Chapter 100 - 96: Marrow Transformation
Chapter 100: Chapter 96: Marrow Transformation
’A direct descendant from a major family, all right. Carrying five thousand taels in silver banknotes on him.’
He sorted through the remaining belongings of the two men who had tried to rob him.
Between the two of them, they had just over thirty taels in silver coins, a single nice-looking jade pendant, and a stack of silver banknotes.
In total, there were twenty-five notes, each worth two hundred taels, for a total of five thousand taels.
This meant Fang Yue’s trip to buy the Secret Medicine had basically cost him nothing. In the end, he had actually made a profit of several thousand taels.
He could only wish for a few more of these walking treasure troves to come his way.
Finally, he found a letter on the taller one, Wang San.
’The letter is from his father in the Prefecture City, telling him to take advantage of the low land prices and buy more land.’
Fang Yue frowned slightly after reading the letter.
’So, does this mean the drought—caused by the strange water shortage that has plagued the entire Shanyang Prefecture for over two years—is about to end?’
After killing the two men from the Wang Family, Fang Yue had taken a roundabout path back. Along the way, he sought out some local villagers to ask about the Wang Family.
He learned that the Wang Family was a dominant power within Wenxi County and one of its largest landowners. He’d also heard that their influence wasn’t just limited to the county; they even had family members serving as high-ranking officials in the Prefecture City.
An ordinary person might not know the name of the County Magistrate, but it was impossible not to know of the Wang Family.
At most, offending the County Magistrate would get you a caning and a prison sentence.
But if you offended the Wang Family, you might not live to see the sunrise.
In a way, this was how it was supposed to be.
This was exactly the kind of tyrannical, powerful family that preyed on the common folk, just like in the memories from his past life.
Fang Yue was just lucky he hadn’t run into such vicious local despots back when he was still weak.
’Officials in the Prefecture City, buying up farmland... a local power like this often gets information faster than the local Government Office. Maybe the situation really is about to improve.’
Fang Yue mulled it over. He couldn’t be certain based on a single letter alone.
However, if that really was the case, then it meant the Government Office—or more likely, the higher authorities in the Prefecture City—actually knew the cause of this strange water shortage all along.
’Looks like the waters in this world run deep, too.’
Fang Yue reflected for a moment, then promptly burned the letter.
Whether the water shortage was resolved completely or simply eased in the near future, it would be a good thing.
~~~~~~
That evening, Ms. Chen had once again cooked a table full of dishes, though it consisted entirely of vegetables with no meat.
"Zhi’Er, you’ve gotten so thin these past few days! Hurry and eat more." Fearing that Fang Yue hadn’t eaten well and had lost weight while he was away, Ms. Chen relentlessly piled food onto his plate.
She even pushed half of the vegetable pancakes in front of Fang Yue.
There was no more meat in the house, so they could only make some vegetable dishes and flatbread.
They still had a few chickens, but those were needed for their eggs to supplement the diet of Fang Cheng’s wife.
"Mother, in a couple of days I’ll go into the mountains and hunt some game to bring back," Fang Yue said to Ms. Chen during the meal.
There wasn’t much meat left at home. Because of the grain shortage, people couldn’t even feed themselves, so naturally, no one in the village was raising pigs or poultry anymore.
Even the pigs Fang Yue’s own family had been raising had long since been slaughtered.
The truth was, Fang Yue had long grown accustomed to eating meat.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t live without it, but since he had the means, Fang Yue saw no reason to deny himself.
He was a Martial Artist now. It was fine when he wasn’t training or fighting.
But when he trained or fought, the energy expenditure was immense, and ordinary food was hardly enough to replenish what he lost.
He had to eat meat.
Besides, his little nephew’s first birthday was coming up soon, and they might need to host a small celebration.
Given the current state of affairs, it certainly wouldn’t be a grand affair—they’d only invite close relatives. But even so, they couldn’t just serve vegetables and flatbread. A few hearty meat dishes would make the occasion feel much more proper.
"The mountains are too dangerous. Why don’t you... just not go?" Worry immediately clouded Ms. Chen’s face.
She was truly terrified. The recent trouble Fang Yue had gotten into left her with a lingering sense of dread.
Even on this latest trip, she had been on pins and needles for days. Only when Fang Yue returned safely was she able to breathe a sigh of relief.
And now, Zhi’Er had only just returned home and eaten a hot meal, and he was already talking about going into the mountains again.
Hunting in the mountains isn’t safe, either.
How could Ms. Chen not be worried?
In truth, this was a classic case of "once bitten, twice shy." Fang Yue had one mishap, and now Ms. Chen was worried sick about him.
"Mother, it’s alright. I’ll be careful."
Naturally, Fang Yue had to reassure her repeatedly. He first promised he would prioritize his own safety, then added that the hunt was also to ensure her grandson could grow up strong and healthy.
Adults could get by eating vegetarian every day, but her grandson couldn’t. The few chickens they had at home simply couldn’t provide enough nutrition.
And Zhi’Er himself needed to keep up his nutrition for his martial arts training.
Once she understood all this, Ms. Chen finally relented.
~~~~~~
Later that night, back in his own courtyard, Fang Yue first reviewed the Marrow Transformation stage of his Fist Technique. Once he was sure he could perform it without error, he took out the dose of Bone Marrow Transformation Secret Medicine he had purchased.
The Bone Marrow Transformation Secret Medicine sold by the Government Office was suitable for most Martial Artists. It was highly versatile, and its effects were quite good.
Free distribution and discounted purchases.
These two policies alone were enough to bind Martial Artists to the imperial court’s chariot.
In this way, the Great Wei Dynasty could even form armies composed entirely of Martial Artists. If such a force were clad in Iron Armor, how terrifyingly powerful would they be?
’This must be why the Government Office isn’t concerned about villagers rebelling.’
Pushing these thoughts from his mind, Fang Yue followed the instructions described in the Fist Technique. He consumed the Secret Medicine, then began his training in the Marrow Transformation stage of the White Tiger Fist.
Marrow Transformation. What is Marrow Transformation?
It is the transformation of the body’s bone marrow and the cleansing of the blood. This is the very essence of what is known as Washing Marrow—a complete rebirth, a shedding of one’s mortal coil.