Treasure Beast!

"Junior Brother, watch closely!"

"This move, Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutting, hinges on striking after the enemy moves, using the weak to overcome the strong!"

Xu Chuan thrust both arms upward, and his joints cracked like a string of bursting beans:

"If the enemy dives down from midair to kill you, or fiercely attacks your upper body, use the 'Intercepting Hand' to meet their wrist joints head-on and break their momentum!"

"Then, borrow the force with both claws, like a mystic eagle soaring against the nine heavens, and lock onto the enemy's throat or the crown of their head. Tear them down from midair and smash them to pieces—that is 'Seizing Cloud'!"

After listening carefully, Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly, deep in thought.

Then he stamped his foot, assumed a stance, and quietly roused the blood and qi within his body.

Whoosh!

His body sank slightly, his five fingers curling into hooks. A fierce claw strike shot skyward, actually tearing out a shrill whistle from the exploding air!

Though his movements lacked Xu Chuan's seasoned precision, he had already begun to display the tyrannical intent behind Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutting.

Xu Chuan applauded repeatedly, his eyes filled with amazement.

"Junior Brother Shen... your talent for martial techniques and combat truly is, as Master said, that of a prodigy!"

"After only half a day of sparring, you've already grasped the essence of Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force to such a degree. You put this Senior Brother to shame!"

"You flatter me, Second Senior Brother."

Shen Xiuhan withdrew his stance and restrained his qi. He clasped his fists solemnly and gave a deep bow.

"It is all thanks to your excellent instruction, Senior Brother."

Over the course of the afternoon, Xu Chuan had broken down every detail of Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force for him—the secrets of exerting force, the variations to use against different foes.

He had even used his own formidable body, at the peak of Bone Tempering, as a shield so Shen Xiuhan could personally experience the force and changes of each move's recoil.

He had truly taught him everything he knew, without holding back the slightest bit.

Thus, Shen Xiuhan's thanks came from the bottom of his heart.

"Hahaha, we're brothers of the same school. Don't say such distant words!"

Xu Chuan laughed heartily and heavily patted Shen Xiuhan's shoulder.

"First Senior Sister went to the prefectural city a few days ago. Once she finishes her business and returns, she'll surely be delighted to find such an exceptionally gifted Junior Brother joining the inner court!"

First Senior Sister...

A tall, valiant figure flashed through Shen Xiuhan's mind.

She was likely the woman in fitted martial attire who had led him to the rear courtyard when he first entered the martial hall.

But this supposed trip to the prefectural city on business... was probably only a pretext.

Shen Xiuhan pressed his lips together, his heart clear as a mirror.

Mei Shuangfeng was an alchemist, and she had obtained the Silver-backed Fish from him.

At this moment, that First Senior Sister was most likely in seclusion somewhere, attempting a breakthrough!

As sunset drew near,

Shen Xiuhan finished his training, washed up in the bathhouse, and bid Xu Chuan farewell.

Near dusk, he pushed open the gate to his fenced courtyard.

After greeting Madam Zheng,

he took some dried goods obtained from the Golden-Tailed Rat's burrow, cut off a pound of smoked pork belly in the kitchen, and headed toward Uncle Chen's home.

"You're going into Great Mount Li?"

Uncle Chen was eating. Upon hearing this, he set down his bowl and chopsticks in surprise.

"Lad, hadn't I heard the neighbors saying you were preparing to go out on the lake?"

Going out on the lake was a bit of fishermen's jargon in Longcloud County.

It meant going to Cloudwater Lake to fish for a living.

Madam Zheng had not gone to the cloth workshop for odd jobs for several days in a row.

When the nearby aunties and married women came over to chat and gossip, they had also seen her weaving fish baskets and nets.

Thus, the rumor that the Shen Family's eldest son was preparing to go out on the lake spread without wings.

"Of course I'm going out on the lake..."

Shen Xiuhan took out two strings of coins and pushed them onto the kang table. Pointing at the dried goods he had brought, he made up an excuse.

"But two days ago, I picked up some dried mountain delicacies outside Great Mount Li. I sold them at East Market and gathered enough silver to repay both the White Family and you, which is why I've had a little more money on hand lately."

A look of realization appeared on Uncle Chen's face.

The Shen Family had repaid their debts, and these past few days, the neighbors had privately made no shortage of guesses. Some said they had sold off the youngest girl, while others said they had borrowed usury money...

So they had gained such a windfall from the mountains and marshes.

"If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author—it may simply have been renamed!"

"So you're thinking of trying your luck in Great Mount Li again?"

"Exactly."

Seeing Shen Xiuhan nod, Uncle Chen sighed and said earnestly,

"Lad, entering Great Mount Li is far more dangerous than fishing in Cloudwater Lake. You must weigh it carefully."

"You worry too much, Uncle."

Shen Xiuhan hurriedly waved his hand. "I only want to gather some dried goods to sell. I have no intention of hunting."

"That's still very dangerous."

Uncle Chen shook his head, his expression gradually turning solemn.

"There may be water monsters on the lake, but they are mostly found in the depths. Great Mount Li is different. Even its outskirts often see treasure beasts."

"Treasure beasts?"

"That's right! Treasure beasts!"

Uncle Chen explained,

"They are much like treasure fish—spiritual creatures that absorb the creations of heaven and earth. The blood and qi in their bodies are abundant, and they are greatly useful for those martial masters in the inner city to temper their sinews and bones!"

"But treasure beasts differ from treasure fish. Though most treasure fish possess unusual traits, they are merely stronger and slipperier than ordinary river fish, and we can still catch them with nets."

"But treasure beasts..."

At this point, Uncle Chen lowered his voice.

"The sharpness of their claws and fangs, their enormous size, and their savage nature are far beyond anything treasure fish can compare with!"

"Back then, five old hunters from Liang Village and Ding Village joined me in entering the mountains. In the end... we ran into a black wolf."

"That beast was as long as two or three water jars put together, and it was so fast that we could not even see its shadow. Blades and arrows struck its body without leaving so much as a mark..."

"Six old hunters who had spent half their lives scrambling through the mountains—yet in the end, I was the only one who escaped alive!"

"Even the fierce hunting dogs that dared tear into black bears and wild boars failed to make it out."

"After that, I went out on the lake to fish for a living, all the way until today..."

Uncle Chen went on and on, every word urging him not to risk his life in the mountains.

If he dutifully went out on the lake and became a fisherman, at least he could keep his family safe.

Shen Xiuhan nodded along from time to time, but his gaze passed through the window toward Great Mount Li.

The pale golden point of light flickered—not in the outskirts Uncle Chen had mentioned, but in...

The outermost outskirts!

Very close to the village.

The intelligence could not be wrong. That Azure Awl Chicken was indeed a treasure beast.

Yet instead of nesting and hatching eggs deep within Great Mount Li, it had made its home in human territory...

What did that mean?

It meant its strength was insufficient for it to gain a foothold in Great Mount Li!

"Lad, in all these years, I haven't heard of a single hunter daring to go in. At most... when martial masters from the city enter the mountains, they hire a few old hunters as guides..."

"I understand, Uncle." Shen Xiuhan gathered his thoughts and said solemnly, "I won't treat my life as a joke."

"That's more like it."

Uncle Chen was finally at ease.

Then Shen Xiuhan changed the subject and asked about Chen An, whom he had not seen in a long time.

At the mention of Chen An, an irrepressible pride and glow lit up Uncle Chen's weathered old face.

"A few days ago, Chen An followed his senior brother to Changshui County, then made another trip to South Township Prefecture. He's seen a great deal of the world."

"He handled the assignment beautifully. Not only did he receive reward money, but the martial hall also said they would find him a position that pays a full tael a month!"

"Counting what I earn from going out on the lake, and what his mother brings in from washing and mending clothes for others..."

"Our family has been thinking of finding an agent at the brokerage these next few days, renting a cheap side room in the inner city, and moving out of Little Mirror Bay!"

Shen Xiuhan put on a timely look of surprise, his tone carrying envy.

"Then congratulations are in order, Uncle! The inner city has high walls for protection, and constables patrol its streets. It is far safer than the outer city!"

Uncle Chen's face shone red with delight, though he waved a hand as if helpless.

"Sigh, it's something we've been forced into. In times like these, when respectable families discuss marriage for their daughters, they all fix their eyes on the man's background and where he lives."

"If you don't even have a single tile over your head in the inner city, who would be willing to marry their virtuous daughter into this slum to suffer? Sigh... morals are declining, and people's hearts are no longer what they once were..."

Listening to Uncle Chen's boastful lament, Shen Xiuhan could not help but laugh. He warmly agreed a few times, then rose to take his leave.

Standing outside his own fence, looking at the shabby courtyard and the thatched hut that leaked wind...

Shen Xiuhan thought to himself,

Once I've dealt with the matters at hand, it will be time to find Mother and Momo a safe place to settle in the inner city as well.