It was a common affliction of the world: people harbored wishful hopes, while greed could never be filled.
In this ambush of the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon, Lin Zhao had contributed enormously. Forget forty percent of the Pangolin Dragon Essence—even a greater share would have been deserved.
Even if Zhao Zhong had given him five bottles as agreed, the remaining eight would still have been enough to gather the money for Spirit Condensing Grass needed to break through to a lower-stage Martial Master. Yet this fool had thought himself clever and tried to pull off a black-eats-black scheme, only to end up dead and stripped of everything. He had no one to blame but himself.
One must never lack vigilance against others. Fortunately, I saw early on that this group was made up of rogue cultivators from outside the garrison, not decent people. More fortunately, my Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique has reached the Fourth Tier, and I have some real skills in hand.
Since entering the Northern Garrison, Lin Zhao had fought Martial Masters of the same rank several times. Only then had he realized that his strength was several notches greater than expected—apart from the injury he had suffered when ambushed by a Night Raven Tower silver-ranked assassin, he could actually emerge completely unscathed when facing ordinary lower-stage Martial Masters. The defenses of Mystic Dragon Inner Qi were truly troublesome.
Though they were both Entering Martial Masters, the gap between them was as vast as clouds and mud.
This realization instead kept Lin Zhao from growing the least bit arrogant.
The road through the martial world stretched far ahead. Beyond the northern lands were Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warriors, and even Mystic Martial Realm Legendary Master Warriors. One careless step could send him tumbling headlong into disaster.
After leaving danger behind, Lin Zhao began clearing the battlefield.
He first examined the ten martial bottles of Pangolin Dragon Essence and calculated in his heart: with his current Fourth Tier Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique cultivation, one bottle of Pangolin Dragon Essence was enough to aid half a month's worth of Inner Qi condensation. By that reckoning, he would not need to worry about supplementary medicines for advancing his Inner Qi for the next half year or so.
Before the end of this year, I must break through to a mid-stage Entering Martial Master and raise the proficiency of the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique to the Fifth Tier. A sharp gleam flashed through Lin Zhao's eyes. By then, Mystic Dragon Inner Qi's qi shield will be thirty percent thicker, and my strength will rise another level. Even if I encounter a Night Raven Tower gold-ranked assassin, I'll have the strength to fight!
After wrapping the Pangolin Dragon Essence in oilcloth and carefully stuffing it into his pack, he went to search Zhao Zhong's corpse.
He had long suspected that this man was a smuggler on the border between the Oirat and the Ming Dynasty—otherwise, how could he have known the whereabouts of the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon?
Yet after searching him, Lin Zhao found nothing apart from more than a hundred heavy Jiajing Coins. There was not a single other identifying token, not even the "border-passage wooden plaques" commonly used by border smugglers.
"What a poor, shabby smuggler!" Lin Zhao spat under his breath, then thought it over and found it reasonable—what ordinary smuggler would carry huge sums of money and identifying tokens on his person?
They were inconvenient to carry and likely to invite inspection by garrison patrols, so they were most likely hidden in a secret border stronghold.
Next, he walked over to the dismembered corpse of Xie Hongling.
When he had fought this woman earlier, he had been quite curious about her unique poison arts. He had originally wanted to see whether she carried any books such as a Poison Scripture, so he could study them. That way, he would have more ways to deal with poison-using opponents in the future.
To his surprise, this search really did yield something.
"This Xie Hongling truly was meticulous. She actually sewed all the good things into the lining of her clothes." Lin Zhao looked at the pile of porcelain bottles and earthenware jars soaked in blood. They contained such highly poisonous ingredients as Intestine Severing Grass powder and Crane Top Red crystals. Besides those, there were several dozen Jiajing Coins and a yellowed piece of parchment.
When he unfolded the parchment, he found that it depicted a cultivation diagram for a breathing technique.
This breathing technique was called the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique. The paper showed more than a dozen little figures in varying poses, painted in cinnabar. Fine patterns of Inner Qi circulation covered each figure, while at the center was a Blood Poison Spider the size of a millstone. This was presumably the "Blood Poison Spider" spoken of in martial world rumors, and also the foundation for cultivating this breathing technique.
After studying it carefully for a moment, Lin Zhao discovered that this breathing technique was rather unusual. Unlike ordinary techniques, which emphasized conventional paths such as body tempering, strength gathering, defense, and movement, it instead specialized in the path of "perception."
This power of perception required Inner Qi to stimulate the body hairs. It could detect changes in airflow and tremors from footsteps within a radius of ten zhang, and could even sense the rise and fall of the chest of someone breathing behind a rock.
Every rustle of wind or blade of grass within the range of perception would be clearly conveyed to one's mind. There was no need to rely on the eyes to see or the ears to hear—put plainly, it was the essential skill of martial world experts who fought blind, most suited for hidden ambushes or guarding against traps.
Correspondingly, however, this breathing technique was much weaker in direct combat. Even when cultivated to its peak, it could only condense a thin layer of Inner Qi. Calling it the weakest among lower-grade techniques for Entering Martial Masters would not be an exaggeration.
No wonder Zhou Hongling's strength had only reached the lower stage of Entering Martial Master. Such an auxiliary technique, lopsided to the extreme, had to be paired with poison arts or hidden weapon techniques to be of use. Otherwise, no matter how strong one's perception was, one would be nothing more than a target at the mercy of others.
"It's rather interesting. It's worth spending some effort to cultivate." Lin Zhao folded the parchment and tucked it into his clothes. "When standing night watch or scouting enemy camps in the future, this perceptive ability will be of great use."
He also discovered that while the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique required medicinal ingredients, they were not used to advance Inner Qi. Instead, they were used to concoct "qi poison"—fusing Inner Qi with poison and attaching it to hidden weapons, increasing the poison's potency by thirty percent.
Xie Hongling's poison arts had likely been so formidable because of this.
Afterward, Lin Zhao went to search the corpses of Li Cangying and Zhou Xuanwu. Unfortunately, apart from a mere few dozen Jiajing Coins, he found nothing else. He had hoped to find the manual for Li Cangying's Green Falcon Wind Chasing Steps, but now he could only give up.
After all, what ordinary martial artist would carry their core cultivation technique around? Xie Hongling had only needed to keep hers with her at all times because her poison formulas and breathing technique complemented each other.
However, Zhou Xuanwu's equipment was of excellent quality. The set of black iron Mountain Pattern Armor was stained with blood, but not damaged in a single place. The Bincheng Iron Great Shield was completely intact, while even the blade of the Quenched Iron Armor Piercing Axe had only chipped slightly. A little polishing would make it usable again.
Lin Zhao did not stand on ceremony. He packed away the armor, shield, and weapons one by one. Bringing them back to Lin Family Fortress to either leave for his brothers under his command or sell at a discount to an arms shop were both good choices.
After moving the four corpses into a depression, Lin Zhao still observed a measure of martial world righteousness. Though they had not walked the same path, they had all made their living on the edge of a blade. He gathered dead branches and fallen leaves, piled them over the bodies, and set them ablaze.
As the blazing flames rose, they were spared the fate of becoming meals in the bellies of wild wolves and vultures after death.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's corpse, which was like a small mountain.
What troubled him most now was how to bring back this corpse worth at least thirty thousand taels of silver. The Northern Garrison was three days away, and this enormous beast weighed no less than five thousand jin. There was absolutely no way he could bring it back whole by himself.
Yet he truly could not bear to abandon the corpse here. The Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's scales could be made into scale armor, its bones could be boiled into Body Tempering Bone Glue, and even its organs could be used as medicine. To cast aside such heavenly treasure would be the height of wastefulness. Besides, he had already decided what to do with the scales.
Since he was in no hurry to return to Lin Family Fortress anyway, after dealing with the four corpses, Lin Zhao began dismantling the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon.
The scales of this enormous beast were exceptionally hard. He first used the Cold Iron Frost Condensing Sword to chop open a gap, then used Xuan Xi's Quenched Iron Armor Piercing Sword to pry at it. Only after expending the strength of nine oxen and two tigers did he manage to remove the first scale.
After that, he cut open its belly, first removing and properly preserving the internal organs before carefully stripping off every scale. In his eyes, apart from the Pangolin Dragon Essence, these scales were the most valuable things.
Scale armor made from Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon scales was thirty percent lighter than the garrison's standard Mountain Pattern Armor, yet its defenses could withstand the full-power strike of a Peak Martial Master. It was also unafraid of ordinary swords and blades, making it superior protective armor.
I'll first use the hardest scales from its back to make a set for myself. I'll prepare one set each from the remaining scales for Uncle Zhao and my three most capable brothers in the garrison. Lin Zhao calculated in his heart. But those three brothers are still Martial Trainees, and their bodies are still growing. I can only wait until they reach beginner Martial Master and their physiques stabilize before making theirs. By then, I'll have four skilled fighters under my command clad in scale armor. Whether defending a pass against enemies or hunting bandits, they'll be a formidable force!
In the wilderness, Lin Zhao patiently dealt with the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's corpse. The bloody scent coming from it attracted quite a few gazelles and mountain deer, as well as two wild wolves. He casually shot them all dead with his iron-backed bow. The wolf pelts could be made into cloaks, while the gazelle meat could be roasted and eaten, saving him the dry rations he had carried.
After working like this, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Removing all the scales, wiping them clean, and wrapping them in oilcloth alone took him two days. Even the tip of the Quenched Iron Armor Piercing Sword he had only just acquired had been worn somewhat out of shape.
Looking at the mountain of Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon scales piled on the ground, Lin Zhao's heart brimmed with delight. More than two hundred scales—enough to make four complete sets of scale armor. His brothers under his command would have their defenses secured from now on.
As for the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's flesh and blood, though they had not spoiled, they had already been contaminated by Xie Hongling's Seven Absolute Soul Chasing Poison. Even wild dogs dared not approach them, so he could only abandon them with a pained heart. Otherwise, he truly would have liked to taste the flesh of this ferocious beast. Perhaps it could even replenish his qi and blood.
Still, one thing was worth mentioning: he actually found several dozen Jiajing Coins in the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's stomach. The coins had been corroded into pits and hollows by stomach acid, but their inscriptions could still be identified. The beast had presumably swallowed money dropped by passing merchants by mistake.
This reminded him of the martial world legend that Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragons loved collecting shiny objects. He immediately headed for the ferocious beast's nest in the distant woods to investigate.
Unfortunately, apart from half-rotted animal carcasses and broken ironware, there was nothing valuable in the nest. There was not even a decent chunk of ore, so he could only return in disappointment.
Back at the original spot, Lin Zhao washed the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's hide clean, dried it over a fire, then sewed it into three large leather sacks with hemp rope. He sorted the scales by size and packed them away, then found the military wagon Li Cangying had discarded earlier. Though its wheels were somewhat warped, they could still roll.
He loaded the scales, the dismantled Internal Energy Armor Piercing Crossbow, and Zhou Xuanwu's black iron Mountain Pattern Armor onto it, then drove the wagon toward Qixia Fortress.
The Internal Energy Armor Piercing Crossbow was astonishingly powerful, capable of piercing the Inner Qi barrier of a Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior. He planned to spend some time studying it after returning to see whether he could replicate a simplified version and equip his brothers under his command with it.
On his return journey, he did not take another detour to Northern Garrison City. Afraid of running into garrison patrol inspections, he only retrieved the taels of silver he had buried earlier in the pine and cypress forest. Then he took a desolate mountain route, avoiding the villages along the way. Roughly half a month later, he finally arrived at Qixia Fortress.
Along the way, Lin Zhao pondered deeply, his brow never relaxing.
Why had the Night Raven Tower assassins come looking for him right after he left Qixia Fortress?
When entering the city, he had already changed into coarse cloth clothes and put on a Rakshasa mask, yet his trail had still been recognized.
Then he recalled that the last time the assassins had attacked, they had also struck while Zhao Tieying was away from the fortress buying supplies. These two matters were absolutely no coincidence.
"There must be a mole inside Qixia Fortress." Lin Zhao's eyes darkened, and his knuckles clenched white. "And this mole has been sending word to Night Raven Tower or some other force all along. Otherwise, how could the assassins time their moves so perfectly every time?"
Qixia Fortress was not large, with only a little more than fifty soldiers stationed there permanently. It would not be difficult to investigate. He already had a plan in mind and only needed to set a trap to catch the ghost after returning to the fortress.
After returning to Qixia Fortress, Lin Zhao first hid all the taels of silver and Jiajing Coins in the small treasury inside the fortress's secret chamber. He had dug that chamber in his early years, and only he and Zhao Tieying knew of it.
He kept only a little over five hundred taels of silver for the fortress's daily expenses. He planned to use the rest to purchase body-tempering medicinal ingredients and repair the fortress walls. Seeing him return safely with a wagon full of supplies, Zhao Tieying's suspended heart finally settled, and he hurried forward to greet him.
"Young Master, you were away for a month this time. I was truly worried sick—I feared you might encounter Oirat Eagle Archers or ferocious beasts in the mountains." As Zhao Tieying spoke, he reached out and patted the leather sacks on the wagon. They felt heavy to the touch, and his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"Uncle Zhao, this trip yielded quite a harvest, enough to last us until the end of the year. Next, I need to focus on cultivating the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique and strive to break through the Lesser Celestial Circuit to become a Peak Martial Master soon. There is also a matter I need you to handle for me these next few days: divide the soldiers in the fortress into two groups. One group will guard the fortress, while the other will follow you down the mountain to chop timber and repair the breach in the western wall." Lin Zhao's tone abruptly shifted, gaining several degrees of gravity.
"As you command, Young Master." Zhao Tieying bowed in acknowledgment without asking further questions. He knew Lin Zhao handled matters with method and never did useless work.
24th Year of Jiajing, early summer.
Rumors suddenly spread through the streets and alleys of Jinling: Zhu Chenhao, the rising star of Prince Jing's Mansion, a peak Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior hailed as "the strongest beneath a Mystic Martial Realm Legendary Master Warrior," had failed in his attempt to break through into the Mystic Martial Realm, and his Inner Qi had run in reverse, injuring his dantian.
Afterward, Prince Jing's Mansion immediately stepped forward to refute the rumors, claiming they were utter nonsense. Zhu Chenhao was still in secluded cultivation, tempering his Inner Qi, and the final result of his attempt to break through the Heavenly Gang Realm remained unknown.
If Zhu Chenhao successfully broke through the Heavenly Gang Realm, he might become the first Mystic Martial Realm Legendary Master Warrior under thirty years old in nearly fifty years.
At that time, Prince Jing's Mansion's status would rise like water and a boat with the tide. A Mystic Martial Realm Legendary Master Warrior was enough to intimidate the many ambitious nobles and underground forces of Jiangnan; even the Imperial Guard would have to show some respect.
Meanwhile, in Northern Garrison City, the authorities had also reached a conclusion in their investigation into the fire at Zhou Bo'an's residence more than a month ago. After examination by coroners, it was confirmed that someone had murdered Banner Captain Zhou Bo'an, then set fire to his residence to destroy the evidence.
The authorities found Zhou Bo'an's unburned remains in the ashes of the fireplace, as well as fragments of poisoned arrows at the scene. They therefore sternly condemned this act of "murder and arson, with no regard for the laws of the land," posting notices and offering a reward for the capture of the culprit.
For a time, the people of Northern Garrison City were filled with anxiety. Banner Captain Zhou Bo'an had always treated others kindly, lived frugally, and cared for the people. He had enjoyed an excellent reputation in the garrison, yet he had died at the hands of an unknown madman. The citizens all sighed, "Where is this madman's conscience?"
Furthermore, Zhou Bo'an had been a mid-stage Entering Martial Master of the Lesser Celestial Circuit, far from weak, yet he had still fallen beneath the madman's blade.
With this, aside from Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warriors and a handful of peak Entering Martial Masters, who in the city dared claim they could emerge unscathed before such an "outlawed madman"?
Earl Bei'an flew into a rage, regarding this as a challenge to his authority over the garrison. He dispatched the Imperial Cavalry to patrol the city day and night, conducting house-to-house searches for suspicious individuals and swearing to "struggle with the dark forces to the end and restore clarity to Northern Garrison City."
Meanwhile, in Qixia Fortress, Lin Zhao—the "chief culprit behind the murder of Banner Captain Zhou Bo'an"—was currently preparing Inner Qi medicine in the secret chamber.
All fifteen bottles of Pangolin Dragon Essence had been refined into medicinal liquid and placed into ten white porcelain bottles. Every bottle gleamed faintly gold, and when brought close, gave off a bitter, refreshing medicinal fragrance.
Next, he would take the medicine while rigorously practicing his breathing exercises, making up for the cultivation progress delayed by his time away.
"The soldier disguised as me has already left the fortress. Let's see who takes the bait tonight." Lin Zhao muttered, his fingers lightly brushing the Cold Iron Frost Condensing Sword at his waist.
Since returning to Qixia Fortress, he had kept a low profile. Apart from cultivation, he had observed the movements within the fortress, increasingly finding the soldier Wang Jiu suspicious. The man had only been recruited last month. He was usually taciturn, yet he always liked to inquire about Lin Zhao's whereabouts.
Thus, Lin Zhao laid a plan. During the day, he ordered a soldier with a build similar to his own to wear the blue cloth robe he often wore and ride his reddish-brown horse out of the fortress toward Northern Garrison City, publicly claiming that he was "buying medicine for the Hundred Household Officer."
Lin Family Fortress was only so large. If there truly was a mole, that person would certainly find a way to slip out at night and report the news.
There were no carrier pigeons or long-distance voice transmission in these times. Messages could only be delivered by people running on foot.
What Lin Zhao wanted was to see who would secretly leave the fortress tonight.
This plan might not hit the mark in one stroke, but it had to be tried.
If it failed, he would seek another good method, such as setting an ambush along the necessary route outside the fortress.
Inside the secret chamber, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged, cultivating while quietly waiting for news.
He had spent a month traveling outside earlier, so the cultivation of the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique had inevitably been delayed. Now that he had secret medicine to assist him, catching up would be quick.
He poured out a Mystic Dragon Secret Medicine pill and felt a warm current slide down his throat into his dantian. He immediately followed the technique's method and circulated the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique once.
Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique proficiency +30.
As his realm rose, his cultivation efficiency had also increased dramatically. At the Third Tier, circulating the technique once had only added fifteen proficiency points. Now, at the Fourth Tier, it added thirty. Along with that came an increasingly astonishing appetite.
Zhao Tieying was nearing fifty, and his qi and blood were gradually declining. He ate only two bowls of rice and half a jin of meat per meal, so naturally his need for food was smaller.
Lin Zhao was different. He was in the vigorous, rising phase of his qi and blood. Since stepping into the Lesser Celestial Circuit as an Entering Martial Master, his digestion and absorption efficiency for food had been more than triple that of the beginner stage.
Even though he now ate eight jin of meat and five bowls of rice per meal, he only relieved himself once or twice a day.
The vast majority of the nutrients in his food were efficiently absorbed by the Inner Qi Seed in his dantian, used to condense Mystic Dragon qi force and strengthen his physique.
Though he had not yet reached mid-stage Martial Master, Lin Zhao could clearly feel that as his proficiency accumulated day by day, the Mystic Dragon qi force in his body was slowly growing as well. Every additional bit of Inner Qi made the qi shield over his body a little thicker. This was a process of quantitative change, while the key to qualitative change lay beyond the threshold of breaking through to mid-stage Martial Master.
After completing one circulation, Lin Zhao did not stop. He switched to cultivating the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique. This art needed no medicinal liquid to assist it, only the word "practice." Every day, he had to use his own Inner Qi to stimulate the body hairs, perceive the surrounding currents of air, and train diligently.
In just a few months, the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique had reached the Second Tier, and its proficiency progress bar had already passed halfway. Lin Zhao estimated that at this pace, he could enter the Third Tier next month. Then, his perceptive range would expand from ten zhang to fifteen zhang, and he would even be able to detect insects crawling underground.
The more he cultivated, the more he felt that the various Breathing Techniques seemed to have different focuses—some prioritized speed, like Green Falcon Wind Chasing Steps; some strength, like Black Tortoise Iron Wall Technique; some perception, like Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique—but in the broader direction of "Inner Qi circulation," they were largely alike. They were merely branches with different points of emphasis.
Sometimes, he even had a strange thought: perhaps all Breathing Techniques under heaven came from the same source, all originating from ancient martial artists' understanding of "qi."
If that were truly so, then as his realm rose and the number of Breathing Techniques he mastered grew, he would be able to draw inferences from one instance to another when cultivating new techniques in the future, and his speed would become faster and faster.
At that time, it might not be impossible to push a lower-grade breathing technique from beginner to peak within a single month.
As this thought passed through his mind, a commotion suddenly rose outside the fortress, mixed with the low roars of three Squad Leaders and the sharp clang of weapons colliding.
Lin Zhao's heart stirred. They're here! They must have made their move.
He immediately stopped cultivating and rose. With light steps, he used the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique's perception to confirm that no one was nearby. Only then did he push open the secret chamber door and hurry toward the fortress gate.
On the small road outside the fortress, three Battalion Commanders had surrounded someone completely. Their long sabers were drawn, their blade tips pointed at the other person. Every one of them bared his teeth in a ferocious display.
A moment later, Lin Zhao and Zhao Tieying also arrived. They stood outside the circle, their cold gazes fixed upon the surrounded man.
The person surrounded was Wang Jiu, a soldier in the fortress. His clothes were disheveled, and a bulging cloth bundle hung at his waist. When he saw Lin Zhao arrive, his face instantly turned deathly pale. His voice trembled as he stammered, "H-Hundred Household Officer? Why are you back? I-I was only going out to relieve myself, nothing else..."
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