Hidden Weapons

The next day, Qin Fang woke early and continued clearing the clutter from the room, sweeping it all out into the courtyard.

His body was too weak. After working for a little while, he was drenched in sweat and trembling all over, so he could only work in short bursts, taking breaks in between.

It was well past noon before someone finally knocked on the courtyard gate.

Qin Fang's heart stirred. He went to the gate and peered through a crack. Seeing Elder Wu outside, he quickly opened it.

Behind Elder Wu stood a sturdy young man with an honest face, pulling a handcart piled with all sorts of things.

"Elder Wu."

Qin Fang bowed respectfully.

Elder Wu nodded, then turned to the sturdy young man. "Bring the things inside."

"Sure thing."

The honest-faced youth answered and swiftly unloaded the items from the cart.

There was a lot: not just staples like rice and flour, but also vegetables, along with bedding and other things.

Qin Fang watched silently, warmth welling in his heart.

The honest-faced youth worked quickly and soon had everything carried into the courtyard. Elder Wu spotted the rubbish piled outside the tiled house and told the youth to haul that away, too.

The youth readily agreed and swiftly loaded the rubbish onto the now-empty handcart.

Elder Wu gave him a few copper coins. The honest-faced youth accepted them with a bow and a flurry of thanks, then hauled the cart and rubbish away.

"You won't need furniture and things like that just yet, so I didn't bring any. You can add those gradually later. I only brought you some bedding and the like, so you'll have to make do for now," Elder Wu told Qin Fang.

Qin Fang shook his head. "This is already more than enough... Thank you, Elder Wu."

Elder Wu nodded. After a pause, he said, "Wang Long came by this morning."

Qin Fang's heart jolted, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

He really couldn't wait even a moment.

"He... didn't give you any trouble, did he, Elder Wu?" Qin Fang asked gravely.

Back then, he'd promised them a reward to save his life. He could imagine how furious Wang Long and his men must have been after finally settling in True Martial County, only to find that Qin Fang had disappeared.

"That's nothing to worry about. He wouldn't dare make trouble at Spring Return Hall."

Elder Wu didn't seem to care much. Calmly, he said, "I told him you'd left once your injuries had improved a little. He looked furious..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qin Fang. "What reward did you promise them?"

Qin Fang gave a helpless smile and could only tell the truth. "You know what state I was in back then. To stay alive, I took out a gold chain. I'd found it by chance while fleeing... I was afraid they'd take the chain without saving me, so I told them I had more hidden outside the city."

"So that's what you meant by using greed," Elder Wu said, raising an eyebrow.

Qin Fang nodded.

For once, a faint smile appeared on Elder Wu's face. He nodded, then said, "I don't think Wang Long will let this go. But what you do about it from here on is your business. I won't interfere again."

Elder Wu had said the same thing yesterday. Qin Fang answered respectfully, "You've already done more than enough for me, Elder Wu. I wouldn't dare trouble you further."

"Wang Long is nothing special. He's cultivated for years and still hasn't mastered Bright Force... But his younger brother, Wang Hu, is exceptionally talented and has already reached Dark Force. You'd better weigh that carefully."

Qin Fang's heart grew heavy... He'd already learned as much from Zhang Hao.

After saying that, Elder Wu didn't continue discussing the matter. He bent down and rummaged through the supplies piled on the ground, found a porcelain bottle, and handed it to Qin Fang.

"The sunburn on your skin is severe. Apply the medicine inside to the burned areas once a day, and you should recover before long... Rest and put on some weight. Once you've shed most of that refugee look, you can go outside again."

Right now, anyone could tell Qin Fang was a refugee at a glance. He was too thin, and large areas of his skin were sunburned... Those were the most obvious traits of a refugee.

If he rested for a while, letting his burns heal and putting on a little weight, that refugee look wouldn't be so obvious.

At least he wouldn't stand out so much when walking down the street.

Qin Fang thanked him gratefully.

Elder Wu nodded. "That's all for now. I'll come by again in a while."

The food he'd brought would last Qin Fang for some time, so Elder Wu prepared to leave.

"Elder Wu," Qin Fang called out hastily.

"Is there something else?" Elder Wu stopped.

"Could you help me find some Hidden Weapons, like Flying Darts or throwing knives?"

Qin Fang made his request directly.

Elder Wu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know how to use Hidden Weapons?"

Real Hidden Weapons weren't just a matter of picking up a dart and throwing it. That was just hurling it...

There was a whole set of techniques for using Hidden Weapons.

The more advanced the technique, the more force a Hidden Weapon could unleash with the same strength. It would fly faster, too, and be harder to guard against.

But how would Qin Fang know any of that?

Still, thinking of the epiphany effect... As long as he could grind out the Initiation Stage for Hidden Weapons, he ought to be able to figure out the techniques through an epiphany, right?

He couldn't say for sure, though. "I don't know any techniques. I just want to try practicing... You know how weak I am. I need some way to protect myself."

Elder Wu studied Qin Fang with narrowed eyes, looking him over before shaking his head. "Hidden Weapons aren't easy to practice... Never mind. I'll bring you some."

With that, he said nothing more and turned to leave.

Elder Wu's agreement put Qin Fang at ease. After seeing him off, Qin Fang resumed tidying up.

He spread his bedding on the spot where he'd slept the previous night. That took care of his sleeping arrangements.

He worked in short bursts, resting in between.

Elder Wu had thoughtfully brought him breakfast—big meat buns—so Qin Fang didn't have to light a fire and cook.

In the afternoon, Elder Wu came again and handed Qin Fang four Flying Darts.

Qin Fang's eyes lit up. The darts were only three inches long, gleaming coldly. They looked much sharper than his old dagger, with diamond-shaped bodies, blood grooves, and red tassels.

Qin Fang weighed one in his hand. It felt perfect.

Seeing his expression, Elder Wu shook his head and repeated, "Flying Darts aren't easy to practice."

After saying that, he glanced at the much tidier courtyard and room but ultimately said nothing more. He turned and left.

After seeing Elder Wu off once again, Qin Fang held the Flying Darts, his eyes gleaming.

Then he got to work. He found a piece of scrap wood, drew several circles on it with charcoal, and set it up at the far end of the courtyard as a target.

Qin Fang stepped back to a distance of just over three meters, took a deep breath, and aimed a Flying Dart at the target. The next moment, he flicked his arm and threw it!

Whoosh!

The dart streaked several meters through the air, then...

Stuck in the ground.

Qin Fang checked the Panel, but there was no reaction.

He'd expected that.

If it were so easy to activate a skill... he wouldn't have only managed to get his dagger skill to Minor Accomplishment Stage by now.

He wasn't discouraged. He took a deep breath.

I have to focus completely...

His expression grew intent as he began throwing the darts again and again.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

His throws didn't have much force at all.

After all, his body was so weak that even their arcs looked limp.

He couldn't find the knack for it.

He threw more than a dozen times, and more than a dozen times the darts fell to the ground.

Even when one occasionally "hit" the board, it bounced straight off instead of sticking.

Sure enough, this wasn't something you could master just by picking it up and trying.

Still, he kept calm and continued working out the technique for throwing the darts.

Where to grip the dart, what angle to throw it at so the force flowed more smoothly, making the limp dart fly faster, and getting the dart tip to hit the target...

Qin Fang immersed himself completely, forgetting the passage of time.

Until, at one particular moment...

Whoosh!

The dart he threw this time felt completely different. The force flowed through it cleanly, and it was clearly flying much faster.

The next moment...

Thunk!

A soft sound.

This time, the dart stuck firmly in the wooden board.

It hadn't hit the bull's-eye he'd drawn...

But then—

His vision blurred, and a transparent screen appeared before his eyes.

A new line had appeared on it.

"Flying Darts (Hidden Weapons) (Initiation Stage): 1/500"

Qin Fang's eyes lit up instantly.

He'd done it?!