Hungry and with his stomach growling, Tang Wen crawled out of the underground chamber.
Arriving at the courtyard gate, he spotted a three-tiered food box.
It was now two in the afternoon, two hours past lunchtime, and the food had cooled down.
Opening the food box, he found it filled with meat, several pounds worth, while the vegetarian dishes were pitifully scarce.
Looking through it, there was only a plate of pickled cucumbers.
Hmm, what's this?
Tang Wen pulled out a piece of white paper folded into a square:
["If your seclusion is not urgent, please come to the General's residence as soon as possible. Young Mistress Bai has important matters to discuss."]
"Young Mistress Bai? She hasn't left yet? What could she possibly want to discuss with me?"
Tang Wen shook his head and ate his meal, pretending the note didn't exist.
The last time he went out, he encountered a Transcendent, which had left quite an impression on him.
Young Mistress Bai's "important matters" didn't sound like something that could be easily dismissed.
It was better to ignore it.
After finishing his meal, he placed the plates and utensils back into the food box and neatly refolded the white paper, placing it back inside.
The message was clear: it had nothing to do with him; they could find someone else to deal with it.
What a joke. He had just started to get a feel for the Layered Force in his Vibration Fist. He had no time to meddle in their affairs.
The next day, Bai Youruo and her two companions arrived at the palace.
Qian Dong looked troubled: "Tang Wen is a genius. He might be at a critical point in his training."
"Really?"
Qian Dong shrugged.
"Sigh! Then we'll have to wait a few more days."
Bai Youruo's spirited and beautiful face showed a hint of helplessness.
Their relationship with the Flame Camp was merely cooperative, and Tang Wen was their savior.
Though they were anxious, what else could they do?
They had no choice but to wait for him!
In the underground chamber, amidst the rumbling vibrations, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
To avoid interruptions, Tang Wen only ate once a day and deliberately changed his mealtime to the evening.
Thus, he found another folded piece of white paper in the food box.
["Time is of the essence. Could Commander Tang Wen please come out of seclusion for a discussion?"]
The handwriting was elegant, and the food box even thoughtfully included a pen.
"What on earth is this about?"
But no matter what it was, for Young Mistress Bai to lower herself like this and wait for him, it couldn't be anything good.
How could a woman disturb his Martial Arts focus?
With no beauty in sight and no direct temptation, Tang Wen remained resolute.
After eating, he casually wrote: ["Currently comprehending the ultimate form of the Cannon Fist, making some progress. Cannot leave seclusion. If Young Mistress Bai has matters, she can go to the General's residence."]
Once back in the chamber, Tang Wen forgot about the matter entirely, focusing on refining the Layered Force in his Vibration Fist.
A few days later, he discovered the most efficient way to temper his skills.
First, he used the Eight Section Brocade to enter a state of selflessness.
Then, relying on the heightened intuition from this state, he comprehended the "Layered Vibration Fist"!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It sounded like a heavy-duty pile driver pounding the ground.
Above the chamber was a house built of bricks and stones.
Over the days, the house continuously shook, dust flying everywhere. What was supposed to be a house that could last ten years was now on the verge of collapse.
The tempering effect was immediate.
Though he hadn't fully mastered the technique, his experience points were skyrocketing.
["Meditation Martial Art, Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Expert (2178/12000)"]
In just a few days, he had surpassed two thousand points.
Tang Wen had a premonition that it wouldn't be long before he made a breakthrough in the final form of the Cannon Fist.
So, for the next few days, no one could make him leave seclusion!
In the mountains, time loses meaning; in seclusion, days blur together.
He ate when hungry, slept when tired.
The rest of the time, he trained.
Time flew by, and he lost track of day and night.
Over there, Bai Youruo was like an ant on a hot pan, feeling as though each day dragged on for a year.
Just as she could no longer bear it and was about to head to the palace to find Tang Wen, someone suddenly came to inform her: "The Queen requests your presence!"
In a side hall of the palace, the women met, each momentarily stunned.
The Queen, dressed in fiery red, was radiant and captivating.
Zhou Bing, in pure white, exuded a cold elegance, like a plum blossom in winter.
Bai Youruo, dressed in ordinary clothes, instantly regretted not having custom-made outfits prepared.
Zhou Bing, too, was surprised by Bai Youruo's beauty and demeanor.
After exchanging pleasantries, the Queen inquired.
"Young Mistress Bai, you wish to invite Tang Wen to Mountain Chasing City?"
"Not just that, Your Majesty. After the matters in Mountain Chasing City are settled, I also hope Tang Wen will nominally join the Bai family. The addition of a genius would be highly beneficial to us."
"This?" The Queen frowned.
"No! He's my fiancé, I don't agree," Zhou Bing frowned, having thought that a visiting young lady taking Tang Wen away for a while was one thing.
But she never expected the other party to want to permanently whisk him away!
"You must be Commander Zhou, right? Truly beautiful and charming. How about this, I'll add a bottle of Marrow Protection Fluid as compensation."
"Marrow Protection Fluid! Deal!" The Queen decisively slapped the table.
"No!" Zhou Bing was shocked, what did this mean, her fiancé was only worth a bottle of Marrow Protection Fluid?
"Young Mistress Bai, it's settled then," the Queen held Zhou Bing back: "Don't be willful, once you become Transcendent, you can be by Tang Wen's side anytime, who could take him away then?"
"This?" Zhou Bing was in disarray, the logic made sense.
But why did it feel like she was selling her husband for glory?
A smile flashed in Bai Youruo's eyes but vanished instantly: "Please, Your Majesty and Commander Zhou, expedite Tang Wen's exit from seclusion."
"Tang Wen is in seclusion again?"
Bai Youruo shook her head helplessly: "Ever since arriving at the camp, he's been in seclusion, and hasn't emerged yet."
Zhou Bing felt somewhat better: Hmph! I thought she was some formidable seductress!
Turns out she hasn't even seen Tang Wen much.
As for her Marrow Protection Fluid, she could take it, and use it on Tang Wen later.
She no longer voiced her objections.
The Queen's eyes shifted slightly: "Is that so! That boy is indeed a seclusion fanatic, usually only emerging every few months."
Bai Youruo, sensing the hint for more compensation, preemptively said: "I've already handed over my Mental Meditation Technique to General Zhou."
"Ah," the Queen nodded: "Then wait a few more days, once Tang Wen emerges, you can head to Mountain Chasing City immediately."
Still have to wait?
Bai Youruo was dissatisfied: "Only after obtaining what's in Mountain Chasing City can I return to White Stone City, and only then can the promised things—the canned food factory, efficient farms, even agricultural fertilizers, firearms, deep wells, breweries, etc.—possibly be transmitted here sooner!"
"Brewery?"
"Exactly! Just need to grow barley to brew beer."
At the mention of beer, the Queen couldn't sit still: "Bing'er, go hurry Tang Wen along."
Zhou Bing, expressionless, gave a noncommittal "Hmm": Big deal with your power and technology, huh?
Bai Youruo, fearing she might ruin things, quickly said to the Queen: "Commander Tang Wen is currently comprehending the final move of the Cannon Fist, perhaps Your Majesty could go and offer some guidance."
How does she know that?
Zhou Bing raised an eyebrow.
"Very well. I'll go today," the Queen's mind was now filled with thoughts of the brewery.
Bai Youruo breathed a sigh of relief: Hmm, this Queen of the Flame Camp is much easier to handle than their two generals.
[Meditation Martial Art, Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Expert (2903/12000)]
The experience bar was almost a quarter full.
Tang Wen walked out of the underground chamber and went to the door to pick up his meal.
As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a stunningly beautiful face, dressed in fiery red, resembling a familiar married woman yet also like a pure-hearted senior sister.
He was startled: "Aunt, uh, Queen, why are you the one delivering my meal?"
"I'm here to guide your training."
With her long legs stepping out from under the red skirt, the Queen handed him the food box and walked into the courtyard.
Tang Wen wolfed down his meal and eagerly led the Queen into the underground chamber.
The Queen wrinkled her nose: a strong smell of sweat.
"Come on, perform a set of punches, let me see how far you've comprehended the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist."
Tang Wen dragged over the battered metal Wooden Dummy,
and unleashed a series of combos.
Ending with the Vibration Fist.
With a hum, the metal Wooden Dummy was deeply embedded into the wall.
The wall trembled.
The Queen immediately frowned:
"Not good!"
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a loud crash.
The house above the chamber collapsed.
"This? I'll go up and move the bricks and stones aside."
The Queen looked at him with a complex expression: "Don't worry about the house for now, someone will surely come. I didn't expect you to have reached this level in your fist technique at such a young age. You're only slightly behind where I was at your age."
As she spoke, the Queen extended her jade-like fingers, indicating a small gap.
Meaning, there's still a significant gap compared to where I was at your age.
Tang Wen didn't believe it: "The Queen is truly amazing, so you also comprehended the Vibration Fist at sixteen!"
Sixteen?
Vibration Fist?
You brat!
The Queen's eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched involuntarily.
(End of Chapter)