Chapter 177: Problems with Cultivation (4/10, Autumn Subscription)

"I can't leave? That's not what Captain Lan said. He told me I could move about freely, come and go as I please."

Hearing Fang Yue's words, the Guard Team member immediately grew tense.

"I know Captain Lan said that, but the latest order I received is that you are not to leave."

"Latest order? Just me, one person, can't leave?"

Fang Yue's brow furrowed slightly.

"Whose order?"

The moment Fang Yue finished speaking, a woman's voice rang out from ahead.

"Mine."

Fang Yue followed the sound and saw, in the darkness, a slender figure strolling toward him.

"Captain Shan!" the team member said at once, respectfully.

"Captain Shan? It was you who ordered him not to let me go?"

"Correct."

She was a very beautiful woman, a confident smile on her face.

"Why?"

"Because I want to see you. Until I've seen you, I won't allow you to leave the inn. I've heard that Lord Lan seems to look at you differently, and I want to know why."

"Maybe he needs me to run an errand?"

"Oh? That's all there is to it?"

Captain Shan had already drawn close to Fang Yue by now, smiling as she circled him twice, a faint, sweet fragrance drifting into his nose.

"Looks plain and unremarkable, but I hear your skills aren't bad. Care to show a thing or two?"

Fang Yue shook his head.

"Boring. Men who don't like to fight are all boring. Since you won't fight, you may go."

Baffling.

Fang Yue stepped past Captain Shan and headed outward.

The instant the two brushed past each other, Captain Shan suddenly slashed a hand-chop toward Fang Yue's neck.

So fast it left an afterimage!

So fierce the wind howled!

Then, her hand stopped.

It was a man's hand, steady and firm, gripping her wrist.

Captain Shan smiled.

"Interested now?"

"No."

Crack!

Fang Yue twisted hard, and amid Captain Shan's stunned, agonized expression, her right hand snapped, the bone fracturing and warping.

"You! How dare you!"

Captain Shan was in so much pain cold sweat streamed down her forehead.

Most importantly, she hadn't expected Fang Yue to be so ruthless—break her hand just like that, with such raw strength. His control completely overwhelmed her; she had no power to resist at all.

"Outrageous! You dare hurt Captain Shan!!"

Seeing Fang Yue heading out, the team member roared and drew his bow to shoot, while the others crowded over one after another.

Led on by that team member, a fight seemed about to break out at any moment, but with a sharp whoosh Captain Shan used her left hand to press the bow down.

"Captain Shan?"

"Let him go."

"But—"

"I said, let him go!"

"... Yes!"

She told everyone to disperse and return to their posts. The team member tried to support Captain Shan but was glared at, and didn't dare step forward again.

Goodness, how aloof!

This is the Lone Wolf—Captain Shan!

Captain Shan stared at Fang Yue's retreating back, her cheeks faintly flushed, her thighs pressed together.

Then, with a grinding crack, she gritted her teeth and wrenched her broken right hand back into place, realigning the bone. She had someone fetch bandages and, as she walked, bound it up little by little, securing it in position, while at the same time quickening her pace to catch up with Fang Yue.

One in front and one behind, the two quickly left the inn where they had rested, and quite a few strangers gradually fell in around them—strangely, not in great numbers.

"A quest, it has to be a quest NPC!"

"Brothers, our chance has come!"

These guys seemed to be players; seeing him, they looked at him as if he'd treasure, so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

"Get lost, all of you!"

Fang Yue had noticed, and naturally Captain Shan had too. She gave a cold shout, and her flying darts went whoosh whoosh whoosh as they shot out.

Those players' faces changed; they scattered in a flurry, and the slower ones took hits on the spot and howled in pain.

This was also why so few players had followed—everyone knew how dangerous it was to provoke Captain Shan. If they hadn't been so blinded by greed as to try their luck with Fang Yue and pick up a quest, they wouldn't have dared to rub Captain Shan the wrong way.

Fang Yue saw the players had all fled and looked back at Captain Shan.

"How long are you going to keep following me?"

"That's none of your business—or are you thinking of breaking my left hand too?"

As he said this, for some reason, Captain Shan's cheeks flushed slightly, exuding a seductive beauty.

"Come if you want."

Fang Yue turned and walked on.

"Did you know? Our Man Shui Cun's Third Captain used to bear the surname Lan. Later, our ancestors split over a disagreement and changed surnames—but we still carry the same blood. Lord Lan values bloodline! And I, fortunate enough, have been visited by Lord Lan three times! Three times! Lord Lan favors me, not outsiders like you! Understand?"

Are you children competing for favor?

Fang Yue ignored her. Ahead, he could already see the dimly lit training ground, where the youths of Man Shui Cun trained hard—they were all Reserve Members of the Guard Team.

Fang Yue paid them no mind, found an open spot, and drew Leng Yue Blade.

With his left hand, he crushed the Black Ember, letting the powder merge into his palm, then wrapped it in Qi, guiding it to his right hand.

His right hand gripped Leng Yue Blade… Starfire Blade Technique!

Hssst!!

Qi surged, and the Flame Blade erupted violently.

Each slash was fierce, illuminating the entire training ground.

"Who is he? What's he doing?"

"Is that a Blade Technique? How is that flame even possible—it's too intense!"

"So powerful! Who is this man?"

The youths gathered around Fang Yue, pointing and whispering. Captain Shan's eyes gleamed as she watched intently as Fang Yue trained with his blade.

This was how Black Ember replaced lifespan for cultivation.

Fang Yue previously had so little Black Ember that he could never afford to use it.

Now it was different—he was flush with wealth, so he'd burn it freely!

As Fang Yue swung, the Black Ember drawn into his right palm quickly dissolved and was entirely consumed.

"Ten cycles… far more efficient than using lifespan. But replacing lifespan with Black Ember seems to greatly reduce the power when igniting Starfire. Also, the spot where I absorbed the Black Ember—my right palm feels slightly numb."

Fang Yue frowned slightly, studying his right palm. It seemed to have darkened a little.

Is it truly safe to use Black Ember instead of lifespan for cultivation?

Fang Yue felt some unease in his heart.

"So you're training your Blade Technique. But your method of using Black Ember is utterly amateur—you can't even fully absorb it. Pure waste."

Captain Shan's words made Fang Yue turn his gaze toward her.

"Then how do I absorb all the power of Black Ember?"

"Want to know? Fight me."

"... Teach me first. After I finish training, I'll fight you."

"Three fights."

"... Deal."

Fang Yue finally understood—this guy just wanted to fight.

But it didn't matter. From his earlier hand-blade strike, Fang Yue had already seen—he outclassed this ordinary Captain in night attributes, no need to fear.

"Black Ember, in truth, is a low-tier substance within our circles."

"But as postnatal third-rate cultivators, we're the lowest of the low—so Black Ember suits us perfectly."

"To fully utilize Black Ember, you need precise control of your Qi, squeezing every last trace of energy from it, transforming it into your own power—that's how you maximize its use."

"Of course, Black Ember particles are relatively large, so they're easier to handle. You just don't know the correct steps."

"Follow me…"

…

Man Shui Cun.

Manshui Inn.

An Shenyi exhaled slowly, glancing at his right leg—it was perfectly reattached, though its shape differed from his left.

The man standing beside him had been fitted with a metal right leg—he could walk normally, but needed time to adapt.

"You may go."

"... Yes."

(End of Chapter)