Originally,
Fang Hu had discovered the "deal" between his son, Fang Ergou, and Fang Yue.
Of course, he had asked about it, and Fang Ergou hadn't taught the Breathing Technique that Fang Hu had repeatedly warned him not to share.
So, he had put the matter out of his mind.
Without the Breathing Technique, just lifting stones was a simple exercise. It was impossible to truly develop strength that way, and without the technique, there was no risk of bodily harm from the lack of Secret Medicine.
Therefore, he hadn't paid it any more mind.
Breathing Techniques were precious. If one were to go to a Martial Arts Hall in the city, it would be impossible to learn one without paying at least ten taels of silver.
And that was just the beginning.
While practicing a Breathing Technique could greatly increase one's strength, allowing them to fight ten, or even a hundred men,
at its highest levels, one could become an enemy to a thousand, or even ten thousand.
But regardless of the Martial Arts Hall or family, and whether the Breathing Technique was high-grade or low-grade, they were all excessively domineering!
Training without the support of Secret Medicine would severely overdraft one's body. In the best-case scenario, one would be plagued by serious illness; in the worst, one would end up crippled or dead.
And naturally, the various Martial Arts Halls wouldn't provide this Secret Medicine for free. It had to be bought with money.
If not for this, how could his family have fallen into ruin all those years ago?
Because of this, in all the years since he had returned to the village,
he hunted in the mountains almost every day and brought back quite a haul, but in reality, his family's financial situation was merely decent.
This was because the vast majority of his income from hunting was spent on buying Secret Medicine for Ergou's training.
For a person with Talent, pursuing the Martial Dao could easily lead to bankruptcy.
And a person without Talent couldn't even get their foot in the door.
That was why, at the very beginning, he had rejected Fang Yue so decisively.
Later, when he saw Fang Yue fishing, he noticed the boy's coordinated movements and effortless grace. This was the mark of someone with at least low-to-middling Talent for the Martial Dao.
This met the primary requirement for practicing the Martial Dao, and he had been somewhat tempted at that moment.
But in the end, he did nothing.
It was because of the saying: "The poor pursue scholarship, the rich pursue martial arts."
Given Fang Yue's Family's circumstances, it was simply impossible for them to support him on this path.
If he were to teach Fang Yue the Martial Dao, all that would await the boy was bankruptcy, followed by a crippled death.
But now, he had discovered that Fang Yue, relying only on lifting stones—the most rudimentary method of Training Strength—had developed power comparable to an entry-level Martial Arts Apprentice.
What did this mean? It meant that Fang Yue, this farm boy, this junior of his own clan, possessed extraordinary Talent for martial arts.
It hadn't been apparent before, perhaps due to a lack of food and poor nutrition.
But recently, with his fishing skills on display, he had been eating more meat. His nutrition had improved, and so his physical Talent was finally revealing itself?
'This is truly a difficult decision!'
Fang Hu opened his mouth as if to speak, but then hesitated.
This was the thrill of a hunter spotting rare prey.
He had studied martial arts for many years and participated in the Martial Examination multiple times, but he failed every time.
His family's fortune had collapsed, and his parents had died with regrets.
His wife had even divorced him because of it. It could be said that his entire life had been shaped by his pursuit of martial arts.
As the saying goes, a person shouldn't stumble in the same place twice.
But how could he be content with that?
Now, feeling that hunter's thrill upon discovering a raw gem like Fang Yue, he saw a glimmer of hope in the boy.
However, he was reminded of how difficult this path was, even more so than the path of a scholar.
Once you set foot on this road, it was success or ruin; there was no turning back.
He hesitated once more.
"Mr. Fang Hu, are you looking for Ergou? He's not here today."
Just as Fang Hu stood there, undecided, the boy's vibrant, youthful voice called out.
Fang Yue set down the Stone Lock beside him and looked at the burly, broad-shouldered man, assuming he was there for Fang Ergou.
"Oh, uh, Ergou?"
"I'm not here for him. I'm here for you."
Fang Hu looked at the boy before him, at his bright eyes. There was a certain light in them, a brilliant one.
He seemed to see the shadow of another person in this boy.
Just as vibrant, just as full of hope.
It was his senior brother from the same sect. Back then, his talent was twice as great as Fang Hu's, and he should have achieved great things on the path of the Martial Dao.
But his family background was poor, so he had no choice but to join an Escort Agency to earn resources for his training.
Later, during one escort mission, his arm was severed by mountain bandits, and he was completely crippled.
He still remembered the last time he saw that senior brother, he had asked him if he had any regrets.
He had said he had none.
"Mr. Fang Hu, you're looking for me?"
Fang Yue was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Ah, Mr. Fang Hu, what can I do for you?
You could have just sent word with Ergou. Why come all this way yourself?"
"I heard Ergou mention that 'deal' you two have," Fang Hu said. His voice was low and his expression grave. His eyes, wide and round like bronze bells, stared intently. "I feel the deal is very unfair."
If he had a full beard, he would truly look like the legendary Zhang Fei reborn.
Perhaps it was from years of hunting and taking lives,
but looking at Fang Hu now, Fang Yue felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Hearing Fang Hu's words, his heart sank.
'Trading fishing techniques for lifting stones isn't fair?'
'I haven't even learned archery yet. I've only been training my strength for a few dozen days. How is that unfair?'
'I never would have guessed. Is Mr. Fang Hu really this petty?'
'Did I misjudge him?'
'He has thick brows and big eyes, looking like a dark-faced Zhang Fei, but in reality, he's incredibly narrow-minded!'
"Ergou hasn't even mastered it himself, so how could he possibly teach you? That's why it's unfair. I saw just now that your strength has met the standard. From now on, I will be the one to teach you the arts of hunting and archery."
Before Fang Yue's wild thoughts could continue, Fang Hu's voice sounded again.
"Ah, Uncle Hu, what did you just say?"
Fang Yue felt like his brain couldn't keep up with all the twists and turns.
"What, you don't want to learn? If you don't want to, then forget it. I can't be bothered to teach you anyway." Fang Hu snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and turned as if to leave.
"I'll learn! I want to learn!"
When it came to hunting and archery, Fang Ergou couldn't compare to his father, Fang Hu, in any respect.
For Fang Hu to be willing to teach him personally was, of course, the best possible outcome.
How could Fang Yue possibly disagree?
Besides, he had no intention of being tied to the fields for his entire life.
If he could learn archery and hunting from Mr. Fang Hu, even if he didn't learn the man's Martial Dao, he would still have mastered an excellent skill.
He believed that with his current Talent, he could live a good life just by hunting in the future.
"In that case, come to my house tomorrow morning. I'll start by teaching you the fundamentals."
"Ah, in the morning? I still have to help my family with the rice harvest."
"Stop being so wishy-washy. I'll go speak with your father myself. Just make sure you show up."
Watching Fang Hu's retreating figure, Fang Yue couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
He had a faint feeling that what Fang Hu called the "arts of hunting and archery" was not so simple.
Otherwise, over all these years, countless people in the village had wanted to send their own children to learn hunting from Fang Hu.
But he had refused them all.