The government office.
Captain Zhang spotted Xiao Wu. "Well, what brings you here today?"
"To collect a bounty."
Captain Zhang smiled, certain the lad was about to start boasting again.
But to his surprise, Xiao Wu brought in Ma Sandao, trussed up tight.
"Ma Sandao. Alive."
Captain Zhang's expression froze for a full five seconds, then became as colorful as a rainbow.
In just half a day, word of Ma Sandao's capture spread through all of Luoshui City like the wind.
The news immediately stirred up towering waves of shock.
Ma Sandao, that vicious bandit, had been prowling this area for a long time.
The government officers and Bounty Hunters alike hated him to the marrow of their bones.
Unfortunately, Ma Sandao's throwing knives were so unpredictable that even gods and ghosts could not fathom them.
Catching him was harder than hard.
Yet Xiao Wu had captured him today. That certainly put him in the spotlight.
Xiao Wu limped over to Li Ping'an and handed him all one hundred taels awarded by the government office.
"We agreed on a thirty-seventy split." Li Ping'an took out three silver ingots. "I won't take advantage of you."
"No, no! If you hadn't stepped in, hero, I'd already be reporting to King Yama."
Xiao Wu did not care much about money. His reputation mattered far more.
Now, who in the streets and alleys had not heard Xiao Wu's name?
It gave his vanity an enormous boost.
Li Ping'an said nothing more. With the weighty silver in hand, he led Old Ox away.
"Hero, I still don't know your honored name or where you live!"
Xiao Wu hurriedly called after Li Ping'an.
"Just call me Blind Man. I sing for money on the streets in the east of the city," Li Ping'an said without turning around.
Xiao Wu thought, A true master. What style!
One hundred taels, judging by the purchasing power of this era.
It was equivalent to between two hundred thousand and four hundred thousand in modern money.
That was no small sum. It was enough to buy a house in Luoshui City.
But Li Ping'an was a wanted man, so buying a house was out of the question.
"Old Ox, we can eat well now."
A rare note of joy shone through Li Ping'an's voice.
"Moo~"
Old Ox gave a happy low.
Two roast chickens, four dishes and a soup, and a jug of wine.
There were also two heaping bowls of fragrant rice.
It was the most lavish meal Li Ping'an had eaten in nearly a year.
With his belly full and his thirst quenched, Li Ping'an decided to give himself the day off.
He drank until dusk before finally leaving at a leisurely pace.
He found a tavern that stayed open all night and sat at a table by the window.
Then he started drinking again.
He sipped his wine while admiring Luoshui City's nighttime scenery.
Though he could not see it clearly, he felt immersed in it.
Li Ping'an had no idea when his eyes would recover.
Drinking alone was rather dull.
With nothing else to do, he picked up his erhu and began playing a gentle tune.
[Ding! The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring LV2 (6000/10000)] [Congratulations! You have obtained a medicinal formula: Life-Pulse Powder.] [Effects: replenishes qi, generates bodily fluids, nourishes vital energy, gathers qi, and calms the mind.]
At level 1, The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring extended Li Ping'an's lifespan and cleared the flow of his qi and blood.
In other words, it laid the foundation.
Level 2 provided various internal cultivation arts and techniques...
That was how he had obtained the Wind-Listening Saber Technique and the Turtle Breath Technique.
Internal cultivation progressed gradually. It had to be practiced step by step, relying on steady daily accumulation.
The initial stages of internal cultivation were much the same: learning how to nurture true qi within the body.
How to choose techniques and meridians, and how to overcome enemies and win.
Taking medicinal pills that aided internal cultivation could yield twice the results for half the effort.
Take the Turtle Breath Technique Li Ping'an practiced, for example.
It firmly locked away his essence, qi, spirit, and the power of his blood, conserving his energy and strength.
The greater his explosive power, the more energy it consumed.
Generally, three consecutive attacks at full strength would leave him utterly exhausted.
In other words, Li Ping'an could not maintain that state for long.
Once his time was up, he would fall into a weakened state.
But with Life-Pulse Powder, he could recover quickly.
His Turtle Breath Technique would also improve greatly.
The formula for Life-Pulse Powder surfaced in Li Ping'an's mind.
Nine grams of costus root, twelve grams each of white peony root and mother ginseng, thirty grams of raw dragon bone...
The medicinal ingredients worked in opposing directions, some upward and some downward, some rising and some descending.
Working together, they would set the body's qi circulating in a continuous cycle.
Decoct the medicinal herbs in water and take orally, one dose per day.
Boil twice and take in two portions.
Early the next morning.
Li Ping'an led Old Ox to an herbal shop.
He went to buy the herbs needed for Life-Pulse Powder.
One dose of Life-Pulse Powder cost around twenty taels.
The price was outrageously high.
Even more frustrating, these herbs could not be found in ordinary herbal shops.
He tried four or five shops in succession and came away empty-handed each time.
Li Ping'an shook his head. He could only set the idea aside for now.
He rented a room at an inn.
Six months cost only ten taels, and Li Ping'an added another two.
That secured a place for Old Ox at the inn.
Food and drink were his own responsibility, and the accommodations were hardly fine.
But they were far better than sleeping beneath a bridge.
"Old friend, we have a place to stay now."
Li Ping'an poured fodder into the trough.
Old Ox: "Moo~"
Li Ping'an smiled and stroked Old Ox's head.
Many things could bring Li Ping'an joy.
A delicious meal, for instance, or a good night's sleep.
Or simply staying alive and well.
When a person's wishes were easy to fulfill, happiness was easy to find, too.
In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed.
During those two months, Li Ping'an still failed to find the ingredients for Life-Pulse Powder.
But through diligent effort, he finally raised the progress of The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring to [9000/10000].
At the same time, Li Ping'an also gained a new skill.
[Aura Lock]
It was somewhat like thermal imaging. Although he still could not clearly see people far away.
With the [Aura Lock] skill, he could see their thermal images.
Not just enemies-anything alive with warmth in its body.
He could see its thermal image.
It was rather like a thermal-imaging telescope, allowing him to sense things farther away.
[Aura Lock (30%)] [Can detect thermal images of living creatures within ten meters.]
Every aspect of Li Ping'an's physical condition had also improved enormously.
[Name: Li Ping'an, age: 23] [Lifespan: 70, innate aptitude: ordinary] [Techniques: "Turtle Breath Technique" (80%), "Wind-Listening Saber Technique" (70%)] [Skills: "Aura Lock" (30%)] [Status: blind]
After getting up early that morning, Li Ping'an led Old Ox to the morning market.
Times had changed.
Li Ping'an splurged on eight large meat buns and two bowls of lamb offal soup.
Ever since he began cultivating, his appetite had grown by the day.
"Hero! Hero, I finally found you!"
Before you continue