Then I'll Scram!

The wind surged in from the river stretching ten thousand miles, blowing away the gauze-thin morning mist. It carried a trace of chill, seeping in thread by thread into Thousands of Households.

A Black Awning Boat slowly entered view, its oars cutting through the shimmering water and leaving long white trails behind.

At the bow of that Black Awning Boat stood an old man in a rain cape, trouser legs rolled up, singing a fisherman's chant tinged with his hometown accent.

Gurgle~.

A head emerged from the water, gulping down the morning air.

"Morning already?"

Fang Xuan froze for a moment. Looking at the growing number of Black Awning Boats on the river, he stroked toward the shore.

Splash.

Fang Xuan gripped the riverbank with both hands, shoved hard, and sprang from the water onto land.

After a night of training, his bronzed skin had actually become somewhat crystal-clear, making the scars all over his body look even more savage and horrifying by contrast.

He lightly pinched and tugged at his skin. It had become rough yet full of resilience, like rubber forged from steel.

And that was not even the greatest change.

He casually stretched, and the qi and blood throughout his body began to surge. His tendons, veins, and bones crackled in a volley of pops, as if his meridians had opened wide and his skeleton were being reforged.

Ha!

Fang Xuan casually picked up a pebble from the shore and squeezed hard with his five fingers. Though the pebble did not shatter, cracks spread all over its surface.

"Not only has the toughness of my flesh increased greatly, even my strength has grown by a huge margin!"

Fang Xuan's heart trembled slightly.

Human strength ultimately had its limits. In order not to be cut down in this jianghu, he had trained through the bitter cold of winter and the scorching heat of summer these past years, polishing his body day and night and tempering his strength. He had long since reached the limit of what he could achieve.

Yet after merely practicing the Dragon Whale Technique for one night, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. It truly was miraculous.

"Talisman," Fang Xuan murmured.

In an instant, as though a pebble had fallen into water, ripples spread through the empty air before his eyes.

Lines of tiny words gradually emerged.

Technique: Dragon Whale Technique (First Glimpse)

Progress: 10/100

Growth Method: Hold Whale Blood in the mouth, cast the body into crashing waves, temper the skin and hammer the muscles, remain unmoving as a mountain!

Description: Qi and blood like a dragon, stirring wind and raising waves!

Looking at the panel on the Black Talisman, Fang Xuan's spirits rose, and anticipation appeared in his eyes.

"At this rate, with the Black Talisman's miraculous properties and my own diligent efforts, it should only take around ten days for me to push the Dragon Whale Technique to the Entry Level realm!"

"I wonder, if the Dragon Whale Technique reaches Entry Level, will I enter a realm as well?"

As Fang Xuan was pondering this, an unprecedented hunger suddenly swept through him, spreading across his entire body.

Under the onslaught of that hunger, Fang Xuan's vision went black, and he nearly fainted.

"Damn it, I forgot to prepare food!"

Fang Xuan inwardly cried out in alarm. He had heard that martial artists consumed enormous amounts of food while training. After practice, they had to nourish their bodies with plenty of meat; otherwise, not only would their strength decline, but they might even damage their foundations.

This was his first time practicing, and with no one around to guide him, he had forgotten all about it.

With that thought, Fang Xuan hurriedly tucked the Whale Blood and the Dragon Whale Technique manual close to his body, put on his clothes, and staggered away.

South of the City, within an estate with a Vermillion Gate.

"Alas, my glorious reputation in this life has actually been ruined at the hands of a mere rogue like Fang Xuan. Heaven truly has no eyes!"

Instructor Xun wore a gloomy expression as he sighed again and again in melancholy.

Even with a table full of fish, meat, rare delicacies, and exquisite dishes before him, he had no appetite whatsoever. Instead, he felt like vomiting.

"Master, please eat something. How can you not eat?"

The maid Xiao Fang said worriedly from beside him.

"It's not that I don't want to eat, it's that I truly can't—ah!!!"

Before Instructor Xun could finish speaking, he saw a tall figure suddenly appear at the doorway and stride toward him. He instantly screamed in fright.

"F-Fang Xuan, what are you coming to see this old man for now? Even if this old man has to die this time, I will never let you humiliate me like—"

Smack!

A loud slap landed, cutting off every word.

"I eat. You scram. Understand?"

Fang Xuan pointed at the table full of food and glared viciously at Instructor Xun.

Instructor Xun clutched his burning cheek, glaring furiously at Fang Xuan as he forced out three words through gritted teeth.

"Then I'll scram!"

With that, Instructor Xun snorted coldly, rose without hesitation, and left.

Fang Xuan shook his head indifferently. He sat down without the slightest courtesy, tore off a lamb leg, and began wolfing it down.

He had long since figured out Instructor Xun's weak spot.

The man was greedy for life and afraid of death. So long as he was not driven into a dead end, he would not dare act too recklessly.

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Xuan stood while rubbing his belly, let out a satisfied burp, and felt strength fill his entire body.

"M-Master Fang, you've finished eating, right?"

The maid Xiao Fang looked at Fang Xuan, trembling with fear and utterly dumbfounded.

An entire table of fish and meat had actually been swept clean by Fang Xuan alone!

She simply could not understand how his stomach could possibly hold so much food.

"You made this table of food?"

Fang Xuan glanced sideways at Xiao Fang.

"Yes..."

Xiao Fang's face turned pale. "C-Could it be that this food does not suit your taste, Master Fang?"

"No. Your cooking is excellent. I like it very much."

Fang Xuan praised her, then rose and left.

Xiao Fang had only just breathed a sigh of relief when Fang Xuan's voice drifted over from afar.

"I'll come again next time!"

In an instant, Xiao Fang's vision darkened, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

After returning home to Tong'an Alley, Fang Xuan fell onto his bed and went straight to sleep.

He did not know how long he slept until the repeated sound of "Big Brother, wake up" reached his ears, and he slowly awakened.

"Xiao Lan, what watch is it?"

An oil lamp had already been lit in the room. Fang Xuan looked through the paper-pasted window at the darkening sky and could not help being stunned.

"Brother, it's You Shi now."

Fang Lan entered the room carrying a basket of dried string beans as she answered.

"I slept for four or five hours?"

Fang Xuan sat up in bed, yet he felt brimming with energy, more refreshed than ever before.

"Yes. I originally wanted to wake you this afternoon and have you accompany me to buy New Year goods, but Second Brother told me not to disturb your rest."

Fang Lan set down the basket, wiped her hands on a hanging rag, and smiled.

Fang Xuan nodded and looked to one side. A large table full of steaming dishes had already been laid out, while Fang Li was busy putting out the stove fire.

"Brother, Xiao Lan went to buy New Year goods this afternoon, so I made this table of dishes. Hurry and try my cooking."

Fang Li raised his head from behind the stove. His refined, fair face was already covered in pitch-black soot.

"You scholar who can neither carry on your shoulder nor lift in your hands, you've got this skill too?"

Fang Xuan laughed and scolded him, then touched his flat stomach, which was rumbling again, and inwardly shook his head.

Martial arts really did consume a frightening amount of food. He had only eaten not long ago, yet he was hungry again already.

"Brother, that's really looking down on me too much!" Fang Li said indignantly.

"Fine, fine, I'll give it a try."

Fang Xuan smiled. After getting up and washing himself, he sat at the dining table.

The dim yellow candlelight swayed, and laughter from the three siblings drifted through the old, cramped room.

A moment later.

"Brother, how has your appetite grown so much?"

Fang Li and Fang Lan looked at the utterly empty table, then at the empty rice pot, before turning in unison to look at Fang Xuan. Their throats bobbed.

Fang Xuan's face reddened. Then he glared and said irritably, "What, I can't eat a little more?"

"Is that just a little more? Brother, you practically ate half a cow." Fang Lan stuck out her tongue and muttered quietly.

Fang Xuan coughed into his fist. Then, as if recalling something, he said solemnly:

"Right. The two of you should not stay at home these next few days."

"Huh? Then where should we go?" Fang Lan asked blankly.

"That Thatched Hut we built outside the city before—none of you told anyone about it, right?"

Fang Lan and Fang Li immediately shook their heads like rattles. "That's our secret base. We would never tell anyone!"

"Good." Fang Xuan thought for a moment, then said, "At Yin Hour tonight, pack your things and use the cover of darkness to go to the Thatched Hut outside the city. Without my permission, you are not to return on your own. Understand?"

"Brother, did something happen?" Fang Lan asked in confusion.

"Xiao Lan, if Big Brother doesn't speak of Big Brother's affairs, then don't ask!"

Fang Li gave Fang Lan a meaningful look. Then he took a deep breath, looked at Fang Xuan, hesitated, and said in a subdued, self-reproachful voice:

"Brother, take good care of yourself. We younger brother and sister are incapable and can't help you. It really is..."

"You always love saying such distant words!"

Fang Xuan glared at Fang Li, then stood up.

"Enough. A true man should speak fewer delicate words. Keeping yourselves safe is the greatest help you can give me!"

"Maybe by the time you come back, your brother will have found you a big house with its own courtyard!"

With that, Fang Xuan took a bamboo hat hanging on the wall and placed it on his head, lowering the brim to conceal most of his face.

"I have things to do, so I'm leaving first. Remember to leave on your own tonight. Don't let anyone discover you."

Creak!

The front door opened. Fang Xuan stepped out, his tall figure gradually swallowed by the snowy, wind-swept night.

Fang Li and Fang Lan watched Fang Xuan leave. Then, after exchanging a glance, Fang Li said:

"Pack up."

After a pause, Fang Li glanced at the oil lamp and spoke after pondering for a moment, "When we leave, don't put out that lamp. Let it keep burning, and hang a rain cape behind the window."

"Second Brother, why are we doing that?" Fang Lan asked curiously.

Fang Li did not answer at once. Instead, he looked into the distance before replying in a deep voice:

"Nothing. Just in case."

"It's useless enough that we can't help Big Brother. At the very least, we must not become a burden to him!"