He spent most of his time in the detached courtyard, studying the Poison Canon and practicing martial arts, occasionally heading out to make his rounds.
As long as they didn't encounter an enemy raid, he had little to do and enjoyed plenty of leisure.
"Master Lin!"
The subordinates greeted Lin Zheyu one after another as they caught sight of him.
"Any anomalies?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"Reporting to the master, everything is normal."
"Very good. Continue your patrols, remain alert, and report immediately if anything unusual turns up," Lin Zheyu instructed.
"Yes, Master Lin!"
The subordinate acknowledged the order and resumed his patrol.
Not far away, a burly man watched Lin Zheyu from a distance, venomous resentment and disdain surfacing on his face.
Yet the instant Lin Zheyu glanced toward him, the man's expression shifted as if performing a theatrical face-changing act, immediately replaced by a fawning smile.
Only after Lin Zheyu walked away did he let out a soft scoff and curse under his breath, "Damn it. A kid who hasn't even reached the Viscera Tempering Realm gets to be in charge."
Xu She sneered, his chest seething with indignation.
He was a Feihong Gang veteran of over a decade. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm, just a sliver away from advancing to the Viscera Tempering Realm, yet a breakthrough had eluded him all this time.
Xu She considered his talent remarkable. Unfortunately, while he bore the surname Xu, he was not part of the main Xu clan and lacked sufficient silver to fund his martial arts training.
If he had enough silver, he was certain he could break through to the Viscera Tempering Realm.
"Gang Leader Xu doesn't play fair. I've been loyal for decades! Leaving me unpromoted is bad enough, but promoting an unfledged little Bone Tempering brat instead?
"To hell with loyalty!
"The benefits those bandits promised are generous. Before long, Songyi City might fall to the rebel army anyway. Building ties ahead of time gives me another way out."
Xu She muttered to himself, finally making up his mind.
He had established contact with the band of bandits in Lion Valley some time ago.
Previously, Xu She had thought that the Feihong Gang treated him well and that he still wished to make his living in the gang. He had no desire to enter Lion Valley and endure a damp, slimy existence plagued by poisonous insects and miasma.
Yet ever since Lin Zheyu arrived, his mindset had completely shifted.
Men fretted not over scarcity, but over inequality.
*I've toiled diligently and loyally for over a decade, contributing so much!*
*What gives that kid the right? He's only been in the Feihong Gang for a few months, yet he was elevated to the status of a Viscera Tempering master. Just because he's talented?*
*To hell with talent!*
Unreconciled, the promises made by those bandits echoed relentlessly through Xu She's mind.
*With those resources and that much silver, I can definitely advance to the Viscera Tempering Realm. I definitely can.*
Xu She muttered under his breath.
He let none of this show, putting on his usual smile as he completed a patrol round before gathering with several Bone Tempering experts to shoot the breeze.
After walking a good distance away, Lin Zheyu cast a glance back toward Xu She.
Although the man had changed his expression with lightning speed, Lin Zheyu's senses were extraordinarily sharp, and he had caught that flash of hostility in Xu She's eyes.
*After all these days, he still harbors such strong hostility toward me.*
Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.
After he was put in charge, the ordinary lackeys under his command had raised no objections, but the Bone Tempering experts were deeply unconvinced. Why should a mid-stage Bone Tempering kid become their leader?
Most of them were mid-stage or even peak Bone Tempering experts. Having to take orders from a teenager whose cultivation was ostensibly weaker than theirs left them feeling slighted.
Still, they only vented sarcastic remarks behind his back, never daring to show it openly.
*Forget it. They're just Bone Tempering small fry. Once we return to Songyi City, our paths won't cross much anyway.*
Lin Zheyu shook his head and paid it no further heed.
He was only stationed at Baishi Mountain for a month and would head back soon enough. This month could simply be treated as a change of scenery to focus on practicing martial arts and studying the Poison Canon.
Heading south, he traversed a stretch of barren ground until a dense forest appeared before him.
Entering the woods, Lin Zheyu found a secluded clearing and began his training.
For the past two days, he had come to this forest to practice, staying for half a day at a time.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
Dull impacts echoed through the dense woods.
Lin Zheyu shifted and darted nimbly among the trees, unleashing Wild Bull Fist strikes in rhythm. The power of his qi and blood detonated within him, each punch tearing through the air with howling gusts of wind.
It had been five days since he arrived at Baishi Mountain. On his very first day, he had found an opportunity to break past his physical limits once, and now that four more days had elapsed, he could earn another deposit of Origin Power.
Time slipped by, and more than three shichen quickly passed.
After his qi and blood had been purified and elevated, his stamina had increased substantially. Even when his qi and blood were completely spent, he was still far from reaching his body's true physical limit.
Lin Zheyu had previously commissioned weighted gear, but given the forging standards of the blacksmiths in Songyi City, the equipment was crude.
Although it could shorten the time needed to push past his limit to a shichen and a half, he had ultimately discarded it.
Wearing weighted gear warped his forms severely, and explosive bursts of power could even cause muscle strains, limiting him to basic exercises. But pushing past his physical limits through martial arts practice granted him an inexplicable insight into the techniques the closer he approached exhaustion—feeling the eruption of muscular force when his strength failed, the circulation of qi and blood, and the profoundly subtle true meaning of the arts.
Such an experience was exceedingly precious, far outweighing the modest amount of time saved.
"Phew..."
Lin Zheyu exhaled a long breath and slumped weakly against a large tree.
This mountain forest was exceptionally secluded. He had observed carefully on his way here and confirmed that no one was tailing him.
Even in the event of an enemy raid, their objective would be the iron ore smelting area rather than this remote spot, so it was reasonably secure.
Furthermore, his state of exhaustion wouldn't last long. By utilizing Origin Power to upgrade, as long as he had sufficient medicinal ingredients to supply energy, he would recover in short order.
*Another two units of Origin Power.*
Lin Zheyu grinned as he checked the status in his consciousness.
Once he broke through to the First Blood Transformation, he might be able to earn two units of Origin Power once every three limit breaks on average.
【Heaven Rewards Diligence】
Name: Lin Zheyu
Origin Power: 2
Skills:
Wild Bull Fist (Perfection)
Golden Goose Skill (Layer Five, 40%)
Turtle Breathing Art (Layer Three, 2%)
Six Harmonies Saber (Minor Mastery, 8%)
Poison King Body (Layer One, 0%)
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he wrung out a wisp of qi and blood power from his body, which eased the muscular soreness significantly.
Rising to his feet, he filled a pre-prepared wooden basin with fresh water, retrieved a small leather pouch containing the powdered form of four doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, and poured the powder into the water.
Submerging his hand to stir it evenly, he left his hand soaked inside and sent forth his intent: *Use two units of Origin Power to advance the Golden Goose Skill.*
The familiar sensation washed over him. The qi and blood within Lin Zheyu's body replenished rapidly, and under the influence of the mysterious energy, impurities were further purged to purify his qi and blood.
A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu expelled a long breath of foul air and opened his eyes, the qi and blood within him brimming once more.
*Bang!*
He stamped down hard. His qi and blood erupted with terrifying force, blasting a small crater into the earth as his body shot forward like an arrow.
With a twist of his torso, his qi and blood surged as his right leg whipped out like lightning, crashing into a nearby tree.
A thunderous boom rang out, followed by a sharp crack.
The impact site shattered wide open, fissures racing outward from the rupture until the massive tree toppled with a crash.
"I haven't even reached the First Blood Transformation, yet the power is already this terrifying. Wouldn't those at the Fourth or Fifth Blood Transformation basically be humanoid beasts?"
Feeling the power coursing through him, Lin Zheyu couldn't help but marvel.
He had currently purified over half of his qi and blood, with 44 percent progress remaining before reaching the First Blood Transformation. Even so, the destructive force he unleashed was already astonishing.
***
Night fell, and cold winds howled across the mountain.
Those stationed at Baishi Mountain were burly men at the very least; a bit of chill was nothing to them.
Torches were lit, and Lin Zheyu sat before a campfire roasting game hunted from the mountains.
Not far away, Xu She sat gambling with several Bone Tempering experts. This was their nightly entertainment, and Lin Zheyu didn't place many restrictions on it. Baishi Mountain was dull enough; forbidding even this small diversion would likely drive them mad with boredom.
"Haha, I won! Pay up, pay up!" Xu She chuckled as he called out to the men.
"Take it! Another round—I refuse to believe I'll lose again!" the burly man across from Xu She said grudgingly.
"No more, no more, I have to drain the snake first," Xu She said with a wave of his hand and a chuckle. "Play among yourselves. I'm going out for a stroll and to make a patrol round while I'm at it."
After relieving himself off to the side, he gave himself a shiver and leisurely set out on patrol.
Lin Zheyu glanced at him and didn't pay much attention. Xu She was a shrewd man who knew when to quit while he was ahead, often pocketing a bit of winnings before finding an excuse to slip away.
*Rumble...*
Xu She patrolled along the defensive line. Not far away, the swift waters of the White River roared like thunder.
The southern side of Baishi Mountain not only featured rugged terrain, but it also backed onto the rushing White River, making it exceedingly difficult for anyone to infiltrate undetected.
"What treacherous terrain. Without an insider, infiltrating from here would be harder than scaling the heavens."
Gazing at the raging waters, Xu She mused silently, *Those bandits aren't decent folk. I need to make them pay up first.*
Before the campfire, firewood crackled as it burned.
"What is it?" Lin Zheyu asked, looking up at Xu She as he approached.
"Master Lin, I haven't been back in a month. I'd like to request two days of leave tomorrow to visit my wife and kids," Xu She said.
To earn extra silver to purchase medicinal herbs for breaking through to the Viscera Tempering Realm, he had been stationed at Baishi Mountain for nearly half a year, returning home for only two days each month. Here, the wages were three taels of silver higher per month than in Songyi City.
"Alright. Bandits are numerous on the roads, so be careful on your way back. See if anyone else wants to return and try to travel together in a group," Lin Zheyu said with a nod.
"Thank you, Master Lin."
***
The following day.
In the mountain forest outside Baishi Mountain, near Lion Valley.
Xu She crept stealthily through the woods until he reached the prearranged location.
"Who goes there!" a low shout rang out from the thicket.
"It's me, Xu She! Sun Mao and I agreed a month ago to meet here," Xu She called back.
He faintly discerned someone in the woods aiming a crossbow at him, and cold sweat broke out despite himself.
*What am I afraid of? They need me right now; they won't harm me,* Xu She told himself.
*Rustle, rustle...*
Rustling sounds came from the woods as someone went to deliver word.
After a wait of around ten minutes, an unfamiliar man stepped out with a grin. He was powerfully built with a ferocious countenance, looking every bit the villain at first glance.
"Xu She?"
"Sun Mao was the one who contacted you?"
The man sized Xu She up and asked flatly.
"Yes. Might I ask who you are?" Xu She asked, suppressing his unease.
"I'm Sun Likun. Sun Mao died a while back, so I'm handling his affairs now," Sun Likun said.
He pulled a scrawled, messy notebook from his robes, licked his fingertip, and began flipping through it.
Fierce as he looked, he was actually literate. Most of those who managed to practice martial arts to the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm came from families with some financial means and had been sent to study and learn to read as children.
"D-Dead?"
Xu She froze, caught off guard.
He glanced at Sun Likun and his men. Mentioning Sun Mao's death, they were grinning without a care in the world, as if only a dog had perished.
"Found it. Right here, Xu She.
"Made up your mind so soon? Decided to join us?"
Having confirmed the entry, Sun Likun looked up at Xu She with a chuckle.
"Yes.
"However, I have one condition: you must pay half the fee upfront, or I won't feel at ease," Xu She said.
"Fair enough.
"Come on, I'll take you to see Master Fan. Just follow his instructions," Sun Likun chuckled.
Hooking an arm around Xu She's neck, he led him deep into the forest.
When Xu She finally emerged from the woods, excitement was written across his face, and a large bundle was slung over his back.
He cast a wary glance in all directions before sprinting swiftly toward home.
Times were perilous outside right now; if someone robbed him of what he had just acquired, he would weep his heart out.
Sun Likun stepped out from the dense woods, grinning as he watched Xu She's retreating figure.
"Big Brother, we're just handing it over to him like that?" a lackey beside him asked. "What if that guy goes back and sells us out?"
"What are you scared of? Master Fan made the arrangements, so he must have his reasons.
"Who knows how the brothers sent to lure the living corpse are doing today," Sun Likun added. "That idiot Sun Mao actually volunteered. Good thing I was smart enough not to wade into that mess."
Several days had passed, yet they still hadn't succeeded.
Just luring the living corpse out of Beast Roar Mountain had already cost the lives of quite a few brothers.
"Damn it, what's so great about becoming a deacon anyway? They're all throwing their lives away for it."
Sun Likun grumbled under his breath. He didn't believe a word of the Nine Nether Cult's nonsense.
Claiming that becoming a deacon would earn them divine medicine to rapidly boost their strength, or even grant a chance to receive the Demon God's blessing and live forever—to hell with that bullshit. All he wanted was to stay alive.
Chapter 73