Chapter 20: Fan Qianhu, the Wild Boar, and a Heart of True Devotion
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Kong Hu hurriedly forced a smile and explained, “Sir, you may not be aware, but the poor people in town have already been squeezed dry! There’s simply no more profit to be extracted!”
“Besides, those martial arts schools you secretly support have only just started up. They incur various expenses just to keep running—money is needed everywhere! So the amount of silver we managed to collect this month is already quite difficult!”
Few knew that those displaced people who managed to open martial arts schools in town were backed by military personnel.
He privately supported these schools’ disciples, and if anything happened, they would serve as his private soldiers.
Most importantly, the schools could secretly buy land and enclose it to cultivate spiritual herbs for training.
Although initially requiring investment, once they reached a certain scale, the profits would be unimaginably vast.
Fan Qianhu was extremely displeased. With a sharp glare, he scolded, “Find a way to intensify the spread of the Blood Sickness! Not a single coin less in next month’s silver!”
Hearing this, Brother Hu nodded obediently. Before Fan Qianhu could lose his temper, he cautiously added, “Sir, I have one more request… My younger brother-in-law disappeared suddenly a few days ago and there’s been no news. I suspect… he may have offended someone in the military. I earnestly ask you to help investigate who’s behind this.”
Fan Qianhu impatiently waved his hand, signaling he understood.
With the man’s consent, Brother Hu felt as if he had been pardoned and left the military camp.
However, the moment he stepped outside the tent, his once humble and ingratiating expression instantly darkened.
Gritting his teeth, he swore silently, “If I find out who harmed Song Bao, I will annihilate their entire family to vent my hatred!”
Then, he looked grimly at his subordinates beside him and said, “After we return, you know what to do, right?”
“Brother Hu, I’ll get it done right away!”
…
…
Xia He and Wang Erpang had just left the military camp when they unexpectedly bumped into someone.
“Uncle Zhou, what are you doing here?”
“Xiao He, I need to discuss something with you!”
“There’s a wild boar up in the mountains that’s been injuring people. It must have become some kind of demon.”
“It’s thick-skinned and tough, it has injured quite a few soldiers and civilians. The tricky part is, this beast is very cunning. We’ve been up the mountain several times but haven’t even caught a glimpse of it.”
Xia He’s eyes lit up immediately.
“Really? Become a demon? A beast that’s reached a monster level?”
He had just run out of snake meat and needed more to make up the deficit.
“That’s right! Lord Qianhu has ordered that whoever catches this wild boar will be rewarded with a beginner-level martial arts manual!”
“Beginner-level martial arts?”
Xia He was momentarily stunned.
“Xiao He, you have experience dealing with these vicious beasts. I was thinking maybe you could come with me. If we manage to kill that wild boar, we split the reward 50-50, how about that?”
Xia He was tempted but didn’t rush to agree.
The fact that Uncle Zhou came to him showed this wild boar was no easy target.
Moreover, such beasts were intelligent, often coating themselves with grease or mud to act as armor.
He examined his javelin’s arrowhead—it was already rusty and worn from use. It might not be sufficient.
“Uncle Zhou, do you have any spare arrowheads? Something more powerful?”
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“If you do, I’ll agree.”
Uncle Zhou’s face lit up instantly.
“Yes, yes, yes! How about this: I’ll bring them to you tomorrow. You take a day off and come up the mountain with me, how’s that?”
“Alright!”
After Uncle Zhou hurried off, Wang Erpang stared in disbelief.
“Brother He, you actually know a military household?”
“We met when I sold him snake gallbladders.”
“You really plan to hunt a wild boar in the mountains? Take me along! I have plenty of strength and can carry your quiver!”
Xia He glanced at him, hesitating.
But if the wild boar really weighed a few hundred kilograms, it might be hard for just him and Uncle Zhou to carry it back. It would be better to bring Wang Erpang.
“I’ll take you, but you have to listen to me and not run off.”
“Got it, for sure!”
Wang Erpang was ecstatic.
…
When Xia He returned home, the meal was already prepared.
After dinner, Li Huilan looked at him eagerly.
“Brother He, when are we going to sleep?”
“Uh…”
Xia He was a little taken aback.
He had been so busy training these days that he had neglected his wife.
That was truly wrong!
“Lan’er, boil some water for me to bathe. After the bath, we’ll go to bed.”
Li Huilan happily went off to do as told.
Xia He felt ashamed and opened his status panel.
Several days had passed, and he had finally accumulated a single attribute point—it was truly hard-earned.
[Skill: Mastery of Standing Fist (Uninitiated)]
[Branch 1: Proficiency in Standing Fist]
[Effect: Greatly increases proficiency, directly reaching initiation level]
[Branch 2: Heart of the Fist]
[Effect: Enters a clear, focused state while standing, greatly concentrating spiritual power]
“As expected!”
Even without initiation, skill proficiency could be improved with attribute points.
However, the branches might change accordingly.
Branch 1 could instantly raise mastery to initiation, meaning he could directly break through the Skin Refining stage?
At least it would save several days of grueling practice—a shortcut among shortcuts!
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“But what is this Heart of the Fist? Does it help me focus better during training?”
Xia He was conflicted.
One option directly improved proficiency; the other added a buff to training.
Most would probably choose the effortless path.
But the catch was it was one-time only and cost an attribute point, making it less worthwhile.
“Twenty more days until the assessment. That’s enough.”
If he had ample meat and attribute points, he wouldn’t hesitate to pick Branch 1, but attribute points were too precious.
An immediate boost or a permanent buff—any fool knew which to choose.
“Branch 2, Heart of the Fist!”
With the attribute upgrade, proficiency remained unchanged, but he clearly felt different.
As soon as he entered the standing stance, all distractions disappeared automatically.
In just half an hour, he had learned another standing fist technique!
“Training speed is at least three times faster than before!”
Immersed in joy, a soft, plaintive voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
“Brother He, the water’s getting cold.”
“Lan’er, I’m coming.”
It seemed that too much focus wasn’t always good! He almost neglected his wife again.
“Tonight, I’ll make sure you eat your fill!”
Xia He gently touched Li Huilan’s cheek, sincerely promising.
The next morning.
His wife was still soft and unwilling to rise.
Xia He, however, was full of energy, showing no fatigue.
Since he began training in martial arts, he no longer suffered from aching muscles after restless nights.
Only his stomach was truly empty; after the rice bin at home was filled, it only lasted a few days before running out again.
“Training requires more than ordinary food.”
Seeing the time, he packed up and headed out.
At the town’s entrance, he called for the long-waiting Wang Erpang, took the meat buns he brought, and quickly arrived at the military camp.
“Uncle Zhou!”
“Xiao He, you finally came. Take a look at these arrowheads—are they good enough?”
Xia He glanced over and was immediately delighted.
“Are these for shooting horses?”
The arrowheads gleamed coldly, razor-sharp, forged from refined iron. The tips formed sharp triangular shapes, engraved with fine patterns that reduced air resistance during flight.
These were clearly much larger, sharper, and sturdier than the copper arrows he had previously bought from Uncle Wang.