Chapter 3

"Both of you rascals, get up and practice martial arts!"

Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, a voice startled Fang Xiaoyu awake. There was no doubt that the voice belonged to Miao Cuifang.

A cold wind blew, and Fang Xiaoyu gritted his teeth, holding his horse stance. Born an orphan, Fang Xiaoyu was absolutely more capable of enduring hardship than Fang Shiyu, although his foundation was a bit weaker.

After being transformed by the system and under Miao Cuifang's strict supervision, Fang Xiaoyu's horse stance became both form and spirit perfect, reaching a level of mastery that even Miao Cuifang praised endlessly.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Fang Xiaoyu had built an incredibly solid foundation, learning only the most basic Shaolin Fist. He had not yet learned more advanced boxing techniques.

Most importantly, Fang Xiaoyu discovered that the internal cultivation techniques he had hoped for were mere illusions. Even Miao Cuifang, a direct descendant of Shaolin, only practiced internal boxing techniques, with no such things as the Nine Yin Manual or the Nine Yang Manual.

Martial artists at most could strengthen their bodies, climb buildings, and leap over walls as if they were walking on flat ground, and fight a dozen skilled opponents alone. However, achieving feats like crossing rivers on a single reed, plucking leaves to fly, or fighting a thousand enemies alone was nothing but a dream.

Of course, even so, Fang Xiaoyu was not too disappointed. The lack of such miraculous techniques in Fang Shiyu's world did not mean they did not exist in other worlds.

Internal boxing techniques were the best way to build a solid foundation, focusing on the cultivation of one's own body. A strong physical body was universally applicable in any world. Therefore, even without the task, Fang Xiaoyu practiced diligently through the coldest winters and hottest summers, and in just three years, he had built an incredibly robust body.

A bucket of cold water poured over his head, washing away the sweat, and his clothes covered his body, which would make any woman scream in admiration.

After years of cultivation, Fang Xiaoyu's body was incredibly flexible. Wearing a long robe and holding a book, his demeanor had completely changed, making him look like a harmless, refined scholar.

Walking down the street, the world during the Qianlong period was relatively peaceful, despite occasional disturbances.

Wearing a blue robe, Fang Xiaoyu walked among the crowd, and many people greeted him.

"Fang Xiaoyu, try these dates, they are very sweet."

"Fang Xiaoyu, look at these Western sunglasses, they are very cool, just as you said."

"Tsk tsk, isn't that the young master of the Fang family? Look at him, he is truly a dragon among men. My daughter is longing for you..."

Several women dressed in revealing clothing were about to approach, which frightened Fang Xiaoyu into running away.

"Ugh... You're bad, Tingting won't play with you anymore..."

From a nearby alley, a childish female voice came, and Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but look in that direction.

In the alley, several children around eight or nine years old were teasing a little girl. The girl was dressed well, indicating a good family background, but what caught the eye most was her delicate and beautiful face.

Seeing the little girl, Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

The little girl had a clear and extraordinary face, with a pair of bright, large eyes that exuded a graceful aura, clearly the makings of a goddess.

"Wah, Tingting wants to go home, Tingting doesn't want to be the bride of the fat boy..."

Among the children, a fat boy said arrogantly, "Lei Tingting, today you are my Wang Hu's little bride..."

Seeing this, Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh out loud, which drew the attention of the children. The fat boy, seeing Fang Xiaoyu, shouted, "Rascal, what are you laughing at? Get lost!"

Fang Xiaoyu was only thirteen, still retaining some childishness, just a year or two older than the fat boy. The fat boy, like a mountain of meat, was not much shorter than Fang Xiaoyu.

"Big brother, save me, Wang Hu is a big bad guy!"

The little girl looked at Fang Xiaoyu with tearful eyes, as if she saw him as a savior.

The fat boy, Wang Hu, was not pleased. Seeing his pretend bride about to be taken away, he glared at Fang Xiaoyu and waved his hand at his friends, "Brothers, beat him up."

Five or six children, ranging in age from ten to older, charged at Fang Xiaoyu under the fat boy's lead, shouting.

Fang Xiaoyu smiled slightly, sidestepped the fat boy's charge, and kicked his leg, causing the fat boy to scream and roll away. The other children were no match for Fang Xiaoyu, who had been practicing for years.

In a few moves, Fang Xiaoyu had the children crying and wailing.

Fang Xiaoyu had no interest in bullying these children, so he stopped after a brief lesson.

Gently tapping the book in his hand, Fang Xiaoyu looked at the children with disdain, not noticing the admiration in the little girl's bright eyes.

The fat boy, Wang Hu, got up and pointed at Fang Xiaoyu, "Brat, if you have the guts, tell me your name. I'll bring my gang..."

With a thud, a large fat man ran over, shouting from a distance, "Rascal, which little punk is bullying my Tingting? Get over here!"

The children, including Wang Hu, were startled by the fat man's sudden appearance and turned to run.

In a moment, the children were gone, and the fat man ran straight toward Fang Xiaoyu.

The fat man's hand reached out to grab Fang Xiaoyu, who quickly dodged. Although the fat man had no martial arts skills, his weight was impressive. Even though Fang Xiaoyu dodged, he was still grazed, and the book in his hand fell to the ground.

"Brat, how dare you bully my daughter, I, Lei Laohu, will beat you to death!"

Hearing this, Fang Xiaoyu was startled. He looked at the fat man, recognizing the memorable Lei Laohu.

However, Fang Xiaoyu did not dare to stay. His body was no match for the mountain of meat that was Lei Laohu. Lei Laohu did not seem like a reasonable person, so Fang Xiaoyu turned and ran.

Lei Laohu was about to chase after him when a clear and pleasant voice rang out, "Daddy, what are you doing? Stop it."

To Lei Laohu, this voice was like an imperial edict, and he immediately stopped, slowly turning around and forcing a kind smile, "Tingting, those rascals have all been chased away by daddy!"

Eight or nine-year-old Lei Tingting huffed and walked forward, picking up the book that Fang Xiaoyu had dropped. She opened it, and three words caught her eye.

"Fang Xiaoyu"

"Good girl, what are you looking at? Let daddy see!"

Lei Laohu leaned in, trying to see what was in the book, but the little girl closed it and turned away, huffing.

Lei Laohu scratched his head and followed Lei Tingting, calling out, "Good girl, why aren't you talking to daddy? Harmony is the most important, harmony is the most important..."

Fang Xiaoyu walked with his head down, his mind in turmoil.

Fang Shiyu, Lei Laohu, Lei Tingting—these people appearing one by one gave Fang Xiaoyu a sense of urgency.

In eight years, at most, the plot of the movie would begin, and he would have to face the powerful Qing forces led by the Nine Gate Inspector, E'erduo, played by Zhao Wenzhuo.

Thinking of Zhao Wenzhuo's portrayal of E'erduo, Fang Xiaoyu felt immense pressure. If he couldn't defeat Zhao Wenzhuo, he might as well die in this world.

"Go to Shaolin, all martial arts come from Shaolin. I should mention going to Shaolin to Auntie."

Fang Xiaoyu muttered to himself as he returned to the Fang residence.

The Fang residence was now much more grand than before. Although Fang Xiaoyu, as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "穿越者" in this context), couldn't invent anything major, he could still make some small inventions.

In just three years, the Fang family's business had transformed, becoming a well-known wealthy merchant in Guangzhou, and they had even moved into a large mansion.

According to Fang Xiaoyu's secret observations, most of the Fang residence's income seemed to have disappeared. If he didn't know Fang De's identity, he would have suspected that the accountants and managers were colluding to embezzle the family's income.

There was no doubt that the missing income was being secretly diverted by Fang De to support the Red Flower Society. Although Fang Xiaoyu knew this, he did not expose it.

On one hand, it was because of his age, and on the other hand, he needed to maintain the plot's direction. He did not want to mess up the entire plot world, which could harm his ability to complete his tasks.

Sending off the respectful servants along the way, a sudden gust of wind came, and Fang Xiaoyu quickly performed an iron board bridge to avoid the attacker's sneak attack. He then did a backflip, landing on his feet and kicked at the attacker.

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(End of the excerpt)