Returning Home, Handling the Spoils

After applying the herbs, Li Bufan did not act at once. He knew full well that he was in terrible condition; rashly leaving this relatively hidden cave would be anything but wise. Forcing himself onward, he found a sheltered corner deep within the cave, carefully lit the dry dead branches he had gathered with a fire starter, and built a small campfire.

The faint firelight illuminated the icy cave and brought a precious trace of warmth. Leaning against the cold stone wall, he chewed on chilled jerky, feeling the coolness from the wound on his left arm mingle with waves of throbbing pain. Fatigue crashed over him like a tide, yet he did not dare fall fully asleep. He could only remain half-awake and half-alert, silently circulating the medicinal power of the Blood Dissolving Powder and using the breathing method of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique to slowly regulate his breath.

Time crawled by amid silence and torment.

One day, two days, three days...

With the combined effects of the herbs, his own tenacious vitality, and the formidable recovery brought by martial cultivation, the horrific wound on his left arm finally stopped seeping blood. It gradually closed and scabbed over. Though it still hurt and was inconvenient to move, there was at least no longer any fear of it worsening.

Looking at the thick blood scab, Li Bufan once again felt awe and longing for the martial path rise within him.

"This injury, in my previous life, went deep enough to expose bone. Without more than half a month of careful treatment, it would never have scabbed over, and the slightest carelessness could have led to a fatal infection. Yet in this world, relying on herbs and my own blood and qi, it stabilized and began healing in merely three or four days... The world of martial arts truly is wondrous!"

Once his injury had settled somewhat, his heart flew home like an arrow.

He had entered this mountain forest nearly twenty days ago. When he left home, he had only told his younger brother Ping'an that he was going into the mountains, never mentioning that he would be gone for so long. Ping'an had been alone at home and must have been consumed with worry. Li Bufan, too, was eager to return.

"This trip can be considered a complete harvest. It is time to go back." Li Bufan stood and stretched his limbs, though he still did not dare make any forceful movements with his left arm. He counted the gains from this journey: three priceless Cinnabar Fruits in his clothes, several precious Snow Fox pelts and Wolf Pelts in his pack, as well as the two Snow Fox pelts he had hunted earlier and the remaining Tiger Bear materials.

The harvest was immense, but danger lurked at every turn. He had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

He carefully extinguished the fire and concealed all traces, then shouldered his pack, gripped his long blade, and once more slipped out of the cave that had brought him such immense fortune.

Outside, the world remained a frozen expanse of ice and snow, but the weather seemed considerably clearer. After getting his bearings, he used Spirit Monkey Three Leaps and headed toward the cave where he had hidden the Tiger Bear materials and temporarily stayed before.

Along the way, he was even more cautious, avoiding areas where danger might lurk whenever possible. Though his injury affected his speed, with his strength after breaking through and his familiarity with the terrain, he still successfully returned to that hidden cave after less than half a day.

The entrance was still well concealed by stones, with no signs of beasts having entered. He moved the stones aside and crawled in. Everything inside was as it had been; the two huge, heavy bundles of tiger bones, bear meat, and Snow Fox pelts still lay quietly where they had been left.

Looking at these first "spoils of war," Li Bufan smiled faintly. These were solid provisions indeed. They could be exchanged for quite a bit of silver, enough to support his and his younger brother's lives and cultivation for some time.

He rested briefly to recover the strength spent traveling, then began his final sorting. He wrapped all his gains in tiger hide and bear hide, while keeping the three Cinnabar Fruits close to his body.

Once everything was packed, it formed an enormous, extremely heavy bundle. If he had not broken through to the Muscle Tempering realm and greatly increased his strength, carrying such a weight would have exhausted him in half an hour, just as before.

Finally, he glanced at the cave that had borne witness to his martial training, breakthrough, and contemplation. Without lingering attachment, he resolutely hoisted the heavy pack onto his back and set out for home.

Before leaving the mountain forest that had brought both fortune and peril, Li Bufan did not hesitate to discard the long blade and bow he had obtained from Wu Hai. He carried only the hunting bow he had brought from Lin Manor, along with the two remaining, somewhat damaged Armor-piercing Arrows, and began the journey home. The massive pack weighed down on his shoulders, filled with the future he had fought for with his life.

The road home seemed especially long under the heavy burden and with his left arm not yet healed. He deliberately slowed down and chose to travel along the Official Road. It was a detour, but safer. Deep winter had arrived, and the weather grew ever more bitterly cold. There were few travelers on the road. The occasional passerby hurried along wrapped tightly in cotton clothes, and no one paid attention to the lone, travel-worn youth carrying an enormous pack.

The sky gradually darkened, and fine grains of snow began drifting down from the gray heavens. When the familiar outline of Huaiyuan County's walls finally appeared in the dusk, an indescribable sense of peace welled up in Li Bufan's heart.

After entering the city, he wound through its streets toward the remote district where his home stood. The closer he came, the quieter the roads became, until there was scarcely a soul in sight. This bitter cold had driven everyone back into the warmth of their homes.

At last, the low little house glowing with faint light appeared at the end of his view. Thin smoke rose from the chimney. Ping'an was tending the fire for warmth.

Li Bufan's pace quickened involuntarily as he pushed open the creaking wooden gate.

"Brother?!"

Li Ping'an, the little boy sitting beside the brazier and rubbing his hands, abruptly looked up. Seeing the familiar figure at the door, covered in chill and carrying an enormous pack, he froze for a moment. Then overwhelming delight burst across his face. He sprang up like a little monkey and rushed over.

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

Li Bufan set down his pack and gently rubbed his younger brother's little head, reddened from the cold, with his uninjured right hand. His heart was filled with guilt and warmth. "It's all right now. Your brother is back. Some things delayed me on the road, but look, aren't I perfectly fine? I even brought back lots of delicious food for you."

He deliberately avoided mentioning any of the dangers and wore an easy smile.

Only then did Ping'an notice the incomparably huge bundle. His eyes widened round. "Brother, this... what is in there? Such a huge pack!"

"It's all meat!" Li Bufan said with a smile as he began untying the bundle. "Your brother had good luck in the mountains this time and hunted quite a few big beasts. From now on, life will only get better for us brothers. We won't have to go hungry again, and we'll be able to eat meat every day!"

When the bundle opened, the first things revealed were huge chunks of dark-red beast meat with coarse grain. Though frozen rock-hard, their tangible weight and meaty texture still made Ping'an swallow. Since childhood, when had he ever seen so much meat?

The little fellow's eyes went wide at once, his small mouth hanging open. He circled the chunks of meat again and again, carefully reaching out with his little hand to touch them. His face was full of disbelieving joy.

"So much meat! Brother, you're amazing!" Ping'an's little face flushed red with excitement. He was still young. Though clever and mature for his age, he did not recognize the true origin of the two enormous pelts wrapped around the outside of the bundle. He merely thought they were ordinary animal hides his brother had used to wrap the meat, utterly unaware of the terrifying beasts and astonishing value they represented, much less the life-and-death battles his brother had endured.

All he knew was that his brother had returned safely—and had brought back more meat than he had ever seen in his life! That immense happiness washed away all his worries.

"Brother, let's eat it tomorrow! A huge piece! No, every day!" Ping'an waved his little fist as he excitedly made plans.

Seeing his younger brother's innocent smile, Li Bufan's heart softened. All his exhaustion and pain seemed to find comfort at that moment. Smiling, he nodded. "All right. Tomorrow, your brother will make you meat. You can eat as much as you want!"

The two brothers sat around the brazier. Though the house was shabby and cold, it was filled with warmth and hope. Li Bufan simply ate some of the porridge Ping'an had prepared and did not touch the beast meat—he first needed to deal with these spoils.

He moved most of the meat outside into the cold and stored it properly, keeping only a small piece for tomorrow's meal. The precious pelts, especially the Silver-Crowned Snow Fox pelts and the tiger and bear hides, were placed in the corner of the room beneath the wall. As for the three Cinnabar Fruits, he wrapped them in Snow Fox pelt and tucked them beneath all the furs.

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

That night, Li Bufan slept especially deeply. Though his home was old and broken-down, it was the safest harbor of all.

Early the next morning, Li Bufan got up. He first checked the wound on his left arm. The blood scab was firm and healing well, though he still could not exert force. He told Ping'an to stay home and watch the meat, then took his bow, arrows, and pelts and headed out.

He needed to deal with the gains from this mountain trip first, obtain some money, resolve the issue of the arrows as soon as possible, and plan the next stage of his cultivation.

Though Huaiyuan County was not a major city, its proximity to the mountains made the fur trade quite thriving. Several fur shops and tailor shops specialized in purchasing raw hides or processed furs. Li Bufan did not head directly for any particular shop. Instead, he strolled steadily down the streets, visiting three or four fur shops and tailor shops of varying sizes.

He did not immediately bring out his goods. Instead, under the pretense of selling pelts, he casually asked about prices and inquired into the current market for various hides. The shopkeepers and assistants initially did not think much of him, seeing only a young man. But Li Bufan's questions were detailed, and he spoke with clear understanding of hide quality and processing requirements, causing them to put away some of their disdain.

After making the rounds, Li Bufan had a clear understanding. Ordinary Wolf Pelts were worth roughly one or two taels of silver, perhaps three taels if they were of excellent quality. Tiger and bear hides were worth more, especially if they were whole and undamaged, but his were raw hides that had not been tanned, so their price would be discounted considerably. Altogether, his four pelts were likely worth fifteen to twenty-five taels of silver.

In the end, he chose Zhang's Fur Shop, a moderately sized establishment whose Shopkeeper Zhang looked fairly honest. When Li Bufan untied the cloth bundle in the back hall and revealed the huge, imposing tiger hide and thick bear hide, Shopkeeper Zhang's eyes immediately lit up.

"Tut, tut, young man, you have real skill! This big cat and black bear are both vicious creatures of the mountains. Ordinary hunters would never dare provoke them!" Shopkeeper Zhang carefully inspected the hides. The tiger hide in particular had only a small tear beneath its ribs, likely caused when the Tiger Bear fought each other, and was otherwise extremely intact. The bear hide had only a few claw marks on its back. Both were worth a great deal.

After some haggling, Shopkeeper Zhang finally offered twenty taels of silver for all four pelts. This was within Li Bufan's expectations, even slightly above the average prices offered by the other shops. Shopkeeper Zhang had presumably taken a liking to the intact tiger and bear hides and intended to process them for a handsome profit.

Li Bufan considered it briefly, then nodded. "We have a deal, Shopkeeper."

Twenty taels of bright silver landed in his hands, heavy and carrying the unique chill of metal. This was the greatest fortune Li Bufan had possessed since coming into this world. He carefully tucked the silver into an inner pocket, declined Shopkeeper Zhang's offer to tan the hides, and quickly left the fur shop.

With this small fortune on him, Li Bufan headed straight for Wang's Blacksmith Shop in the eastern part of the city. The forge was blazing, and the clanging of iron being hammered rang out without end.

Li Bufan went directly to Master Wang, who was wielding the hammer, and explained his request—to replicate twenty standard Armor-piercing Arrows from Lin Manor, with arrowheads that had to be tough and sharp and shafts that had to be straight.

Master Wang picked up the somewhat damaged Armor-piercing Arrow sample Li Bufan had brought and examined it closely for a while before weighing it in his hand. His brow furrowed slightly. "This arrow... its standard pattern is somewhat special. The arrowhead uses good iron, and the forging technique is meticulous. Replicating it is not difficult, but neither materials nor work can be spared. The price will not be cheap."

"Please name your price, Master," Li Bufan said calmly.

Master Wang pondered for a moment. "For arrows like these, with the materials and craftsmanship involved, each one will cost at least five mace of silver. Twenty will be ten taels. No credit. You must pay a deposit first."

Ten taels! The price made Li Bufan's heart jolt. It was nearly half of what he had just earned selling the hides! But he knew he could not cut corners on something that could save his life, and he had to gather enough replacements quickly and return them to Lin Manor, lest more complications arise.

He gritted his teeth and nodded. "Fine. But I will collect them in three days. You must guarantee the quality. They must be no different from this sample."

"Done! Who in Huaiyuan County does not know this old man's craftsmanship? I guarantee they'll be forged exactly the same!" Master Wang declared, thumping his chest.

Li Bufan paid one tael of silver as a deposit and took the receipt. Only after watching Master Wang take the sample arrow away did he feel somewhat at ease.

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Li Bufan touched the remaining nineteen taels in his clothes and began purchasing daily necessities. He first went to the grain shop and bought fifteen jin of fine white rice and another fifteen jin of sturdy brown rice, spending nearly half a tael of silver. Then he went to a general store and bought seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, along with some carrots and cabbage that would keep well, spending several hundred copper coins more.

Finally, he entered a clothing shop. Looking at the old, thin cotton clothes on himself and his younger brother, he remembered that although he had previously bought his little brother a cotton jacket, Ping'an liked it too much to bear wearing it. This time, with his considerable gains from the mountains, buying two more sets of clothing was only proper. So he steeled himself and bought two thick new sets of cotton clothes and trousers for both himself and his younger brother, as well as two warm fur hats. This alone cost more than a tael of silver.

After all that shopping, the basket on his back was packed to the brim, while the silver in his clothes rapidly shrank. On careful calculation, the twenty taels from selling the hides, minus the one-tael deposit for the blacksmith shop, and then the more than two taels spent on rice, vegetables, and clothing, left him with less than seventeen taels. Of those seventeen taels, nine were still required to pay the blacksmith shop's remaining balance.

By that calculation, after this mountain journey in which he had risked life and limb and gained so much, the ready money that would actually remain in his hands was only around seven taels of silver.

Looking at the rice, grain, and clothes in his basket, then thinking about the nine taels he would soon have to pay for arrows, Li Bufan could not help revealing a bitter smile.

"This money... really does vanish fast," he muttered.

The path of martial arts truly placed wealth, companions, methods, and land first—with wealth at the very head. Without enough silver to support it, even basic cultivation resources were difficult to secure, much less better cultivation methods and medicinal herbs.

Still, looking at the heavy rice and meat in his hands and imagining his younger brother's happy smile when he put on new clothes, Li Bufan felt that it was all worthwhile. At the very least, he and his brother would no longer go hungry or freeze this winter.

Carrying his abundant purchases, he headed home, already calculating how to use those seven taels of silver and... how best to use the three Cinnabar Fruits to maximize his strength.