about things beyond dozens of steps was merely wishful thinking and had no meaning.

A moment later.

Chen Mu followed the old steward to the new courtyard in the east, located behind the main street to the east. It was a duplex courtyard, much larger than the previous two-courtyard residence, and required at least a dozen servants to clean and take care of it daily.

Moreover, it was not far from the main residence in the east and was basically within the core area of the Yu family. Those living nearby were either direct descendants of the Yu family, or relatively important branch members.

"We have prepared some servants for the outer courtyard, Young Master Chen. As for the maids and matrons in the inner courtyard, you can either buy them, or instruct Xiao He to choose some people. I believe you can trust the people she chooses.”

The old steward led Chen Mu around and said with a smile. There were basically no servants in the outer courtyard, but the maids and servant girls in the inner courtyard were personal attendants, so it was not appropriate to arrange them randomly and it was best for Chen Mu to do it himself.

Chen Mu looked at the inner courtyard and, after a brief thought, decided that there was no need to add more staff. The three girls, Wang Ni, Ku’er, and Le’er, were basically enough. He did not need so many people to serve him, and having more people would only be a hassle.

Next was moving. Because it was within the Yu family’s residence, it wasn’t considered a real move and there was no need to choose an auspicious day. Furthermore, Chen Mu did not have much to move, so he was able to quickly move his belongings to the new courtyard.

"So, does that mean that Brother and Sister Hongyu’s marriage is settled?"

Chen Yue naturally moved to the new residence with him. Since the new residence was a duplex courtyard with several inner courtyards, she also had an independent inner courtyard. After settling in, she ran to Chen Mu’s room, looked at Chen Mu, and blinked her eyes.

"Yes."

Chen Mu was organizing his room when he heard Chen Yue’s words and smiled, "Weren’t you always curious about who your future sister-in-law would be? Now you know?"

Chen Yue looked at Chen Mu and couldn’t help but murmur softly, "Sister Hongyu is very good, but…what about Xiao Ru?"

She and Yu Ru were like sisters now. She knew that earlier Yu Ru might not have had any feelings for Chen Mu, but after Xu Hongyu had asked about the marriage and then went to the South District, she had been a little preoccupied with Chen Mu.

As a result, now everything had changed. Clearly Xu Hongyu had initially wanted to arrange for Yu Ru to marry Chen Mu, but in the blink of an eye, Xu Hongyu herself was marrying Chen Mu. Yu Ru was left empty-handed, and she did not know how Yu Ru would feel after learning about it.

Chen Yue’s murmur also reached Chen Mu’s ears. Or rather, she deliberately murmured like that, to speak up for Yu Ru.

"Xiao Ru…she is still young."

Chen Mu paused slightly, and then said. He was very calm, after all, he had always treated Yu Ru more like a younger sister. Moreover, Xu Hongyu treated Yu Ru almost like a biological younger sister, and he would naturally protect Yu Ru a lot in the future.

It was Xu Hongyu who had to figure out how to talk to Yu Ru. Thinking of this, Chen Mu couldn’t help but chuckle. Anyway, he would not help her to speak, since Hongyu didn’t think of herself at the beginning and only thought of arranging a Yu family girl for him.

Finally.

After cleaning up the room, Chen Mu looked at Chen Yue and said, "Alright, stop looking, I’m going to practice."

Chen Yue stuck out her tongue and left Chen Mu’s courtyard. After seeing Chen Yue off, Chen Mu went to the storeroom beside the entrance of his courtyard. There was a lit stove in the room. Chen Mu came to the stove and took out the medicinal materials one by one, according to the order of the formula in the Bone Forging Method.

Compared to the Tendon Transformation Method, the Bone Forging Method had fewer types, but it was slightly more complicated than the Tendon Transformation Method. Not only did it require internal consumption of Bone Forging Pills and external application of Bone Forging Medicinal Soup, but also required a set of fist techniques to exercise the bones, so that the medicinal power could be better absorbed.

The Tiger Demon Bone Forging Fist. This was the bone forging practice that Chen Mu was carefully studying while looking at the boiler. The entire Bone Forging Method was also known as the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method. It was considered one of the best Bone Forging Methods, created based on the fourth-tier demon "Tiger Demon." The medicinal powder used for bone forging included the Tiger Demon’s marrow, which was very expensive. Even with Chen Mu’s current wealth, it was still a bit painful to purchase.

After all, it was impossible to liquidate that large piece of Flame Jade. The actual money he had on hand was only a few tens of thousands of taels. One Tiger Demon’s marrow cost hundreds of taels of silver, and following the formula, the monthly expenses would basically be nearly ten thousand taels of silver.

Indeed, it was true that the poor study writing, while the rich practice martial arts.

In fact, there were also slightly cheaper and simpler Bone Forging Methods, but they were inferior to the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method. Chen Mu would naturally not choose an inferior practice method now.

"The Bone Forging Realm, like the others, also has Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection."

"And like Skin Grinding and Flesh Training, this Bone Forging Realm also has a limit. Although this Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method does not describe it in detail, I saw it in the Great Xuan Martial Arts Classics. It is said that when the Bone Forging Realm reaches its limit, one can cultivate a pair of ‘Jade Bones,’ with flawless bones, crystal clear like jade, and even after death, the corpse, even if it is left in the wilderness and exposed to the wind and sun, will not decay for thousands of years!"

Chen Mu’s eyes gleamed with a subtle light.

Ordinary people’s corpses and bones quickly decayed and turned to dust after being buried if they were not treated. Only the bones of those in the Bone Forging Realm could remain for a long time.

But to achieve a state of not decaying for thousands of years, one must cultivate the Bone Forging Realm to its limit and transform it into jade bones.

However.

It was also extremely difficult for ordinary people to reach that point. Among those in the Bone Forging Realm, only one in ten thousand could achieve the jade bones, and those who could reach this level would inevitably step into the Viscera Realm!

Whether a martial artist could step into the Viscera Realm was closely related to their own qi and blood. The younger they were, the thicker their qi and blood, the lower the difficulty of breaking through the Viscera Realm. Conversely, the older they were, the higher the difficulty.

Usually, after the age of thirty-five, the possibility of entering the Viscera Realm would be greatly reduced, and those who reached the age of forty would basically no longer be able to enter the Viscera Realm.

But accumulating qi and blood took time. Either one had to continuously hunt demons, consume the blood essence of demons, and then refine and consolidate it to improve qi and blood, or one had to follow a path like Chen Mu, step by step, refining each realm to its limit and solidifying the qi and blood to its extreme.

Most of the martial artists in the world could only choose the former path and could not choose Chen Mu’s route, because it was very difficult to refine any realm to its limit. Unless one had a special physique, it often took a lot of time, sometimes three to five years or even seven or eight years, which might delay the progress of the Body Tempering Method itself, leading to the inability to complete even Bone Forging, let alone stepping into the Viscera Realm.

"In Yu City, people with natural copper skin are still seen every generation, but people with natural copper skin and iron flesh, with a body of steel, are very rare. One might only appear in a long while, and they are generally brought under the wing of the Seven Profound Sect."

"Only those who are naturally able to cultivate Skin Grinding and Flesh Training to their limit after a little training have the qualifications to spend more time in the Tendon Transformation or Bone Forging level and try to reach the state of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound or Jade Bones."

Chen Mu mused to himself.

These were actually very rare in Yu City. Like Chen Mu who had cultivated the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound, he could suppress an ordinary Bone Forging Small Success and be comparable to a Bone Forging Great Success, solely with his physique.

However, for those true inheritors of major sects, like the Heavenly Sword Joyous Union or Blood Shadow Xuanji, their top talents were bound to have aptitude far beyond countless others, and what they were competing in was the foundation of each realm.

After all, as stated in the Martial Arts Classics, whether the four realms of Skin Grinding, Flesh Training, Tendon Transformation, and Bone Forging could reach their limits not only affected the difficulty of stepping into the Viscera Realm, but also greatly affected the strength of the martial artist after stepping into the Viscera Realm.

In Yu City, reaching the Viscera Realm was already considered top tier, so the difference in strength was not that important. However, if one looked at a prefecture, or even several prefectures, among the true inheritors, geniuses, or even those who could step into higher levels, these foundations were extremely important.

"Alright."

Chen Mu put down the booklet in his hand and looked at the stove. He saw that the pot of boiling medicine had already created a gray, mercury-like liquid. Chen Mu picked up the pot and went to the west side room in the courtyard. He went to the innermost part, which was separated by several partitions. It had no windows and was dim. It was his practice room, and normally, no one was allowed to enter.

He quickly took off his clothes. He took out a Bone Forging Pill and swallowed it. Then, he reached into the pot of medicine, and took out a handful of that viscous silver-gray liquid, which was extremely sticky to the touch, like a plaster.

Chen Mu didn’t hesitate. He quickly followed the diagrams in his memory, and smeared the thick silver-gray plaster inch by inch on his body, covering all specific areas. Soon, his whole body, except for the very few remaining bare parts, was covered. He was like a gray wax statue, motionless and solidified.

White mist rose from every part that had been coated.