Chapter 73: Chapter 73: My Lord, Let Us Serve You for the Night
Tang Wen found Brother Li in the Outer City.
Brother Li immediately led Tang Wen to a warehouse and brought out several bags of saltpeter he had recently acquired.
"Good. Keep buying," Tang Wen said, tossing him another silver ingot.
Back home, under the curious gazes of the women, Tang Wen had the saltpeter brought inside. He prepared a large wooden basin, filled it with water, and then placed a smaller, water-filled round basin inside it.
SPLASH.
He picked up the bag of saltpeter and poured it into the wooden basin.
To the women’s astonishment, a chilly mist formed around the large basin, and the water in the smaller basin gradually froze solid.
"What is this?"
"What’s going on?"
"Brother, could it be... your ability has awakened?"
Tang Wen chuckled. "If this were my ability, it would be pretty useless."
He took out the finished block of ice and stored it in the cellar.
Under his guidance, Tangtang used a fresh set of basins and successfully made another reasonably uniform, round block of ice.
The young woman was so happy she jumped for joy.
Zhou Bing pointed to the few remaining bags of saltpeter. "We’re using it up so fast. What will we do when it’s all gone?"
Tang Wen just smiled, then lit a fire to evaporate the water from the saltpeter solution.
The saltpeter crystallized once more.
Zhou Bing and the other women were amazed.
An idea struck Tangtang. "With this, we can sell iced water in the summer!"
Her eyes sparkled, as if she could see countless copper coins flying toward her.
Tang Wen shook his head. "There’s a severe drought this year, and food is hard to preserve. We’ll have to share this method for making ice eventually."
The young woman was a little disappointed, but she didn’t say anything.
She happily went back to playing with the saltpeter.
Saltpeter wasn’t a rare substance. Leaving aside the saltpeter mines in the mountains, even without them, the white powder found near the corners of walls by latrines and stables contained saltpeter.
Therefore, ice could be made anywhere people lived.
As evening fell, Tangtang led Cui Lian, Xiaoliu, and Peach Blossoms to start preparing dinner.
They made meat-stuffed flatbread, stewed mutton, braised wild boar trotters, and a side of wild vegetables...
The three women, who had grown up in the village and eaten little more than chicken, duck, or goose their entire lives, were utterly shocked.
’Is this the luxurious life of Master Tang Wen?’
Cui Lian’s daughter, a little girl named Taotao, was holding a large roasted sweet potato and happily munching away.
For them, today had been an eye-opening experience. First, they had been chosen by the handsome Commander Tang Wen, just as they’d wished.
Then, for the first time in their lives, they had ridden in a carriage and seen more people than their entire village contained.
They had seen the magnificent camp, the spacious courtyard, and the cellar.
The thought of living here from now on made the three of them feel as if they were in a dream.
From the bottom of their hearts, they secretly resolved to serve Master Tang Wen to the best of their abilities.
’As for Commander Zhou Bing... she’s Master Tang Wen’s fiancée. Serving Master Tang Wen well is the same as serving her!’
Once the food was ready, it was brought to the table.
However, Cui Lian and the other two women refused to come to the table to eat.
They said their village chief had instructed them that this was the etiquette of a great household and that they must abide by it, or they could be kicked out.
Tang Wen was speechless. He had no choice but to set aside a portion of the food for them and have them eat in the kitchen.
After the four women finished eating and cleaning the kitchen, they hurried back to the main hall to help Tang Wen and the others clear the table.
It seemed they had truly settled into their roles as servants.
The guileless, loyal kind of maid, who thought only of their master’s well-being.
Now that he was back at the camp, Tang Wen’s life returned to its normal routine.
That night, after training late, Tang Wen was just about to go to bed.
"Master," a pleasant woman’s voice called from outside the door.
"Yes, come in."
He felt a little conflicted. ’I can withstand anything... except temptation.’
CREAK.
The door opened.
Peach Blossoms, Xiaoliu, and Cui Lian entered together.
Peach Blossoms carried a pot of hot water, Xiaoliu held a towel, and Cui Lian carried a wooden basin.
’Oh, they’re here to wash my feet.’
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief, yet at the same time, felt a strange twinge of disappointment.
As if they had planned it, Cui Lian knelt, lifted Tang Wen’s foot, and placed it in the wooden basin.
Peach Blossoms, the tallest of the three, stood behind Tang Wen and began kneading his shoulders.
Xiaoliu occasionally added more hot water, and at other times, poured water for him.
Tang Wen leaned back in his chair, relaxing his body.
’So this is the life of a feudal lord!’
’Oh, right. I *am* the camp’s Commander!’
’I suppose I deserve this kind of treatment, then.’
Outside, Zhou Bing walked past the door, dressed in a moon-white robe.
She saw the scene, smiled unconcernedly, and turned to go back to her room.
Tang Wen summoned his Experience Panel to distract himself.
[Name: Tang Wen]
[Age: 15]
[Body: 8.65]
[Essence: 9.2]
[Martial Arts Realm: Third-class Martial Artist]
A new entry had appeared—"Martial Arts Realm."
This entry had only appeared after he became capable of channeling Cannon Fist Power through a weapon.
Generally speaking, being able to unleash Cannon Fist Power in battle was considered the entry point to becoming a Martial Artist.
Being able to unleash Power through a weapon twice consecutively meant one had firmly stepped into the ranks of a Third-class Martial Artist.
A Second-class Martial Artist was required not only to unleash Power through their hands and weapons, but also to channel Power into their legs for five or more consecutive high-speed bursts.
To put it bluntly, it meant being able to burst away to escape or rapidly charge into battle at a critical moment!
As for a First-class Martial Artist, they had to be able to infuse their entire body with Power.
Fists, palms, elbows, shoulders, knees... every part of the body had to be capable of unleashing multiple, consecutive bursts of Explosive Force to take an enemy’s life when needed.
Upon reaching this stage, one would visualize Power circulating throughout the body.
Mental Meditation would link with the body’s muscular Power.
The Martial Artist’s root marrow would then gradually be affected.
This was the meaning behind the saying: "Refine the root marrow from within; as the root marrow transforms, one awakens the Extraordinary."
But among all the Martial Artists in the world, those who could reach this step were few and far between.
Many youthful geniuses became Martial Artists at an early age, yet never managed to awaken the Extraordinary in their entire lives.
They remained mere Martial Artists for their entire lives.
But once a Martial Artist underwent that metamorphosis and became Extraordinary, the increase in their strength was a quantum leap.
The power of their Cultivation Techniques was comparable to the evolution from bladed weapons to firearms.
Their lifespan would also increase dramatically.
Even in old age, when their vitality waned, they would still possess remarkably potent combat strength.
Killing several First-class Martial Artists would be a simple matter for them.
Tang Wen recalled the previous night’s battle.
Relying on his monstrous Constitution and Essence, his combat power was far greater than that of an ordinary Third-class Martial Artist.
Against a Second-class Martial Artist, as long as he could withstand their initial burst, he could wear them down. Then, relying on his powerful endurance, he could unleash continuous bursts to overwhelm them.
But that was his limit. Defeating them was easy, but killing them was very difficult.
His fight against Fourth Master was a perfect example.
While running at high speed, it was difficult for him to unleash the full power of his Expert Level Flying Locust Stone skill.
He could only engage in a battle of attrition, and even then, he couldn’t guarantee a victory.
SNIP, SNIP.
The sound pulled Tang Wen from his thoughts. He looked down and saw such a deep... er, such a fair... It was Cui Lian, her smooth, fair forehead bowed in concentration as she trimmed his toenails.
She had a serious expression on her face, as if she were performing some crucial task.
He chuckled softly and went back to checking his skills.
[Skills: Farming...]
[Flying Locust Stone, Expert (3799/6000)]
[Wind-breaking Blade, Expert (1517/6000)]
[Flying Knife Skill, Mastery (2033/3000)]
[Eight Vajra Techniques, Expert (6219/18000)]
[Earth Fire Stance (Meditation), Mastery (2831/3000)]
[Archery, Master (300/1000)]
[Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist, Master (1917/3000)]
[Mixed Element Stance, Master (269/3000)]
[Traceless Step, Mastery (1412/3000)]
[Hard Qigong, Master (909/1000)]
[Breathing Technique, Beginner (411/500)]
[Tracking Technique, Master (11/1000)]
[Riding Skill, Master (111/1000)]
[Hunting Traps...]
"Master, it is late. Shall we help you to bed?" Cui Lian said, looking up with flushed cheeks.
In an instant, all of Tang Wen’s sleepiness vanished.
