"Please, gentlemen"
That evening, Fang Xi held a dinner banquet to honor the martial arts masters, Mo Piaomiao and Shi Li.
Dressed in an elegant embroidered robe and adorned with a jade crown, and despite his slightly gaunt appearance, he exuded an aura of mystery that greatly impressed Mo Piaomiao, prompting her to eagerly raise her glass.
"Cheers!"
As the refreshing wine flowed down her throat, Mo Piaomiao couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent wine..."
Shi Li's surprise was even greater, as she cried out joyfully, "Could this be the 'Qiu Lu Bai' from the Hundred Mile Winery? Its owner is said to produce only eighteen jars a year, each aged for three years before bottling, valued at one hundred
Ah, really! I have a penchant for fine wines, fine cuisine, beautiful servants, antiques, luxurious homes, and interesting gadgets... Fang Xi poured himself another glass, sighing wistfully. "I once heard a saying: A man must climb higher
Mountains, drinking the strongest wines, wielding the swiftest swords, riding the finest horses, enjoying the most beautiful women, and facing the fiercest opponents....
In the world of agriculture, such words would have been unthinkable, but here, they could serve as modest life goals, adding some spice to existence.
"Hahaha... Youth is truly refreshing."
As he took a deep sip of the Hundred Mile Wine, Shi Li suddenly felt a fleeting illusion of his youth return.
Once, he too had been a dreamy young man in Jianghu, until fate had stabbed him in the knee....
Playing with the most beautiful women....
Mo Peaomei's face flushed, and she instinctively adjusted her collar and silently cursed him as a petty rascal, but she was also somewhat curious.
After all, she had heard tales of martial artists who had ended up in poverty, forced to sell their amulets just to survive
On the other hand, this young Fang truly embodied the charm of youth, being rich and kind—in fact, not a husband
Bad
Ignore the rest for now, but even in the midst of this scorching summer, there is not a trace of heat inside this hall... Truly remarkable, and remarkably impressive.
Shi Li's gaze shifted to the wooden box in the room, and she smiled, "This must be one of your clever, albeit somewhat unconventional, inventions, Master Fang?"
"Indeed, it's a primitive air conditioning system, simply keeping the house warm in winter and cool in summer. It's very primitive, really..." Fang Shi waved his hand dismissively, though combining cultivation techniques and knowledge from his past life to create this air conditioner was a point of pride for him.
However, he had no interest in promoting or profiting from it; it was all for his own comfort and pleasure.
Why should I bother being a trader in a world with supernatural powers? It seems like asking for trouble.
The next day
At the training grounds
Mo Peaomei was absent, leaving only Shi Li present.
Although martial arts instruction was paid at the dojo, it was important to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
Shi Li's expression had become more serious.
"Our Red Snake Dojo specializes in leg techniques, starting with practicing footwork on wooden pegs. You'll need to train by balancing on them... Later stages will also involve adding weights... Let me explain first, 'Gongzi'
In the training area, several rows of unequally spaced melaleuca poles had already been set up.
With a light jump, Shi Li landed on one of the wooden pegs and moved quickly, almost as if she were flying. "A body as firm as a pine tree, legs as flexible as a snake, and agile steps while maintaining inner calm..."
After giving a brief presentation, he stepped down from the pole smiling. "Combat training requires a great deal of effort; it is best supplemented with medical diets... Initially, you should consult a doctor for prescriptions that nourish the blood and vital energy. Once you understand the secrets of vital energy in the blood, you will need to
The secret medicines specialized in our dojo."
"Secret medicines?" Fang Xi's heart stirred, remembering his second objective. "What exactly are the secrets of Blood Qi?"
Following this routine, he would inevitably gain access to the dojo's secret medical channel, so there was no need to rush.
"Blood Qi, as we understand it, forms the basis for the ranking of warriors," Shi Li began to explain. "For example, in the Red Snake Dojo, new disciples begin by practicing the 'Eight Snake Techniques.' Once they master Blood Qi, after its transformation, they can become disciples of the inner sect. After one Blood Qi transformation, leg strength increases tremendously, and bones become noticeably stronger. Breaking a wooden pole with a single kick becomes easy. Achieving two transformations makes one a formidable practitioner even within the dojo. As for three transformations... that indicates a disciple at the back level."
"I see." Fang Xi nodded, stepping back to the wooden platform to practice the Eight Snake Techniques
Despite his lack of physical fitness, his keen senses remained intact. He could easily memorize texts after only a few readings
To Shi Li's astonishment, despite the young nobleman's average physical attributes, he quickly grasped everything on the instructions and executed them efficiently on the first attempt.
Despite his slow movements, he completed the entire sequence without errors on his first try. On the third attempt, there were no errors at all.
Perhaps Mount Yuanhe really did misjudge this, Shi Li muttered to himself, his expression becoming noticeably more serious.
"Gongzi, how long do you think it will take me to master Blood Qi and reach the first stage of Blood Qi Transformation?"
After several repetitions, Fang Xi's forehead became shiny with sweat, prompting the nearby maid to immediately hand him a towel.
As he wiped away the sweat, he sighed deeply.
These Blood Qi-based martial arts were indeed different from other so-called combat techniques. In the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, he had encountered some ordinary martial arts books, but they were pale
compared to these Blood Qi practices.
In general, ordinary disciples could sense
Their blood card within three months..." Since this was just the beginning, Shi Li smiled reassuringly.
"Gongzi, your talent is absolutely exceptional; it might take less time for you."
"Three months?" Fang Xi nodded, then retreated to the wooden pole to continue practicing his footwork.
In the afternoon, the instructor changed to Mo Peaomiao, who was wearing a white robe.
"Our dojo's secret technique, the Peaoyun Palm, has three levels: White Cloud, Dark Cloud, and Black Cloud."
Mo Peaomiao lightly pressed her hand against the wooden pole.
Crack
A deep palm print immediately appeared on the pole with distinct black marks along its edges.
Fang Xi's nose twitched, and he sensed a faint, unpleasant odor. His expression changed. "Poison?"
That's right, your reactions are sharp, Mo Biaomiao smiled. "The 'Bayon Palm' inherently contains poison. In later stages, you must inject poison with every strike; it is capable of killing humans and animals."
With one blow, of course. At first, there's no need for poison; just focus on practicing blows against these pillars. I'll explain it once.
The preliminary training of the Baiyun palm involves daily practice by striking the palms against specially prepared sandbags saturated with medicinal compounds, a secret formula of the Baiyun Dojo.
Fang Xi never hesitated when it came to investing in his training. He promptly purchased ten high-quality sandbags and began training relentlessly.
As he continued to strike the sandbags, he felt his skin becoming increasingly supple, and the strength in his palms gradually increased...
Unbeknownst to him, time passed slowly.
On Mount Qingzhou.
Fang Xi opened the door and looked up at the snow-filled sky and his humble, dog-den-like dwelling. He couldn't help but exhale a large cloud of white breath, muttering, "It feels like another life..."
In the Great Liang Kingdom, Fang Xi, the wealthy young master, enjoyed luxurious palaces and beautiful servants in
Although they sometimes faced setbacks, money was able to solve almost every problem for them.
But in the farming world of the Southern Wilderness, he was just a small fish.
Stuck at the bottom, struggling just to meet their basic needs.
How utterly miserable!
"I must continue to tend to the Jade Emerald Bamboo Forest. Working as a Spirit Cultivator in Qingzhou Mountain may be bleak, but it's still better than working as a scattered farmer. Besides, I can benefit from connections through the market....
Fang Xi reached into his robe and found that the Stone Dragon Bug was still there.
"First priority is to deal with this creature, then buy some paper amulets. And it's best to get a low-grade magic artifact for self-defense!"
He never forgot what he really depended on
Even Great Liang was by no means a paradise
Even the Great Liang was by no means a paradise.
Without sufficient strength, we couldn't truly enjoy its benefits!
However, armed with his enhanced cultivator senses and a few life-saving spells kept for emergencies, he felt confident enough to launch a counterattack even against Shi Li or Mo Piaomiao if he faced them.
Moreover, his occasional disappearances for periods would leave his potential adversaries bewildered, thus maintaining the facade of Fang Palace's influence.
However, Fang Shi knew these fine days wouldn't last forever. Eventually, the lurking hyenas and vultures would find themselves unable to restrain themselves.
Therefore, he needed to enhance his strength even further!
For a cultivator, the most direct way to increase strength was to break through to the higher realms. Moreover, using external aids to enhance one's abilities offered many more possibilities than the Great Liang usually provided.
Such aids included powerful paper spells and puppets, spirit beasts... and even magical artifacts
With my current magical power, I can only control a low-grade magical artifact, but that should be enough... After all, most martial artists in Great Liang struggle to dodge crossbow arrows, let alone challenge the government.
Magical Artifacts!
These were the standard equipment for Qi Refining stage cultivators, divided into four tiers: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and finally, supreme-grade.
Even low-quality magical artifacts often cost around ten spirit stones.
As for true first-grade magical artifacts, these were commonly used by those who had achieved perfection in Qi Refining or some early Foundation cultivators.
Rumors suggested that above magical artifacts were higher-level spirit devices, and beyond them, the legendary Sovereign Treasures... But such items were far beyond Fang Xi's reach at present.
Fang Xi put on his padded jacket and a straw cloak before venturing out into the heavy snow
It wasn't that he couldn't use magic for warmth, but as a junior cultivator purifying qi with limited magical power, he needed to maintain...
As he walked on, someone approached him from the opposite direction—it was Old Man Mai.
"The Fanged Boy..."
His face flushed, and he greeted Fang Xi warmly.
"Ah, Old Master Mai, your cheeks are bright; there must be 'good' news," Fang Xi smiled, knowing full well where Mai had been these past few days.
"Ah, just passing the time in winter, enjoying tea by the fire... looking for some amusement..." Old Man Mai replied pretentiously.
However, Fang Xi noticed Mai's legs trembling slightly and a fleeting burst of energy, and he rolled his eyes inwardly. While cultivators generally enjoyed constant vitality, excessive indulgence could lead to dire consequences...
But he had no right to lecture him.
Those hidden arts in the brothel seemed to be quite impressive indeed
On the other hand, Fang Xi, you seem more energetic after these few days of separation... Old Man Mai observed, noticing a new vigor in Fang Xi that contrasted with his usual cautious demeanor. He couldn't help asking with a smile.
"I've just gained a few insights during my short seclusion, nothing significant."
Fang Xi bowed slightly in response and continued toward the market area