If there was one major difference between him and his past self over the last few days,
it was that, under Lord Zheng's guidance today, he had grasped the threshold of "whole-body force."
Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was this final step that had saved him some skill points when the Panel upgraded his martial arts.
"So the Panel's skill-point cost depends on the 'gap.' The more I practice on my own, the less it needs to fill in. And the opposite is true too—the more skill points it takes."
Fang Shuwen murmured, and the scales in his heart slowly settled.
This discovery filled him with delight.
Exotic energy was hard enough to come by as it was, and skill points were difficult to increase.
Finding new sources was no easy task.
But now he had found a way to conserve what he had: seek guidance from renowned masters, or work hard at cultivating to improve his progress.
That way, he could reduce the number of skill points he needed.
So whether he wanted to master a martial art completely or improve quickly, there was no getting around the hard work.
"So, I'll have to work even harder from now on!"
Fang Shuwen closed the Panel and pulled the yellowed sheet of oxhide paper from inside his clothes.
The paper was quite new, and still carried the scent of fresh ink.
It looked as though it had only just come off the press.
He just had no idea where Wang Jiu had gotten it.
Fang Shuwen held the oxhide paper beneath the oil lamp, spread it out on the table, and made out the words one by one.
"Copper Pole Technique, a body-tempering method. Once mastered, it can produce 'Copper Skin.'"
"To practice this technique, one must use force as a hammer to repeatedly temper the skin and fascia. Once fully mastered, the skin will be as hard as copper. Ordinary blades and swords will do it no harm, and it can even withstand small-caliber firearms..."
Fang Shuwen's gaze lingered on the words "can even withstand small-caliber firearms" for a long while.
He lowered his head and looked at his arm. He had tested it with a small knife just now, and his skin could withstand roughly a hundred jin of force.
But if he mastered this Copper Pole Technique, he could actually withstand bullets?
That would make his defenses more than a whole level stronger than they were now.
He continued reading.
Several diagrams of the human body were drawn on the oxhide paper, marking the routes of qi and blood circulation and the order in which the body should be tempered.
The process began with both hands, continued along the forearms and upper arms, then the shoulders, back, chest, and abdomen, and finally the legs and head.
Beside each diagram were densely packed annotations. Some had been written with a brush, while others had been added later in charcoal. The scrawled handwriting made it clear that more than one person had studied this technique.
"'Copper Skin' must be paired with a medicinal bath. Otherwise, the loss of qi and blood will be too great. At best, it will damage the bones and sinews; at worst, the qi and blood will be exhausted, resulting in death."
Fang Shuwen's gaze fell on the words "medicinal bath," and his brows furrowed slightly.
The prescription was written on the back of the oxhide paper, listing more than a dozen medicinal ingredients.
One jin of Light Gold, three liang of Red Copper, Carefree Grass...
These ingredients?
Fang Shuwen's gaze stopped on the list of names.
He had assumed the prescription would call for common tonics such as wild ginseng and fleeceflower root. They might be expensive, but at least he would know where to buy them.
But "Light Gold" and "Red Copper" didn't sound like ordinary medicinal ingredients.
Were these ingredients used to make an elixir, or to prepare medicine?
Fang Shuwen furrowed his brows slightly, folded the oxhide paper back up, and tucked it away against his body.
These ingredients didn't sound like anything an ordinary herbal shop would carry.
What unsettled him even more was how the medicine was to be used once it had been prepared.
It wasn't meant to be swallowed. It was meant to be burned as incense.
And a ritual had to be performed first, before practicing the martial art.
The method of cultivation was completely different from what Fang Shuwen had imagined!
"Forget it. I'll ask someone tomorrow."
At daybreak the next morning, Fang Shuwen got out of bed while the sky was still dim.
As usual, he went to the training ground and practiced his forms for half an hour. Then he washed up, changed, ate breakfast, and headed out.
Classes wouldn't start until tomorrow, so he had another day off.
He planned to use the free time to ask around at a few herbal shops in the county town.
The biggest herbal shop in Xikou County Town was Renji Hall. It stood at the intersection of East Street and South Street, in an old shop with a three-bay storefront.
As Fang Shuwen walked in, a rich medicinal aroma washed over him.
Behind the counter stood an old shopkeeper in a gray cloth robe. He was weighing herbs with a small scale, but when someone entered, he raised his eyes and glanced over.
"Looking to fill a prescription?"
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask about a few ingredients."
Fang Shuwen walked up to the counter and took out a sheet of paper on which he had copied the list.
"Could you take a look and tell me whether you have these?"
The old shopkeeper put down his scale and leaned in for a closer look.
"Light Gold? Red Copper? Carefree Grass..."
"Little brother, where did you see this prescription? These aren't medicinal ingredients. They're minerals and strange entities."
"Hm?"
Fang Shuwen nodded, his expression unchanged.
"I just wanted to ask whether these things could be bought in Xikou."
The old shopkeeper shook his head and pushed the paper back.
"You can't buy them here. Only a city-level National Martial Arts Hall carries them."
"As for Carefree Grass..."
He paused and lowered his voice.
"That thing is a strange entity. You mustn't even touch it. Take it from an old man, little brother: it's best to stay away from prescriptions like this. If you don't know what you're dealing with, practicing the wrong thing can cost you your life."
Fang Shuwen thanked him and turned to leave Renji Hall.
"Just as I thought. It's not that simple."
Fang Shuwen stood by the roadside, watching the pedestrians come and go, his heart sinking a little.
The entry requirements for this Copper Pole Technique were much higher than he had imagined.
"Forget it. I'll set it aside for now and think about it later."
Fang Shuwen shook his head and put the Copper Pole Technique out of his mind for the time being.
For now, the most important thing was the Soaring Snake Fist.
If he kept practicing and grew stronger, opportunities to earn money would naturally follow.
He took a deep breath and set off toward Zhao Estate.
Meanwhile,
at the Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division office in Xikou County,
Lin Xiu sat behind his desk, an ashtray piled high with cigarette butts before him.
His brows were knitted into a deep furrow.
"Wang Jiu still hasn't come back?"
His voice was hoarse, heavy with the exhaustion of a sleepless night.
Officer Liang, standing across from him, shook his head. His expression was grim as well.
"Chief, it's been almost sixteen hours since yesterday evening. Wang Jiu hasn't sent word. We've checked several of his usual places in town, too. No one's seen him."
Lin Xiu slapped the report down on the desk, stood up, and walked to the window.
Outside, dusk was deepening. The streets were quiet, with only the occasional rickshaw gliding past in silence.
"So Wang Jiu went to tail an utterly ordinary high school student, then disappeared without a trace, his life or death unknown?"
Lin Xiu's voice was low, but every word seemed to be forced out between clenched teeth.
He turned around, his gaze settling on Officer Liang's face.
The other man shuddered, then continued, "Chief, I've sent people to look for him. Wang Jiu's no weakling. Something must have held him up."
"Held him up?"
Lin Xiu turned and stared at Officer Liang, his gaze dark.
"Wang Jiu's worked for me for two years. When have you ever known him to let something hold him up?"
Officer Liang opened his mouth, but didn't dare answer.
"Something definitely happened to him!"