Qi and Blood

That kid was truly ruthless.

An hour later, Qin Fang's left index finger had been bandaged, and the wound on his leg had been treated again with Elder Wu's specially prepared medicine.

...It worked even better than Lan Gui Fang's wound salve. The moment it was applied, it felt cool and soothing, and the pain eased considerably.

It seemed to be the same medicine that had been used on the injuries to his shoulder and waist.

When Elder Wu treated the wound on his leg, he naturally saw it... It was deep, and it looked nothing like an injury he could have inflicted on himself.

Clearly, to make the act more convincing... the kid had really gone for the kill when he did it to himself.

"Don't go out for a while. Stay home and recover... You, brat..."

Elder Wu spoke with a touch of exasperation.

The injuries to his shoulder and waist still hadn't healed completely.

And now he'd been hurt again.

That kid really did have a rough road ahead of him...

"Yes."

Qin Fang obediently answered.

Elder Wu looked around at the room, which was a complete mess, and sighed. "I'll find someone to come clean this up in a bit. Stay inside and don't go out... The fewer people who see you now, the better."

He now knew why Wang Long had found Qin Fang, and he was clearly partly to blame... If he hadn't come to repair Qin Fang's house and been spotted by Scar-Head Li, Wang Long's gang wouldn't have found their way here.

...Qin Fang still had too much of a refugee's look about him.

At a glance, anyone could tell something was off.

He needed more time to recover.

Qin Fang obediently answered again.

After saying that, Elder Wu prepared to leave.

Qin Fang suddenly thought of something. "By the way, Master."

"Hmm?" Elder Wu turned to look at him.

Qin Fang suddenly handed him a bundle from beside his pillow.

"I found this on Wang Long yesterday... There's probably over a hundred taels of silver in it. Master, you can have it."

Qin Fang held out the bundle to Elder Wu.

Elder Wu's brow twitched as he spotted several scattered banknotes inside.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "You're giving it all to me?"

Qin Fang nodded.

"This is over a hundred taels of silver... Are you sure you're giving it all to me?"

Elder Wu looked at Qin Fang with a complicated expression.

Qin Fang said awkwardly, "Look at me, Master. I can't even leave the house right now... There's no use keeping this money on me. You've spent quite a bit on me lately, too... I only hope you won't mind that it was obtained by improper means..."

Elder Wu looked at Qin Fang, then shook his head. "Money is money. What does it matter how it was obtained... But you keep it for yourself. You may not need it now, but there'll be plenty of things you'll need money for later."

"But you've already paid quite a bit for repairing the house and such..."

"This old man isn't so poor that he can't even provide a place for his disciple to live... All right, that's enough. Put it away safely."

Elder Wu waved his hand and prepared to leave.

Qin Fang froze for a moment, then hurriedly called out again. "Master, wait..."

"Hmm?" Elder Wu turned back to look at him.

Qin Fang hesitated, then finally said, "All right, I'll keep the money... But Master, I also got a few other things. I don't know what they're for. Could you take a look..."

"What?" Elder Wu raised an eyebrow.

Qin Fang took out the Blood-Qi Pill.

The moment Elder Wu saw it, a look of surprise crossed his face. "A Blood-Qi Pill?"

Qin Fang nodded, looking curious. "What exactly is a Blood-Qi Pill for...?"

Elder Wu took the pill, opened the bottle, and sniffed it before answering. "A Blood-Qi Pill is more or less a necessity for martial artists... Practicing martial arts consumes a great deal of qi and blood, and ordinary food can hardly make up for the deficit. That's why martial artists need to consume Blood-Qi Pills."

"Blood-Qi Pills can greatly speed up a martial artist's progress... They're good stuff, and not cheap, either."

"The ingredients used to make Blood-Qi Pills aren't ordinary herbs."

"This bottle has only had one pill taken out. There are still nine left... They're worth about ninety taels of silver."

Elder Wu looked at Qin Fang. "But you can't use Blood-Qi Pills yet... Your body is still too weak. Recover for a while longer, and once you officially begin practicing martial arts, you'll be able to use them. Keep them for now."

Qin Fang's eyes lit up...

So they really were related to martial arts?

"Master, when are you planning to teach me martial arts?" Qin Fang asked eagerly.

Elder Wu rolled his eyes at him. "Look at the state you're in. If I taught you now, would you even be able to train?... Heal your injuries and get your strength back first."

"Practicing martial arts isn't something you can do overnight. You can't rush it."

After saying that, Elder Wu didn't linger. He waved a hand and left.

Qin Fang let out a quiet breath, his eyes flickering...

Wang Long's physique had made him intensely envious.

Now he was truly eager to begin practicing martial arts.

But there was nothing he could do... He'd started off too far behind.

He'd begun as a refugee and had nearly lost his life.

He'd only just managed to recover a little... and now he was injured again.

Qin Fang felt that his life really was full of misfortune...

He sighed and lay on the bed, staring blankly...

That afternoon, Master brought someone over to repair the house.

Calling it a repair was a bit much. He'd only brought the honest-looking boy who pushed the handcart... They hauled away the broken tables and chairs inside and brought in a new set.

Of course, they also replaced the pot in the kitchen.

Then Elder Wu reminded Qin Fang to rest and recover, and left.

Qin Fang finally felt completely at ease...

His master knew the whole story and hadn't blamed him, much less planned to turn him in. Qin Fang finally let out a breath of relief.

For the time being, he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

He just didn't know when Wang Hu would come looking for him...

That left him feeling unsettled.

He drifted into a deep, hazy sleep.

When he woke again, it was to the sound of music and wailing.

Qin Fang froze. Peering through the window lattice, he saw that night had fallen.

A firelight passed outside the courtyard.

There was crying, too.

A woman was wailing again and again, "My son!"

There were also chanting and the sound of beating instruments.

...A funeral?

Qin Fang furrowed his brow.

But he didn't dwell on it.

Feeling hungry after another day without food, he got up and went to the kitchen... Master had brought over ingredients again.

Warmth welled up inside him, and he started a fire to cook.

He diced some meat and boiled it into porridge again... After eating braised pork last time and spending the whole night with diarrhea, he knew his stomach still couldn't handle greasy, heavily seasoned food.

He'd have to take it slow...

After eating, Qin Fang finally let out a long breath, his belly full. He returned to the sitting room and took out the only Flying Dart he had left.

He narrowed his eyes.

The Flying Darts had been invaluable in killing Wang Long and the others.

Since he couldn't practice martial arts for now...

He'd first train his Flying Darts to the next stage.

He checked his progress.

Hidden Weapons (Flying Darts) (Minor Accomplishment Stage): 164/1000

There was still a long way to go before the next stage...

But Qin Fang wasn't in a hurry. He let out a quiet breath and began seriously practicing his throws...

But with only one Flying Dart left, training was a little troublesome. Qin Fang planned to ask his master to find him a few more Flying Darts in a couple of days...