Chapter 21: The Strange Speed of Life Points Decline

"Does Brother Erhu still have other tasks in Maple Forest Town?" Knowing that Wang Erhu didn't have much time left until his violent death, Fang Xu still felt somewhat reluctant.

"Huh." Wang Erhu nodded, poured himself a full glass of wine, and sighed, saying: "Judging by the current situation, my older brother died at the hands of the shamans."

The shamans of the Twilight Cloud Kingdom, even the lowest-ranking ones, are not opponents that martial artists below the Martial Master Realm can handle.

Commander Lu has returned to Yellow Prefecture to mobilize the prefecture troops; this foray into the mountains to suppress bandits will surely also settle the shamans' matter.

Going into the mountains to suppress bandits, and incidentally also having to deal with the shamans, there will naturally be battles during this period. Thinking of Wang Erhu's declining 'life points,' Fang Xu faintly suspected that Wang Erhu was very likely to die in these battles.

"Brother Erhu, since the shamans are this dangerous, Yellow Prefecture Office ought to dispatch stronger martial artists; it shouldn't send only Martial Apprentice Realm prefecture troops to their deaths." Fang Xu frowned.

"Stronger martial artists?" Wang Erhu gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Do you think those martial artists above the Martial Master Realm are just stones by the roadside?"

"Not to mention that martial artists above the Martial Master Realm have more important things to do; just speaking of cultivating martial artists, only those apprentices who have undergone life-and-death trials have a greater hope of breaking through to the Martial Master Realm or even higher."

"You are now in the Visceral Tempering State; you should know that a martial artist stimulates their own potential, opens their secret storehouse, and gains greater strength."

"And only when a person is at the brink of life and death can they better stimulate their own potential; this is a conclusion summed up by countless predecessors."

Fang Xu nodded; Wang Erhu's point was correct.

In his previous life in the military, instructors often gave them the same advice: theoretically, human potential has no limit; as long as one continually stimulates their potential and breaks through oneself, a person can keep growing stronger.

"Although experiencing life and death can stimulate limits, sometimes one must also learn to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune; one shouldn't go ahead with something knowing it will lead to death." Wang Erhu laughed and raised his cup.

Fang Xu lifted the cup before him, clinked it against his, and laughed: "That's natural."

"Alright, I'm full." He downed the wine in his cup, rubbed his belly, and let out a belch, saying: "Fang Xiaozi, Brother believes in you; cultivate diligently."

After saying that, he swayed as he stood up, preparing to leave.

"Brother Erhu!" Fang Xu rose and called out to him.

Wang Erhu stomped his foot, turned around, and asked: "What is it?"

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, his expression turning solemn, and said: "Please be more careful these days."

Although Wang Erhu is a friend bound by the system, if he died, I would be able to inherit a decent legacy, but friends can be many; Fang Xu, however, does not really wish for Wang Erhu to die in this way.

At least not die so quickly.

Wang Erhu blinked slightly, then smiled and waved his hand: "Remembered."

Gazing at Wang Erhu's departing back, Fang Xu's consciousness sank once more into the depths of his sea of awareness.

In the friend list, the 'life points' after Wang Erhu's name had unexpectedly dropped by another 3%!

"Alas!"

Shaking his head and letting out a sigh, Fang Xu tidied up the leftover food on the table by himself.

He himself is not even a Martial Apprentice yet, fundamentally lacking the ability to change others' fates; knowing that Wang Erhu will die, he is also powerless.

After cleaning up everything on the table and taking a quick wash, Fang Xu returned to his room to continue cultivating.

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it had been five days.

During this period, Fang Xu, free of worries, seized every moment to cultivate; the meticulous practice of tempering the viscera, with the aid of the Divine Extension Canon, posed little obstacle for him.

In those five days, he consumed nearly eight hundred catties of blood food and twenty Blood Qi Pills, having already trained his six organs once; now only the five viscera remain to be carefully refined.

After training the six organs, Fang Xu summarized a principle: the limit that the five viscera and six organs can withstand is based on one's own realm.

Since he has not yet opened his body's secret storehouse, the limit that the five viscera and six organs can endure is not high, making the training relatively easy.

But he didn't realize that the reason tempering the viscera feels relatively easy is entirely thanks to the Inner Viewing State of the Divine Extension Canon; ordinary martial artists, lacking the advantage of inner vision, simply cannot achieve his precise control over every strand of blood and qi.

Cultivation continued; Fang Xu estimated that after using up two thousand catties of blood food and consuming another twenty or so Blood Qi Pills, he should be able to attempt a breakthrough into the Martial Apprentice Realm.

The saying "poor scholars, rich warriors" is no idle talk; he didn't know what stage his talent placed him among cultivators.

But judging from the present, the years of accumulated expenses have achieved his current realm, having already consumed over three thousand taels of silver.

Three thousand taels of silver would be enough for a family of four to live comfortably for a lifetime.

Three more days passed; on this day, Wang Erhu again came to the door carrying a jar of wine and two small dishes.

"Fang Xiaozi, Brother will be following the commander into the mountains tomorrow; I'm afraid we won't be able to drink together for a while." Over the meal, Wang Erhu smiled and spoke.

Tomorrow we're going into the mountains!?

Fang Xu hurriedly immersed his consciousness into the depths of his sea of awareness, and indeed discovered that in the friend list, Wang Erhu's life points had now dropped to only 21%!

According to the original rate of decline, Wang Erhu should still have about a month of life left, but now…

He glanced at the other two people in the friend list.

Wu Ningxue's life points remained at 25%, while Chu Li's were even lower, only 11%.

This…

Fang Xu felt somewhat surprised, always sensing that something was off.

Chu Li is now in his sixties; although not a martial artist, as an old servant of the Wu family and often staying at the Fragrant Herb Hall, living to seventy or eighty should be no problem.

Wu Ningxue, as a Martial Apprentice Seventh Level martial artist, reaching a lifespan of a hundred years is also easy.

"Fang Xiaozi, what are you thinking about?" Seeing Fang Xu holding his wine cup in a daze, Wang Erhu asked.

His train of thought was interrupted; he could only temporarily suppress these matters in his heart, and he and Wang Erhu began toasting and exchanging cups.

"I heard that the Blood Food Shop in town will open the day after tomorrow." Wang Erhu took a bite of vegetables and said.

Opening the day after tomorrow?

Fang Xu stared for a moment before realizing that Li Yunshan had personally come by earlier to deliver an invitation; in these days of cultivation he had lost track of time and nearly forgotten about it.

He hadn't expected Lu Zhiyuan to send him an invitation, perhaps because the Blood Food Shop was something he had sold to Lu Zhiyuan.

"Fang Xiaozi, Brother has a matter he'd like to ask you to help with." Wang Erhu spoke.

"Brother Erhu, please speak."

Wang Erhu pondered for a moment, then said: "My older brother has already passed; my sister-in-law alone in the town is ultimately not safe.

"You and that Lu Zhiyuan should have some acquaintance; I want to ask you to inform Master Lu, so that my sister-in-law can work at the Blood Food Shop.

First, with Lu Zhiyuan's protection, her safety would no longer be an issue; furthermore, she could earn money to supplement the household.

Let Ms. Wang go work at Lu Zhiyuan's blood food shop?

Fang Xu, after hearing that, also thought this plan was not bad.

With Ms. Wang's looks, if Wang Erhu were to die this time, the influential figures of Maple Forest Town would surely harbor ill intentions.

I have no background, certainly lack the ability to protect her; letting her work at the blood food shop, with Lu Zhiyuan there, the landlord magnates of Maple Forest Town likely wouldn't dare provoke Lu Zhiyuan.

"Fine, I'll go talk to Master Lu about this tomorrow." Fang Xu readily agreed.

The two kept drinking until the end of the Xu hour, after which Wang Erhu staggered away.

Watching his back, Fang Xu gave a slight shake of his head.

This might be the last time the two of them meet.

(End of chapter)