Tiger Meat

In the latter half of the night, all was silent.

Fang Han lay awake in bed, tossing and turning.

His eyes were open as he stared at the mottled rafters overhead.

His mind replayed the Dragon King Gang members he had seen during the day.

"Who were they asking about?"

Fang Han had a vague answer in his heart.

Brother Jin and the other three had died in that deserted alley...

Though he had cleaned away every trace, there were no secrets that stayed buried forever.

The Dragon King Gang had operated in Four Waters Ward for years, with eyes and ears everywhere. Sooner or later, they would find some clue.

Their appearance near Mud Bay Alley today might not have been a coincidence.

A sense of urgency pricked at Fang Han's back, leaving him unable to sit still.

"I can't wait until tomorrow."

Fang Han muttered, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

"Tonight, I'll train the Gale-Breaking Fist to Major Accomplishment."

He rose, got dressed, and pushed open the door.

He crossed the courtyard and pulled open the front gate.

Fang Han slipped outside and headed toward the back mountain.

When he reached the clearing on the mountain.

Fang Han removed his outer robe, hung it from a pine branch, loosened his limbs, and assumed the opening stance of the Gale-Breaking Fist.

Tonight, he had no external aid for his training.

He had already finished the three Blood-Qi Pills several days ago.

Without the support of medicinal effects, his martial training efficiency naturally dropped sharply.

Fortunately, his physique had been tempered far beyond what it had once been during this period of training. Staying up all night and grinding out fist forms was no problem.

Fang Han tirelessly practiced the Gale-Breaking Fist over and over.

Opening stance, punch, turn, closing stance...

Opening stance again, punch again, turn again, closing stance again...

Over and over, in an endless cycle.

The Panel before him kept flickering as lines of small text appeared one after another:

Gale-Breaking Fist proficiency +1

...

Gale-Breaking Fist proficiency +1

...

Gale-Breaking Fist proficiency +1

...

Fang Han's clothes had long since been soaked through with sweat and clung tightly to his body. His breathing gradually turned from steady to ragged.

Who knew how much time had passed.

The starlight dimmed, and dawn was about to break.

Fang Han performed the final move of the Gale-Breaking Fist once more.

This punch was completely different from the ones before it.

His fist shot out like a dragon, its wind howling!

A sharp tearing sound faintly accompanied it, as though it had ripped the air apart!

The Gale-Breaking Fist had reached Major Accomplishment!

Fang Han withdrew his fist and stood still, his chest heaving.

Sweat rolled down from his forehead as he stared intently at the Panel appearing before him:

[Forged to Excel]

[Name: Fang Han]

[Age: Twenty-three]

[Bone Structure: Inferior (Cultivable)]

[Comprehension: 111]

[Realm: None]

[Martial Art: Gale-Breaking Fist (Mortal Grade)]

[Proficiency: 1/5000, Major Accomplishment]

[Martial Art: Nine Flood Dragon Palms (Mortal Grade)]

[Proficiency: 963/5000, Major Accomplishment]

[Talents: Unyielding Practice (Never Regresses), Rising Talent (Comprehension Increased)]

Fang Han looked at the numbers on the Panel, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting as he could not help but sigh.

"After days of hard practice, the Gale-Breaking Fist has finally reached Major Accomplishment. I'm really too diligent!"

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes brought by the Gale-Breaking Fist's breakthrough from Minor Accomplishment to Major Accomplishment.

Once a fist technique reached Major Accomplishment, its force became fierce and razor-sharp.

With every punch, power no longer came solely from the arm. The force shifted in countless unpredictable ways, making it impossible to guard against.

This was a true killing technique!

Fang Han opened his eyes, his gaze falling on a pine tree at the edge of the clearing.

He walked over and threw a punch at the trunk.

This punch used less than one-tenth of his strength.

Bang!

The pine tree shook violently, and pine needles rustled down from its crown.

Fang Han leaned closer to inspect it and saw a deep fist mark clearly imprinted on the trunk!

One-tenth of his strength had such power.

If he struck with full force, this pine tree would likely snap at once and break in two at the waist.

He lowered his head and looked at his fist. His knuckles were faintly red.

Fang Han frowned as a thought crossed his mind...

Though he now possessed six to seven hundred jin of punching force, his physical body was not strong enough, preventing him from fully unleashing it.

Using too much force would injure him as well!

At this thought, Fang Han's understanding of martial artists deepened further.

A martial artist did not merely need to master martial techniques, but also possess a physique beyond that of ordinary people.

Great strength required a powerful body to bear it...

Martial arts and physique were both indispensable, complementing one another.

This was the true path of a martial artist.

The sky gradually brightened.

Fang Han put on his outer robe and descended the mountain.

In the blink of an eye, dusk arrived.

After finishing that day's fist training at the martial hall, Fang Han did not return to Mud Bay Alley as usual.

Instead, he took a detour toward Poplar Street in Eight Treasures Ward.

Eight Treasures Ward was in the eastern part of the city, a considerable distance away.

Fang Han walked for nearly half an hour before finding the Poplar Street Huo Zheng had mentioned.

At the street corner, a butcher shop came into view.

A burly middle-aged man stood behind a chopping block, hacking meat with a large cleaver.

Fang Han stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Shopkeeper, Senior Brother Huo Zheng referred me here."

The man's blade paused. He raised his head and looked Fang Han up and down.

Then the flesh on his face immediately relaxed, breaking into a wide smile.

"Oh? Young Master Huo sent you? What should I call you, little brother?"

"My name is Fang Han."

"Brother Fang, come, come. What kind of meat would you like?"

The butcher greeted him warmly and stabbed his cleaver into the chopping block.

It was Fang Han's first time buying meat for supplementation, and he knew nothing of the market prices. He asked, "What kinds of meat do you have here, shopkeeper?"

The butcher introduced them as though reciting a treasure list, counting on his fingers as he spoke:

"The better options are tiger meat and bear meat. They're premium goods that greatly nourish Blood Qi, so naturally, they aren't cheap.

"The next best are venison, which replenishes qi and nourishes the blood. The effects are not bad either.

"Below that are donkey and horse meat. They're cheap and practical, suitable for those with tighter purses."

He paused, then added, "As for prices, tiger and bear meat cost one tael of silver for two jin. Venison costs one tael for five jin. Donkey and horse meat cost one tael for ten jin. Which kind do you want, little brother?"

"They're all good meats from the hunting grounds. Eat without worry."

After hearing this, Fang Han quietly calculated.

Supplementary meat really was not cheap!

Take tiger and bear meat, for example. Eating ten jin would cost at least five taels of silver!

Ordinary families simply could not afford it!

Fortunately, he had nearly a hundred taels of silver on hand, so he could bear the cost.

Besides, since this was a source recommended by Senior Brother Huo, the butcher shop was naturally trustworthy. He did not have to worry about being cheated.

If he wanted to quickly gather new Blood Qi, the meager effects of venison or donkey meat were clearly insufficient.

After pondering briefly, Fang Han made his decision. "Tiger meat. Give me two jin for now."

"Certainly!"

The butcher did not ask further questions. He deftly pulled a large chunk of dark-red meat from beneath the chopping block and began cutting.

His knife work was practiced. In just a few strokes, he cut off two jin, wrapped it in oiled paper, tied it with hemp cord, and handed it over.

"Two jin of tiger meat, one tael of silver."

Fang Han took out the silver and paid, accepting the oiled-paper parcel. It felt satisfyingly heavy in his hand.

Carrying the tiger meat, he did not go home. Instead, he headed straight for his small fishing boat by the river.

This was his first time trying tiger meat as a supplement. He did not yet know how effective it would be or whether it would cause any unusual reaction.

If he brought it directly home, his family would inevitably ask questions upon seeing it, and that would be difficult to explain.

It would be better to finish eating it on his little boat first, then return home after confirming there was nothing wrong.

Fang Han boarded the boat, sat at the bow, and untied the oiled-paper parcel, revealing the dark-red tiger meat inside.

The meat was a deep color with clear grain, carrying a faintly bloody, gamey smell.

He boiled the tiger meat in plain water with only a little salt.

Once it was cooked, Fang Han took a bite.

The taste was not particularly good. It was strongly gamey, and the meat was coarse.

But Fang Han did not care about that. Expressionless, he ate it bite by bite.

Once the tiger meat entered his stomach, warmth quickly rose from his lower abdomen and slowly spread through his limbs and body. He felt warm all over, filled with an indescribable comfort.

Fang Han's eyes lit up. It really worked!