Chapter 14: Eating Meat (Seeking Recommendations)
Within the market town.
Fang Xi browsed around, and while he found a few things that caught his eye, he was unfortunately too short on cash to do anything about them.
Especially a fragmented wine-brewing recipe, which made his eyes burn with desire.
“Never mind. . . I can try brewing wine myself anyway. . . I’ll just use spirit bamboo rice as the base material; at worst, I’ll brew a little less at a time. . . ”
“Brewed with spirit rice, it might not have other effects, but it should be decent enough for filling one’s belly and replenishing spiritual energy. . . ”
As Fang Xi was deep in thought, his steps unconsciously led him to the talisman stall.
This was Talisman Master Zong's usual stall; it was purely his body's instinct, hoping to find a hidden gem.
However, Talisman Master Zong was not present today; his Daoist Companion, 'Lu Zhi', was manning the stall instead.
And right by the stall, there happened to be another person.
Fang Xi saw Chen Ping, smiled, and stepped forward to greet him.
“Fellow Daoist Fang. . . ”
Chen Ping’s smile was a little unnatural; after exchanging a few perfunctory words, he quickly left.
“What kind of talismans did Fellow Daoist Chen come to buy? Or was he looking for talisman paper, or spirit sand? ”
Fang Xi watched Chen Ping's retreating back, then thoughtfully inquired of Lu Zhi.
“Hmph, just a lecher. ”
Lu Zhi, with her ample figure and fiery personality—her cultivation having reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement—cursed, saying, “That rascal Chen, with his shifty eyes, when he shamelessly tried to learn talisman drawing from my old man, his gaze always loved to wander. . . ”
“Oh. . . ”
Fang Xi thoughtfully observed Lu Zhi, having to admit that she was indeed a great beauty.
Although she was slightly older, she possessed a mature charm.
‘I didn't expect Chen Ping to have a taste for this. ’
“What about you? If you want to buy talismans, say it quickly! Don't tease this old woman! ” Lu Zhi put her hands on her hips; if it weren't for Fang Xi being a regular customer, she would have started cursing.
“I’m leaving now, leaving now. ”
Fang Xi, an apologetic smile on his face, returned to the spirit farmer's settlement.
Next door, Chen Ping was pacing anxiously in his own courtyard. Seeing Fang Xi return, he immediately went up to him and nervously asked, “Fellow Daoist Fang. . . Did Fellow Daoist Lu say anything? ”
“Nothing, nothing. . . ”
Fang Xi shook his head.
Seeing Chen Ping let out a sigh of relief, Fang Xi suddenly asked thoughtfully, “Has Fellow Daoist Chen ever gone out for some fun? ”
“Uh. . . of course not. ”
Chen Ping’s face immediately flushed crimson, looking exactly like a pure young boy, which made Fang Xi chuckle inwardly.
As an elder, he couldn't help but offer a tip: “As far as I know, Fellow Daoist Hong in ‘Yi’ Character Room Three and Fairy Red Bee in ‘Bing’ Character Room Seventeen of this area are both quite warm and hospitable. . . ”
“Uh. . . I'm not into that. ” Chen Ping immediately waved his hands wildly, but his eyes began darting left and right.
“Haha. . . don't rush, don't rush, just listen first. ” Fang Xi knew that such young men found it hardest to resist the charm of mature women: “These two fellow Daoists, though slightly older in age, are both very understanding. . . ”
“Really? ” When Chen Ping heard the description “slightly older,” his eyes couldn't help but light up, and he looked at Fang Xi as if he had found a kindred spirit.
Seeing this, Fang Xi inwardly chuckled.
The ‘four unbreakable bonds’ of life, after all, are quite applicable even in the interpersonal relationships of the cultivation world.
...
After deepening his friendship with Chen Ping, Fang Xi returned to his room, went down to the basement, and stared blankly at the ten-odd pounds of Taisui meat.
Han Pang Zi was a generous person, having given him a little extra Taisui meat. Now, over ten pounds of meat, two large chunks sitting there, still looked quite imposing.
“Taisui meat, according to Mu Piao Miao, must be cooked before eating. Whether roasted or boiled, either is fine. . . ”
Fang Xi cut off a strip of meat, started a fire, and slowly roasted it.
As the flames roasted it, the pale white Taisui meat began to turn a slight golden-brown, emitting a unique aroma that made one's mouth water.
“So fragrant! I never imagined Da Liang would have such an ingredient? ”
Fang Xi's eyes lit up.
Glancing at the Spring Recovery Talisman and Clear Spirit Pill by his hand, his confidence surged, and he took a fierce bite out of the roasted meat strip.
“Mmm. . . ”
The roasted Taisui meat burst with sweet juices upon entering his mouth. The savory sweetness of the roast continuously stimulated his taste buds, and an indescribable umami flavor spread through his oral cavity, even prompting Fang Xi with an urge to shed tears.
He exhaled the hot air, and before he knew it, he had finished the Taisui meat in a few bites.
The next moment, Fang Xi's expression changed, and he clutched his stomach.
He could feel that the originally incredibly delicious Taisui meat, after entering his stomach, seemed to transform into fiery embers!
The scorching temperature abruptly exploded, flushing against his stomach lining again and again.
The hot currents spread uncontrollably, diffusing into his internal organs, his limbs, and his entire body. . .
Hot!
Though it was clearly early spring, large beads of sweat began to seep from Fang Xi's forehead.
His clothes were already drenched, oozing copious amounts of sweat.
And within his sweat, there seemed to be faint traces of crimson!
“Even the so-called ‘Body Tempering Great Medicine’ of mortal martial artists? It must only be to this extent, right? ”
Fang Xi's insides were churning like a furnace.
“Furthermore, the roasted Taisui meat has such an enticing aroma. One might lose control of their appetite and eat too much. . . And if one eats too much, they will die! ”
“No wonder Han Pang Zi, who sold the meat, worried I’d eat myself to death. . . If it were an ordinary martial artist who had just reached Blood-Qi Transformation, they really might lose control, be tempted to eat a few more bites, and then burst to death. . . ”
Fang Xi was not only a martial artist but also a cultivator.
He stood up, forcibly controlled his muscles with his spiritual sense, assumed a stance, and began cultivating the White Cloud Palm.
Slap! Slap!
His palms instantly turned dark, and with every strike, powerful palm winds rose within the secret chamber.
After less than half an hour, Fang Xi retracted his palms and ceased his practice.
He performed an internal inspection of his body and was immediately surprised and delighted: “My blood-qi actually increased so much all at once? Demonic monster meat truly is a supreme grand medicine for Body Cultivation! ”
After the pleasant surprise, a slight frown appeared: “This medicinal effect is still a bit too fierce. No wonder only Martial Arts Hall Masters dare to eat it regularly; martial artists who have just reached Blood-Qi Transformation only dare to eat a tiny bit when breaking through. . . ”
Through his spiritual sense from the cultivation world, Fang Xi even discovered that these violent blood-qi had caused minor damage throughout his body.
If left untreated, he wouldn't feel anything ordinarily, and it wouldn't even affect his continued martial arts practice.
But once accumulated to a certain extent, it would inevitably erupt violently. This was what was known as “deep-seated problems being hard to reverse. ”
“Fortunately, I can perform an internal inspection of my body. . . I can target the ailment directly and begin healing first. ”
This was the superiority of a cultivator.
Not only the current blood-qi damage, but even some old injuries and toxins accumulated from cultivating the poisonous palm earlier were all found by Fang Xi, then treated and detoxified one by one.
Therefore, his physical constitution far surpassed that of martial artists at the same level, and his condition was incredibly good, beyond imagination.
At this moment, after performing an internal inspection and realizing it was only a minor injury, Fang Xi immediately put away the Clear Spirit Pill and Spring Recovery Talisman.
After all, they cost spirit crystals to buy.
As for such ordinary injuries, he could silently circulate the Evergreen Art to heal himself, and it would take only a few days to completely recover.
The ‘Evergreen Art’ was a basic wood-attribute cultivation method. Although its progress and power were truly ordinary, it at least possessed the healing and health-preserving effects characteristic of wood-attribute cultivation methods.
Thinking this, Fang Xi no longer hesitated. He immediately sat cross-legged and silently circulated his cultivation method.
The ‘Evergreen Art’ was quite balanced and peaceful, and it had healing effects.
After one circulation cycle, he opened his mouth and spat out a small mouthful of black blood.
“Cough cough. . . ”
He took a little water to rinse his mouth, then wiped his mouth while performing an internal inspection, nodding to himself: “Two more times, and it should be almost completely healed. . . ”
“At this rate, I can completely eat Taisui meat once every three days. ”
“With the help of this item, my blood-qi accumulation will be rapid. I might even be able to attempt breaking through to the Martial Arts Hall Master realm next month! ”
If it were Mu Piao Miao, she would absolutely not dare to eat like this, otherwise, before even breaking through, her body would be severely injured and she would die from blood bursting.
“To complete one body tempering in a few months, not bad, not bad. ”
Fang Xi was still very satisfied with this progress.
From when he started practicing martial arts until now, it had only been half a winter's time. After spending another month, he would be able to break into the Martial Arts Hall Master realm.
Martial Arts Hall Masters in the Da Liang world, like Mu Cang Long, whose strength Fang Xi had witnessed, were roughly equivalent to a cultivator who had undergone one body tempering, or to the early stage of Qi Refinement.
“This speed is actually quite astonishing. . . If it were Qi Refinement, being able to break through one level in a few months would already be considered a rare genius, even in the early stages of Qi Refinement. ”
“And if a cultivator who has undergone one body tempering gets close, they are enough to pose a threat to a third-level Qi Refinement cultivator. ”
“Not to mention, after the Martial Arts Hall Master realm, there are even higher realms. ”
Fang Xi finally understood the benefits of Blood-Qi Martial Arts at this moment.
That was speed!
After all, it was a martial art used by mortals for competition and proving strength, so its progress was naturally far faster than cultivation methods!
“If I can break through to realms beyond Martial Arts Hall Master, perhaps I’ll be comparable to a body cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. That would be a huge gain! ”
“More critically, it’s fast to achieve! ”
“If my body can rival a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, then perhaps I can slightly loosen my restraints in Green Bamboo Mountain market town and sell some monster beast meat? ”
Fang Xi's eyes slightly gleamed.
The price of monster beast meat was even higher than spirit rice!
More importantly, acquiring monster beast meat in Da Liang didn't require spirit stones at all, only a little gold and silver. This was pure profit!
As long as he could maintain this, even the resources for his Foundation Establishment in the future could probably be easily accumulated!
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