Chapter 12: Fang Qingwei

Cultivation is a matter of talent, comprehension, and resources.

For a disciple with good aptitude and abundant resources, a single Hardness-Softness Realm is hardly anything at all, but for an ordinary cultivator, that one realm can hold them back for many days.

Fang Yu shared his experience of breaking through the Hardness-Softness Realm with eight Fang family disciples. This experience was fresh, first-hand knowledge, and it was also the reason those eight Fang family disciples had resolved to seek Fang Yu's guidance.

Still, having four of them cultivate to the Hardness-Softness Realm under Fang Yu's guidance was already quite impressive.

Days passed like this for more than ten. Each day's routine was almost the same—popping pills, cultivating, seeking immortal encounters, passing on experience.

Of the eighteen Essence Pills Fang Yu had left, he swallowed another eight, leaving only ten. But these Human Grade Mid-Tier elixirs weren't swallowed for nothing—his strength was rising at a tremendous pace.

By now, Fang Yu had already cultivated to a strength of two thousand jin. Standing in the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden, many Fang family disciples could feel his terror—as if a casual move from him could wipe them out—so the Fang family disciples were growing ever more polite toward him.

His strength kept increasing, reaching two thousand jin, but he still hadn't obtained any immortal encounter. Even though Fang Yu's physical aptitude had been improved by the Essence Pills, his eyes could see farther and his ears could hear more clearly, he still hadn't gained any immortal encounter outside.

He did, however, notice a horse servant who had discovered a sewer that led straight to the mud beneath the rockery cluster in the inner courtyard, and who slipped in every day to secretly eavesdrop on the Fang family's Wu Gong.

That horse servant was naturally Fang Han.

Fang Han's father had originally been a Fang family slave, so from birth Fang Han was a Fang family slave—in fact, his children and grandchildren, generation after generation, would all be Fang family slaves, bound to serve the Fang family.

The Fang family was quite particular: even horse servants and slaves were not forbidden from taking wives and bearing children. Of course, the wives a horse servant took were also servants in status; they could never be women of the Fang family.

Even so, servants could still bear sons and daughters—otherwise, if servants never married or had children, within one generation the line would be cut off, and there would be no descendants at all.

From this point, Fang Han's very birth was thanks to the Fang family's rules.

But now this lowly servant had actually sneaked into the inner residence to secretly learn the master's true martial arts transmission—such behavior was utterly brazen, and if discovered he would have to be killed and dealt with severely.

Fang Yu, however, did not report it. He only occasionally cast his gaze toward that rockery area, giving Fang Han a fright.

"Who is that—Fang Yu, the outstanding Fang family disciple? I heard he recently cultivated to the Hardness-Softness Realm and is quite impressive, being flattered by many Fang family disciples. Could he have discovered me? Impossible, I'm hiding so well."

Fang Han was earnestly secretly learning the movements of the Fang family disciples, especially Fang Yu's. Every movement and expression was recorded in his mind, when he saw that Fang Yu seemed to sense something and suddenly glanced over.

That one glance startled him so badly he almost thought he'd been discovered.

Then he saw that Fang Yu had resumed his practice, as if it had just been an idle glance, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"If he discovers me, there's only a path to death. But I, Fang Han, can't be a slave forever, can I?"

Fang Han thought to himself, his gaze once again turning to the drills not far away.

He remembered deeply the principle his father told him before dying: better to be a beggar than a man's slave.

But escaping the status of a man's slave was far too difficult, because the entire Long Yuan province was Fang family territory. If he simply fled the Fang family, he would be found within a day, and then there would be only a path to death.

So he had to secretly learn Wu Gong, only then might he escape farther and truly cast off the identity of a man's slave.

"Oh no, I forgot—the Second Young Lady seems to be riding Qianli Xue out hunting today!"

Fang Han's heart suddenly clenched, and a cold sweat broke out.

Thinking of this, Fang Han no longer had any mind for eavesdropping. He immediately crawled out of the sewer through the rockery and left the inner residence.

"That Fang Han secretly learning my Wu Gong just now—is that also a kind of karma? But it seems he's about to have bad luck next."

Not far away, Fang Yu's gaze flicked toward the rockery once more as he thought this.

"Brother Yu, the Second Young Lady is going out hunting and has invited a few of us over."

Just then, Fang Cheng spoke up.

"Alright."

Fang Yu nodded, and went with Fang Cheng, Fang Wei, Fang Jin, and others to the stables.

The Fang family's Second Young Lady was named Fang Qingwei, with a cold, stunning, and noble bearing. By the time Fang Yu's group arrived, she was already mounted on Qianli Xue, dressed entirely in snow-white, her boots also white, inlaid with beautiful jade—exquisite and splendid.

Beside her stood several maidservants, imposing guards, and a few young men and women also mounted on horses—not Fang family disciples, but outstanding sons and daughters of other families.

"I heard a disciple of our Fang family cultivated to the Hardness-Softness Realm and received a reward from Father—that would be you, wouldn't it."

As Fang Yu's group arrived, Fang Qingwei's gaze stopped them. She spotted Fang Yu at a glance, a hint of curiosity appearing on her face.

"Second Young Lady, it's indeed me. I broke through the Hardness-Softness Realm a few days ago, and am now pushing toward the Realm of Divine Power."

Fang Yu spoke.

"Not bad, not bad. With your aptitude, cultivating to the Hardness-Softness Realm is already quite good, but breaking through the Divine Power Realm won't be so easy."

Fang Qingwei looked at Fang Yu, seeming to sense the tremendous power contained within his body—surpassing that of many Fang family disciples. After a moment's thought, she reached out and bestowed a small bottle.

"If you want to break through the Divine Power Realm without taking elixirs, it might take several years of tempering and accumulating strength. I see your aptitude is decent, so I'll bestow you five Essence Pills. You must cultivate well and don't disappoint my expectations of you."

"Thank you, Second Young Lady. I will certainly cultivate diligently and break through the Realm of Divine Power as soon as possible, to earn merit for our Fang family."

Fang Yu took the bottle and immediately expressed his thanks to the Second Young Lady, Fang Qingwei.

Something like Essence Pills—free is free, and he happened to need Essence Pills to raise his own strength.

This Second Young Lady had clearly seen his great strength and seemed to think him a usable talent, hence the five Essence Pills to win him over. He naturally accepted.

"Mm, if you advance to the Realm of Divine Power, Father will have further rewards. At that time you may follow me to the Yuhuaxian Sect. If you can pass the Tongguowai Sect disciple examination, that would be a step to heaven."

Fang Qingwei added.

"Thank you, Second Young Lady."

Fang Yu expressed his thanks once more.

Just then, Fang Qingwei's gaze suddenly turned cold, looking toward the front.

There, Fang Han had been seized by a maidservant and thrown to the ground.

Thud.

The maidservant kicked Fang Han again.

"Kneel properly! Answer your master!"