Urgency and Crisis, Five Elements Fist Reaches Minor Accomplishment!

Zhu Tong said mysteriously:

"Something huge has happened!"

Bai Yu did not react too strongly.

Zhu Tong was well-informed, but he also loved making a fuss. He could turn something the size of a needlepoint into a world-shaking catastrophe.

When Bai Yu arrived at the morgue, he could not help relaxing a little. He smiled and said:

"What's wrong, Brother Tong? Did Sister-in-law find your secret stash?"

Zhu Tong said irritably:

"Little Yu, that's slander. How could a real man like me have a secret stash?"

"Ahem, let's get to the point. I heard Jiang City's grain shipments got robbed again."

"This time, not only were the waterways hit, but bandits also appeared on land and robbed the grain carts."

Bai Yu's expression changed drastically.

Something was wrong. Recently, an eerie atmosphere had filled Jiang City, with all sorts of incidents cropping up one after another.

He hurriedly asked:

"What's the government's response?"

Zhu Tong laughed.

"What else could it be? Send troops to wipe out the bandits."

"The last time they sent troops out, several generals and captains in Jiang City got credit for it. This time, they'll probably rake in plenty of merit again."

Zhu Tong clearly did not take the bandits seriously at all.

Last time, once the troops were deployed, the river bandits were routed, and the official army easily recovered the stolen grain. This time should not be much different.

But Bai Yu still felt that something was off.

"Brother Tong, I don't think this is so simple. Everyone should buy some grain and store it away beforehand. If anything goes wrong, at least we'll be prepared."

Zhu Tong said dismissively:

"Little Bai, you're worrying over nothing. What bandits could possibly beat the official army?"

Little Wang, standing nearby, added:

"This time, even the grain shops of the major Aristocratic Clans haven't raised their prices. Nobody's rushing to buy grain either. It definitely isn't anything serious."

After they tried to persuade him a few times, everyone at the morgue felt that Bai Yu was worrying like the man who feared the sky would fall.

Bai Yu did not press the matter. He simply took Old Mo and bought quite a bit of grain to keep in reserve.

That night, an oil lamp burned in the bedroom.

The shadows of one man and one dog stretched long across the wall.

Bai Yu said in a low voice:

"Old Mo, have you felt it too? It seems like something major is about to happen."

Old Mo nodded heavily.

"Woof woof~"

Bai Yu let out a long sigh.

"Looks like you have a premonition too. We need to prepare in advance and do everything we can to improve our strength."

"For us immortals, staying alive is what matters most. We must be fully prepared for everything."

Old Mo leaned against Bai Yu and rubbed against him, as though saying:

No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side.

Bai Yu held Old Mo, and his heart settled considerably.

"Old Mo, I'll teach you a cultivation method. I hope you can make use of it."

Bai Yu passed the Black Wolf Heart Sutra to Old Mo, though he had no idea whether Old Mo could cultivate it.

In the days that followed, Bai Yu showed no outward sign of anything unusual.

But in secret, he began cultivating like a madman.

A week later, in the wasteland behind the mountain.

Bai Yu was practicing the Four Elephants Five Elements Fist, move by move.

"Azure Dragon Grasps!"

"Vermilion Bird Soars!"

"Soaring Serpent Ascends to Heaven!"

As he continued, Bai Yu's figure filled the entire field. Streams of force spilled in every direction, flattening the wild grass all around him.

At last, Bai Yu leaped into the air like a fierce tiger and clawed at a large tree.

"White Tiger Slays All!"

When this claw strike swept out, the faint roar of a tiger could actually be heard.

A huge chunk of bark was torn straight from that old tree as thick as two men embracing it!

Five deep claw marks remained on the trunk.

Internal force surged through Bai Yu's entire body, and his blood churned violently.

He coughed heavily and spat out a mouthful of black, congealed blood!

After spitting out the stagnant blood, he felt lighter than ever before. Even his breathing became freer.

That clot of stagnant blood was made up of dust and debris that had accumulated in his lungs, along with the subtle injuries he had sustained in daily life.

Bai Yu had nourished his lungs with his blood and internal force, and now he had finally succeeded!

His breathing was now incomparably smooth, and even his mind seemed several degrees clearer.

Bai Yu muttered to himself:

"The lungs are the organs of respiration. They govern breathing and are also the easiest organs to temper."

"After so many days of painstaking nourishment, I've finally tempered my lungs successfully."

At the same time, the proficiency of his Four Elephants Five Elements Fist rose by another level.

Four Elephants Five Elements Fist (Minor Accomplishment, 2/100000)

Aptitude +4.

The Five Elements Fist had risen another level, and his aptitude had increased by four points, reaching fifteen.

This was truly double happiness arriving at the door. From now on, he would cultivate martial arts even faster.

Overjoyed, Bai Yu returned to the morgue.

But he found Zhu Tong and the others gathered together with furrowed brows and gloomy faces.

Bai Yu could not help asking curiously:

"Brother Tong, Uncle Zhang, what are you discussing?"

Zhu Tong slapped his thigh.

"Little Bai, I really regret it! I didn't listen to you and buy some grain earlier. Now grain prices have tripled!"

Bai Yu was shocked and asked:

"What happened? Didn't the official army go out to suppress the bandits?"

Zhu Tong shook his head.

"Don't even mention it. I heard the official army suffered a defeat and walked right into an ambush."

"Those grain shops in the city immediately raised their prices. Why can't those great Aristocratic Clans spare a thought for the hardships of us common folk?"

Old Zhang snorted coldly from the side.

"What the hell do you know? If they don't use this time to force poor people into selling their homes and fields, how can those Aristocratic Clans make a fortune?"

"The worse the disaster year, the more the great Aristocratic Clans feast on human flesh."

Zhu Tong let out a long sigh.

"Damn it, why is it so hard just to live a peaceful life?"

Bai Yu chatted with them for a while, and the weight in his heart grew heavier.

It seemed Jiang City's situation was worsening by the day.

He had to cultivate even faster!

It would be best if he could break through to the Seventh Rank and become a true expert.

The Sixth Rank Viscera Tempering Realm required one to expend strength and temper all five viscera and six bowels.

Bai Yu had practiced his fist techniques bitterly for days, yet he had only tempered one lung.

How could it be easy to temper every organ and step into the Seventh Rank?

"I must speed up my cultivation. Either I buy some cultivation pills, or I find a technique specifically for nourishing the viscera and bowels."

After thinking it over, Bai Yu decided to make another trip to the Black Market.

At a time like this, only the Black Market would let him make money quickly, then buy techniques or pills.

A few nights later, Bai Yu disguised himself and entered the Black Market once more.

This time, he had changed identities. He did not dare sell Essence Nourishing Powder or yellow talismans again, for fear that someone would recognize him.

So this time, he decided to sell—Dragon-Tiger Bone Tempering Pills!

More precisely, they were Bone Tempering Pills with their medicinal effect diluted tenfold. Bai Yu named them—Bone Refining Pills.

After entering the Black Market, Bai Yu noticed that the atmosphere was different from before.

There were nearly twice as many people in the Black Market, and many things that had once been hard to find had become more plentiful, such as cultivation techniques and weapons.

There were also many more people buying and selling pills.

It seemed quite a few people had caught wind of something and were preparing for it.

Seeing this, Bai Yu calmly picked a stall and began selling Bone Refining Pills.

Very soon, customers came to his stall.