The Peak, Buying Medicine

The meal was just about over.

Fang Xing rose to take his leave.

Before he left, Jin Xiong handed him a money pouch. Fang Xing didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it.

Watching Fang Xing leave, the drunken haze vanished from Jin Xiong's face. He turned to Jiang Tao. "What do you think of him?"

Jiang Tao pondered for a moment, then said, "He's young, but he seems very seasoned. He's not as simple as he appears."

"Then it seems this meal wasn't a waste after all," Jin Xiong said calmly.

Jiang Tao looked at him. "Chief, if the opportunity arises, you should get to know him better."

At that, Jin Xiong nodded.

After leaving the restaurant, Fang Xing headed straight home.

He opened the pouch Jin Xiong had given him and took a look. There were nearly ten taels of silver inside.

It was no small sum.

Fang Xing had no reason to refuse the Golden Wolf Gang's goodwill.

There was no conflict for now, and there was no harm in accepting money that had been delivered right to his door.

As for the future, he would decide when the time came.

He wouldn't pay much attention to a third-rate gang.

Building up his strength was what mattered most right now.

Putting away the pouch, Fang Xing turned his attention to Gale Step.

As a movement technique, Gale Step excelled at dodging and making a quick getaway.

Combined with the Demon Subduing Technique, learning this technique would give him an advantage when fighting others.

After studying it a few times, Fang Xing began practicing.

The days that followed passed without much trouble.

Within just a few days, he received offerings from quite a few factions.

Fang Xing accepted them all.

When money was brought right to his door, he'd be a fool not to take it.

Time passed quickly and peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.

After two months as Deputy Constable, Fang Xing had fully adjusted to his new life.

He spent most of his time training. Usually, all he had to do was stop by the County Yamen and mark his attendance.

The rest of his time went to training.

In the courtyard in North City, sharp gusts of wind whistled through the air.

The air trembled!

"Bang!!"

His fist struck the wooden practice dummy like a bolt of lightning. The next instant, the dummy split apart as his mighty force shattered the wood fibers and punched straight through.

Cracks spread like a spiderweb, and the thick wooden dummy burst apart!

"Phew—!"

Looking at the dummy shattered by his punch, Fang Xing slowly breathed out a mouthful of stale air.

The Demon Subduing Force was powerful. Compared with before he'd trained in it, the difference was like heaven and earth.

"My meridians are all connected. I've finally reached the peak of Bright Force."

Looking at the shattered dummy and feeling the changes in his body, Fang Xing was very satisfied.

After two months of hard training, he had finally reached the peak of Bright Force.

All twelve meridians were connected, and his abundant force coursed through them.

With his current strength, he was in no way inferior to the four Constables.

Reaching the peak of Bright Force in just two months was an astonishing leap.

Even compared with the geniuses at the county's martial arts schools, he'd come out ahead.

"Good thing I strengthened Capture Hand. Otherwise, it would've taken at least another month to reach the peak of Bright Force."

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

His breakthrough to the peak of Bright Force in two months was partly thanks to the Demon Subduing Technique.

The improvement brought by superior martial arts was far beyond what basic martial arts could offer.

Besides training in the Demon Subduing Technique, he had also mastered Gale Step.

"Next, I should consider making a push for Dark Force..."

A thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind.

Dark Force!

This was the second Dragon Gate!

Compared with breaking through to Bright Force, the gulf at this stage was much wider!

Bright Force warriors had a certain standing in Qingshan County, but that was all it was: a certain standing.

But once someone entered the ranks of Dark Force, everything changed.

Dark Force!

Even across all of Qingshan County, its practitioners counted as experts.

It was a leap to an entirely different level!

The step from Bright Force to Dark Force was a chasm many warriors could never cross in their lifetime.

Even ten warriors at the peak of Bright Force couldn't defeat one Dark Force warrior.

A breakthrough in martial arts was an absolute crushing advantage.

In terms of physical reactions, coordination, and every other aspect, the difference was like a whole tier of suppression.

There was one more thing: after breaking through to Dark Force, he could try using unorthodox methods to gain Enhancement Points.

And once he broke through, the Enhancement Points he gained each day would increase.

It was a stage that marked a complete transformation!

"I wonder if the Enhancement Points I have left will be enough to break through..."

Fang Xing calmed himself and summoned the Crimson Panel to check his information.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: Peak Bright Force

Enhancement Level: One Star (14%)

Enhancement Points: 80

"Eighty points..."

After two months, he had eighty Enhancement Points left, after accounting for what he'd spent.

That was nearly the limit of what he could save up.

Training required resources. Without strengthening Blood-Qi Pills to improve his qi and blood, he couldn't have advanced to the peak of Bright Force so quickly.

Eighty Enhancement Points might look like a lot, but they wouldn't last long once he started using them.

"I'll go take a look at the pharmacy."

"I should find some fine medicinal herbs to strengthen. That'll give me a better chance of breaking through."

The thought crossed his mind, and Fang Xing quickly got ready and headed out.

Before long, he arrived at Chen Family Pharmacy in South City.

"Oh, it's you. Are you here for Blood-Qi Powder again?"

As soon as he entered the pharmacy, a girl in green came forward and asked with a bright smile.

After several visits, the girl in green had grown quite familiar with Fang Xing.

Looking at her, Fang Xing shook his head. "Not this time. I'd like to see if you have any fine medicinal herbs, preferably wild ginseng or something like that."

"Wild ginseng..."

The girl in green blinked. "We do have some, but it won't come cheap."

Fang Xing smiled faintly. "Don't worry. If I like what I see, price won't be a problem."

"Then wait a moment. I'll bring some out for you."

With that, the girl in green turned and left, while Fang Xing waited where he was.

A short while later, the girl in green returned with several boxes in her hands.

She came over to Fang Xing and set the boxes on the table.

"These are all fine wild ginseng. They're full of spiritual energy." As she spoke, the girl in green opened the first box.

"This one is thirty years old. It costs ten taels."

Fang Xing looked at the wild ginseng in the box, and crimson light appeared in his eyes.

[An ordinary wild ginseng, thirty-three years old. Requires 48 Enhancement Points to strengthen]

"Next."

Seeing Fang Xing's calm expression, the girl in green opened the second box.

Fang Xing looked over, and crimson light appeared again.

[A high-grade wild ginseng, fifty-two years old. Requires 80 Enhancement Points to strengthen]

"High-grade wild ginseng..."

Looking at the prompt in his eyes, Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat.

A high-grade wild ginseng. That was pretty good.

Eighty Enhancement Points—he had just enough saved up.

"How much is this one?" Fang Xing asked the girl in green.

"This one is fifty years old, and its quality is even better. It's more expensive, too. It costs thirty taels of silver."

The girl in green answered.

"Thirty taels of silver..."

Fang Xing's eyelid twitched.

That price...

For ordinary people, it was an absolute luxury.

But with his means, he could afford to buy this wild ginseng.

"Can you make it a little cheaper?"

Fang Xing asked the girl in green.

She shook her head. "This price is already very low. Normally, you'd have to pay thirty-five taels elsewhere."

"Fine. I'll take this one."

After a moment's thought, Fang Xing spoke.

The girl in green looked at him. "There's also a hundred-year-old wild ginseng here. Would you like it?"

Fang Xing took a look. It required twice as many Enhancement Points—160 in total.

Putting the price aside, he wouldn't be able to save up that many Enhancement Points anytime soon.

He shook his head. "Not for now. I'll just take this one."

As he spoke, Fang Xing took out the money.

The girl in green took the money, then handed him the box containing the wild ginseng.

Taking the box, Fang Xing quickly left.