Returning Home, Dealing with Spoils of War

After applying the herbal medicine, Li Bufan did not act immediately. He knew full well that his current condition was terrible, and leaving this relatively hidden cave rashly would be unwise. He forced himself to find a sheltered corner deep in the cave, carefully lit a small fire with his tinderbox using the dry branches he'd gathered, and kindled a small campfire.

The faint firelight illuminated the cold cave, bringing a precious trace of warmth. Leaning against the icy stone wall, he chewed on cold dried meat, feeling the alternating coolness and throbbing pain from his left arm wound. Fatigue washed over him like a tide, but he dared not fall fully asleep, maintaining a half-awake vigilance as he silently circulated the medicinal power of the Blood Dissolving Powder and slowly regulated his breathing through the breathing method of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique.

Time passed slowly in silence and torment.

One day, two days, three days...

Under the combined effects of the herbs, his tenacious vitality, and the powerful recovery brought by his martial cultivation, the terrifying wound on his left arm finally stopped seeping blood and began to close and scab over. Though still painful and inconvenient to move, at least there was no longer any risk of deterioration.

Li Bufan looked at the thick scab, and once again felt awe and longing for the martial path.

"With an injury like this—deep enough to see bone—in my past life, it would take over half a month of careful treatment just to scab over, and any carelessness could lead to fatal infection. But in this world, relying on herbs and my own blood vitality, it stabilized and began healing in just three or four days... The world of martial arts is truly miraculous!"

With his injury somewhat stabilized, his longing to return home became like an arrow.

He had been in these mountains for nearly twenty days. When he left home, he only told his younger brother Ping'an that he was going into the mountains, but not that it would be this long. Ping'an, alone at home, must be deeply worried, and Li Bufan's heart was also racing to return.

"This trip has been fruitful enough. It's time to go back." Li Bufan stood up, stretching his limbs, still careful not to move his left arm forcefully. He took stock of his gains: three priceless Cinnabar Fruits tucked in his bosom, several precious Snow Fox pelts and Wolf Pelts in his pack, the two Snow Fox pelts he'd hunted earlier, and the remaining Tiger Bear materials.

The gains were enormous, but so were the dangers. He had to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

He carefully extinguished the fire, covered his tracks, then shouldered his pack, gripped his long blade, and slipped back out of the cave that had brought him such great fortune.

Outside, it was still a world of ice and snow, but the weather seemed clearer. He oriented himself, executed the Spirit Monkey Three Leaps, and headed toward the cave where he'd previously stashed the Tiger Bear materials and used as a temporary shelter.

Along the way, he was even more cautious, avoiding potentially dangerous areas as much as possible. Though his speed was affected by his injury, relying on his post-breakthrough strength and familiarity with the terrain, he made it back to that hidden cave smoothly after half a day.

The cave entrance was still well-concealed by rocks, with no signs of beast intrusion. He moved the stones aside and crawled in. Everything inside was as before—the two heavy bundles of Tiger Bear bones and meat, along with the Snow Fox pelts, still lay quietly there.

Looking at these initial "spoils," Li Bufan cracked a smile. These were real resources, worth a good amount of silver to support him and his younger brother for a while in daily life and cultivation.

He rested a moment, recovering the energy spent on the journey, then began final preparations. He packed all his gains into bundles using the Tiger and Bear pelts, and kept the three Cinnabar Fruits close to his body.

Once everything was packed, it formed an extremely large and heavy bundle. If he hadn't broken through to the Muscle Tempering realm and greatly increased his strength, carrying such a heavy load would have left him exhausted after just half an hour, just like before.

Finally, he took one last look at the cave that had witnessed his training, breakthrough, and contemplation. Without lingering, he resolutely hoisted the heavy bundle and set off on the return journey.

Before leaving the forest that had brought both fortune and danger, Li Bufan unhesitatingly discarded the long blade and bow he'd taken from Wu Hai. He only carried the hunting bow he'd brought from Lin Manor and the two remaining, slightly damaged Armor-piercing Arrows as he set out for home. The massive bundle pressed down on his shoulders—a future he'd earned with his life.

The road home felt especially long under the heavy burden and his unhealed left arm. He deliberately slowed his pace, choosing to follow the main road. Though it was a detour, it was safer. Deep winter had arrived, the weather growing harsher. Few travelers were on the road; the occasional passerby hurried along wrapped in padded coats, paying no attention to the lone, travel-worn youth carrying an enormous bundle.

The sky gradually darkened, and a gray haze began to scatter fine snowflakes. When the familiar outline of Huaiyuan County's walls finally appeared in the twilight, an indescribable sense of calm surged in Li Bufan's heart.

Entering the city, he wound through the streets toward his family's remote area. The closer he got to home, the quieter the roads became, nearly empty of people. The bitter cold had driven everyone back into their warm houses.

At last, the low, dimly lit house appeared at the end of the road. A thin wisp of smoke rose from the chimney—Ping'an was burning a fire for warmth.

Li Bufan's pace quickened involuntarily as he pushed open the creaky wooden door.

"Brother?!"

The little boy Li Ping'an, who had been rubbing his hands by the fire basin, jerked his head up. Seeing the familiar figure at the door, covered in cold air and carrying a huge bundle, he froze for a moment, then his face exploded with immense joy. He leaped up like a little monkey and rushed over.

"Brother! You're back! You're finally back!" Ping'an's voice choked with emotion as he hugged Li Bufan tightly around the waist. "I was so worried about you! Why were you gone so long!"

Li Bufan set down the bundle, gently rubbed his brother's frozen-red little head with his uninjured right hand, his heart full of guilt and warmth: "It's okay, big brother's back. Some things delayed me on the way. See? I'm fine. And I brought back lots of good food for you."

He deliberately avoided all mention of danger, putting on a relaxed smile.

Only then did Ping'an notice the enormous bundle. His eyes went wide. "Brother... what's in this? It's so big!"

"All meat!" Li Bufan laughed, starting to untie the bundle. "I got lucky this time in the mountains and bagged some big game. From now on, our lives will get better and better. No more empty stomachs—we'll eat meat every day!"

As the bundle opened, the first thing revealed were large chunks of deep-red, coarse-grained Fierce Beast meat. Though frozen solid, the sheer quantity and texture made Ping'an swallow involuntarily. In all his young life, he had never seen so much meat!

The little boy's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open. He circled the meat, staring, then reached out a small hand to touch it cautiously, his face brimming with incredulous joy.

"So much meat! Brother, you're amazing!" Ping'an's face flushed with excitement. Young as he was, sharp and precocious though he might be, he didn't recognize the true origin of the two huge pelts wrapped around the outside. He just thought they were ordinary animal skins his brother used to wrap the meat, completely unaware of the terrifying beasts they represented or their astonishing value—let alone the life-and-death battles his brother had endured.

All he knew was that his brother had come home safely, and brought back more meat than he'd ever seen in his life! The overwhelming happiness washed away all his worries.

"Brother, let's eat it tomorrow! A big piece! No, every day!" Ping'an waved his little fists, planning excitedly.

Li Bufan looked at his younger brother's innocent smile, his heart softening. All the exhaustion and pain seemed to find solace in this moment. He nodded with a smile. "Alright, tomorrow I'll cook meat for you. As much as you want!"

The two brothers sat around the fire basin. Though the house was simple and cold, it was filled with warmth and hope. Li Bufan ate a little of the gruel Ping'an had prepared, not touching the beast meat—he needed to process his spoils first.

He moved most of the meat outside to a cold spot for proper storage, leaving only a small piece for the next day. The precious pelts, especially the Silver-Crowned Snow Fox pelts and the Tiger and Bear skins, were placed in a corner of the earthen floor inside. As for the three Cinnabar Fruits, he wrapped them in a Snow Fox pelt and tucked them at the very bottom of all the furs.

Only after finishing all this did he truly relax. The wound on his left arm began to ache again, reminding him he needed rest.

That night, Li Bufan slept especially deeply. Though the home was shabby, it was the safest harbor.

The next morning, Li Bufan rose early. He first checked his left arm wound—the scab was firm, healing well, but still couldn't bear force. He told Ping'an to stay home and watch the meat, then took his bow, arrows, and the pelts, and headed out.

He needed to sell his gains from the mountain trip first, then use the money to quickly restock his arrows and plan his next steps in cultivation.

Though Huaiyuan County wasn't a large city, its proximity to the mountains meant a lively fur trade. Several specialized fur shops and tailor shops bought raw or processed hides. Li Bufan didn't head straight to one shop. Instead, he strolled unhurriedly along the street, stepping into three or four furriers and tailor shops of varying sizes.

He didn't immediately show his goods. Under the pretense of selling furs, he casually asked about prices and the current market for various types of pelts. The shopkeepers and assistants initially didn't pay much attention to a young lad, but Li Bufan asked detailed questions and spoke knowledgeably about pelt quality and processing requirements, which made them take him more seriously.

After his rounds, Li Bufan had a clear picture. Ordinary Wolf Pelts were worth about one or two taels of silver; top-quality ones might reach three. Tiger and Bear pelts were worth more, especially if intact, but since his were raw and untanned, the price would be discounted. All told, his four pelts might fetch fifteen to twenty-five taels.

In the end, he chose "Zhang's Fur Shop," a mid-sized establishment whose shopkeeper seemed fairly honest. When he unwrapped the bundle in the back room, revealing the massive, imposing Tiger pelt and thick Bear pelt, Shopkeeper Zhang's eyes lit up immediately.

"Tsk tsk, young man, quite the skill! This big cat and black bear are fierce beasts of the mountains—ordinary hunters wouldn't dare provoke them!" Shopkeeper Zhang carefully inspected the pelts, especially the Tiger pelt. Apart from a small tear near the ribs (likely from the earlier Tiger Bear fight), it was remarkably intact. The Bear pelt only had a few claw marks on the back, still quite valuable.

After some bargaining, Shopkeeper Zhang finally offered twenty taels of silver for all four pelts. This price was within Li Bufan's expectations, even slightly above the average from several shops—likely because Shopkeeper Zhang saw the value in the intact Tiger and Bear pelts, planning to process them and sell at a premium.

Li Bufan thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "As the shopkeeper says."

Twenty taels of silver settled into his palm—heavy, with the cold, metallic feel unique to the metal. This was the largest sum Li Bufan had possessed since arriving in this world. He carefully tucked the silver into an inner pocket, declined Shopkeeper Zhang's offer of tanning services, and quickly left the fur shop.

With the fortune in his pocket, Li Bufan's next stop was Wang's Blacksmith Shop on the east side of town. The forge blazed hot inside, the clang of hammer on iron ringing without pause.

Li Bufan went straight to Master Wang, the head smith, and explained his purpose—to replicate twenty Armor-piercing Arrows of the Lin Manor standard, demanding tough, sharp arrowheads and perfectly straight shafts.

Master Wang picked up the slightly damaged sample arrow Li Bufan had brought, examined it closely for a moment, then weighed it in his hand, frowning slightly. "This arrow... the design is a bit unusual. The arrowhead uses good iron, and the forging technique is meticulous. Replicating it isn't hard, but the materials and labor can't be skimped on. The price won't be cheap."

"Name your price, Master," Li Bufan said calmly.

Master Wang pondered a moment, then said, "For this kind of arrow, materials and workmanship—at least five maces of silver per arrow. Twenty arrows, that's ten taels. No credit; a deposit is required upfront."

Ten taels! The price made Li Bufan's heart skip—nearly half of what he'd just earned from selling furs. But he knew well that such life-saving gear couldn't be skimped on, and he had to gather enough to return to the Lin Manor quickly to avoid complications.

He gritted his teeth and nodded. "Agreed. But I'll pick them up in three days. The quality must be guaranteed, identical to this sample."

"Done! My craftsmanship—who in Huaiyuan County doesn't know it? I'll forge them exactly the same!" Master Wang vowed, thumping his chest.

Li Bufan paid a deposit of one tael of silver, took the receipt, and watched Master Wang carry off the sample arrow before feeling a bit relieved.

Leaving the blacksmith shop, Li Bufan patted the remaining nineteen taels in his pocket and began buying daily necessities. First, he went to the grain store, buying fifteen catties of fine white rice and another fifteen of coarse rice, costing nearly half a tael. Then he visited a general store for oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings, plus some long-lasting radishes and cabbage, spending several hundred coppers more.

Finally, he stepped into a clothing shop. Looking at the worn, thin cotton jackets on himself and his brother—though he'd bought his younger brother a padded coat before, the boy loved it so much he wouldn't wear it—he figured that with this successful trip into the mountains, buying two more sets of clothes was only right. So he steeled himself and bought two thick new cotton-padded jackets and pants for each of them, plus two warm fur hats. That cost over a tael of silver.

After all this shopping, his carrying basket was stuffed full, but the silver in his pocket had shrunk rapidly. A careful tally: the twenty taels from selling furs, minus the one-tael deposit to the blacksmith, minus the over two taels spent on rice, vegetables, and clothes, left him with less than seventeen taels. And of those seventeen, nine were still owed as the final payment to the blacksmith.

Counting it that way, this life-risking, bountiful mountain trip would ultimately leave him with only about seven taels of disposable silver.

Looking at the rice and clothes in his basket, then thinking of the nine taels soon to be paid for arrows, Li Bufan couldn't help a bitter smile.

"Money... really doesn't last," he muttered softly.

The path of martial arts truly began with wealth, companions, techniques, and grounds—wealth first. Without enough silver to back it up, even basic cultivation resources were hard to secure, let alone better techniques or medicinal herbs.

Still, holding the heavy rice and meat in his hands, thinking of his brother's happy smile in new clothes, Li Bufan felt it was all worth it. At least this winter, the two of them wouldn't go hungry or cold.

He headed home with his full load, already planning in his mind how to use the seven taels of silver... and how to make the most of those three Cinnabar Fruits to boost his strength.