Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 110 - 34: Overcast Clouds

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With the assurance from Master Ruan, Shen Qing finally put his mind at ease. He cupped his hands and said, "I'll come back in a month and a half. I'll trouble Master Ruan to make some more handy arrows for me."

Ruan Pottery Master turned his head to glance at him and said, "Fifty wen each."

How expensive.

This price was equivalent to a day's hard work for an ordinary hunter.

However, fortunately, this amount wasn't much for Shen Qing now.

"Then please make twenty," Shen Qing said, placing a tael of silver on the table and departed with a bow.

As he walked out, Shen Qing encountered a young girl in a blue dress.

Her hair was pinned up with a hairpin, and her chest had begun to show the gentle hills of maturity, much like misty hills in the morning, suggesting she had reached womanhood.

Though her appearance was ordinary with a few freckles on her face, she bore some resemblance to Master Ruan.

The girl in the long dress slightly moved aside to make way for Shen Qing.

Shen Qing nodded politely and left at a leisurely pace.

The girl in the long dress gave Shen Qing's retreating figure another glance or two before entering the house.

She carried a pot of coarse tea to Master Ruan and quietly asked, "Father, who was that just now?"

Ruan Chengbao put down the hammer in his hand, took the teapot, and said, "Someone who came to commission a bow."

"Oh, do you know where he lives or what his name is?" the girl asked curiously. "I've never seen such a handsome person before."

"Why, are you, young lady, having romantic inclinations?" Ruan Chengbao teased with a half-smile.

The girl remained silent, quietly accepting the teapot Ruan Chengbao handed over.

Ruan Chengbao chuckled and said, "He'll come to pick up the bow and arrows in a month and a half. I'll ask for you then."

"Alright, it's all up to you, Father."

Ruan Chengbao said no more. He took out the heated dark iron he had just thrown in and placed it on the anvil, then swung the large hammer in his hand down on it.

With a clang, sparks flew.

…

In a desolate hill outside Taiping County, Zhou Family Patriarch Zhou Dingwen stood with his eldest son Zhou Jishan, second son Zhou Congwu, and a group of servants in front of a newly erected grave.

Nearby, a paper house for the spirits and other paper offerings crafted for the deceased were being piled up by the bustling servants.

Each of these paper-crafted items was lifelike.

From residences to everyday items like scissors, everything was included.

There were even a dozen or so paper figures dressed as servants standing outside the paper house.

Shortly after, a man who seemed like a butler approached Zhou Dingwen and respectfully said, "Master, everything is ready."

"Then burn them all for Xiaoyu. She spent most of her time indoors since she was young, reluctant to leave home. Today marks her journey in the afterlife; we can't let her suffer down there," Zhou Dingwen's eyes filled with tears.

Eldest son Zhou Jishan stepped forward to console him, "Father, don't be too sad. The matter of our twelfth sister is already over. The dead cannot come back to life."

Zhou Dingwen exhaled lightly, calming his agitated heart, and slowly said, "Have you found out yet? Was it the Huang Tian Sect?"

Eldest son Zhou Jishan said softly, "I investigated carefully. Our twelfth sister had no connections with the Huang Tian Sect, nor have we had any conflicts with them. It doesn't seem to be their doing."

"Then who did this, daring to make a move in our Zhou Family compound in broad daylight?" Zhou Dingwen's gaze turned sharp, "Our Zhou Family has always been low-key. Do they all think our Zhou Family is weak and easily bullied?"

Eldest son Zhou Jishan replied honestly, "I haven't found out yet, but for now, it seems connected to... the Seventh Household. The day before twelfth sister died, she was out all night. The last place she went was the Seventh Household..."

Bang!

Zhou Dingwen's palm slapped fiercely on the tombstone in front of the new grave, causing it to sink three inches into the ground, producing a muffled sound.

His face was filled with rage, "Investigate thoroughly, better kill wrongly than let it go."

"Yes, I will investigate thoroughly."

At this time, a cluster of firelight flickered from a section of paper offerings, slowly spreading outwards.

Zhou Dingwen gazed at the flame, his eyes full of sorrow.

As the fire licked the edges of the paper-crafted buildings, carriages, and figures, the edges began to curl and blacken, making a faint crackling sound.

The fire grew more intense, the flames dancing and tumbling in the wind like a writhing fire serpent.

As the heat rose, the paper offerings quickly turned to ash in the flames, sending up wisps of blue smoke.

Until everything was completely burned to ashes.

"Let's go back," Zhou Dingwen said with lackluster interest as he waved his hand and walked down the mountain.

Eldest son Zhou Jishan followed closely. As he took a step forward, Zhou Congwu pulled at his sleeve and said, "Big brother, I remember you found out that someone else returned with our twelfth sister last? This matter is surely related to that person. Why didn't you tell Father?"

"I already investigated that person long ago, only to find out it's a young man. Other than that, I know nothing. To actually find him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. It's better to focus on more certain matters. The Seventh Household has become increasingly arrogant recently. Let's discuss the rest later."

Zhou Congwu was momentarily stunned and then said no more.

…

After returning from the kiln of Master Ruan,

Shen Qing resumed his usual dedicated practice.

During the day, he diligently practiced the Wind Defying Finger in Linfeng Hall and occasionally practiced the Dragon Roar Armor. At night, he practiced the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill, practically filling his entire day.

In the backyard of Linfeng Hall, Shen Qing's muscles tensed, and his skin took on a dark red hue.

"Just a little more, the Dragon Roar Armor is a lot harder to practice than I had anticipated."

Shen Qing focused his mind and glanced at the water ink panel in his vision, where the information about the Dragon Roar Armor appeared before him.

[Skill: Dragon Roar Armor (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 92/100 points]

[Status: Cannot improve]

[Note: When Heaven assigns a great task to someone, they must first endure hardships and strain their muscles and bones. Constantly refining qi-blood and honing flesh and blood can increase the progression of this martial art, significantly enhancing physical body strength.]

Compared to the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill, a martial art of the court, the Dragon Roar Armor lacked a systematic approach to its practice; its training methods were rather crude and simplistic.

As a result, Shen Qing stumbled and stalled in his training progress.

This was even with the aid of the Blood Dominance Technique; otherwise, the progress would have lagged further behind.

It's hard to imagine how difficult it would be for someone with no foundation to train in martial arts in the Great Zhou Dynasty, especially after collecting the Martial Mechanism by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Hoo... Hah..."

Shen Qing exhaled a breath of hot air, and his taut muscles relaxed, a layer of hot sweat beading on his dark skin.

As always, he sat on a stone bench for a short rest.

Meanwhile, his gaze drifted outside.

Recently, for some reason, the number of people coming to Linfeng Hall to practice martial arts had decreased by another twenty percent, making the large courtyard seem much quieter.

Furthermore, the "security fee" he collected in the shantytown area of the Outer City had decreased compared to the past.

The number of people living in the shantytown was decreasing.

This wasn't a good sign.

Shen Qing looked up, noticing that the sky over Taiping County had unknowingly become densely covered with dark clouds.

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