Chapter 45: People from Central State Have Arrived

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: People from Central State Have Arrived

"Flame Spirit True Understanding?"

"Mu Yun, how did you see these four words?" Fang Xu asked in confusion.

To him, the stone slab only had complex, messy patterns. He had studied it for two days without finding any words. How did Chu Muyun see them the moment she took over?

Chu Muyun tilted her head. "These words are very mischievous. They flicker in and out of sight. Now they’re hiding under those pictures again."

Looking at her serious expression, Fang Xu found it unbelievable. "Could the words on this broken stone slab be alive? They can even hide? What kind of nonsense is this?" he thought. Refusing to give up, he took the stone slab back and stared at the patterns carefully, wanting to see if the "mischievous words" Chu Muyun mentioned really existed. However, no matter how hard he stared until his eyes ached, not a single word appeared.

"Whatever! This broken slab either picks its owner, or my comprehension isn’t high enough. Either way, I can’t see a thing on it," he concluded silently.

"Fang Xu, go eat first. Mu Yun will write down the words and pictures on it," she said. She was obviously happy to be able to help him. At the very least, it proved she was still somewhat useful and not entirely a burden.

"There’s no rush. We’ll talk after eating," Fang Xu said, taking the stone slab back from her hands. He pushed her wheelchair straight into the courtyard.

They sat across from each other and had a simple meal. Afterward, Fang Xu cleared the dishes, washed them, and brought Chu Muyun into the room. He cultivated on the bed while she focused on deciphering the Cultivation Technique on the stone slab beside him.

At noon, Fang Xu woke up from his cultivation state and found that Chu Muyun had already filled a piece of paper, and the second one in her hand was mostly full. The elegant handwriting looked very neat. Not wanting to disturb her, Fang Xu gently picked up the completed sheet and read it.

Lu Zhiyuan was right. The stone slab indeed recorded a Cultivation Technique called Flame Spirit True Understanding. However, Fang Xu was unsure of its tier. He could only roughly tell that cultivating this technique would slowly transform one’s power into scorching flame True Qi. Although he didn’t quite understand this, based on the mechanics of online games in his past life, non-attribute attacks were definitely weaker than attribute attacks. Since Flame Spirit True Understanding could convert the power in his body into the Fire Attribute, it had to be an incredible Cultivation Technique.

"Fang Xu, I’m done." While he was examining the words on the paper, Chu Muyun had copied down the rest of the text for Flame Spirit True Understanding.

Fang Xu took the other piece of paper and roughly estimated it. The entire Flame Spirit True Understanding contained about five hundred words, all of which were extremely obscure and difficult to understand. In layman’s terms, if broken apart, he knew every single word, but when strung together, he had no idea what they meant.

"Ah, it’s already noon! Take your time reading, Fang Xu. Mu Yun will go cook," Chu Muyun said. Stretching, she quickly turned her wheelchair around to prepare lunch.

Fang Xu pushed her to the door, reminding her to be careful, before returning to the room to continue studying Flame Spirit True Understanding. He could already fluently recite the five hundred or so words Chu Muyun had copied, yet he hadn’t gained a shred of enlightenment. "Am I destined to have no connection with this Cultivation Technique?" he wondered in frustration.

Setting the two papers down, he picked up the stone slab beside him again and gently stroked its patterns. He had always heard that a Martial Artist’s cultivation required both opportunity and comprehension. With his golden finger awakened, he wasn’t lacking in opportunities, but his comprehension still seemed a bit lacking.

HUM!

Recalling the contents of Flame Spirit True Understanding, Fang Xu gently stroked the stone slab, suddenly feeling it vibrate slightly in his hands. Following that, a massive amount of fiery red light burst from the slab. Blazing words swam before his eyes, gradually forming the entirety of Flame Spirit True Understanding.

Staring at those flaming characters, Fang Xu could clearly feel his Qi Blood Power circulating along a strange path. At the same time, numerous complex pieces of information flooded his mind. It was as if this obscure and difficult Cultivation Technique had been presented in a much simpler way, allowing him to understand its specific details at a single glance.

Flame Spirit True Understanding was divided into nine layers, and this stone slab only recorded the Cultivation Technique for the first three. The first realm was Flame Spirit Force! Cultivating it would transform one’s power into the Fire Attribute. When the Vital Energy penetrated the body, it would inflict unbearable burning pain upon enemies. The second realm was Flame Spirit Fire, using the Qi Detachment of the Martial Master realm as a medium to launch a terrifying, physical fire attack of immense power. The third realm seemed to require the aid of some external objects to cultivate, which Fang Xu couldn’t fully comprehend just yet.

"Fang Xu, time to eat." Chu Muyun’s gentle voice rang out in the courtyard. Fang Xu immediately put down the stone slab and went out.

The following days were plain yet fulfilling. During the day, besides having meals with Chu Muyun, he occasionally pushed her out for a stroll. At night, he would massage her feet before proceeding with his daily cultivation. During this period, the woman from the Wang Family came over once. However, considering that Chu Muyun lived in the adjacent wing, both of them suppressed themselves as much as possible, unable to fully let go. After some discussion, the woman from the Wang Family suggested that Fang Xu should visit her house in the future, so they wouldn’t have to endure such agonizing restraint.

This peaceful life made Fang Xu somewhat dazed for a while. It seemed that living out his days like this would be quite nice.

Half a month later.

A group of people arrived in Fenglin Town. On his way back from Zhiyuan Hall, Fang Xu saw with his own eyes a group of Golden Armor Martial Artists escorting a luxurious carriage through the streets of Fenglin Town. On the road, whether it was the common people or the gold-panners from hunting squads, everyone hurriedly made way. Because, at the slightest delay, the leading Golden Armored Soldiers would strike them down with a single slash! In their eyes, human lives weren’t lives at all, but rather like weeds on the roadside that could be slaughtered at will!

Standing in the crowd, Fang Xu looked from afar and saw a black Four-Clawed Divine Dragon banner hanging on the carriage. It was the symbol of the royal family. The dynasties of this world seemed to also believe in the theory of the Five Elements and Five Virtues. The Great Yu Dynasty prided itself on Water Virtue. Since water was represented by a dark color, the emblem of the Great Yu royal family was a black Divine Dragon. An emperor’s procession would fly the Five-Clawed Black Dragon Banner. The carriage before him, which flew a flag with a four-clawed Black Dragon, most likely belonged to a Prince of Great Yu, or some other royal Prince.

Inside the carriage, a middle-aged man with a pale, beardless face and narrow eyes was holding a completely black fox without a single stray colored hair in his arms. He wore a dark round-collared robe with gold patterns. Sitting beside him was a child who looked somewhat eccentric. He was considered eccentric because he appeared to be only eight or nine years old, yet his face showed a maturity and world-weariness completely unbefitting his age. Opposite the two sat a middle-aged woman wearing a white silk-embroidered dress, her hair in a bun, holding a jade flute.

Hearing the screams occasionally coming from outside the carriage, the middle-aged woman slightly furrowed her brows. Looking at the middle-aged man gently stroking the little fox in his arms, she said respectfully, "Seventh Prince, slaughtering the common people like this... I’m afraid it’s not very appropriate, is it?"

The middle-aged man didn’t speak. His attention seemed entirely focused on the little fox in his arms. Instead, the eccentric child beside him chuckled awkwardly. "Why should Nanny Jin take these lowly commoners to heart?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman smiled slightly and cupped her hands. "The Crown Prince must be joking. They are all citizens of Great Yu. They were merely a little slow to make way, which shouldn’t be a crime punishable by death."

As soon as she finished speaking, the middle-aged man tapped the carriage window. "Yun Jin has spoken. Tell them to restrain themselves."

Outside, the driver answered respectfully, "Yes!"