Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Fang Ping had a look on his face that said, "I knew you'd ask that."

"I went to say hello last night. Chief Steward Zhao said—" Fang Ping mimicked Chief Steward Zhao's tone, "'Young Master Fang Yuan wants to use the small medicinal bath? Of course, no problem, it's no big deal.'"

Fang Ping paused for a moment.

He also asked if the young master had brought back anything rare from the Beast Cave.

Fang Yuan didn't stop fastening his belt.

"He's scouting for the spoils of war."

Fang Ping nodded. "Chief Zhao's nose is sharper than a dog's. The news about the Martial Arts Hall's Talent Record spread all over the place last night—Lord Fang Yuanshan personally wrote your name first. Chief Zhao was standing right next to him at the time."

Fang Yuan tightened the last loop of the belt.

Number one in the talent list.

The name that used to be in that position was Fang Teng. The eldest son of the Fang family's direct line. Late stage of the Bone Refining Realm. Fang Yuanshan's nephew.

Fang Yuan pushed Fang Teng out of first place.

The aftermath of this will be interesting, but it's not something we need to deal with today.

"Let's go. Pick up Yingying."

Fang Ying has woken up.

Fang Lin put a clean cotton shirt on her. Her hair was re-tied—still two crooked little buns; Fang Lin's skills couldn't possibly improve in a day.

When Fang Ying saw Fang Yuan, she slid off the low couch and tried to run away.

I ran a couple of steps.

My legs went weak.

It wasn't a fall. It was that when the knees bent at a certain angle, the support wasn't strong enough, and the speed decreased.

Fang Ying stood still, her lips pouting. She tried again. She took two steps. It worked. Running—it didn't work.

Fang Yuan walked over and scooped her up with one hand.

Fang Ying clung to his arm, her two short legs dangling in mid-air.

"Brother, I can walk."

"I know." Fang Yuan didn't put her down. "But you can run away after your medicinal bath today."

Fang Ying's eyes lit up again. The same way they lit up last night.

-

Martial Arts Hall. Small Medicine Bathhouse.

The head steward, Zhao, personally opened the door. A chubby, middle-aged man stood there, his eyes almost disappearing from his grin.

"Young Master Fang Yuan, the medicinal bath has been cleaned and the hot water is ready. Would you like me to have two apprentices waiting nearby?"

Fang Yuan placed Fang Ying on the bench by the door.

"No need. Fang Lin and Fang Ping are enough."

Zhao, the head steward, froze for a moment. He wanted to keep the man there. Only by keeping him could he gather information. But Fang Yuan's tone left him no room for maneuver.

"That's good...that's good. Please let me know if you need anything, young master." Chief Steward Zhao took two steps back, smiled, and left.

After walking ten steps, Zhao Da's smile vanished.

He glanced back at the tightly closed door of the medicine bathhouse.

First in the Talent Record. Mid-stage Bone Refining Realm at sixteen. Covered in injuries after returning from the Hundred Beast Cave. Now he's taking a medicinal bath with his five-year-old sister—not for himself, but for his sister.

Zhao, the head steward, had lived for over forty years and held the position of head of the Fang family's internal affairs for fifteen. His nose had never been wrong about who had a future and who would fail.

This Fang Yuan is different.

It's not the kind of "potential" that's different.

It's different from "it's no longer within his scope of assessment".

In his mind, Chief Zhao drew a heavy circle next to Fang Yuan's name.

-

In the medicine bathhouse.

A square stone bathtub, three feet square and two feet deep. The bottom of the tub is covered with a layer of fine white sand, beneath which are heat-conducting copper plates.

Fang Yuan squatted by the pool.

There are four items in front of me.

Jade Vine. Red Ginseng. White Atractylodes. Earthworm Bone.

Fang Yuan's hands moved back and forth among the medicinal herbs. His comprehension was doubled.

The medicinal properties of the Jade Vine unfolded in my mind—fierce. Pure. Direct. Like a knife, it cuts through the blockages in the meridians while also damaging the surrounding tissues.

The warming and nourishing effect of red ginseng acts as the first layer of buffer, enveloping the sharpness of the jade vine and transforming it from "splitting" to "pushing".

Atractylodes macrocephala harmonizes the spleen and stomach. The medicinal power of the marrow-cleansing bath needs to penetrate the meridians through the skin, but the opening and closing of the meridian entrances—the pores—is affected by the spleen and stomach's digestive function. Atractylodes macrocephala opens the pores to their optimal state.

Earthworm bone. Skeletal stimulation. Fang Ying's skeletal development is delayed; the medicinal properties of the earthworm bone will penetrate along the periosteum, stimulating the activity of bone cells.

Fang Yuan mentally calculated the proportions of the four herbs three times.

Three parts of Jade Vine. Two parts of Red Ginseng. One part of Atractylodes Macrocephalae. One and a half parts of Earthworm Bone.

Water temperature – 42 degrees Celsius. Not too high. Fang Ying is five and a half years old; her skin is thin and her body surface area is small. 42 degrees Celsius is 80% of the ideal temperature for an adult medicinal bath.

Fang Yuan began processing the medicinal herbs.

My right hand has regained about 85% of its strength. That's enough.

He used a short knife to cut the jade vine into finger-length segments. Each segment had to be cut at an angle—the angled cut increased the contact area for the medicinal properties to seep out. He controlled the angle of the cut with four times the standing posture skill, ensuring that the inclination of each segment did not exceed one millimeter.

Slice the red ginseng. Crush the white atractylodes. Grind the earthworm bone into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.

All medicinal herbs were added to the bath in sequence.

A layer of pale green medicinal liquid floated on the water's surface. The color of the jade vine. The aroma of the medicine permeated the air, ten times stronger than the scent I had smelled in the bamboo tube last night. It was sweet, carrying a warm, bone-melting fragrance.

Fang Yuan checked the water temperature. Forty-two degrees. Just right.

Fang Lin.

Fang Lin came in from outside, carrying Fang Ying in his arms. Fang Ying had already changed into a thin cotton shirt for her medicinal bath.

Fang Yuan took Fang Ying from him.

"Yingying, it might get a little hot in the water. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me."

Fang Ying nodded. But her attention was completely drawn to the beautiful pale green color in the pool.

Fang Yuan gently placed Fang Ying into the bath.

The medicine reached above Fang Ying's waist. The warm water enveloped her lower body. A comfortable expression appeared on Fang Ying's face, her eyes half-closed.

"It's so warm."

Fang Yuan squatted by the pool. His left hand rested on Fang Ying's wrist, his fingertips touching her pulse.

One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.

Her heart rate was steady. Her body temperature was slowly rising. Her pores began to open—Fang Yuan's fourfold standing meditation technique allowed him to precisely perceive touch, enabling him to feel the extremely subtle changes on the surface of Fang Ying's wrist skin.

The medicine began to penetrate.

Fang Yuan scooped a handful of medicinal liquid from the pool with his right hand and poured it over Fang Ying's shoulder, allowing her upper body to be soaked in the medicinal effects.

Ten breaths.

Fang Ying's expression changed.

His brow furrowed. It wasn't pain. It was an indescribable discomfort—like something inside his body being pushed away.

Fang Yuan's fingers tightened slightly.

My pulse quickened. My body temperature rose by half a degree.

Normal range.

"Brother..." Fang Ying's voice trailed off. "It's itchy inside."

"Don't be afraid. That's a good thing helping to clear your meridians. Just bear with it."

Fang Ying bit her lip and nodded.

Two quarters of an hour.

The color of the medicine changed from light green to dark green. The medicinal effects continued to seep out. A very thin layer of grayish-black turbidity appeared on Fang Ying's skin surface—waste products expelled from the blocked meridians.

Fang Yuan gently wiped away the grime from Fang Ying's shoulders and arms with a towel.

Fang Ying had closed her eyes. Her little head rested on the soft cushion by the pool. Her breathing was steady. She was asleep.

The process of marrow cleansing is an enormous physical burden for a little girl with no martial arts background. Falling asleep is the body's self-protective mechanism.

Fang Yuan did not move.

He squatted by the pool, his left hand always resting on Fang Ying's pulse, his fingertips feeling the medicine's effects gradually spreading through her meridians.

A quarter of an hour.

Half an hour.

One hour.

Fang Yuan's knees ached. He had been squatting for too long. But he didn't change his posture.

One and a half hours.

Fang Ying's pulse at her wrist showed a noticeable change. Not faster—it became stronger. The force of each beat transmitted to her fingertips was at least 20% greater than it had been an hour and a half ago.

The meridians are open.

Fang Yuan's breathing unconsciously became extremely light.

Two hours.

The liquid turned completely grayish-black. All the effective medicinal power had been absorbed by Fang Ying's body.

Fang Yuan carried Fang Ying out of the bath.

Fang Lin was waiting outside the door. A clean, large cotton blanket was already laid out on the bench.