Chapter 49: Re-entering The Mountains And Forests
“Old man, Old Xu is the main force in medicine refining. I just helped with some minor side tasks. Not to mention, I’m not here for the pills.”
Su Yan did not accept it, a second-order pill, even if it was only second-order low-grade.
But just this one pill alone was probably worth three to five hundred silver taels, and in such a small town, it was likely to be in short supply.
“Take it since I told you to. My injury only needs one pill, at most two. If you helped me for the pills, I wouldn’t give them to you.”
Song Qi’s temper was not small either: “Don’t always make me your backer. If you have the ability, you be my backer. The Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill is mainly for repairing injuries, but used as a supplement, it can also solidify your foundation and eliminate the hidden injuries from practicing the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill’s hardening technique.”
The Golden Ape Jade Body Skill was after all a hardening technique, not only requiring qi and blood to warm and nourish the skin membrane and muscles, but also constant tempering, supplemented by medicine.
Tempering would bring hidden injuries.
For ordinary people, if progress was slower, these hidden injuries would always heal over time.
But with this kid’s cultivation vigor and speed, he was bound to accumulate some hidden injuries.
“Take the medicine and go rest. Your silver is probably all gone, right? I’m not planning to lend you money for cultivation. Go up the mountain yourself to find some.”
Song Qi issued an order to leave, preparing the materials for the Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill. He had consumed quite a bit of silver.
Of course, it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t afford to lend money to Su Yan.
But he wouldn’t give it easily, or rather, he would only provide some help when Su Yan truly needed it.
Martial artists need tempering, and entering the mountains is also cultivation.
Leaving Song Qi’s place, he returned to his own room.
“The old man is really generous.”
Su Yan looked at the Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill in his hand and smiled lightly.
Without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill.
Unlike the first-order medicine like Three Yuan Soup, this pill dissolved immediately upon entering his stomach, and an extremely obvious and surging medicinal potency surged toward his body.
The surging medicinal potency continuously impacted, and while passing through the meridians, nearly bursting them, a healing power was also constantly integrating into the meridians.
Tearing, repairing, strengthening.
The Muscle Strengthening and Meridian Connecting Pill cycled through these three processes continuously, bringing Su Yan pain no less than soaking in Poison Skin Powder.
One was from outside to inside, while the other came from deep in the bones.
‘The meridians are not like those of Blood Moving and Spirit Nurturing experts, not yet fully opened. This is going to be painful.’
In an instant, Su Yan reacted, gritted his teeth, focused his energy, and divided the surging medicinal potency into three parts.
One part tempered the skin membrane, pushing his skin refining cultivation forward.
The second part circulated the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill’s cultivation cycle, channeling most of the medicinal potency into the body tempering cycle.
The last part of the medicinal potency, almost uncontrolled and undriven by Su Yan himself, instinctively merged into the muscles throughout his body, slowly strengthening his physique and solidifying his muscles and bones.
Nearly two hours passed like this before the medicinal potency was preliminarily absorbed. Su Yan could clearly feel that more medicinal potency was still latent in his body, enough to support his cultivation for several days.
【Body Tempering Realm: Skin Refining 160/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Golden Ape Jade Body Skill: 30/100（Beginner】
When he saw Song Qi again the next day, his head of grayish-white hair had grown much black hair, his figure was robust, and his aura steady.
With one glance, Su Yan knew that Song Qi had not only recovered from his injuries but had also broken through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm.
Su Yan congratulated him a couple of times. Song Qi said it was luck, but the corners of his mouth could not stop smiling.
Heaven knows how long he had waited for such an opportunity.
Su Yan did not stay long, packed his things, and left Xu Zhongdao’s residence.
With Song Qi’s matters settled here, Su Yan naturally had to attend to his own affairs.
Arriving on the street, before leaving the city, he heard fragmented voices from the crowd.
“Something happened again. Last night, the Little Mountain Association’s medicine field was also robbed.”
Su Yan frowned upon hearing this. First Hundred Herbs Hall, then Little Mountain Association—this was likely to cause big trouble.
“Trot trot trot”
Urgent galloping horse sounds came, the crowd scattered, and Head Constable Xu Guan rode quickly toward outside the city, with dozens of constables and yamen runners at his side, all looking fierce.
Leaving the city to suppress bandits!
These four big words flashed in Su Yan’s mind, but with such a commotion, could they really catch Pang Tianfeng?
He suppressed the thought in his mind, thinking: ‘Whether they succeed or not, Pang Tianfeng is not active near Yun Qian Village. I should go there to search for some poisonous medicinal herbs, let the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect continue breaking through—that’s the real thing.’
Thinking this, Su Yan quickened his steps straight to Yun Qian Village.
The villagers saw him return, though surprised, did not find it strange.
Since Su Yan had succeeded in practicing martial arts, they knew this Yan Ge’er would definitely leave Yun Qian Village—it was just a matter of time.
He gave some small snacks he had bought to neighbor Xie Bao.
Su Yan picked up his backpack and weapon, and headed straight into the mountains.
With stance training at great accomplishment, and having cultivated the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill, Su Yan’s steps were even lighter now.
In two or three leaps, he could cover seven or eight meters, making the mountain path as flat as a broad road for him.
Su Yan plunged into the mountains and immediately released the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect.
The two insect tamers emerged like swimming dragons returning to the sea, shuttling through the shrubs in the mountain valley.
Su Yan did not stay long in the outer mountain. Although there were mountain goods on these mountain peaks, they were not the valuable medicinal herbs Su Yan wanted.
Arriving at the inner mountain, Su Yan carried his backpack and followed the shrub old forest, carefully searching.
Old trees were covered in moss at the roots, towering branches shading each other, with only mottled sunlight filtering in.
The ground was full of half-person-high or person-high large-leaved Droplet Sinking Gold, and lush fern grass like fox tails.
Insect beasts rustled in the shrubs, but Su Yan’s eyes flickered.
“Dark water surrounds, light like spots—this damp environment should have some Droplet Sinking Gold.”
Su Yan’s gaze fell on the largest Droplet Sinking Gold. So-called Droplet Sinking Gold was the mutated root of Droplet Sinking Gold.
It absorbed environmental vital energy, growing exceptionally large first, then quickly shrinking to form hard dark yellow rootstalks that looked golden in flowing water, hence called Droplet Sinking Gold.
This thing was highly toxic, but its medicinal effect was second only to treasure plants, with effects of stimulating qi and blood and increasing strength.
Even if not used by martial artists, it could be used elsewhere, and the price was not low.
Su Yan ordered the Yin Water Centipede, which climbed over and dug up the roots of these Droplet Sinking Gold.
With sharp mouthparts and appendage limbs, the soil was completely dug out, exposing the huge rootstalk.
“Hiss hiss”
The Yin Water Centipede burrowed in and soon found a depression in the root mass cluster, scraping away dead skin to reveal a touch of dark gold—it was Droplet Sinking Gold.
“Jackpot right away.”
Su Yan’s face showed joy as he collected it. The fist-sized Droplet Sinking Gold was the essence of this cluster of Droplet Sinking Gold.
After collecting the Droplet Sinking Gold, he did not linger but became even more proactive in exploring.
His mountain hunting skill had already progressed considerably, and now with his ability to delineate areas, the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect searched carefully.
The progress in searching for medicinal herbs naturally sped up. In just one morning, the backpack was half full.
“Save the Droplet Sinking Gold for poison refining. Old Ginseng, He Shou Wu, Blood Essence can all be sold without keeping. But this Bamboo Jade Tooth…”
Inventorying his harvest, Su Yan was hesitating how to handle the newly found Bamboo Jade Tooth.
Bamboo Jade Tooth was a treasure plant, with effects like nourishing the body and replenishing blood, strengthening the physique, naturally beneficial for his martial arts practice.
“Sell it first to exchange for some silver, restock supplements. These treasure plants are in the mountains, and with the Yin Water Centipede, finding them is not difficult. My hardwood bow and dao might need replacing too—that’s where money is needed.”
With his mind made up, Su Yan hurried down the mountain toward the Mountain Market marketplace.
Arriving at the Mountain Market marketplace, it was already evening, and yamen runners and constables had already stationed there.
Further in, seeing people coming and going, he frowned.
Among the passing crowd, big men could be seen from time to time—some sloppily dressed, some wearing thin straw raincoats for travel, others in strong suits.
Their appearances varied, but their eyes were like hunting dogs, staring at every passerby.
The only similarity was that they all carried sharp, keen weapons, unlike ordinary folk.
