Shh, Old Fang is Here, Absorbing Ghost Jade (Please Read)

"Sigh, what's meant to be is meant to be; if it isn't, don't force it. Leaving Public Middle School early might be for the best, it'll help Little Fang face reality."

"Later on, we'll keep an eye out too. If we help Little Fang find a living, Old Fang can take it a bit easier."

Mother Wang shook her head, sighing.

The others wore expressions of agreement.

"Yo, everyone, what are you chatting about?"

Old Fang's voice rang out first, followed by the rhythmic clatter of his footsteps.

The expressions on the group's faces turned awkward in an instant.

There is nothing more embarrassing than being caught gossiping behind someone's back.

To say nothing of Old Fang, who had pinned all his hopes on Little Fang.

He had become his only reason to keep living.

They had known each other for years; no matter how much of a lost cause Little Fang was, they couldn't say it to Old Fang's face.

Otherwise, Old Fang might not be able to handle it at all.

"Heh heh, Old Fang, just off work? Heading out?"

Seeing Old Fang looking ready to leave, his face as usual, back hunched, and eyes as cloudy as ever, Hu Da let out a breath of relief and asked.

"Little Fang hasn't come back yet, so I'm going to wait at the alley entrance." Old Fang finished speaking without waiting for a reply.

He headed straight toward the back gate of the Zhao Estate.

Once he was far enough away that they were sure he couldn't hear them, Mother Wang withdrew her gaze and lowered her voice: "Hu Da, Old Fang didn't hear us just now, did he?"

"Probably not," Hu Da said.

"Forget it, let's stop talking. I just remembered, my Cuicui hasn't eaten yet, I need to get back and cook for her."

"Oh, that girl, she spent all day taking exams, I don't know how she isn't tired. She dropped her schoolbag off and went right back out to study with her classmates."

"The child is sensible; as parents, we have to handle the logistics."

Mother Wang brushed the dust off her clothes, muttering as she led her husband toward their house nearby.

"It doesn't matter if the child is sensible or not, as long as she's safe."

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Better get back and cook. When Little Fang gets back, I'm going to insist they come over for a drink!"

After waiting for a long time, no one knows what Hu Da was thinking about.

He let out a long sigh and headed back to the kitchen.

"Let go, this is the back gate of the Zhao Estate. Someone could come out at any time; if I'm seen, I'll never be able to show my face again!"

"What are you afraid of? I'll just kiss you once, just once and I'll go."

"No, not even once. Don't be impatient, wait until tomorrow, I'll meet you at the usual spot."

Fang Shuwen was just about to open the gate to enter the courtyard when a familiar voice drifted over from behind him.

His hand paused, and he glanced sideways.

In the shadows of the alley corner, the light blue skirt of a Public Middle School uniform swayed back and forth.

Cuicui was pressing her hands against the chest of a young man in a short jacket, half-resisting and half-yielding, whispering intimately.

On the other side, the young man, of whom only half a body was visible, was that same guy from last time.

Fang Shuwen withdrew his gaze and pushed open the back gate with an expressionless face.

The door hinges let out a faint creak, and the alley entrance went silent in an instant.

"Dad, where are you going?"

Just as he pushed open the back gate, Fang Shuwen saw Old Fang at a glance.

Old Fang was also in the middle of opening the gate; it looked like he was about to head out.

Hearing this, Old Fang quickly straightened his back, and his cloudy eyes lit up.

He looked at Fang Shuwen with pleasant surprise.

"Little Fang, you're back. I was just about to go out and meet you. It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

"You must be tired, give me your schoolbag. You go home and rest first, I'll go see if your Uncle Hu has finished cooking."

"Thank you, Dad."

Fang Shuwen took off his cloth satchel and handed it to Old Fang, along with the wrapped roasted chicken.

"Dad, take this chicken. Let's have Uncle Hu join us today; it's time we all sat down together."

Fang Shuwen knew clearly that not only the original owner of this body but he himself, during the time since he transmigrated, had caused quite a bit of trouble for Hu Da by asking him to prepare extra meals.

Hu Da had never said much, always helping out every single time.

Old Fang took the cloth satchel and the oil-paper-wrapped chicken, stunned for a moment.

"Invite Hu Da for a drink?"

He looked down at the chicken in his hands, then back up at Fang Shuwen, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, only to swallow it back down.

Little Fang had previously looked down on these servants the most; let alone inviting them for a drink, he wouldn't even spare them a proper glance.

What had gotten into him today?

But then, Old Fang thought about it and realized that Little Fang had finally grown sensible.

The wrinkles on his face smoothed out instantly, his eyes brightening as if lit by lamps.

"Good, good, good! I'll go tell Hu Da!"

Old Fang carried the chicken toward the kitchen, his steps quick and light, his back straighter than usual.

After a few steps, he turned back as if remembering something, fished an oil-paper parcel from his bosom, and handed it over cautiously.

"Shuwen, this is for you."

Fang Shuwen took it and opened it to find two meat buns still steaming hot.

The oil paper was translucent from the steam, and the buns were thin-skinned and stuffed full, the aroma of meat drilling straight into his nose.

"Hu Da steamed these this afternoon. I saved two for you."

Old Fang rubbed his hands together, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Eat these to tide yourself over; dinner will be ready soon."

Fang Shuwen looked at the two buns, then at the cautious, ingratiating expression on Old Fang's face, and couldn't help but feel a pang of soreness in his heart.

"Thanks, Dad."

He picked up a bun and took a bite; the meat juices mixed with the fragrance of scallions exploded in his mouth.

Hu Da's culinary skills were truly beyond reproach.

Seeing him eat, Old Fang's eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled, then turned and happily headed toward the kitchen.

Fang Shuwen stood in the courtyard, finished the two buns in a few bites, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

He returned to his room in a few strides.

He took out the two pieces of Ghost Jade he kept on his person.

He had bought them from the National Martial Arts Hall for forty silver dollars each and hadn't had the chance to absorb them yet.

Now, while Hu Da was busy cooking, was the perfect time to absorb these two pieces of Ghost Jade.

He placed the two pieces of jade on the table, the dim, yellow glow of the oil lamp hitting their surfaces and reflecting a faint, cold light.

One was greenish, the other whitish.

They felt ice-cold to the touch, like stones just thawed from a block of ice.

Fang Shuwen picked up the greenish one and gripped it in his palm.

[Alien energy detected. Absorb?]

"Absorb."

As soon as the familiar prompt flashed, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the jade in his palm.

Pale green fluorescence seeped out from the cracks, crawling up his arm like tiny snakes burrowing beneath his skin.

After a few breaths, The jade turned into a pile of grayish-white powder, which fell rustling from between his fingers.

[Skill points obtained: 4]

Four points—not a small amount.

After all, this piece of Ghost Jade was a grade lower than the one he had won from Old Master Zheng last time.

According to the classification at the National Martial Arts Hall, this secondary grade cost about twenty silver dollars per piece.

The one from Old Master Zheng last time was an ordinary Ghost Jade, which cost double, at forty silver dollars.

Yet, the difference in the amount of strange energy contained between the two translated to only one skill point.

As expected, he could sense the amount of strange energy.

He could buy better Ghost Jade for less money.

It was simply a god-tier skill!

Without much thought, he picked up the second, paler piece of Ghost Jade.

[Foreign energy detected. Absorb?]

"Absorb."

The second piece of jade was rather mediocre, its luster lacking somewhat.

As the powder fell away, the numbers on the panel jumped once more.

[Skill points obtained: 3]