Chapter 25

Dish after dish was served. The two of them no longer spoke much and began to eat normally.

Since Jiang Feng started practicing martial arts formally, his body required a lot of energy, and his appetite had also increased dramatically. He ate very quickly, not picky at all, and finished a bowl of rice in just a few bites.

Zhong Fan was the opposite. He mainly ate vegetables, and only took a few bites from each dish.

When Jiang Feng was on his fourth bowl of rice, Zhong Fan had only finished half a bowl.

Jiang Feng shook his head and said, "Eating with you is really no fun at all..."

Zhong Fan swallowed the last of the rice in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, and then began to speak, "Because the food here isn't as good as what you cook."

This "Lai Yi Wan" restaurant was the largest in Luming Town, having been in business for decades without changing the chef, and its taste was well-known. Yet Zhong Fan said it wasn't as good as what he cooked?

Jiang Feng raised his eyes and stared at him. After Zhong Fan finished speaking, he started eating again. Jiang Feng laughed, "Thank you very much!"

After the meal, Jiang Feng remembered to pack two dishes and a bowl of rice for Uncle Dong.

When they returned to Dong's Tailor Shop to pick up Zhong Fan's clothes, Uncle Dong insisted on only taking half the price. In the end, Jiang Feng threw the money on his counter and ran away.

Zhong Fan followed him down the street before stopping to catch his breath. After a while, he smiled bitterly, "I feel like we've turned into robbers..."

Jiang Feng laughed and said, "Uncle Dong is a good person. When I was a child, he used leftover fabric from other customers to make new clothes for me, which he gave me when I delivered the goods."

He turned his head and smiled at Zhong Fan, saying, "Although there are many bad people in this world, there are also many good people."

As the night grew deeper, the lamplight illuminated Jiang Feng's side face, and Zhong Fan felt the warmth he had felt when they first entered the town.

He nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I will remember that!"

On the way back, Zhong Fan still had to sit in the bamboo basket, with Jiang Feng carrying him on his back.

Perhaps because it was already dark, he felt much less awkward than in the morning, and instead felt that Jiang Feng's steps were particularly steady.

He raised his head and looked at the moonlight pouring down from the sky, casting a faint silver glow on everything.

Have I ever noticed such scenery before? Have I ever felt such a night breeze?

Zhong Fan was lost in thought. Reflecting on the day's experiences, it seemed that something was breaking down inside him, and something else was being rebuilt.

He suddenly said, "This time I ran away, I didn't want to live anymore..."

...

...

At any other time, with any other person, Zhong Fan might not have said such a thing.

Although he had been sick since childhood and his body had always been weak, something inside him had always kept him from making any unnecessary noise, even in the most painful moments.

But at this moment, perhaps because the moonlight was too beautiful, perhaps because the day had been too pleasant, perhaps because the nightingale's song in the forest was too melodious, Zhong Fan found himself saying more than he intended.

Hearing his words, Jiang Feng said nothing, and his pace did not change at all.

This made Zhong Fan feel even more at ease, and he continued, "Not long ago, the doctor who has been treating me told my mother that if I want to live longer, I should be watched more closely. If possible, I should stay in the hot spring villa and not go out except for a small area in the yard."

"Eat small, frequent meals, with less salt and oil, not too hard, and preferably cooked into a thin porridge."

"No reading, no chess, no writing, no painting."

"...I don't want to live anymore."

"If I were you, I would beat up that doctor," Jiang Feng suddenly said. His tone was very calm, even with a hint of a smile, but Zhong Fan could tell that there was a hint of seriousness in his joking words.

"Sure, I'm just joking, don't really go and hit anyone. But honestly, what kind of life is that? Of course, you need to take care of yourself when you're sick, but living means living like a human being!"

He exhaled deeply through his nose, "He can have his opinion, but such advice is unreasonable!"

Zhong Fan was stunned. For a moment, he couldn't tell if these words were coming from Jiang Feng or from his own heart.

When he heard the doctor say this to his mother, hadn't he felt the same way? But just as the words were about to burst out, they were suppressed by his mother's solemn gaze.

He was about to explain when Jiang Feng asked, "What did your mother say after the doctor spoke? She didn't agree, did she?"

Zhong Fan instinctively tried to explain, "Mother is just trying to help me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have lived this long..."

"She is certainly trying to help you," Jiang Feng interrupted him bluntly, "but she is also trying to help herself! Living is not just about staying alive; you should ask your mother if she could endure such a life."

Zhong Fan couldn't help but ask, "What do you think she should do?"

Jiang Feng shook his head, "I don't know what she should do. But I think this is her business and your business. How long you want to live and how you want to live, you two need to sit down and have a good talk, communicate. Maybe you want to live as long as possible and follow the doctor's advice. Maybe you want to live more vibrantly and not feel so suffocated... Maybe your mother herself doesn't know what you really want."

Zhong Fan fell silent, and Jiang Feng didn't continue speaking.

He remembered something.

That night, Zhong Fan was severely injured and bleeding profusely. To save his life, Jiang Feng forced out the golden blood qi from his body and infused it into Zhong Fan's wound.

Zhong Fan's bleeding stopped, and he healed. At the same time, a black substance was secreted from his pores, emitting a foul odor. Later, this black substance dissipated into the air and disappeared. When Jiang Feng woke up, he noticed that the moss on the cave walls had withered and turned yellow, as if it had been poisoned.

Was that black substance the cause of Zhong Fan's illness? If so, his illness might have been completely cured.

Jiang Feng thought about it and smiled to himself.

Zhong Fan's family background was clearly not ordinary. Saving such a child would certainly bring a huge reward.

But at that moment, Jiang Feng didn't think about such things at all. He was just thinking with interest: What kind of expression would this child show when he discovers that his illness is suddenly gone?

...

...

After returning, Jiang Feng settled Zhong Fan back in the small house and then climbed a small peak outside the valley to begin his cultivation.

Under the moonlight, his mind was clear, like water sweeping over his entire body, beginning to examine his current state.

The "optimization" he performed during the day had completely depleted his Ming Force, and it had not yet fully recovered.

However, the mature "fruit" had not withered, and the unblocked Yuan Qiao was still open; it was just that the stored Ming Force had been consumed.

The Tian Ji Magic Cube had stopped running and was quietly waiting in the vortex of the Tian Xin Seed, as if waiting for its next task.

Jiang Feng still felt somewhat puzzled about its existence.

What exactly is it? What is it used for? Is it just for optimizing martial techniques? What is the principle behind the optimization?

The cultivation time at midnight was about to begin. Jiang Feng withdrew his consciousness and prepared to start cultivating.

The moonlight poured down, converging into a beam on his head, and the Ming Force flowed directly into Jiang Feng's body, passing through the Tian Xin Seed and into the Yuan Branch.

The vortex inside the Tian Xin Seed rotated, and the magic cube in the center began to run.

About one-third of the Ming Force was absorbed by it. After completing its work, each block of the magic cube would become dull and lose its luster. Now, a faint golden light floated on its surface, seeping into its interior.

The magic cube seemed to be recharged, gradually regaining its vitality.

After an hour, Jiang Feng finished his cultivation, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Only two-thirds of the Yuan Branch was filled with Ming Force, and the rest was still empty. This hour of cultivation not only failed to make any progress but didn't even restore his energy!

What's going on? Why has the efficiency of cultivation suddenly become so low?

If this continues, will he be able to participate in the county examination in two and a half months?

However, the worry disappeared completely after he saw the "Finger Pointing Technique: One Improvement."

His memory was good, and he had already memorized the original Finger Pointing Technique after reading it twice.

Now, comparing it, he found that this improved version had undergone significant changes!

The content of the martial technique had been reorganized, with some basic parts added.

Jiang Feng discovered that these basic parts seemed to be specifically tailored for him.

They specifically addressed the issue of sparse and uncontrollable Ming Force, teaching the user how to concentrate the Ming Force to a point where it could be controlled.

At the same time, it retained the original advantages of the martial technique, emphasizing the control of a small amount of Ming Force for more precise and delicate operations.

Words continuously flashed through Jiang Feng's mind, and he focused intently on chasing these words, understanding their meaning.

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