The Task

Last night, after returning to the Martial Hall, Li Yun had roughly counted up his silver.

Fifty-two taels.

Quite a lot.

No wonder so many heroes enjoyed righting wrongs.

Now there was money.

And money ought to be spent.

Turn it into strength.

If you didn't spend it, it was nothing but a pile of dirt.

As soon as day broke, he bought a packet of Blood Replenishing Powder at the Martial Hall.

In a corner, Li Yun stood in the Tiger-Subduing Stance, feeling his blood and energy surge as the experience points in his mind climbed rapidly. He was in an excellent mood.

He practiced until the hour of the Snake. By then, the effects of the Blood Replenishing Powder had nearly worn off. Li Yun tidied up and left the Martial Hall, heading for the Bounty Pavilion.

The Outer City was livelier in the daytime.

Still, most of the people hurrying past looked like they were in a rush.

At a corner by a pool of filthy water, Li Yun saw constables in black uniforms hauling away the corpse.

They had probably dealt with it because they feared it would lie there too long and spark an epidemic.

A quarter of an hour later.

After leaving the last narrow alley and stepping onto a broad main road, Li Yun looked up and spotted the Bounty Pavilion.

It stood in the middle of the street, a four-story building.

The entire structure covered a vast area, taking up nearly half the street's width.

A steady stream of people passed in and out of the building.

As Li Yun reached the steps at the entrance, a maid came forward and bowed slightly.

"Please come in, sir."

"Mm. Give me an introduction."

The maid led him inside, explaining as they walked.

"The Bounty Pavilion is roughly divided into two parts: posting tasks for a bounty, and accepting and completing those tasks.

"The first-floor hall is for masters of the Body Tempering Realm. The tasks there are relatively easy.

"The higher the floor, the greater the martial arts cultivation required, and the more generous the corresponding rewards."

"Then take me to the first floor, where I can accept a task."

"Please follow me."

Li Yun followed the maid into the Bounty Pavilion.

After passing several screens, they entered a hall.

Wooden plaques hung in neat rows on both walls.

The maid stopped and gestured toward them.

"These plaques list all sorts of tasks posted by the Bounty Pavilion.

"They give a brief description of each task, its estimated difficulty, and the base reward.

"If any interest you, just note the plaque's number and ask the clerk up ahead for more details."

"All right. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir. Take a look around, and call me if you need anything."

With that, the maid stepped aside.

Li Yun paid her no mind and began reading the plaques.

"Seeking a house guard. Meals and lodging provided, ten taels a month. Must have a clean background and be a Body Tempering Realm martial artist."

"Buying Blood Ginseng. Price depends on age."

"..."

The tasks ran the gamut.

Li Yun's priorities were clear.

He cared less about how much the reward was and more about how safe the task would be.

"Escort work? No. Something's bound to happen."

"Warehouse guard? No. Either I'd be sent to take the fall or the place would catch fire in the middle of the night."

"Tavern bouncer? No. A few cups of liquor and people get riled up, and these days anyone who can afford to drink at a tavern is no ordinary person."

"Seeking a live-in son-in-law? Maybe I could give that a try."

"Hunting guide at Crow Mountain? That might work."

After looking around, Li Yun noted down a few plaque numbers and went to the counter.

The counter stretched a long way, with wooden partitions between each station.

Like a series of little booths.

A middle-aged man served him.

"Which task would you like to accept?"

"I'd like to ask about number 9527."

"All right, let me check."

The clerk pulled out a thick register and quickly found the entry.

"Master Zhang of Prosperity Lane in the Outer City East District wants to—"

"That's enough. Let's look at the next one, 10086."

Li Yun thought, Well, what do you know?

Master Zhang's daughter was the square-shaped cousin once introduced to him by a senior fellow disciple at the Martial Hall.

The one whose height and width were the same.

It seemed he wasn't cut out to live off a woman's money.

The middle-aged man looked a little puzzled, but said nothing and continued flipping through the register.

"The employer for this task hasn't provided any personal information.

"The posting simply says: looking for an experienced hunter to go hunting at Crow Mountain.

"One day, five taels of silver.

"If you do well, there's an additional reward."

The pay was high.

With that much money, why not just buy whatever game you wanted?

Could it be some rich young master looking to have fun hunting?

After thinking it over, Li Yun decided not to accept the task.

He'd keep looking.

If the Blood Replenishing Powder ran out and he still hadn't found a suitable source of income, he'd go ask his senior fellow disciple about taking a temporary job escorting meat for a butcher shop.

He'd just be transporting meat around the city and its outskirts. It shouldn't cause much trouble.

The safety was practically guaranteed.

With that decided, Li Yun returned to the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall to keep practicing his fists.

"Hey, Junior Brother Li, where'd you go just now? I suddenly couldn't find you in the courtyard. It was a little strange."

The speaker was Zhuo Yong. He'd been in the Inner Courtyard for over a year, yet he was still in the Body Tempering Realm and had never managed to cultivate Bright Force.

He was also one of the senior fellow disciples Li Yun often sparred with.

"I went to the Bounty Pavilion to see if there were any suitable tasks."

Li Yun rolled his shoulders and answered.

"Wanna practice?"

"Sure."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhuo Yong lunged forward, fists clenched. A heavy gust of force rushed with them as he drove them straight toward Li Yun's chest.

Li Yun launched into the Crouching Tiger Mountain Climbing Step, evading the incoming fists. At the same time, his right fist shot out in a tricky arc, aiming straight for Zhuo Yong's side.

It was a variation of Tiger Claw Heart-Gouging.

Their fists and feet clashed.

Back and forth they went.

Trusting in his stronger reserves of blood and energy, Zhuo Yong neither dodged nor yielded, meeting Li Yun head-on.

Ever since reaching the entry level in his fist technique, Li Yun had gained a deeper understanding of Tiger Subduing Fist.

He wasn't bound by its forms; his strikes flowed as freely as a wild horse.

Zhuo Yong's punch cut through empty air. He was about to pull it back and attack again.

But Li Yun had already used his momentum to move swiftly around to his side. His right fist turned into a palm and struck Zhuo Yong's shoulder.

Zhuo Yong felt his shoulder go numb. His blood and energy faltered, and his attack slowed by half a beat.

In that brief opening, Li Yun seized the advantage.

Twisting at the waist, he drove his left fist straight toward Zhuo Yong like a cannonball.

Zhuo Yong's heart tightened. He hurriedly raised an arm to block, but his moves were already in disarray and his blood and energy weren't flowing smoothly. His arm had only halfway risen.

"Thud!"

Zhuo Yong felt his blood and energy roil. His footing gave way, and he stumbled back seven or eight steps before finally managing to steady himself, his chest heaving.

Li Yun lowered his fist and stood still. His breathing was a little ragged too, but his presence was imposing.

He clasped his hands toward Zhuo Yong.

"Senior Brother Zhuo, your blood and energy are full and round. You must be close to a bottleneck, right?"

"It's been over two years. I've spent every last bit of silver I've earned.

"And I still haven't touched Bright Force."

Zhuo Yong wiped the sweat from his brow, his heart bitter.

All those years of practicing fists might as well have gone to a dog's body.

Even Li Yun, who'd only recently joined the Inner Courtyard, could gain an edge in their fistwork.

Yet there was no anger on his face. Instead, he showed a trace of admiration.

"You've got a real gift, kid!

"You've made Tiger Subduing Fist your own. I don't begrudge losing to you!"

Li Yun didn't let praise go to his head. He knew this was just sparring, a contest of technique—not a fight to the death.

"Senior Brother Zhuo, don't flatter me too much.

"We're only sparring. If you weren't holding back and went all out, how could I keep up with you for so long?"

"Heh. Again?"

"Come on."

[ Tiger Subduing Fist: +1 ]

[...]