"It tastes like dead rat," Arran said, face twisted in disgust at the bitter taste of the potion.
The gray-haired woman scowled. Arran had learned that her name was Doctor Zhang and that she was Lord Jiang's personal healer. Lord Jiang had put her in charge of treating Arran, but to Arran's dismay, her treatments mostly consisted of vile-tasting potions.
"You're a man. Act like one," she said bluntly.
Arran sighed. The woman was right, of course — however foul-tasting her potions might be, he had to admit that they worked extremely well. Between her potions and the technique Lord Jiang had given him, it had taken him just a week to recover from most of his injuries. Without them, he thought, it would have taken months — if he would have recovered at all.
He took a deep breath, then swallowed the potion. The taste made him gag, but he managed to keep it down.
"Good," D
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 34
Thud!Arran groaned as he opened his eyes. Through the window, he could see that the first light of dawn was only just starting to appear. Only half-awake, he dully wondered what had just interrupted his sleep.Thud! Thud!This time, he realized that the sound came from the door. Someone was knocking."Who is it?!" he called out."Time to get up!"Hearing that the voice was Lord Jiang's, Arran hurriedly got out of bed. It had been over two weeks since he had last seen any sign of his host, but after all the man had done for him, the last thing he wanted was to offend him.When he opened the door, he saw Lord Jiang standing outside, dressed in simple brown clothes. Once more he marveled at the sheer size of the man — he resembled a living mountain."Today, we begin your training," Lord Jiang said, smiling brightl
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 35
Arran found Jiang Fei in the flower patch next to her cottage, sitting on a small spot of grass and studying a thick book.She turned her head as she heard him approach, and when she saw him, a frown instantly appeared on her face."Shouldn't you be resting?" she asked. Raising an eyebrow, she added, "And why are your clothes wet?"Arran flushed with embarrassment. His training with Lord Jiang had left him soaked with sweat, and in his rush to tell Jiang Fei the news, he had not thought to change his clothes."I've been training with Lord Jiang," he said, deciding to divert her attention right away."You've been training? But you haven't fully recovered yet! You should be—" Suddenly, her face went pale. "You've been training with Uncle Bear?!"Arran nodded. "He's teaching me a Body Refinement technique."Jiang Fei looked like she ha
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 36
Arran looked at Jiang Fei. Her eyes were closed, and she sat on the grass with a look of utter concentration on her face.It had been nearly a week since Lord Jiang had given her the scroll containing the circulation technique, but so far, she had not yet succeeded in mastering it.At first, Arran had been somewhat relieved that she had trouble learning the technique. He had feared that with her skill in magic, she would surpass him in a matter of days. He knew it was petty, but still, it felt nice to be better at something than her for a change.Now, however, he was beginning to feel bad for her. She worked day and night, but somehow, the technique still eluded her. Apparently, magical talent alone was not enough to learn Body Refinement.Arran, on the other hand, had made great strides in mastering the circulation technique. Using it while running had been difficult at first, but with the instructi
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 37
Arran and Jiang Fei followed behind Lord Jiang, and eventually, they reached a large wooden building that Arran had not seen before.Inside there was a large hall, and in the hall they found several long tables, all filled with various kinds of food. At a glance, Arran could see several racks of grilled ribs, roasted birds, large slabs of what looked like beef or venison, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables.Arran was puzzled when he realized that although the food looked like it had been prepared just a short while ago, there were no servants anywhere in sight."Did you have this prepared for today?" he asked."Of course," Lord Jiang said. "We have something to celebrate, after all.""But how did you know I would succeed today?" Jiang Fei asked.She looked as puzzled as Arran, as they both understood that preparations for the feast must have begun hours b
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 38
After Lord Jiang's feast, Arran noticed an immediate change in his abilities. Even without using the circulation technique, he could feel that he was stronger and faster than he used to be. The difference wasn't a small one, either — it was as if he had achieved the results of years of training in a single night.When he did use the technique, he found that it was easier to maintain and control than before. Using it still wasn't exactly simple, but as the weeks passed he progressed rapidly, learning to use the technique to increase his strength when needed.Although there were no more feasts like the first one, Lord Jiang served them rare medicinal foods every day, and Arran could feel that they were helping his body grow stronger. Sometimes, Doctor Zhang would bring Arran and Jiang Fei potions as well, and even if their taste was always vile, they seemed to further increase Arran's strength.A few weeks after the
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 39
"Is that what you're wearing?" Jiang Fei looked at Arran with a raised eyebrow."What's wrong with it?" Arran asked.He was wearing a simple brown linen robe, and although it was nothing like the crimson silk dress Jiang Fei was wearing, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It was comfortable and clean, and it was something that would attract no unwanted attention."Nothing," Jiang Fei said with a frown, "if you're planning to spend the day on a farm."Arran sighed, then went back inside. Some moments later he emerged from the cottage once more, this time wearing a black silk robe with red embroidery. It was one of the finer robes Master Zhao had left him in the void bag, and wearing it made Arran feel like a monkey in a wedding dress."Much better," Jiang Fei said, smiling brightly. "Dressed like this, you could almost trick me into thinking you're handsome."
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 40
"Who were those guys?" Arran looked at Jiang Fei with some concern. With the protection of Lord Jiang, he wasn't too worried about himself, but he hoped he hadn't caused any problems for Jiang Fei."They're from the Redstone branch of the Jiang Clan," she replied. "From what I heard, the branch leader has been trying to get an audience with Uncle Bear for the past month. They thought they could use me to force Uncle Bear to see them." She shook her head in disgust."Are you okay?" Arran asked."I am," she said. "But this is going to cause some trouble for you. The Redstone branch is among the more powerful factions within the clan, and they will want compensation for what you did.""The little bastard had it coming," Arran said with a shrug. He was confident that Lord Jiang would protect him if necessary, but even if that weren't the case, he would not let some random thug manhandle Jiang Fei.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 41
Arran woke up early the next morning, well before the first light of dawn. The previous night he had not felt too worried, but now, the confrontation was coming awfully close.After some thought, he put on the armored coat he had bought the previous day. He did not think Lord Jiang would let it come to violence, but then, it was better to be needlessly prepared than to need it and not be prepared.He ate breakfast with Jiang Fei and Magistrate Huang, and much like the previous day, they were the only ones in the large dining hall. By now, Arran was beginning to think that the people in Magistrate Huang's household were trying to avoid them.The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Even Magistrate Huang himself was visibly uncomfortable being around Arran and Jiang Fei, clearly still afraid of their powers. That the rest of the household would be even more timid did not seem far-fetched at all.<