Chapter 17: A Gentleman Does Not Stand Under a Dangerous Wall

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: A Gentleman Does Not Stand Under a Dangerous Wall

It was nearly 9 p.m. In this era, the common people toiled all day just to make a living and had few forms of entertainment. After dark, most would eat an early dinner and go to sleep with their wives and children in their arms.

Mrs. Wang tiptoed to Fang Xu’s courtyard. Seeing the gate ajar, she raised her hand to knock, but suddenly glanced at the neighbors’ gates on either side. Ultimately, she lowered her delicate hand and pushed the gate open, walking right in.

Inside the courtyard, Fang Xu stood stark naked, pouring a bucket of clear, freezing well water over his head.

It was early spring, and the well water remained quite cold. If an ordinary person were to douse themselves with such icy water, they would inevitably catch a chill and fall severely ill. However, Fang Xu had already reached the Refining Viscera Realm, making his body naturally far stronger than that of a regular person. A bucket of cold water poured over him only made him feel thoroughly refreshed and invigorated!

He shook out his drenched long hair and wiped the water from his face. Just as he was about to head into his room to grab a clean set of clothes, he suddenly heard heavy breathing from behind!

Startled, he spun around, only to see Mrs. Wang staring fixedly at him. She was wearing a long, pink, semi-transparent shawl that left her smooth shoulders half-exposed.

Their eyes met. Seeing her gaze drift slightly downward, Fang Xu hastily covered his vital area with his hands.

However, surging with abundant Qi Blood Power, how could his proudly raised head be concealed by a mere pair of hands?

Mrs. Wang stood quietly a short distance away. Her beautiful eyes, which had been unblinking, suddenly widened a fraction, and her lightly rouged face looked even more delicate and flushed.

"AHH—"

Secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva, she finally reacted, pretending to be shy as she let out a low gasp and covered her eyes with her hands. Yet, with Fang Xu’s eyesight, he could clearly see her gaze still flickering through the gaps between her fingers.

SWISH!

Fang Xu spun around instantly, pushing off the ground with his feet. His body darted straight into the room, and he slammed the door shut behind him.

Out in the courtyard, seeing Fang Xu’s flustered state through her fingers, Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but giggle charmingly. Then, with a hint of grievance, she approached the room and raised her delicate hand to knock.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Fang, I... I saw that the courtyard gate was unlocked, so I just pushed it open and came in. I never expected..."

Inside, Fang Xu was desperately trying to mobilize his Qi Blood Power to calm his proud member. But upon hearing her voice, he instantly felt an even stronger surge of Qi Blood Power rush downward, making it stand even higher.

"Mrs. Wang, what brings you here so late at night?" Since he couldn’t calm it down, he simply gave up and asked while leaning against the door.

Outside, Mrs. Wang fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Fang, although I am but an ordinary woman, I wish to serve by your side. I don’t ask for any official status."

Under the moonlight, her graceful silhouette was cast against the door, while a fierce argument broke out in Fang Xu’s mind.

Fang Xu Number One yelled, "It’s a crime against nature to refuse meat delivered right to your door!"

Fang Xu Number Two retorted, "Calm down! You absolutely must control yourself! If you can’t keep your lower half in check right now, it will lead to a disaster!"

Fang Xu Number One shot back, "Calm down my ass! It’s completely consensual! Even taking a step back, if you don’t say anything and she doesn’t say anything, who would ever know?"

Fang Xu Number Two snapped, "Shut up! A wise man avoids unnecessary danger. There can’t be any slip-ups on the path to growing stronger. Even if you really want to take her down, you have to wait until Wang Erhu and those outsiders leave!"

Fang Xu Number One protested, "I’ve been single since birth for two lifetimes—"

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Fang Xu slapped his own forehead repeatedly, directly scattering the two endlessly bickering voices in his head.

"Mrs. Wang, this is a bit sudden, and I’m not ready yet. Could you give me a few days to think about it?"

Number Two was right. A wise man avoids unnecessary danger.

Wang Ergou’s death had widespread implications. According to what Wang Erhu had said, it seemed to involve sorcerers. Because of this, Lv Yuan, who had come from Huangzhou Prefecture, would definitely be conducting a detailed investigation in Fenglin Town during this period. Moreover, that girl from the Yun Family was also staying in Fenglin Town. With his current strength, getting drawn into this whirlpool would mean certain death!

Putting himself in danger just for a moment of pleasure simply wasn’t worth it!

Outside the door, Mrs. Wang let out a soft sigh, her face bearing a look of deep disappointment. "Fang, do you find me distasteful?"

"No, no!" Fang Xu hastily denied it. Distasteful, his ass. He wasn’t a paragon of virtue like Liu Xiahui. If it weren’t for all this messy business going on, who wouldn’t want to be a Cao Zei, savoring the thrill of another man’s wife?

"Please don’t look down on yourself, Mrs. Wang. It’s just that I have currently reached a critical juncture in breaking through to become a Martial Disciple. I must face it in my absolute best condition. After I become a Martial Disciple, I’ll be able to protect you much better, won’t I?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang felt a slight sweetness in her heart. She then thought about how Fang Xu’s strength would be even greater once he became a Martial Disciple.

"So that’s how it is. I nearly ruined things for you, Fang.

"In that case, I will wait until you break through to become a Martial Disciple."

Bowing slightly outside the door with an apologetic look, she quickly murmured her apologies and turned to leave Fang Xu’s courtyard. She did not understand the path of cultivation, nor did she know whether engaging in intimacy before a breakthrough would affect a Martial Artist. Naturally, she didn’t dare stay any longer, afraid that if she did, Fang Xu wouldn’t be able to control himself, which would ultimately ruin his big plans.

After she left, Fang Xu leaned against the door and slowly let out a sigh of relief. He thought, "Damn it! That was killing me!"

He spent a long time calming down. Only after the burning heat in his body had slowly cooled did he open the door, head to the kitchen, and wolf down all the Blood Food he had stewed earlier.

Back in his room, Fang Xu sat cross-legged on the bed, staring dead-on at the floor tiles in front of him. Comparison only brought frustration. After experiencing the feeling of cultivating with the help of the Divination God Treasure over the past two days, he found it somewhat hard to accept relying solely on his own bitter training now.

He thought, "Maybe... I should dig it out to use for now and bury it again tomorrow morning?"

The moment this idea surfaced in his mind, it became impossible for him to cultivate with a normal state of mind. Giving up on forcing it, he simply got up, went out to the courtyard, and bolted the gate. Returning to his room, he barred the door as well. Only after securing everything did he take out the Divination God Treasure Beast Hide buried beneath the floor tiles.

Spreading the Beast Hide over his knees, Fang Xu took out a Qi Blood Pill, swallowed it, and slowly began to chant.

"All things are the derivation of the Dao, and spirit is the essence of the Dao..."

His consciousness gradually sank, and he soon entered the Realm of Inner Observation.

In the Realm of Inner Observation, he could manipulate the Qi Blood Power within his body more clearly and accurately to temper and refine his internal organs. This state was completely beyond comparison to his ordinary cultivation methods during the day. In fact, Fang Xu could clearly feel that not a single trace of the Qi Blood Power erupting from the entire Qi Blood Pill was wasted while in the state of inner observation; it was entirely absorbed and utilized by him.

Judging by this, the efficiency of cultivating with the help of the Divination God Treasure was at least thirty percent higher than training on his own!

Time flew by during cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, it was already morning.

The news that the Zhang Family had been wiped out and that the Blood Food Shop had been sold by Fang Xu to Lu Zhiyuan quickly spread. At this time, Lu Zhiyuan had also opened the doors of Zhiyuan Hall, widely recruiting Martial Disciples to form his own Hunting Team. He had even spread the word that he would personally lead a team into the mountains over the next two days to hunt vicious beasts, ensuring Fenglin Town’s supply of Blood Food.

Fang Xu didn’t care about any of these matters. He was currently holed up at home, relying on Qi Blood Pills and Blood Food to cultivate without wasting a single moment.

At the Fenglin Town Government Office.

The carcass of a draft ox lay on the floor of the hall. Beside it was a wooden tray holding some charred, dry bones and several other items.

"Miss Yun, Commander Lv, and my lords, these are the pieces of evidence your subordinate has collected over the past two days," Liao Yunfeng said, cupping his hands.

Hearing this, the several people in the hall gathered around.