Trouble Stirred

Bai Changlin had wanted to see how Su Yan would master the Savage Ape Three Forms.

But after spending so long tempering himself with the Golden Ape Jade Body Art that day, Su Yan was already utterly exhausted. Naturally, he had no energy left to learn it.

And so it was put off until the next day.

Su Yan absorbed Insect Essence and held his stance, tempering his skin, membranes, muscles, and sinews. As the Insect Essence entered his body, the Golden Ape Jade Body Art tempered him far faster than it had yesterday.

Bai Changlin watched with delighted surprise. He improved with every passing day—with comprehension like this, it was no wonder he had reached great mastery in both Stance Training and fist techniques.

Su Yan began practicing the Savage Ape Three Forms. Only once he tried it did he realize that it shared the same underlying principles as Monkey Fist. Clearly, Monkey Fist was merely a simplified version derived from the Savage Ape Three Forms.

The Savage Ape Three Forms mobilized blood, qi, and true essence to unleash greater power. Its three moves—Heaven-Supporting, Mountain-Splitting, and Sea-Subduing—were all savage fist forms, each with its own variations.

Su Yan had a solid foundation and had already achieved great mastery of Monkey Fist. After practicing the Savage Ape Three Forms just a few times, he successfully grasped the basics.

"Since you've already grasped the basics, practice diligently on your own over the coming days and get your affairs in order. In a little while, I'll have your eldest senior brother take you into the mountains."

"Yes, Master."

After leaving him those instructions, Bai Changlin departed the Inner Courtyard. Su Yan had no idea what he had gone off to do.

The Golden Ape Jade Body Art tempers the body, while the Savage Ape Three Forms strengthens my offensive techniques. Although I haven't broken through yet, my strength has increased by at least thirty percent.

Aware of the changes in himself, Su Yan calmly considered his plans for the coming days.

Only a third of the Copper Fox Ape's flesh and bones remains, and I'm nearly out of Poison-Skin Powder and Three-Origin Decoction. Yet the Golden Ape Jade Body Art consumes a great deal. I'll need to get more resources. There's also the matter of the poison pills. Perhaps it's time to put that on the agenda.

And the Sinew-Mending Meridian-Continuing Pills, too. I need to help Elder Song and the others refine them while I have time.

Su Yan returned to his room to fetch a few things, then shut the door and headed straight out of the Inner Courtyard.

The Inner Courtyard was neither the Middle Courtyard nor temporary lodging, so there was naturally no need to give the servants any instructions.

As he passed the Middle Courtyard, Su Yan saw Elder Yi Feng reclining in a wicker rocking chair, watching Li Shun and the others hold their stances as they learned the Golden Ape Jade Body Art.

"What are you staring at? Once you've mastered the Golden Ape Jade Body Art, you can come and go as you please, too."

Li Shun, Li Ying, and the others had only stolen a glance at Su Yan before Yi Feng caught them red-handed and unleashed a torrent of scolding.

They were all stunned, especially Li Shun. It's only been two days. How is that possible? What sort of fortuitous opportunity did Su Yan come across?

Li Shun considered himself no worse than anyone else, but even just memorizing the meridians and circulating his qi like this would probably take him several more days before he could grasp the basics.

Naturally, he felt jealous resentment toward Su Yan.

Li Ying and Liu Yinglong, however, had a calculating gleam in their eyes. They had not offended him, so they might as well try to win him over.

Su Yan greeted Yi Feng before leaving.

"Something terrible's happened! Something terrible's happened! Hundred Herbs Hall's Medicine Mountain has been raided!"

Su Yan had only just left and reached a bustling street when he suddenly heard a crowd surging forward, with someone shouting loudly.

His expression shifted slightly. Hundred Herbs Hall is one of Cloudcang Town's long-established powers. Who would dare?

By now, the main road into town was already packed with people, all looking toward the town gate.

Parting the crowd, Su Yan followed the onlookers' gazes. His pupils narrowed slightly as startled gasps sounded around him.

"How did they end up like that?!"

The guards of Hundred Herbs Hall brought people in on a horse-drawn cart. Coarse white cloth covered human-shaped forms—clearly, they were dead bodies.

Constables accompanied them on either side, their faces grim.

Although the white cloths concealed most of the corpses, their exposed arms and lower legs had not a single patch of intact flesh. They were blackened and lividly swollen, like lumps of rotten meat, dripping unbearably foul-smelling slime.

They died of poisoning, and there are also... blade wounds...

Sharp-eyed, Su Yan immediately noticed what was wrong.

So someone really did this.

"Disperse, all of you. No gossiping."

Chief Constable Xu Guan rode over. After exchanging a few whispered words with the constables escorting the bodies, his face darkened. He swept his gaze over the onlookers and issued his order in a low voice.

As the chief constable in charge of the town's constables and yamen runners, he held considerable authority. With him speaking like that, how could ordinary folk dare linger? They immediately scattered.

Su Yan was among the crowd as well. Though Xu Guan glanced at him, he had no time to spare him any attention and hurried toward Hundred Herbs Hall with his subordinate constables and the hall's guards.

Only after the procession had gone far away did people gather again in groups of three or five, the busybodies discussing things in hushed voices.

Inside a teahouse, a young man in a short, coarse-cloth jacket was talking to his companions, words pouring from his mouth like a rushing river.

"You have no idea. You only saw those arms looking like an evil ghost's. When they were found in the mountains, their whole bodies had turned livid. Now that was frightening!"

"Zhao Fu, what would you know? Don't tell me you were the ones who found them?"

Someone voiced his disbelief.

Zhao Fu raised his voice and hurriedly snapped back, "I didn't see them, but the mountain trekkers from our village did. It was on the mountain path where Medicine Mountain meets the Inner Mountain, going in through Bluestone Village."

He named each place in precise detail, making his account much more convincing.

An inquisitive patron in the teahouse pressed him. "Who did it?"

"How would I know?"

Zhao Fu shook his head, unwilling to say much more on that subject.

He did not answer, but someone in the crowd answered for him. "I'd say it was most likely Pang Tianfeng. The wanted notices all say he's been burning, killing, and plundering all the way here to Cloudcang Town. It must have been him."

"What misery. Pang Tianfeng still hasn't been caught, and with him hiding in the mountains like this, how are we supposed to go in there to earn a living...?"

"Never mind going into the mountains. With a shipment of medicinal herbs stolen, prices will probably rise again..."

The crowd had its own joys and worries. Su Yan finished his tea before leaving the teahouse, his expression far from pleasant.

One robbery won't necessarily raise prices. But if Pang Tianfeng really did this, the unrest probably won't stop at one or two incidents. Higher prices mean spending more money. Damn that Pang Tianfeng...

Su Yan cursed inwardly. He was at a critical stage in his martial training and needed vast quantities of resources. If prices really rose...

All those added costs would mean needing more silver. And if Pang Tianfeng truly was hiding in the mountains, that would be dangerous in its own right.

Bluestone Village is still far from Yunqian Village. That's some consolation, at least.

Leaving aside the raid on Hundred Herbs Hall for now, it remained unknown whether the culprit was the real "Pockface," Pang Tianfeng, or a false "Pockface"—some other force in town striking at Hundred Herbs Hall. What mattered was the turmoil to come.

With the hunt about to open, there would likely be no shortage of such trouble. All he could do now was meet every change by holding steady.

First, he had to enter the sinew and bone realm as soon as possible. Second, both of his Bound Insects had to reach maturity, or even the stage beyond it.

Su Yan returned straight to Xu Zhongdao's residence and knocked at the courtyard gate.

"Where are Elder Xu and Elder Song?"

The servant who opened the gate replied, "Young master, both gentlemen are in the rear courtyard."

Su Yan hurried to the rear courtyard, where he found Xu Zhongdao and Song Qi sitting together over tea.

Seeing him arrive, Xu Zhongdao launched straight in. "You've come at just the right time. Help me tomorrow. We're going to refine the Sinew-Mending Meridian-Continuing Pills."