Chapter 17: Ye Meng

Sun Yuan accompanied Fang Che home, then spoke briefly with Fang Qianyi before departing.

He told her that Fang Che was perfectly capable of training on his own for now, so he was going out in search of natural treasures for him.

Fang Qianyi was very interested in the unconscious girl that her son had brought home, and she arranged for her to rest in her room under the care of her maidservants, Qiu Xue and Dong Mei.

However, she didn't feel content to leave Ye Meng in the care of the two maidservants, so she personally fed her a pill before massaging her body to aid in her recovery.

After that, she wiped down Ye Meng's body with a warm towel as she mused gleefully to herself, "My son really has picked up quite a fine beauty!"

She looked around in a sneaky fashion to ensure that there was no one else present, then murmured to herself, "Let me examine her injuries..."

With that, she conducted a physical examination, all the way from head to toe, including her face, neck, shoulders, chest, lower abdomen, backside, thighs...

Her smile grew wider and wider the more that she saw.

"She has a nice rack, her ass is quite supple, and she's still a virgin! What a great find!"

She then cleared her throat as she put on a concerned expression and sighed, "Her injuries are very severe..."

Right at this moment, Qiu Xue stepped into the room to deliver a bowl of medicine, and Fang Qianyi departed after instructing Qiu Xue to take good care of Ye Meng.

Neither she nor Qiu Xue noticed that Ye Meng's cheeks had become slightly flushed with embarrassment.

Only that night did Ye Meng finally awaken from her feigned state of unconsciousness, and it took three days before she was able to move around.

Fang Che had been training this entire time.

There were many cultivation arts that he had to practice, so he had virtually no free time at all.

He was practicing all of the saber, sword, spear, and halberd techniques in the Boundless Sutra.

He had only selected some of the abilities and skills from his past life to train while abandoning the rest.

Many of the cultivation arts from his past life were simply of too low a caliber to be worth practicing again, while some were too distinctive and could arouse suspicions if displayed in the presence of old opponents and comrades from his past life.

He was determined to keep his own identity a secret, even if it meant he were struck down by his own allies.

Of course, he didn't want to lose his life before he fulfilled his ultimate objective, so he was cultivating with a level of diligence that would've astonished anyone.

As opposed to cultivating, it was more like he was treating himself like a piece of raw iron that had to be forged.

In particular, he was meticulously studying the saber, sword, spear, and halberd forms in the Boundless Sutra, all of which were the most fundamental of forms, but there was immense variety.

For example, in the sword category, there were many forms outlined just in drawing one's sword alone.

There was the normal draw, the left-side draw, the right-side draw, the handheld scabbard draw, the flying scabbard draw...

Fang Che couldn't help but be stunned by how comprehensive the collection of forms was.

Other fundamental forms in the sword category included the thrust, the slash, the parry, the uppercut, the chop...

Every single form had dozens of times more methods of execution than the number of sword-drawing forms, and the same applied to the saber, the spear, and the halberd as well.

There were no techniques, only individual, fundamental forms, but they were the most textbook and correct forms conceivable.

Fang Che knew that this was the work of a true master, and that if he could master all of these forms, then he would be able to learn any weapon techniques with ease. In fact, he would be so unfathomably proficient in his fundamentals that he could simply react in battle without the need for any techniques.

He had memorized all of the forms, but he was still countless repetitions of practice away from full mastery.

Once he achieved full mastery, he would be able to master all of the cultivation arts imparted upon him by Sun Yuan with ease, including his signature Soaring Saber Techniques and even Yin Shengong's Seven Blood Spirit Swords.

His secondary priority below practicing these forms was cultivating Cool as Ice and the Covert Shapeshifting Technique.

Even with Fang Che's prodigious talents, simultaneously working on so much at once was an extremely difficult task, and his daily schedule was as follows:

Wake up at dawn, practice the fundamental saber, sword, spear, and halberd forms for four hours.

Have breakfast, enhanced by spirit beast flesh and medicinal dishes.

Practice the Soaring Saber Techniques and Seven Blood Spirit Swords for four hours.

Lunch.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Practice the Soaring Saber Techniques and Seven Blood Spirit Swords for four hours.

Dinner.

Cultivate the Covert Shapeshifting Technique and Cool as Ice for four hours.

Midnight snack.

Sleep while cultivating the Boundless Sutra.

In the process, he was taking all types of pill and using any and all cultivation resources that he could get his hands on.

After seven days, he had progressed to become a sixth-rank Warrior.

Progressing two ranks in just half a month was nothing short of astonishing, even for the most talented of prodigies, but Fang Che wasn't satisfied in the slightest.

On the contrary, there was a constant sense of urgency weighing down upon him, and he didn't know if he would be able to secure the top rank in the entrance examinations.

There were countless prodigies from clans more powerful than his own, and they had access to the best cultivation arts, as well as premium cultivation resources from birth.

The only advantages that he had over them were his Boundless Sutra, the fundamental saber, sword, spear, and halberd forms, and his prodigious potential, but all of those advantages required time to manifest themselves!

Hence, time was of the essence, and he didn't dare to relax for even a single moment.

***

On this day, Fang Che was training when he sensed someone watching him, and he turned to discover a frail figure shuffling her way out of the room with great difficulty.

She shuddered as if startled by Fang Che's gaze, and just like his mother, Fang Che was also quite pleased with what he saw.

It had to be said that Ye Meng had a very distinctive appearance. She was already quite a beauty, despite her tender age, and her figure was outstanding as well, albeit a little thin and frail.

Her most distinctive feature was her eyes, which were large and round and extremely adorable.

She was actually already nineteen years of age, but those eyes that made her constantly appear like a deer in headlights were what allowed her to easily pass off as sixteen.

Fang Che observed her in silence with a cold gaze.

Ye Meng mustered up some courage, then greeted in a timid manner, "Ye Meng pays her respects to Young Master Fang and thanks him for saving her life."

Fang Che nodded as he set down his spear and remarked, "So you've already heard your new name."

"Yes."

Her voice was soft and delicate, and her innocent and helpless eyes gave her a pitiable appearance.

"I purchased you from the brothel, so you're mine now. Are you aware?"

"I am."

"From now on, fulfill your duties diligently, don't do anything that you shouldn't do, and don't think about anything that you shouldn't consider, understood?"

"Yes, Young Master."

"Go and clean yourself up, and make sure to recover as soon as possible. I'm not keeping you around to lie in bed all day."

"Yes."

Fang Che was all but certain that she was a spy from the Protectionists, and with that in mind, he pulled out a Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit and instructed, "Here, this is for you to eat."

Ye Meng's heart sank slightly upon seeing this.

Is this fruit something that the Church of the Self-Righteous uses to control people? Is it some type of poison?

Despite her internal conflict, she displayed no hesitation as she accepted the fruit. "Thank you, Young Master."

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Fang Che asked in a cold voice.

Ye Meng's heart sank even further.

Clearly, she wouldn't be allowed to leave unless she ate the fruit in Fang Che's presence.

A determined look appeared in her eyes as she thought of her mission, and she promptly devoured the fruit without any complaints.

Fang Che watched her devour the fruit, and he was quite impressed with her mental fortitude.

After the fruit was eaten, he paid no further heed to her and continued in his training.

Even though the Protectionists viewed him as a terrorist, he saw all of the Protectionists as allies and comrades that he held dear to his heart, so he was more than willing to spare Ye Meng a Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit.

Even if she weren't actually a spy for the Protectionists, she was still his maidservant, and there was certainly no harm in nurturing a strong helper.

Hence, regardless of where her alliance laid, as long as she wasn't a member of the One Heart Church, giving her the fruit would've been a worthy investment.

There were a total of nine Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit, seven of which had been consumed by Fang Che, Fang Qianyi, and Ye Meng, leaving only the final two, which Fang Che was keeping for Fang Qingyun.

The Fang Clan treated him and his mother like true family, and they deserved reciprocation.

Thankfully, Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit were natural treasures that could be kept far longer than normal fruits.

However, Fang Qingyun had to return soon. Fang Che had no way of sending these fruits to the warrior academy, and he would have no way to explain them anyway.

If Fang Qingyun didn't return in the near future, then the fruits would lose their potency.

***

Ye Meng didn't know what she had just eaten, but she could sense that ever since she consumed that fruit, the injuries that she had intentionally inflicted upon her own internal organs had begun rapidly healing, and it didn't take long at all before a full recovery was made.

Furthermore, minute changes were taking place in her body.

Her aptitude was improving, and impurities were being driven out, while the residual internal injuries from her training and past battles had been completely erased.

It was as if she had been reborn anew!

It hadn't been poison, after all!

Instead, it had been some type of premium natural treasure!

Beneath this frail facade of hers was a formidable warrior at the pinnacle of the Great Grandmaster Tier, placing her cultivation base above even Fang Qianyi's, and she was one step away from reaching the General Tier!

Her innate physical constitution and the cultivation arts that she was using were both granted her exceptional concealment properties. In particular, her cultivation arts were unmatched when it came to concealing the user's cultivation base, and even an Emperor wouldn't be able to glean her cultivation base unless she were forced into battle.

However, here she was, on the cusp of being exposed by a fruit!

She immediately returned to the room, and she was already beginning to reek of the impurities being secreted out of her body.

She hurriedly stripped off her clothes, then ran herself a hot bath, and she was feeling more and more astonished by the second.

As a warrior, she was naturally aware of the benefits of cleansing one's body.

If she weren't mistaken, she had just been fed either a Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit, a Celestial Marrow Cleansing Fruit, or an Immortal Spirit Vermilion Fruit, all three of which were legendary fruits!

How was it possible that Fang Che had given her something so precious? It didn't make sense!

The most pressing concern here was that she was about to make a breakthrough, during which she would be unable to conceal her cultivation base.

She didn't dare to get out of the bath as her internal condition was so volatile that even a stiff breeze could likely trigger a breakthrough!

Right at this moment, Fang Che's disgruntled voice rang out from outside.

"How long are you going to stay in there for? Hurry up!"

"Almost done," Ye Meng replied, her voice trembling in anxiety.

What do I do? My cover is about to be blown!