Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Chapter 123: Chapter 48: Inventorying the Spoils of War, a Great Harvest!

Luoshui Lake.

On the deserted island.

“Phew—”

Jiang Ning dragged the body of Tian Buyi back onto the rocks.

Though he could now breathe underwater, his body hadn’t yet adapted to this new skill, and he couldn’t help but let out a breath of air, then he deeply inhaled some fresh air.

The next moment.

He looked down at Tian Buyi’s body laid on the rocks.

“Tian Buyi, of Martial Arts Eighth Grade, also fell by my hand. Though I had the advantage of terrain, there’s no doubt that my strength has seen tremendous improvement from defeating such an Eighth Grade powerhouse.”

“And…” A smile couldn’t help but form on Jiang Ning’s lips as he thought to himself, “And by slaying Tian Buyi, I can claim the hundred taels of gold as a reward for his body.”

“With that hundred taels of gold, I won’t have to worry about money for a long time.”

“A hundred taels of gold, equivalent to a hundred thousand taels of silver, is an outrageous fortune that could instantly make me one of the wealthiest men in Luoshui County, far surpassing even the family fortune of Cheng Ran!”

At this moment, although these thoughts crossed Jiang Ning’s mind, he was not overly excited.

A hundred taels of gold, it was just too exaggerated!

Even with the backing of Medicine King Valley, his instincts told him that this matter wasn’t so simple.

After all, Tian Buyi was just a Martial Arts Eighth Grade bandit.

What did he do to deserve a hundred taels of gold as a bounty from Medicine King Valley?

Hence, Jiang Ning instinctively felt something was fishy.

The next moment.

He squatted in front of Tian Buyi and removed the black gloves from his hands.

These gloves had caught his attention long before.

Underwater, he had delivered four slashes at his utmost limit.

Yet Tian Buyi could easily catch all four of his slashes with just his right fist.

While Tian Buyi’s own strength contributed to this, the gloves played a significant role.

Without these gloves that feared neither sword nor blade, how could Tian Buyi’s flesh and blood withstand his four slashes?

Hence, when Jiang Ning noticed the gloves on Tian Buyi’s hands, he knew they must be highly valuable.

Gloves that could easily withstand blades were surely worth several times more than ordinary swords.

After removing the gloves, Jiang Ning began to search the rest of the body.

This sort of bandit, who risked his neck at every turn, undoubtedly carried all his wealth on his person.

Such a man could only trust himself.

A short while later.

Jiang Ning laid out the items he had collected from Tian Buyi before him.

A golden box, not even as large as a palm.

A folded piece of oiled paper.

There was also a tied cloth bag.

Plus two jade vials.

Not many items.

Jiang Ning first unfolded the oiled paper.

“So it’s a silver note!” he murmured as several folded silver notes appeared before him.

After briefly counting them, a look of slight disappointment crossed his face.

The silver notes didn’t amount to much, only one hundred and thirty taels.

This wealth did not match the status of a Martial Arts Eighth Grade individual like Tian Buyi.

Then, Jiang Ning stored these silver notes, rewrapped them in the oiled paper, sealed them tightly, to prevent the lake water from wetting them when submerged.

After storing the silver notes, he picked up the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand.

Just by weighing it, he knew it contained broken silver.

Money was a necessity for anyone traveling the world.

Loosening the bag’s strings, Jiang Ning saw the gleaming broken silver shine under the sunlight.

“Around seven to eight taels,” he estimated, speaking to himself.

Then he carefully stored the broken silver.

He picked up the two jade vials.

After opening them, he poured two pills into his hand and examined them closely before shaking his head slightly.

“The efficacy is unknown; I can’t use them recklessly.”

He replaced the pills, sealed the vials, and thought, “I’ll keep them. I’ll have someone from Wanhua Building take a look when there’s a chance.”

Finally.

He picked up the palm-sized box.

Just by holding the box in his hand, Jiang Ning felt it was extraordinary, as he could smell a faint sandalwood scent up close.

“This fragrance can fend off insects; it must be out of the ordinary.”

As he spoke, he opened the box and saw two pills wrapped in a golden outer coating inside.

Each pill was about the size of a pigeon egg, and beside the two golden pills, there was an indent where a third pill had clearly been placed.

“These pills look uncommon!” Jiang Ning murmured, then shook his head. “It’s a pity I don’t recognize them; I can’t just consume them blindly.”

At that moment, his eyes suddenly sharpened.

He noticed raised lettering on the coating of the two pills in the box.

He then picked up one of the pills to examine it closely.

The next moment.

Jiang Ning’s pupils constricted sharply.

“Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill!”

He took another deep breath, his eyes shining brightly as he murmured to himself.

“It’s actually the Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill!”

“I understand now!”

“I finally understand why Medicine King Valley offered a reward of a hundred taels of gold for the capture of Tian Buyi.”

“Tian Buyi actually snatched three Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pills from Medicine King Valley. He had previously consumed one, which is why there were only two left.”

At this moment, Jiang Ning’s mind became crystal clear. After seeing the seven large characters for Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill on the outside of the pills, he understood everything.

Naturally, he had heard of the Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill.

Or rather, anyone in Dongling County who practiced Martial Arts had likely heard of this pill.

This pill was the most famous divine elixir of Medicine King Valley.

After being consumed and refined, it could enhance the physique, bolster Qi-Blood, strengthen muscles and bones, and naturally increase physical power. Most importantly, it could improve a person’s Innate Root Bone.

Because of this effect, the Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill was truly worthy of the name divine elixir and was the dream pill of countless Martial Artists.

However, such a pill was priceless and never circulated outside.

Aside from being consumed internally by Medicine King Valley, it was offered as a tribute.

Thus, Jiang Ning now understood everything.

Tian Buyi must have robbed a tribute from Medicine King Valley and stolen these three Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pills, hence the bounty of a hundred taels of gold on his head.

At this moment,

the sight of the remaining two Leopard Embryo Body Refining Pills spurred a single thought in Jiang Ning’s heart.

A hundred taels of gold?

Compared to the Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill, it was nothing.

The value of a single Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pill far exceeded a hundred taels of gold.

After all, this was a famous pill from Medicine King Valley, capable of improving a person’s Innate Root Bone.

It was like when he had joined the Martial Arts Hall, where Wang Jin had felt his bones and then deemed him to have average potential.

This meant his Root Bone was utterly ordinary, without anything remarkable.

And the importance of the Root Bone in progressing far in Martial Arts was unquestionable.

Those who attained great success on the path of Martial Arts either had extraordinary Innate Root Bones or amazing insight.

In short, everyone had their strengths, as well as their own opportunities.

Without these, mere hard work was unlikely to lead to significant achievements.

This path, much like a fierce race of a hundred boats, was also incredibly ruthless.

Therefore, Jiang Ning knew.

Even though he possessed a miraculous panel, if he could improve his own Root Bone, his growth would be even faster.

Compared to a pill that could improve one’s Innate Root Bone, wealth was truly inconsequential, of little concern.

Even if he had money, he would not easily get his hands on such a pill.

Afterward,

Jiang Ning grabbed Tian Buyi’s corpse and flung it into the lake.

Splash—

With the sound of something hitting the water, Tian Buyi’s body disappeared into the waves.

“Done!” Jiang Ning clapped his hands and continued, “Feeding his body to the fish means no one will find him, and no one will know Tian Buyi died by my hand.”

“I don’t even want the hundred taels of gold! With these two Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pills, I’m satisfied!”

At this moment, Jiang Ning’s face showed an expression of pleasure.

Then,

he glanced once more at the spot where Tian Buyi had disappeared, making sure there were no surprises, before grabbing the fifty-year Blood Lotus that he had placed on the ground and quickly climbed up the cliff face.

Soon,

he reached the top of the cliff and the place where he had stowed his belongings.

Having practiced his sword here for many days, he naturally brought along essential supplies for Martial Arts practice.

After all, if he did not have the support of medicine while practicing under Luoshui Lake for so long each day, how could his body withstand it?

After gathering these supplies, Jiang Ning made several leaps down the cliffside and plunged into the lake.

He couldn’t wait to go back and digest his gains.

As for this deserted island, he planned not to return for a very long time.

Staying away from the scene of the incident was, in his opinion, the wise thing to do.

Now, an elder in charge of that part of Medicine King Valley was still hunting for Tian Buyi.

If they ever learned that Tian Buyi had died by his hand, danger would immediately fall upon him.

Even Wang Jin wouldn’t have much influence in the face of Medicine King Valley.

After all, the mere dispatch of one elder, who was at the Martial Arts Seventh Grade, was indicative of the extraordinary strength of Medicine King Valley.

Not to mention, Medicine King Valley was renowned for its Alchemy Dao and Medical Skill.

Such a Sect undoubtedly had extensive connections.

It was an existence not to be trifled with.

To them, the Cao family might just be considered a large household, nowhere near their level.

Therefore, after discovering why Tian Buyi was pursued by Medicine King Valley, and deciding to consume the two Leopard Embryo Shaping Body Pills, Jiang Ning dared not linger on this deserted island.

He feared an unexpected encounter with someone from Medicine King Valley.

Should someone from Medicine King Valley spot him, with Tian Buyi gone and his whereabouts unknown, they would inevitably suspect Tian Buyi was dead.

And they might also suspect him.

Even if the chances were slim, Jiang Ning wouldn’t take the risk.

He chose to go home, to quickly leave this deserted island, to avoid this risk.

After submerging into the water, Jiang Ning swiftly headed towards the shore.