Humiliation

The next day, Lu Chuan came to the Martial Arts Hall as usual. Before he even entered, he heard voices discussing something.

Many disciples had gathered in twos and threes on the Training Ground.

"My heavens, have you heard? Senior Brother Jiang Hao has broken through the Blood Pass!"

"Really? Hasn't he only been an Initiate for a month?"

"How could it be fake? Master Zheng personally examined him! An Upper Grade Bone Root really is something else. He Initiated the Mountain Splitting Saber in three days, achieved Minor Success in less than a month, and now, after only a few more days, he broke through the Blood Pass just like that! Comparing people really makes you want to die..."

Lu Chuan's heart gave a sudden jolt as well.

Breaking through the Blood Pass in one month? That speed was truly frightening.

He walked over and searched the crowd with his eyes. Soon, he spotted Jiang Hao.

The Jiang Hao of now was worlds apart from the slightly restrained young man he had been a month ago.

He stood tall and straight. The changes brought by his abundant qi and blood were plain to see, and his entire body radiated confidence and aloofness.

Facing the flattering looks and words of the junior disciples around him, he merely nodded slightly, his attitude arrogant.

Lu Chuan carefully sensed the other man's aura. It was indeed denser and heavier than his own.

He was greatly surprised.

This kid doesn't even have a system, yet his progress is so astonishingly fast!

But after thinking it over, Lu Chuan felt relieved.

"An Upper Grade Bone Root, exceptional talent, and resources tilted in his favor by Master Zheng... I heard he was even provided several medicinal pills just for cultivation."

With conditions like these, it was hardly strange that Jiang Hao could break through so quickly.

What surprised him slightly was that even the normally aloof Second Senior Sister Su Tang had now walked up to Jiang Hao and taken the initiative to speak with him.

Lu Chuan was too far away to hear what they were saying exactly, but the rare, faint smile on Su Tang's face alone was already something unprecedented.

"Heh." Lu Chuan laughed silently in his heart. With strength, everything around you really does become kinder.

He shook his head and cast aside his distracting thoughts.

Jiang Hao's breakthrough was someone else's business. He still had to walk his own path.

Turning around, he found Senior Disciple Brother Zhou practicing his saber nearby.

"Senior Brother Zhou, are you busy? I wanted to ask you about something." Lu Chuan walked over.

Zhou Ming Chuan sheathed his saber, wiped away his sweat, and smiled. "Junior Brother Lu, what is it?"

Lu Chuan got straight to the point. "Senior Brother, I feel like my qi and blood have accumulated enough recently. I wanted to ask you, when you broke through the Blood Pass, was there anything you needed to pay special attention to?"

At his words, the smile on Zhou Ming Chuan's face froze. He looked Lu Chuan up and down in surprise.

"You... you're about to reach the threshold of the Blood Pass too? It's only been a little over two months, right? I remember your Bone Root..."

"My Bone Root is merely inferior." Lu Chuan answered frankly. "That's why I especially wanted to ask about your experience and make more preparations."

Zhou Ming Chuan put away his joking expression and spoke seriously.

"Junior Brother Lu, for people from backgrounds like ours, breaking through is much harder. First, your qi and blood accumulation has to be sufficiently robust. Second, you have to adjust yourself to your best condition. Your mind must be calm, without distracting thoughts. Ideally... you should have some external aid."

"External aid?" Lu Chuan pressed.

"Mm. The most common is the Qi and Blood Pill. Failing that, there are certain especially nourishing Great Medicines—the ones with enough age to them. For example, old wild mountain ginseng, or the heart blood of some powerful Exotic Beast..."

The Qi and Blood Pill was a medicinal pill whose effects were a hundred times stronger than the Qi and Blood Soup distributed daily by the Martial Arts Hall. It was specifically used for Tempering Qi and Blood and assisting with breakthroughs, and it was extremely expensive.

It was said that Jiang Hao had taken this pill when he broke through as well.

"How much does one of those cost?" Lu Chuan asked.

Zhou Ming Chuan smacked his lips. "Renhetang Pharmacy sells them. The price is clearly marked: two taels of silver per pill."

Two taels of silver per pill... Lu Chuan calculated silently.

Thinking Lu Chuan had been frightened by the price, Zhou Ming Chuan sighed. "Junior Brother, someone like Jiang Hao has been blessed by heaven. People like us can't rush it. Just take it slowly. There will always be a chance."

"I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother." Lu Chuan nodded, already calculating in his heart.

Although he could go into the mountains to hunt, he could not make a great haul every day.

Winter was bitterly cold, and heavy snow sealed off the mountains. The larger game hid even deeper, leaving few traces behind.

These few days were the hardest to endure. He could only rely on luck to hunt a few mountain pheasants and wild rabbits.

He had made a rough estimate. Over the coming month, if he had no stroke of great luck, he could probably earn three taels of silver.

"I can only save it up little by little..."

Just as Lu Chuan thought these uneventful days would continue like this, someone suddenly shattered the peace.

That day, Lu Chuan was practicing the Mountain Splitting Saber at home. Because of the unending heavy snow, he had not gone to the Martial Arts Hall for several days.

Lu Danian and his wife had not gone into the mountains either. The whole family had huddled at home and lived quietly for several days.

"Lu Danian, open the door right now!" A coarse voice suddenly shattered the silence.

Lu Chuan frowned. That voice belonged to Wang Kun!

He stopped Lu Danian, then went alone to the front of the house.

When he opened the door, it was indeed Wang Kun. The man had come alone, and the coldness on his face was completely undisguised.

"Boy, where's your family's Mountain Tax?"

Lu Chuan's heart sank sharply. He said in a low voice:

"Wang Kun, we paid our family's Mountain Tax in full a few days ago when you came to collect it yourself. You counted it then and even gave us a receipt. What, you've forgotten after only a few days?"

Wang Kun dug at his ear, looking like a shameless rogue.

"Paid in full? Why don't I remember any such thing?"

"Lu Chuan, you can eat whatever food you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Our Black Tiger Gang has always collected taxes clearly and cleanly. Are you saying our gang handles things unclearly? That's slander!"

"You!" Lu Chuan's eyes turned cold. This was clearly sophistry—he was deliberately picking a fight!

Lu Danian had heard every word from behind them. Furious and anxious, he hurriedly pulled the crude-paper receipt from his robe and held it out.

"Chief Wang, look! This is the receipt you gave us that day. There's even a stamp on it! We really did pay!"

Wang Kun glanced at it and reached out to take it.

Lu Danian had just let out a breath of relief when he saw Wang Kun pinch the receipt between two fingers. Without even looking at it, he tore it straight in half with a crisp rip.

"Ha!" Wang Kun clapped his hands.

"Forging a receipt from our Black Tiger Gang? You've got some nerve! According to the rules, this time's Mountain Tax will be doubled! If you're short even a single coin, this matter won't be over today!"

The faces of Lu Danian and his son instantly turned livid.

Looking at the scraps of paper torn to pieces on the ground, then at Wang Kun's smug, untouchable face, a flame shot straight to the top of Lu Chuan's head.

This was no longer simple extortion. This was trampling on their faces in humiliation, certain that they would not dare resist!

Wang Kun folded his arms, sweeping his gaze over the embarrassed faces of the Lu father and son. His sneer grew even broader.

He had not been idle during this period. He had already investigated every household with even a little wealth in the nearby villages.

The Lu family of Kaoshan Village had first hunted a Snow Fox and a Golden Pheasant, and later had even brought down a five-hundred-jin Armored Wild Boar King!

No wonder Lu Chuan had been able to casually produce two taels of silver to fill someone else's hole at the Zhao Family that day.

How could he not seize the chance to shear a fat sheep a few more times?

As for retaliation...

A brat who had only just entered the Martial Arts Hall and an honest old hunter—what kind of waves could they possibly stir up?