Origin Mulberry Wine

As the sun slanted westward, the thousand-odd acres of Origin Mulberry trees in Emerald Cloud Valley were draped in a layer of golden twilight.

After Shen Mu finished practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique once more, he collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air as scarlet-colored steam rose from his skin.

At this moment, he was too exhausted to even twitch a single finger.

Not far away, a group of peripheral disciples carrying baskets as tall as a man, filled with compressed Origin Mulberry leaves, passed by the Origin Mulberry field guarded by Shen Mu as they headed toward the valley entrance.

A young man dressed in the attire of a gang member walked at the front of the group; he was the leader in charge of managing these peripheral members.

"Hey, brother, practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, are you?"

Seeing the blood-colored steam rising from Shen Mu's body, the young man called out with a friendly smile from a distance.

Shen Mu propped up his upper body and laughed, "That's right. I didn't expect the Army-Breaking Saber Technique to be so difficult to cultivate."

"Heh, isn't that just how martial arts go? You have to temper yourself through a thousand hammer blows to forge yourself into a peerless divine weapon."

The young man walked over, unhooked the gourd from his waist, took a swig, and then handed it to Shen Mu.

Shen Mu didn't stand on ceremony; he took the gourd and tilted his head back to gulp it down. The young man felt a pang of heartache watching him—this guy really didn't treat himself like an outsider at all.

"Good wine!"

As the liquor flowed down his throat and into his stomach, a wave of heat surged in all directions, instantly alleviating some of the fatigue Shen Mu felt after a full day of practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique.

Shen Mu couldn't help but take another large gulp, making the young man wince, though he still forced a smile and said:

"That's wine brewed from Origin Mulberry Fruit. A gourd like that costs at least a tael of silver!"

Brewed from Origin Mulberry Fruit?

A tael of silver per gourd?

Shen Mu's mouth twitched; he had just downed at least half the gourd in those few gulps.

He looked a bit sheepish as he handed the gourd back, apologizing with a smile, "Brother, I am truly sorry. I drank half the gourd in one go. How about this—I'll buy this gourd of wine from you."

With that, he prepared to stand up to fetch his silver.

"Eh, brother, no need, no need! What's a gourd of wine?"

The young man hurriedly stopped Shen Mu from rising, then asked, "You look a bit unfamiliar, brother. I assume you just arrived here to stand guard?"

Shen Mu nodded and smiled, "I just arrived today."

"No wonder."

The young man laughed, "Let me introduce myself. I am Zhang Bohan, in charge of managing the peripheral members picking Origin Mulberry leaves in the valley."

"This Humble One is Shen Mu."

Shen Mu introduced himself in return.

"Hey, this gang member looks a bit familiar."

At that moment, the group of peripheral members carrying the baskets arrived as well. Looking at Shen Mu, who was chatting with Zhang Bohan, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Of course he looks familiar! Isn't he the same guy who was tempering his body at the Martial Arts Arena with us last month?"

Some had an impression of Shen Mu; at the arena, he had been a madman who almost never rested for a single moment, leaving a deep impression on many.

"I remember that to guard an Origin Mulberry field in Emerald Cloud Valley, one needs at least the cultivation of the first level of the Boiling Blood Stage. Could he have already reached the first level of the Boiling Blood Stage in just one month?"

Someone's eyes widened, and they couldn't help but exclaim.

"That's impossible, right?"

For a moment, the group of nearly twenty people stopped in their tracks, looking at Shen Mu with astonished gazes.

The blood-colored steam still rising from Shen Mu's body immediately dispelled the doubts in their hearts.

Only those in the Boiling Blood Stage would exhibit such a phenomenon when their bodies expelled large amounts of sweat.

It was clear that Shen Mu now possessed at least the cultivation of the first level of the Boiling Blood Stage!

Thinking of this, everyone's expression turned sour, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Back then, they had given up on further body tempering and chosen to come to Emerald Cloud Valley to pick Origin Mulberry leaves for five taels of silver a month.

Yet, after only a month, the peripheral member who had started tempering his body on the same day as them at the Martial Arts Arena had already reached the first level of the Boiling Blood Stage, becoming a true gang member and even taking charge of guarding an Origin Mulberry field.

In just one short month, the status of both parties had quietly shifted.

A month ago, was coming here to pick Origin Mulberry leaves to make money the right choice or the wrong one?

If they had continued their body tempering, would it have been possible for them to have achieved success by now as well?

"Why have you stopped?"

Zhang Bohan didn't have a pleasant look for these peripheral members and shouted loudly, "The sun is about to set! Why aren't you hurrying to carry the picked Origin Mulberry leaves to the valley entrance?"

The crowd shrank their necks and resumed their pace, heading toward the valley entrance.

But at this moment, their state of mind was no longer filled with the relief of earning five taels of silver a month.

Although they had only been in Emerald Cloud Valley for a short month, they already knew that gang members who could guard the mulberry fields here received a monthly salary of five taels of silver, plus the gang's monthly salary of one tael and two catties of unranked beast meat.

Calculated out, once promoted to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage, one could earn roughly eight taels of silver per month.

The main point is that after becoming a gang member, while enjoying the gang's salary, one can continue to refine their own cultivation, rather than picking Origin Mulberry Leaves without a moment's rest like them, only to earn five taels of silver.

Even earning those five taels only happens during the two months when the Origin Silkworms are about to spin cocoons and require a large intake of Origin Mulberry Leaves.

Once this period passes, they must return to the city and become peripheral gang members without any salary...

"Brother Shen, is what they just said true?"

Zhang Bohan could not help but look at Shen Mu and ask with a smile.

Clearly, he had also overheard what those peripheral gang members had just said.

However, the idea of advancing to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage in just one month still felt unbelievable to him, and he could not help but want to clarify the matter.

Shen Mu asked in confusion, "Brother Zhang, what are you referring to?"

"Didn't they just say they saw you at the Martial Arts Arena last month?"

Zhang Bohan could not help but say, "Doesn't that mean, Brother Shen, you only just started body tempering a month ago, and you've already advanced to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage?"

"Oh, that matter."

Shen Mu realized, laughing, "If they were the peripheral gang members sent to be responsible for picking Origin Mulberry Leaves last month, then they must have been in the same batch as me when I started body tempering."

"I also happened to break through to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage a few days ago and joined the Yuan Mulberry Hall, which is why I received this assignment and came here."

Watching those peripheral gang members carry their baskets away, Shen Mu sighed inwardly.

Just as he had thought before, many people simply do not know their own goals, abandoning their long-term plans for immediate gains.

Joining the Firewood Gang should primarily be for the purpose of becoming a martial artist; everything else must take a backseat.

Interrupting body tempering to earn money is no different from abandoning the root to pursue the tip!

In just one month, a massive chasm had already opened up before them.

He could chat and laugh with the superior who managed them, and even without doing any real work, he could receive a higher salary than them.

Conversely, if they slacked off even a little, they would be scolded incessantly by their superiors, yet they dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction on the surface.

Hearing the definitive answer from Shen Mu's own mouth, Zhang Bohan could not help but widen his eyes, saying in shock, "Brother Shen, what kind of monster are you?"

"You advanced to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage in just one month?"

"Do you perhaps have an iron stomach?"

"Otherwise, your speed of nourishing blood and qi would be far too fast, wouldn't it?"

Hearing the news that Shen Mu had only taken one month to advance to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage still left Zhang Bohan feeling incredulous.

One must know that for an ordinary person who has not yet reached the Boiling Blood Stage, just digesting one jin of unranked monster meat takes at least ten days.

And that is only with the assistance of frantic body tempering.

Advancing to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage requires the blood and qi nourished by at least ten jin of beast meat, which is three months of time.

Now, hearing Shen Mu say it only took one month—if this isn't a monster, what is?

"No, Brother Zhang, you are mistaken."

Shen Mu shook his head and said with a serious and earnest expression, "This is all thanks to my own hard work!"

Zhang Bohan's facial muscles twitched violently.

I can acknowledge your hard work, but you don't have to be a freak about it.

He asked himself if he had been just as diligent during his own body tempering, yet it had taken him three and a half months; to be absolutely sure, he had digested a full eleven jin of beast meat before attempting to break through to the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage, and he had succeeded in one go.

Now, some guy says he only used one month of body tempering to reach the first stage of the Boiling Blood Stage?

Then what did his own hard work count for back then?

Did it count as slacking? As being lazy?

Damn it!

Truly, the joys and sorrows of people are not shared!

"Brother Shen, it's getting late, I'll take my leave!"

Zhang Bohan hung his wine gourd back on his waist and turned to leave, his outlook on life shaken.

"Brother Zhang, could I trouble you with something?"

Shen Mu seemed to remember something and couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Bohan wanted to ignore him, but his mouth asked involuntarily, "What is it?"

Shen Mu said, "I'd like to trouble you to help me buy five gourds of Origin Mulberry Wine."

Having just drunk the wine brewed from Origin Mulberry, he discovered that in just a moment, his strength had recovered by at least ten percent, and he could fully practice the Army-Breaking Saber Technique once more.

If he had a sufficient supply of Origin Mulberry Wine, he could accelerate his practice of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, thereby allowing the scarlet mist on the branches of his Martial Dao Tree to accumulate faster.

Guarding the Origin Mulberry Field carried a certain degree of danger, and Shen Mu was naturally eager to improve his strength to deal with any unforeseen events.

Only by quickly mastering the Army-Breaking Saber Technique would he have at least some means of response should thieves enter the valley to pick the Origin Mulberry.

"There's no need to buy this wine; since there are Origin Mulberry Fruits everywhere here, why not just buy some strong liquor and steep them yourself?"

Zhang Bohan called out from a distance, shaking his head before quickening his pace to catch up with the group ahead.

"Steep them myself?"

Shen Mu was taken aback, his expression turning somewhat peculiar as he looked toward the Origin Mulberry Field he was tasked to guard.

Although most of the Origin Mulberry Fruits were not yet ripe, those at the very tops of the trees, having fully enjoyed the sunlight, had already begun to mature.

Does that make me a thief guarding his own loot?

No, this should be considered a hidden perk for those guarding the mulberry fields, right?

Since Zhang Bohan suggested I pick the Origin Mulberry Fruits to steep wine myself, it means he must have done the same...

Besides, I don't need many Origin Mulberry Fruits to make the wine; even if I pick some, who would know?

Thinking this, Shen Mu felt as if a door to a new world had been opened.

Damn it, he really had been sitting on a treasure mountain without realizing it.

Wasn't he improving his cultivation and practicing martial arts just to better contribute to the Firewood Gang?

What was wrong with taking a little compensation in advance?

He absolutely could not let the ripe Origin Mulberry Fruits rot on the branches.

Shen Mu made up his mind: he would head back to the city tomorrow!