After several days of experimentation, Tang Wen had basically determined two daily training methods.
The first was to practice the Eight Section Brocade first, aiming to enter a state of "self-forgetfulness."
Then, he would practice boxing, pushing his spirit to the limit until it was completely drained, and he would fall into a deep sleep.
The second training method was to practice boxing first and then conclude with the Golden Bell Shield.
The latter was more painful, but the experience for the Golden Bell Shield skill increased faster. Additionally, after several painful bouts of unconsciousness, his mental strength would also improve slightly.
Day and night, he trained relentlessly, and several days passed.
The water in the secret chamber had run out, and the dried meat was also finished.
Tang Wen, swaying on his feet, stumbled into the courtyard.
"Hmm? Has someone been here?"
He stood still, calming his mind to sense his surroundings. Feeling no warning or danger, he entered the main hall.
On the table inside, there was a piece of jewelry—a red silk thread strung with a jade bead, forming a bracelet.
"Is this... has Sister Bing been here?"
He picked up the letter, and sure enough, Zhou Bing had come out of seclusion to relax and had missed him.
She hadn't disturbed him, and the letter only contained a few words like "I'm fine, don't worry," and at the end, she mentioned the approximate time of her next seclusion, which would be several months later.
Tang Wen read the letter twice, then carefully stored both the letter and the red bracelet before leaving the small courtyard. He walked along the uneven stone path toward the dining hall.
"Damn! Maybe I should just bring you food from now on!"
Qian Dong looked at Tang Wen, who was leaning against the wall, with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"Fine," Tang Wen agreed, sitting down and first drinking two bowls of porridge before picking up his chopsticks to reach for other food.
"Try this."
It was something that looked like a yellow multigrain cake.
Tang Wen frowned as he took it: "Is this soybean meal cake?"
"Wow, you've had this before? Where did you eat it? Let me guess, Wujia City, right?"
Tang Wen broke off a piece and tasted it. He had seen this stuff in his hometown in his previous life.
It was the residue left after extracting oil from soybeans.
"We got some new food from Wujia City. Guess who sold it to us?" Qian Dong asked with a mischievous grin.
Tang Wen ignored him and didn't eat any more of the soybean meal, as in his memory, this was feed for livestock.
However, it was very dense and filling, containing some nutritional value. In these times of famine, it wasn't a bad choice for food.
Seeing that Tang Wen didn't respond, Qian Dong continued, "It's said that the Zheng family—specifically, Young Miss Zheng—decided to sell it to us! Of course, we also gave them a cart of chainmail in return. But selling us grain is still a favor! They said it was out of respect for your help last time."
Qian Dong winked suggestively.
Those in the camp who were well-informed knew that Young Miss Zheng seemed to have some unspoken, ambiguous relationship with Commander Tang Wen.
"It's just a transaction."
Recalling Young Miss Zheng's elegance, Tang Wen felt a slight stir in his heart, though his face remained calm.
"People from the caravan say that Young Miss Zheng is also extremely beautiful. She's the number one beauty in Wujia City. Weren't you tempted at all?"
"I already have the number one beauty in Flame Camp!"
Tang Wen glanced at him, and Qian Dong was momentarily stunned.
Amid Qian Dong's incessant chatter, Tang Wen happily ate three bowls of meat dishes, filling his hungry stomach.
Training, training, training.
Like an unrelenting training machine.
Tang Wen trained day and night without rest. The steel walls of the underground chamber were covered with marks from his strikes.
Dense and uneven.
It felt as if it had been violently struck by a battering ram and siege crossbows.
"Hmm?"
Tang Wen rubbed his eyes, waking from a deep slumber, his mind heavy.
This was the aftermath of short-term, high-intensity, and frequent mental strain.
[Spirit: 9.77→9.79]
"After five times, it only increased by 0.02. At first, every time I fainted, it would increase a little. Later, it took fainting two or three times to see a slight increase. Now, after two or three months, I need to push myself to faint five times just to gain this little bit."
Tang Wen sighed: It's just too hard!
Practicing martial arts is really too hard!
He sprawled on the bed, his body forming a big "X," his mind empty, thoughts wandering:
It would be best if Sister Bing became "Queen-Level" as soon as she comes out of seclusion. Then I could just lie at home, enjoying the service of Xiao Liu and Cuilian.
At that point, there's no way I'd put in any effort!
Only by living off others could life be bearable!
Sister Bing is so magnanimous, and if the Zheng family's young lady doesn't mind, I could live off two people!
Hmm, but that's a bit risky.
After all, a triangle is the most stable shape!
If I could find another beauty with both looks and talent.
I wouldn't mind living off three people.
I have a big appetite; the Earth Fire Primordial Stand isn't practiced for nothing!
After his wild thoughts, he glanced at the Experience Panel [Earth Fire Primordial Stand, Mastery (2907/3000)]
Over the past few months, although his main focus has been on fist techniques.
He hasn't neglected the Earth Fire Primordial Stand, bit by bit accumulating, and it's almost ready to break through to the next level.
Slow progress is fine, as long as it doesn't stop!
With a carp's leap, the sounds of training soon echoed in the secret chamber.
In the secret chamber, time flew by without the passage of days or months.
The scorching heat of July was unbearable.
The ground, long without rain, cracked and smoked.
Inside and outside the Flame Camp, not a single cicada's chirp could be heard.
Not just cicadas.
Crickets, katydids, grasshoppers—none were present.
Even centipedes, snakes, and rats were rarely seen.
These were all sources of high-quality protein, rare meat.
The trees near the Flame Camp were stripped bare, revealing smooth trunks.
The leaves and the relatively tender branches had long been plucked clean.
Black Death Grass leaves, wild vegetables... anything edible had already been scavenged.
Outside the city.
The lake's water level had dropped several meters, yet the foxtail millet fields by the lakeside were a golden hue.
The guards on duty here would occasionally take a deep breath.
But in reality, they could hardly smell anything; they just enjoyed the feeling of a bountiful harvest.
This farmland was meticulously cultivated by the camp.
Not only did they send out the most experienced farmers from the outer city, but they also used all the fertilizer from the farms here.
The fields were newly cultivated, yet the harvest rivaled that of well-established fertile lands.
Refugees and Scavengers involuntarily gathered around the bountiful foxtail millet fields.
No matter how they were driven away, they wouldn't budge.
The guards' robust physiques and gleaming spear tips only temporarily deterred them from getting closer.
In their eyes, the desire for foxtail millet, for food, bordered on madness.
"You've seen the situation. So many people gathered here are like a pile of dry firewood; just one spark, and whoosh! A towering inferno would erupt!"
The outer city's responsible Commander Zhang put down the Thousand-Li Mirror and sighed.
Tang Wen had been temporarily pulled from the palace to suppress any potential riots.
The latter asked indifferently, "What if they really try to steal the grain?"
"Then kill them!" Commander Zhang paused: "You put on the armor and don't show your face, I'll give the order to kill!"
"From now on, we'll have to be on guard against them at all times."
"We dug wells for them, let them plunder the forests and swamps, and they're still not satisfied! They even want to seize our grain, what's the point of keeping them alive?"
Compassion has no place in commanding troops!
Commander Zhang's tone was icy.
Tang Wen thought for a moment and said, "How about we try using the Silver Wolf?"
"Hmm?" Commander Zhang's eyes lit up, and then his brow relaxed: "That's a good idea."
(End of chapter)