Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 748

Chapter 748: Chapter 748

Yang Fan suddenly felt a little confused.

He stared blankly at the chisel in his right hand, his two thick eyebrows squeezed tightly together.

What did he just do?

That last chisel stroke—he hadn’t thought about anything, just casually delivered it, and the result was incredibly smooth, far smoother than when he deliberately controlled the intensity of his Inner Qi.

Could it be...

There’s no need to consciously control Inner Qi and balance the three factors?

Let’s try again.

Yang Fan maintained the flow of his Inner Qi, took up the chisel, and gently struck again.

Watching the silky wood shavings curl up, he couldn’t help but laugh.

This is just absurd.

When carefully and deliberately controlling it, everything felt difficult and awkward; yet by letting nature take its course, allowing his Inner Qi to play freely, the results were unexpectedly good.

He realized he had been approaching it the wrong way from the start.

After trying several more times with successful results, Yang Fan felt enlightened.

He had overlooked a key aspect.

That was the utilization of Inner Qi.

Before, he had essentially applied a switch to his Inner Qi—it was "on" when he needed it and "off" when he didn’t. This led to his use of Inner Qi being stiff, like a car that hadn’t had an oil change in ages, every part feeling jammed.

In that state, Inner Qi for Yang Fan was like an external force he could summon at will.

It wasn’t truly his own.

But through his recent attempts, Inner Qi had flushed through those stiff, jammed joints, allowing it to flow freely at last.

"Damn it, so it turns out I misunderstood all along." Yang Fan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Inner Qi is part of my power. How could I separate it and use it independently like that?"

Without today’s revelation, Yang Fan was certain he would probably never have figured this out, not even if he died trying.

"It’s true—cultivation requires a good guide, or else you might dive headfirst into some pit you can’t get out of." Yang Fan shook his head and said. Clearly, Mr. Fan had already noticed this and had specifically arranged this task to help Yang Fan achieve understanding.

Treating Inner Qi as an external force, then desperately trying to balance Inner Qi, the tools, and the wood—that would explain why no matter how he adjusted, something always felt slightly off.

The root of the problem was wrong.

Inner Qi shouldn’t be treated as an external force; it’s his own power.

Once this critical point is understood, Inner Qi can function as naturally as muscle strength.

Yang Fan calmed his mind, stopped looking inward at himself, and ceased monitoring the flow of Inner Qi deliberately. Instead, he focused his thoughts on the locust wood in front of him, imagining what shape he wanted to carve, and simply kept the Inner Qi running.

The chisel glided smoothly down, effortlessly peeling off pieces of black wood shavings.

In this moment, the feeling was perfect.

"Good lord, I’m going to die from my own stupidity." Yang Fan chuckled and muttered to himself.

Now that he had figured it out, he suddenly realized how simple the problem actually was—not complicated at all.

But before understanding it, what he didn’t know remained a mystery.

No wonder Mr. Fan said cultivation hinges on perception.

Indeed, perception is key!

The chisel glided smoothly across the black locust wood, and soon, the rough shape of a wooden sword began to emerge.

Yang Fan finally rediscovered the joy of carving wooden swords from his childhood.

By now, the sky had gradually darkened, and from the distance came the faint sound of rumbling thunder.

It looked like rain was coming.

Yang Fan stood up and glanced out. Southwestward, thick clouds churned like ink, with lightning twisting visibly within the cloud layers, flickering so erratically it looked as if Thunder God and Lightning Mother’s hands had suddenly cramped while they were handling their Magical Treasures, just clattering them non-stop.

Yun Miaoyi and Fan Sisi hadn’t returned yet.

Mr. Fan was nowhere to be seen either.

Yang Fan was about to call them to ask how things were going.

Then Wang Daqiang appeared, his face glowing with delight.

"Who’s been keeping you satisfied lately?" Yang Fan teased with a laugh.

This guy looked like he’d just encountered something wonderful—his grin stretched so far it was almost behind his ears.

Wang Daqiang sat down across from Yang Fan, took out a pack of cigarettes, and handed one to him.

"Whoa, Little Furong? What’s up with your generosity today?" Yang Fan joked. "Did you win the lottery?"

Wang Daqiang was known for his habit of buying lottery tickets.

But it seemed he had mostly been funding charity work.

Wang Daqiang spoke with deep emotion: "Fanzi, I’ve realized something—you truly live with clarity."

Yang Fan: ???

"I finally see things clearly, Fanzi. You’re basically my life mentor." Wang Daqiang swayed his head, full of self-reflection. "Looking back at my past days, I was nothing but a fool."

Yang Fan was baffled. "What exactly did I do?"

"You led me to indulge!" Wang Daqiang declared. "Once you step through that door, you truly see the wonders of the Human World!"

Yang Fan: ...

"You went out looking for women just now?" Yang Fan asked.

Wang Daqiang tilted his head at a dramatic angle, reminiscing with a glowing face. "Fanzi, if that woman hadn’t agreed to be with me for a while, I’d totally let you try as well—it’s truly wonderful, so satisfying."

"A respectable housewife, eloquent and optimistic, quite uninhibited—really knows how to please. The way she calls out—it’s enough to mesmerize you completely. When she’s quiet, I can last a little longer; but once she starts yelling? Damn, there’s no holding back at all."

Yang Fan’s mouth twitched.

He’d suspected this guy got ’pampered,’ and it turned out he was right.

"Don’t share any of that with me. When I do look for company outside, it’s usually just for the service," Yang Fan said.

Visiting Han Palace had always been more about their services—his interest in the women themselves was secondary.

"Wait, what did you just say about her being with you for a while?" Yang Fan suddenly caught on, asking.

Wang Daqiang replied with some pride, "The woman told me she could earn more by focusing on one person instead of working with a lot of people—plus, it’s more enjoyable and cleaner. Then she asked what I thought about the arrangement."

"I asked about the price, felt it seemed fair, and agreed. I’m testing her out for a month to start."

Yang Fan paused, "How much are you paying?"

"Five thousand—isn’t that reasonable?" Wang Daqiang grinned. "I did some quick math. Going out once every two or three days would cost me two or three hundred, right? So in a month, that’d be about four thousand anyway. Feels like a good deal."

"Are you sure you’re going out every two or three days?" Yang Fan questioned.

Wang Daqiang seemed a little embarrassed. "I didn’t use to, but lately, my urges in this area seem to have awakened. Now, every two or three days, I start feeling restless. If I were still like before—only once or twice a month—I definitely wouldn’t bother doing this."

"You think... is it possible you’re being scammed?" Yang Fan said, feeling speechless.

How could his thoughts still be so naive at his age?

Yang Fan didn’t understand.

"No way." Wang Daqiang said confidently, "I’ve got all her contact details. To be cautious, I even had her write me a receipt. It’s perfectly legitimate."