Minor Mastery of Fist Techniques and the Medicinal Rat!

Mist Incense burned!

[Destiny has its measure, kalpas have their count; pilfer the scraps of divine souls, exchange for the faint echo of spirits. Three feet of incense consumed, martial fortune advances by six hundred!]

Swish!

The numbers leaped frantically!

Right until they broke through the barrier!

Boom!

Zhou Chen felt a surge of incomparably scorching, warm current pour into both fists, flowing and circling continuously within the meridians of his arms.

[Martial Art: Wild Bull Fist (Minor Accomplishment) 178/2000]

Awesome! Wild Bull Fist has finally reached minor accomplishment!

It had only been two and a half months since he entered the compound, and he had already achieved minor accomplishment in both the stake-standing exercise and fist techniques.

Telling others about such a speed would definitely scare them half to death!

One had to know that the disciples who entered the compound at the same time as him, including people like Zhang Shaojiu with superior bone structure, were still a bit short of the fire to reach minor accomplishment in Wild Bull Fist!

Next he would look for an opportunity to return to the compound and report to Master Zheng; perhaps he could rely on this to gain a bit more cultivation and attention!

Zhou Chen did not intend to hide his clumsiness. Playing the pig to eat the tiger was fine, but he had just started practicing martial arts, and his resources were severely lacking. Appropriately revealing his natural talent would allow him to gain better attention and investment. Right now, playing the pig made it easier to get pig feed!

Not to mention that hiding clumsiness was easier to subject one to neglect, invite derision, and stir up conflicts. In Zhou Chen's opinion, this was an entirely avoidable matter.

He just needed to avoid showing his full strength to the outside world and keep some trump cards.

The little bit of money I have on hand next is still enough for me to cultivate for a month...

Zhou Chen instantly understood why practicing martial arts was so expensive!

His current self needed to spend at least twenty-odd taels of silver as a baseline every month!

This was still just the expenditure required for his daily cultivation. If he wanted to temper this copper skin of his to golden skin, it would still require countless inputs of resources!

Earlier he had asked at the medicine shop, and any medicinal materials capable of forging skin started at a few taels of silver per dose!

In an instant, the pressure was immense!

He was accustomed to the cheat-like speed of cultivation. To let him drop back to his original state right now—this was even harder to bear than killing him!

Money, money, money!

No wonder wealth, companions, technique, and land—wealth had to be placed in the first position!

I have to think of a way to get some money to spend.

Zhou Chen sighed.

At that moment, a sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and subsequently a voice transmitted over: "Lord Zhou, you instructed the likes of us to come over an hour later, and the likes of us have already been waiting."

Zhou Chen gathered his focus, picked up the towel nearby to wipe his hands and neck, and said indifferently: "Good, I am coming out right now. Today will be just like usual, starting our patrol from the west side."

"Understood!"

Zhou Chen subsequently went out. Chen He and three sturdy men were already waiting outside the door. This warehouse was huge, and for the few of them to patrol a few rounds over here would also require half an hour.

Zhou Chen instructed as he walked: "Autumn has arrived. Have the people below keep an eye on fire candles. The water in the fire-prevention vats must be filled to the brim without any deficiencies, and additionally light up the phosphorus lamps a bit more—don't be afraid of wasting lamp oil. On the first and fifteenth of every month, sweep the entire warehouse, and do not be sloppy with burning wormwood either."

These were all the rules of guarding the warehouse.

The Black Mist had arrived, and not only were there various Mist Monsters added into the mist, but the ordinary beasts of this world had also mutated and could not be underestimated.

Lighting the phosphorus lamps could drive away the medicine rats that loved to steal medicinal materials. These medicine rats were not ordinary mice; after being contaminated by the Black Mist and mutating, their body size rivaled that of a wild dog, with incisors protruding like two curved blades—ferocious and cunning. Ordinary men were simply no match for them! Yet they possessed a fatal weakness, which was that they feared phosphorus fire.

As for sweeping the entire warehouse and burning wormwood at regular intervals, that was to guard against a low-grade Mist Monster named Seven-Step Fragrance. You could not even figure out what this Mist Monster looked like; it was like a clump of "odor," but once a person smelled it and walked seven steps, they would collapse to the ground in a faint, and in their dreams seven peerless beauties would constantly make demands of you. When you woke up from your sleep, you would discover that your vital energy and blood were more than half depleted.

However, as long as the wormwood was burned in a timely manner, this kind of Mist Monster would not breed either.

"Understood, Lord Zhou."

Chen He nodded, dutifully making a mental note.

The group of people passed through the corridor, and Zhou Chen checked the warehouse door locks one by one, inspecting the doors and windows for any traces of being tampered with by anyone.

Every so often the warehouse had subordinates on rotating duty standing guard. Upon seeing him, they would bow in greeting and respectfully cry out "Lord Zhou."

This title truly made one feel quite pleased.

During this period there were also a few subordinates who crowded over to pledge their loyalty, stubbornly dragging him off to drink alcohol and listen to tunes, all of which he declined one by one.

His martial arts path had just begun and was far from the time for enjoyment. Alcohol and lust were bone-scraping blades; once you listened to other people's flattery too much and truly regarded yourself as some sort of big shot, the moment you grew slack, it would become hard to be diligent again and you would lose your fighting spirit!

Walking further forward, he suddenly heard squeaking sounds coming from afar, as though something was frantically darting back and forth between the wood and masonry.

He saw a medicine rat rivaling a wild dog in size dash out swiftly from a window, its four limbs fiercely clutching the windowsill and exerting force, making a muffled thud as it transformed into a gray shadow that sprang upward, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth to charge straight at Zhou Chen's neck.

"It's a medicine rat! Lord, be careful! This beast is coming right at you!"

Chen He shouted loudly.

Zhou Chen only felt a fishy stench assail him, and raising his head to look, the medicine rat had already opened its sharp teeth to bite toward his neck. Those sharp front teeth flickered with a cold light; if it truly bit him, his neck would have snapped on the spot!

He merely twisted his ankle slightly, his figure shifting sideways by a mere half-chi. The medicine rat's sharp teeth thus brushed past his collar and lunged into empty space, sweeping past with a foul, gamey gale.

He looked sideways at this medicine rat sweeping past his flank, and in his heart he was also filled with great rage!

If he had dodged a bit slower, he definitely would have been clawed out a large wound by this beast. Seeing that the medicine rat was about to land on its forelimbs, if he gave it an opportunity to borrow leverage, this beast would definitely escape scot-free once more!

Yet how could Zhou Chen give it this opportunity?

This beast had not stopped stealing medicinal materials lately, and just now it had actually wanted to harm him! How could he spare it?

Zhou Chen reached out with his left hand, his five fingers seizing that bare rat tail like iron pliers.

Simultaneously, his waist and hips abruptly sank, his spine suddenly tensing up like a fully drawn bow. His whole body's strength progressed layer by layer, from the soles of his feet to his knees and waist-spine, finally converging onto his right fist. The Wild Bull Fist mountain-opening style smashed down abruptly.

"Lord Zhou, this beast has very thick skin and tough flesh. Previously, Lord Du struck it several times and simply failed to kill this beast—be careful it bites you back!"

Chen He was so anxious that sweat broke out!

Zhou Chen turned a deaf ear, a flicker of golden light flashing across his fist as his whole body's strength erupted!

Boom!

This medicine rat was sent flying sideways on the spot by Zhou Chen, letting out a miserable screech as it crashed straight into the rockery in the courtyard, actually causing the rockery to experience a violent tremor and send out sounds of splattering gravel.

Chen He and the others hung their jaws open, failing to close them for a long time out of extreme shock!

Staring closely, that medicine rat which had plagued the warehouse for several months and stolen an unknown amount of medicinal materials was at this moment embedded in the crevices of the rockery stone like a lump of mud, blood overflowing from its mouth and nose while its four limbs twitched twice before completely losing all movement, dead as dead could be.

One had to know that although this medicine rat was large in size, it was exceptionally agile. Coupled with its thick and resilient fur, a martial artist like Du Ruming who had entered the First Grade many years ago had tried several times without being able to take it down, slipping away every single time.

Who would have thought it was actually smashed dead, hard and square, by a single fist from Zhou Chen!

Just how massive of a strength was this?

Chen He could not help looking at Zhou Chen, inwardly startled: Could this truly be the strength that a First Grade Skin Tempering minor-accomplishment martial artist is able to wield?

Even though Wild Bull Fist was renowned for its immense strength, previously when learning martial arts at the martial arts hall, he had never seen any martial artist at the First Grade Skin Tempering minor accomplishment who could erupt with this kind of might.

Zhou Chen let out a light breath on his side, flicked his hand, and spoke to Chen He: "What did you yell just now?"

"N—nothing! Lord Zhou is mighty! This subordinate admires you!"

Chen He and the others hurriedly cupped their fists in salute.

"Clean up this beast, and directly sell the valuable parts after dismembering them."

Zhou Chen instructed.

The various parts of this kind of mutated monster were also worth quite a bit of money. He estimated they could at least sell for a few taels of silver.

"Understood!"

Chen He immediately instructed the rest of the people to go and deal with this medicine rat.

When they arrived over at the accounting room side, they suddenly saw a coal stove propped up in the courtyard with a pot boiling on top of it. Du Ruming was sitting there in an unceremonious manner, holding tofu in his hand and cutting it up while speaking to an old man tinkering with an abacus nearby in his somewhat slender voice: "Old Li, you had better calculate carefully for me. Accounts need to be checked after autumn passes, and by then the master of the house is coming to check the accounts. You must calculate the medicinal materials in this warehouse carefully for me, and not a single fraction can have any omissions!"

That old man repeatedly nodded and bowed: "Lord Du, rest assured. This humble old man has been calculating accounts for so many years and has never had a single omission."

"Mm, as long as you understand."

Du Ruming tossed the sliced tofu into the pot, raised his head to see Zhou Chen leading people over, and hastily stood up with his face piled with a warm smile: "Old Brother Zhou! Come, come, come, taste my uniquely crafted beef-braised tofu—a skill I wouldn't trade even for Taisui Meat!"

Zhou Chen glanced at the subordinates who were currently moving medicinal materials into the warehouse within the courtyard—neatly stacked box by box—and smilingly waved his hand: "No need, Brother Du. I haven't finished patrolling yet. The west-side storehouse hasn't been looked at yet; we can talk later, go on with your busywork."

Du Ruming had taken full charge of the account-checking matter and had never made Zhou Chen worry about it, only calling him over to sign off on approval when the time came, so he was naturally happy to enjoy his leisure.

At this moment, Chen He stepped forward to supplement: "Reporting to Lord Du, there is still one happy event that needs to be reported to you: just a moment ago, Lord Zhou used a single punch to beat that medicine rat which had stolen medicinal materials for several months to death!"

"What?!" Du Ruming paused his chopsticks right there, looking toward Zhou Chen with a face full of astonishment. "That beast was really killed by Old Brother Zhou?"