A garment of ink-black cloud pattern, cinched with a White Jade belt, further accentuated his tall and straight figure.
Shen Yi slowly walked out of the room.
The old lady chortled, "My, he looks even more handsome than Heng Er, quickly come over and sit."
Fang Heng moved the table to the courtyard, brought over a few dishes of light appetizers, and then his eyes finally landed on the cloud pattern on the cuff of Shen Yi's sleeve.
Without saying much, he picked up a spoon and silently ladled out three bowls of thick porridge.
He helped the old lady to sit down, "There's only me and grandmother here, all we have is simple meals, if you don't mind, just help yourself to whatever."
"Thank you for the hospitality."
Having eaten dry rations for two days, Shen Yi did not feign politeness but sat directly at the table and began to eat, alternating between the small dishes and the porridge.
Seeing his appetite, the old lady's smile widened, "Did you come from Baiyun County? Bai Wei wrote in her letter that you are a good boy. Are you married yet? Or should Granny find someone for you?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi choked on his porridge, "..."
Fang Heng seemed accustomed to this, eating silently without a word.
Only after finishing the large bowl did he put down his chopsticks, "Master won't be back for at least another two months. Until then, you'll stay here."
With that, Fang Heng went back to his room and brought out a book two fingers thick, placing it on the table.
"Master became famous in Qingzhou in his youth with the Five Ultimate Techniques."
"Mastering any one of them, you can dominate the same-realm demons, each taught to one of us. This isn't Demon-suppression Bureau martial arts, so teaching you wouldn't be breaking any rules."
"But since you are not a disciple of our sect, you can only learn it, not pass it on."
Shen Yi had chatted with Zhang the Butcher for so long, he was no longer the clueless newbie he once was.
Whether it's the Demon-suppression Bureau or the martial sects of the Jianghu, disclosing martial arts without permission is a serious offense. Not only would the teacher face severe punishment, but the learner also would not get off lightly—either their limbs would be cut off, or their meridians destroyed, literally taking back the martial arts, and in more severe cases, it could cost them their lives.
No wonder Lin Baiwei still stubbornly made up martial arts in their dire situation, hoping to bluff her way through.
The Four Harmonies True Gang, which was the only thing she could imitate in the end, was indeed the only thing her opponent could teach.
"The technique I will impart is called Intercepting Veins and Capturing Dragons, a profound martial art of the Jade Liquid Realm, belonging to the boxing and palm category."
"I will take a month to rest and recuperate, performing it only three times a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night. If you have any questions, come and ask me."
Fang Heng slowly stood up and said indifferently, "Before you master it, you cannot leave the yard, nor can you go and mess around with Li Xinhan and his ilk. The cloud pattern on your cuff isn't something you get by pulling strings."
On hearing this, Shen Yi slightly lifted his eyes, his expression revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
He once thought Lin Baiwei was too scheming and difficult to get along with.
But, after coming to Qingzhou, he saw that whether it was Li Xinhan or the Fang Heng before him, they might not be overtly oppressive, but the pride in their tone that brooked no refusal was as if they were carved from the same mold.
The domineering posture hidden beneath their calm façade was indeed somewhat uncomfortable.
The more the old lady listened, the more her face contorted. Suddenly picking up a twig from the ground, she gently whipped Fang Heng's calf, "So you learned how to scare people now, can't you let someone have a peaceful meal, can't this wait until after he's finished eating? Bai Wei praises him no end, could he be the kind of person you describe?"
Fang Heng bowed his head and silently took a few lashes, "My mistake."
Once the old lady's anger subsided.
He approached a small tree as thick as a bowl and his muscles trembled slightly, then his fists and palms shot out like arrows, striking the trunk seemingly at random.
The tree trunk, which Shen Yi could easily snap, did not even quiver under Fang Heng's continuous strikes.
"Everything has its channels, find them, intercept them."
Fang Heng slowly withdrew his hand and turned his head, "By the way, did you get a bottle of the Open Pulse Elixir?"
Shen Yi took out the medicine bottle, "This one?"
"Besides what you get from medicinal baths, every Demon-suppression Marshal who joins gets three pills."
"Chew and swallow it dry, refining the medicinal strength, which can soothe and expand the meridians. Take one every three months. Once fully refined, it can widen the body's twelve major orifices by ninety percent, which can nearly double your cultivation, whether condensing or storing Qi." Explore stories on empire
Fang Heng explained briefly.
Shen Yi looked down at the medicine bottle in his hand, and after fully understanding the other's point, still felt somewhat surprised.
For an Initial Realm Warrior, doubling the efficiency of refining Qi meant that a day's hard cultivation was equivalent to two days before, akin to a transformation of one's talent.
The other effect was even more profound.
The Qi stored in the great orifices is fixed, a conclusion Shen Yi had come to after consuming the life essence of numerous demons. Even with a century passing by, the Qi could only be slowly condensed into Jade Liquid.
If the orifices were widened by ninety percent, when fighting, wouldn't it be like having nearly double the physical strength compared to others?
And every member had access to such precious medicine.
"Is this elixir very common?"
Hearing this, Fang Heng retracted his gaze, "It used to be the exclusive precious medicine of the great Qingzhou sect, the Pine Crane Sect, called the 'Classic of Changes: Meridian Conversion Pill,' and was only given to a few inner disciples. After the Pine Crane Sect conspired with demons, it was eradicated by the Demon-suppression Bureau, and the recipe was taken back. Other sects also have similar medicines, but the most effective ones can only reach fifty percent."
He continued, "The Demon-suppression Bureau doesn't pay high salaries, but the benefits are quite good... However, the precondition is that you can survive."
After saying this, Fang Heng turned and went back into the room.
Revealing the little tree that remained motionless.
Shen Yi silently observed it. It was the same tree, but now, whether the green leaves or the tall trunk lost their vitality, revealing a hint of 'deathly stillness.' It looked extremely eerie.
Even though he didn't quite understand the mystery within, martial arts that could be named alongside the 'Four Harmonies True Gang' couldn't be too bad.
He reached out and began flipping through the books on the table, seemingly distracted.
A moment later, a new line of text appeared on the panel.
[Jade Liquid. Intercepting Veins and Capturing Dragons (Uninitiated)]
"You child, no one flips through books like that. Have you eaten well? Does it suit your taste? If you're full, take the book back to your room and read it slowly."
The grandmother pushed him up, urging him to go inside.
"It's alright, I have plenty of time."
Shen Yi looked at the little old lady with a touch of helplessness in his eyes, but also with more warmth.
He put the books away and bent down to help clean the table.
While finding Chen Ji and Lin Baiwei quite handy to order around, having an unrelated elderly person do chores for him still made him feel like his skin wasn't quite thick enough.
Besides, after seeing too many so-called geniuses lately, the Shen Yi from the previous life, who feared the endless chatter of distant relatives, now found himself... preferring the company of the latter.
Even if he was asked about marital prospects or his salary, it felt more comfortable than being arbitrarily labeled.
Fang Heng stood inside the room, looking at his grandmother's happy demeanor and then at Shen Yi; his expression became indifferent.
First, he took advantage of Sister Lin's plight to demand two sets of Jade Liquid Realm Martial Arts, both as precious as the Four Harmonies True Gang and the Intercepting Veins and Capturing Dragons.
Even with the talents of his senior brothers and sisters, they would only choose to practice one of those.
Yet here he was, coveting both with just Initial Realm cultivation.
Just arriving at the Demon-suppression Bureau, he acted quite familiar with the group of rich young masters under Li Xinhan, and on his first day, he had already mingled into wearing a cloud-patterned shirt.
Even with no background, and only needing his care to stay here, he was still eager to win over my grandmother, likely presuming her to be some reclusive expert.
Greed and stupidity combined, truly irritating.
It's natural for someone to want to use this opportunity to stay and soar to new heights.
But to not even bother concealing it?
If that's not sycophancy and insatiable greed, what is?