Two Months

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these seven days, Qin Fang did not step out of the house once, spending every day practicing his throwing knives, tending to his wounds, and recuperating.

His master visited a few times to bring him food, and Qin Fang successfully managed to acquire four more throwing knives...

When he asked for the knives this time, his master's expression was somewhat complex, but he ultimately agreed.

He now had a total of five throwing knives in his possession, but due to the injury on his right leg, training for mobile shooting had to be temporarily shelved.

However, training to strike different targets was officially put on the schedule.

Qin Fang practiced with great focus, and the progress on his panel was significant; in seven days, his proficiency had reached 207 points.

It wasn't particularly fast, and by his calculations, it would likely take over three months to advance to the next stage.

He was very much looking forward to the epiphany of the next stage.

"My son!~"

A shrill, mournful cry suddenly erupted from outside, followed by the sounds of wind instruments and percussion.

Hearing this, Qin Fang's expression froze for a moment, and then his look turned somber.

He now knew whose funeral was being held...

Scar-Head Li.

Although he hadn't left the house, he couldn't stop the neighbors from gossiping; occasionally, people passing by the courtyard entrance would discuss the matter, and if their voices were loud enough, Qin Fang could hear them from inside.

Scar-Head Li lived in Ram Horn Alley and still had an elderly mother at home.

Scar-Head Li's family had a hard life; there were actually many children in the family, but he was the only one who grew to adulthood, as the others had died young for various reasons.

...The survival rate for children in ancient times was truly not high.

And now, Scar-Head Li had died as well.

His mother had become truly alone in this world.

Many neighbors were sighing.

They cursed Scar-Head Li for being a good-for-nothing, knowing his family's situation yet still acting recklessly outside.

They also cursed the killer for being cold-blooded and ruthless; it didn't matter that Scar-Head Li was dead, but how was his old mother supposed to go on living?

As the killer, Qin Fang felt an indescribable, complex emotion rising in his heart upon hearing these words.

But in the end, he could only let out a soft sigh...

There was no other way.

He had no choice.

Scar-Head Li was indeed pitiful.

But if he hadn't killed him, he might have been the one to die.

Qin Fang felt sympathy, but he did not regret it.

If he had to do it all over again, even knowing the situation of Scar-Head Li's family, he believed he would still eliminate Scar-Head Li without hesitation.

...Scar-Head Li was dead, and his mother was there to grieve and weep for him.

If he, Qin Fang, were to die, who would even care?

He had come all the way from being a refugee, and he certainly wasn't going to die a pathetic death here.

His resolve hardened, and he no longer paid attention to the commotion outside.

Scar-Head Li's funeral was the only piece of information Qin Fang had regarding any of the deceased.

Other than that, he knew very little about the others.

...He was even less clear about the movements on Wang Hu's side.

When he asked his master, his master didn't know either, only warning him not to go out for the time being.

After worrying for a while, Qin Fang eventually put it completely out of his mind...

As long as they didn't come looking for him here, it would be fine.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, over a month passed.

His master's medical skills were truly no joke; after more than a month, the injury on his leg had mostly healed.

It was just his fingers that hadn't recovered yet... after all, the bone had been injured.

He estimated it would take another month or two to fully heal.

Besides his leg injury healing, over this past month, Qin Fang was pleasantly surprised to find that he had gained some weight...

Being well-fed and cared for every day, his body had begun to gradually recover.

His skin had returned to normal thanks to his master's medicine.

Although it was still a bit dark.

The large patches of sunburn had already vanished.

There was finally some meat on his bones... he no longer looked like a skeleton with skin stretched over it.

With the color returning to his face, the seal on Qin Fang's looks had been lifted just a little bit... his cheekbones were less prominent, giving him a refined and handsome air that complemented his "sword-like brows and starry eyes."

He was still on the thin side, though.

But in his master's words, the "refugee stench" on him had mostly dissipated.

If he went out now, only his height would be particularly eye-catching, but at least he wouldn't give people the impression of being a "refugee at first glance."

However, Qin Fang still didn't go out.

After all... he didn't know how far Wang Hu had gotten with his investigation. If he went out rashly and ended up provoking Wang Hu, it would be a huge problem.

...He could kill Wang Long, but he absolutely could not kill Wang Hu.

He probably wouldn't even be able to get close to him.

Because by now, his master had gradually begun to explain some knowledge regarding "martial arts" to him.

Although he hadn't started formal cultivation yet.

His master had begun teaching him some common sense.

It made him gradually understand just how terrifying a Hidden Energy martial artist was...

"Your body is still too weak. Let's nourish it for a while longer before you start training."

Qin Fang had asked his master several times when he could start practicing martial arts, and his master always gave him this same answer.

Qin Fang could only temporarily set aside his impatience and focus on nourishing his body first.

However, to adjust his body, he added mobile shooting practice to his schedule.

He hung targets in every corner of the courtyard and created a training routine: moving from one end to the other, attacking the targets with throwing knives at top speed, then retrieving the knives while moving to attack the next target...

As his body became more active, he felt his physical condition getting better and better.

This was mainly because food was now plentiful; to nourish his body, his master brought back enough meat almost every time.

And now, his stomach could finally handle greasy, heavy food.

Days like these passed by in a flash.

There was no news from Wang Hu's side, and news of the refugees seemed to have stopped spreading, as if the previous refugee riot and rebellion had completely passed.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed since he killed Wang Long.

The fingers on his left hand had also recovered somewhat and could move.

But he still couldn't use too much force, or it would still hurt.

His master said he could now slowly try to restore the use of his left-hand fingers.

Qin Fang also began to grit his teeth, incorporating the use of his left hand into his training routine.

Looking at the proficiency points on his panel...

"Hidden Weapons (Throwing Knives) (Minor Achievement): 869/1000"...

Looking at this progress, in less than a month, he should be able to enter the next stage...

Qin Fang thought with a sense of anticipation.

Suddenly, a cold speck landed on his face.

Qin Fang was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked up.

In the sky, scattered white specks were drifting down.

The white specks became more and more numerous, and soon, they were swirling everywhere, filling the sky...

It was snowing.

A timely snow promises a good harvest.

The snow this year was exceptionally heavy.

From the first day it started falling, it continued for several days straight.

There was no heating in the house, and the cold made Qin Fang jump around.

Fortunately, the moment it started snowing, his master brought him a set of thick cotton-padded clothes.

Otherwise, he reckoned he wouldn't have been able to stand the cold by now.

Looking up at the snow-filled sky, not knowing how long it would last, he blew hot air onto his frozen, red hands, exhaling a thick white mist.

A thick layer of snow had already accumulated in the courtyard. Looking out, it was a vast, white expanse—extremely beautiful, and extremely cold.

To keep warm, Qin Fang was forced to light a fire in the room... filled with smoke, he had no choice but to open the doors and windows for ventilation.

As a result, the room was alternately cold and hot, and then filled with thick smoke that made it impossible to open his eyes...

This experience was truly something else.

Right in the middle of this "something else"...

The New Year had arrived.