Novel Full Chapter 67: Introduction to Bone Forging
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Introduction to Bone Forging
After leaving, Fang Yue found a breakfast stall.
He ordered a bowl of pig’s blood soup and a basket of shumai.
The pig’s blood soup at this stall looked very authentic. The fresh pig’s blood was a brilliant, vibrant red, congealed in a basin.
The owner of the breakfast stall cut the blood into uniform small cubes and added them to a pot to simmer over a low fire.
Under the heat of the Flame, the tender, fragile pig’s blood gradually firmed up.
After his breakfast was served, Fang Yue ate two pieces of shumai while they were hot, then took a sip of the pig’s blood soup.
He took a large gulp, and the broth trickled down the corner of his mouth.
It was fresh, savory, and delicious. This was clearly an old, established business. The flavor was excellent, and in an era where seasonings were scarce, it was no worse than what he remembered from his past life.
More importantly, it was all-natural with no additives. The fresh, delicious taste made him want to devour it all.
After eating, Fang Yue didn’t wander around any longer and returned to the inn.
Meanwhile, at this very moment,
In Zhang Boyang’s home.
In the living room, Zhang Boyang wore a worried expression.
"This new business for the Martial Arts Hall... I’m afraid it will be difficult. Sigh. It’s one thing if I don’t get the business, but this way, I’ve let down Nephew Fang Yue."
Zhang Boyang took a sip of wine. He rarely drank at home.
But the events of the past few days had left him feeling terrible.
Ever since Fang Yue had given him some stir-fried tea a few times, he had astutely sensed that this type of tea could change the current tea market and was sure to be a huge seller.
But it would be difficult for him to break into the market alone, so he had told his master about it, hoping to use the Martial Arts Hall’s power to handle the business.
Hall Master Zheng naturally saw its potential and was very supportive of the matter.
Over the course of more than a year, with the help of the Martial Arts Hall’s power, they had finally opened up the market.
He had originally thought that since he had put in so much effort, the Martial Arts Hall would entrust the business to him.
Then, he would be able to repay Fang Yue.
But he never expected that in the end, he would lose out to Wang Yuangang.
He had no idea where that guy got his information, but he had started competing for it early on. Otherwise, with the head start he had, who in the Martial Arts Hall could have possibly beaten him?
Just then, the household Steward announced that Chen Tong had come to visit.
"Haha, Junior Brother Zhang, why are you drinking alone at home? On such a joyous occasion, what’s the fun in drinking by yourself? I’ve come to drink with you," Chen Tong said with a loud laugh.
"What joyous occasion? Senior Brother, don’t joke with me. I’m just drowning my sorrows in wine," Zhang Boyang said with a self-deprecating smile.
’After a year of running around, just when it was about to succeed, it turns out to have nothing to do with me. How could that not be upsetting?’
But there was nothing he could do. Wang Yuangang’s cultivation was higher than his, and his family background was more prominent. If the business was handed over to Wang Yuangang, he might really do a better job.
’But even if that’s the logic, when it actually happens to you, how could you possibly feel good about it!’
"Haha, Junior Brother. Master saw all the effort you put into this matter. I came this time to tell you that Master has already decided..."
"I understand Master’s decision. I won’t let my feelings get in the way..."
Before Chen Tong could finish, Zhang Boyang cut him off, stating that he understood and would abide by his master’s decision.
Chen Tong could also sense Zhang Boyang’s mood. He smiled and said:
"Mm, good. If you can think like that, then Master and I can rest assured in handing this business over to you."
"What?!!"
"Senior Brother, what did you say? Master wants me to do it?"
At first, Zhang Boyang thought he had misheard. Only after confirming it several times did he finally believe it.
However, a question also arose in his mind: why would Master suddenly make such a decision?
After all, he was at a disadvantage compared to Wang Yuangang.
"Haha, don’t overthink it. You should properly thank Nephew Fang. If not for him, this matter really wouldn’t have fallen to you."
Chen Tong clapped Zhang Boyang on the shoulder, telling him something completely unexpected.
’It’s because of Fang Yue?’
’How is that possible?’
Zhang Boyang couldn’t figure it out. After all, Fang Yue was just a Martial Scholar.
How could Fang Yue possibly accomplish something that even he, a Martial Scholar, couldn’t handle!
"Haha, today I taught Fang Yue the Cultivation Technique for the Bone Forging Pass."
After saying this, Chen Tong bid farewell to Zhang Boyang and left.
There were many matters at the Martial Arts Hall, and he had been out for quite a while, so he needed to head back.
As for Zhang Boyang, he didn’t come back to his senses until long after Chen Tong had left.
"So it was because of Fang Yue... I never would have thought! His Talent is actually so extraordinary!"
Zhang Boyang couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
At the same time, he thought of Zhang Shu.
Because of her willfulness, this marriage arrangement, which had been a sure thing, could no longer proceed.
Now, Fang Yue’s performance was indeed getting better and better.
"Dad, give me ten taels of silver."
Just then, Zhang Shu’s voice rang out, asking for money the moment she opened her mouth.
Zhang Boyang’s anger flared instantly. She had ruined a perfectly good marriage prospect with her own actions, and now she still showed no signs of maturity. He immediately glared at Zhang Shu:
"Money, all you know is how to ask for money! You will stay at home! You’re not to go anywhere! If I find out you’ve gone out, see if I don’t break your legs!"
~~~~~~
Meanwhile, on Fang Yue’s side, his days had become peaceful.
He practiced his Fist Technique every day, familiarizing himself with it.
In his free time, he would also go to the Martial Arts Hall to seek guidance from Chen Tong.
And so the days passed.
Before he knew it, ten days had gone by.
「Early one morning.」
Fang Yue once again woke up to the sound of Chubby’s "HEH HEH, HA HA" as he practiced his martial arts.
He didn’t know if the other guests had gotten used to Chubby’s loud voice during this time, or if the ones who couldn’t stand it had already been scared away by his shouts.
In any case, no one was complaining about Chubby anymore.
Even the innkeeper didn’t dare to cause trouble, since Chubby had paid another one hundred taels of silver.
Who wouldn’t bow before silver?
Coupled with the extraordinary air Chubby unintentionally revealed, anyone could tell he came from a remarkable family, so who would dare to offend him lightly?
However, none of this had much to do with Fang Yue.
’I’ve already benefited quite a bit from him. I’ll just treat Chubby as a free alarm clock.’
He went out the door and arrived at his usual training spot.
He assumed his stance, and the Fist Technique for the Bone Forging Pass of the White Tiger Fist flowed out, one punch after another.
Over the past few days, he had completely mastered the Fist Technique. And with the boost from his Intermediate Boxing Mastery Talent, his cultivation of the Fist Technique had progressed significantly.
This set of White Tiger Fist, though simple, had a hint of fierce and domineering power.
Fang Yue was now getting into the groove; every move seemed to possess an inexplicable rhythm.
As his fists moved, the force acted upon his skeleton, tempering his tendons and training his bones.
All the bones in his body began to crackle in unison, letting out a series of explosive pops.
Immediately after, the blood and qi in his body surged, flowing from his arms through his limbs and bones, nourishing every part of his body.
The sensation was wonderful.
"HUUUU—"
Fang Yue forcefully exhaled a breath of turbid air, relieving the soreness in his body.
He retracted his fists, stood still, and stretched his arms.
’My tendons and bones were just resonating in unison. That should mean I’ve reached the entry level of Bone Forging.’
Fang Yue rejoiced inwardly as he recalled the sensation from his body just now.
The most obvious sign of Bone Forging was the ability to make one’s tendons and bones resonate in unison, just as Chen Tong had described that day.
This meant his cultivation of the third pass of the Martial Dao had reached the entry level, and he was now qualified to participate in this year’s Martial Examination.
Next, he would consolidate his cultivation, then find out how to register for this year’s Military Examination.
’Let’s see if my strength has increased.’
Bone Forging was different from Skin Grinding. Skin Grinding trained one’s blood, qi, and skin, which was fundamentally external training.
Its effect on increasing strength was very limited.
But Bone Forging, which trained and strengthened the tendons and bones, could be considered a transition from external to internal training.
Therefore, strengthening the tendons and bones could increase one’s strength.
Fang Yue then walked over to a nearby boulder. It looked to be about three thousand jin.
He extended his arms, squatted down, and wrapped his arms around the boulder, then slowly began to exert his strength.
As his strength increased, the boulder began to tremble and was actually lifted off the ground.
"Hmph, it’s an increase of about three to four hundred jin."
After a brief assessment, Fang Yue roughly calculated his current strength.
Around twenty-five to twenty-six hundred jin. It was a considerable increase from before.
"Well, well, isn’t it the little acrobat? What’s going on today? What are you doing hugging a big rock?"
Just then, a flirtatious voice, tinged with amusement, sounded from the opposite bank of the river.
A slightly older woman watched Fang Yue with a half-smile on her face.
"Little brother, what’s so good about hugging a rock? Why don’t you come to my room and hug me instead? My body is soft..."
The woman had figured out during this time that Fang Yue was a total novice. If she said anything else, he wouldn’t pay her any mind at all.
But if she said something even slightly risqué, she could definitely scare him away easily.
’Hehe, in the end, he’s just a little boy.’
’Isn’t he just putty in my hands?’
But the woman herself hadn’t even noticed.
From her initial hostility toward Fang Yue, she had gradually gotten used to him. And every day, she would subconsciously look for opportunities to come to the riverbank to watch him, or rather, to tease him.
However, Fang Yue paid her no mind, turning and leaving without so much as a glance.
"You!"
Seeing this, the young woman’s eyes reddened, and she started to cry.
Having fallen into the world of courtesans, her fate was already a difficult one. To be so blatantly ignored now made her feel deeply wronged.
"Sister Lian’Er, why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
That day, Li Xiangjun had rare time off from her zither practice and had come out for a stroll. Seeing the crying young woman, she asked.
"Xiangjun, it must be that acrobat! That guy is the worst, he’s always peeking at us!"
Just then, a younger girl who had come out to fetch water heard Li Xiangjun’s question and spoke up.
"No, don’t be ridiculous. It has nothing to do with him. I just got some dust in my eye," the woman called Lian’Er quickly explained.
It would have been better if she hadn’t explained. Her explanation only made things more suspicious.
"Oh, I see. Don’t worry, Sister Lian’Er, I understand."