The world outside was treacherous and unpredictable, but Qin Fang’s days passed peacefully.

But he didn’t find this life boring.

He was incredibly busy every day... Standing Pile, honing his body, practicing his fists, his saber, his Darts...

It was grueling and exhausting.

But the existence of the panel let him see his tangible progress at all times, keeping him fully motivated.

Besides, the Martial Arts of this world wasn’t just reflected on the panel—it was also immediately and tangibly reflected in his body.

He was obsessed with this feeling of getting stronger every day.

「In the blink of an eye, another half-month passed.」

He exchanged another letter with his senior brother. Over the past half a month, not much had happened in True Martial County Town, and the situation over at Huichun Hall seemed to have stabilized as well.

The only cause for concern was that the rumors linking Huichun Hall to a Demon had yet to cease. In fact, they seemed to be intensifying...

’...Are they just biding their time before making a big move?’

Qin Fang wondered.

He had actually wanted his master to leave the vortex that was Huichun Hall and had mentioned it to his senior brother in a letter. But his senior brother had replied with a helpless tone... the old man had worked at Huichun Hall for most of his life. If he left now, just when the hall was in trouble, what kind of person would that make him? So, he refused.

Qin Fang sighed in resignation.

’From my perspective, of course I want Master to get out in time.’

’But from Master’s perspective, he’s worked at Huichun Hall for most of his life. He’s built deep bonds with the people there. How could he just leave?’

’Putting myself in his shoes, if Master were in danger, could I just leave him?’

’If I did, would I even be human?’

Qin Fang had clawed his way up from being a refugee. One could say he was numb to killing, heartless and cruel.

But now...

Let alone if something happened to his master and his wife.

Even if something happened to Monkey... he doubted he could remain indifferent.

At the end of another day of training, Qin Fang went to the market as usual to look for the group of Hunters. He didn’t hold out much hope, as they hadn’t shown up for two straight months.

He never expected it, but as soon as he arrived at the market, he spotted the familiar group of Hunters right where he had bought the Pig King Meat before. They had some game displayed at their stall and were chatting idly.

Qin Fang’s eyes instantly lit up.

’They’re here?’

He walked right over.

One of the Hunters, in the middle of a chat, noticed someone approaching and instinctively looked up. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Qin Fang, but his face quickly broke into a smile. He scrambled to his feet. "It’s you, young man! Haha, long time no see! What can I get for you today?"

Clearly, Qin Fang had left a deep impression on this Hunter... buying over five hundred pounds of Pig King Meat in one go and spending fifteen taels of silver.

A customer like that was hard to come by.

Qin Fang glanced casually at the game laid out on the stall... wild rabbits, roe deer, and a few small wild boars.

Qin Fang nodded and asked, "What are your prices?"

"Since you’re a regular, young man, I’ll give you the wild rabbit for fifty copper coins. This one’s a little over five pounds, so we’ll just call it five. As for this roe deer..."

The Hunter’s face lit up when Qin Fang started asking.

He knew this one was a big spender. Maybe he could head home early today. He immediately launched into an enthusiastic sales pitch.

All told, the total came to a little over two taels of silver.

Qin Fang nodded, not disappointing the Hunter. "I’ll take it all."

"Done! In that case, I’ll charge you a flat two taels. How does that sound?"

Seeing Qin Fang buy everything again, the Hunter’s tone grew even more deferential.

He hadn’t forgotten that the members of the Fish Dragon Gang had respectfully addressed him as Master Qin last time.

Qin Fang paid without any fuss.

The Hunter deftly counted the silver, handed the excess back to Qin Fang, and then asked with a smile, "Do you need us to deliver this to your home?"

Qin Fang nodded. "I’d appreciate the help."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

The Hunters smiled and gathered up the game. Qin Fang led the way, and they followed behind him.

Qin Fang deliberately slowed his pace and asked the Hunter as they walked, "I didn’t catch your name?"

"Ah, my surname is Li. You can just call me Old Li," the Hunter replied with a smile.

Qin Fang nodded but didn’t press for more information just yet. He led them all the way back to his courtyard and opened the gate.

The Hunters carried the game inside.

Old Li was a talkative man. He glanced around the courtyard and started making small talk—after all, this was a major customer, and keeping him happy could only be a good thing.

"Young man, how was that Pig King Meat from last time? Was it good?"

Qin Fang nodded without hesitation. "It was delicious. Old Li, that Pig King from last time... where did you say you found it?"

Old Li wasn’t surprised by Qin Fang’s curiosity.

After all, finding a Wild Boar King that huge... anyone would be curious.

"Haha, it was at the bottom of a cliff not far from our village. Us locals call it ’Old Ox Back.’ We just got lucky that day. We headed out in the morning, and just as we reached the foot of Old Ox Back, we saw that big fella on the ground... haha! Getting it all the way to Fishermen’s took a ton of effort. Good thing my brothers were there to help."

Getting such a windfall was clearly a story worth bragging about, and Old Li recounted the day’s events in vivid, excited detail.

Qin Fang didn’t interrupt, listening patiently and committing the details to memory.

Especially the name Old Ox Back.

Only after he had finished did Qin Fang ask, "Which village are you from?"

"We’re from Li Family Ao."

The Hunter answered with a smile.

Qin Fang nodded.

’Knowing the name of the village and the specific location is all I need.’