Chapter 10

Sure enough, just as Yang Fan thought of this, he sensed Li Gonggong’s icy gaze sweeping over him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat instantly.

He knew that Li Gonggong had the intent to kill. He forced himself to suppress his racing heart and remained still.

Although the matter that Xiaolinzi had revealed was secretive, it was already a fait accompli. Li Gonggong would never cut off his own arm at this point.

Yang Fan was betting that even if he knew such a secret, he would still be safe.

Sure enough, the next moment, Li Gonggong withdrew his gaze, his voice filled with intense coldness: "What a sinister intention! What a violation of human ethics!"

It was clear that the Empress refused to let the Thirteenth Prince leave the palace and establish his own household, and instead did a series of outrageous things within the palace, yet she blamed it on Consort Chen!

It was utterly unreasonable!

Even Li Gonggong, who had seen many dark sides of the palace, found it hard to suppress his anger.

In the narrow shed, Li Gonggong’s chilling voice made Yang Fan and Xiaolinzi shiver in unison, their heads lowered, not daring to look at him.

After a long while.

Li Gonggong’s face became calm again.

"Go back!"

"There’s nothing for you here!"

Li Gonggong raised his hand, took out a porcelain bottle, and threw it to Xiaolinzi. Xiaolinzi caught it, opened the stopper, and sniffed it, his face immediately showing delight.

"Thank you, Sir!"

Xiaolinzi turned and rushed out of the shed without looking back.

"Xiaofan, come with me for a walk."

"Yes."

Yang Fan let Li Gonggong’s hand rest on his arm.

The two stepped out of the shed.

By now, it was already evening, with only a few scattered stars in the sky.

What was supposed to be a scorching summer night had a hint of coldness in the air.

Yang Fan suddenly noticed that Li Gonggong’s body was very light, even emaciated, with no flesh on his arm, only hard bones.

It hurt Yang Fan slightly.

This seemed to be at odds with Li Gonggong’s fierce and powerful performance, where he had single-handedly killed a man and intimidated Huang Gonggong.

"Rare to have a moment of peace!"

Li Gonggong looked back at the dense palace buildings.

This vast palace, with its numerous structures, resembled a deep abyss nurturing a great demon. Once you fell in, you would never be able to climb out.

Yang Fan walked silently.

"Go back."

Li Gonggong’s long sleeves fluttered, his aura becoming even more serene. He returned to the side hall of the Changqing Palace, once again appearing as the slow-moving old eunuch.

Yang Fan watched Li Gonggong’s back.

He knew that after this incident, his importance in Li Gonggong’s eyes would increase.

He would be more trusted.

However, the gains and losses were hard to measure.

He turned and returned to the courtyard, tiptoeing to open the door. Seeing that everyone on the bed was already asleep, he took off his coat, put it away, and lay down on the wooden bed.

He had thought that leaving the Jianshi Courtyard would improve his situation.

But he never expected that the Changqing Palace would soon be plunged into a great crisis.

Being the target of the Empress, the supreme ruler of the harem, was no simple matter. It could cost lives. Once Consort Chen fell, they would not have a good end either.

"What a Thirteenth Prince!"

Yang Fan narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

For now, he needed to focus on practicing martial arts. In a critical moment, it might prove very useful, and at the very least, it would give him the means to fight for his life.

As the sky began to lighten, Yang Fan opened his eyes.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Yang Fan’s ears perked up, hearing heavy breathing outside. When he stepped out, he saw Xiaolingzi practicing the Three Great Techniques of the Wild Ox.

One technique after another, continuously recombining and merging.

He truly resembled a young ox, his movements generating a steaming heat.

"Take this!"

Xiaolingzi’s eyes lit up when he saw Yang Fan. His body moved like a wild ox, lunging at Yang Fan and throwing a punch at his chest.

"Good move!"

Yang Fan dodged the punch, then charged forward, grabbing Xiaolingzi and using the momentum of the wild ox’s charge to knock him off balance, making him retreat step by step.

Gaining the upper hand, Yang Fan pressed his advantage.

Wild Ox Headbutt!

His fists struck Xiaolingzi’s chest directly.

Bang! Bang!

Two dull thuds sounded almost simultaneously.

Xiaolingzi, in pain, stumbled back several steps, his blood surging.

He looked at Yang Fan in shock, never expecting that despite being chosen and starting martial arts training at the same time, he could not withstand a single blow from Yang Fan!

This reminded him of Li Gonggong’s words.

Clearly, Yang Fan, who had initially grasped the flow of his blood and qi, had completely surpassed them.

For a moment, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

"Are you all practicing so early?"

Xiaolianzi and Xiaozhuizi also came out, dressed in rough clothes, clearly ready to practice. They greeted each other and then each chose a corner to start their training.

Yang Fan and Xiaolingzi exchanged a glance and then separated.

The morning is the best time of the day.

There was no room for waste.

Yang Fan began practicing the Three Great Techniques of the Wild Ox again, but this time he slowed his movements, moving steadily and calmly, like an old ox pulling a cart, without any rush.

He was trying to understand the flow of his blood and qi.

Blood is the source of life!

A martial artist’s cultivation begins with the circulation of blood and qi, using it to refine the muscles, bones, and skin, building a solid foundation for the body.

However, how to refine it properly is a very intricate matter.

When Yang Fan read the "Wild Ox Body Cultivation Technique," he found that it was extremely brief, only mentioning "blood and qi return to their source, life force is renewed."

So he could only cultivate based on his own understanding.

In his mind, he compared the flow of blood and qi to a rushing river. The river washes away trees and stones, but the details are different.

The speed of the water, the size of the flow, and the duration all have an impact.

In the human body, to nourish the muscles, bones, and skin, one must use the characteristics of blood and qi, combining fast and slow movements, and balancing hardness and softness, to achieve success in body cultivation.

Sure enough, as Yang Fan deliberately controlled his movements, his blood and qi became heavier, and every movement felt like carrying a mountain.

Xiaolianzi and the others, who were nearby, noticed this and felt extremely uncomfortable. They felt a strong sense of dislocation, as if Yang Fan’s movements were extremely slow and heavy, like pushing a mountain.

It made them almost want to vomit.

But despite this, they did not dare to underestimate him.

They noticed that Yang Fan was suddenly drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through, and he was breathing heavily, clearly expending a lot of energy.

Clearly, the movements were very strenuous.

Not as simple as they looked.

Huff, huff, huff!

Yang Fan knew he was on the right track.

He felt his strength increase again.

But there was a problem: the cost of driving his blood and qi was a large consumption of energy. He could barely keep up after just a short while.

Fortunately, he had the pills he had gathered from Xiaolinzi the day before. He reached into his pocket, took out a Blood and Qi Pill, and swallowed it.

A warm current spread throughout his body, and his blood and qi became strong again.

"That seems to be a Blood and Qi Pill?"

Xiaolingzi’s voice was tinged with envy.

He couldn’t think of any reason why Yang Fan would have a Blood and Qi Pill, so it must have come from Li Gonggong.

But why?