Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Found a Way to Quickly Farm EXP
"It’s just a competition, Sis. I’m not the one fighting."
"I know." Tangtang sullenly picked up the Bone-cutting Blade and began chopping at a donkey bone with a CHOP, CHOP, CHOP.
She practiced the Eight Vajra Techniques every day, and not long ago, Tang Wen had also taught her Pile Skill Meditation.
With plenty of food and sufficient nutrition,
Tangtang’s strength was now nearly equal to that of an average adult man, and she had even grown taller by half a head.
...
Zhou Bing went door-to-door to notify her subordinates.
Half an hour later, the six other team members, besides her and Tang Wen, walked through the door.
"It smells amazing!"
"Captain, what are you treating us to?"
Treat?
Tangtang’s big eyes narrowed, her gaze turning wary as she watched the group that had just arrived.
’Treating them means they’re expecting to eat and drink for free!’
Zhou Bing shook her head. "This is the meat for the roujiamo."
Hearing this, Tangtang breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good, Sister Bing isn’t a spendthrift like my brother.’
’Otherwise, how would they ever make ends meet in the future?’
Thanks to the promotion by the young Martial Disciples from the Martial Arts Hall, everyone in the Inner City knew about a tasty new snack called roujiamo.
The oldest member of the Hunting Team, Liu Su, spoke up. "Captain, this is a pre-mission team dinner. It’s for team building. The camp can cover the cost."
"Right, right, right! A team dinner, this is a team dinner," the tall Wu Tian quickly chimed in.
Zhou Bing didn’t say anything.
Liu Su quickly asked, "How much for a hundred roujiamo?"
"334 wen. And I’ll throw in 10 jin of soup bones. Consider it a treat from my brother."
Liu Su smiled and shook his head. "That won’t do. One hundred roujiamo, another 20 jin of bones, and three jars of sweet potato wine. Charge us the highest price for everything. We can get it reimbursed."
Highest price?
Reimbursed?
’What a lovely pair of words.’
Tangtang was all smiles, a thoughtful look on her face. It seemed she had just understood something.
’If all this can be reimbursed...’
Her gaze fell upon the wild pheasants and Red-beaked Sparrows that had been stored at home for a long time.
Tang Wen had brought them back in the dead of winter. Now that the weather was getting warmer, they would go to waste if not eaten soon.
’Oh, and there are also some white radishes, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.’
They all needed to be used up. She had originally planned to feed them to their two remaining yellow sheep.
’But now... a group of Martial Disciples and Martial Artists should be able to finish it all, right?’
Inside, eight people sat around a large, square table.
Zhou Bing explained the situation. "This morning, the Black Mountain Camp requested that the gambling fight begin ahead of schedule."
"Our General would agree to that?" This was the doubt on everyone’s mind.
Accepting the challenge without being fully prepared was irrational.
"The Black Mountain Camp said that if we win this time, they’ll let us mine the open-pit coal mine for two and a half years. If they win, they still only get to mine it for two years. The condition is that the competition must be moved up to three days from now."
"Such a huge concession?"
"Why?"
"This has to be some kind of scheme, right?"
Zhou Bing said calmly, "The format of the gambling fight is the same as before. Both sides send their people to fight in turns. It’s the best of eleven rounds."
"The Black Mountain Ghosts must be up to no good!"
"Something definitely feels off. Captain Zhou, you have to be careful!"
Zhou Bing held up a hand to quiet them, and the crowd fell silent.
"There is one difference from before. After winning a match, a fighter can choose to step down or continue fighting until they can no longer go on, or until they die in the ring."
The group fell silent, a hint of worry hidden in their eyes.
As Tang Wen gnawed on a large bone his sister had cooked, his mind was occupied with how to use the remaining three days to increase his strength.
The team members drank their wine and ate their meat, changing the subject.
Zhou Bing quietly pulled Tang Wen out into the courtyard. "Your recruit period isn’t over yet. I have the authority to say you’re sick and excuse you from this operation."
Tang Wen looked into her bright, almond-shaped eyes. He was very tempted, but he knew that running away would only make him a coward.
It was true he was training desperately in martial arts to survive, but he didn’t want to live like a rat, scurrying and hiding from place to place.
Pretend to be sick?
Tang Wen smiled. He had occasionally feigned illness to get out of morning exercises back when he was in school.
Thinking of this, he shook his head. "We’re a team. I’ll participate in this mission. However, I’d like to comprehend the ’Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist Visualization Image’ as soon as possible. Also, Sister Bing, do you know of any clean, safe ponds around here?"
A strange light flashed in Zhou Bing’s eyes. She pondered for a moment before saying, "Comprehending the Visualization Image shouldn’t be a problem. As for a pond... if you just want to bathe, there’s a large bathtub at my home."
As she spoke, she gestured to indicate its size.
It was one of those oval tubs, large enough for two people who were 185 cm tall to lie down in together.
"A tub won’t work. I need a pond deep enough to submerge my entire body. I might need to stay in it for two days."
"There’s a pond in a garden. The water should be relatively clean," Zhou Bing said after thinking for a moment.
"Why don’t we go check it out tonight?" With only three days left, Tang Wen was impatient.
"We can. Now?"
"Yes!" Tang Wen went back inside, shouldered his bamboo basket, grabbed his Tiger Head Steel Blade, said goodbye to his sister, and walked out the door with Zhou Bing.
As they walked, he found the path somewhat familiar.
It seemed to be near the courtyard where the Silver Wolf had been held before.
"Who goes there?"
A Guard stepped out of the darkness.
"Hunting Team One, Zhou Bing."
Zhou Bing stepped forward and said a few words. The Guard looked at Tang Wen’s chest insignia.
After confirming their identities, he let the two of them into the courtyard.
In the courtyard was a pool about the size of a small room, and the water was reasonably clear.
"It was originally used for growing lotus roots."
Zhou Bing directed the Guard to bring over a sheet-iron stove and some dry firewood.
Without any hesitation, Tang Wen stretched a bit, then took off his outer clothes right in front of her, leaving only a pair of shorts on.
Thanks to his formidable Constitution, he didn’t feel the cold too intensely.
But when he bent down, cupped the pond water in his hands, and slowly poured it over himself, the icy stream rapidly stole his body heat. Add to that a blast from the north wind, and the sensation was something else.
Zhou Bing felt a shiver just watching him. She didn’t walk away, her beautiful eyes fixed on Tang Wen. ’Hm, his physique is actually quite nice.’
After several enhancements, Tang Wen’s physical proportions were nearly perfect.
Even at night, and even seen from the side, he was full of charm.
Zhou Bing couldn’t look away. ’Hm, maybe I drank too much earlier. It suddenly feels a little hot.’
It wasn’t until Tang Wen, shivering, stepped into the water with his blade that his eight-pack abs disappeared beneath the surface.
Only then did she slowly turn and leave.
Soaking in ice-cold water on such a freezing day was, naturally, for the sake of his training.
The inspiration for this had come from Elder Jin.
Recently, he had been practicing his Swordsmanship with an Iron Blade that weighed a hundred jin.
The progress bar for his Wind-breaking Blade had been increasing rapidly.
The water surged as Tang Wen thrust and churned with his blade, sending up splashes everywhere.
After one set, [Wind-breaking Blade, Mastery (2815→2826/3000)]
points.
The Wind-breaking Blade only had eight moves, so one set took very little time.
He roughly estimated the time.
He felt there was a chance for a breakthrough.
But even with a breakthrough, it would only mean his Swordsmanship was a little stronger.
CLANG.
He tossed the blade onto the bank and began practicing the Eight Vajra Techniques underwater.
[Eight Vajra Techniques, (5631→5652/6000)]
’Hm, 21 proficiency points.’
Tang Wen moved closer to the edge of the pond and took the Weighted Sand Clothing out of his bamboo basket.
The Sand Robe, weighing several dozen jin, bubbled as it absorbed water. GURGLE, GURGLE. In no time, it was completely soaked. Saturated with water, the Sand Robe now weighed well over a hundred jin.
This made Tang Wen feel much more stable in the water.
Another set of the Eight Vajra Techniques.
The difficulty was greater this time, but his perception of it was also deeper.
The water’s resistance allowed him to clearly feel every muscle engage and to perceive the fluidity of each movement.
[Eight Vajra Techniques, Mastery (5652→5683/6000)]
’The experience points skyrocketed.’
Tang Wen was completely absorbed, oblivious to everything else.
He continued to practice, over and over again.
