Pile Method, Fist Technique, Sword Skill, Flying Knife... his progress in all of them was excellent.

’This Golden Finger is really powerful. As long as I have enough resources, I see changes almost every day.’

...

By April, the flowers of the plains had faded, yet in the mountains, the peach blossoms were just beginning to bloom.

Time slipped by, and soon it was April. After a clap of spring thunder, all of life began to reawaken, and the weather grew noticeably warmer.

Qin Fang shed his heavy winter clothes for a lighter tunic.

After the initial panic and desolation caused by the demon attacks, the market was slowly starting to come back to life...

Life doesn’t stop just because you’re facing hardship.

No matter how great the danger, it was nothing compared to the need to survive.

’When you thought about it, even though the demons were dangerous, the river wasn’t exactly peaceful before they appeared.’

’There were also the rampant Water Pirates.’

’Survival was just as difficult for the fishermen either way.’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’Now there were demons, but fewer Water Pirates... After all, even Water Pirates were afraid of demons. So, in a way, it might have actually become safer.’

Especially since the rumors of Treasure Fish appearing in the river were spreading far and wide...

In truth, this was a rumor that Xu Meng had deliberately started.

There was no other way. The fish market in Fisherman City was too deserted. If Xu Meng didn’t find a way to motivate the fishermen, the market might as well have shut down for good.

Now, spurred on by the news of the Treasure Fish, the fishermen’s enthusiasm for heading out onto the river was rekindled, and the market grew bustling once more.

The once-deserted docks were again filled with numerous boats and sampans.

The members of the Fish Dragon Gang were all smiles... The more people there were, the more money they made, wasn’t that right?

After finishing his training for the day, Qin Fang went to the market as usual to look for the Hunter. It had been over a month, but the man had yet to reappear.

But of course, Qin Fang wasn’t one to give up easily. He searched the market every day, hoping to find him...

Not much was left of the five hundred-plus pounds of Pig King Meat; he had cured it all into salted meat.

After curing the meat, he noticed a distinct drop in his daily proficiency gain... It had now fallen to twenty-eight points per Qi Blood Pill.

’Now I can be sure. It’s the Pig King Meat that’s increasing my proficiency.’

’Fresh Pig King Meat works better. After being cured, the effect is clearly diminished.’

His Pile Method had now reached the Great Success Stage, with a proficiency of five thousand.

’I take two Qi Blood Pills a day now, which gets me about sixty to seventy proficiency points in total. At this rate, in just over two months, I could break through to the Late Mingjin Stage... or even... Anjin!’

But to be honest, he still had no real concept of just how powerful an Anjin master truly was.

He’d thought he’d get a glimpse of that power when he went to kill Wang Hu... but Wang Hu had ended up dead by other means, so he never got the chance.

’I only know that Anjin Martial Artists are definitely much stronger than Mingjin Martial Artists... but in what way? And what exactly is Anjin, anyway?’

Qin Fang really had no idea.

’But the situation in True Martial is treacherous right now, and Master is caught in the whirlpool that is Huichun Hall... Even though my senior brother said Master wouldn’t be dragged into it.’

’But who could really be sure about something like that?’

’...My senior brother also said Huichun Hall was powerful enough to resolve the trouble on its own.’

’And what happened?’

And so, Qin Fang felt an urgent need to become stronger.

Only then, if his master ever truly ran into trouble, would he not be forced to just watch helplessly from the sidelines, powerless to help.

His master’s kindness to him was immeasurable, and his master’s wife treated him like her own son. From them, for the first time since crossing over to this world, Qin Fang felt a warmth and familial love that had all but vanished from his life.

’...I can never go back to my real home. I have to protect my ’family’ in this world.’

That was why he wouldn’t easily pass up any opportunity to grow stronger, faster.

’...Except for the Treasure Fish, of course.’

’That’s too dangerous.’

’But if there was something good to be found in the mountains, that might be worth a try...’

But after a full circuit of the market, there was still no sign of the Hunter, and Qin Fang felt a pang of disappointment.

’...Did twenty-odd taels of silver last him for over a month? Did he not need to hunt at all?’

’Or... had something bad happened to him?’

The thought made Qin Fang frown slightly.

’...Twenty-four taels of silver was no small sum in this world. If someone had been watching them back then... it was hard to say what might have happened.’

’Still, the Hunter looked like he had some skill, and he had people with him... After all, there were five or six powerfully built hunters weighing the pork for me back then. They must have been part of the same group.’

’Logically, they should have been fine...’

"Scram!"

As he was thinking, a harsh shout from nearby suddenly snapped Qin Fang back to his senses.

He instinctively looked over and saw several Fish Dragon Gang members in front of a nearby stall, glaring furiously at a few men and ordering them to leave.

The men being shouted at were a few ruffians in simple tunics and crooked hats, who looked like trouble at a single glance.

Their faces flushed with anger, and one of them blustered, "What gives the Fish Dragon Gang the right to be so tyrannical? We’re looking for him. We haven’t broken any of your rules, so what business is it of yours?"

Hearing this, one of the gang members’ faces darkened as he sneered, "Fuck off. The entire Fisherman City is under our Fish Dragon Gang’s control now. What we say is the law!"

"Our boss has spoken. From now on, your Hometown Gang is not allowed to exist in Fisherman City! We don’t care how you throw your weight around in your own villages. But in Fisherman City, everyone who sets up a stall here is under the Fish Dragon Gang’s protection! Anyone who dares to form a Hometown Gang is just courting death!"

The gang member’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the ruffians, their expressions shifting. "Consider this me asking nicely. Scram. Keep this up, and don’t blame me for getting rough."