The shelter was now complete. It resembled the compounds of drug lords in the lawless zones of his past life—a collection of separate bamboo houses built on a raised platform.

Qin Fang returned to his room, but as he lay on his bed, his thoughts were still on the tragic state of True Martial City.

In the end, all he could do was let out a soft sigh...

...It was no longer a matter they could interfere in.

The following days returned to a state of peace. They lived in seclusion at the foot of Old Ox Back Mountain, unknown to the outside world.

Qin Fang went "bee fishing" every day. Sometimes he got lucky and hooked two or three, but other times his luck was rotten, and seven or eight might appear at once...

But it didn’t matter. Since he now lived on Old Ox Back, he could decisively give up when he failed and just come back a while later.

This ensured that everyone had Bee Meat to eat every day.

And the effects of the Bee Meat were truly outstanding. His master said it was indeed more potent than a Qi Blood Pill.

Furthermore, because it was a natural food, its medicinal properties were gentle.

The Bee Meat didn’t just have the effect of enhancing Qi Blood; it also had the wondrous effects of beautifying one’s appearance and nourishing the skin.

However...

It wasn’t advisable to eat too much.

Eating too much would cause the energy to accumulate in the body. If it couldn’t be digested in time, it could easily lead to Qi Blood instability, causing harm instead of good.

For Monkey and the three others, as well as the Master’s wife, eating a small piece every ten days was sufficient. Because she didn’t practice Martial Cultivation, the Master’s wife could even eat less... But even so, her health grew stronger and stronger under the nourishment of the Bee Meat. Her complexion was much better than when they had first arrived.

As for his Senior Brother and Master, they ate a piece every three days. This maximized the effects without causing harm to their bodies... During this period, nourished by the Bee Meat, even his Master felt he had improved significantly.

He even felt he could try to break through to the Huajin realm...

But the most astonishing, of course, was Qin Fang.

Because Qin Fang... ate it every single day!

And after taking his pulse, his Master discovered... that after the medicinal effects entered Qin Fang’s body, they were digested with incredible speed. Any residue would slowly disappear by the next day... Nothing would remain at all!

This undoubtedly shocked his Master, who had no idea why this was happening...

But for cultivation, a condition like this was undoubtedly beneficial.

Because he could eat Bee Meat every day, the most intense burst of energy was always perfectly absorbed by Qin Fang...

The next most astonishing was Xile.

Xile could also manage to eat a small piece almost every day.

And in just twenty-odd days, its size had increased once again... Its standing height already exceeded 1.6 meters. When it stood on its hind legs, it was even a full head taller than Qin Fang.

Its fur was like yellow silk. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

...It looked simply miraculous!

Such a miraculous Xile naturally drew the curiosity and attention of his Master and Senior Brother. When they finally discovered Xile’s terrifying speed and strength, they were left dumbfounded.

Monkey exclaimed in shock, "Xile... it’s not going to become a Demon, is it?!"

Xiao Jiu said, displeased, "Brother Monkey, don’t talk nonsense! Even if Xile gets bigger, it will become an auspicious beast, a divine beast... How could it be a Demon?"

She hugged Xile’s head and wrinkled her nose indignantly.

Monkey was instantly rendered speechless and could only give an awkward laugh.

...Among everyone, Xile’s relationship was undoubtedly best with its master, Qin Fang.

After him, it was Xiao Jiu...

Xiao Jiu was always playing with it.

Gradually, Xile grew very close to Xiao Jiu as well.

And so, they gradually began to forget the situation outside, becoming completely accustomed to their life of seclusion.

「In the blink of an eye, late autumn had arrived.」

In the fertile fields outside Li Family Ao, specks of golden grain appeared, but they were mostly choked out by weeds.

It was the season for the autumn harvest.

Unfortunately... there were no people to be seen harvesting.

For the past two days, a continuous drizzle had been falling. The waterfall’s flow had grown stronger, and the humidity throughout the bamboo forest had started to intensify.

Fortunately, Qin Fang had been thorough in his preparations some time ago, finding large amounts of clothing, bedding, and the like...

...Naturally, the Mysterious Power wouldn’t have bothered with such things.

The Master’s wife was very skilled with her hands. She took apart the unusable clothes and bedding they had brought back and re-sewed them, making well-fitted autumn clothes for everyone... and was now working on winter clothes.

So, although the humidity was a bit higher, it didn’t bother them.

RUMBLE!~~

The water of the waterfall crashed down.

Below the falls, on a bare, smooth rock, Qin Fang sat with his eyes closed, enduring the impact of the water and sensing the changes in the Force within his body...

...His Master had suggested that he practice his Standing Pile under the waterfall, and Qin Fang had naturally been happy to comply.

He was naked from the waist up. Though his figure was lean, his muscles were clearly defined. With the slightest exertion, they became like plates of steel, possessing terrifying explosive power.

As the water crashed over him, he deliberately manipulated his Force to push back against the current, creating a counter-shock.

This training elevated his control over his Force to a new level, to the point where he could wield it almost effortlessly, just by willing it.

After another two months of cultivation, his proficiency in the Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile had broken through the 3,000-point mark and was now approaching 4,000...

...He hadn’t slacked off in his cultivation during this time, practicing diligently every day, fueled by a steady diet of fresh Bee Meat.

However, as his Cultivation improved, even though the Bee Meat was still remarkably effective, the rate at which his proficiency increased had gradually slowed down.

Now, a full day of cultivation would increase his proficiency by about 30 to 40 points...

This was much slower than his previous rate of progress.

But he knew that his strength was now considerably greater than when he had first arrived.

The activation of his Force was becoming more and more explosive!

’The essence of "Thunder" is the transition between stillness and motion—from absolute stillness to explosive action.’

’The more extreme my mastery over this transition, the greater the power will naturally be.’

Gradually, he was beginning to grasp the true meaning of "Endless Circulation"...

Two hours later, Qin Fang let out a long breath, and with a single movement, he leaped to the shore.

The Qin Fang of today had clear, defined muscle lines. His handsome face had become more angular and was filled with a masculine air.

Just as he set foot on the bank, two clear voices called out.

"Brother Qin."

"Brother Qin."

Qin Fang turned his head and broke into a smile. "Ah, it’s Qinghe and Xiao Jiu."

It was Monkey’s sister, Chen Qinghe.

And Xiao Qi’s sister, Xiao Jiu.

After starting their Martial Cultivation, the two girls’ postures had become more poised. Combined with eating Bee Meat—which even had beautifying effects—the once somewhat plain young girls were maturing rapidly.

In just two or three short months, they had changed so dramatically that they were almost unrecognizable from the village girls they once were.

One was bright and stunning, the other a demure and gentle beauty...

Each was captivating in her own way.

"Brother Qin, hurry and dry off."

Xiao Jiu ran over first, holding up a towel with sparkling eyes as she offered it to Qin Fang...

Compared to the shy, timid girl he had first met, now that she was completely comfortable around Qin Fang, Xiao Jiu spoke much more freely.

"Thanks."

Qin Fang smiled, accepting it without hesitation.

Qinghe glanced at Xiao Jiu. She was holding a set of clothes, and the moment Qin Fang finished drying his hair, she immediately stepped forward and offered them, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Brother Qin."

Qin Fang paused for a moment, then smiled as well. "Thank you."

As he took the clothes, something caught his eye, and he instinctively glanced down...

It was her chest...

...Bountiful fruit on a slender vine.

It still seemed incredible.

He gave a dry cough and started to get dressed.

Chen Qinghe, her bright eyes fixed on Qin Fang, had naturally not missed his final, furtive glance. The young lady’s face flushed slightly, but then she proudly puffed out her chest and even shot a sidelong glance at Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu’s expression stiffened. She subconsciously lowered her head and pouted, but then she too quickly pushed her chest out forcefully.

Qin Fang didn’t notice the "rivalry" between the two girls. After he finished dressing, he called to them and they returned to the bamboo forest.

The Master’s wife had already prepared a meal and was just waiting for Qin Fang and the two girls.

Once everyone had gathered, they began to eat, chatting idly.

Chen Qinghe and Xiao Jiu sat on either side of Qin Fang, taking turns placing food on his plate with their chopsticks...

Monkey and Xiao Qi exchanged a look, then tacitly turned their heads away.

And so the days passed, one after another.

One day, it snowed.

Winter had begun.

(Done! *Phew*, I kept my promise, heh. I’m completely drained. Going to sleep now, will continue tomorrow! ~Please subscribe!~~)