A wisp of insect essence

The Fierce Insect Cauldron grew still, resting quietly in the depths of his sea of consciousness.

As the Darkwater Centipede was refined and subdued, a close bond formed between them. A warm current flowed into his body, driving out the chill that the mountain rain had soaked into him.

"Months of work, a hundred catties of beast Blood Essence, and one strange insect. Finally, it worked."

The moment the Darkwater Centipede was refined and subdued, Su Yan's heart finally settled back into his chest.

The Fierce Insect Cauldron was something he had owned in his previous life. Its peculiar appearance made it look like a decorative piece freshly made just last week.

Delighted by his new find, he had bought it as a curio to handle and admire.

He had never expected it to follow him into this world after his collision with "great fortune."

Knowing the Fierce Insect Cauldron possessed mysterious powers, he had staked everything on it.

He had barely spent a penny of his mountain trekking earnings over the past few months. He had not even repaid his household's high-interest debt, putting everything toward beast blood instead.

Even beast blood cost money—more than ten copper coins per catty.

Only after the Fierce Insect Cauldron had refined several hundred catties of beast blood into essence had he barely reached the required amount a month ago. All that remained was to find this strange insect.

With a thought from Su Yan, the Darkwater Centipede emerged from the insect realm.

The Darkwater Centipede had lost its viciousness and moved at his will, as naturally as his fingers obeyed his arm, without the slightest resistance.

"With the Darkwater Centipede, I'm at least a little safer. And opening the Fierce Insect Cauldron actually gave tangible form to what I've learned. That really was an unexpected bonus."

"A Darkwater Centipede this size hardly looks juvenile. Could this so-called 'newborn' state mean the Fierce Insect Cauldron has traced it back to its source, letting it grow further and break through its limits?"

The Darkwater Centipede kept crawling, rustling as it roamed around Su Yan.

He might have caught it with a fishing net, but that had only worked because he had prepared an ambush while it was unsuspecting.

Had it broken free and bitten him once, Su Yan would never have made it out of these woods.

Suppressing his joy, he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself. "I still have to be careful. Having a Bound Insect doesn't mean I've grown stronger myself. To forge iron, the smith must be strong. I have to find a way to learn martial arts, and until then, I need to act cautiously."

With that thought, Su Yan tossed both the fishing net and his carrying basket into the insect realm.

Although the insect realm was a realm exclusively for Bound Insects, where they could recover from their injuries, it could also hold other things.

He tidied everything up and erased his footprints and the traces left by the Darkwater Centipede, spending nearly half an hour at it.

Only then did Su Yan hurry back by another path. His steps were light, as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, utterly unlike when he had entered the mountain.

By the time he emerged from the mountain, the rain had stopped completely, and night had almost fallen.

Yunqian Village was pitch-black and unusually quiet.

Returning home, he closed the gate in the fence around his earthen courtyard. Rather than hanging his straw rain cape and hat out in the yard, he kept everything on until he was inside, afraid someone might learn of his movements.

He changed into hemp clothes and hung his straw sandals up to dry. Only then did Su Yan sit on the edge of his plank bed and release the Darkwater Centipede, studying it closely as he considered his plans.

"The Fierce Insect Cauldron is open, and the insect realm can nurture insects. This Bound Insect can produce a wisp of Insect Essence each day to nourish its Insect Master. That must have been the warm current I felt when I first refined it."

On his way home, Su Yan had already noticed a few changes. His steps had been much lighter, and the weakness he usually felt had lessened.

Mountain trekkers handled plenty of mountain goods, such as medicinal herbs and small animals, but they could not bear to eat or drink well. The money they saved had to do more than feed their families.

They also had to pay the Lin Family's mountain fees and Great Li's taxes. After all that, what remained was hardly enough to afford meat.

With little fat in his diet and his body still growing, his physical condition naturally could not improve.

But even that single wisp of nourishing Insect Essence was like a spring breeze bringing rain, moistening all things without a sound. It had replenished his weakened body a little.

He played with the large, dark-purple centipede in his hands, feeling only affection for it as he thought, Only after refining a strange insect did the Fierce Insect Cauldron truly awaken. No wonder the information I received before was incomplete.

A First-Rank Insect Master could control Bound Insects no higher than the first tier.

Now, with a hundred catties of beast Blood Essence and either a first-tier insect or an unranked insect that had developed supernatural properties, he could refine another Bound Insect.

For Su Yan, however, that was anything but easy.

Never mind how rare strange insects were—Su Yan had waited ages before finding even a trace of one.

The hundred catties of beast Blood Essence alone would cost several taels of silver, perhaps even more than ten.

That much silver was enough to cover a poor household's expenses for an entire year.

He had risked his life trekking through the mountain for goods and occasionally hunted small wild animals such as rabbits. Only then had he managed to gather enough beast blood.

"A second Bound Insect is out of the question for now. But the Darkwater Centipede is already strong, and it can keep growing stronger. It's my greatest source of help right now."

After half a year of asking around, Su Yan had learned a little.

The poor studied letters, while the rich practiced martial arts. That was even truer in a world where individual martial prowess could reach supernatural heights.

Most who possessed martial arts belonged to the town's wealthy, influential households. They were the upper class.

The great lineages never taught their martial arts to outsiders, while the government office was stringent in its recruitment. Applicants needed backers and connections; bribes alone would not get them in. Neither route was possible for him.

For poor people who wanted to learn martial arts, there were only two paths.

The first was to sell themselves into the service of a force like the Heavenwind Armory, the Hundred Herbs Hall, the Little Mountain Society, or the Fishermen's Gang. As an apprentice or odd-job worker, they might earn a chance to learn martial arts after grinding away for three to five years.

The other path was to join a Martial Arts Hall.

Cloudcang Town was small, but it still had three Martial Arts Halls: Golden Ape, Seven Blades, and Blackstone.

Anyone who saved fifty taels could enter a Martial Arts Hall as a nominal disciple. Though only nominal disciples, they could still learn something genuine.

"An apprentice is little better than a slave. There's no need for me to grind away for three to five years, so that leaves the Martial Arts Halls."

"Learning martial arts costs money. And the head tax and mountain fees are due in another month or two, so I need money for those too. I have to get back into the mountain soon."

Early the next morning, the Darkwater Centipede had already produced a wisp of Insect Essence, and Su Yan drew it into his body first thing.

It was more noticeable than yesterday's warm current, as though his entire body were soaking in a hot spring.

He immediately felt his body filling out with strength. Some of the pallor left his face; though his skin remained fair, he looked healthier.

"My strength seems to have increased a little. My body's deficiencies are gradually being replenished. I can get some exercise now."

Stretching, push-ups, crunches, lifting rocks...

Su Yan didn't exercise in the courtyard, but practiced the rough motions indoors. His form was imperfect, but he could feel a clear difference in his body.

Previously, with barely any fat in his diet, the more he exercised, the worse his condition would become. Now that Insect Essence provided a little nourishment, every bit of exercise made him a little stronger, and every improvement was a considerable help.

After roughly two hours, he was drenched in sweat, his face slightly flushed. Su Yan had gained a general understanding of his condition.

"My body has grown stronger. Not only am I no longer weak, I'm a match for a sturdy grown man."

His fifteen- or sixteen-year-old body had suffered years of malnutrition. Among the mountain trekking group, he had usually been the one holding everyone back.

If Uncle Xie had not helped him along and looked after him, he would have starved to death long ago.

"I went through Military Boxing three times, but it still hasn't manifested. Uncle Xie has also taught me plenty about recognizing and distinguishing medicinal herbs in everyday life, and that hasn't manifested either. It seems skills can't form quite so freely."

Su Yan was a little disappointed. On the panel in his mind, he still had only one skill, Mountain Trekking, and one Bound Insect, the Darkwater Centipede.

"How could everything in this world go exactly as I wish? Having the Fierce Insect Cauldron and the ability to control Bound Insects is already enough."

He gathered himself and shouldered his bamboo carrying basket, placing most of his wheat flatbread in the insect realm and a smaller portion in the basket.

He put his bamboo bow and arrows in the insect realm too. Only then did he leave, billhook in hand, to trek through Cloudridge Mountain.

He had barely stepped out of the courtyard when he met some familiar faces.

"Yan, wait a moment."

Su Yan looked toward them. A man in his forties, wearing a straw hat and coarse hemp clothes, strode over.

He also carried a basket on his back and had a billhook hanging at his waist. Clearly, he was preparing to head into the mountain too.

"Uncle."

Su Yan greeted him politely.

Xie Yuzhu was his neighbor. When the previous owner's father was still alive, the two men had often gone into the mountain together.

"Come into the mountain with us. The paths are slippery after rain, and insects and beasts come and go unpredictably. If anything dangerous happens, we can look out for each other."

Entering the mountain after rain was a risk. Familiar paths not only became slicker, but might also be obstructed by fallen trees, new streams, or patches of mire.

Venomous insects and savage beasts might temporarily change their habits too, driven out by the rain.

With more unpredictable factors came greater danger.

After Xie Yuzhu finished speaking, the other mountain trekkers from their village behind him all frowned.

"No, thanks. I'm slow, and I don't recognize everything. I'd hurt everyone's haul."

Xie Yuzhu's expression shifted slightly, while the other mountain trekkers looked embarrassed.

"Yan, what are you saying? How could we..."

Su Yan merely shook his head and said, "Second Uncle, you should head into the mountain early. There's always something fresh to gather after rain. Don't let people from the other villages get there first."

With that, he walked toward Cloudridge Mountain with his basket on his back, leaving Xie Yuzhu and the others exchanging awkward looks.

Xie Yuzhu wanted to lend Su Yan a hand, but trekking together meant following the group's rules. Some of the harvest had to be shared.

An experienced mountain trekker could find all sorts of things along the way, moving quickly and working efficiently.

A newcomer, however, would not only slow the group's progress, but might also miss valuable mountain goods.

After bringing him along for three or four months, with no adult to give everyone a little extra from their share, they were naturally unwilling to continue.

Uncle Xie means well, but which household isn't struggling? Who would willingly give away a share for nothing? Besides, traveling with a group doesn't suit me.

Su Yan quickened his pace and soon entered Cloudridge Mountain by another path. Tall trees towered overhead, while shrubs and weeds stood half a person high, quickly concealing him.

After traveling another three or four li into the mountain, he released the Darkwater Centipede, which slipped into the undergrowth.