Chapter 48 - 47: Beyond the Mountains of Pingling County

Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Beyond the Mountains of Pingling CountyUnfortunately, on Xuanxing, the controls on such knives are far too strict. Especially after the promotion of Martial Arts, rigorous inspections have become commonplace. Now, in Xia Country, the only knives readily available are likely fruit knives and kitchen knives. Those types of knives are hardly powerful enough, Jiang Shu thought, shaking his head. He looked at the dagger, his voice low. "How much?" The vendor looked up but didn’t say much. With a wave of his hand, a burst of force resonated. He was clearly a Martial Artist! He picked up the dagger and lightly pressed it against his own arm. Instantly, a trickle of blood seeped out. "It can pierce Iron Skin. Thirty taels of silver, non-negotiable." The price is definitely steep, Jiang Shu mused, but I don’t have many other options right now. Thirty taels of silver isn’t an exorbitant sum for me at present. The most important thing now is to enhance my strength. This dagger is just a temporary tool. Once I safely reach the Skin Grinding Realm, I can come to the black market by myself. I’ll rent a stall and sell some of those synthetic diamonds and glass mirrors from Xuanxing. As long as I keep my identity secret and sell them for a high price before disappearing, a hundred taels of gold could be mine overnight. Putting the dagger away, Jiang Shu continued his thoughts as he unconsciously circled the plaza before meeting up with Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan now carried a bulging, mysterious bundle. "Shall we go?" Qi Yuan asked concisely. He didn’t ask what Jiang Shu had seen or bought. "Mhm," Jiang Shu nodded. The black market was a place of hidden identities, where all sorts of people mingled. Lingering too long could invite unnecessary danger. The two retraced their steps back to the small courtyard. Only then did Qi Yuan remove his mask and cloak, letting out a long sigh of relief. Even though he was a Martial Artist and had visited the black market many times, he always remained extremely cautious there. Qi Yuan sat down, opened the wine jug on the table, and took several swigs. After calming himself, he opened the bundle, and a pungent, bloody odor immediately assaulted their nostrils. Inside the bundle were several large, bloody chunks of meat, reeking strongly. It was from some unknown Mutant Beast. "Ordinary martial arts practitioners often eat common meats like fish, chicken, and duck," Qi Yuan began to explain. "But for us Martial Artists, the qi and blood such foods provide are extremely limited. To maintain our progress in Martial Arts, we must regularly consume the flesh of these Mutant Beasts." "We Martial Artists can elevate our Martial Arts Realm through our techniques. In the world, there are also birds and beasts that undergo innate transformations, acquiring power comparable to ours." Qi Yuan spoke very slowly. This information wasn’t truly secret; Old Qiu would mention it once Jiang Shu officially became a Martial Artist. Qi Yuan was sharing it now to foster goodwill with Jiang Shu and give him an early understanding. "We Martial Artists consume Mutant Beast meat to enhance ourselves. However, because every Martial Artist practices different martial arts and possesses a different constitution, the benefits derived from various Mutant Beast meats also differ." "A compatible Mutant Beast meat can roughly double your training progress. If it’s incompatible, you might not even gain a tenth of the benefit. It often takes multiple attempts to determine precisely what suits you." "For instance, our Famished Tiger Martial Hall’s ’Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength’ cultivation primarily benefits from the meat of tigers and leopards. Of course, the piece I bought today isn’t tiger or leopard meat. Pingling County is too small; regularly purchasing a specific type of beast meat would make it easy for people in the black market to deduce one’s identity." "In the black market, maintaining the secrecy of one’s identity is paramount, from beginning to end." Seeing Jiang Shu deep in thought, Qi Yuan, with a solemn expression, said no more. He picked up the wine jug, sliced off about two jin of meat, and left the main hall for the kitchen. The small courtyard served as his training ground. To maintain its tranquility, only a single old servant managed the daily chores. When Qi Yuan emerged, the old servant quickly followed. He waited until Qi Yuan had sliced the meat thinly, then skillfully stepped forward to place the slices into the large pot in the kitchen, bending down to stoke the firewood beneath. Back in the main hall, after seeing Qi Yuan depart, Jiang Shu didn’t linger either. He went to the courtyard to practice his stance training and breathing exercises, steadily improving himself. A unique, fragrant aroma of cooking meat drifted on the breeze from the kitchen to his nostrils. Half an hour passed quickly. "Little Junior Brother, still practicing your stances, I see!" Qi Yuan called out, already drinking his wine. "Come try this Mutant Beast meat. This piece is Fox Bear meat; it’s a bit gamey. But for me, it can improve my training progress by about fifty to sixty percent. Give it a try, then practice your stances again to feel the difference." Without pretense, Qi Yuan sat on the ground beside Jiang Shu. He had bought a considerable amount today, so sparing some for Jiang Shu was no issue. He wanted Jiang Shu to experience Mutant Beast meat early on and feel the boost in qi and blood it provided. "Then I’ll gladly accept your generosity today, Senior Brother Qi." Finishing his stance, Jiang Shu sat down cross-legged, picked up a slice of meat, and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a strong, gamey taste filled his mouth. He forced himself to swallow it and began circulating his Famished Tiger Breathing Technique... "Not too pleasant, is it? Want some wine?" Qi Yuan offered, passing the jug over. Jiang Shu, however, didn’t take it. Instead, he asked, "Senior Brother Qi, I also saw some cured meats and jerky at the black market. Are they much less effective than the fresh meat you bought?" "Naturally. Who knows how long that cured meat and jerky has been sitting around? Much of the essence in the flesh and blood would have been lost. That’s why Martial Arts cultivation becomes progressively harder. It’s not just the inherent difficulty of the Martial Arts themselves, but also the challenge of acquiring resources." "Ordinary people training in martial arts need meat. We Martial Artists, to advance, require Mutant Beast meat. In the initial stages of training, a moderately wealthy family might have enough resources to support a practitioner. But once one becomes a Martial Artist, only the backing of a merchant family can sustain the costs." "And to advance from the Skin Grinding Realm to the Bone Forging Realm without the full support of a truly wealthy household is nearly impossible. If you can’t afford Mutant Beast meat, it means your journey on the martial path has already reached its visible end." Qi Yuan sighed. After so many years of training, I truly understand how arduous the martial path is, he thought. Here in Pingling County, one’s background essentially dictates how far one can progress in Martial Arts. I was relatively fortunate. Though not born into a prominent household, my parents owned a shop, so we never lacked food or clothing. That’s how I managed to reach the Skin Grinding Realm before turning twenty. But this is likely as far as my Martial Arts cultivation will take me. At this thought, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but take another swig of wine. "If Mutant Beast meat is rare in Pingling County, what about going to the Yongning county seat?" Jiang Shu asked quietly. He had been in this world for half a year, but due to the monopolization of certain knowledge, he was completely ignorant about the regions surrounding Pingling County. "There’s no way out," Qi Yuan replied, shaking his head. "Jiang Shu, our Pingling County is located within Yongning County. To reach its county seat, you’d need to cross countless mountain ranges." Qi Yuan stood up, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "We Martial Artists consume Mutant Beast meat to advance our cultivation. But in those mountains, Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists like us are merely prey for those Mutant Beasts." "Only Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists have a slim chance of making it out." "However, reaching the Bone Forging Realm... that’s far easier said than done."