Pingshan Society

After leaving Greenface Tiger Gao Zhen's cave, Li Mo did not care much about whether he could become a so-called headman.

He followed Wang Ying through the mountain stronghold.

Along the way, Wang Ying seemed to be deliberately taking a roundabout route. She introduced Li Mo to the current state of Pingshan Society and constantly greeted acquaintances on the road, making sure everyone in the stronghold recognized his face so that no one would make things difficult for him later.

At the center of the stronghold was an open space, where a burly man with a face full of whiskers stood.

At that moment, he was leading thirty or forty petty bandits in martial training. Most of them, however, were extremely lazy and inattentive, seemingly just passing their days there.

Not every martial art used the jumping forward, shifting back to dodge, and swaying left and right found in Three-Way Swordplay as methods to strengthen the body.

In truth, the overwhelming majority of martial arts focused on building strength. Some also required tempering the skin, training reflexes, practicing throwing, and the like. It all depended on what aspect the martial art emphasized. Since Three-Way Swordplay valued nimble, flowing movement techniques, its body-strengthening exercises mainly served to bring out that agility, while every sword move pursued a single fatal strike.

For instance, right now.

More than thirty men followed behind this headman, repeatedly lifting stone locks to build their strength. It was exactly the same as Zhang Qin's method of strengthening his body back then.

Suddenly.

Cheers rose from the entrance of the stronghold. Wang Ying looked down from her high ground.

"The people down the mountain have received their tribute. Every month, we receive offerings from those merchant caravans, but we also have to ensure their safety. This is our main source of income. Once you become a headman of the stronghold, you'll only need to sit back and wait for your share."

After hearing Wang Ying's explanation, Li Mo nodded.

As the saying went, raise bandits to preserve one's own strength. The escort agencies in the towns around Eighteen Mountains had booming business, precisely because of the under-the-table cooperation between both sides. The various strongholds also believed in letting a thin stream flow long; they would not drain passing merchant caravans dry.

The conflict between Pingshan Society and Lishan Gang had arisen because of profit.

The waterways around Eighteen Mountains twisted through nine bends and eighteen turns, and every gang had its own so-called territory. For profit, Lishan Gang had broken the rules and crossed the boundary to rob a merchant caravan that had long maintained ties with Pingshan Society. That caravan had been forced to pay two tolls, stirring dissatisfaction among some escort agencies, who believed Pingshan Society was no longer capable of upholding the rules of the road.

Afterward, the conflict between Pingshan Society and Lishan Gang grew ever more intense, yet Pingshan Society had never managed to defeat Lishan Gang.

After nodding, Li Mo followed Wang Ying to a wooden hut.

The hut was not large.

Other than a crude little bed, the room contained nothing else.

There were no neighbors on either side. This hut had been built after leveling a patch of steep hillside, but Li Mo did not complain. He nodded, expressing his satisfaction.

"My room is over there. If you need anything, you can come find me anytime."

Li Mo looked in the direction Wang Ying pointed, committed it to memory, and thanked her.

"All right, rest here for now. Around You Time this afternoon, a bonfire will be lit in the center of the stronghold. You can come down then and go to Juyi Cave for supper."

"Okay."

After watching Wang Ying leave, Li Mo tidied up the room a little before lying down on the wooden bed.

He had slept rough and eaten in the open these past days and was exhausted to the bone. Now that he finally had a place to settle, the worries in his heart gradually dispersed. For the next while, he planned to live here as a physician and martial artist, waiting for a chance to ask Jade Fox Wang Ying about cultivators.

He still had plenty of room for improvement in the fundamentals of martial arts.

According to Three-Way Swordplay, going from minor accomplishment to great accomplishment in martial arts required several times the effort invested before. Judging by Li Mo's progress, even with Mystic Dream's aid, it would take him more than a year to cultivate it to great accomplishment.

That was enough time for him to adapt to life in the stronghold and reach some sort of deal with Jade Fox Wang Ying.

With such random thoughts swirling through his mind, Li Mo fell into a deep sleep.

He did not slowly awaken until dusk.

Looking out through the hut's window, Li Mo indeed saw a bonfire blazing fiercely outside. He got up and headed down the mountain, noticing a huge wooden cage beside the fire. It seemed the stronghold had rushed to make it, and its workmanship was quite crude.

Outside Juyi Cave, people lined up to receive food. Every person held a wooden bowl and chopsticks, all looking impatient.

"Li Mo, over here!"

Wang Ying spotted Li Mo and motioned for him to come over.

"Okay!"

Wang Ying led Li Mo through the queue and into Juyi Cave. More than a dozen people sat around a massive stone table. Bloodface Lion Gao Po, Greenface Tiger Gao Zhen, and Little Arhat Han Kui were all among them, along with many people Li Mo did not know, all looking at him with curiosity.

These were presumably Pingshan Society's headmen, great and small.

Greenface Tiger Gao Zhen laughed heartily.

"Brother Li Mo, come sit."

Li Mo nodded and, led by Wang Ying, took an empty seat.

Gao Zhen smiled as he introduced him. "A while ago, during a clash with Lishan Gang, I was ambushed by some scoundrel and suffered a few injuries. Brother Li Mo examined me and said I needed a fresh bear gallbladder as the medicinal catalyst. So tomorrow, I plan to personally lead a team into the mountains to hunt a bear. Once my injuries recover, I'll recommend him as Pingshan Society's fourteenth headman!"

"Haha, so Pingshan Society has a physician now?"

"Where is Brother Li Mo from?"

Everyone was exceedingly warm toward him, and Li Mo answered each question in turn.

When they heard that Li Mo was from Hua'an Town, the gaunt-faced man sitting beside him immediately revealed a look of surprise.

"What a coincidence."

The gaunt man said, "I am Wu She. In the martial world, they call me Shadowless Sword. Back then, because of a conflict between Sancha Kou and Stone Village, I let my competitive spirit get the better of me and accidentally killed someone. Left with no choice, I left my homeland and came here to gather in righteousness. After so many years, I deeply regret it. I wonder, little brother, do you have any news of Sancha Kou?"

By the end, he seemed somewhat sorrowful.

"Sancha Kou is not far from Shanbei Village. I went there once three months ago."

Li Mo quickly became familiar with Wu She.

Because of Li Mo's identity as a physician, the people of Pingshan Society were at least fairly pleasant toward him on the surface. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, over a hundred people sang and danced around the bonfire. Some also began sparring, and shouts rose one after another, making for a lively scene.

Li Mo secretly observed the martial arts of Pingshan Society's bandits.

"Ordinary petty bandits are people like Niu Er. They are ruffians and scoundrels who committed crimes in various places, came here to take refuge, and wait for a general amnesty. Their martial arts can practically be ignored. Judging from these headmen, some are about as skilled as Brother Zhang Qin, at the level of third-rate martial artists. Others are about on par with me, only more experienced. The two chiefs and people like Little Arhat Han Kui are clearly far stronger than me, top-tier second-rate martial artists."

As a Traveling Doctor, Li Mo was proficient in human anatomy and medical principles, and his eye for judging people was exceptionally sharp.

"Those whose martial arts surpass the Gao Brothers should count as first-rate martial artists in the martial world. They have entered the so-called Postnatal Realm and mastered Inner Strength."

Only after cultivating foundational martial arts to great accomplishment could one cultivate the so-called Postnatal Realm martial arts.

The next day.

Greenface Tiger Gao Zhen led more than thirty people into the forest in a grand procession, carrying the cage they had hastily made the day before.

Li Mo asked for a back basket, intending to enter the mountains and gather some common medicinal herbs so that he could establish himself within Pingshan Society. After Wang Ying learned of this, she assigned a clever boy to guide him.

"The other peaks are manageable, but little brother, you must never go south. Pingshan Society and Lishan Gang are irreconcilable enemies. If you encounter anyone from Lishan Gang, it will mean trouble. This is Hei Wa. He grew up in the stronghold and knows the surrounding terrain very well. Let him guide you."

"Okay."

Li Mo agreed and left.

Hei Wa looked around eleven or twelve years old, only reaching Li Mo's chest. Following Li Mo's instructions, he led the way ahead.

Not long after they left the stronghold, Li Mo discovered quite a few herbs and lowered his head to gather them.

Hei Wa watched Li Mo with curious eyes.

It was not until Weishi in the afternoon that the two returned to the stronghold. On the road, Hei Wa could not help asking, "Doctor Li, can you really cure illnesses?"

"Yes. Common ailments are no problem."

After hearing this, Hei Wa asked expectantly, "Then can you treat my mother? She's been coughing for more than half a month. She can't eat or drink properly and has grown much thinner. Two days ago, she even coughed up blood. I'm afraid she..."

"From what you described, it sounds like pulmonary consumption. Bring her to see me tonight while I'm resting."

"Thank you, Doctor Li!"

Hei Wa was somewhat nervous and uneasy.

Pulmonary consumption was a serious illness. After comforting Hei Wa a few times, the two returned to the stronghold.

After supper, Li Mo mentioned his idea of opening a medicinal garden to Wang Ying. Wang Ying supported it and said she would send people over the next day. Li Mo thanked her before returning to his room to process the herbs he had gathered that day.

It was not until the bonfire gathering ended that Hei Wa brought a woman to Li Mo's room.

Just as Hei Wa had said, the woman coughed incessantly and was extremely weak. After examining her through observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking, Li Mo gave his diagnosis and treatment plan.

"Doctor, how is my mother?"

"It is indeed pulmonary consumption. This illness can only be treated by the patient removing herself from its causes and recuperating. I'll prescribe some herbs to strengthen her foundation and restore her vitality, but that will only be supplementary. The most important thing is dietary care. You must find a way to have her eat more warm rice porridge, minced meat, and dried dates. Do not let her drink raw water, overwork herself, or catch cold. Ideally, besides breakfast and supper, she should eat an additional late-night meal every day. If she improves within half a month, I'll prescribe her a powerful medicine. If she pulls through it, she can be saved."

Upon hearing this, Hei Wa was first terrified, then expressed his thanks and helped the woman leave.

Over the following days.

At Li Mo's instruction, Hei Wa continuously led him through the mountains in search of medicinal herbs. They found something every day. By Li Mo's estimate, if these herbs were sold to Jimin Hall, he could earn at least two or three hundred copper coins daily. That was truly astonishing.

Unfortunately, what herb gatherer would dare come to a place ravaged by bandits? These outlaws of rivers and lakes were far more dangerous than the savage beasts in the mountains.

"Hei Wa, how is your mother's recovery going?"

"After several uncles learned about it, they brought some cured meat from the stronghold kitchen. Also, Auntie Wang and Auntie Jin next door said they would help cook rice porridge, make minced meat, and decoct medicine. But dried dates have to be bought down the mountain, and I have no money."

By the end, Hei Wa's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Upon hearing that, Li Mo remembered that the Zhang siblings' black inn seemed to have had quite a few dates. Little Arhat Han Kui should have taken them all back.

"Once we get back to the stronghold, I'll see whether Headman Han has any. If he does, I'll bring some over for your mother."

"Thank you, Doctor Li!"

Hei Wa said gratefully, his eyes full of respect as he looked at Li Mo.

Li Mo nodded, then could not help asking curiously, "By the way, how did your mother come up the mountain?"

"My mother said there was a famine down the mountain that year, and she fled here to survive."

"Then who is your father?"

"I am a child of the stronghold. Every headman and every runner uncle is my father. Everyone raised me, and when I grow up, I'll honor all the uncles in the stronghold."

Through their questions and answers, Li Mo gained a deeper understanding of Pingshan Society.

When the two returned to the stronghold, they heard waves of cheering from far away.

Li Mo and Hei Wa approached curiously. Once the others saw Li Mo, they crowded around him. When Li Mo saw the brownish-gray giant bear barely clinging to life inside the wooden cage, he could not help but be greatly startled.

It was his first time seeing a living gray bear.

Though the gray bear was already barely alive, its terrifying physique still made it easy to imagine the dreadful strength it had possessed in life. If it stood up, it would likely be nearly a zhang tall. Its paws were even much larger than Li Mo's head, each claw as sharp as a dagger. Its tough hide and thick layer of fat beneath were perfect armor.

Li Mo could not help but begin doubting himself.

Could his swordsmanship truly injure such a colossal creature?

The so-called nimble and flowing movement techniques, the so-called arts of killing men, seemed to have little room to display their worth before such a monstrous beast.

Though this giant beast was now curled up inside its cage, Li Mo still felt exceptionally small. A trace of doubt arose in his heart toward the martial arts he cultivated. At the very least, his agile and flowing martial arts would likely find it hard to deal with such a beast, while martial arts that tempered strength would have far greater room to shine.

"Tsk, tsk. Could it be on the verge of becoming a spirit? How could it be so huge?"

A petty bandit beside him could not help sighing.

"Haha, there'll be meat today..."

Greenface Tiger Gao Zhen came over amid the crowd's embrace. His body was especially tall and robust as he looked down at Li Mo.

"Brother Li, you're finally back. To deal with this fellow, not only were seven of us injured this time, we even lost one brother. Even Headman Guo suffered some injuries. But we finally captured it alive. We've been waiting for you to take its gallbladder before slaughtering it for meat to reward everyone, haha!"

Li Mo then learned from Gao Zhen.

When dealing with such massive beasts, the blades and swords of martial artists were nowhere near as useful as hunters' long spears, traps, and beast cages. Otherwise, even if the Gao Brothers joined forces at their peak, fighting such a giant wild beast would still be a nine-deaths-and-one-life ordeal. This was the limit of mortal strength. So-called arts of killing men were, after all, only arts for killing men.

Only first-rate martial artists who had cultivated Inner Strength could contend against it using that Inner Strength.

Next, under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Mo smoothly removed the bear gallbladder, mixed it with the herbs he had prepared over the past few days, made it into a medicinal plaster, and drew out Gao Zhen's poison.

"It will take effect by tomorrow at the latest."

After that came the slaughtering of the bear and division of its meat.

The people of the stronghold rejoiced. After eating and drinking their fill, they sang and danced around the bonfire, celebrating extravagantly.