Chapter 47: The Incident Begins
Bai Changlin wanted to see how Su Yan would master the Fierce Ape Three Forms.
But after all, today he had tempered the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill for a long time, and Su Yan was already exhausted, naturally having no energy left to learn it.
In this way, it dragged on until the second day.
Su Yan absorbed Insect Yuan, trained stances to temper skin membrane and muscles. When the Insect Yuan entered his body, the tempering of the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill was far faster than yesterday.
Bai Changlin saw it in his eyes and was pleasantly surprised in his heart. There was a change every day. With such comprehension, no wonder he had achieved great accomplishment in stance training and fist techniques.
Su Yan practiced the Fierce Ape Three Forms. Upon starting, he discovered that it was surprisingly similar in principle to Monkey Fist, evidently Monkey Fist being just a simplified version derived from the Fierce Ape Three Forms.
The so-called Fierce Ape Three Forms involved urging Qi and Blood and True Essence to erupt with stronger power, consisting of three moves: Sky Lifting, Mountain Splitting, and Sea Suppressing, all ferocious fist styles, each with variations.
Su Yan had a solid foundation, and Monkey Fist was at great accomplishment. After practicing the Fierce Ape Three Forms just three to five times, he successfully entered the beginner stage.
“Since you have entered the beginner stage, train diligently on your own these days, handle your own affairs well, and in a few days, your Senior Brother will take you into the mountains.”
“Yes, Master.”
Bai Changlin gave an instruction, then left the inner courtyard himself, not knowing what he was going to do.
‘Golden Ape Jade Body Skill for body tempering, Fierce Ape Three Forms to enhance attack methods. Although I haven’t broken through yet, my strength has increased by at least 30%.’
Su Yan knew his own changes and felt calm in his heart, pondering the arrangements for these days.
‘Bronze Fox Ape bone and flesh only has one-third left, Poison Skin Powder and Three Yuan Soup are almost gone, and this Golden Ape Jade Body Skill consumes quite a bit. I need to get more resources. Also, the matter of the Poison Pill perhaps needs to be put on the agenda.’
‘There’s also the matter of the Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill, which I need to help Old Song and the others refine during these days.’
Su Yan returned to his room, took some things, closed the door, and walked straight out of the inner courtyard.
The inner courtyard was neither the middle courtyard nor temporary housing, so naturally there was no need to explain anything to the servants.
Passing by the middle courtyard area, Su Yan saw in the middle courtyard Elder Yi Feng lying on a rattan rocking chair, watching Li Shun and others training stances in front of him, learning the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill.
“What are you looking at? If you master the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill, you can come and go as you please.”
Li Shun and Li Ying had only secretly glanced at Su Yan when they were caught red-handed by Yi Feng, who scolded them harshly.
Everyone was shocked, especially Li Shun: ‘Only two days, how is that possible. What opportunity did this Su Yan get?’
Li Shun considered himself not inferior to others, but even he would probably need several days to successfully enter the beginner stage just memorizing the meridian circulation and luck methods.
Naturally, he harbored jealousy toward Su Yan.
However, Li Ying and Liu Yinglong’s eyes flickered. They hadn’t offended anyone, so it would be better to pull some strings.
Su Yan greeted Yi Feng before going out the door.
“Big trouble, big trouble! Hundred Herbs Hall’s Medicine Mountain has been robbed!”
Su Yan had just stepped out and reached the bustling street when he suddenly heard the crowd surging, with someone shouting loudly.
His expression changed slightly: ‘Hundred Herbs Hall is one of the old established forces in Yun Cang Town. Who is so bold?’
He strode forward and came to the side of the street where the crowd was gathered.
At this time, the main road into the city was already packed with people, all watching the city gate.
Pushing through the crowd, Su Yan looked along the gazes of the onlookers, his pupils contracting slightly, and gasps of shock came from beside him.
“How did it become like this?!”
Hundred Herbs Hall’s guards brought in people on a carriage covered with white coarse cloth over human-shaped objects, evidently corpses.
Constables assisted on both sides, everyone’s faces grim.
Although the few corpses covered by the white cloth did not show their full appearance, the exposed arms and calves had no good flesh left, pitch black and swollen like rotten meat, dripping with foul-smelling mucus.
‘Poisoned to death, and there are knife wounds.’
Su Yan had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the anomaly.
‘It really was done by humans.’
“Disperse, all disperse, don’t gossip.”
Head Constable Xu Guan rode over on horseback, whispered to the constables escorting the corpses, his face somber, scanned the onlookers, and ordered in a deep voice.
He was the head constable in the city in charge of constables and yamen runners, naturally having considerable prestige. Ordinary folk dared not stay upon his words and immediately scattered.
Su Yan was among the crowd. Although Xu Guan glanced at him, he had no time to pay attention now and hurried with his subordinate constables and Hundred Herbs Hall guards toward Hundred Herbs Hall.
Once they walked far away, the crowd gathered in twos and threes, with gossips discussing in low voices.
In the teahouse, a young man in coarse short clothes spoke animatedly to his companions.
“You don’t know, just looking at the arm like that, it was like an evil ghost. When it was found in the mountains, the whole corpse had turned blue—that was truly frightening.”
“Zhao Fu, you know all about it? Was it your group that found it?”
Someone doubted and spoke up.
Zhao Fu raised his voice and retorted urgently: “I didn’t see it, but our village’s mountain hunter did. On the mountain path at the boundary between Medicine Mountain and Inner Mountain, entering from Qingshi Village.”
He reported the place names one by one, very detailed, which convinced the crowd quite a bit.
A gossip in the teahouse pressed: “Who did it?”
“How would I know.”
Zhao Fu shook his head, not daring to say more on the topic.
When he didn’t answer, someone in the crowd answered for him: “I guess it’s mostly Pang Tianfeng. The wanted poster says Pang Tianfeng burns, kills, and loots along the way, arriving at our Yun Cang Town. It must be him.”
“What a misery. Pang Tianfeng hasn’t been caught yet, hiding in the mountains like this. How can we go into the mountains to make a living?”
“Don’t even mention entering the mountains. With this batch of medicinal herbs robbed, prices will probably rise again.”
The crowd had mixed joys and sorrows. Su Yan finished his tea and left the teahouse, his expression not good.
‘One robbery might not raise prices, but if it’s really Pang Tianfeng, the turmoil won’t be just once or twice. Price hikes mean spending money. Damn Pang Tianfeng.’
Su Yan cursed inwardly. He was at a critical time for martial arts practice and needed a huge amount of resources. If prices really rose…
This back and forth would require more silver, not to mention if Pang Tianfeng was really hiding in the mountains, that would also be dangerous.
‘Qingshi Village is still quite far from Yun Qian Village’s location, which is some consolation.’
The matter of Hundred Herbs Hall being robbed is set aside for now. Whether it was the real ‘Pockmark’ Pang Tianfeng or some other force in the city making a move on Hundred Herbs Hall remains unknown. The ensuing waves are what matter.
Hunting season is approaching, and there will likely be no shortage of such troubles. What he could do now was to respond to changes with no change.
First, enter the Muscle and Bone Realm as soon as possible. Second, get both insect tamers to the mature stage, or even the next stage.
Su Yan went straight back to Xu Zhongdao’s residence and knocked on the courtyard door.
“Where are Old Xu and Old Song?”
The servant who opened the door replied: “Young Master, both gentlemen are in the back courtyard.”
Su Yan rushed to the back courtyard and saw Xu Zhongdao and Song Qi sitting around drinking tea.
Seeing him arrive, Xu Zhongdao said bluntly: “You’re just in time. Tomorrow, assist me. We’re refining the Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill.”
