yasinovel Chapter 84 Pocket Watch
Chapter 84 Pocket Watch
"Let's go back first."
Zheng Yuanpei slammed his cane on the ground and gestured with his chin toward the alley entrance.
"I'll handle Wang Yue's body. It's not good for you, a student, to get too involved."
Fang Shuwen understood.
Zheng Gong meant that this matter wouldn't cause any major trouble; the Wild Wolf Gang leader was killed for resisting arrest, and everyone would believe it if word got out.
Fang Shuwen nodded without saying anything more.
He bent down and checked the items he had found on Wang Yue's body to make sure nothing was missing, then stood up and followed Zheng Yuanpei outside.
Upon seeing this, Zheng Yuanpei couldn't help but chuckle.
He shook his head and walked out of the alley first.
.......
Zheng Mansion.
Fang Shuwen followed Zheng Yuanpei into the study.
The old man sat down in the armchair, leaned his cane against the table, and looked up at him.
"sit."
Fang Shuwen sat down opposite him.
Zheng Yuanpei didn't rush to speak. He first picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea, pushed one to Fang Shuwen, and drank the other slowly himself.
He paused, then took a small blue cloth bag from the drawer and pushed it in front of Fang Shuwen.
"Take this."
"Lord Zheng, this is..."
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please don't refuse."
Fang Shuwen hesitated for a moment before taking the cloth bag.
It feels heavy in your hand, and you can tell what's inside without even opening it.
"Mr. Zheng, there's something I wanted to tell you. I bought a courtyard house on the edge of the concession and plan to have my father move there," Fang Shuwen said.
"fine!"
Zheng Yuanpei nodded, then continued, "However, there's something I need to remind you of."
"Please speak."
"Your current strength is top-tier among Ming Jin practitioners, and you'll likely master it soon. But the hurdle between Ming Jin and An Jin isn't something you can overcome simply by being strong."
He paused, then traced a circle with his finger along the rim of the teacup.
"The key to hidden strength lies not in brute force, but in internal energy. Brute force is static, while internal energy is dynamic. You must learn how to gather and conceal your internal energy, and then release it when you strike."
Fang Shuwen listened attentively; the experience of the senior was very useful.
"Then how should we practice?"
"Internal strength isn't something you train for; it's something you understand. You have to wait for the right opportunity, and your body will develop it on its own."
Fang Shuwen was a little confused: "You can do it all by yourself?"
"right."
Fang Shuwen was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Although he didn't understand much, he remembered it.
An opportunity.
When the opportunity arises, the body will do it on its own.
"Alright, it's getting late."
Zheng Yuanpei stood up, his cane tapping on the ground.
"Your dad is staying with me quite well. You can come and pick him up after you've settled the house situation."
Fang Shuwen also stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Zheng."
Don't give me that.
Zheng Yuanpei waved his hand, signaling Fang Shuwen to leave.
……
When Fang Shuwen came out of the Zheng residence, a cool night breeze rushed towards him.
He didn't let the Zheng family's car take him; instead, he walked south along the main road in the North District by himself.
The words Zheng Yuanpei said were still echoing in my mind.
Internal strength is not something that can be learned through practice, but rather through enlightenment.
An opportunity.
Your body will learn on its own.
He looked down at his hands, clenched his fist, and then relaxed it.
Forget it, I'll just keep practicing.
Once his skill level improves, he will naturally be able to develop internal strength.
"I don't want to think about it anymore."
Fang Shuwen shook his head, quickened his pace, and soon turned into East Street.
Most of the shops along the street were closed, with only a few late-night snack stalls still having their lights on.
When he reached the alley behind the Zhao residence, he suddenly stopped.
A figure was squatting under the old locust tree at the entrance of the alley.
It was pitch black, and I couldn't see faces clearly; I could only make out blurry outlines.
Fang Shuwen took a few steps closer and realized it was Cuicui.
She was wearing a slightly worn floral blouse, her hair was loose, and she was hugging her knees with her hands and resting her chin on them.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up.
Under the glow of the steam lamp, his face was frighteningly pale, and his eyes were red-rimmed, clearly indicating that he had just been crying.
"Hey, didn't Wang Ma say Cuicui was sick? Why is she crying outside so late?"
Fang Shuwen was slightly taken aback, but didn't think much of it.
He withdrew his gaze, went back to the backyard, and entered his own house.
The oil lamp was lit, and a dim, yellowish light spread out.
He placed the items he had taken from Wang Yue on the table.
A booklet titled "Copper Extreme Kung Fu," a bunch of keys, a pocket watch, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a few crumpled banknotes.
Fang Shuwen picked up the book "Copper Extreme Kung Fu" and flipped through it.
It's similar to the fragments we seized from Wang Jiu before, but more complete.
The prescriptions, rituals, and cultivation steps were written down clearly.
He turned to the page with the prescription and looked at it carefully.
One pound of light gold, three ounces of red copper, five mace of asthenorrhea grass...
He had asked about these things at Renjitang last time, and the old shopkeeper said they were unavailable; only the city-level martial arts academy had them.
Fang Shuwen closed the booklet and stuffed it under his pillow.
I'll go to Shenghai when I have time; they should sell them there.
He picked up the pocket watch again and opened the cover.
The dial is white porcelain, and the hands are still moving, ticking away.
The back is engraved with a line of small characters: "The eighth year of the Great Yan New Kingdom, commemorating the founding of the Wild Wolf Gang."
Fang Shuwen thought to himself that it was somewhat interesting.
Wang Yue, that guy, engraved the anniversary of the gang's founding on his pocket watch and carried it with him every day; he's quite the sentimental person.
Fang Shuwen closed the watch cover, preparing to put it aside.
Just then, a chill suddenly seeped out from the pocket watch.
His hair stood on end instantly.
This chill wasn't just ordinary cold; it was the kind of cold that seeped into your very bones.
He looked down!
A layer of hazy mist rose from the surface of the pocket watch, and within the mist, a distorted face could be vaguely seen.
Her features were all squeezed together, leaving only one eye visible, staring intently at him.
Wang Yue.
Fang Shuwen recognized him.
The venom in that eye was exactly the same as the one Wang Yue had before he died.
"Damn it, can't even rest in peace after you're dead?"
Fang Shuwen cursed and instinctively tried to throw the pocket watch away.
But his fingers seemed to be stuck, and he couldn't shake them off.
The chill had crept up my arm to my shoulder, and my entire right arm started to go numb.
What's even more chilling is that the face was smiling.
Fang Shuwen's heart sank; he knew he had encountered something sinister.
He had seen strange things before; the book "Tales of the Ancient Castle" was particularly eerie.
The thing inside this pocket watch is alive.
Or rather, it was the lingering resentment of Wang Yue after his death that condensed into form through the strange energy within the pocket watch.
Fang Shuwen took a deep breath and stopped struggling.
He gripped the pocket watch tighter, while simultaneously circulating his internal energy.
A martial artist's qi and blood are like a furnace, impervious to all evils and most effective at suppressing malevolent forces.
really,
As the blood and qi surged up, the chilling coldness began to melt away, just like ice and snow melting under the sun.
The face inside the pocket watch contorted even more violently, letting out an inaudible scream of pain.
Fang Shuwen could feel the vibrations from that roar; his entire arm was trembling.
But the blood and qi surged more and more violently, rushing from his chest all the way to the pocket watch in his palm.
The gray haze on the watch face began to fade, and the face became increasingly blurry.
Just then, a light screen popped up in front of them.
[Foreign energy detected. Absorb?]