Chapter 31: The End of the Mountains

One year later.

In the Chiman Mountains, a convoy moved slowly along a mountain path.

The convoy consisted of forty large wagons pulled by sturdy, large green mules. The wagons were covered with dirty white tarpaulins, leaving two deep ruts in the mountain path as they passed.

On the foremost wagon, a flag fluttered, depicting a ferocious tiger descending a mountain, accompanied by the words "Tiger Tamer" written in sharp, aggressive calligraphy.

To the left and right of the convoy, dozens of martial artists in tight-fitting attire patrolled, while several shrewd and capable martial artists were scattered ahead and behind, scouting the surrounding area.

Chen Yuan followed at the very rear of the convoy. Beside him, Yu Zhanchuan was reprimanding a young guard in his early twenties

"What is wrong with you? Dozing off while on watch! It’s a good thing the Commander discovered it in time and slaughtered that bear. If it had broken into the camp and harmed the brothers or disturbed Deacon Wei, you’d be in deep trouble, and the Commander would have taken the blame too!"

The guard was sweating profusely, stammering, "I... I didn't know a bear would come in. There were fires in the camp; who knew that beast wouldn't be afraid of fire..."

Seeing the young guard dare to argue, Yu Zhanchuan’s anger flared even more.

"I think it's because the journey has been too easy, making you forget your duties! This is the Chiman Mountains, incredibly dangerous. If it hadn't been a bear that came in last night, but bandits, you would have doomed all the brothers! Don't even think about your reward for this mission, and half your monthly salary will be docked!"

The young guard looked bitter, hanging his head and responding listlessly, "Yes, I won't dare do it again."

With no reward and a docked salary, his mother would surely scold him to death when he returned.

Yu Zhanchuan was still fuming and wanted to lecture him further, but Chen Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

"Considering Guo Ming is a first-time offender, let's not dock his monthly salary or his reward."

Hearing this, the young guard quickly looked up, staring at Chen Yuan with pleasant surprise.

Yu Zhanchuan said, "Commander, Guo Ming's dereliction of duty is a serious matter. He must be punished severely!"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Guo Ming made an honest mistake. How about this: we will temporarily withhold his reward, but we won't dock his monthly salary. Guo Ming has a family to support. If nothing goes wrong during this mission, his reward will be paid in full. If he makes another mistake, both his reward and monthly salary will be docked. How does that sound?"

Yu Zhanchuan said helplessly, "As the Commander commands."

The young guard said joyfully, "Thank you, Commander, Deputy Commander! I will work hard and never make a mistake again!"

Yu Zhanchuan waved him off irritably. "Go! If you dare be negligent again, I'll skin you alive!"

The young guard gave a deep, respectful salute and returned to his post. He stood tall, his head turning constantly, eyes wide as he scanned the surrounding forests, looking as if bandits might burst out at any moment.

Watching him, Yu Zhanchuan couldn't help but chuckle. "That kid!"

Chen Yuan asked, "Senior Brother, why make things so difficult for Guo Ming? Never mind a single bear; even if a whole den of bears broke into the camp, nothing would happen."

Yu Zhanchuan quickly replied, "You exaggerate, Commander. Just call me Zhanchuan."

Chen Yuan smiled. "Senior Brother and I have known each other for a long time. Without your support, I wouldn't have been able to serve well as Commander. How could I change how I address you just because I broke through to the Marrow Refining stage and became a Commander?"

Yu Zhanchuan felt a warmth in his heart. "The Commander is truly a man of loyalty and righteousness..."

Over the past year, Chen Yuan had insisted on calling him "Senior Brother." No matter how much he refused, Chen Yuan never changed.

Yu Zhanchuan was merely a Bone Refining martial artist, while Chen Yuan's martial arts skills grew more profound by the day. In just one year, he had reached the peak of Marrow Refining, making him a rising star in the entire Tiger Tamer Gang.

Despite his rising status, Chen Yuan had not forgotten their old friendship, which deeply moved Yu Zhanchuan. Consequently, Yu Zhanchuan worked tirelessly to assist Chen Yuan, helping him gain complete control over the thirty guards under his command.

After a few words of flattery, Yu Zhanchuan turned to look at the vast forest and said worriedly, "Before entering the mountains this time, I went to the Cuiyun Pavilion to drink with the brothers under Deacon Yun. They said the Chiman Mountains have been restless these past two months. Three or four merchant convoys disappeared overnight after setting up camp. It's quite chilling. When I saw that black bear last night, it gave me a fright; I thought we might suffer a similar fate. That's why I wanted to punish Guo Ming severely."

Chen Yuan nodded. "I see. However, the Chiman Mountains have always been restless. It's likely bandits raiding camps and kidnapping people. As long as we strengthen our defenses, we will be fine."

Yu Zhanchuan's expression remained fearful. "It's definitely not bandits. The cargo in those merchant wagons was still there, and the oxen, horses, and mules were unharmed. There was even porridge still cooking in the pots, yet the drivers and guards had vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated. The brothers are saying they were either taken by the Black and White Impermanence or eaten by monsters!"

Chen Yuan laughed. "Senior Brother, you've traveled the martial world for so many years; have you ever actually encountered a ghost or a monster?"

Yu Zhanchuan shook his head. "No, but..."

Chen Yuan smiled. "Don't worry. Such legends are common in the martial world, but no one has ever actually encountered them; it's just rumors spreading. We have over a hundred people, and Deacon Wei is a peak Internal Strength expert. As long as we don't run into the bandits from the major strongholds, we'll be fine."

Yu Zhanchuan clearly did not agree with Chen Yuan's view, and fear still lingered on his face, but he could not easily contradict him. He could only say vaguely, "What the Commander says is true. I'll go on patrol to ensure the brothers don't become lax and undisciplined."

"Go ahead."

Chen Yuan nodded. Watching Yu Zhanchuan's retreating back, he smiled and quickened his pace to catch up with the convoy.

The rumors Yu Zhanchuan mentioned might be true, but even if the Hundred Weapons Hall convoy truly encountered such strange occurrences, Chen Yuan would not be afraid in the slightest.

Over the past year, he had held several thousand taels of silver, had no shortage of medicinal pills, and had undergone the Starlight Infusion over a hundred times. His physical strength had increased immensely, and his raw power had grown to about two thousand catties.

Additionally, Chen Yuan took one Essence Stabilizing Pill every three days to keep his blood and qi active, allowing his martial arts training to be twice as effective with half the effort, leading to rapid progress.

Four months ago, he reached the peak of Internal Strength. He spent 1,800 taels of silver to purchase a Qi Condensation Pill from the Jishi Hall, successfully breaking through to the Astral Strength stage, which greatly increased his power.

To go from breaking through Internal Strength to breaking through Astral Strength, Chen Yuan only used eight months. If this news were spread, it would surely shake the martial world of the State of Qi.

The martial world myth of the State of Qi, "Free-Roaming Sword" Xie Qingping, rose from nothingness, spending twenty years in the Xiantian stage before founding his own sect and becoming unrivaled in the country.

Yet, even after breaking through to Internal Strength, even with great opportunities, it took him two years to reach Astral Strength, far behind Chen Yuan.

And Chen Yuan's progress was so fast that the Essence Stabilizing Pills only played a minor role.

The main reason was that after the Starlight Infusion, his physical body was incredibly strong and his meridians were resilient, allowing him to sustain the circulation of true qi for longer periods, meaning he could train much longer than others.

The price he paid for this was the consumption of a massive amount of medicinal pills.

When he first broke through to Internal Strength, Chen Yuan only needed one Essence Stabilizing Pill per Starlight Infusion.

But as his physical strength increased, the potency of one pill gradually became insufficient, eventually increasing to two.

After breaking through to Astral Strength, two Essence Stabilizing Pills were no longer enough.

He now required one Essence Spirit Pill, which is meant for Astral Strength practitioners, to replenish his energy.

At the same time, he had to maintain his training expenses, consuming two Essence Spirit Pills every three days.

One Essence Spirit Pill cost sixty taels of silver, making it extremely expensive.

After four months, Chen Yuan's finances were depleted; he had only fifty taels left, which wasn't even enough to buy a single Essence Spirit Pill.

Once the last half-bottle of Essence Spirit Pills was gone, he would either have to reduce the frequency of his Starlight Infusion and cut his training expenses, or find a new way to make money to continue purchasing pills from Jishi Hall.

Having experienced the feeling of immense physical strength and rapid progress in cultivation, Chen Yuan had developed a taste for it and naturally did not want to reduce the frequency of his Starlight Infusion.

However, once the duration of the Starlight Infusion extended beyond twenty breaths, ordinary food could no longer replenish the energy required after the infusion, and pills below the Internal Strength level had negligible effects.

Otherwise, with his current status, eating a whole ox a day wouldn't be difficult, and there would be no need to waste precious medicinal pills.

Now, only one path lay before Chen Yuan: making money.

But as for how to make money, Chen Yuan had no clue.

He had thought about revealing his true strength to rise to a high position within the Tiger Tamer Gang, which would naturally solve his money problems.

Aside from Luo Zhenwu, there were no other Hua Jin (Transforming Strength) martial artists in the Tiger Tamer Gang. As an Astral Strength martial artist, he would certainly be put to great use.

However, the situation between the Sanjiang Gang and the Tiger Tamer Gang was becoming increasingly tense, with frequent clashes and many casualties. Chen Yuan had even fought against Marrow Refining martial artists from the Sanjiang Gang.

In recent months, the fighting between the two sides had even begun to involve Internal Strength martial artists, showing signs of an all-out conflict.

If Chen Yuan revealed his true strength and held a high position in the Tiger Tamer Gang, he would certainly be drawn into it.

By then, those he fought would not be Marrow Refining martial artists.

Furthermore, Chen Yuan was not a confidant of Luo Zhenwu, so he would certainly not gain his trust, and Luo Zhenwu might even covet the secrets within him.

He had only recently broken through to Astral Strength and had not yet fought a peer, nor had he witnessed the strength of a Hua Jin martial artist; he did not know if he would be a match.

Due to these many concerns, Chen Yuan did not rashly reveal his strength, continuing to be cautious and hiding his true abilities.

But as his silver gradually ran out and the various properties he owned were sold off, this thought rose in his mind once again.

He had reached a dead end; a monthly salary of ten taels was simply not enough to cover his expenses.

Perhaps, it was time for him to take a risk.