Chapter 13: Chapter 11 Yi Xiang Building_1
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Boom!
When his Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist reached the Minor Achievement Stage, Gu Chen suddenly felt his whole body shake, his tendons and bones began to tremble and rub against each other incessantly, as if electrified, with tingling sensations coming from every part of his body.
This feeling lasted for the duration of half a cup of tea before finally ending.
"Whew—refreshing!"
After the transformation of his tendons and bones was complete, Gu Chen opened his eyes and let out a breath, feeling better than ever before.
He gently clenched his fist and felt that, after undergoing two enhancements, his pure physical strength had increased by at least two or three thousand jin.
Taking into account his original strength, if calculated by his physical strength alone, with just a swing of his arm, he possessed no less than five thousand jin of force.
If his substantial inner strength were added to the equation, his physical constitution would become even more terrifying.
One must know, even some martial artists at the Meridian Unblocking Stage, when it came to pure physical strength, might not compare to him.
Of course, this was mainly because Gu Chen had laid a solid foundation; as his inner strength grew continuously, his physique naturally also improved considerably.
Gu Chen glanced at the remaining ten cultivation points on his panel and, with a thought, raised the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist directly to the Major Achievement Stage.
In an instant, eight cultivation points disappeared from the bottom of the panel, leaving Gu Chen with only the last two points.
The sensation of trembling tendons and bones came again and the buzzing sound was constant; Gu Chen could very clearly perceive that the major tendons in his body were gradually stretching and becoming more resilient, his bones becoming denser and more compact, with the density continuously increasing. This transformation lasted for a quarter of an hour before finally ending.
Afterward, looking at the remaining two cultivation points on the panel, Gu Chen adhered to his principle of not wasting anything and added these last two points to his cultivation.
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In an instant, his inner strength cultivation leaped from seventy years to seventy-two years, a rather small increase, which did not contribute much to Gu Chen's enhancement.
The Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist was elevated from a rudimentary level to a Major Achievement in a short period, leading to a drastic increase in Gu Chen's strength; he felt as if he had become a one-punch man, seemingly able to shatter everything in sight.
Of course, Gu Chen knew this was just an illusion created by the sudden increase in strength; the sensation would fade after a while.
Having reached Major Achievement with the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist, Gu Chen had gained about four or five thousand jin in strength, and now, his pure physical strength had reached ten thousand jin.
What his adoptive father said was indeed true: without even perfecting the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist, Gu Chen already possessed the strength of ten thousand jin.
Moreover, the increase in strength was only the most obvious change. As his tendons and bones grew stronger, his blood and qi naturally became more vigorous, and when the blood and qi were prosperous, his vitality grew stronger.
Therefore, after this enhancement, Gu Chen's entire physique underwent an extremely great transformation; his stamina, endurance, speed, and other aspects were all markedly improved.
At this point, Gu Chen's enhancement was complete. With the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist reaching Major Achievement and the evolution of his physique, the previous feeling of fullness in his flesh from his overly robust inner strength had also vanished.
Soon, the evening arrived, and since it was his last day in Ning City, Gu Chen did not stay in the building the entire time; he did not even choose to have his dinner there, but instead, went out onto the street.
In this world for less than two months, even when he was in Tiandu, Gu Chen hardly ever went out. Frankly speaking, he was somewhat curious about this world.
Moreover, he was leaving Ning City tomorrow, so Gu Chen chose to stroll around Ning City tonight to properly appreciate the local customs and culture.
Thus, Gu Chen wandered the streets of Ning City.
Night in Ning City was quite bustling; the streets were teeming with people, vendors shouted their wares continuously, offering many fragrant snacks and various shops with unique Ning City characteristics.
Immersing in the city's lively atmosphere, Gu Chen used his keen sense of smell to find several snacks to his liking and filled his stomach.
Normally, martial artists have large appetites, especially those at the Body Refining Stage and Blood Refining Stage of martial arts because these two stages focus on tempering the physique and rely heavily on food to obtain the necessary nutrients.
Only when one reaches the third stage of martial arts, the Energy Condensation Stage, does inner energy begin to nourish the body, causing a martial artist's food intake to decrease. Those with profound cultivation could even go days and nights without food or water.
But before this stage, martial artists were considered to have a "bottomless pit" level of appetite, with the yearly expense on food alone being a considerable sum.
This was precisely the meaning behind the phrase "poverty in scholarship, wealth in martial arts."
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Fortunately, Gu Chen had achieved great perfection in the Body Refining Stage, his internal cultivation of seventy-two years protected him, making his appetite within controllable limits.
As he walked, Gu Chen arrived in an alley in Ning City. There was an archway on the street with three large characters written on it: Yongle Street.
Looking around, Gu Chen noticed that each building here had pink lanterns hanging, and the entire street was permeated with a faint scent of rouge and powder. In front of every pavilion stood several women, dressed to attract, smiling brightly at the passersby.
Gu Chen immediately realized where he had come — the Red Light District of Ning City, an ancient place of pleasure, commonly known as the brothel area.
Continuing on, as the flamboyantly dressed women saw such a handsome young man as Gu Chen approaching, their eyes lit up. With what they deemed their most seductive smiles, they extended their palms and leaned forward, hoping to draw Gu Chen into their pavilions for a chat.
Gu Chen smiled at them while declining each offer. The heavy scent of their makeup was not to his liking.
Then, Gu Chen suddenly saw a three-story building that was arguably the most eye-catching on the entire street.
Moreover, unlike the other brothels, there weren't women but rather two sturdy men guarding the door.
Looking up, Gu Chen saw three large characters on the plaque above the pavilion: Yi Xiang Building.
"It seems this is the largest brothel in Ning City," Gu Chen mused as he looked at Yi Xiang Building before him.
"Esteemed sir, you seem quite interested in our Yi Xiang Building. If so, why not come inside and take a look? Our Yi Xiang Building is known as the most famous place of pleasure in Ning City," said one of the doorkeepers when he noticed Gu Chen standing in front of the building, approaching to make an inquiry.
Of course, this was mainly because Gu Chen had a heroic brow and starry eyes, a handsome countenance, and wore fine clothes of considerable value. He carried himself with an extraordinary bearing, much like a young master from a noble family out for a stroll. Otherwise, if an ordinary person were loitering here, the doormen might have come directly to chase them away.
Hearing this, Gu Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile and replied, "Good, lead the way."
"Of course, please come in, young master!" the doorman said with an earnest smile.
Nodding, Gu Chen walked forward and casually tossed a piece of broken silver. Seeing this, the doorman quickly caught it, and his smile became even more genuine, his attitude more humble.
After entering, the noise grew louder and the scent of makeup stronger. The sound of women's laughter was incessant, and the pink lanterns hanging all around the three-story pavilion created an exceedingly romantic atmosphere.
A casual glance revealed women in revealing attire, snuggled up to tipsy or outright drunk men, whispering to each other with infatuated smiles on their faces.
"Is this your first visit, young master?" asked the doorman in a hushed, chuckling voice as he bowed.
Gu Chen nodded and said, "Indeed, I just happened to pass by."
"Well, you've come to the right place today," said the doorman with a smile. "May I ask, young master, do you have a preferred type or any games you particularly enjoy?"
Gu Chen thought for a moment, scanned the area, then suddenly pointed somewhere and asked, "What is that place?"
The doorman followed the direction of Gu Chen's finger and replied with a grin, "Young master has a keen eye. That is the boudoir of Yi Xiang Building's top courtesan. Are you interested?"
Gu Chen knew a bit about the innuendos of these places and detected the insinuation in the doorman's words, asking, "Oh? Is there some rule?"
With a fawning smile, the doorman said, "There's no particular rule, it's just that if you want to enter and behold the visage of our top courtesan, you need to pay five taels of silver."
"An entrance fee?" Gu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Exactly, exactly," the doorman hurriedly nodded, his tone and manner exceedingly modest, leaving no room for criticism.
Gu Chen said nothing, but casually tossed another silver piece.
"Thank you, young master!"
The doorman's eyes brightened as he shouted, "A distinguished guest has arrived!"
Immediately, a woman with heavy makeup and brightly colored attire, looking mature yet striking, appeared from the second floor, hurried over, and called out loudly, "She's coming, she's coming."
"Young master, just follow her, and she will lead you to our top courtesan," said the doorman.