Eating Meat (Seeking Recommendations)

In the marketplace.

Fang Xi browsed around. Although he fancied a few items, his purse was too light to afford them.

He was particularly drawn to a certain incomplete wine-brewing recipe.

"Forget it... I can try brewing wine myself... I'll use Spirit Bamboo Rice as the base ingredient. At worst, I'll just brew a small batch at a time..."

"Brewing with Spirit Rice won't have any other effects, but it should be good enough to fill the stomach and replenish spiritual energy..."

As Fang Xi pondered, his feet unconsciously led him to a Talisman stall.

This was Master Zong's usual stall. It was pure instinct; he wanted to see if he could find a bargain.

However, Master Zong wasn't here today. His Dao companion, 'Lu Zhi', was tending the stall instead.

And by the stall, there happened to be another person.

"Huh? Isn't that Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Fang Xi saw Chen Ping and walked over with a smile to greet him.

"Fellow Daoist Fang..."

Chen Ping's smile was slightly unnatural. After a perfunctory greeting, he quickly left.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you here to buy Talismans? Or perhaps paper for Talismans, or spirit sand?"

Fang Xi watched Chen Ping's retreating figure and asked Lu Zhi thoughtfully.

"Hmph, just a pervert."

Lu Zhi was plump but had a fiery temper. Her cultivation was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. She cursed, "That Chen kid has a shifty look. When he was shamelessly learning to draw Talismans from my man, his eyes were always darting around..."

"Oh..."

Fang Xi looked at Lu Zhi thoughtfully. He had to admit, she was indeed a great beauty.

Although she was a bit older, she possessed a mature charm.

So, Chen Ping has a taste for this kind of woman.

"What about you? If you want to buy any Talismans, just say so. Don't waste my time!" Lu Zhi put her hands on her hips. If it weren't for Fang Xi being a regular customer, she would have cursed him too.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving."

Fang Xi smiled apologetically and returned to the Spirit Farmer's shed district.

Next door, Chen Ping was pacing nervously in his own yard. Seeing Fang Xi return, he immediately stepped forward and asked with some anxiety, "Fellow Daoist Fang... did Fellow Daoist Lu say anything?"

"Nothing, nothing..."

Fang Xi shook his head.

Looking at Chen Ping, who was greatly relieved, he suddenly asked thoughtfully, "Fellow Daoist Chen, have you gone out for some fun?"

"That... of course not."

Chen Ping's face instantly turned bright red, like a pure young boy, which made Fang Xi chuckle.

As an elder, he couldn't help but offer some advice: "As far as I know, Fellow Daoist Hong in Room B-3 in this district, and Fairy Red Bee in Room C-17 are both quite warm and hospitable..."

"I... I'm not into that." Chen Ping immediately waved his hands, his eyes starting to dart around.

"Haha... Don't rush, don't rush. Listen to me first." Fang Xi knew that young boys like him had a hard time resisting the charm of mature women. "These two Daoists, although a bit older, are both very understanding..."

"Really?" Chen Ping's eyes lit up when he heard the description of them being older. He looked at Fang Xi as if he had found a kindred spirit.

Seeing this, Fang Xi felt amused.

There are the four great ironclad friendships, and they are quite applicable even in interpersonal relationships within the cultivation world.

After deepening his friendship with Chen Ping, Fang Xi returned to his room and went down to the basement, staring blankly at over ten pounds of Taisui Meat.

Fatty Han was generous and had given him a bit extra. Now, with more than ten pounds of meat, two large chunks sitting there, it was quite a sight.

"Taisui Meat, according to Mu Piaomiao, should be eaten after cooking. It can be roasted or boiled..."

Fang Xi cut off a strip of meat, set up a fire, and slowly roasted it.

As the flames roasted it, the pale white Taisui Meat began to turn slightly golden brown, emitting a unique aroma that made one's mouth water.

"It smells so good. I didn't expect Da Liang to have such an ingredient?"

Fang Xi's eyes lit up.

He glanced at the Spring Return Talismans and Clear Spirit Pills by his side, his confidence greatly boosted. He took a hefty bite of the roasted meat strip.

"Mmm..."

The roasted Taisui Meat exploded with sweet juices as it entered his mouth. The fragrance of the roasted meat continuously stimulated his taste buds, and an indescribable umami spread through his mouth, even making Fang Xi feel like crying.

Breathing heavily, he unconsciously finished the Taisui Meat in three or two bites.

The next moment, Fang Xi's expression changed, and he clutched his stomach.

He could feel that the once incredibly delicious Taisui Meat, after entering his stomach, had turned into burning embers!

The scorching heat exploded, washing over his stomach lining again and again.

The hot current spread uncontrollably, permeating his internal organs, his limbs, his entire body...

Hot!

Even though it was only early spring, large beads of sweat began to form on Fang Xi's forehead.

His clothes were already soaked, dripping with sweat.

It even seemed like traces of scarlet were mixed within the sweat!

"Even those so-called 'body-refining great medicines' of mortal martial artists wouldn't be this effective, right?"

Fang Xi's insides churned like a furnace.

"Plus, the cooked Taisui Meat has such an alluring aroma. If I can't control my appetite, I might eat too much... and if I eat too much, I'll die!"

"No wonder Fatty Han, who sold me the meat, was worried I'd eat myself to death... If it were a normal martial artist at the Three Changes of Qi and Blood stage, they might really lose control, be tempted to take a few more bites, and then stuff themselves to death..."

Fang Xi wasn't just a martial artist; he was also a cultivator.

He stood up, using his Spiritual Awareness to forcefully control his muscles, and assumed a stance to practice White Cloud Palm.

Crack!

His palms instantly turned dark. Each palm strike he unleashed sent powerful gusts of wind through the secret chamber.

After a little less than half an hour, Fang Xi finally stopped his practice.

He examined himself internally and was pleasantly surprised: "My Qi and Blood have actually increased this much? Demon Meat really is a supreme medicine for body refining!"

After the surprise, he frowned slightly: "The medicinal effect is still a bit too potent. No wonder only Martial Hall Masters dare to consume it frequently, and martial artists at the Three Changes of Qi and Blood stage only take a tiny bit when breaking through..."

Through his Spiritual Awareness, honed by cultivation, Fang Xi even discovered that this violent surge of Qi and Blood had caused subtle damage throughout his body.

If left untreated, it wouldn't be noticeable normally, and wouldn't even affect subsequent martial arts training.

But if it accumulated to a certain extent, it would inevitably erupt violently. This was the so-called point of no return.

"Fortunately, I can examine myself internally... I'll treat the symptoms and focus on healing first."

This was the advantage of being a cultivator.

Not only the current Qi and Blood damage, but even some old injuries and toxins accumulated from practicing Poison Palm earlier were found by Fang Xi one by one, and then treated and detoxified.

As a result, his physical fitness far surpassed that of martial artists at the same level, and his condition was extraordinarily good.

Upon examining himself and realizing it was only minor damage, Fang Xi immediately put away the Clear Spirit Pill and Spring Return Talisman.

After all, they had to be bought with Spirit Crystals.

And this kind of ordinary injury could be completely healed in a few days by silently circulating the Evergreen Art.

The 'Evergreen Art' was a foundational wood-attribute cultivation technique. Although its progress and power were mediocre, it at least possessed the healing and health-preserving effects characteristic of wood-attribute techniques.

With this thought, Fang Xi no longer hesitated. He immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate the cultivation technique.

The 'Evergreen Art' was quite balanced and peaceful, and it also had healing effects.

After one cycle, he opened his mouth and spat out a small mouthful of black blood.

"Cough cough..."

After rinsing his mouth with a little clean water, Fang Xi wiped his mouth while examining himself internally, nodding to himself: "Two more cycles, and the healing should be almost complete..."

"At this rate, I can eat Taisui Meat once every three days."

"With its help, my Qi and Blood will accumulate rapidly. I might even be able to challenge the Martial Hall Master realm next month!"

If it were Mu Piaomiao, she absolutely wouldn't dare to eat like this. Otherwise, before even breaking through, her body would be riddled with injuries, and she'd die from a blood surge.

"Completing body refinement in a few months, not bad, not bad."

Fang Xi was quite satisfied with this progress.

He had only been practicing martial arts for about half a winter. With another month of effort, he could break through to the Martial Hall Master realm.

The Martial Hall Masters in the Great Liang World, like Mu Canglong, whose strength Fang Xi had witnessed, were comparable to cultivators who had undergone one round of body refinement, equivalent to the early Qi Refining stage.

"This speed is actually astonishing... For Qi Refining, breaking through one realm in several months is already considered rare for a genius, even in the early Qi Refining stage."

"And a cultivator who has undergone one round of body refinement can pose a threat to a third-level Qi Refining cultivator in close combat."

"Not to mention, after the Martial Hall Master realm, there are even higher realms."

Fang Xi finally understood the benefits of Blood Qi Martial Arts.

That was speed!

After all, it was a martial art for mortals to compete and prove themselves. Its progress was naturally much faster than cultivation techniques!

"If I can break through to a realm above Martial Hall Master, I might be comparable to a mid-stage Qi Refining body cultivator. That would be a huge profit!"

"More importantly, it's fast to achieve!"

"If my body is comparable to a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, then perhaps I can be a bit more bold in the Green Bamboo Mountain Market and sell some Yao Beast meat?" Fang Xi's eyes lit up slightly.

The price of Yao Beast meat was higher than Spirit Rice!

More importantly, in Great Liang, acquiring Yao Beast meat didn't require Spirit Stones, only a little gold and silver. This was a risk-free, high-profit venture!

As long as he could maintain it, he might even be able to easily accumulate the resources for Foundation Establishment in the future!