"Take everything and let's get out of here first."
Su Mu, who was stealing for the first time, felt somewhat guilty, quickly climbed over the wall, and left Willow Tree Village.
In the deep, quiet night, with no one on the path, Su Mu simply let loose, running wildly along the mountain road. The strong wind brushed his face, his limbs felt light, and once again, Su Mu felt the power of his current body.
Feeling freedom, Su Mu couldn't help but let out a long howl, temporarily forgetting the poison inside him, forgetting his identity as a Death Warrior, transforming into an unrestrained deer roaming through the woods.
Willow Tree Village and Dongbian Village were not in the same direction, with a distance of about twenty-five or six miles. When Su Mu ran wildly, it only took him less than a quarter of an hour to cover the distance.
Huff!
Refreshing.
After returning to the village, Su Mu lit a half-burnt candle and opened the small wooden box once again in the candlelight.
"Black Tiger?"
Su Mu took out a token and was a little surprised to see the words "Black Tiger" engraved on the iron token, representing the Black Tiger Gang, the largest gang around Qingshui Town.
This Black Tiger Gang dominated the area around Qingshui Town, primarily collecting protection fees. It's said that the Gang Leader of the Black Tiger Gang had family ties with an old master in the county, acting as the county master's dark hands, so no one dared to provoke them easily, and the town's government office turned a blind eye.
Su Mu frowned, feeling that things were a bit troublesome. He hadn't expected that Sun Li was actually a member of the Black Tiger Gang. In this light, it's very likely that the knife-scarred man called Brother Wang by Sun Li yesterday was also related to the Black Tiger Gang.
However, upon thinking about it again, no one had discovered Sun Li's death yet, and most likely Sun Li's body had already been eaten by the wolves and beasts in the mountains, leaving no evidence connecting to him.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Su Mu put away the Black Tiger Gang's token, planning to discard it along a mountain path when he went to town tomorrow. He then looked at another seemingly simple, wooden token in the box.
"Black Market?"
On the front of the wooden token, the words "Black Market" were carved in cinnabar, with small fly-sized characters marking the location of the black market on the back.
"Ten miles east of Heishi Village, 7 p.m., open on the 1st and 6th..."
7 p.m. refers to the evening.
Based on Su Mu's understanding, the market opens like a fair on days like the first, sixth, eleventh, and sixteenth of each month.
For now, Su Mu didn't have any use for the black market token, but it might come in handy in the future.
"I'll keep the black market token for now."
Besides the two tokens, there was also a fish-shaped white jade pendant. Su Mu hadn't paid attention to it in the dark before, but under the candlelight, its treasure-like shine was apparent, and the jade pendant was clearly precious.
The jade pendant felt warm to the touch, with a calming coolness flowing into Su Mu's body from the pendant, coursing through his meridians for a few breaths before reaching his brow.
Instantly, Su Mu felt invigorated.
"What a treasure!"
Su Mu exclaimed, aware that this world of Martial Dao naturally had things that didn't exist in his previous life, such as this jade pendant that could calm and refresh the mind. However, although this jade pendant was excellent, it was also a hot potato.
How to handle it?
Pawning it was definitely out of the question, as it would likely attract attention.
Su Mu also remembered Sun Li mocking him as a country bumpkin before his death. This jade pendant might be a token of Sun Li's heritage, but for now, it must not be revealed.
"It's not safe to keep it at home; I'd better find a place to bury it tomorrow."
Putting the silver ingot into his pocket, after tallying up his gains from this trip, Su Mu went to the yard to practice Five Animals Qigong, then formally started training in "Tiger Subduing Fist."
"The first form of Tiger Subduing Fist, Tiger Subduing Form. Before training one must calm the mind, then sink the intent into the Dantian, crouch and subdue to gather strength, to strengthen the tendons and bones, and increase punching power..."
Beginnings are always difficult, and the most challenging stages of any martial arts are entry-level and advanced. Cultivating any martial arts requires innate talent, comprehension, and hard practice, all indispensable.
It is said that those who walk a hundred paces are halfway there, but in reality, more than half of those who practice martial arts are excluded at the entry-level hurdle, as without strong determination, one cannot enter.
Under the starry moon, in a small, unheard-of village's dirt yard, a young man took several deep breaths to dispel distractions and then curled his fingers into a tiger's claw, beginning to try cultivation.
Huh?
As soon as he started, Su Mu couldn't help but exclaim softly, surprised. In the beginning, Su Mu didn't encounter many obstacles while training in Tiger Subduing Fist; instead, there was a smooth, effortless feeling, which amazed him greatly.
In less than an hour, Su Mu had already found his way into the cultivation state, and in the Tiger Subduing Form, he felt the blood and Qi within him become active, particularly in his arms that were sore from forging earlier in the day.
As the Qi Blood circulated rapidly, warmth arose, flowing through his limbs, making Su Mu feel as if he was bathing in daylight sunlight even though it was night, warming his whole being.
"What a peculiar feeling! Surely, Grade-Entering Martial Arts are extraordinary!"
The obvious reaction at the start of training delighted Su Mu, and he clearly knew that the reason cultivating Tiger Subduing Fist was so easy was that months of rigorous training in Five Animals Qigong had laid a solid physical foundation.
Additionally, his comprehension had now reached five, a small talent potential that made him a minor genius among ordinary people, equivalent to five times the initial training efficiency.
Combined with the 13 techniques of Tiger Play in Five Animals Qigong, these factors allowed Su Mu to cultivate Tiger Subduing Fist at a speed far surpassing ordinary people.
"Tiger Subduing Fist, second form, Fierce Tiger Pounce!"
Striking while the iron is hot, Su Mu didn't stop and directly began training the second form. The difficulty of the second form was slightly higher, but there was still no significant resistance, and soon another warm current emerged.
Su Mu smiled as he continued training until late at night when he reluctantly ended the practice.
"Rest first, and continue forging weapons tomorrow."
The next day, after a good night's sleep, Su Mu woke up without feeling tired, as his energy had recovered by seventy to eighty percent. After mastering Five Animals Qigong, his physique surpassed that of ordinary people by a large margin.
After washing his face, Su Mu went to the yard to practice Five Animals Qigong and Tiger Subduing Fist, then left the village early.
On the way, Su Mu casually threw the Black Tiger Gang's token down a mountain ravine and found a strange rock in the mountain to dig a pit, burying the fish-shaped white jade pendant along with the small box.
"Why haven't we seen Sun Li today? Could it be that he's drinking with those little gangsters again?"
In the forge room, Zhou Mountain frowned, venting his dissatisfaction with a sentence.
No one had noticed Sun Li's death, while Su Mu was forging a burning red piece of iron on a separate forging platform not far away, hoping to make his first long saber with it.
"A piece of iron needs to be hammered tens of thousands of times, folded and forged at least ten times, to have the strength for forging Blade Soldiers..."
A skilled Blacksmith Master would need more than ten days to hammer such a piece of iron, and they could only forge two Ten-Refined Blade Soldiers in a month.
During the day, Su Mu forged iron in the forge room; at night, he practiced Tiger Subduing Fist and Five Animals Qigong. The days were particularly fulfilling, and time passed this way daily.
By the fifth day, after not seeing Sun Li at the shop for several consecutive days, Zhou Mountain reported it to the shop owner, Li Tie. The two of them went to Willow Tree Village that day but didn't find Sun Li.
The two also learned from other villagers that Sun Li hadn't been seen for several days. After obtaining this information, they immediately decided to report to the authorities.
Clang!
With another swing of the hammer, Su Mu used tongs to carefully examine the iron after hammering it, lightly exhaling and relaxing his brows.
"In another half-day, the iron will be ready for forging... The next step can start tomorrow afternoon."
As for the report to the authorities about Sun Li's disappearance, Su Mu wasn't worried. The government office couldn't even find Sun Li's remains, much less solve the case. Moreover, in these chaotic times, many people died each year due to gang conflicts.
Su Mu guessed that Sun Li's case would soon fade away.
After sealing the furnace, Su Mu returned to the village early.
"I'll practice boxing first."
With the night's cold seeping in, Su Mu took off the outer cotton clothes, leaving only his thin undergarments. At first, he still felt cold, but once he entered the cultivation state, he didn't feel the chill; instead, he felt warm.
"Tiger Subduing Form."
"Fierce Tiger Pounce."
"Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain."
…
One move followed another. Late at night, when planning to conclude his practice, Su Mu's eyes brightened. With a slight tremor throughout his body, he felt a faint aura birthed within him.
Power emerged!