Fang Chen smiled and waved his hand.
"No matter. At least Senior Sister genuinely wanted to help me. I won't take it to heart."
Seeing that Fang Chen did not seem to blame her, Jiang Qiutong was delighted.
She took out a great medicine and handed it to Fang Chen.
"I saw that Junior Brother seemed to be in great need of great medicines. Take this one."
Fang Chen was somewhat surprised and was just about to refuse.
Jiang Qiutong tossed the great medicine directly over, giving Fang Chen no chance to refuse, then turned and left.
Fang Chen was helpless and could only accept the great medicine, placing it in the same bundle as the other six.
Then Fang Chen turned his gaze toward the merchant.
"You're the one who sponsored Yang Hua? May I ask what you want with me?"
Seeing that it was his turn, the merchant immediately tugged a smile onto his lips and stepped forward.
"Heh heh, Young Master Fang, might you need someone to sponsor you now? I heard that you, like Young Master Yang, came from a poor family. Perhaps you could use my help."
The merchant no longer had any of his former contempt for Fang Chen.
After learning that Fang Chen had successfully broken through,
feelings of disappointment and regret immediately flooded his mind once more.
If only I had known, I should have invested in Fang Chen!
But he truly could never have imagined that Fang Chen would be so formidable.
They both had mediocre root bones, so how had he himself failed to break through after so many years, while Fang Chen had succeeded in less than a month?
The disparity left the merchant bitterly despondent.
The laughable part was that he had originally come to watch Fang Chen make a fool of himself.
He had thought he might gain some sense of superiority from Fang Chen's failure.
In the end, all he gained was a deep sense of defeat.
Why could Fang Chen do it while I couldn't? Am I really that hopeless?!
The merchant did not understand, but he quickly composed himself.
He was, after all, a merchant, and he knew this was no time to brood over such things.
The moment he saw the crowd disperse, he had hurried over precisely to seize every possible chance to sponsor Fang Chen.
What the merchant did not know was that Fang Chen already had Zhou Hai sponsoring him.
As a small merchant, he could not possibly offer more than Zhou Hai.
Thus, Fang Chen directly refused.
"No need. I already have someone sponsoring me. I have enough great medicines for now and don't particularly need any other sponsorship."
The merchant was stunned. He had not expected Fang Chen to have someone sponsoring him already.
Still, he felt there should be a chance and advised him.
"Young Master Fang, may I ask who is sponsoring you? Perhaps what they're offering isn't as much as I can give."
Zhou Hai sneered from the side.
"I'm the young chief of the Three Rivers Gang. Do you think I'm qualified to sponsor Senior Brother? Can what you offer possibly exceed mine?"
At that, the merchant abruptly turned to look at Zhou Hai. The moment their gazes met, he hurriedly lowered his eyes.
"Qualified! Absolutely qualified! How could this little man compare with you? I was truly blind to Mount Tai just now. If I offended anyone, I humbly ask for your forgiveness!"
With that, the merchant hurriedly left.
In Baihe County, the Three Rivers Gang's reputation was enough to intimidate people.
Once the merchant saw Zhou Hai speak personally, his little schemes instantly vanished without a trace.
As soon as the merchant left, Fang Chen's gaze fell on Qin Yun.
"Senior Brother Qin, is there something you need?"
Qin Yun glanced at Zhou Hai and pondered briefly before speaking.
"Junior Brother Fang, even with Junior Brother Zhou sponsoring you, my Qin Family can still offer you some assistance. I wonder..."
Before he could finish, Fang Chen shook his head and interrupted him.
"No need."
Fang Chen had learned from Zhou Hai that the Qin Family was closely tied to the Green Robe Gang.
Because of Zhao San, he had no favorable impression of the Green Robe Gang. Moreover, Zhou Hai belonged to the Three Rivers Gang, so Fang Chen naturally did not want to become too entangled with the Qin Family.
Still, Senior Brother Qin had given him something before. If he had the chance in the future, he would repay him.
Qin Yun had anticipated Fang Chen's reaction, but could only sigh helplessly and cup his hands.
"If that's the case, then I won't disturb you any further."
As Qin Yun turned to leave, regret welled up inside him.
In the end, he had misjudged Fang Chen's potential.
If he had invested earlier and invested more,
then the person growing close to Junior Brother Fang today might not have been Zhou Hai, but Qin Yun himself.
He shook his head and consoled himself.
"Forget it. What's done is done. Besides, Junior Brother Fang has only broken through the Skin and Muscle Realm. Whether he can enter the Sinew and Bone Realm remains unknown."
"Perhaps... this breakthrough was merely a stroke of luck."
Qin Yun truly could not figure out how Fang Chen had advanced so rapidly and successfully broken through.
But in the end, he still preferred to believe it had been caused by luck. That way, he would not regret it too deeply.
After Qin Yun had gone far away, Zhou Hai stepped forward with a laugh.
"Hahaha, Senior Brother, you really struck it rich this time!"
Fang Chen smiled faintly.
Zhou Hai continued.
"Senior Brother, now that you've reached the Skin and Muscle Realm, you can take an official post at a security bureau or gang and earn some money. What are you planning to do?"
"If you're willing, why not come to my Three Rivers Gang? I'll give you an official post as an overseer, and your monthly salary definitely won't be small."
Fang Chen had been intending to do just that. He nodded.
"Good, I'll do as you say. In addition, I'd like to find an official post at a security bureau."
"First, I can earn some spare money. Second, I want to go out and gain experience. If there are bandits or demons, I can put them to good use and gain more practical combat experience."
Zhou Hai was delighted to hear this.
"Easy! Leave it to me."
Fang Chen cupped his hands.
"Then I'll trouble you, Junior Brother."
Zhou Hai continued.
"Even as an official overseer, you'll still need to manage a territory. How about... choosing the area near Senior Brother's home?"
Fang Chen's heart stirred—
Near his home? That was precisely where Li Hu and the others held office.
He wondered what their expressions would be when they saw him as their overseer.
"Fine. I'll leave the arrangements to you, Junior Brother." Fang Chen nodded.
The two said no more and went off to practice martial arts separately.
Fang Chen's thoughts stirred slightly as he looked at the panel.
Martial Arts: Tiger Subduing Fist (Minor Accomplishment 0/800); Whirlwind Blade Technique (Minor Accomplishment 0/400)!
Including the one Jiang Qiutong had given him, Fang Chen now had eight great medicines, enough to last fifty-six days.
With the medicines' potency bolstering him, the Tiger Subduing Fist gained roughly twenty proficiency points a day, while the Whirlwind Blade Technique gained about ten.
After forty days, both martial arts should be able to break through to Major Accomplishment!
By then, the Sinew and Bone Realm would be within reach!
There were enough great medicines!
Fang Chen made a rough estimate, and his heart settled.
He then calmed his mind, took up his stance, and once more immersed himself in honing his proficiency.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Today, when the martial arts academy's disciples rested, the focus of their discussion was still Fang Chen.
His breakthrough had been far too astonishing, prompting everyone to speculate about the reason.
In the end, however, they could only arrive at contradictory conclusions that could not withstand scrutiny.
Fang Chen had quietly become the most mysterious existence in the martial arts academy.
Some disciples even began arguing over whether he could break through the Second Realm's Sinew and Bone stage.
Some believed it was absolutely impossible because of his root bones, while others felt Fang Chen could not be judged by ordinary standards and might well succeed.
Fang Chen occasionally overheard them, but his heart remained as calm as still water.
Time would prove everything.
As dusk gradually descended, the disciples left one after another.
Unlike usual,
several disciples deliberately came over to greet Fang Chen as they left.
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