Eight Skill Points (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Fang Shuwen gripped the copy of Tales of the Ancient Castle, the familiar icy chill seeping into his palm.

He did not act in haste, choosing instead to glance at Zheng Shulan beside him.

The wealthy young lady was pushing the cart with her head bowed; her school uniform was stained with dust, and several strands of hair had come loose, sticking to her cheeks as sweat trickled down her temples.

Seen from the side, she possessed a strange, fragile beauty.

It was clear that Zheng Shulan had never done anything like this before, and she was pushing with great difficulty.

Yet, she gritted her teeth and remained silent, maintaining her stubborn pace.

Fang Shuwen withdrew his gaze, tucked the book into his sleeve, and sensed it inwardly.

In an instant, a chill far more violent than any he had experienced before erupted from his palm.

It was not merely cold; it was bone-piercing, as if someone had shoved his hand into an ice cellar.

This book contains far more exotic energy than I imagined!

Fang Shuwen's pupils constricted as the cold surged up his arm, racing along his meridians into his chest, rampaging through his internal organs.

At the same time, bizarre images flickered before his eyes.

A gloomy castle, pale moonlight, a pair of blood-red eyes behind a window, and something shapeless writhing in the darkness.

The images were clearer and more vivid than the last time.

This time, he could even smell the sweet, rotting stench in the air and hear faint whispers in his ears, as if something were calling his name.

Though he knew deep down that something terrible would happen if he answered, Fang Shuwen found himself unable to resist the urge to respond.

At that very moment:

[Exotic energy detected. Absorb?]

The text flashed before his eyes.

Fang Shuwen was instantly jolted out of the oppressive state he had been unable to resist.

Absorb! Absorb!

He roared frantically in his mind.

A force surged forth, and the chill emanating from the book in his palm vanished immediately.

Suddenly, all the strange phenomena dissipated with a crash.

The book in his palm emitted a faint "click," and the gloomy castle pattern on the cover seemed to be wiped away by something; the color faded rapidly, leaving behind an ordinary, grey-blue covered book.

[Skill points obtained: 8]

Fang Shuwen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Phew, that was unexpected. I nearly ran into real trouble!

Eight skill points.

This was the most he had ever obtained from a single absorption.

The exotic energy contained within this copy of Tales of the Ancient Castle was nearly double that of the high-quality Ghost Jade from Old Master Zheng.

Yet, at the same time, it seemed to harbor danger.

This book—what on earth was this book?

Why was it so bizarre?

But the proprietress and Zheng Shulan had both touched this book; why were they unharmed?

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you spacing out?"

Zheng Shulan's voice came from beside him, tinged with impatience.

Fang Shuwen snapped back to reality, shoved the book back into her bag, zipped it up, and replied in a flat tone:

"Nothing, just looking at your book."

"Oh, thank you for saving me. Regarding that matter from before... I forgive you!"

Zheng Shulan spoke with her head bowed, stammering through the sentence, her ears turning red enough to drip blood.

She waited for a moment, but when she heard no response from Fang Shuwen, she couldn't help but lift her eyelids to sneak a glance at him.

She saw Fang Shuwen staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

It was obvious he hadn't heard a word she said, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of shame and anger.

"Hey! Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you."

Fang Shuwen set her bag down, his tone indifferent.

Zheng Shulan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

She had assumed Fang Shuwen would climb the pole as soon as it was offered, or perhaps seize the opportunity to claim credit and demand a reward.

She hadn't expected him to say just three indifferent words, seemingly not wanting to have anything to do with her at all.

Zheng Shulan suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

She lowered her head and continued pushing the cart.

The wheels creaked and groaned on the gravel road.

The twilight grew thicker, and the clouds on the horizon shifted from dark red to gray-purple.

The two walked in silence for a stretch.

Fang Shuwen walked on the left side of the cart, his gaze sweeping over the darkening road ahead, his ears pricked, constantly alert to the movements around them.

The Snake Form Talent brought not only an improvement in physical flexibility but also made his five senses much sharper than before.

Voices came from ahead, and there were quite a few of them.

Faint shouts could also be heard.

Listening carefully, it seemed they were calling Zheng Shulan's name.

The shouts drifted on the wind, intermittent and broken.

"Shulan... Zheng Shulan... Miss..."

The voices held anxiety, worry, and a hint of hoarseness; clearly, they had been calling for quite some time.

Zheng Shulan heard it too.

She jerked her head up, her almond eyes, previously dull from exhaustion, instantly lighting up.

"It's my second uncle!"

Her voice carried the joy of surviving a disaster, along with a touch of grievance; her nose stung, and her eyes turned red.

Subconsciously, she started to run forward, but took one step and stopped, looking back at Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen had already stopped the cart and was bending over to tighten the straps of his cloth bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Your family is here; you're safe. I'll be going now. Don't let anyone know I was the one who saved you."

Fang Shuwen straightened up and said in a calm tone.

Zheng Shulan was stunned for a moment, her voice laced with a hint of panic as she said, "You... you're leaving?"

But immediately, she came to her senses.

She still had the "butt-pinching" grudge with this little pervert, and according to her nature, she shouldn't have any further dealings with such a person.

Why, then, did she feel a sense of reluctance in her heart?

"I can see your family must have some influence. Don't let anyone know that the deaths of those two men have anything to do with me."

Fang Shuwen knew that Brother Hu and Lao Liu must have forces backing them.

It was not something he could afford to offend at the moment.

If his existence were exposed, he feared it would invite disaster.

As it happened, this girl's family should have significant connections; if they took action, they should be able to wipe away his tracks.

"Alright, don't worry. My second uncle is the chief of the Public Security Bureau. With him here, there will definitely be no problem," Zheng Shulan said.

"Mm."

Fang Shuwen nodded, then quickly dashed into a side path, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Shulan stood where she was, looking at the empty path, stunned for a long while before turning her head to look at the main road ahead.

Sure enough, her second uncle Zheng Kui was rushing toward her with a squad of police officers.

"Second Uncle, I'm here!"

By the time Fang Shuwen returned to the backyard of the Zhao Estate, the sky was about to turn completely dark.

The kitchen light was still on; Hu Da should still be cleaning up.

A dim, yellow light shone from Old Fang's room, and through the window paper, one could see a hunched figure sitting by the table.

Fang Shuwen pushed the door open and entered.

"Dad, I'm back."

Old Fang looked up, a flash of relief appearing in his cloudy eyes: "You're back? Are you hungry? Hu Da saved some food for you."

"I'm hungry."

Fang Shuwen placed his cloth bag on the table and sat down opposite Old Fang.

Old Fang stood up immediately, ready to go get some food.

He walked to the door, seemingly remembering something, but hesitated over whether he should ask.

After a long while, he finally managed to choke out:

"How... how did your studies go today?"

"It was alright."

Fang Shuwen replied offhandedly.

Then, he noticed Hu Da looking as if he had more to say.

He understood instantly and continued, "I got into the Elite Class."