Lin Zheyu muttered to himself, a trace of worry in his heart.
He wasn't concerned about secret manuals being expensive; he was concerned about not being able to buy them at all.
What was put up for sale on the open market were merely ordinary cultivation methods. True high-grade manuals were seldom sold by anyone.
Those who possessed high-grade manuals and lacked sufficient strength would never dare sell them openly—doing so was practically seeking death.
Meanwhile, those who were strong enough had no need for the silver brought in by selling secret arts.
Consequently, the methods sold in the black market were mostly run-of-the-mill manuals. Even those capable of reaching the Sixth Blood Transformation were exceedingly rare, to say nothing of techniques that could reach the Nine Transformations of Qi and Blood and elevate a practitioner to the realm of Qi and Blood Like a Dragon.
Grinding all the medicinal ingredients he had bought into powder, he packaged ten doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction per portion, dividing them into eight portions in total.
He still needed eight units of Origin Power to push the Golden Goose Skill to the perfection of its eighth layer.
Previously, Lin Zheyu had paired one unit of Origin Power with eight doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, then restored his body's qi and blood afterward by eating massive amounts of food.
Now that he had money, however, he could afford a bit of luxury.
One unit of Origin Power paired with the medicinal potency of ten doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction was just enough to restore the qi and blood in his body to its absolute peak.
Four days later, early in the morning.
Lin Zheyu was in his courtyard practicing martial arts and studying the Poison Canon.
Over the past few days, he hadn't gone to stake out the entrance to Lion Valley.
Having just ambushed and slain two Qi and Blood Realm martial artists from the Xing clan, the clan was bound to be fuming and scouring the region for the culprit. After taking such a loss, the Xing clan would certainly be far more cautious, perhaps even dispatching experts to trail their escorts in secret.
Lin Zheyu intended to wait a while until the commotion died down and both the Xing clan and the Nine Nether Cult lowered their guard before returning to stake out Lion Valley.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Bare-chested in the courtyard, Lin Zheyu's muscles corded across his frame in clean, flowing lines, exuding a masculine grace.
The Six Harmonies Saber was not a domineering saber technique, and pairing it with the domineering fist momentum cultivated from the Wild Bull Fist created a mismatch. Therefore, when practicing his saber technique, Lin Zheyu stopped forcing that domineering momentum onto his blade.
The Six Harmonies Saber was unpretentious, crisp, and direct, every stance backed by deep and solid force. It emphasized the blade shifting with the body, unity between weapon and wielder, and adapting at will. This saber art placed far greater weight on nimble changes in force, harmonizing brilliantly with the Golden Goose Skill.
After practicing for more than four hours, Lin Zheyu paused, picked up the towel from the stone table, and wiped the sweat from his body.
*The black market opens tonight. I'll go browse around then to see if I can dig up a fierce, domineering saber technique,*
Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
The Six Harmonies Saber was not an aggressive or domineering art, so advancing it offered little help for his comprehension of momentum.
He was wealthy now. In the black market, Viscera Tempering Realm cultivation methods only ran around a hundred taels of silver at their pricier end, which was nothing to him. Lin Zheyu had wanted to buy one last time, but unfortunately, several trips through the black market had yielded no suitable techniques, forcing him to drop the idea.
In the afternoon.
A wooden table stood in the center of the otherwise empty room, laden with various medicinal powders alongside the carcasses of brightly colored little bugs.
These were toxic herbs and venomous insects Lin Zheyu had gathered in Lion Valley. After special processing, they could be used to compound poisons.
Holding his breath, Lin Zheyu carefully concocted knockout drugs and toxic powders by referencing the Poison Canon.
The Night Orchid he had previously taken from the Zhao clan had mostly been used up, leaving only a tiny pinch. Such a small dose could only deal with martial artists below the Qi and Blood Realm.
Compounding poison required extreme caution; otherwise, one might end up poisoned before the mixture was even finished. The path of poison was not as simple as people imagined. Delivering poison wasn't merely about scattering powder at an opponent; one also had to prevent poisoning oneself.
This was precisely why the Poison Canon contained records regarding the Poison King Body.
If one could cultivate the Poison King Body and become immune to all toxins and poisons, one could wield them without the slightest restraint and become a true Poison King of his generation.
*Knock, knock.*
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Just as Lin Zheyu was wholly absorbed in compounding poison, a knock came from the courtyard gate. He stopped, tidied away the items on the table, and only then walked slowly over to open the door.
"What is it?"
Lin Zheyu looked at the Feihong Gang lackey and asked.
"Lord Lin, the Gang Leader requests your presence," the lackey said.
"Alright, take me there."
Ever since young masters like Xu Qinyi had departed, Lin Zheyu hadn't seen Xu Jingwu. He didn't know whether the man had been escorting clan members away from Songyi City or busy with other matters.
Arriving at Feihong Tower, Xu Jingwu was uncharacteristically not watching an opera today; instead, he was in the main hall discussing business with two men.
The ones conferring with Xu Jingwu were two middle-aged men. One was Xu Yinghao, whom Lin Zheyu had met back at Baishi Mountain. The other was a stranger, but he possessed decent strength, with dense, surging qi and blood that had reached the Second Blood Transformation.
Lin Zheyu waited outside for about half a quarter of an hour before the two men finally emerged from the main hall.
"Come on in. Make yourself comfortable and have a seat,"
Xu Jingwu beckoned toward Lin Zheyu and said with a smile.
"Greetings, Gang Leader Xu."
Lin Zheyu entered the main hall and cupped his fists in salute.
"Look at you, still so formal. Just find a place to sit—no need to be stiff," Xu Jingwu said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Gang Leader,"
Lin Zheyu replied, taking a seat across from him.
He picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Xu Jingwu, and then filled one for himself.
By now, Lin Zheyu's strength had long surpassed Xu Jingwu's, yet he still treated the man with great respect.
Xu Jingwu had treated him well and could be considered a benefactor. Had he not joined the Feihong Gang in the first place, Lin Zheyu's strength never could have advanced so quickly. If he hadn't joined, he might still be fretting over silver even now.
"How has it felt staying in Songyi City lately?" Xu Jingwu asked with a smile. "When Qinyi invited you to leave with them back then, why didn't you go?"
"I had a few matters to take care of at the time and couldn't leave. Besides, as long as the rebel army hasn't attacked this way, Songyi City isn't in much danger. Leaving a bit later won't hurt. Practicing martial arts and reading every day makes for a fairly fulfilling life,"
Lin Zheyu said.
Once in Bafang City, he wouldn't be able to fish in troubled waters like this.
Bafang City was the most prosperous city in the region. Because it sat at a crucial transportation hub connecting all directions, it was known as Bafang City.
Bafang City possessed formidable strength; its City Guard alone numbered thirty thousand, far beyond anything Songyi City could compare to. Bandits rarely appeared in the mountains and forests near the city—the moment any showed up, they were swiftly wiped out by Bafang City's City Guard. Wiping out bandits yielded military merit, so whenever the soldiers heard bandits had appeared, they would charge forward whooping with excitement, terrified that if they were slow, the merit would be snatched away by others.
"Is that so? I hear you often run outside the city into the deep mountains to hunt ferocious beasts," Xu Jingwu said with a grin.
"Yes. I haven't been practicing martial arts for very long, so I lack practical combat experience. Fighting and killing ferocious beasts helps deepen my comprehension of momentum,"
Lin Zheyu nodded and said.
"Indeed. If one wishes to comprehend momentum, working behind closed doors won't do. One must fight constantly, realizing one's own martial dao conviction through the crucible of life-and-death combat,"
Xu Jingwu agreed.
He, too, had attempted to comprehend momentum, but he hadn't devoted too much effort to it and had ultimately only grasped a superficial sliver. Momentum was the embryonic form of intent, and intent was an essential condition for advancing to Transforming Jin.
Yet Xu Jingwu was only at the First Blood Transformation; his chances of breaking through to the Marrow Tempering Realm were slim, let alone Transforming Jin. To him, comprehending momentum held little practical value. Right now, what mattered most was finding ways to increase his raw strength, not grasping momentum.
Only those with outstanding comprehension could grasp momentum with ease. Ordinary people had to spend an immense amount of time polishing their martial dao conviction and weaving it into their martial arts. The entire process consumed vast amounts of time, making the payoff far too low.
"Did the Gang Leader summon me today because you have a task to assign?"
After chatting for a while, Lin Zheyu cut straight to the chase.
"There is indeed a matter I need you to handle," Xu Jingwu said.
Although the Feihong Gang had abandoned much of their territory outside the city, they had not given up several vital assets, dispatching substantial manpower to protect them—such as Baishi Mountain. Combined with the escort personnel who had gone to Bafang City and had yet to return, the gang was somewhat short on hands.
"Please instruct me, Gang Leader!" Lin Zheyu said.
"Keep this letter and this jade token safe. Tomorrow morning, leave the city as you usually do, enter the mountain forests, and take a roundabout path toward Mount Daba.
"Once you enter Mount Daba, blow this bamboo whistle in a rhythm of one long blast and three short ones.
"After blowing it, wait half an hour. If no one arrives, move to another spot and blow it again, continuing until someone comes to meet you.
"If someone shows up for the meeting, say to them: 'Loyalty levels the azure clouds.' If they reply: 'Reason stands above sentiment,' hand the letter to them,"
Xu Jingwu said solemnly.
Lin Zheyu listened in astonishment, a strange feeling welling up inside him.
"Understood, Gang Leader!"
Lin Zheyu took the envelope and answered solemnly.
"Gang Leader, I am only at the Bone Tempering Peak. Why did you choose me for this task?" Lin Zheyu asked out of curiosity.
One could tell from Xu Jingwu's tone how seriously he took this matter; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble, right down to secret passwords. But having a martial artist at the Bone Tempering Peak handle something so important seemed rather odd.
"Because you leave the city often. Leaving now won't arouse suspicion.
"The Feihong Gang is riddled with informants from the Wuding Gang. Deploying experts at or above the Viscera Tempering Realm easily draws attention and exposes our movements.
"Among our Bone Tempering experts, you are the strongest, making you the most suitable person to go.
"Don't worry, there's no danger. The person is simply difficult to locate, and you might not find them at all.
"If you still haven't found anyone after fifteen days, there's no need to keep searching—just return directly," Xu Jingwu explained.
With the situation so tense, Qi and Blood Realm martial artists had to hold down the fort and couldn't be deployed lightly, while the Viscera Tempering martial artists all had assignments; shifting them around at will would easily be noticed by those informants. After turning it over in his mind, Xu Jingwu had concluded that sending Lin Zheyu to Mount Daba was the best option.
"Gang Leader, is that person very strong? If I meet them, is there anything I should be mindful of?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"Very strong!
"That person is a secluded cultivator who once received a favor from my Xu clan and promised to act on our behalf once.
"When you meet that senior, show utmost respect.
"Ask no questions. Once the countersign matches, present the jade token as proof, hand over the envelope, and that will be all," Xu Jingwu said.
"Understood, I know what to do." Lin Zheyu nodded.
"Come, join me to watch an opera. Things have been so hectic lately that I haven't been able to sit down and listen to a full performance in a long time,"
Xu Jingwu said with a smile after concluding his instructions.
Chapter 90