Vital Energy

"Brother Shen, how much do you know about the Origin Qi of heaven and earth?"

One of the young men present asked with a smile.

Shen Mu remembered that this person had introduced himself as Guo Jinchuan during the earlier introductions.

Origin Qi of heaven and earth was the most important substance in this world, and it was also the key to why a person could become a martial artist.

Shen Mu said, "Once Body Tempering reaches the Boiling Blood perfection stage, one must rely on the Origin Qi of heaven and earth to cleanse and strengthen the physical body in order to break through into the ranked martial artist stages. Furthermore, for the subsequent Ninth Grade Bone Refining and even later cultivation, Origin Qi is an indispensable necessity."

Guo Jinchuan nodded and smiled, "Exactly, Origin Qi is the key to becoming a martial artist."

"Then do you know why, within a radius of several hundred miles of Cloud Dragon County, the Origin Mulberry trees can only be successfully cultivated here in Emerald Cloud Valley?"

Shen Mu pondered for a moment and said, "If my guess is correct, it is because the Origin Qi of heaven and earth is dense within Emerald Cloud Valley, allowing the Origin Mulberry trees to thrive."

Guo Jinchuan nodded and continued, "Returning to your previous question, you asked why they are called Origin Cicadas."

"The Origin Mulberry tree grows by absorbing the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, which causes it to contain a significant amount of Origin Qi itself. This allows it to support the growth of its Origin Mulberry Leaves and Origin Mulberry Fruits while it grows."

"At the same time, the Origin Mulberry Sap contained within the Origin Mulberry tree also holds this Origin Qi."

Shen Mu's expression froze for a moment, then he asked in surprise, "By Brother Guo's meaning?"

"Exactly. If it were outside Emerald Cloud Valley, a cicada is just a cicada. But when a cicada comes to Emerald Cloud Valley and consumes the Origin Mulberry Sap, it incorporates a portion of that Origin Liquid into its body."

Hong Jingcheng took over the conversation at this point, smiling as he explained, "The Origin Qi permeating the heavens and earth is extremely impure. Even for a martial artist, if they wish to use it to temper their physical body, it must be refined before it can improve their martial cultivation."

"However, the Origin Qi of Emerald Cloud Valley, having been absorbed by the Origin Mulberry trees, is equivalent to having undergone a primary refinement. Once consumed and digested by the Origin Cicadas, what remains in their bodies is a very pure form of Origin Liquid."

"These Origin Cicadas can be sold for an extremely high price outside!"

Shen Mu still had doubts and asked, "With the price of these Origin Cicadas being so high, has the higher-ups never thought of arranging for people to come and capture them?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present revealed a smile on their faces.

"Brother Shen, you are unaware of this."

Wei Bo chuckled, "The secret of the Origin Cicadas was discovered mainly because one of the Market Masters above once served as a deacon in Emerald Cloud Valley. At that time, he possessed the cultivation of the Ninth Level of Boiling Blood perfection, and by a stroke of luck, he learned the secret of the Origin Cicadas."

The corners of Shen Mu's mouth twitched.

If his guess was correct, that Market Master probably discovered the pure Origin Qi hidden within the cicadas while he was bored and catching them to go with his wine during his time as a deacon, right?

Wei Bo continued, "In order to profit continuously from the Origin Cicadas, this Market Master did not spread the news, so no one outside currently knows about it. At the same time, to ensure a steady supply of Origin Cicadas from Emerald Cloud Valley, he informed Deacon Hong about this matter..."

Seeing Shen Mu's gaze shift toward him, Hong Jingcheng smiled and asked, "Do you know what price this Market Master offers to buy these Origin Cicadas?"

Without waiting for Shen Mu to speak, Hong Jingcheng provided the answer.

"One tael of silver for one Origin Cicada!"

Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

This price was undoubtedly enough to surprise even him.

The price of a single Origin Cicada was actually as high as one tael of silver?

The entire Origin Mulberry Field in Emerald Cloud Valley spanned over a thousand acres. Even if they only caught one Origin Cicada per acre, there would be at least a thousand of them, which could sell for over a thousand taels of silver.

However, Shen Mu thought about it again and immediately calmed down.

Since Hong Jingcheng had summoned all the guards under him, capturing the Origin Cicadas must not be an easy task.

Otherwise, why would he spread the word? Wouldn't it be better to keep the profit for himself?

He could have kept it all, but he chose to involve them, which meant he likely couldn't complete the task alone.

Just imagine, if a deacon were catching cicadas in the Origin Mulberry Fields every day, what would all the other guards think?

Would they accidentally stumble upon the secret of the Origin Cicadas?

If that happened, the Origin Cicadas in Emerald Cloud Valley would likely be hunted to extinction...

Shen Mu looked around and said, "I understand. Brother Hong summoned everyone here so that we could all catch the cicadas together and sell them to this Market Master?"

"But with so many of us going to catch the Origin Cicadas, wouldn't that alert the other guards?"

Wei Bo chuckled, "Brother Shen, that is exactly why Brother Hong summoned us."

"The Origin Cicadas in Emerald Cloud Valley are limited, after all. To continue profiting from them next year, we naturally cannot catch them all at once."

"Origin Cicadas are clumsy at night, which makes it convenient for us to catch them. At the same time, to prevent the noise we make from revealing the secret to other guards,"

"We need to use sleeping incense on the night of the hunt to make them fall into a deep slumber beforehand..."

Shen Mu couldn't help but sigh; indeed, when there is enough profit, people will not fear difficulties.

"Then, after the Origin Cicadas are caught and sold to that Market Master, how will the subsequent silver be distributed?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but ask.

Although the question was slightly sharp, he asked it nonetheless.

After all, matters of money must be clarified in advance.

Otherwise, if a conflict arose, he certainly didn't want to see them fall into a dispute over silver.

Even if they caught a thousand Origin Cicadas, being split among nearly twenty people meant each person would only receive fifty taels.

To fight tooth and nail for such a pittance was simply not worth it.

As a deacon, Hong Jingcheng likely looked down on such scraps, and since he was the initiator of this operation, he would never agree to an equal split.

The gazes of the group shifted in unison toward Hong Jingcheng.

Meeting their eyes, Hong Jingcheng smiled. "Even if Brother Shen hadn't asked, I would have brought this matter up."

"Over the past three years, I have reached agreements with some of the people present here, and even with those who have already left Emerald Cloud Valley."

"The distribution method is simple: I am responsible for using incense to lull the other guards in Emerald Cloud Valley into a deep sleep, while you are responsible for catching the Origin Cicadas."

"After we tally the final count of Origin Cicadas, I will take fifty percent, and the remaining fifty percent will be split equally among everyone here!"

Fifty percent?

Shen Mu raised an eyebrow.

But on second thought, if someone other than Hong Jingcheng were to use the incense, they would likely be easily discovered by the other guards, leading to a violent conflict.

Seeing that the others remained composed, they must have already agreed to this distribution method.

He was only at the first level of the Boiling Blood Stage, standing there like a mere lackey; could he really afford to object?

The consequence of objecting would likely be Hong Jingcheng slapping him to death, only for him to end up as fertilizer in the Origin Mulberry Field.

Ever since he followed Wei Bo here, he had already boarded the ship. To keep this secret, if he wanted to back out now, he would surely be signing his own death warrant.

Besides, catching Origin Cicadas was not a particularly dangerous task; it was practically like being handed money.

With this silver from catching Origin Cicadas, plus his salary from the past few months, he would finally have enough to fund his promotion to the fourth level of the Boiling Blood Stage.

Hong Jingcheng smiled. "Brother Shen, what do you think of this distribution?"

The others also turned their gazes toward Shen Mu. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense, as if the moment he dared to refuse, he would never be allowed to leave alive.

Shen Mu nodded and smiled. "I agree with this distribution method."

The tension in the room dissipated, and smiles returned to the faces of those present.

"Since Brother Shen agrees, then the distribution is settled."

Hong Jingcheng said with a serious expression, "However, since this is Brother Shen's first time participating, there are two things I must warn you about, as others have lost their lives over them before."

"Everyone must remember: after catching the Origin Cicadas, do not, under any circumstances, try to eat them yourself."

"In the past, someone caught an Origin Cicada and ate it, hoping to boost their blood energy."

"But he didn't realize that the Origin Cicada does not enhance one's blood energy; instead, it contains extremely violent origin energy. A cultivator at the Boiling Blood Stage does not have a physical body strong enough to withstand such a violent surge, and as a result, his meridians shattered and he died on the spot. I had to go to great lengths to clean up the mess."

"Do not let anyone harbor any delusions of luck!"

Hearing this, Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

He had actually considered eating one after catching it to see if it would speed up the cultivation of his own blood energy.

He hadn't expected that a predecessor had already paved the way for him, even paying the ultimate price for it...

"Aside from that, there is one more thing."

Hong Jingcheng continued, "Once you all promote to the fourth level of the Boiling Blood Stage, you can apply for corresponding positions within the sect."

"But regarding the secret of the Origin Cicadas, I hope everyone will keep their lips sealed once you leave Emerald Cloud Valley."

"You should all be aware that it was the Market Master who told us this secret, which is why we have the opportunity to earn an income through these Origin Cicadas."

"If the secret of the Origin Cicadas is ever exposed, leading to the unrestrained harvesting of them in Emerald Cloud Valley, and the Market Master can no longer profit, he will inevitably vent his anger on us."

"I must remind you all that the Market Master has a list of everyone who knows this secret."

In the bamboo shed, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Wei Bo chuckled to break the tension. "Why is everyone so serious? If it weren't for the Market Master, we wouldn't even have the chance to make a profit."

"If anyone dares to leak this secret and cause the Market Master to vent his anger on us, leaving us with no money to earn, I, Wei Bo, will be the first to oppose them!"

Shen Mu also laughed and chimed in, "Brother Wei is right. We are all earning some silver here; it's as good as picking it up off the ground. If anyone dares to betray us, they are an enemy of us all, and everyone has the right to punish them!"

Shen Mu then changed the subject and asked, "Brother Hong, when is the capture scheduled?"

Everyone looked toward Hong Jingcheng.

Hong Jingcheng smiled. "Tomorrow at midnight. Everyone, gather here!"

The group then chatted about some of the finer details regarding tomorrow's capture before departing to return to their respective Origin Mulberry Fields.

"I never imagined Emerald Cloud Valley hid such a secret."

Back in his own bamboo shed, Shen Mu couldn't help but feel a bit strange.

If he hadn't happened to be assigned under Hong Jingcheng, he would never have had the chance to earn this easy money, and might have even ended up as one of the guards being knocked unconscious.