Distribution

Early in the morning, the sky was as gray as ink and the clouds pressed down extremely low, enshrouding the entire Nanning County in a depressing atmosphere.

The Blood Pill incident spread like wildfire.

The Martial Guard Division suffered heavy losses, with Wang Hao, Zhou Bo, and others dying in battle, while numerous constables were either dead or wounded, making it almost impossible to maintain daily order.

Street corners and alleyways were filled with rumors about Daoist Chai, Mad Demon, and the Blood Pill, and commoners turned pale at the mere mention of them.

The Martial Guard Division posted a notice: all wounded personnel would rest for seven days, and patrols would be temporarily handled by county soldiers.

Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye were no exception, taking the opportunity to request leave and return to the Sky Wind Martial Hall to quietly observe the situation.

In the early morning hours, the sky had yet to brighten.

Gu Chang'an put on a cloak and left the city alone.

He carefully avoided the main road, making a detour around the rocky mound three miles away.

There, an earthen jar sealed with mud by him was hidden.

He squatted down, brushed away the thin layer of soil, lifted the earthen jar, and cautiously peeled back the oilcloth, revealing a flash of cold light.

The things traded for with blood and fire were safe and sound.

When he returned to the martial hall, Li Hongye was already waiting in the room, with doors and windows tightly shut.

"Did you bring everything back?" Li Hongye's voice was low.

"Mn." Gu Chang'an gently placed the earthen jar on the table and took out the items inside one by one.

Like underground merchants, the two neatly spread the spoils of war across the table and the bed, taking inventory one by one.

There were four thousand three hundred taels in bank notes, with the seals intact.

The loose silver amounted to at least two or three hundred taels.

As for the gold leaves, there were also fifty taels.

According to market prices, one tael of gold leaves was worth one hundred taels of silver.

Just these alone were enough to let an ordinary person live in wealth and honor for three lifetimes.

And even more precious were those medicinal pills—

There were fifteen Body Tempering Pills in total. All of them were of top quality, with clear medicinal patterns on the surface and a rich medicinal fragrance. According to market estimates, a single pill cost five hundred taels of silver, making them rare on the market.

There were three Blood Burst Pills, completely crimson like blood and used specifically for explosive combat. Taking them could instantly boost combat prowess at the cost of extremely severe sequelae, commanding a starting price of at least five hundred taels each.

The most valuable of all were the two Bone Strengthening Pills, specially used for tempering tendons and bones, which were rare treasures for the Bone Tempering realm of an Eighth Rank martial artist.

These were worth at least a thousand taels and were priceless.

In addition, there was a pile of loose medicinal pills, which Li Hongye chanted in a low voice as she took inventory:

"Blood Generating Pill... can quickly stop bleeding and heal wounds."

"Poison Dispelling Powder... effective against most ordinary poisons."

"..."

Gu Chang'an rubbed his chin and muttered, "Selling these pills out there could make us a fortune, but we still have to hide them well."

Li Hongye nodded, then retrieved a stack of tattered yet yellowish booklets from her bundle.

"And these martial arts manuals." She paused, her gaze earnest.

"There are four Yellow Grade Middle Rank ones: Golden Snake Swordplay, Golden Snake Steps, Shattering Gold Palm, and Bone Entangling Body Tempering Technique."

"There are also four Yellow Grade Low Rank ones: Iron Armor Strength, Wind Shattering Leg, Swimming Dragon Small Grappling, and Short Blade Strike Method."

Hearing this, Gu Chang'an couldn't help grinning, his eyes brimming with undisguised ecstasy:

"These are all the real deal... Yellow Grade Middle Rank martial arts manuals start at two thousand taels of silver on the black market, and they are priceless, fought over so fiercely you might not even be able to buy one."

As he took inventory, he muttered to himself:

"Four middle rank ones, starting at eight thousand taels... Four low rank ones, another two thousand... Just these are worth over ten thousand taels."

Li Hongye nodded:

"Adding those bank notes, gold leaves, and pills from before... At our most conservative estimate, we have over thirty thousand taels this time."

Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, her expression stirred.

She had served as a constable for many years before being promoted to head constable.

Chasing thieves and arresting bandits, risking her head to make a living, her monthly stipend was only fifty taels of silver, and even with some capture bounties, saving two or three hundred taels was considered quite good.

However, the medicinal herbs she used for cultivation every month consumed two or three hundred taels of silver.

And that was her minimum expense.

Without family support, she could not have persevered.

And now, in just a single day, they had become minor tycoons!

The two looked at each other, speechless for a long time.

In this high-stakes gamble amidst blades and blood, they won the bet.

Finally, Gu Chang'an let out a breath, a relieved smile appearing on his face:

"Senior Sister, these bank notes, gold leaves, and pills... we'll split them evenly. As for the martial arts manuals, once we have a chance to sell them in the future, we'll split the proceeds fifty-fifty."

Li Hongye shook her head instead, her expression serious.

"That won't do, I didn't do anything. Without you, I probably would have died at the hands of Mad Demon long ago, how can we split it evenly?"

Gu Chang'an was slightly stunned, then the corners of his mouth curved up into a familiar smile:

"You didn't do anything? Was it because Mad Demon thought you were pretty and couldn't bear to make a move?"

Li Hongye shot him a sideways glance. "I'm being serious."

"I'm being serious too," Gu Chang'an said, his gaze turning rare in its solemnity.

"Senior Sister, from the day we entered Black Wind Ridge, we were people in the same boat."

"Even knowing there was danger, you still faced it together with me."

"You don't forsake, and I won't abandon. Whatever is mine has a share for you."

"Besides, we scavenged all these things from corpses together. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to scavenge so much either, and I would have been caught red-handed by the county soldiers."

"By then, we wouldn't even earn half of this; it would all be confiscated."

"So, even splitting evenly, I'm not at a loss."

Li Hongye looked at him, and only after a long while did she softly smile.

"Then I'll owe it to you for now. But I don't want this much."

Gu Chang'an glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "You don't get a say in this."

With that, he skillfully sorted the bank notes, loose silver, and gold leaves into categories.

Li Hongye attempted to stop him, but he directly ignored her.

"If you don't need them, just consider it a loan from me."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Li Hongye ultimately did not refuse again, only gently sighing.

In the end, Gu Chang'an kept three thousand taels in bank notes and thirty taels of gold leaves for himself.

The loose silver and currency coins were also collected by him.

The remaining one thousand three hundred taels of bank notes and twenty taels of gold leaves were pushed entirely to Li Hongye.

As for the pills, Gu Chang'an took out ten Body Tempering Pills and one Blood Burst Pill and handed them to Li Hongye:

"These are what you deserve, don't refuse anymore."

Li Hongye wanted to say something but stopped; this was simply too precious.

Yet looking at the pale-red lustrous Blood Burst Pill and those Body Tempering Pills, she finally nodded gently. "Alright."

These Body Tempering Pills could help her quickly break through to the Eighth Rank, realizing her dream.

Meanwhile, the Blood Burst Pill could enhance her self-preservation capabilities.

Other items such as the Bone Strengthening Pill, Blood Generating Pill, Clear Spirit Powder, Spirit Condensing Pill, Bone Washing Paste, and Jade Marrow Recovery Powder used for healing and dispelling poison were temporarily kept in Gu Chang'an's custody.

Especially the Bone Strengthening Pill.

He needed to prepare for charging into the Eighth Rank and could not afford any mistakes.

As for the eight martial arts manuals, neither of them touched them, wrapping them simply in cloth and sealing them in a wooden box.

"These aren't easy to offload." Gu Chang'an patted the box. "We'll figure out how to deal with them after the storm blows over."

"Mn," Li Hongye nodded. "Moving these things right now will easily stir up trouble."

Gu Chang'an glanced at her and casually asked, "I've never been to the black market before. Where is this black market?"

"In East City," Li Hongye said softly, "near the old garrison camp area in the eastern part of the city. There are quite a few people dealing in smuggled goods there. It opens once every three days and closes once every five. To get inside, you need to be brought in by someone familiar."

Gu Chang'an was lost in thought. "Then we can go after some time. The spotlight is too bright recently, it's not a good time to show our faces."

"Alright."

The room fell silent for a moment, leaving only the soft clinking of medicinal pill bottles.

Li Hongye suddenly turned back, looked at Gu Chang'an, and softly asked:

"By the way, that day in front of the pill hall, right before Director Wang died... what on earth did he say to you?"