Ninth Layer of Body Tempering

Have I inherited a Taoist's gift for divination?

So that's what it is, Li Ye thought to himself.

To be precise, the power of all the supernatural abilities he had obtained was the result of being amplified countless times by the Corpse Incineration Furnace, far surpassing that of the original owners.

It was as if Li Ye had grasped the very essence of these abilities.

The chimney fire died down. A Black-Clad Academician stepped forward to open the door, tossed down the day's wages, and left.

Li Ye shoveled out the Taoist's ashes, took them to the Back Mountain to bury them properly, then returned to lock the gate and practice the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art.

The next day, the corpse was rather ordinary.

There were only faint signs of Corpse Transformation.

Li Ye burned it successfully and gained a portion of Body Tempering cultivation.

The third day also passed peacefully.

However, the cause of death of the corpse made Li Ye suspicious—Yang Depletion.

Yang Depletion again.

Two corpses with Yang Depletion delivered in just a few days.

It was far too coincidental.

This corpse had clearly undergone Body Tempering; were the skills of the girls in the brothel truly that formidable?

Her?

This time, Li Ye took note of the girl's appearance on the bed.

She was the same person who had served the Taoist, and the same girl who had died miserably alongside the youth from whom Li Ye had obtained the Words Manifest Reality ability.

To be precise, she was not human; she was a Snake Demon.

Because so many days had passed, Li Ye hadn't recalled it earlier.

"Is she at Yihongyuan?"

Li Ye exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected that he had already passed by her "dojo" the day before yesterday and even heard her voice.

He wondered what the cultivation level of this Snake Demon might be.

Hum!

A wisp of white mist drifted out of the Corpse Incineration Furnace and, in the blink of an eye, burrowed into Li Ye's body.

The next moment, a series of crackling explosions resounded from his frame. The breathing technique of the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art flowed naturally, resonating as his aura surged violently.

A familiar sensation permeated his heart. Li Ye heard a booming vibration echo within his body, and then, he successfully broke through to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.

He judged that his strength at this moment had reached... two thousand jin.

That is to say, one ton.

"The Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, huh? At this rate, I should be able to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm very quickly."

Li Ye thought to himself.

After the Black-Clad Academicians left, he disposed of the ashes, locked the door, and began his daily mandatory practice of the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art.

He entered the state very quickly, his five viscera emitting the sound of rolling thunder.

It shook out many impurities from within his body.

His power was also growing slowly.

Unknowingly, the night passed.

"Right, today is the third day. I wonder how things are going with Zhou Bao."

Li Ye thought to himself, then finished his practice and rinsed off his body.

He was somewhat worried about Zhou Bao, so he headed down the mountain.

He entered through the North City gate as before and walked toward the south of the city.

A faint scent of rouge drifted into Li Ye's nose, and Yihongyuan suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Along the edge of the second-floor corridor, slim and charming young women with their robes half-slipped off waved silk scarves and handkerchiefs, issuing invitations to passersby.

Li Ye's footsteps faltered, and he subconsciously looked toward a certain room in Yihongyuan.

He clearly remembered that three days ago, the cry of "Yang Depletion!" had come precisely from that room on the second floor.

Is the Snake Demon inside?

Li Ye whispered, then walked away quickly.

With his current level of cultivation, he was far from being a match for the Snake Demon.

It was better not to provoke the other party for now.

"Young Master Li Bai."

Zhou Bao, who was busy in the courtyard, was overjoyed.

Li Ye walked over and discovered that there were quite a few more people in the courtyard.

They looked very familiar.

It seemed they were some of the men among the refugees they had hired that day, currently working alongside Zhou Bao to dry bay leaves, cinnamon, wild star anise, and other items.

They must have been hired by Zhou Bao.

There was a massive amount of goods, covering the entire courtyard; it had to be over a thousand jin.

"Not bad!"

Li Ye exclaimed in admiration.

Zhou Bao had undergone a complete transformation.

He had changed into a high-quality robe, wore a hair crown, his hair was combed meticulously, and he had even shaved his beard.

He looked every bit the part of a shopkeeper.

The assistants beside him hung on his every word.

Zhou Bao stepped forward excitedly: "Young Master Li Bai, do you see? The harvest is far beyond our imagination."

"Many bay leaves are piled on the ground, a thick layer of them. These dried bay leaves weigh about two hundred jin or so; they can be put on the market to be sold by tomorrow."

"As for these fresh ones, there are about sixteen or seventeen hundred jin. After drying, we should get several hundred jin, but as for the pricing... I'm not quite sure what to decide."

The harvest was indeed far beyond imagination. Li Ye pondered: "Are the major restaurants in Licheng City collecting them?"

Zhou Bao informed him that only at the very beginning had the assistants from Hongbin Tower and the servants of a few individual mansions come out to pick some.

Li Ye nodded. There hadn't been many people that day, so presumably, the other restaurants hadn't caught wind of the news yet.

The manager of Hongbin Tower likely didn't even know that he had already sent people to harvest these things in bulk, and probably still thought there were plenty outside the city, hence why he hadn't sniffed out this business opportunity.

"Has there been any movement from Hongbin Tower?"

Li Ye asked.

"Yesterday, they were busy from morning till night. There were so many people."

"Their Braised Beef and Eight Treasure Chicken, those two signature dishes, have completely overshadowed every other restaurant in the city."

Zhou Bao said.

"A tall tree catches the wind. I'm sure the major restaurants are already sniffing around for the secret recipe."

"There will be results in the next two days."

"You should sell it then—sell it to all the major restaurants."

Li Ye gave Zhou Bao a look that said, you know what I mean.

The major restaurants had already been beaten half to death by Hongbin Tower. Li Ye believed that no matter what price was set, the other side would accept it.

Li Ye estimated that the batch of goods in Zhou Bao's hands would easily fetch a profit of one or two thousand taels.

Just then, a man walked in from outside. "Brother Zhou, everything has been burned. No one noticed."

Zhou Bao was overjoyed. "Good!"

As it turned out, it wasn't until early this morning that Zhou Bao had people burn the bay leaves, cinnamon, and wild star anise outside the city.

With that done, the batch in Zhou Bao's hands became the only supply in Licheng City.

Now that everyone was gathered, Zhou Bao announced in front of them all that Li Ye was their true leader.

He himself was only the second-in-command.

"Little Brother Li Bai, don't leave. Let's do this together. There are plenty more in other cities; I'll have people take a group of refugees to gather them tomorrow."

"In the future, we shall enjoy wealth and glory together."

In the room, Zhou Bao spoke solemnly to Li Ye.

He had just sent someone out to buy some food, and the two were chatting while they ate.

Li Ye shook his head. No matter how much money one had, they were still just a mortal; it held no meaning for him.

He refused Zhou Bao's invitation once again.

"Brother Zhou, this world is not a world for mortals. I fear that if you have too much wealth, you won't be able to keep it."

"As the saying goes, to forge iron, one must be strong oneself. I have a Body Tempering Manual and a recipe here. I once tried to practice it, but I didn't succeed. If you earn some silver, you might as well buy a few sets of medicine and try practicing the methods within."

Li Ye said, then set down his chopsticks, reached into his robes, and pulled out a manual to hand over.

This was a copy of the Divine Concealment Sect's Body Tempering Manual and the corresponding body tempering recipe that he had transcribed for Zhou Bao before coming here.

This fellow Zhou Bao had a decent foundation; if he was willing to put in the effort, he should see some results.

A legendary manual of the Immortals?

Zhou Bao was completely agitated; he never imagined he would receive a chance at immortality.

"Young Master Li Bai, you... you are truly my second parent. I don't know how to thank you."

"From this day forward, this life of mine belongs to you."

Zhou Bao had lived for thirty years, and he felt that only Li Ye had truly treated him like a human being.

As for his former friends like Old Knife and Butcher, although their relationships were decent, those guys didn't even treat themselves like human beings, so how could they possibly treat Zhou Bao as one?

Li Ye smiled. The reason he helped Zhou Bao wasn't to set up some chess piece, cultivate his own influence, or anything of the sort.

It was simply to help him sincerely.

"Brother Zhou, you are being too serious. By the way, do not go to Yihongyuan; it is very dangerous there."

Before leaving, Li Ye reminded him.

In this era where one's life hung by a thread, many people would go out to eat, drink, and make merry, or visit brothels to find women the moment they had money in their hands.

They called it: leaving no regrets.

Li Ye couldn't control what others thought, but he had to warn Zhou Bao.

Right now, Yihongyuan was simply too dangerous.