After dealing with Huang Bao, Lin Guanhuo went out at dusk.
First, Lin Guanhuo went to a butcher's shop and bought twenty jin of fine Braised Beef. Then he went to a wine shop and bought twenty jin of strong liquor.
After all, it was freezing cold, and nature's own giant icebox would keep the food from spoiling.
Afterward, he turned into an herbal medicine shop in the eastern part of the city.
It was called Hundred Herbs Hall.
A rich herbal fragrance filled the shop.
The shelves behind the counter were lined with all sorts of porcelain bottles and Wooden Boxes. They held the pills that Martial Artists dreamed of obtaining.
But they were incredibly expensive. Even the cheapest pills cost dozens of Taels of Silver apiece—purely the stuff of the wealthy.
"This is a Qi and Blood Pill. One pill is worth ten days of an ordinary person's hard cultivation. It's only fifty Taels of Silver per pill." Seeing Lin Guanhuo staring at the porcelain bottles, the shop assistant casually explained.
Fifty Taels a pill?
Lin Guanhuo clicked his tongue in astonishment.
He had scraped together this little bit of money by risking his life and robbing people. It was only enough to buy one and a half pills.
"Pills may be good, but I can't afford them yet."
Lin Guanhuo shook his head, then looked toward the medicinal herb cabinet beside him. "I want Spirit Nourishing Grass."
This herb was fairly common, and it was used as an ingredient in some pills. Taken directly or used in a medicinal bath, it could benefit one's body.
After some haggling, he finally spent thirty Taels of Silver on ten portions of decent-quality Spirit Nourishing Grass.
Though this herb wasn't as potent as pills, its effects were gentle and long-lasting, making it ideal for medicinal baths to nourish the skin and bones.
After paying, Lin Guanhuo stuffed the bottles, jars, and meat into a dusty gray cloth bag.
The bag was called a Brocade Belt. He had taken it from Huang Bao earlier.
It was only the lowest-grade storage bag, with enough room for a large chest, but it was still worth several Taels of Silver.
With it, Lin Guanhuo no longer had to attract attention by carrying a big bundle around.
That night, at the Miscellaneous Room Courtyard.
Lin Guanhuo carried a jug of fine wine over to Liu the Cook in the kitchen.
"Uncle Liu, it's cold out. I brought you a jug of good wine." With a smile, Lin Guanhuo handed it over.
Liu the Cook took the jug, pulled out the stopper, and sniffed. The aroma of wine wafted up. "Oh, this is good stuff! Did you strike it rich, kid?"
"Rich? Not at all. I just saved up a little and wanted to improve my meals." Lin Guanhuo laughed it off, then explained why he had come. "Uncle Liu, do you have a spare big vat? I'd like to borrow one and take a bath in my room."
"Hey, that's no big deal."
Liu the Cook pointed to a row of large vats in the corner, used for pickling vegetables. "Those are all empty. Give one a wash and it'll be ready to use. Just take whichever one you like."
"Thanks, Uncle Liu!"
Without hesitation, Lin Guanhuo lifted a waist-high vat with one hand as effortlessly as if it were a chick, then strode back to his little room.
A short while later, in a secluded room at the Miscellaneous Room, Lin Guanhuo brought over several buckets of scalding water from the bathhouse. He poured them into the vat, then tossed in a portion of Spirit Nourishing Grass.
As the herb hit the water, the clear hot water instantly turned emerald green, and a faint medicinal fragrance spread through the room.
"Hiss—"
Lin Guanhuo took off his clothes and stepped into the vat.
The medicinal power seeped through his pores and into his body, a barely perceptible force nourishing him from head to toe.
This was a medicinal bath!
If he had kept training the way he used to, it would have been difficult for his body to recover from its injuries.
But with the medicinal bath, he could not only heal hidden injuries, but also nourish his blood and energy with the medicine and temper his body!
It would speed up the formation of Copper Skin.
He soaked in the vat for several hours, until the water cooled and the medicinal liquid became clear again. Only then did he get up.
For the next few days, Lin Guanhuo kept an extremely low profile.
By day, he worked as hard as ever at the Miscellaneous Room Courtyard, diligently doing odd jobs.
At night, he devoted himself to hard cultivation!
He honed his martial skills with Draw Sword and tempered his body with medicinal baths.
That regular, fulfilling routine sent his strength steadily soaring at a terrifying pace.
A few days later, late at night.
Lin Guanhuo slowly rose from the medicinal bath.
This time, he clenched his fists, and his entire body tensed in an instant.
His skin had turned a deep bronze from head to toe!
The color was no longer faint and fleeting. It was like real metal armor, covering his entire body.
Lin Guanhuo casually picked up the long saber on the table and dragged its back hard across his arm.
Screech!!
After the stroke, only a faint white mark remained on his skin, and it vanished in the blink of an eye.
This was how tough his body had become!
Lin Guanhuo's face lit up with delight. "Now, I'm only one last layer of paper away from the Body Tempering Realm."
"It should happen in the next day or two..."
The next day, in the courtyard dining hall.
Lin Guanhuo, Xu Dadao, and Li Hu sat together around a broken table.
"The corn bun's not bad today. It's piping hot and filling!"
Xu Dadao picked up a black corn bun and handed it to Lin Guanhuo.
The bun was hard to stomach, but each person was limited to one per meal. No matter how many more they asked for, they wouldn't get any. This was what all the White Servants had to live on.
Lin Guanhuo reached out to take it.
But to his surprise...
Whoosh!
The instant his fingertips touched the bun—
A hand suddenly darted out and snatched it away.
It had been stolen right from under his nose!
At the same time, a voice rang out. "Hey! Thanks!"
A familiar voice, a familiar routine.
It was Huang Dazui.
At that moment, Huang Dazui held Lin Guanhuo's bun and smugly waved it around. "I'm starving. This bun's mine now! Thanks! Hahaha!"
Huang Dazui acted as if he and Lin Guanhuo were close, helping himself without the slightest hesitation.
Lin Guanhuo's brows furrowed slightly.
Especially when he saw Huang Dazui stuffing the bun into his mouth, laughing as though he couldn't care less.
Lin Guanhuo couldn't help feeling disgusted.
A few days earlier, he'd already given Huang Dazui a bun. He hadn't expected the guy to take that as an invitation to push his luck.
You treated him a little kindly, and he decided you were easy to bully.
People like that never showed anyone any courtesy. All they knew was how to take advantage of others, never giving anything in return.
And if they failed to take advantage of you, they'd even turn around and berate you, accusing you of being stingy.
With that in mind, Lin Guanhuo decided he wouldn't indulge him any longer.
Lin Guanhuo raised a hand.
Smack!
A crisp slap rang out like a sudden explosion!
Huang Dazui hadn't even seen what happened. His vision went black as tremendous force struck his face. He spun around like a top, then crashed to the ground, face-first.
The bun in his hand rolled away.
The dining hall fell silent in an instant.
Everyone stared at the scene, mouths agape in disbelief.
Lin Guanhuo lowered his hand without even shifting in his seat. He remained sitting there, his expression so calm it was as if nothing had happened.
"I let you have it before because we're all just trying to get by, and I know it's not easy. But you just keep pushing your luck?"
Lin Guanhuo pulled out a cloth and wiped his hand, his tone cool and detached. "Didn't your mother teach you that you go hungry because you're useless?"
"You..."
Only then!
Huang Dazui clutched the rapidly swelling half of his face. He lay on the ground, dazed for a long moment before realizing he'd been hit.
Lin Guanhuo looked down at him. "If I give it to you, it's yours. If I don't, you can't take it!"
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