Entering the City

The autumn wind rustled, and the air gradually grew colder. Gu Family Village became a bit more desolate, and the villagers' clothes grew thicker. Those from poorer families, apart from essential labor, tried to minimize going out.

This was partly for warmth and partly to reduce expenses.

However, none of this really concerned the main family.

At the top of Gu Family Village's food chain, the members of the main family, while not necessarily wealthy, at least didn't have to worry about survival.

The main family's courtyard.

Around a fire, three middle-aged men with distinct auras sat in a pavilion, brewing tea.

Anyone who saw them would surely exclaim that the three greatest experts of Gu Family Village had gathered together!

One was dressed like a scholar, another was bald, and the third looked much more ordinary, not like a martial arts expert at all, but rather like an old farmer tilling the soil.

The bald, burly man, Gu Jingang, grabbed his teacup and drank it down in a gulp. The delicate, exquisite teacup looked even more miniature in his broad, calloused palm.

Gu Jingang smacked his lips.

"This tea is terrible, so bitter. Changming, you always try to imitate those pretentious city folk. With this money, we could have bought some meat to eat."

Gu Changming wasn't annoyed. He sipped the light tea, his eyes slightly narrowed as if savoring its nuances. After a long moment, he shook his head and chuckled.

"It's only been a few days, and you're already using the term 'pretentious,' Jingang. That's progress. This tea needs to be savored slowly to appreciate its flavor. Drinking it like you, impatiently gulping it down, naturally won't let you grasp its true meaning."

Gu Jingang immediately grunted.

Gu Dajiang, dressed like an old farmer, laughed heartily.

"Among the three of us, Changming, your composure is indeed the steadiest. But I don't care much for these things. You didn't call us both here just to simply enjoy tea, did you?"

His face was dark, and he had a friendly smile.

Gu Jingang's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Is it about the Blood Strengthening Pills? Have they been sorted out?"

Gu Changming rubbed his temples with a helpless expression, his head aching from Gu Jingang's booming voice.

"That's right. I called you both here precisely for this matter. A few days ago, we finally managed to invite Alchemist Ge Qing from Canghe County to help. We'll take the demon wolf blood and other materials to him, and he'll refine the Blood Strengthening Pills."

"It was really difficult to get Alchemist Ge Qing to agree. It's been several months," Gu Dajiang remarked with a sigh.

"Indeed. It can't be helped. Martial artists' cultivation cannot do without the aid of pills, so alchemists naturally hold a high status. Physician Ge is highly regarded in the city; he's one of the few alchemists capable of refining Blood Strengthening Pills. Getting him to refine pills requires considerable effort."

Gu Jingang couldn't help but sigh.

"If only we had our own alchemist."

Gu Changming chuckled wryly.

"If we had an alchemist stationed here, Gu Family Village's strength could more than double within a few years. Talents like that are treasures sought after by all major powers. Without inherited training, it's just a pipe dream."

Gu Jingang didn't argue. He then said, "This demon wolf blood is quite valuable. Why don't I personally deliver it? I'd feel more at ease."

Gu Changming shook his head.

"That's not advisable. The Black Sand Gang is becoming increasingly arrogant and is keeping a close eye on us. There are also some ruthless individuals among the mountain bandits, possibly even remnants of the chaotic armies fleeing from Yunzhou. You going to the city alone would only arouse suspicion. I plan to have Dajiang go. His temperament is more stable."

"Moreover, Dajiang needs to escort the village's procurement team into the city in a few days. He can carry the refining materials discreetly, which will be less conspicuous and won't arouse suspicion."

Gu Dajiang nodded slowly.

"That works. On the surface, I'll be procuring supplies, and secretly, I'll go find Alchemist Ge to refine the medicine. It should only take a few days."

Gu Jingang hesitated.

"Will there be any risk? What if we encounter an attack..."

Gu Dajiang's strength was the lowest among the three, and he felt a bit uneasy.

Gu Changming said, "Follow the plan. As long as we don't expose the Blood Strengthening Pills, the possibility of encountering an attack is very low. We'll meet them halfway on the return journey. Once we have the Blood Strengthening Pills, everything will be worry-free!"

"Good!"

Time passed.

The day Gu Family Village's procurement team entered the city drew nearer.

Gu Sheng was organizing his hunting spoils. He was shocked by what he saw; the hides alone, piled up, formed a large bundle.

Excluding the silver fox pelts, these hides alone were worth five to six taels of silver.

In addition, there were deer antlers, deer bones, and other relatively precious medicinal herbs. Hunters occasionally found valuable herbs in the mountains and collected them for money, acting as part-time herb collectors. Gu Erniu had taught Gu Sheng how to identify some herbs.

Gu Sheng's harvest was much greater than that of an ordinary hunter's entire year.

This was also normal.

Gu Sheng's archery had reached the perfection stage, and his hunting success rate was far beyond that of ordinary hunters.

Furthermore, since Gu Sheng was alone, his expenses weren't particularly high, and he didn't always rush to sell his hides cheaply to the village. As a result, his accumulated wealth was quite substantial.

With no need to support a family, Gu Sheng's savings rate was more than ten times that of others after meeting his own needs.

"After this trip into the city, the money I've accumulated will definitely exceed thirty taels!"

Gu Sheng's eyes were filled with joy.

For the common folk, this was an unimaginable fortune. Gu Sheng's father had toiled for most of his life and only managed to save half a tael of silver.

Yet, what Gu Sheng had saved in such a short time was sixty to seventy times his father's savings!

Of course.

There were many reasons for such an exaggerated difference.

Gu Sheng had not been in good health as a child, often suffering from headaches and a weak constitution, which had cost a considerable amount of silver. Furthermore, his father's funeral had also incurred some expenses, leaving him with very little savings.

As for Gu Sheng's current gains, a large portion came from the Silver Fox and those hunting bows and short blades, which were rare opportunities.

Even so, Gu Sheng's wealth accumulation speed was still extremely fast. If others knew, their doorsteps would likely be trampled by matchmakers from all the surrounding villages the very next day.

"Tomorrow, we enter the city. Today, we rest and recuperate!"

Gu Sheng prepared his luggage for the next day and then fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

As dawn broke, Gu Sheng carried the bundled pelts and walked towards the outskirts of the village. The Silver Fox pelts and two hunting bows were tightly bound in the center, completely hidden so that no one could tell what they were.

Outside the village.

More than a dozen people were already waiting there.

There were hardly any tenant farmers; most were people with specialized skills within the village. Some wanted to sell goods in the city to earn money for winter, some wanted to visit relatives in the city, and others simply wanted to broaden their horizons by visiting the city.

Gu Sheng saw Gu Erniu.

Gu Erniu's leg had basically recovered, though it still ached faintly when he ran, and he would need to continue taking medicine for some time.

He also had a large bundle of pelts tied to his back, which also contained two bows.

Gu Erniu glanced at the harvest behind Gu Sheng and let out two impressed sounds, exclaiming in a low voice:

"Ah Sheng, you're amazing! Your harvest in less than half a year is more than my entire year's earnings!"

He had witnessed Gu Sheng's archery skills when they last fought Li Yan, and he knew that Gu Sheng's archery had reached a level he could not possibly attain.

Now, seeing these pelts, he knew that Gu Sheng had surpassed him in archery much sooner than he had imagined.

He couldn't help but marvel even more, thinking that Gu Sheng was no ordinary person.

This low-key and steady demeanor was not something an ordinary person could learn.

As they spoke, a few more hunters walked over, also heading to the city to sell pelts.

They were all taken aback when they saw the pelts behind Gu Sheng.

In a way, a hunter's harvest was equivalent to their strength. One by one, they silently elevated Gu Sheng's status in their minds, and their conversations unknowingly became more respectful.

The group waited.

Soon.

The procurement team from the village slowly approached, with donkey carts and flatbed carts coming into view, along with some carters and porters. The scale of the procurement before winter was not small.