Omens (Two-in-One)

This was an anonymous Gold Note issued by Sihai Trading Company. With it, one could visit any Sihai Trading Company bank and withdraw the corresponding amount of gold!

Five Gold Notes worth one thousand taels each,

In other words, there were five thousand taels of gold in total!

This was gold—gold more than ten times as precious as silver!

Without a doubt,

With these five Gold Notes in hand, Yang Qingyun had suddenly become filthy rich!

By comparison,

The things in the storehouse seemed somewhat meager.

As for the remaining two books, they recorded the Cultivation Techniques and secret arts used by Golden-Eyed Leopard, including his annotations. However, they were of little use to Yang Qingyun, serving only to broaden his horizons.

Inside the final three black wooden boxes, Yang Qingyun found a hundred-year-old Blood Lingzhi, along with two pieces of Fo-ti, one two hundred years old and the other three hundred years old.

This naturally filled Yang Qingyun with immense delight.

There was no need to mention the Blood Lingzhi. It was a medicinal herb even more precious than ginseng, and merely boiling and drinking it could increase a Martial Path practitioner's Qi and Blood.

Moreover, it was over a hundred years old, making its Medicinal Power even more astonishing!

One might think that because Yang Qingyun had obtained a thousand-year-old Old Mountain Ginseng from Wang Family Village to refine Blood Qi Pill and lay his foundation, medicinal herbs with considerable age were nothing special.

But that Thousand-Year-Old Mountain Ginseng was worth ten thousand gold and nearly impossible to obtain. The fact that he had acquired it was already a stroke of heaven-defying luck!

In reality,

In some town pharmacies, ginseng and other medicinal herbs two or three hundred years old were already treasured shop assets that were never sold!

"Not bad. With these medicinal herbs, and after gathering some auxiliary ingredients, I'll be able to refine Blood Strengthening Pill and speed up my Martial Path Realm advancement!"

A trace of a smile appeared on Yang Qingyun's face.

With the help of Blood Strengthening Pill, he was confident he could reach the mid-Entry Realm within one or two months!

Before long, the people of Huangshi Town who had pursued the Black Wind Bandits returned one after another.

The encirclement had come to an end.

Next, naturally, came the clearing of the battlefield and the counting of the spoils.

In theory, as the person who had contributed the most to destroying Black Wind Stronghold, and the strongest among them—strong enough to crush the Black Wind Stronghold's Great Bandit Chief Golden-Eyed Leopard with ease—Yang Qingyun could take all the spoils from the mountain without anyone saying a word.

However, Yang Qingyuan did not do so.

With the huge fortune of five thousand Gold Notes, along with the unexpected acquisition of three aged primary medicinal herbs suitable for alchemy,

His harvest was already extraordinarily rich.

Thus, Yang Qingyun took only part of the silver stored in the storehouse, along with gold and silver vessels that could easily be converted into cash.

As for the bolts of silk and satin, gemstones and jade, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, copper coins, weapons, and other goods plundered and piled high inside the storehouse, he let them divide those among themselves.

Naturally, he also had no interest in the various spoils on the Black Wind Bandits' corpses—silver, weapons, horses, and the like. He left those for them to handle as well.

As for how they should be distributed—

How much settlement money should go to the families of those who had died in battle? How much should the wounded receive? What should be done with the many villagers rescued from the rear mountain of Black Wind Stronghold?

All these assorted affairs would naturally have to be handed over to Zhou Weilong.

Yang Qingyuan's generosity undoubtedly won everyone's respect. They sighed and praised his noble character one after another.

Yang Qingyun merely waved his hand at this and offered no explanation.

While Zhou Weilong was racking his brains over the various chores, Yang Qingyun found a relatively quiet and clean place. He recovered the Qi and Blood he had expended in the battle, comprehended what he had gained from it, and practiced the Drawing Sword Technique once more. He nurtured the force he had accumulated after fighting Golden-Eyed Leopard, which had yet to disperse, preparing it as a trump card for unexpected situations.

After a day of chaos and bustle,

The main matters had been settled.

The remaining chores could also be handled by the martial arts school disciples under Zhou Weilong.

Thus, Zhou Weilong planned to turn back toward Huangshi Town.

At this moment,

Yang Qingyun had just finished organizing and absorbing what he had gained from the battle and emerged from seclusion.

Zhou Weilong therefore invited Yang Qingyun to visit Huangshi Town as his guest.

Yang Qingyun thought it over, then nodded and accepted the invitation.

Although Wang Family Village had been his first foothold, it was ultimately just a remote countryside corner, with few cultivation resources available.

When he had refined Blood Qi Pill earlier, he had even needed the villagers to go into town to purchase the auxiliary ingredients.

This impoverished rural land

Was a constraint on his Martial Path future.

As for Wang Family Village itself, he had stayed there for only a few days. There was little for him to miss.

Yang Qingyun then sent someone to notify Wang Family Village that the matter had been settled before setting off for the town together with Zhou Weilong.

Along the way,

Zhou Weilong lowered his stance and conversed with Yang Qingyun.

Although he was a full generation older than Yang Qingyun as he was now, he did not dare display the slightest arrogance. Instead, he faintly treated Yang Qingyun as his leader.

He even asked for advice with an open mind.

Seeing this, Yang Qingyun did not hesitate to offer him some guidance, including techniques for using Qi and Blood and insights into controlling force.

Though these were merely Entry Realm insights, each piece of guidance struck directly at the crucial points of his cultivation.

Zhou Weilong gained tremendously. Even the bottleneck he had consolidated for many years seemed to stir with sudden understanding!

This naturally delighted Zhou Weilong.

He repeatedly thanked Yang Qingyun, feeling extremely grateful.

Sometimes, another person's seemingly insignificant pointer could be a great opportunity that allowed one to break through a bottleneck that had trapped him for years!

That was precisely the case for Zhou Weilong.

Yang Qingyun merely nodded lightly and did not take it to heart.

These things were nothing special to him.

Since he had a fairly good impression of Zhou Weilong, he might as well form some good karma in advance. He did not expect anything in return.

It could also count as payment for all the information Zhou Weilong had provided along the way about the martial world in the surrounding regions.

This made Zhou Weilong sigh with even greater emotion.

This Brother Yang Qingyun clearly came from an extraordinary background. Whenever he offered guidance, his questions and answers went straight to the heart of the matter. Yet when dealing with others, he lacked the arrogance of those talented disciples from famous sects. In the future, he would surely become a great figure whose name resounded throughout the martial world!

To have formed a friendship with such a great figure in their youth—perhaps he truly would have no regrets in this life!

When he grew old,

If he returned to the countryside to live in seclusion, he might even boast to the younger members of his family, saying that the great figure who had made a resounding name for himself in the martial world had once gone bandit hunting with him when they were young!

When Zhou Weilong voiced this thought,

It made Yang Qingyun smile as well.

"Haha, Master Zhou, you're joking. Who can say what the future holds?"

"Some people muddle through most of their lives, only to suddenly attain enlightenment one day. Late bloomers who comprehend Innate Divine Intent and soar into the heavens in a single bound are not unheard of."

"The road ahead is still long. Who can know what one will achieve in the future?"

Yang Qingyun shook his head with a smile. He knew that twenty years later, Spiritual Qi Resurgence would arrive and the grand age would descend. At that time, people would rise one after another, striving to distinguish themselves and establish resounding reputations.

In that era, there would be no shortage of people who attained the Dao in old age and bloomed late!

"Brother Yang means Lord Gu Hanlin, the Southwest Governor of the Great Chu Dynasty's Six Doors, right?"

"That man truly is a legend. I heard that he had never practiced martial arts before. After all his family members were slaughtered years ago, he hid from his inner pain in the imperial capital's library. He stayed there for three full years, until he forgot his very self. Then, one night, the stars fell westward. Amid Heaven-Man Resonance, he actually comprehended Innate Form and Intent directly, giving birth to Innate Qi Sensation within his body. In a single step, he crossed the four realms of the Martial Path—Entry, Body Tempering, Blood Exchange, and Organ Refinement—and entered the peak Innate realm!"

"Such a peerless genius is something unheard of throughout the ages. I wouldn't dare dream of such a thing!"

Zhou Weilong spoke with emotion, a look of yearning appearing on his face.

"Hmm? The stars fell westward, and someone entered the Innate realm in a single night?"

Yang Qingyun, who was riding on horseback, froze. The horse beneath him also came to a stop.

"That's right. The matter spread throughout the Great Chu. His Majesty Emperor Chu even summoned Lord Gu personally. Lord Gu, who had originally been idle at home, then rose steadily, becoming the Southwest Governor of the Six Doors and standing above all others, with power that reached the heavens. It caused a tremendous stir throughout the Great Chu martial world!"

"What? Brother Qingyun, you've never heard of this?"

"Oh, I've heard of the famous Gu Hanlin, but I never knew there was such a convoluted story behind him."

"Who says otherwise? I heard that after Lord Gu stabilized his Innate realm, he stormed the enemy's lair and slaughtered every one of the enemies who had killed his family. That force collapsed along with them, and even the Demon Sect was dragged into the disaster."

Zhou Weilong continued speaking animatedly beside him.

He did not notice that

Yang Qingyun had grown quieter, his gaze already sinking into contemplation.

"The stars fell westward. I remember that twenty years later, when Spiritual Qi Resurgence occurred on a large scale, a similar phenomenon also appeared. Only, that time, meteors filled the entire sky for ten days and ten nights. The magnificent spectacle was nothing like one or two Falling Stars. Perhaps this was merely a coincidence?"

"No! Impossible!"

"Before Spiritual Qi Resurgence, the Martial Path in this world leaned toward materialism. A sudden comprehension of the Dao leading straight into the Innate realm was fundamentally impossible. Under the thin Spiritual Qi of the old era, there was simply not enough to support such a heaven-defying leap!"

"Forcefully comprehending and advancing through Soul Resonance would only end with the entire person being drained dry!"

"Unless he obtained some great opportunity beneath the Western Falling Stars, there was no way he could have survived!"

"Miracles like entering the Innate realm in a single step only began appearing one after another after Spiritual Qi Resurgence!"

Thinking of the miracles he had once witnessed—people entering the Innate realm overnight after Spiritual Qi Resurgence—

Yang Qingyun could not help feeling somewhat bitter inside.

In his Previous Life,

No matter how hard he had worked or how much sweat he had shed, he had never been able to cross that heavenly chasm.

Yet some people could reach the realm he had spent his entire life striving for as easily as eating and drinking, ascending to the heavens in a single step!

During the ten years after Spiritual Qi Resurgence,

The fact that his Dao heart had not collapsed was already proof of how steadfast it was!

Fortunately, he soon steadied his mind.

Having lived a second life,

He believed his future would not stop at the Innate realm!

He calmed himself and carefully considered the significance behind this matter.

"I think I've heard the name Gu Hanlin in my Previous Life."

"I seem to recall that while I was still laboring in the White Feather Sect's mine, he stirred up a massive rebellion in the Southern Wilderness martial world. The Great Chu Dynasty then suppressed it, and White Feather Sect was caught in the fallout, which led to my escape from the mine. It seems he was one of the reasons."

"Yet not long after the rebellion, Gu Hanlin was defeated and destroyed. The Gu family was exterminated down to the ninth degree of kinship, and from then on, his name became taboo and was rarely mentioned."

What Zhou Weilong had said was not wrong. He truly did remember this man's name.

He simply did not know much about him.

After all, at that time, he had only been an insignificant Entry Realm Warrior in the martial world, struggling desperately to survive at the bottom.

The struggles between the great figures above, beings on a level high in the clouds, had little to do with him.

The distance was simply too great,

Much like an ordinary citizen worn down by the daily struggle to put food on the table, compared with shifts in the positions of the top officials in a nation's capital. There would be no intersection at all.

By the time he had reached the realm of a first-rate expert in Organ Refinement, more than a decade had already passed. Everything related to him had long since been buried beneath the flowing waters of time.

"Perhaps Spiritual Qi Resurgence did not erupt suddenly, but had shown signs long beforehand."

"Gu Hanlin most likely obtained an opportunity beneath the Falling Stars that night, an opportunity born from the omens of Spiritual Qi Resurgence, allowing him to step into the peak Innate realm in one stride."

"If that's true, then I need to pick up the pace!"

A faint glimmer flickered deep within Yang Qingyun's pupils.

In his heart,

He faintly felt that time was pressing and would wait for no one!

Zhou Weilong and Yang Qingyun chatted all the way, enjoying a lively and harmonious conversation.

The group gradually arrived at the gates of Huangshi Town.

A yellow earthen road stretched from the wild forest into the town.

People and carts came and went along the bare dirt road, crushing it again and again and sending clouds of dust into the air. The trees on both sides were stained a hazy gray!

At the end of the road stood a dilapidated earthen-brick wall three or four zhang high, stretching across their path. Above the arched gate hung an old plaque bearing the three iron-hook-and-silver-stroke characters: "Huangshi Town."

On both sides of the gate entrance stood several shabby soldiers. Each leaned on a sharp spear while collecting entrance fees from the people waiting in line to enter the town.

On an empty lot farther from the entrance, people came and went in numbers far greater than those entering or leaving the town!

"Hmm? What's that?"

Looking toward the market outside the town, Yang Qingyun asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just a temporary market."

As Zhou Weilong explained,

Farmers from the countryside who came into town to attend the market did not want to pay an entrance fee for no reason, so they chose to set up their stalls here instead.

Quite a few people from the town also came here to shop because the goods were cheaper.

Over time, a market of considerable size had taken shape.

Naturally,

A place like this needed a powerful force to maintain stability.

That force was the famous Black Tiger Gang of the town!

The Black Tiger Gang collected protection money here and maintained order. At the same time, it handed over a share to the soldiers guarding the city, the town officials, and others, allowing them to turn a blind eye.

After all, entrance fees and transaction taxes within the town belonged to the imperial court, while the cut collected outside the town belonged to everyone involved.

Thus, the market had tacitly and spontaneously formed.

"I see!"

Hearing this, Yang Qingyun became interested.

This was the market where the farmers from the villages under the vast Huangshi Town gathered, bringing together villagers from over a hundred villages to trade.

Wang Family Village, small and inconspicuous as it was, had hidden a thousand-year-old Old Mountain Ginseng.

Who knew whether some hunters who ventured into the mountains from the rural villages had found other good things?

A lengthy chapter of four thousand words. Two updates have been combined into one chapter.