After bidding Song Fugui farewell, Zhou You did not hurry home.
He deliberately took several detours, buying two pounds of braised beef, along with some side dishes and the like.
These shops were all old establishments in the city, using secret recipes handed down through generations. Their food was so good there was nothing to criticize.
Customers had to queue up every day, and if they came late, there would be nothing left to buy.
More importantly, the shops were scattered around Sweet Well District, in every direction—east, south, west, and north.
While standing in line, Zhou You discreetly surveyed the terrain of Sweet Well District and chatted with the residents queueing alongside him.
"Sweet Well District has been abandoned for over twenty years. I drank water from that well when I was little."
"Tsk, tsk. Back then, the eldest young master of the Qi Family in the city had to use the fine water from Sweet Water Well for every pot of tea. He was especially particular about it—the water had to be drawn only after the first ray of morning sunlight shone into the mouth of the well."
"No one lives there anymore. Ever since the well dried up, Sweet Well District has been empty."
"The place is so overgrown you could race horses and herd sheep in it. Why would anyone go in there?"
Amid the idle chatter, Zhou You gathered every scrap of information he wanted.
The weeds in Sweet Well District had grown as tall as a person. Few people ever went there, and there were even rumors that it was haunted.
Since Fang Guiqi had come here, he had most likely chosen it for its hidden terrain and enormous advantage.
Carrying the beef and braised dishes he had bought, Zhou You walked steadily all the way home.
His parents were naturally delighted to see him back, though they also complained that he should not waste money and ought to save it to nourish his own body.
"Let's eat something nice together."
It was rare for the family to dine together. Though the meal was simple, it was filled with warmth.
After dinner, while his mother washed the dishes, his father took several pieces of silver from his robes. "Put this away."
Zhou You spread open his palm. The scattered silver added up to a little over ten taels.
"Don't wrong yourself at the martial arts school. Treat people when you should, make more friends."
"Your old man never understood how to deal with people. All my life, I've only been a lowly laborer selling my strength."
Zhou You silently nodded and accepted the silver. "I understand."
Treating others was impossible. Once he made something of himself, it would only be others treating him.
Not a single coin his father gave him would be wasted.
That night, Zhou You stared at the Starving Tiger Painting on the wall and felt a mad hunger rising from every limb and bone.
That hunger was not because he had failed to eat his fill at dinner. It was dissatisfaction with his current state, a craving for every resource that could improve and strengthen him.
Secret medicine, Experience Points—he wanted all of it, and the more, the better.
At midnight, moonlight streamed through the window into the room.
After confirming that his family was asleep, Zhou You lightly pushed open the door and slipped outside. He glanced left and right. The street was quiet, with no one in sight.
Under the cover of night, he darted through the streets and raced toward Sweet Well District.
The cool wind filled his lungs, bringing an especially serene chill.
Sweet Well District had been abandoned for decades. In the tallest places, the wild grass stood more than a person high. Snakes and rats lurked everywhere, and a cold, sinister aura permeated the area.
Martial arts bolstered one's courage. An ordinary person would never dare set foot here in the dead of night.
Deep in the grass, Zhou You found a barely visible path, trampled out by human feet.
He pushed aside the tangled weeds and followed the path in. The surroundings were silent, with only faint insect chirps rising and falling in his ears.
"There are no traces of human presence here at all."
The thriving wild grass stood tall and straight, while moss still covered the uneven piles of broken stones underground.
No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like a place people visited often.
An abandoned site, rumors of ghosts—was there really a black market here?
Zhou You grew increasingly vigilant, keenly sensing that he had become entangled in a dangerous situation.
But having come this far, even turning back would not keep him out of it. He might as well take a gamble.
A familiar, pungent smell drifted on the wind—the unique scent of Tiger Bone Paste.
Zhou You jolted. The grass ahead had already come to an end, and moonlight spilled across the clearing before him.
A three-meter-high well stood on the ground, surrounded by a well railing made from thick logs a meter long.
Sweet Water Well, the landmark of Sweet Well District.
The well had long since dried up. At its bottom lay nothing but dry earth, withered grass, and fallen leaves.
The smell of Tiger Bone Paste came from the bottom of Sweet Water Well, faintly coiling through the night air.
Zhou You climbed onto the crossbeam by the well's edge and raised his torch to shine down. Though he could not see clearly, the scent of Tiger Bone Paste grew even stronger.
The square well plunged straight down, extending dozens of meters underground. Its walls were covered everywhere in tenacious wild grass and dense moss.
Grasping the well rope, he climbed down. The torchlight was like a faint firefly, illuminating stretch after stretch of earthen wall.
Zhou You landed at the bottom of the well. Once his feet touched solid ground, he finally let out a breath.
Holding up the torch, he saw a sight that left him dumbstruck.
The deep bottom of the well was littered with stone piles and fallen leaves, and the smell of Tiger Bone Paste came from a corner.
Packets of intact Tiger Bone Paste had been casually thrown across the bottom of the well, stacked into a small pile.
Fang Guiqi had come to Sweet Well District not to sell Tiger Bone Paste in secret, but to find an uninhabited corner to throw it away.
But why?
Zhou You gathered the Tiger Bone Paste scattered around him. There were thirteen packets in total.
Fang Guiqi had been in the Outer Court for more than three months. This was the total amount of Tiger Bone Paste he had received so far, which meant he had not used a single packet.
"There's definitely something fishy here."
Tiger Bone Paste was secret medicine for martial arts, containing many precious medicinal materials. It was harmful rather than beneficial for training the body.
On the outside market, a single packet of Tiger Bone Paste could sell for five taels of silver.
Fang Guiqi would rather discard the Tiger Bone Paste than use it himself, and he had not even sold it for money.
That did not fit the image of a refugee youth in Su City at all.
Zhou You looked again at the Tiger Bone Paste in his hands. This was a great fortune. Such an opportunity was rare and could not be missed.
I'll risk it!
Zhou You gritted his teeth, tucked all the Tiger Bone Paste into his clothes, and climbed up the well rope toward the mouth of the well.
As he passed the wall near the exit, the corner of his eye caught a claw mark gouged so deeply it looked chiseled into the stone.
The claw mark was as large as a watermelon—utterly terrifying!
Hm?
There was no black market in Sweet Well District.
Fang Guiqi had not come here to dispose of stolen goods, but to abandon Tiger Bone Paste.
Once such abnormal behavior was exposed, it would definitely trigger a thorough investigation by the martial arts school.
Zhou You knew he absolutely could not get dragged into it, or all his efforts would turn to foam. Yet he wanted every one of these packets of Tiger Bone Paste.
"Snatching chestnuts from the fire—there was no other way but to snatch chestnuts from the fire."
Zhou You looked back at the pitch-black bottom of the well and recalled the claw mark on the wall, as though he were seeing an unknowable and unpredictable future.
In the end, he made up his mind. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. He would bear this risk.
There were still seven days until the next distribution of Tiger Bone Paste. As long as he developed Martial Force during that time, he would not fear Fang Guiqi noticing anything unusual.
By then, he would already be an Official Martial Arts School Apprentice and could meet the school master to explain the matter.
"I need to inspect them first and make sure these Tiger Bone Pastes have not been tampered with before I can use them."
After returning home, Zhou You placed the Tiger Bone Paste in a lacquered box that sealed away odors, wiped the dirt from the soles of his shoes, and returned to bed.
Before falling asleep, he looked at the Starving Tiger Painting on the wall. "I've already taken my first bite of fresh, delicious meat."
The starving tiger remained crouched in wait, never to be satiated.
After Zhou You fell asleep, he saw that fierce tiger again. It licked its scarlet tongue and let out a soundless roar, while the dream felt incomparably close to reality.
Before you continue