Mission

After returning to the Martial Hall last night, Li Yun roughly tallied his silver.

Fifty-two taels.

Quite a lot.

No wonder so many heroes enjoy acting with chivalry and righteousness.

With money, one should spend it.

Convert money into strength.

If money isn't spent, it's just a pile of dirt.

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

In the corner, Li Yun stood in the Tiger-Subduing Stance, feeling his blood and energy surging while the experience points in his mind climbed steadily; he was in a very good mood.

By the time he finished standing until the Si hour, the effects of the Blood Replenishing Powder had mostly dissipated, so Li Yun tidied up, left the Martial Hall, and headed toward the Bounty Pavilion.

The Outer City during the day had a bit more vitality.

It was just that most of the figures coming and going were in a hurry.

Li Yun saw the corpse at the sewage corner being fished out by yamen runners dressed in black tunics.

He figured they were dealing with it because they feared the body would cause an epidemic if left to pile up for too long.

A quarter of an hour later.

Walking out of the final narrow alley and stepping onto the wide main road, Li Yun looked up and saw the Bounty Pavilion.

It stood in the middle of the street, four stories tall.

The entire building occupied a vast area, taking up nearly half the width of the street.

The flow of people in front of the building was endless.

Just as Li Yun reached the steps before the entrance, a maid stepped forward and bowed slightly:

"This lord, please come in."

"Mm, give me an introduction."

The maid stepped aside to lead the way, explaining as they walked:

"The Bounty Pavilion is roughly divided into two parts: one is for posting bounty tasks, and the other is for accepting and completing them.

The first-floor hall is the area for lords in the Body Tempering Realm, where task difficulty is relatively low.

The higher the floor, the higher the requirements for a martial artist's cultivation, and the more generous the corresponding bounty."

"Then take me to the first floor, where tasks are accepted."

"Please follow me."

Li Yun followed the maid into the Bounty Pavilion.

After passing several screens, a large hall appeared.

On the walls on both sides, wooden plaques were hung in an orderly fashion.

The maid stopped, turned to the side, and gestured toward the wooden plaques on the wall:

"These wooden plaques hanging on the wall are the various tasks posted by the Bounty Pavilion.

They are marked with a task summary, estimated difficulty, and the base bounty.

If you find one that interests you, just note the plaque number and go to the manager in front to ask for details."

"Alright, thank you."

"You are too kind, my lord. Please take a look on your own, and call me if you need anything."

With that, the maid retreated to the side.

Li Yun didn't mind and began to look at the wooden plaques on the wall.

"Recruiting a bodyguard, room and board provided, monthly pay of ten taels, requires a clean background and to be a Body Tempering Realm martial artist."

"Buying Blood Ginseng, price based on age."

"..."

The task contents were varied and miscellaneous.

Li Yun's bottom line was very clear.

He didn't prioritize the amount of silver, but rather the safety factor.

"Escort for a security firm? No, something is bound to go wrong."

"Warehouse guard? No, either you end up taking the fall, or the place catches fire in the middle of the night."

"Bouncer for a restaurant? No, people get rowdy after drinking, and these days, anyone who can afford to drink at a restaurant is no ordinary person."

"Recruiting a son-in-law? This might be worth a try."

"A hunting guide for Crow Mountain? This might be worth a try."

After scanning the boards, Li Yun noted down a few reference numbers and approached the counter.

The counter was a long row, with wooden partitions separating each station.

It resembled a series of small private booths.

The man receiving Li Yun was middle-aged.

"How may I help you? What kind of task are you looking to accept?"

"I would like to inquire about reference number 9527."

"Very well, let me check."

The manager pulled out a large ledger and flipped through it quickly:

"Master Zhang from Fortune Lane in the Outer City East District is looking for..."

"Alright, let's look at the next one, 10086."

Li Yun heard this and thought, what a coincidence.

This Master Zhang's daughter was the square-shaped cousin his senior brother from the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall had once tried to introduce to him.

The one whose height and width were the same.

It seemed he wasn't cut out for living off a woman's wealth.

The middle-aged man looked a bit puzzled, but he didn't say anything and continued flipping through the ledger.

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

They only posted the task saying: they need to go hunting on Crow Mountain and are recruiting a skilled hand with hunting experience.

One day's work for five taels of silver.

If the performance is good, there will be an additional reward."

The pay was very high.

With that much money, couldn't one just buy whatever game they wanted to eat?

Could it be some second-generation heir wanting to go hunting for fun?

After thinking for a moment, Li Yun decided not to accept this task.

He would keep looking.

If he still hadn't found a suitable source of income by the time he finished his Blood Replenishing Powder, he would go find his senior brother and take a part-time job escorting meat shipments.

Delivering meat within and around the city shouldn't pose any major problems.

The safety factor was guaranteed.

Having made his decision, Li Yun returned to the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall to continue practicing his fist techniques.

"Oh? Junior Brother Li, where did you go just now? I didn't see you in the courtyard and found it a bit strange."

The speaker was Zhuo Yong, who had been in the Inner Courtyard for over a year, still stuck in the Body Tempering Realm, unable to manifest Bright Force.

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

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

Li Yun loosened his muscles and bones, replying:

"Want to spar?"

"Bring it on."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhuo Yong lunged forward, his fists clenched tight, driving straight for Li Yun's chest with a heavy gust of wind.

Li Yun deployed his Crouching Tiger Mountain Climbing Step, dodging the fist's edge while simultaneously launching his right fist in a tricky arc, aiming straight for Zhuo Yong's flank.

It was a variation of the Tiger Claw Heart-Gouging.

The two exchanged blows.

Back and forth they went.

Relying on his thicker blood energy, Zhuo Yong didn't dodge or weave, choosing to meet the attacks head-on.

Ever since mastering the basics of his fist technique, Li Yun had gained a deeper understanding of the Tiger Subduing Fist.

He was no longer constrained by form, his strikes becoming fluid and unpredictable.

Zhuo Yong swung and missed, just about to retract his strike to attack again.

Li Yun had already used the momentum to dart to his side, turning his right fist into a palm and striking the man's shoulder.

Zhuo Yong felt his shoulder go numb, his blood flow slightly obstructed, and his offensive momentum slowed by half a beat.

In that split-second gap, Li Yun had already seized the initiative.

With a twist of his waist, his left fist shot out like a cannonball, striking straight at the heart of his opponent.

Zhuo Yong's heart tightened, and he hurriedly raised his arms to block, but his form was already in disarray and his internal energy flow was obstructed; his arms only made it halfway up.

"Bang!"

Zhuo Yong felt his blood roil, unable to keep his footing; he stumbled back seven or eight paces before barely managing to steady himself, his chest heaving violently.

Li Yun retracted his fist and stood firm; though his breathing was slightly ragged, his presence remained imposing.

He cupped his hands toward Zhuo Yong:

"Senior Brother Zhuo, your blood energy is well-rounded; you must be nearing a bottleneck, right?"

"It's been over two years now. Every cent I've earned has been poured into it, yet I still haven't managed to touch upon Bright Force."

Zhuo Yong wiped the sweat from his forehead, a bitter taste lingering in his heart.

All the years he had spent practicing his fist techniques felt like they had gone to waste.

Even Li Yun, who hadn't been in the Inner Courtyard for long, could gain the upper hand against him in a sparring match.

Yet, there was no anger on his face; instead, he showed a hint of admiration:

"You brat, your comprehension is truly high! You've practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist to such a level that I don't feel wronged by this loss at all!"

Li Yun wouldn't let himself get arrogant, knowing this was merely a friendly spar to test techniques, not a life-or-death struggle:

"Senior Brother Zhuo, please don't flatter me to my downfall. We were just exchanging blows; if you hadn't held back your strength and fought with everything you had, I wouldn't have been able to last this long against you."

"Heh, another round?"

"Let's go."

[Tiger Subduing Fist:+1]