Calling on Someone

The renovation of the courtyard took three days.

Three days later, Qin Fang looked at the completely refurbished courtyard and house before him.

The roof tiles had been relaid; now, the black tiles were fitted seamlessly, and one could no longer glimpse the sky from inside the room.

The doors and windows had also been almost entirely replaced.

The woodshed next to the main house had been renovated as well. It had been on the verge of collapse before, but now it had new main beams, a tiled roof, and the cluttered debris inside had been cleared away.

Even the courtyard had been tidied up. The withered weeds that had once covered the edges were gone, the dusty ground was cleared, and the damaged sections of the walls had been patched up.

The house was now stocked with plenty of furniture, from tables, chairs, and benches down to pots, bowls, and ladles. His master was meticulous; whenever he noticed something missing, he would make a mental note and have it delivered the very next day.

Over these three days, a steady stream of items had been moved inside.

...Just these things alone would cost at least ten or twenty taels of silver.

Yet, his master had not uttered a single word of complaint.

In fact, apart from his time at Spring Return Hall, he had spent these three days here, personally overseeing everything.

This was the first time since his transmigration that Qin Fang felt like he had someone backing him.

It was also the first time he truly understood the meaning of the word "master."

Qin Fang exhaled softly and continued making his target.

...Because he had been busy with the house renovations and people were around constantly, he hadn't been able to practice much.

Now that the house was finished, he naturally had to resume.

As he worked on the target, his eyes flickered slightly.

His master's frequent visits over the past few days had naturally drawn the attention of the neighbors. When they saw his master, they were quite enthusiastic.

Upon learning that he was the master's apprentice, they were initially very warm, even bringing over gifts like eggs and vegetables, and some had even come over to help tidy the house.

But the moment he spoke... they noticed his accent.

And when they asked further and learned he was a refugee...

Their expressions changed on the spot.

...Although they didn't say much out of respect for his master, their attitude toward him had clearly turned cold.

Once the house was repaired, they never visited again.

This made Qin Fang realize that the impact of the refugee uprising was still far from over.

And in the end, it had implicated him as well.

This made him recall his plans when he first left Spring Return Hall... looking back, it was fortunate that his master had helped him.

Otherwise, if he had truly been left to fend for himself... the outcome likely would not have been good.

This world was a typical society of acquaintances; as long as he was in True Martial County, he would inevitably attract the attention of those around him wherever he went.

And once his status as a refugee was discovered... without anyone to protect him, it was truly hard to predict what the people of True Martial County might do to him out of displaced anger.

Regarding this, he had no particularly good solution.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh... he could only wait for time to slowly smooth over the past.

He reflected on the events of this period while planning his own future.

He was currently under his master's protection, but this certainly wouldn't last forever; he would eventually have to rely on himself.

He couldn't expect his master to support him for his entire life, could he?

Just then, a cold drop suddenly landed on his cheek.

It made him pause in a daze.

He looked up instinctively.

Then, dense, scattered drops of cold rain began to fall one after another.

He touched his face lightly, then revealed a look of astonishment...

This is...

It's raining?

The first rain since he had transmigrated!

He stared blankly at the pitch-black sky. The rain came quickly, and within moments, it was pouring down with a rhythmic patter.

Coming to his senses, Qin Fang hurriedly gathered his things and ran under the eaves.

Patter, patter, patter, patter...

Raindrops struck the newly repaired eaves, and in just a short while, the entire world was blanketed by the heavy downpour.

According to the original owner's memories, this was the first rain in at least four months.

Once it started, it was as if the sky had sprung a leak, pouring down in torrents.

Qin Fang stood under the eaves. The falling rain brought a trace of coolness that seeped into his clothes, even carrying a long-lost chill.

"It's raining! It's raining!"

"Finally, it's raining!"

Through the curtain of rain, the voices of neighbors could be vaguely heard, even carrying a sense of relief.

In truth, True Martial County was also a disaster area, having gone without rain for several consecutive months.

However, because True Martial was adjacent to the Chuan River, the river had never run dry despite the drought. Water could be drawn from the Chuan River to combat the drought, so the impact on True Martial was not as severe as in places like Jingping.

Now that it was raining, it was undoubtedly a great joy for the people of True Martial.

After watching for a while, Qin Fang let out a soft breath. He moved a chair to the front of the house and began making targets while watching the rain...

He watched for a long time that night.

The heavy rain fell intermittently for three days before the sky cleared again.

Over these few days, his master had sent over more supplies, such as thick quilts and clothing...

It was October, and by all accounts, it should have been cold long ago, but the previous drought had kept the weather sweltering.

However, after this rain, the cold arrived quickly.

That little old man, who always wore a cold expression, was truly meticulous. A genuine sense of filial affection welled up in Qin Fang's heart for him.

Sure enough, three days later, the temperature plummeted. Three days ago, a single layer of clothing was enough, but now, if he didn't cover himself with a quilt at night, he would shiver from the cold...

This rain had some impact on Qin Fang's training... the training method he had originally envisioned could no longer be carried out.

Otherwise, train while standing in the rain?

He might as well be trying to hasten his own death.

Although he had been eating meat for a few days and his body was recovering at a perceptible speed, that was only in comparison to his previous "frailty."

Compared to a normal person, Qin Fang was still in a "critically weak" stage.

Exercising in the rain... even a normal person would easily catch a cold.

Let alone a "patient" like him.

However, he could not put his training aside.

With no other choice, he could only practice indoors.

Fortunately, the main room was large enough. By hanging a few targets on the walls, he could practice throwing darts from the maximum possible distance... it was barely sufficient.

But after reaching the minor mastery stage, his progress had clearly slowed down.

Over the past six or seven days, he had only pushed his proficiency to over seventy... basically ten points a day.

At this rate, it would take at least three to four months to advance his "Hidden Weapon" skill to the next stage.

However, Qin Fang knew that this could not be rushed... and he wasn't in a hurry.

He had already survived exile; now that he had a master and a stable place to live, he had nothing to be anxious about.

He would just take it slow.

As for true martial arts training, his master said he would have to wait a while longer.

His body was still too weak; he needed to reach the level of an ordinary person before he could begin real training.

If he started now, not only would he achieve nothing, but he could easily ruin the health he had worked so hard to restore.

...Starving for four months might look like just "hunger" on the surface, but in reality, that period had drained his foundation to its absolute limit.

It was a miracle he had survived at all.

How could it be easy to recover from that?

According to his master, he would need to recuperate for at least another month or two before he could start formal martial arts training.

On this day, as he was practicing his dart throwing as usual, his arms began to ache after more than a dozen consecutive throws. While he was resting, the courtyard gate was knocked upon.

Thinking it was his master, Qin Fang hurriedly got up to open the door.

However, he still subconsciously peeked through the gap in the door.

And at that sight, his expression froze, and his movement to open the door stalled instantly.

Because standing outside was a face covered in bulging, coarse flesh...

Wang Long!