"But we agreed—you'll have to pay for the materials yourself."
Niu Gai counted on his fingers. "Fifty-year Purple Gold Bamboo, plus the other precious materials—at least fifty taels."
"How much?!"
Chen Sanshi sucked in a cold breath.
"You think mutated Purple Gold Bamboo is easy to find?"
Niu Gai said bluntly, "If you ask me, a Six-Seven Stone Bow is enough. If there's really a war, there'll be ballistae. Why go to all this trouble?"
"Store the tiger bones here for now."
Chen Sanshi had no intention of changing his mind. "Once I get Exotic Beast Tendon, you can make the bow."
It seemed he really would have to find a way to get that White Deer.
Exotic beasts were rare and expensive. If he got the White Deer, he would not be short fifty taels for materials.
After bidding the craftsman farewell, Chen Sanshi returned to the Military Camp.
After morning drills ended, he carried out the usual afternoon city patrol.
During a break, he went to buy Medicinal Materials, only to see that the sign for "Art Crane" Pharmacy had been taken down and replaced with "Cloud Crane."
Had the Young Master of the Academy been completely swallowed up by his uncle, or what?
"My lord, you were not here yesterday, so you don't know."
Xu Wencai, who had come along to watch the excitement, saw his confusion. "The Young Master of the Yunhe Martial Arts School recently broke through to the Bone Tempering realm. Last night, he launched a surprise attack, killed his uncle, and reclaimed his family property."
"A breakthrough?"
Chen Sanshi remembered that everyone had said the Young Master of the Yunhe Academy had mediocre talent and would likely be stuck at the Bone Tempering realm for life.
From the time his uncle had seized his family property until now, how long had it even been? Yet he had suddenly broken through?
Had he been hiding his abilities all along, or was there another explanation?
Fortunately, Cloud Crane Pharmacy had resumed normal business. It had not raised its prices after successfully reclaiming the family property, still maintaining its twenty-percent discount.
"Two portions of Nine Revolutions Vitality Soup."
Two paper packets tied with string were placed in his hands, at the cost of fifty taels of silver.
The silver he had earned from killing the tiger had not even had time to cool in his hands before most of it was gone again.
Martial arts schools really were... outrageously profitable!
Still, it was an investment in himself. He could not be stingy.
After buying the medicine, it was time to change shifts and return to camp.
"Mr. Xu."
Chen Sanshi found the Old Scholar. "Do you have any books that record rare treasures and exotic beasts?"
"I do!"
Xu Wencai hurried off to find a book.
His wooden bed was not large. More than half of it was piled with books, leaving only a tiny space for him to sleep.
Xu Wencai did not even need to search. He precisely pulled out a book, one that recorded rare treasures and exotic beasts.
"I haven't finished the previous one yet. I'll return them together later."
Chen Sanshi thanked him. "Sorry to trouble you, sir."
"My lord, why be so polite? If you want to read something, just come take it!"
Xu Wencai was exceedingly attentive.
"..."
Chen Sanshi knew this fellow feared that Chen Sanshi would find him useless and kick him out. Recently, he had been calling him "my lord" with great warmth every other sentence, impossible to stop. In truth, there was no need for it at all.
He took the book home and began reading while the meal was not yet ready.
The book was titled Travels of Mountains and Rivers. It recorded the sights and experiences of a traveler from over a thousand years ago who loved wandering through mountains and waters.
"Three hundred li farther east lies Mount Li. There is much water there, but no grass or trees. There is a fish there; its form resembles an ox, and it has..."
Its records resembled the Classic of Mountains and Seas Chen Sanshi had read before. Some of the creatures even overlapped.
"Three hundred li farther west lies Mount Xian... within it are many Chiming Snakes. Their forms resemble snakes, but they have four wings. Their cries sound like chimes. Whenever they appear, the towns in that region suffer great drought."
"They're all silver!"
Chen Sanshi became engrossed in his reading.
He flipped through several more pages before finally seeing what he had been looking for.
"One hundred li farther south lies Tiger Mountain. Within it are White Deer, with four antlers upon their heads and ears that hear in all directions. They enjoy eating precious ganoderma. Their meat is slightly sour, yet greatly nourishing."
White Deer.
It seemed the Tiger Head Mountain Range truly did have them.
"I'll raise my cultivation first. Once I reach Minor Accomplishment in Blood Refining, I'll go into the mountains to find the White Deer."
Chen Sanshi closed the book.
Time slipped away, and in the blink of an eye, October had arrived.
The weather on the northern frontier grew ever colder.
For ten straight days, Chen Sanshi lived with clockwork regularity.
Training, eating, patrolling the city.
As for the Witch God Cult, it was said that captive had a hard mouth. He endured torture for seven consecutive days without uttering half a word, then eventually found an opportunity to bite off his tongue and kill himself.
Thus, the trail was cut off, and the citywide search continued.
Chen Sanshi was not in a hurry.
The later the thing came, the more advantageous it was for him.
At the Training Ground.
Having just drunk a bowl of Nine Revolutions Vitality Soup, Chen Sanshi felt every pore on his body heating up.
The effect of the Essence Replenishing Soup was twice that of the Blood Replenishing Soup.
He clasped his fists. "Officer Xu, I'll have to trouble you today. Use your full strength."
"Full strength?"
Xu Bin, holding his saber, froze for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
At the same realm, the other man could no longer put any pressure on him whatsoever.
"Fine!"
Xu Bin did not refuse.
He had long wanted to go all out.
It was not because he wanted to win. Under the same level of qi and blood, this kid was simply too terrifying.
Before the youth, he was like a wooden training dummy. He posed no threat at all, relying only on his many years of saber technique to barely hold on and avoid looking too miserable.
"Take my blade!"
Xu Bin roared. His Minor Accomplishment-level qi and blood suddenly erupted as he charged forward, bringing his saber down in a head-on slash like a mad wolf descending from the heavens!
Chen Sanshi likewise went all out. Two currents of qi and blood gathered in his arms, and the Reed Leaf Spear became a blur.
Clang clang clang clang clang—
Metal struck metal.
Xu Bin discovered in astonishment.
Even using his full strength, he could not suppress the youth. The other man's Blood Refining Mastery was not inferior to his own in raw power, and as for endurance, there was no need to mention it.
Before ten exchanges had passed, the web of Xu Bin's saber hand had gone numb. His vision swam, and he could no longer tell from which direction the spear would thrust. His lower stance grew increasingly unsteady and chaotic until he finally fell flat on his backside.
"Stop, stop, stop! I'm done fighting!"
He hurriedly shouted.
Clang!
Chen Sanshi withdrew his spear and stepped forward to help him up. "Thanks for the hard work, Brother Bin!"
The Vast Exhalation Breathing Technique, the advantage of a long weapon, fierce spear momentum, abundant qi and blood...
With one advantage piled atop another, he truly could easily defeat someone at Minor Accomplishment in Blood Refining.
"Y-you're almost at Minor Accomplishment, aren't you?"
Xu Bin sensed something was wrong. "It's only been a few days?"
"Maybe I've been taking more tonics."
Chen Sanshi looked toward the System Panel.
Technique: Basic Soldier Spear Technique (Mastery) Progress: (910/1000) Effects: Fierce spear momentum, astonishing endurance, abundant qi and blood
It was more or less as he had predicted. He would break through to Minor Accomplishment within half a month.
The several dozen taels of silver had not been spent for nothing after all.
"I won't be able to train with you anymore."
Xu Bin wiped away his cold sweat.
This was far too terrifying.
It was not a matter of tonics at all.
If it were him, no matter how many tonics he took, he could never progress this quickly. He might even poison himself instead.
This kid had a real chance of becoming a Viscera Refining Martial Artist in this lifetime—perhaps even reaching higher!
"Brother Bin, you've worked hard. I'll treat you to drinks tonight."
Chen Sanshi knew that being a sparring partner was no easy task.
"Done!" Xu Bin did not stand on ceremony.
Bwooo—
Just as the two were preparing to leave, the assembly horn sounded without warning.
A messenger officer rode a fast horse back and forth between the Military Camp and the Military Colony, his voice ringing out.
"All three hundred garrison troops, assemble!"
"Witch God Cult traces found in Poyang County! Assemble to encircle and exterminate them! Assemble to encircle and exterminate them—"
Before you continue