Marrow Cleansing

Little Scarlet Cloud Mountain in the setting sun was rose-colored from head to toe, truly living up to its name.

"Dong, dong, dong..."

Deep bell tolls reverberated through the air.

Halfway up the mountain, Chu Zhichuan stood listlessly atop a rock, warily sweeping his gaze around.

The weathered rock was smooth and flat, as large as a bed. Standing on it gave him a clear view of the surroundings and kept him from being ambushed.

His handsome face was pale. His left hand clutched his blood-soaked right shoulder, while his injured right hand weakly gripped a longsword. Every inch of him was taut, ready to draw his blade at any moment.

"Heir Apparent, let's go."

A middle-aged man appeared soundlessly at his side. Resting his right hand on Chu Zhichuan's left shoulder, he turned into a gust of wind and shot away.

A moment later, the two swept past the woods and appeared before Chu Qingfeng.

Chu Qingfeng still stood atop the huge boulder at the foot of the mountain, bathed in the evening glow.

Chu Zhichuan turned to look around. There were only four Heir Apparents and one Prince; Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Zhiting were nowhere to be seen.

Two dark shadows whistled over and stopped beside him. A middle-aged man arrived with Chu Mingxuan.

A finger-long gash slanted across Chu Mingxuan's chest, blood pouring from it. He had nearly been disemboweled, yet he grinned. "Tenth Son, you came out early?"

"Eighteenth Uncle, I just came out."

"What did you get?"

"One Seven-Colored Chicken."

"Your luck is pretty good!" Chu Mingxuan said enviously. "I was hoping to run into one myself!"

"What did Eighteenth Uncle get?"

"I slaughtered a Scarlet Cloud Snake." Chu Mingxuan looked immensely pleased with himself.

That Scarlet Cloud Snake had been foolish enough to hide in the crack between two rocks, its coloring blending perfectly with its surroundings.

Yet his nose was exceptionally sharp, and he caught its fishy scent.

So he played along, pretending not to notice as he approached the two rocks, then suddenly struck and killed it in one blow.

Had it not been hiding in that crevice, its speed and agility would have made it nearly impossible to hit.

All one could say was that when luck came knocking, no one could stop it.

"Ninth Brother isn't out yet? He'll probably gain something this time."

Chu Zhichuan nodded.

Just then, a dark shadow whistled over. Chu Zhiting was brought over by a middle-aged man.

His clothes were torn in several places, revealing muscles cast from bronze. His shoulders, chest, lower abdomen, and thighs all bore wounds. The wound in his shoulder went clean through, still seeping blood.

Seeing Chu Zhichuan, Chu Zhiting smiled. "Tenth Son, don't tell me you came out ahead of time?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ninth Brother. I just came out," Chu Zhichuan said blandly.

Chu Mingxuan said, "Tenth Son killed a Seven-Colored Chicken and earned enough military merit. What about you, Ninth Brother?"

Chu Zhiting's smile widened. "One Green Wolf, and one Bronze Pig."

"A Bronze Pig?" Chu Zhichuan was doubtful.

A lone Green Wolf was not all that difficult to kill, but a Bronze Pig was another matter.

The Bronze Pig got its name not because its bristles were yellowish, but because it had sinews of copper and bones of iron, impervious to blades and spears. People like them could only flee for their lives upon seeing one.

Chu Zhiting had killed a Bronze Pig?

That was too absurd.

Chu Zhiting gave a smug smile. "It was a young Bronze Pig. Even then, killing it took quite a bit of effort."

"A piglet?" Chu Zhichuan was even more suspicious. "The adult pig didn't chase after you?"

Once a piglet was killed, the adult pig would immediately sense it and seek revenge with all its might.

Bronze Pigs were extraordinarily fast and immensely powerful, as well as impervious to blades and spears. If one encountered them, anyone without sufficient movement skills might not even be able to escape, and would surely be rammed into a pulp by the adult pig.

Chu Zhichuan looked thoughtful and slowly said, "Ninth Brother, you know how to use your brain now too... You killed the piglet near the end, then used the guards to evade the adult pig's pursuit, didn't you?"

"Who doesn't know how to use their brain?" Chu Zhiting said unhappily. "I didn't take advantage of that. I killed the piglet long ago!"

"All in all, I admire you." Chu Zhichuan curled his lip and clasped his fists.

"Ninth Brother, you don't believe me?!" Chu Zhiting grew even more displeased.

He had already been prepared to call for the Imperial Forbidden Palace Masters. Killing the piglet was enough for Ninth Grade Merit anyway, so it did not matter if he withdrew.

Yet unexpectedly, no adult pig had come after him.

"I never said I didn't believe you," Chu Zhichuan said perfunctorily.

"You're just green with envy!" Chu Zhiting shot him a smug sidelong glance.

"Very good. Both of you gained something. Why hasn't Fourth Son come out yet?" Chu Mingxuan cut them off.

Chu Zhiting frowned at Little Scarlet Cloud Mountain, then raised his head to look at Chu Qingfeng.

Chu Qingfeng was staring at distant Little Scarlet Cloud Mountain as though he could see what was happening inside.

Chu Zhiting asked, "Great-Uncle, is Fourth Brother all right?"

Chu Qingfeng shook his head.

"The first time going in is very dangerous. I just hope Fourth Brother's injuries aren't too serious."

"The first time, he'll definitely suffer a huge loss."

"He still isn't out... As expected of Fourth Son," Chu Mingxuan said.

The first time one entered Little Scarlet Cloud Mountain, one was often badly wounded the moment one stepped inside. Someone as sturdy as Chu Zhiting could hold out a little longer, but most people were finished in the blink of an eye.

All twelve had emerged save Chu Zhiyuan, prompting quiet discussion among the crowd. Had something happened? Surely he had not lost his life?

Ever since the Golden Plume Falcon had killed someone last time, no one else had died. But who knew whether an accident might occur? Perhaps there were still Golden Plume Falcons that had not been cleared out.

Amid the murmurs, Chu Zhiyuan strolled out of the woods.

"Is that Fourth Brother?"

"Fourth Son, he..."

Everyone immediately went forward in astonishment, surrounding him in the middle.

Not a speck of dust stained him from head to toe, a stark contrast to the bedraggled state of everyone around him. It made him appear all the more handsome and elegant, like a jade tree standing in the wind.

Chu Mingxuan looked him up and down. "Fourth Son, you weren't hurt, were you?"

Chu Zhiyuan was calm and composed, as though he had merely gone on a spring outing. "I'm fine."

Everyone looked at him with curiosity and confusion.

Some even suspected that he had never gone inside at all.

Four middle-aged men in black robes drifted over and landed before Chu Qingfeng, respectfully presenting the booklets in their hands to him with both hands.

"Thirteenth Uncle, how did everyone do?" Chu Mingxuan hurriedly asked. "Not bad this time, right?"

He felt that their luck had been excellent this time. Ninth Brother and Tenth Son had both gained something, so surely the others had not come away empty-handed.

Winter Hunt was like this. When luck was good, everyone's luck was good; when luck was bad, everyone's luck was bad.

Chu Qingfeng nodded. "Seven people gained something."

"Then who got the most?" Chu Mingxuan asked.

"Chu Zhiyuan. Twenty kills," Chu Qingfeng said.

The instant those words fell, the surroundings went silent.

"Thirteenth Uncle, how... how many?" Chu Mingxuan hurriedly asked.

"Twenty in all." Chu Qingfeng looked at Chu Zhiyuan and smiled. "He should still have had strength to spare."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled sheepishly. "Great-Uncle, I was already at my limit."

The key was that all the Demon Beasts had fled.

Within a hundred-meter radius of the woods at the mountain's foot, killing twenty was already the limit. The rest had vanished without a trace.

The moment those Demon Beasts sensed trouble, they fled like smoke in the wind. They would not stay where they were and wait to die.

The more he killed, the harder it became. In the end, he had even moved farther up the mountain.

But those Demon Beasts seemed to possess a unique means of communication. Even when he went upward, he could hardly find any of them. Each one gave him a wide berth and fled far away.

He even suspected that if he came again next time, he might not be able to kill a single Demon Beast.

He had not expected these Demon Beasts to be so difficult to deal with. Their instinct for danger was extraordinarily sharp, and their survival abilities were extremely strong.

"Hiss..."

Sharp breaths were drawn one after another, and the astonished gazes seemed ready to bore straight through Chu Zhiyuan.

"Comparing people really can make one furious," Chu Mingxuan sighed, shaking his head. He turned to Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan. "Ninth Brother, Tenth Son, how do you feel?"

Chu Zhiting clasped his fists toward Chu Zhiyuan with feeling.

Chu Zhichuan snorted. "How does Eighteenth Uncle feel?"

Chu Mingxuan chuckled. "I'm completely convinced!... You brat, you're still unconvinced, aren't you?"

"..." Chu Zhichuan looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

He would never admit defeat. He would certainly rise and chase after him, and one day he would catch up.

Chu Qingfeng said, "Enough. Let's return to the city. Go back early; your families are all worrying themselves sick."

"Yes, yes, let's hurry home."

Everyone nodded quickly and used their movement techniques to rush back.

Chu Qingfeng came to Chu Zhiyuan's side. "Don't let success go to your head. Tomorrow, you can go to the Heavenly Treasure Department to exchange for pills and the like. Remember this: don't take anything that increases your cultivation!"

"Yes, Great-Uncle." Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists.

Chu Qingfeng gave him a deep look, then flickered and vanished without a trace.

The noon sunlight made the lake water especially clear.

Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on an Arhat Bed in a waterside pavilion, a crimson pill resting in his left palm. It was precisely a Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Two instances of Ninth Grade Merit could be exchanged for two Minor Marrow Cleansing Pills, yet he had used only one instance of Ninth Grade Merit to exchange for this single pill.

Outside the pavilion, Feng Xi guarded the front entrance, Guo Chi guarded the rear entrance, while Zou Fang stood pressed beside the window.

Chu Zhiyuan swallowed the Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill in one gulp.

The pill entered his stomach and immediately turned into a ball of blazing fire. A burning sensation swiftly spread through every part of his body, and in the blink of an eye, sweat poured from him like slurry.

"Chi, chi, chi, chi..."

The longsword at his waist flew from its sheath, transforming into specks of cold light.

The cold lights formed plum blossoms in the air. More than a dozen plum blossoms appeared almost at once. When they vanished, the longsword had already returned to its sheath, and he had stepped off the bed into the Dragon Subduing Stance.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes, his expression full of emotion.

No wonder people pursued spiritual pills so fervently. After experiencing their effects, who could still settle down and cultivate bit by bit?

It was like someone who had experienced making quick money and becoming rich overnight—how could they still go to work for a meager wage?

One Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill was worth a month of arduous cultivation.

The first level of the Dragon Transformation Technique had already been mastered.

With the first level of the Dragon Transformation Technique complete, practicing the Qi Washing Art and Dragon Binding Rope would be easy. In one or two days, he could become fully proficient in them, then break through into the Xiantian Realm.