Seeing Zhou Wenxin in this state, Fang Yuan frowned, then turned and headed back into the valley, where he leisurely drank his morning tea.
That willful Eldest Daughter needed to be taught a lesson. Ideally, she would get fed up and leave of her own accord. That would make everyone happy.
As for feeling sorry for her?
Did he look like the sort of person who would feel that way toward a spoiled young lady? What a joke.
Inside the valley, Fang Yuan chopped wood, lit a fire, and cooked rice porridge. The aroma of his morning tea soon filled the air, and even Zhou Wenxin couldn't help sniffing, her stomach growling.
Without realizing it, she walked up to the entrance of the valley, but then she froze, not daring to go in.
Though Eldest Daughter Zhou was somewhat overbearing, she wasn't a fool. Fang Yuan had warned her so sternly the day before that if she trespassed again, even her father wouldn't be able to save her.
Besides, the sight of those burly servants having the tendons in their hands severed by a white flash was forever etched in her mind. How could Zhou Wenxin dare to act recklessly?
With no other choice, she had to chew on hard, dry rations while breathing in the fragrant aroma wafting from the valley. The grievance she felt went without saying.
Inside the valley.
Fang Yuan and the Flower Fox Ferret each held a small bowl, drinking porridge made from Red Jade Rice. Neither had any intention of sharing with the other.
Spirit Rice was precious. Just look—Fang Yuan had even switched to porridge for breakfast. Both man and ferret treasured it dearly, with not the slightest inclination to share any with outsiders.
"Even my Pearl Jade Crystal Rice is the finest of the ordinary varieties. Eating it regularly nourishes the body and replenishes one's vital energy..."
As Fang Yuan thought about it, he sighed again. "The Spirit Tea ran out ages ago, and I don't have much Red Jade Rice left, either... Now that I've had to switch my morning tea to ordinary tea leaves, I'm already miserable beyond words. If I run out of Spirit Rice too, how am I supposed to live?"
"Chirp!"
Beside him, the Flower Fox Ferret raised a tiny paw, clearly showing that it felt the same way.
"Ultimately, it all comes down to Spiritual Fertilizer!"
Fang Yuan stared at the Flower Fox Ferret. "Before, whenever I asked you to take me there, you always made excuses and dragged your feet. What about now? I'm already a skilled martial artist at the Four Gates. What do you think of my strength?"
"Chirp?!"
The Flower Fox Ferret licked the last drop of porridge from its bowl, then reluctantly set it down and went to the open ground.
"Oh? You want to spar with me?"
Fang Yuan perked up, intrigued. He knew the Flower Fox Ferret was no longer sure of his abilities and needed a real fight to find out.
"Come on!"
Ever since killing Song Yujie, Fang Yuan had realized that the experience he gained in actual combat far surpassed what he got from ordinary practice. What more was there to say? Seeing the Flower Fox Ferret act this way, he was eager to give it a try too, and stepped into the clearing.
"Don't hold back!"
Fang Yuan took a deep breath. His palms turned as black as ink, while veins bulged like earthworms and crept up his arms, which thickened considerably.
So, more or less, these are the pathways my Internal Breath follows. The rest of my body has been strengthened too?
The parts strengthened by Black Sand Palm were strongest in his palms, followed by his arms, then his chest and abdomen. As for the rest—his back, legs, head, and so on—they barely benefited at all.
There was no helping it. Black Sand Palm was low-level to begin with, and it wasn't a technique focused on defense. Being able to strengthen his palms and arms was already quite good.
"Hiss!"
The Flower Fox Ferret, however, realized that the formerly unremarkable Fang Yuan had suddenly become dangerous. Its fur stood slightly on end.
Whoosh!
It pressed a paw to the ground, and its entire body transformed into a bolt of white lightning, reaching Fang Yuan in the blink of an eye.
Swish, swish!
Its sharp claws whipped up a gust of wind, cutting painfully across the face like blades.
"Good! Just like that—don't hold back!"
Fang Yuan struck out with one palm, his eyes shining.
He had only fought the Flower Fox Ferret once before, on the night they first met under the moonlight. Back then, the ferret's intelligence had been nowhere near as keen as it was now, and Fang Yuan had been an ordinary man who knew no Martial Arts.
Now, both of them had improved, making Fang Yuan's blood surge with excitement. He wanted to find out just how strong the Flower Fox Ferret was.
"Black Sand Roils!"
As the thought crossed his mind, Fang Yuan's right palm suddenly turned black, giving off a sweet, rank scent that was intoxicating as a mandrake.
"Hiss!"
Seeing this, the Flower Fox Ferret didn't dare meet him head-on at all. Its body traced a zigzag through the air, nimbly dodging like lightning before circling behind Fang Yuan and lunging with a claw.
"Backhand Palm!"
Fang Yuan spun around and struck again. A fierce gust of wind swept through the clearing as the Flower Fox Ferret sprang nimbly away. Three vivid red claw marks now crossed Fang Yuan's arm, which had thickened considerably.
Its attack power is high, but its defense is weak!
Seeing the Flower Fox Ferret's performance, Fang Yuan immediately came to a conclusion.
He had focused his power into both arms, so a small wound was nothing. He circulated his energy slightly, and his muscles clamped down on it, stopping the bleeding and easing the pain.
"Good! Again!"
At the height of the fight, Fang Yuan shouted. His palms whipped up a black gale, sending sand and stones flying. They were also highly poisonous, forcing the Flower Fox Ferret to retreat again and again, not daring to cross the threshold.
The Flower Fox Ferret's true attack power is enough to make even experienced martial artists at the Seven or Eight Gates wary. Unless they specialize in a Hardening Technique, they'll suffer badly if it lands a hit... But its defense is too weak. Even a martial artist at the Four or Five Gates can break through it. That's a serious weakness, and it can only make up for it with speed...
After their fierce exchange, Fang Yuan felt his strength waning and was the first to stop. "That's enough!"
He had to circulate his energy at full strength the whole time to force the Flower Fox Ferret back, and his Internal Breath was running out fast.
If they kept wearing each other down like this, the Flower Fox Ferret would inevitably come out on top.
If I were a Five Stages Warrior, I could keep going longer. Especially if I could break through the Harm Gate and condense my Internal Breath into a single stream, forming internal force. Then I'd have a lot more staying power, and I should be able to beat the Flower Fox Ferret...
Fang Yuan clenched his fists, quite pleased with his progress.
Especially when he saw that his Black Sand Palm proficiency had increased considerably. His smile widened. "Excellent, Flower Fox Ferret. From now on, we're doing this several times a day!"
"Hiss..."
Across from him, the Flower Fox Ferret weakly stuck out its tongue. Facing such vicious palm strikes while staying on high alert and dodging constantly was exhausting, wasn't it?
"Chirp!"
Still, seeing Fang Yuan go from an ordinary person to this in such a short time surprised even the Flower Fox Ferret. It raised a tiny paw and gestured.
"You're ready?"
Fang Yuan understood what it meant, and a wave of joy surged through him.
Was the place where the Spiritual Fertilizer was kept finally open to him?
With a steady supply of Spiritual Fertilizer, he would have no trouble producing Spirit Tea and Spirit Rice. He would surely be able to improve by leaps and bounds!
Qinghe Commandery, Kou Family Manor.
The manor was a powerful local family in the county, with most of its residents bearing the surname Kou. But what mattered most was that it had produced a master of palm techniques, Kou Feng, the creator of Black Sand Palm!
Yet now, the entire Kou Family Manor was enveloped in a sea of blood.
Blazing flames soared dozens of feet into the air, consuming the manor's once-solid, spacious buildings. The Kou Family Manor rang with the din of slaughter as disciple after disciple of the Gui Ling Sect carried out the massacre without a trace of emotion.
The truth was plain: faced with a force as powerful as the hegemon of Qinghe Commandery, the Kou Family Manor's resistance was pitifully insignificant.
"Elder Song has ordered it: not a single soul is to be spared in the Kou Family Manor—not even the chickens and dogs!"
"Kill!"
Amid the many chaotic shouts, a dark figure burst out of a mansion. His palms had turned completely black, unleashing gusts of foul wind. Every Gui Ling Sect disciple who came near clutched his throat and collapsed, his face deathly pale.
"Song Zhong, you've gone too far!"
The figure roared. He was an old man with white hair and beard. "The rules of the martial world say that the innocent family members must not be dragged into it! If there's a grudge, come after me. How dare you do this?"
Song Zhong, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, finally moved.
As he did, he drifted toward the old man like a willow catkin, his movements so fast they were ghostly.
"Black Sand Palm!"
The old man summoned every last bit of his strength and thrust both palms forward, driving the poison to its utmost potency.
Everyone thought Black Sand Palm was famous for its ferocity. Few knew that its deadliest aspect was the poison. Only true inner disciples of his lineage were taught this secret. The old man's skill had naturally reached the pinnacle. He had even had a fortuitous encounter and broken through the threshold of the Harm Gate, making him a martial artist at the Sixth Gate with a modest reputation in the commandery.
"Black Sand Palm, laced with poison!"
Song Zhong remained expressionless, his eyes full of disdain. He abruptly hooked his right hand, traced a circle, and pulled.
Crack!
To the old man's shock, his left palm slammed into his right. The tremendous force, mingled with poison, immediately broke both his arms and left him gravely wounded. He spat blood and fell to the ground.
"To have advanced Black Sand Palm to the Sixth Gate makes you a talent. But you have no idea how terrifying the Gates beyond the Harm Gate are!"
Song Zhong spoke leisurely. "Once you touch the Harm Gate, your whole body is harmed! Reach the Jingmen, and you exhaust your heart and mind! The Death Gate is the most terrifying—fail to break through, and you die! Each of the Three Dangerous Gates is harder than the last. I've already broken through the Jingmen, and my internal force is as condensed as steel. How could that tiny amount of poisonous internal force of yours possibly shake me? Instead, I struck back, and now you're on the brink of death!"
"Elder Song... I may have offended you, but was it really necessary to go this far?"
Looking at the devastated scene before him, the old man couldn't help being overcome with grief.
"You offending me wouldn't have mattered. I would've followed the rules of the martial world. But now Yujie is dead. What do I have left to fear..."
Song Zhong spoke calmly, yet the more composed he sounded, the more horror spread across the old man's face. "Do you think I was responsible? No, no!"
"It doesn't matter whether you were or not. None of your Personal Disciples will get away!"
Song Zhong finished speaking impassively, then pointed a finger at the old man's brow.
The old man had broken through six gates and cultivated Black Sand Palm to unprecedented heights, transforming it into black sand internal force. Yet he simply crumpled to the ground and became a corpse.
Seeing the old man die, Song Zhong didn't look much happier. Instead, he seemed puzzled. "According to the servants, Yujie died from poison-coated Black Sand Palm. But if it wasn't that old ghost, how could his few Personal Disciples possibly have been a match for Yujie? What did I miss?"
Before you continue