Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2: Strengthening
"Fang Xing, how are you?"
Seeing Fang Xing at the door, Xu Le hurried forward. He noticed the bandage wrapped around Fang Xing’s head and supported him with one arm, his face etched with concern.
Fang Xing shook his head. "I’m fine. I was just unconscious for a little while. I’m much better now."
Hearing this, Xu Le let out a small sigh of relief. He looked at Fang Xing with a disappointed expression. "You kid, you really have a death wish, don’t you? Even though that guy was seriously injured, he’s still a Martial Artist. You charged forward all by yourself. Aren’t you afraid of dying?"
In response, Fang Xing forced a smile and changed the subject. "Did you catch the fugitive?"
Xu Le shook his head. "No, the bastard still got away."
"What a shame..." Fang Xing sighed.
Xu Le looked at him and rolled his eyes. "A shame? Kid, even if you want to earn merit, you have to consider the situation. It took me forever to find you. I thought you were dead."
"Don’t worry, I’m hard to kill," Fang Xing said with a smile.
Xu Le was speechless.
"Alright, you’re injured too. Come back with me for now. I’ll talk to Uncle Xu and get you a couple of days off to rest."
At that, Fang Xing nodded.
He then left the dilapidated farmhouse courtyard with Xu Le.
...
At dusk, Fang Xing and Xu Le returned to the County Town.
Inside the County Town, shops and houses stood in neat rows: restaurants, blacksmiths, pharmacies...
Although it was dusk, the streets were still crowded, with people bustling back and forth, filling the air with a lively atmosphere.
Qingshan County was a county town under the jurisdiction of Jiang Province, with a population of over four hundred thousand.
Qingshan County was divided by the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—and was further subdivided into multiple districts.
East City was the best area, home to the local magnates and the wealthy.
The security and environment there were the best.
Next were the South and West Cities.
Finally, the Northern City Area was mostly inhabited by people from all walks of life, vagrants, and drifters. It was also the most chaotic part of Qingshan County, a breeding ground for many dark and malevolent forces!
...
After parting ways with Xu Le, Fang Xing first went to a pharmacy to have his wound treated, then headed toward the home of his body’s previous owner.
Tongfang District was a district within North City.
After passing through a few streets and alleys, Fang Xing arrived at his destination.
A row of small, blue-tiled courtyards stood along a creek, the sound of gurgling water audible.
The creek was not wide, and its water was clear enough to see the bottom. A few willow trees grew on the bank, their branches dipping into the water and creating ripples.
Arriving at a standalone courtyard on the eastern side, Fang Xing opened the gate and went inside.
The courtyard wasn’t large. It contained two main rooms, a side room, and a small kitchen. There was some clutter along the walls, and an old locust tree stood in the center.
The previous owner’s parents were both dead, leaving him all alone. The place was more than enough for one person.
After a simple meal, Fang Xing went into his room to rest.
He was still injured, and the journey back had been long. He was thoroughly exhausted today.
Lying on the bed inside the room, he fell into a deep sleep.
「Night passed into day.」
The next morning, Fang Xing got up early.
After a night of rest, his injuries had healed significantly, and he felt much more refreshed.
He got up, washed his face, and immediately started making breakfast.
It was a bowl of plain white rice porridge, rather tasteless, but for ordinary people, it was a luxury most families couldn’t afford.
Most common families ate brown rice, millet, and the like. Refined grains like white rice were something they could only afford to eat on rare occasions.
As a single man with a stable government job as a Constable, he was doing alright for himself.
After finishing breakfast, Fang Xing’s gaze swept around, and enhancement information began to appear in his vision, one item after another.
’I wonder how I get Enhancement Points...’
’I know how to enhance things, but I need Enhancement Points to do it. That’s the key.’
With a quick glance, Fang Xing summoned the crimson panel.
Name: Fang Xing
Cultivation: None
Enhancement Level: One-Star (0%)
Enhancement Points: Eleven
"Hm?"
Seeing the change in his Enhancement Points, Fang Xing instantly perked up.
’It increased by one point...’
He looked closely and confirmed that it had indeed increased by one point.
He had specifically checked before going to sleep last night, and it was still ten points. But when he woke up, it had increased by one.
’Could it be that I get one Enhancement Point every day?!’
A thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind as he stared at the crimson panel. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
’One point a day... that’s only a little over three hundred and sixty points a year.’
’How many things can I enhance with that...’
’One point a day... it adds up, so it’s not too bad. But now, I need to think about what to enhance...’
Fang Xing snapped back to reality. After a moment of thought, he looked at a small wooden cabinet by his bed.
He immediately got up and walked over to the small wooden cabinet.
Opening the cabinet, he took out a small bottle.
He opened the bottle, revealing a milky-white powder inside.
Qi and Blood Powder!
It was a medicinal aid used for Cultivation.
It could be used to improve the accumulation of qi and blood, and to strengthen one’s muscles and bones.
Despite its small size, the price was not low—it cost a full one tael of silver to buy.
An ordinary Constable’s monthly salary was only one tael of silver!
Even with some under-the-table income, at the absolute most, they’d make less than two taels of silver a month.
This tiny bottle of Qi and Blood Powder was worth an entire month’s salary.
His predecessor had saved up and scraped by just to buy this bottle of Qi and Blood Powder, but he hadn’t had a chance to use it yet.
[A bottle of ordinary Qi and Blood Powder. Has some enhancement value. Requires ten Enhancement Points to enhance.]
As he stared, an enhancement notification materialized before his eyes.
Seeing the enhancement notification, Fang Xing’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
Ten Enhancement Points!
This was the most points he’d ever seen required for an enhancement.
’Might as well treat it as an experiment...’
Gritting his teeth, Fang Xing immediately chose to enhance it.
In the next instant, a crimson glow emanated from within the bottle.
When the crimson glow faded, the Qi and Blood Powder inside the bottle had vanished.
In its place were small, white pills!
[One bottle of Qi and Blood Powder successfully enhanced. Obtained one bottle of Qi Blood Pills!]
As the words appeared in his vision, Fang Xing’s breathing quickened.
Qi Blood Pills!
These were high-grade Elixirs!
A single Qi Blood Pill was worth a few taels of silver, far surpassing the value of a bottle of Qi and Blood Powder.
There were at least ten Qi Blood Pills in this bottle!
That was dozens of taels of silver!
Using Qi Blood Pills for Cultivation was an absolute luxury for the average person.
Only the powerful and wealthy had the means to afford them.
For an ordinary person, even a single Qi Blood Pill was an extravagant hope.
The effects of cultivating with Qi Blood Pills were more than ten times greater than with Qi and Blood Powder.
An entire bottle of Qi and Blood Powder wasn’t worth a single Qi Blood Pill.
’A fundamental transformation...’
Fang Xing’s eyelid twitched.
This enhanced ability was practically miraculous, turning the mundane into the magical.
’With Elixirs to aid my Cultivation, will improving even be a problem?’
’Can I enhance this again?’ A bold thought surfaced in Fang Xing’s mind.
’If I can keep enhancing it, couldn’t I just keep stacking boosts and ascend to the heavens?!’
Thinking this, Fang Xing stared at the Qi Blood Pills in the bottle again. As he focused his gaze, text once more appeared.
[Current Enhancement Level is insufficient. Unable to perform secondary item enhancement.]
’Enhancement Level is insufficient...’
Looking at the displayed text, Fang Xing turned his gaze to the crimson panel.
Now, he understood the purpose of the Enhancement Level.
Theoretically, as long as his Enhancement Level was high enough, he really could ascend to the heavens by stacking boosts.
However...
As for raising the Enhancement Level... Fang Xing looked at the panel. After the enhancement that created the Qi Blood Pills, it had only increased by one percent.
’At this rate, I’d have to...’
’Perform a hundred enhancements like this one!’
HISS...
’Gaining one Enhancement Point per day, performing one hundred such enhancements... I’d need at least one thousand Enhancement Points for that.’
’By that calculation, it would take nearly three years.’
’Forget it, I shouldn’t think about that for now...’
Fang Xing sighed, then tipped a Qi Blood Pill out of the bottle.
The snow-white pill gave off a refreshing, sweet fragrance.
His throat bobbed, and Fang Xing opened his mouth and swallowed the Qi Blood Pill.
’No reaction? Why is it different from the novels and movies?’
After swallowing the Qi Blood Pill, Fang Xing didn’t feel any particular change.
’Did I do it wrong?’
’There aren’t any prerequisites for taking a Qi Blood Pill, are there?’
Just as Fang Xing was starting to wonder, a warmth surged from his abdomen, spreading through his entire body in the space of a few breaths!
Here it comes!
