Keen Perception

Fang Yue paid no attention to the somewhat haughty and willful Zhang Shu.

In his eyes, she was simply a pampered young miss. She treated the few of them as "poor relatives" from the countryside and looked down on them greatly.

When it came to such women, since he could not hit them, the best approach was to ignore them.

Besides, Fang Yue had no time to deal with her right now.

He had originally found it strange why, despite there being so many young and strong men in the village, none of them dared hunt in the mountains on their own, and why more people did not make their living by hunting.

Now he understood. The fierce beasts in the mountains were simply too huge and too savage.

Such beasts were not something ordinary people could deal with merely by carrying bows and arrows or swords and sabers.

Their massive bodies and immense strength allowed them to ignore most traps. If an attack lacked sufficient force or speed, it probably would not even break through their defenses.

Ordinary people struggled even to draw a three-stone bow; many could not draw one at all.

Judging from the tiger corpse they had just butchered, a three-stone bow could only harm such a giant tiger at close range or by striking a vital point.

As for stronger five-stone and six-stone bows, only martial artists could draw them.

That was why hunting required martial artists who cultivated martial arts.

"Clean this place up, so we don't draw other fierce beasts here."

Before long, the giant tiger's corpse had been carved apart. Its tiger bones, tiger hide, and other medicinal portions of its body were all removed.

The remaining parts were buried on the spot in a pit, with lime scattered over them to conceal the bloodstains and smell.

After finishing all this, Fang Yue and the others returned to camp.

A bonfire was lit. Naturally, there was no need to eat the fish they had caught today—they were having tiger meat.

Tiger meat was remarkably tough, and it took nearly half a shichen to roast through.

There were naturally no seasonings such as cumin, chili, or pepper. They merely sprinkled on some salt.

Across both his past and present lives, this was Fang Yue's first time eating tiger meat.

The meat was hard and somewhat difficult to chew.

Yet it tasted quite good. After it entered his stomach, Fang Yue felt a faint warm current rise from his belly.

After circulating through his body once, that warm current vanished.

Fang Yue seemed to feel that his body had changed somehow, yet it also seemed as though nothing had changed.

He immediately took several more bites.

Then he carefully sensed it again. This time, being prepared, he felt it much more clearly.

Under the effect of that subtle warm current, he felt his body had been strengthened slightly.

The effects of this tiger meat seem somewhat similar to the medicinal tea we drink after training every day.

As Fang Yue sensed the changes in his body, he could not help thinking this.

He then looked toward Fang Ergou. The other boy had his head down, stuffing himself with meat, without the slightest unusual reaction.

Then he looked at Zhang Shu. The young girl ate much more delicately, taking small bites, yet she likewise showed no unusual reaction.

Neither of them displayed anything strange. Could it be that he simply lacked experience?

"Master, this tiger meat seems extraordinary. I feel that it's a little... a little... a little similar to the medicinal tea we drink every day."

The moment his words fell, Zhang Shu spoke from beside him:

"What similarity? It's just meat. Why so much nonsense? Could this tiger meat be poisonous and inedible?"

By rights, in this ancient society where propriety flourished, before an elder had spoken, it should naturally not have been her turn to open her mouth.

However, Fang Hu naturally could not be bothered to argue with her.

"That's right. Your perception is very keen. The medicinal tea you drink every day contains tiger bone. Together with several other medicinal ingredients, they form the Lesser White Tiger Decoction necessary for cultivating our White Tiger Fist," Fang Hu explained.

At the same time, the look he gave Fang Yue grew increasingly gentle.

This boy's perception was truly sharp. It was only his first time eating tiger meat, yet he had already sensed its medicinal properties.

As for his own son, it had been several years. He had eaten tiger meat more than a dozen times, yet he had not noticed a thing.

Sure enough, taking Fang Yue as his disciple had been the right choice.

Medicine and martial arts were inseparable. Every realm of martial cultivation had corresponding medicinal preparations to assist it.

For many of them, one needed to adjust the dosage according to the actual state of one's own cultivation, ensuring they could be used with greater efficiency.

Not to mention that there would certainly be no shortage of bumps and setbacks during martial cultivation.

In the city, one could still seek out a physician. But in the countryside, or out in the wilderness, where could one find a physician?

One could only save oneself, and naturally needed to understand some medicine.

A keen perception of medicinal herbs and their effects was also a necessary condition for becoming a physician.

Er Gou was simple-minded and carefree. When it came to something requiring such careful attention, he simply could not learn it.

Sure enough, the moment Fang Hu finished speaking, Fang Ergou impatiently asked:

"Dad, Lesser White Tiger Decoction? What is that? What does it do? How come I couldn't taste any connection between this tiger meat and that tea? Meat and tea can be related too?"

Fang Ergou looked exceedingly curious, as though he would not rest until he got to the bottom of it.

"Eat your meat. Don't talk." Fang Hu glared with tiger-like eyes, immediately choking Fang Ergou's words back down his throat.

The latter muttered something about how if he did not want to say it, then he did not want to say it, and what was so great about that.

Then he began venting his emotions on the roasted tiger meat, tearing into it fiercely.

As for Zhang Shu, she too was eating tiger meat at this time.

She wore an expression of deep concentration. Naturally, she knew of the Lesser White Tiger Decoction.

Yet no matter how she sensed it, she could not detect any connection between the tiger meat and the Lesser White Tiger Decoction.

"Enough. Stop thinking about it and finish eating. Get some rest quickly—we still have to travel tomorrow."

Fang Hu interrupted everyone's thoughts.

But Fang Yue and the others did not know that although Fang Hu appeared relaxed, his heart was somewhat heavy.

He was thinking: Why had this young tiger appeared here?!

Daliushu Village.

Outside Fang Yue's home.

Chen Shi leaned against the gate, making knotted cords with her daughter Fang Lan.

Master Liu's household had not been so busy these past few days, so she had returned home after noon.

"Why hasn't my Zhi'er come back yet? He's been gone for days now. It's almost Ten Days."

"Xiahe County Town is so far away. I wonder whether Zhi'er has grown thin from hunger."

As Chen Shi made knotted cords, her thoughts were entirely on Fang Yue, who was away from home.

"Mother, Zhi Di will definitely be fine. With Uncle Fang Hu taking him along, how could he possibly go hungry?" Fang Lan consoled her.

"Rather, what did the matchmaker say about my brother that day? Will this marriage work out? My brother has been so absent-minded—he must have taken a fancy to that girl."

At the mention of this, Chen Shi let out a long sigh.

"The girl is a good girl, and your brother has taken a liking to her too. But the bride price is too much—five taels of silver, five jin of pork, and a bolt of coarse cloth. It's rather too much."

In these times, even eating one's fill was difficult. Such a large bride price truly exceeded what an ordinary family could bear.

It was too much.