Chapter 103 - 98: Big Fool
Chapter 103: Chapter 98: Big Fool
Fang Yue went into the mountains and returned with over two thousand catties of meat.
There were also two deer.
The deer were still alive, so they decided to raise them for now and butcher them in a few days.
With so much meat brought back all at once, Ms. Chen quickly got busy, leading Fang Lan and her eldest daughter-in-law.
Although the eldest daughter-in-law was still a bit weak, she was a country woman, not so delicate.
Of course, Ms. Chen was no wicked mother-in-law; she had originally told Fang Cheng’s wife to rest.
But the woman was sincere. Seeing the whole family bustling about, she couldn’t just sit still.
She offered to help, just doing simple tasks that wouldn’t tire her out.
As for the little one, he was handed over to Father Fang.
There was no farm work to be done, so Father Fang was free anyway. Doting on his grandson was a fine way to pass the time.
As for Fang Cheng, he was naturally put to work.
Cutting the meat into chunks, chopping the bones, drawing water from the well—all the heavy lifting fell to Fang Cheng.
As for Fang Yue, Ms. Chen wouldn’t let him help no matter what he said.
She said he was a Martial Scholar; outsiders had to address him as ’Master’ when they saw him.
How could he possibly do a cook’s work!
But despite her words, Fang Yue took on the task of grilling the meat.
The family had a set of barbecue tools specially forged by a blacksmith in Xiahe County. Hmm, Fang Yue remembered that when he’d commissioned the set, the blacksmith had given him an earful.
He said Fang Yue didn’t know how to live frugally. To use good quality iron to make such a contraption—how many times a year would he even use it?
’Isn’t this a waste of silver? With this much iron, you could have forged several kitchen knives.’
Unexpectedly, the blacksmith had actually spoken the truth.
From the time it was made until now, today was the very first time it had been used.
Fang Yue selected a large piece of tiger meat, about twenty catties worth.
He washed the meat, sliced it, and marinated it with salt. Of course, scallions, ginger, and garlic were also needed.
After marinating for half an hour, he skewered the meat slices with iron rods, fired up the charcoal, and began to grill.
High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.
Other than the marinade, Fang Yue used no other seasonings.
A pure farmhouse flavor—all-natural and untainted.
Before long, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air.
"Zhi’Er, what is this? Why does it smell so good?" Father Fang happened to return just then, holding his grandson who couldn’t walk yet.
Catching a whiff of the fragrance, he immediately sidled up to Fang Yue.
Even the little one in his arms stared at the meat on the grill with bright, black eyes, a bit of drool trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Fang Yue teased the little one for a moment, then handed a skewer of grilled meat to Father Fang:
"Dad, have a taste."
"Zhi’Er, don’t give it to him. He vanished first thing in the morning and didn’t even know to come and help." Ms. Chen’s eyebrow twitched. Father Fang glanced at the skewer in his hand and didn’t dare take the first bite.
At the same time, Father Fang complained silently in his heart.
’Seriously? Weren’t you the one who told me to go out and watch the child? Said I was a rough man who’s no good at chores?’
However, Father Fang didn’t dare to talk back to Ms. Chen.
He quickly trotted over to Ms. Chen and offered her the skewer.
"That’s more like it. But since Zhi’Er gave this to you, you can have it first." Ms. Chen took the skewer, then handed it back to Father Fang.
So much for grand gestures of respect and treating each other like honored guests.
A farming couple didn’t have so many formalities; they simply supported each other through thick and thin.
Watching this scene, Fang Yue couldn’t help but smile faintly.
At noon, the main course was naturally the grilled meat, which everyone ate with some flatbread and a side of noodle soup.
In the afternoon, the bustle continued.
They had to process the ingredients—drying what could be made into jerky and pickling what needed to be preserved. It had to be done quickly, or the meat would spoil.
As for Fang Yue, he returned to his own courtyard.
’What is this thing? I feel like I’ve seen a description of this stone somewhere before.’
Fang Yue took out the pale yellow stone.
At first, he hadn’t thought much of the stone that gave him a strange feeling, but now he recalled that he must have seen a description of it somewhere.
’Here it is. "Pale yellow in color, warm to the touch, and imbued with a profound, heavy charm. This is an Earth Elemental Stone."’
Following his memory, Fang Yue found the book, *Earth Element True Skill*, and sure enough, he found a similar description inside the manual.
To cultivate this True Skill, one had to wait until achieving Great Success in Marrow Transformation and Qi Blood Derivation. Then, relying on one’s formidable physique, one had to forcefully sense and capture Earth Element Qi.
But in reality, every Cultivation Technique in the world has a shortcut.
The shortcut for this Earth Element True Skill was to use an Earth Elemental Stone. The Elemental Stone contained abundant Earth Element Qi, which could be used to cultivate the Earth Element True Skill.
’What is Qi Sensing? Why does it come after the Four Martial Arts Gates?’ Fang Yue didn’t know the answer to this.
After all, back at the White Tiger Boxing Hall, even Hall Master Zheng himself had not reached the level of Qi Sensing.
He had only heard that the hall’s eldest senior brother, Hall Master Zheng’s first disciple, held an important post in the Prefecture City Guard Army.
It was said that when this senior brother left years ago, he had already achieved Great Success in Marrow Transformation. Given his Talent, he might have already reached Qi Sensing by now.
’As long as I absorb and refine the Earth Element Qi within it, I can advance to the Qi Sensing stage ahead of schedule.’
Fang Yue gripped the Earth Elemental Stone, pressed it against his Dantian, and gazed at the words in the Secret Manual. He could no longer hold back his excitement.
He began his attempt at once.
Clutching the Earth Elemental Stone tightly, he followed the method described in the *Earth Element True Skill*. Fang Yue used his spirit to stir his Qi and blood, which began to surge and circulate ceaselessly around his Dantian.
As his Qi and blood flowed, Fang Yue felt a strange power slowly seeping into his body.
It mixed with the circulating Qi and blood before finally gathering near his Dantian.