From the fusion of Tongbei Quan to the Longevity Martial Saint

When Yang Zhi saw Fang Lingsu leave the cooking room, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense muscles finally relaxed slightly.

Next, he saw Fang Qing hand him a wooden spoon.

Fang Qing took out a pre-made scarecrow from some corner of the cooking room.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Qing skillfully put the clothes she was wearing on the scarecrow.

There are two wooden sticks at the bottom of the scarecrow, which can be used to control the scarecrow's movement within the house.

"Uncle Yang, every now and then, take this scarecrow and wave it by the window of the seafood cooking room, so that people outside will think that I'm always working hard inside the seafood cooking room."

As they were talking, Fang Qing had already changed into a black night outfit.

Yang Zhi was taken aback when he saw Fang Qing's attire.

He also moved a stone slab on the other side of the cooking room, revealing a waterway behind it that was just big enough for a person to crawl through.

This waterway is mainly used for the remaining brine from the boiling room, which can be returned to the ash field through this waterway.

Some brine concentrations are relatively low, so it needs to be recycled back to the ash field and the brine concentration is further purified by spreading and pressing the brine.

Throughout the saltworks, these excavated waterways form a network.

Every drop of brine extracted from the salt fields is extremely precious and cannot be wasted.

It needs to be returned to the brine tank for storage in a timely manner.

"Young man, you're not thinking of messing with Li Zao Tou, are you? Li Zao Tou is at the second level of Body Tempering, and I heard he's almost at perfection. You wouldn't stand a chance against him!"

Fang Qing had already picked up a string of hemp rope from the ground and slung it over his shoulder.

"Uncle Yang, the fact that Li Zao Tou wasn't executed on the spot by Lord Fang means that Li Zao Tou's family must have a very powerful background. Even if such a person leaves the saltworks, he will still pose a great threat to us."

"We've completely offended him now. If Li Zao Tou retaliates in the future, none of us will escape unscathed!"

"I, Fang Qing, will never do something that would lead to my own demise. Today, I must watch Li Zaotou stop breathing right before my eyes."

At that moment, by the candlelight, Yang Zhi saw a resolute look flash across the face of the boy he had watched grow up.

He knew that Fang's son had truly grown up, and Fang Qing's inner resilience had far exceeded Yang Zhi's imagination.

Yang Zhi gripped the two handles at the bottom of the scarecrow next to him tightly.

"Young man, go ahead. Uncle Yang is here. Don't worry, no one will notice."

Once Fang Qing's figure disappeared through the waterway, Yang Zhi gently placed the stone slab that had been blocking the waterway back in its original position.

The next moment, Yang Zhi grabbed the scarecrow that Fang Qing had made in advance. There were two wooden sticks at the bottom of the scarecrow that served as handles. By pushing these two wooden sticks left and right, the scarecrow could be made to sway and walk from side to side.

Next, every few days, Yang Zhi would have the scarecrow dressed in Fang Qing's clothes wave around in front of the small paper window of the cooking room.

Occasionally, he would imitate Fang Qing's voice, whispering a few words to buy Fang Qing as much time as possible.

Outside the cooking room, Fang Lingsu had already climbed into the carriage, closed her eyes, and sat in meditation to regulate her breathing.

Lin, the guard, and several other guards lined up to firmly protect Fang Lingsu's carriage and the cooking room.

Lin, the guard, would occasionally turn his head to look at the direction of the window of the cooking room, and see the shadows of Yang Zhi and Fang Qing projected onto the window paper from time to time.

After ensuring there were no problems, Guard Lin leaned on his cane, which reached his eyebrows, and continued to perform his guard duties.

……

Fang Qing found a secluded corner and poured out a Body Tempering Pill from the porcelain bottle.

The next moment, it was swallowed whole.

[Superior Body Tempering Pill, increases stamina by +100 points, absorption complete...]

Current stamina: 300 points...

……

Fang Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and the next moment he immediately began practicing the Tongbei Divine Fist Body Tempering Technique on the spot.

[A crucible of martial arts, fusing all the laws of the world...]

[Performed a complete demonstration of the Tongbei Divine Fist Body Tempering Technique, cultivation level +1...]

[Current Realm: Body Tempering Level 1 Perfection (80%)...]

……

[Performed a complete demonstration of the Tongbei Divine Fist Body Tempering Technique, cultivation level +1...]

[Current Realm: Body Tempering Level 1 Perfection (85%)...]

……

[Current Realm: Body Tempering Level 1 Perfection (90%)...]

[Current Realm: Body Tempering Level 1 Perfection (95%)...]

……

[Current Realm: Body Tempering Level 1 Perfection↑ (100%)...]

[Body Tempering Level Two Minor Success (0%)...]

[Current remaining stamina: 130...]

In the darkness, Fang Qing saw a faint golden light emanating from the skin of his body.

The golden light lasted for a long time before slowly disappearing.

He gently tapped the skin on his arm with his fingers.

Surprisingly, it produced a series of loud clanging sounds, like metal clashing.

At the same time, Fang Qing swung his fist fiercely.

He could clearly sense that when he was gathering his strength,

The blood pumped by his heart immediately began to rush to his arms.

In this quiet, dark space, the flow of blood produced a gurgling sound, like flowing mercury.

Reaching the second level of Body Tempering this time felt like opening the door to a new world for Fang Qing.

"I feel more powerful now. If I were facing Li Laolai right now, I reckon I could kill him in one move."

"Although Li Zaotou is now at the Great Perfection of the Second Stage of Body Tempering, there is still a gap between us. However, time is of the essence now, and I am currently at the Lesser Perfection of the Second Stage of Body Tempering. I should be able to put up a fight."

Fang Qing must kill Li Zaotou before he leaves the salt field, taking advantage of his moment of inattention.

Otherwise, once he leaves the salt field, I'll be in the open while Li Zao Tou is in the shadows. Who knows what kind of trouble this guy will cause me?

Fang Qing didn't want such a thing to happen, and she didn't want to live in constant fear and anxiety.

Thinking of this, Fang Qing opened the small porcelain bottle and swallowed the last Body Tempering Pill.

[Superior Body Tempering Pill, increases stamina by +100 points, absorption complete...]

Current stamina: 230 points...

……

To ensure that physical strength wouldn't become a bottleneck in critical moments, Fang Qing picked up the rope from the ground and, with a few leaps, rushed towards Li Zaotou's courtyard house in the distance.

……

The innermost room in Li Zaotou's courtyard house.

At this moment, the ground was covered with shards of porcelain.

Li Laolai and his daughter were both trembling with fear as they watched Li Zaotou, who seemed to have gone mad.

Li Zaotou knew that he was completely finished this time.

During his ten years as the head of the saltworks at Jinsha Saltworks, he amassed a considerable fortune, most of which came from his collusion with salt bandits.

Every year, large quantities of salt would be sold to salt bandits.

Of course, in the end, several thousand kilograms of salt each year end up in the black market and end up in the smuggled salt market.

If this matter is exposed, then both the Fang family and the government will put him to death.

"Get out of here, all of you!"

Li Zaotou glared fiercely at Li Laolai and his concubine, his face full of anger.

"If I hadn't stood up for Li Laolai this time and listened to my concubine's whispers in my ear, I wouldn't have directly clashed with that kid Fang Qing."

"That way, they won't dredge up old grievances and let the Fang family know all the details of my life over the years."

After ordering the servants outside not to come in and disturb him unless there was something important, Li Zao Tou paced back and forth in his courtyard like an ant on a hot pan.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. I must ask the elders of the family for help."

"If I can make up for all the salt losses over the years, I believe there is still a glimmer of hope."

Li Zao Tou suddenly had an idea...

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