Chapter 30: Heading To The Mountains To Hunt Insects
Su Yan bought the items, found a secluded spot, and stuffed them all into the Insect Realm Space.
There were already plenty of herbs inside, along with his Dao, and now with these added, it was even fuller.
He left Hou Miao Lane along the road, arriving at the bustling area of Yun Cang Town, where the street vendors’ calls were incessant.
The aroma of roasted goose, bright red candied hawthorns, steaming hot meat soup.
The prosperity in the city was evident at a glance; Yun Cang Town, with its centuries of history, had countless wealthy households, and even more things for entertainment.
But Su Yan only had a few hundred copper coins on him; how could he afford to splurge.
‘After Skin Refining Great Accomplishment, then eat from one end of the street to the other.’
Su Yan quickened his pace, using Monkey Leap Step to hurry back to Yun Qian Village.
After the summer tax, every household was busy with mountain hunting and farming to patch up their family holes; even at dusk, many villagers were still bustling about.
Su Yan passed through the village paths and arrived home, then set up a large pot.
He cut half of the Green Back Rock Beef he bought and put it in the pot to stew, adding the Earth Blood Vine and Dan Zhi Mushroom together.
Five pounds of Green Back Rock Beef wasn’t actually much; its tight texture made its volume only half that of equivalent weight regular beef.
Su Yan waited for the beef to cook, ate it all in big bites, then immediately stood into Golden Ape Stance Training.
As the stance training operated, the ingested food digested quickly, and the energy inside was also extracted.
Su Yan only felt a fullness and warm heat rising from his stomach, then gradually spreading throughout his body.
Most of it was carried by the qi and blood tempered out by this stance training, like waves, merging into the skin.
“The warming and tonifying effect is actually this good, and continuous, with such gentle compatibility with the body.”
Su Yan was startled in his heart, then revealed a joyful expression.
Whether Treasure Plant or medicinal herbs, their medicinal potency was like water from a floodgate, surging all at once.
But this feral beast flesh and blood came slowly; though the energy was slightly weaker, it excelled in this silent nourishment.
Su Yan didn’t want to waste the medicinal potency of the Green Back Rock Beef; he focused his mind on stance training, and in a flash, an hour passed.
The Green Back Rock Beef was mostly consumed; the remaining part wasn’t carried by qi and blood power but slowly nourished the body—this was the warming and tonifying effect.
Su Yan sensed the toughness of his skin and flesh, and the faint qi and blood threads under the skin membrane, knowing that his Skin Refining Minor Accomplishment had progressed further.
This qi and blood not only strengthened the skin membrane but also provided even stronger defensive power and power.
“Strike while the iron is hot, and try Red Skin Powder again.”
Inner disciples had great profits: a more powerful auxiliary skill, a martial skill, and beyond that, benefits from the true identity.
Only after entering the inner sect was one truly part of the martial arts school; with this layer of identity, future actions would have some backing.
Then there was the mountain splitting at Great Desolate Mountain; though Li Shun and Dian Jing’s words weren’t very detailed, it could be inferred that various families likely had interests in Great Desolate Mountain, and mountain splitting was the way to share profit.
Inner disciples, being participants, were probably also among the resource acquirers.
Just feral beast meat alone had such an effect; he wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Su Yan sorted out the current matters in his mind and muttered to himself: “First achieve Skin Refining Great Accomplishment, enter the inner sect, then temper muscle and bone.”
He fetched a large wooden bucket, added slightly hot warm water, then poured one-third bottle of Red Skin Powder into it.
Red Skin Powder dissolved instantly in water, immediately turning the whole bucket blood-red, like blood; clearly just slightly hot water, yet now it seemed to be boiling.
Su Yan frowned slightly: ‘Won’t I get cooked going in?’
Though this thought arose in his mind, his hands didn’t hesitate at all; he stripped off his clothes, revealing his sturdy body, and stepped into the large bucket.
He immersed his whole body in the medicinal solution, only keeping his head above water.
“Though I can’t assume the Golden Ape Stance Training posture, if I practice it alive, that’s incorporating that trembling and the sensation of muscle and qi and blood movement into the body; sitting like this might not be impossible.”
With a realization in his heart, Su Yan immediately comprehended the stance training; with a slight cultivation, his breathing rose and fell rhythmically, and his body actually mobilized more qi and blood.
Though not as good as the standing posture, it undoubtedly had an effect.
In this way, Su Yan was delighted in his heart and immediately immersed his mind more deeply, using a variant of the stance training to absorb the potency of this vat of medicine.
About three minutes passed, qi and blood gradually surged, and the skin membrane sensed the continuous invasion of medicinal potency.
But Su Yan suddenly sensed something wrong; his whole body skin gradually turned red, temperature quietly rising, as if coated with chili oil.
He had a bad premonition in his heart.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, a scorching hot spiciness and intense pain burned every inch of skin membrane, as if immersed in boiling chili water.
First a wave of scalding water, then countless fiery ants gnawing at the skin.
The explosive medicinal effect rampaged through the skin membrane, bringing unimaginable pain in the process of continuous strengthening.
“Damn this Red Skin Powder, named like that.”
Su Yan’s veins bulged, face flushed red, yet he didn’t rise a single step.
The pain made him grit his teeth, but his gaze revealed a ruthless determination.
He even dared to grapple a vicious tiger barehanded, let alone this being chili water or scalding water; even if it were medicinal water with blade shards, he’d soak in it.
“At most it’s just pain.”
Su Yan endured the intense pain forcefully, regulated his heavy breathing, restored the muscle trembling, and mobilized the body’s qi and blood.
He tormented himself fully for an hour; the water gradually cleared, all medicinal potency gathered into the body, skin red like a cooked lobster.
Su Yan let out a long breath, eyes flashing with sharp light like a knife, leaped out, body like an ape, inhaled into his body, muscle and bone resounding together.
Riding the medicinal potency, he stood another hour of Golden Ape Stance Training.
This time the stance training was vigorous and sweeping, like a furious vicious ape; qi and blood surged like a flood, crashing into every part of the skin membrane, forging it into iron-like skin.
【Body Tempering Realm: Skin Refining 31/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
【Golden Ape Stance Training: 79/200(Minor Accomplishment）】
【Monkey Fist: Minor Accomplishment（21/200)】
Golden Ape Stance Training had progressed again, and even Skin Refining Minor Accomplishment advanced a step or two; though not without Su Yan’s diligent cultivation, the role of this tonic medicine was no small part.
“Moon at the treetops, perfect time to enter the mountains and meet the Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect.”
Su Yan withdrew his cultivation, changed clothes, took only a backpack and weapon, and headed into the mountains under cover of night.
Moonlight clear, old tree shadows crisscrossing; the whole great mountain like a crouching giant beast.
He stepped into the great mountain; the Yin Water Centipede was released by him, hiding in the shrubs and closely following his footsteps deeper into the mountains.
The current Yin Water Centipede, though only Growth Stage, had increasingly solidified purple on its body, carapace increasingly tough; not like a poisonous insect, but like a weapon.
Su Yan identified the direction and hurried quickly toward the inner mountain, body leaping; in no time, he vanished into the shrubs and weeds.
His foot speed was extremely fast, and these mountain hunting paths were ones he had opened before, so naturally familiar.
In just over half an hour, he had crossed a mountain peak and arrived at the previous Dan Zhi Mushroom harvesting spot.
“The ferns covering the path haven’t been disturbed, and there are some hoof prints; looks like no one discovered this place in the past few days, the Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect should still be here.”
Su Yan looked at the traces, heart slightly settled; mountain hunters rarely came to this place to begin with.
Though Uncle Xie, Guo Yun and others knew, they would cover traces with ferns and such weeds and branches at passing points like ordinary, to prevent other mountain hunters from raiding the nest.
Plus it was summer tax time recently, so this spot likely wouldn’t be found for a while.
This was naturally good news for him.
He hurried slowly and quietly along the way, finally arriving at a mountain gully at the boundary between outer mountain and inner mountain.
Shrubs growing wildly, moss covering the mountain wall, many fallen logs lying across the gully, ground layered with thick decayed leaves.
Under the silver-white moonlight, Su Yan saw a large clump of Dan Zhi Mushroom growing on a fallen log, very plump; no wonder it tempted Guo Yun and the others.
“Rustle rustle rustle”
Thanks to reader “A Small Green Hill” for the suggestion; using beginner, minor accomplishment, great accomplishment for insect tamer growth progress did feel out of place, so front and back text changed to terms like Nascent Stage, Growth Stage, Mature Stage. Thanks to all readers for support; during new book period, follow reads, monthly tickets etc. have high weight, please help out more.
