Blood Tai Sui

The entire courtyard fell deathly silent.

The few old hands who had mocked Sun Yu just moments ago were now pale with fright, backing away again and again, terrified of being tainted by this killing god's baleful qi.

By the second-floor railing, the Head Shopkeeper sucked in a cold breath, the fat at the corners of his eyes twitching wildly.

That was Zhao Xiong! The Guard Captain he had spent a fortune raising for five years, crippled by a single move?!

But that shock lasted only two brief seconds before the Head Shopkeeper's deep cunning suppressed it.

In this man-eating world, useless trash could be replaced at any time.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The Head Shopkeeper suddenly began applauding, that profit-bringing smile piling back onto his face as he hurried down the stairs.

"Good! What splendid blade work!"

He walked up to Sun Yu without sparing Zhao Xiong—who lay like a dead dog amid the splintered wood—a single glance, then loudly announced, "Zhao Xiong provoked an honored guest, was inferior in skill, and brought this upon himself! From this moment on, Brother Sun is our merchant house's new Guard Captain. On this trip through Black Wind Pass, anyone who dares disobey Brother Sun's orders will be dealt with according to the sect rules!"

The guards beside them shuddered all over and immediately lowered their heads, clasping their fists. "Greetings, Guard Captain!"

Sun Yu stood in the snow, watching the heavy flakes whirl down from the sky, his expression utterly unmoved.

He was far too clear-headed.

The Head Shopkeeper's change of face was not because he cared about reason. It was simply because Sun Yu's fists were harder.

In these wind-swept, snowbound mountains, so-called rules and status would forever belong only to the strong who survived.

Late at night, in the honored guests' courtyard.

Sun Yu sat cross-legged on his bed and summoned the panel as usual.

[Martial Skill: Beginner Archery (Mastered)]

[Technique: Iron Skin Bear King Skill (Mastered)]

His gaze sharpened.

Beside the originally dim "+" signs after the two mastered entries, an exceedingly faint character for "Fuse" had unexpectedly appeared.

"Technique Fusion?"

Joy rose in Sun Yu's heart as he tried touching that character with his mind.

Then, a line of Blood Red prompt text appeared across his retina:

[Prompt: Conditions not met. You must practice any Bone Forging Inner Skill before Martial Fusion can be activated.]

Sun Yu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his brows knitting slightly.

"Just as I thought."

He clenched his fist. Although the Iron Skin Bear King Skill had made his skin as hard as iron, bringing him to the Late Hide Polishing Realm, he could feel that beneath this outer shell, his bones were still mortal flesh.

If he encountered Bone Forging Realm experts whose strength reached a thousand jin, whose bones were even like refined steel, then even if they could not break through his skin, a single punch could still shatter his internal organs and bones!

Having polished his skin to the limit, his next step had to be acquiring a bone-forging technique.

But bone-forging techniques—even an organization like the Wanbao Merchant House would certainly keep them tightly hidden. They would never give one to him so easily.

Just as Sun Yu was considering countermeasures, a knock suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Guard Captain Sun, the Head Shopkeeper has prepared some humble wine in the inner hall and requests your presence to discuss tomorrow's escort mission in secret." It was the voice of that lean shop assistant from the day, his tone respectful to the extreme.

Discussing matters in the dead of night?

Sun Yu's eyes darkened.

His instincts told him that the Head Shopkeeper calling for him at this hour meant he was definitely up to no good.

He hung his hunting blade back at his waist and pushed open the door.

The merchant house's inner hall.

The Head Shopkeeper had not lit many candles, leaving the room somewhat dim.

A lavish spread of wine and meat sat on the table, giving off an enticing aroma.

"Brother Sun, come, sit!" the Head Shopkeeper called with a smile, personally pouring a cup of wine and pushing it over.

Sun Yu neither sat nor touched the wine. He merely stood quietly. "If you have something to say, Head Shopkeeper, say it plainly. I'm not used to beating around the bush."

"Straightforward."

The Head Shopkeeper smiled, lifted his own cup for a sip, and then the smile on his face gradually faded, the map unrolled and the dagger revealed.

"Since you are now one of the merchant house's core members, Brother, I won't hide it from you. Tomorrow, when we pass through Black Wind Pass, what we are escorting is not some spiritual medicine at all."

The Head Shopkeeper walked to the depths of the inner hall and lifted a piece of black cloth.

Beneath it was an exquisitely crafted glass case. Inside lay a dark-red lump of flesh that writhed continuously like an internal organ, giving off a pungent stench of blood.

"This is Blood Tai Sui."

A feverishly fanatic light flashed in the Head Shopkeeper's eyes. "A rare treasure found once in a century in the depths of Black Crow Mountain! As long as we deliver it intact into that Big Shot's hands in the prefectural city, Wanbao Merchant House will rise in one leap to become a first-rate power there!"

Sun Yu looked coldly at the lump of flesh. "What does that have to do with me?"

"This thing is extremely difficult to keep alive." The Head Shopkeeper turned around and looked down at Sun Yu, his tone becoming matter-of-fact.

"It needs the exceptionally vigorous Heart's Blood of a martial artist to be watered once every twelve hours. Otherwise, it will wither."

Sun Yu's pupils suddenly constricted.

Heart's Blood? That was the foundation of a martial artist's vital energy and blood! Drain it dry, and even if he did not die, he would be crippled beyond recovery!

"I originally planned to use Zhao Xiong's blood. He'd been stuck in the Skin Tempering Realm for years, and his vital energy and blood were just enough." The Head Shopkeeper sighed.

"What a pity. You crippled him with one slash today. That little bit of leftover blood of his wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap."

The Head Shopkeeper returned to the table and stared straight at Sun Yu.

"Brother, the vigor of the vital energy and blood you displayed today far surpasses Zhao Xiong's. You're just the right replacement for this Blood Tai Sui job."

He patted Sun Yu on the shoulder, his tone carrying a charitable air that brooked no refusal.

"Don't worry, I'll only take half your Heart's Blood. It won't kill you. At most, it'll cripple the martial arts you've only just cultivated, and you won't ever be able to draw a bow again. Once we reach the prefectural city, the merchant house will give you enough silver to last several lifetimes. You can live as a wealthy man, and the merchant house will support you for the rest of your days."

In the Head Shopkeeper's eyes, no matter how well Sun Yu could fight, he was only a hunter born at the bottom of society.

Before absolute power and wealth, a mud-legged peasant like him would neither dare nor have the ability to resist.

Sun Yu said nothing.

The air in the inner hall was so cold it seemed capable of freezing into shards of ice.

His eyes lowered, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the hilt of the hunting knife at his waist.

"Half my Heart's Blood in exchange for a lifetime of glory and wealth?" Sun Yu suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

"That's right, brother. It's an extremely worthwhile deal." The Head Shopkeeper thought he was tempted.

Sun Yu slowly raised his head.

There was no anger in those eyes, nor was there any compromise.

"What if I'm unwilling?"

The smile at the Head Shopkeeper's lips stiffened slightly, and the hand holding his wine cup stopped in midair.

"Unwilling?"

The Head Shopkeeper gave a disdainful snort. The affability on his face was torn away completely, revealing a merchant's meanness and ruthlessness.

"Sun Yu, do you think that just because you felled Zhao Xiong during the day, you can truly swagger through Nanqiao Town? What do you think Wanbao Merchant House relies on to gain a foothold beneath Black Crow Mountain? You dogs who sell your lives for money!"

The Head Shopkeeper slammed his palm down on the table.

Kacha!

The screens on both sides of the inner hall were instantly ripped apart.

Four Death Warriors, their entire bodies shrouded in black robes and Heavy Crossbows in hand, emerged without a sound. Four crossbow bolts gleaming with an eerie blue poisonous light locked firmly onto Sun Yu's vital points from four blind corners.

Not only that, but from the shadows of the inner hall, the Old Hunter Master who had been following the Head Shopkeeper all along slowly stepped out as well.

In his right hand, he held that broad-backed chopping blade upside down. The aura emanating from him was even several degrees more robust than Zhao Xiong's!

"Do you see?"

The Head Shopkeeper pointed at the Death Warriors around them and sat back down in his grandmaster's chair, his tone turning contemptuous and cold.

"I'm informing you, not discussing it with you."

"Your precious archery and brute strength are less than a fart before these Heavy Crossbows coated in Deadly Poison. With one lift of my hand, you'll turn into a pincushion riddled with holes."

"Be a good little blood jar. Once we reach the prefectural city, you can still take the silver and live as a cripple. But if you dare say even half a word of refusal..."

A savage glint entered the Head Shopkeeper's eyes. "I'll drain your blood dry right now and use it to feed that Blood Tai Sui. Your fate will be worse than a stray dog's!"