Chapter 828: Qi Filled to the Brim (1/2, Request Subscription)

On ordinary days, Fang Yue studied Lord Han's legacy, especially the three core methods, which he naturally didn't overlook, so in pure theory, he had long since mastered them thoroughly.

Now, what was needed was practical application.

Circulating his internal force and practicing, Fang Yue soon became immersed in it.

Learning the complete Kōngbīng Sword Art was not difficult.

With his solid foundation in swordplay and his exceptionally high Comprehension, Fang Yue encountered only occasional pauses during practice, pausing briefly to ponder and analyze before resuming.

After fully mastering the Kōngbīng Sword Art, Fang Yue did not pause, immediately moving to the next step.

That is, using only the sword forms to cultivate the Kōngbīng Sword Art.

At this step, Fang Yue hit a snag.

Because this step demanded extremely high proficiency in swordplay.

Even Fang Yue could barely enter it, and most of his progress was driven solely by his exceptional Comprehension.

Slowly, as time passed, Fang Yue's cultivation of the Kōngbīng Sword Art advanced steadily.

While Fang Yue was in seclusion, Tian Ruichi and the others outside were not idle.

Each of them had received Fang Yue's life-saving aid at least once; now that Fang Yue was in seclusion, the others naturally remained on high alert.

Under the night sky, Lin Ling swung his long spear on deck, each thrust and strike precise and disciplined.

Occasionally, he would glance back at the cabin entrance, planning to ask Fang Yue to teach him Martial Dao once he emerged.

Though Fang Yue was his junior and a refugee, Lin Ling had to admit that Fang Yue's strength had far outstripped his own, making him worthy to be Lin Ling's Martial Dao master.

Of course, he would never voice this generational distinction or title, but the brotherly bond he kept firmly in his heart.

Moreover, regarding the resurrection of Lord Han, his feelings were identical to Fang Yue's.

In the morning, he was still studying Jing Yan's body; as for the guard harmed by the Mist Phantom's mist, he had already healed him—just as he'd said, though the man's life was saved, he had lost all his martial arts, and upon returning to Jingcheng, he would likely retire and live out his days.

Of course, that had nothing to do with Chen Qing.

As for Jing Yan's condition, it seemed irreversible; they could only wait and ask the Divine Doctor in Jingcheng for help.

Tian Ruichi was patrolling the ship, occasionally stopping to gesture, as if studying sword techniques.

The ship enjoyed a rare moment of calm.

But this calm was only temporary.

When daylight broke and the Han Jiang giant ship left the range of the Mist Phantom's corpse, shadowy forms began to drift beneath the lake, following the vessel with ill intent, then quickly dispersing—as if lying in wait.

This discovery prompted the Helmsman to increase speed; relying on his speed advantage, he indeed shed most of them, but some extremely fast shadows remained closely trailing.

Such phantoms were either extremely powerful or possessed a specialized speed trait.

Either way, it was not good news.

After informing the others of the situation, the Helmsman immediately proposed calling Fang Yue out of seclusion, but the others clearly resisted.

Finally, Chen Qing stepped forward.

"Pour this onto the lake surface."

He handed the item to Jing Yan, who puzzled over the paper bag Chen Qing passed him—it was heavy, somewhat dense, feeling like some kind of rice powder.

Without further thought, he went to the stern, about to dump the contents, when suddenly he remembered what Chen Qing had told him.

Chen Qing had said his gills might allow him to swim safely in Han Jiang—even dive and breathe underwater…

Looking down at the churning Han Jiang, Jing Yan suddenly felt a powerful impulse—an urge to leap directly into the river.

But the shadowy forms surging toward him from the lake bottom jolted him, sending a chill through his body and snapping him back to sense.

"Am I mad? This is Han Jiang! Jumping into Han Jiang is suicide!"

Shaking his head to clear it, Jing Yan snapped back to awareness and tossed the paper bag onto the lake surface.

Splash!

A large quantity of powder burst from the bag and scattered into Hushui.

Like fish bait, the moment the powder touched Han Jiang, the shadowy forms chasing the giant ship halted, then turned en masse and darted swiftly toward where the powder had fallen.

Seeing this, Jing Yan immediately relaxed.

For now, they had escaped danger.

But what exactly was in this bag? Why did it have such an effect on Han Jiang's phantoms?

With this question in mind, he returned to Chen Qing—and the answer left him stunned.

"Just powdered corpses."

"Corpses? Whose?"

"Of course the phantoms'. I did some special processing, so it might attract Han Jiang's phantoms. I just made it on a whim—if it works, I'll make more later."

Saying this, Chen Qing walked away.

But Jing Yan felt something off—he suspected Chen Qing was hiding something—but he didn't press it, because no matter what, Chen Qing would never betray them.

Along this journey, he had developed some trust in Chen Qing, even if Chen Qing sometimes grew strange when studying phantoms.

With the threat from the lake-bottom phantoms gone, Jing Yan finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

Checking the time, he returned to his room and quietly logged out of the game.

……

In reality.

"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready! Jing Yan, open up! Open the door! If you don't open, I'm coming in!"

The banging on the iron door made Jing Yan feel uneasy.

He had moved with Yingjie to Haiyu City several days ago.

This prison was far more advanced than Jianghai City… yes, truly advanced.

Unlike back then, when he had to share a tiny room with two shut-ins.

Now, Jing Yan was living in a single cell! A single cell with a metal door!

What is this called? This is called privacy!

Don't think this small change is nothing—you haven't seen what the main hall is like yet.

First, his expression shifted like a beggar's dog, and he called out loudly: "Yingjie, I'm coming, I'm coming, just putting on my clothes!"

Hearing the muffled complaints outside, Jing Yan slowly rose from bed, walked to the closet, and picked out today's prison uniform.

The new prison uniform resembled school uniforms in style; apart from the conspicuous prison number, its design would make him look like a sharp, trendy young man if worn outside.

Putting on the uniform, he solemnly tied a small tie, then skillfully picked up a tall, empty wine glass from the nearby table, and in his other hand grasped a rose—【82-year-old rose】—that he had exchanged for yesterday using Prison Points… Hmm, 【82-year-old rose】 was merely a prison designation for a rose; in reality, it was just a roadside wildflower, yellow or red, called a rose only by name.

Of course, that didn't matter!

What mattered was…

Creak.

He opened the door, and the fierce, menacing woman came into view.

Jing Yan forced back the urge to tremble, forcing a smile: "Yingjie, you're full of energy today too!"

Yingjie:???

(End of Chapter)