Body Tempering Realm martial artists only needed to hone their martial skills. This allowed them to temper their qi and blood and improve their cultivation.
Once they entered the Postnatal Realm, their qi and blood began to generate true qi, and they needed a cultivation method with a route for circulating it.
Otherwise, if they relied solely on honing their qi and blood through martial training before condensing it into true qi, their cultivation would undoubtedly progress much more slowly.
Even with a system that allowed him to improve his cultivation directly by slaying demons, without a cultivation method to control the true qi in his body, his combat strength would be greatly diminished.
Therefore, Lu Yang urgently needed a cultivation method.
Martial cultivation methods were sold at the various martial arts schools and merchant associations in Black Mountain County.
Even the most common, low-grade methods were extremely expensive.
With the meager monthly salary he'd earned as a constable over the past year, Lu Yang had been able to eat and drink well, but couldn't even afford the medicinal ingredients for Body Tempering.
Now that he was a captain, his salary was higher, and he also received some extra gratuities. His situation would naturally improve considerably.
But even so, he'd need at least a year or two to save enough to buy a cultivation method, even the lowest-grade kind.
The Demon Treasure before him, however, would fetch a good price if he sold it.
The money should be enough to buy a book of the lowest-grade cultivation methods.
Lu Yang said, "Town Chief Niu, name your price. If it's fair, I'll sell you this Demon Treasure."
Niu Hanshan was overjoyed.
"I know that the Black Mountain County Yamen, Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and several of the great families in the county seat all buy Demon Treasures regularly."
"By the going rate, a Demon Treasure the size of a soybean costs one hundred taels."
"This one of Captain Lu's is worth eight or nine soybeans. How about I take a bit of a loss and offer you a thousand taels?"
Niu Hanshan spoke with a pained expression.
The Niu Family was a prominent family in town, but paying a thousand taels all at once had clearly put a strain on them.
"Deal."
Lu Yang agreed on the spot.
After that, everyone drank a little more before hurriedly dispersing.
The next day, Lu Yang received the Silver Notes. Then he and the others said goodbye to Niu Hanshan and set off for home.
"Captain," Wang Fang said, "Demon Treasures are rare commodities in Black Mountain County, always in demand and never on the market. The going rate may be a hundred taels, but at the Black Market, even a soybean-sized Demon Treasure can sell for a hundred and forty or fifty taels."
"Niu Hanshan was obviously trying to take advantage of you, yet he still put on an act like he was the one getting the raw end of the deal. Why'd you agree to sell it to him?"
"That's right, Brother Yang," Zhao Hu said. "You've entered the Postnatal Realm, and with true qi bolstering you, you could get back to Black Mountain in half a day if you ran at full speed. There was no need to make a deal with that old fox."
Lu Yang's ability to slay three Leopard Demons without a scratch had naturally led them to speculate about his strength.
After thinking it over, Lu Yang had decided not to hide too much. He'd simply said that he'd broken through in the heat of battle, earning a chorus of praise from the others.
They might have had their suspicions about how quickly Lu Yang had advanced, but most of them likely attributed it to the exotic fruit he'd mentioned before, along with his extraordinary talent.
After all, when people faced something they couldn't understand, their minds naturally tried to make it reasonable, reshaping it into something they could comprehend. That was what people called filling in the blanks.
Lu Yang was happy to let them think that. Now, he simply said, "Niushi Town is one of the few major towns near Black Mountain County. We'll inevitably have to deal with them again in the future. It's not worth offending the local big shot over a little silver."
"Besides, that Demon Treasure was quite large. Once he swallowed it, Niu Hanshan should be able to enter the Postnatal Realm. If another Demonic Calamity strikes Niushi Town in the future, he can deal with it himself and spare us a lot of trouble."
Wang Fang looked enlightened and said sincerely, "That's true. The battle the other day was terrifying. We constables should avoid going out whenever we can."
What Lu Yang was thinking, though, was that since word had leaked about their mission to reinforce Niushi Fort, there was no telling whether demons who'd gotten wind of it might ambush them on the way back, now that they'd slain the four Black Panthers.
With the Demon Treasure in hand, he'd be a brightly shining lantern. Who knew how many demons it might attract?
Silver Notes were much easier to carry.
As long as he didn't follow the expected route home, even if demons had set an ambush in advance, it would be very hard for them to find just a few people scattered across hundreds of miles.
The return journey remained peaceful. After reaching Black Mountain County, the group went their separate ways.
As captain, Lu Yang went to the Constable Office and met with the County Lieutenant.
When he saw Lu Yang return safely, County Lieutenant Lu Jue's face broke into a faint smile.
"Lu Yang, how did things go in Niushi Town?" Lu Jue asked.
"Thankfully, I've fulfilled my mission. The Demonic Calamity has been dealt with."
A smile appeared on Lu Jue's face. "Well done. You've upheld the reputation of the Black Mountain County Yamen. You must be tired. Go get some rest."
But Lu Yang remained where he was, not leaving. He seemed hesitant.
Lu Jue frowned slightly and asked, "What is it? Do you have something else to report?"
After weighing it over, Lu Yang gave a brief account of what had happened and then said, "My lord, I suspect someone in Black Mountain County is conspiring with the demons in the mountains!"
Lu Jue's eyes flashed. He leaned forward and said in a low voice,
"Oh? Do you have evidence to support that?"
Lu Yang said, "The town chief in Niushi Town said they'd been told at least three 'Black Skins' had appeared there, but the report we received said there was only one..."
Lu Jue fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "It seems there's definitely a mole."
He looked at Lu Yang and asked, "Since you've brought this up, do you have anyone in mind?"
Lu Yang hesitated. "I... I'm afraid I'm too dull to say."
Lu Jue stared at Lu Yang for several seconds before saying, "All right. Keep an eye on the great families in the county seat and see if anything happens on their end."
Lu Yang cupped his hands. "I'll carry out your orders."
Just like Lu Jue, the people Lu Yang suspected were the great families in Black Mountain County.
Anyone without a certain amount of influence who tried to collude with the Demon Race would likely be treated as food and swallowed whole.
Only the great families in the county seat had the means to access the many affairs inside and outside Black Mountain County, and thus to pass information to the Demon Race.
So Lu Yang had no objection to County Lieutenant Lu Jue's instructions, and soon took his leave.
Before beginning the investigation in earnest, however, Lu Yang planned to find himself a cultivation method.
"The lowest-grade methods are worth only one or two hundred taels. I could easily get one at any martial arts school in Black Mountain County. With what I have now, buying one won't be a problem."
"The downside is that the lowest-grade methods can only be cultivated to the peak of the Postnatal Realm. Once I break through to the Xiantian Realm, I'll have to switch to another method."
Lu Yang thought to himself.
It was common for martial artists to switch cultivation methods, and the process wasn't difficult.
Still, they would inevitably lose some of their true qi in the process.
After switching methods, a martial artist's cultivation would inevitably fall, and they'd have to spend time building it back up.
Ideally, Lu Yang wanted to trade for a Yellow-grade Cultivation Method.
For one thing, compared with the lowest-grade methods, a Yellow-grade Cultivation Method allowed the body to hold more true qi, providing a greater boost to combat strength.
For another, it would spare him from losing true qi and wasting time training all over again.
The problem was that the thousand taels he had on hand would more than cover the lowest-grade methods, but might not be enough for a Yellow-grade one.
Even the cheapest, Low-grade Yellow method started at a thousand taels, and there was no guarantee he'd be able to get one.
"I was promoted to captain a few days ago. The congratulatory gifts from my colleagues should add up to another one or two hundred taels."
"I'll take my chances. If it doesn't work out, I'll go to a martial arts school and trade for a low-grade method. I'll make do with that for now."
A quarter of an hour later, Lu Yang arrived outside a shop.
Four large gilded characters, "Qianfeng Merchant Association," were engraved on its signboard.
Lu Yang hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.
The Qianfeng Merchant Association had branches throughout Great Jun. There was a shop in every city at the county level or above, and its background was mysterious, its foundations deep.
As long as you had enough money, you could buy anything you wanted here.
As soon as he entered the shop, a beautiful woman with a curvaceous figure came to greet him.
Before you continue