Compared to the huge haul from before, these few items hardly seemed worth mentioning.
But every single one was clearly a cut above!
The most obvious difference was their quality.
[Essence Recovery Pill] Type: Consumable. Quality: Green. Description: Rapidly restores spiritual energy over a period of time. [Blood-Replenishing Pill] Type: Consumable. Quality: Green. Description: Rapidly restores vital energy over a period of time. "Heaven-and-Earth Toss" Type: Technique. Quality: Blue. Description: A hidden-weapon technique. Use to gain basic proficiency in "Heaven-and-Earth Toss." [Lifeless Evil Pill] Type: Consumable. Quality: Blue. Description: Inflames desires, inducing bloodlust, depraved cravings, mania, and loss of reason.
Four items, all at least green quality, with two blue ones!
Wu Yu scanned the items, excitement stirring in his heart when he saw "Heaven-and-Earth Toss."
"Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber" was only white quality, yet it was already so miraculous. How much better would a blue-quality technique be?
And it was a hidden-weapon technique-exactly what Wu Yu needed right now!
He had originally planned to kill bandit archers to get a Technique Card for archery or something similar, or try buying firearms after leaving.
But now... he clearly had a better option.
Despite his thoughts, Wu Yu kept his expression unchanged and calmly looked at the village chief.
The old man had been studying him with narrowed eyes.
"May I ask about these items?"
Wu Yu spoke slowly.
"Allow me to explain them to you, young friend."
At that,
the village chief stopped watching Wu Yu's expression and said with a genial smile, "Two bottles of pills. One restores vital energy, the other spiritual energy. Ten pills in each! Twenty taels of silver per bottle!"
"'Heaven-and-Earth Toss'! This is a secret manual from the Tang Sect in the Shu Region. Fifty taels!"
"This bottle contains pills from a demonic sect. Forty... never mind, thirty taels will do!"
He hesitated, seemingly worried that Wu Yu would refuse to buy, then hurriedly added another line.
"Fate brought us together. No matter how many you buy, young friend, I'll give you a little discount!"
"Look at this technique, young friend. It's a secret manual! Just half a year of hard practice will give you basic proficiency. You'll be able to kill with flowers and leaves!"
The old man's spittle flew as he pitched his wares, but Wu Yu's expression remained unchanged.
He frowned slightly, feigning impatience.
"Village chief, is this all?"
"Ahem... how about those items from before?"
The village chief gave an awkward smile.
"Forget that junk."
Wu Yu shook his head.
"Wrap all of these up."
"Oh?"
The village chief's eyes widened, and his face immediately lit up with delight.
"My, what a generous young master!"
"However..."
Wu Yu spoke slowly.
The village chief's smile froze, and he looked at him suspiciously.
"I didn't bring much silver on this trip. I only have ninety taels..."
"Deal!"
The village chief immediately cut Wu Yu off and quickly pushed the four items toward him.
Wu Yu was startled inwardly, realizing that even this price was too high.
Silver was worth far more in this secret-realm world than he had imagined!
Still, Wu Yu was not a stingy man. He promptly took a large amount of silver from his Inventory.
Shining chunks of silver fell, drawing the village chief's gaze.
His breathing quickened slightly. He immediately patted the cloth pouch at his waist and put away the silver piece by piece.
Wu Yu was in no hurry to use his purchases either and calmly put them away.
"You have a fine eye, young master. These items of mine are rare even in the city."
With the silver in hand, the village chief spoke again, beaming with delight.
"You're too kind, village chief. We each got what we needed."
After saying that, Wu Yu studied the old village chief's expression, then added, "Speaking of which, the Evil Tiger Stronghold is outrageously brazen!"
"Village chief, what exactly are the origins of the Evil Tiger Stronghold and the Mountain Lord?"
At that,
the village chief stroked his beard, considered for a moment, and sighed. "To tell you the truth, young master, the city already sent people to deal with the Mountain Lord."
"Unfortunately, the Mountain Lord was far too cunning. He used the terrain to ambush us, inflicting heavy casualties!"
"I've reported the matter. Please don't worry, young master. In another month or so, people will arrive to slay the demon."
"The Mountain Lord was badly wounded and is hiding in the Lostway Cave, afraid to come out."
"Damn him!"
With silver paving the way, the village chief did not send him away. Instead, he shared some past events known only to himself.
Details about the Mountain Lord, the Evil Tiger Stronghold, and the Lostway Cave-
this was information he could never have obtained at the inn.
After listening, Wu Yu grew thoughtful, then rose to take his leave.
"Thank you for the warning, village chief. Once I return, I'll report this to my family and have them send people to eliminate this fiend!"
"Then, on behalf of everyone in Redfang Village, I thank you, young master!"
The village chief rose and bowed.
Wu Yu nodded with a smile, then turned and left the wooden house.
After watching him leave,
Captain Lu entered the wooden house and asked curiously, "Sir, why tell this outsider so much?"
"These people's origins are a mystery."
The village chief's expression changed. "Silver can be used to make offerings to the gods and to cultivate. It's incredibly precious! Yet this man casually handed out a tael."
"The patrol sent word not long ago that the Evil Tiger Stronghold had lost dozens of Tiger Wraiths, including a transcendent Tiger Wraith. I suspect... these people were responsible!"
Captain Lu was startled.
"Them? They're so scrawny!"
"A family..." The village chief pondered briefly, then instructed, "If he truly is a scion of a powerful family, having them send people to eliminate the Mountain Lord would be ideal! Even if he's a fraud, we still came out ahead with this silver."
"He clearly wasn't affected by the [Lifeless Evil Pill] just now, so he can't belong to the Demon God Cult. There's no need to keep watching him!"
"Yes, sir!"
Back at the inn, Wu Yu went to his room and closed the door before finally letting out a breath.
That old village chief was far too scheming.
He must have hidden plenty, but what he revealed was enough!
Still, I should be careful in case some of it was a lie.
Sitting in his chair, Wu Yu pondered for a moment.
After resting for a while, he took out "Heaven-and-Earth Toss"!
It was a book, not a card.
Judging by what the village chief and the others had said, the people of this secret-realm world were different from them.
"Half a year of hard practice just to gain basic proficiency?"
Wu Yu wore an odd expression and activated it with a thought.
In an instant, the book shattered into countless motes of light that flew into Wu Yu's body.
That profound, indescribably wondrous sensation returned.
Wu Yu slipped into a momentary daze, as though he had entered the Tang Sect and practiced "Heaven-and-Earth Toss" tirelessly, day and night.
"Heaven-and-Earth Toss" was a closely guarded secret of the Tang Sect, using copper coins as hidden weapons to assassinate enemies.
It included an essence refinement method that improved physique, speed, and agility.
It also included a spirit refinement method that consumed vital energy to enter the [Heaven-Earth State], granting unerring accuracy, greater attack range, and the ability to curve hidden weapons.
In the blink of an eye, half a year passed!
When Wu Yu came back to his senses, all sorts of memories filled his mind, and warmth suffused his body.
He looked at his arms. His muscles were firmer, bigger, and stronger.
He flexed his fingers, finding them exceptionally nimble!
Then he lifted his legs and circled the table, moving like the wind, his movements smooth and coordinated!
Before you continue