Fang Shuwen didn’t consider himself a good person, but he still had to eat breakfast.
With limited supplies, he couldn’t whip up a simple broth. Instead, he butchered the rabbit and made a stew with winter bamboo shoots.
It lacked many side ingredients, and since rabbit meat itself is lean, the stew wasn’t very rich.
However, Fang Shuwen had plenty of seasonings on him, so the dish still turned out appetizing in color, aroma, and taste.
Long Qingzhi’s illness was likely not too serious, a fact made apparent by the way she ate.
She practically ate her own tongue along with it.
After finishing a large bowl of the rabbit stew, she still seemed to want more.
So, Fang Shuwen ladled her another bowl.
Long Qingzhi looked embarrassed.
"Brother Fang... I, I’m full."
"...Just eat as much as you want. Don’t lie."
Fang Shuwen waved his hand.
"You don’t have to pretend you have a small appetite. There’s more if you’re not full."
"Mm."
Only then did Long Qingzhi continue to eat with gusto.
After finishing her meal, before she even took any medicine, the warmth from the food made her break out in another sweat.
Fang Shuwen took the opportunity to scrub the pot and boil more water.
In Fang Shuwen’s previous life, the cure-all advice of drinking hot water for any ailment had been thoroughly demonized.
But in truth, it was actually quite effective.
For a fever, even fever-reducing medicine might not work as quickly as a cup of hot water.
He poured a bowl of hot water for Long Qingzhi and set it on the heated bed platform for her before walking out the kitchen door.
Traveling five hundred li overnight had indeed shaken off their pursuers completely.
This was mainly because their pursuers had been concentrated in one area. Once they were out of that small town’s vicinity, the number of eyes on them instantly dropped by more than half.
And after Fang Shuwen dealt with the rest, none remained.
Besides, no matter how hard they wracked their brains, they would never have imagined that Fang Shuwen could appear five hundred li away in such a short time.
Therefore, their current location could be considered extremely safe, at least for the time being.
Of course, this safety was only temporary. If his earlier suspicions were correct...
...then Long Qingzhi was in extreme danger. The entire Northern Domain Martial World might be searching for her. And while this place was hidden, it could still be found if someone was willing to spend enough time looking.
He just wondered about the luck of the first poor bastard to find this place.
If they were lucky, he and she would already be gone.
If they were unlucky... the poor bastard who found them probably wouldn’t be leaving.
Standing outside, Fang Shuwen stretched his limbs, slowly assumed a stance, and began practicing a set of the Sea-Shaking Divine Fist.
Fang Mingxuan had given Fang Shuwen many Martial Arts Manuals.
Perhaps because they had been separated for so many years, upon his son’s sudden return, he had been desperate to give him everything he felt he’d been deprived of for the past twenty years.
Among these manuals were two for Inner Strength and Mental Methods, three for Swordsmanship, one for a Fist Technique, two for Fingering Techniques, and one for a Body Technique.
He had to admit, the Fang Family’s Martial Arts Manuals were truly profound.
Over the past few days, he had examined them one by one. The core Inner Strength technique was the Nine Qi Divine Technique.
This technique was divided into nine layers, each layer adding one stream of Qi. With each new stream, its power would multiply.
Cultivating it to its peak would entwine the body with Nine Qi, making one indestructible and invincible.
The profundity of this Cultivation Technique was in no way inferior to any of the other Divine Techniques Fang Shuwen had ever learned.
In some aspects, it was even superior.
The more Fang Shuwen studied it, the more shocked he became, and the more he felt that he should never underestimate the masters of the world.
Initially, he had only intended to glance through it to extract its essence and supplement his own skills. But the more he read, the more profound he found it, until he couldn’t resist beginning to cultivate it himself.
On his journey, relying on his current comprehension, he had already cultivated it to the Second Realm and was not far from the Third Layer.
Last night, aided by the boost from his Fourfold Comprehension, he had officially broken through to the Third Realm.
However, the difficulty of this Martial Art increased with each stage, and every step forward was a major hurdle.
Fortunately, Fang Shuwen was in no hurry and could simply practice it slowly.
He estimated that the current job he’d taken would be a long one. On this journey, he might actually have a chance to reach the Ninefold Perfection.
’I wonder what kind of effect the nine-layered Nine Qi Divine Technique would have when combined with my already formidable Inner Strength?’
As for the other manual, it wasn’t really for Inner Strength but rather a Mental Method: the Killing Intent Technique.
It operated purely as a Mental Method, with no path for cultivation.
But its ability to condense one’s killing intent was, needless to say, incredibly refined.
As for the Swordsmanship and Fingering Technique manuals, Fang Shuwen only glanced at them before setting them aside. What was truly worth mentioning was the Body Technique manual.
This Body Technique was called the Cloud Passing Body Technique.
This technique was fascinating, opening with a short verse: "The form scatters, but intent remains; the shadow fades, the body has not returned. Treading the void is like riding the waves; heaven and earth are yours to roam."
It had truly perfected the art of illusion and misdirection.
All of this gave Fang Shuwen a certain understanding of his own family’s techniques.
For now, Fang Shuwen decided he would first focus on cultivating his Inner Strength. He would practice the Fist Technique whenever he had free time and concentrate on memorizing the Body Technique.
The Swordsmanship and Fingering Techniques could be studied later at his leisure.
’As expected of my own father. Everything he gave me is top-notch.’
Fang Shuwen’s fist form flowed, moving slowly. Practicing the Sea-Shaking Divine Fist was different from using it against an enemy.
When practicing, the main goal was to temper the techniques for applying force.
It emphasized containing power without releasing it, with the momentum held within one’s intent.
But when it came time to actually strike, one would release that power as needed, merging intent and momentum as one.
Now, with the aid of his Fourfold Comprehension and Talent, Fang Shuwen was rapidly grasping the mysteries of the Fist Technique. His body, too, was memorizing every subtlety of the form at an incredible speed.