Chapter 158: Golden Wing Codex (I)

Outside Bafang City, a few hundred meters beyond the city walls, lay neatly arranged square farmlands. At dawn, the diligent farmers rose to work in the fields, weeding and planting vegetables, toiling until nightfall before returning home.

Bafang City appeared peaceful and prosperous, seemingly untouched by the chaos of war. If not for the frequent arrival of merchant caravans seeking refuge and the occasional appearance of refugees, one might doubt that a war even existed. The common folk of Bafang City likely did not believe that Great Wei was at war at all.

Lin Zheyu stepped out of the city gates, took out a map to confirm his direction, and began walking toward the distant mountains. Bafang City was located in the central region of the Southern Barbarian Region, surrounded by hills, beyond which stretched endless mountain ranges.

Within those mountains dwelled many wild and ferocious beasts. As a prefecture-level city, Bafang City governed eighteen county-level cities, such as Songyi City, and maintained a local army of over thirty thousand elite soldiers. It was thanks to this powerful army's presence that no bandits or beasts dared cause trouble around Bafang City.

After leaving the city, Lin Zheyu entered the dense forest. He found a secluded spot and changed his appearance. His muscles swelled, his frame grew broader, and his facial features subtly shifted into the fierce visage of a domineering middle-aged man. He intended to use this appearance when traveling outside from now on.

Even if he revealed his strength, appearing to be in his 30s would not attract excessive attention. Otherwise, with his original appearance, anyone could tell he was just seventeen or eighteen. If he displayed the power of the fourth transformation at such a young age, it would draw far too much attention.

Even in the Central Plains, someone reaching the fourth transformation of blood qi at seventeen or eighteen was exceedingly rare; such prodigies could only come from great families or sects. A genius like that appearing in a place like Bafang City would easily arouse covetous interest. Not to mention that if others discovered that Lin Zheyu had been cultivating for less than a year, they would certainly want to capture him and study how he advanced so quickly.

As he walked through the forest, dry grass, fallen leaves, and twigs crunched beneath his feet, and he was sometimes entangled with creeping vines. He roamed the forest for a while but saw no sign of bandits. However, he encountered quite a few hunters and herb gatherers in the deeper woods.

Unlike Songyi City, which was remote and poor in resources, most of the major forces and gangs were concentrated within the inner city. Outside Bafang City were many forces of varying size. Among them, Purple Yu[1] Mountain Manor, Forest Net Temple, Shadow Moon Peak, and Wolf King Fort were the most renowned powers beyond the city walls.

While hunting deep in the mountains, Lin Zheyu would occasionally encounter members dressed in the uniforms of these factions. Since he had not run into any bandits, hunting became his only means of earning money. Powerful beasts could fetch quite a good price.

Beasts at the peak of the Organ Forging Realm could sell for at least 7 or 8 taels of silver, depending on their type. Beasts at the Blood Qi Realm or above started at 10 taels, while those at the first transformation of blood qi could sell for more than 20. However, fierce beasts had extremely sharp senses and tough hides, making them difficult to capture, hence their high prices.

Deeper within the dense forest, Lin Zheyu stepped on fallen leaves, the soft rustling echoing beneath his feet. This trip was mainly to scout and identify the activity ranges of powerful beasts, so he could later lure them out with bait. The Toxicology Codex recorded various kinds of bait for different beasts. He intended to test them all to see which worked best.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a dark shadow lunged from the underbrush, followed by a pack of red-eyed wolves, their scarlet eyes gleaming as they charged at Lin Zheyu. He sidestepped lightly and struck out with his left palm, sending the nearest wolf flying. The wolf slammed against a tree trunk and fell silent.

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of dull thuds echoed as wolves were sent flying one after another. Three of them were killed in quick succession. The pack, sensitive to danger, immediately realized they had provoked a formidable warrior.

A deep howl rang out, the lead wolf gave a low growl, and the pack instantly turned tail, vanishing into the forest. With a light tap of his toe, Lin Zheyu's figure blurred like a ghost, silently appearing beside the fleeing lead wolf.

Thud!

He struck down on the wolf's forehead with a single palm. It wasn't too hard—just enough to knock it unconscious. A living beast was always worth more than a dead one.

"Caught a live wolf around the first transformation of blood qi. This should fetch a decent price," he murmured.

Lin Zheyu grabbed the wolf by its neck with his left hand and lifted it easily. The red-eyed wolves had keen senses for danger, but Lin Zheyu had cultivated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to third-stage perfection, allowing him to suppress his aura and lure them into attacking first.

For other warriors at the third transformation of blood qi, encountering a pack of twenty or thirty wolves alone would have been extremely dangerous. Only Lin Zheyu, with his astonishing speed and movement techniques, could face such an assault without fear. Combined with the Mountain Shattering Palm, even thick-skinned wolves could be killed in one strike. To him, a charging pack was nothing more than a line of easy prey.

I'll sell this wolf first, then come back tomorrow to hunt again

.

Carrying the Red-Eyed Wolf through the forest made it impossible to conceal his presence. Other beasts, smelling its scent, avoided him from afar. With the live Red-Eyed Wolf in his left hand and two Organ Forging Realm wolf carcasses slung over his right shoulder, he descended the mountain toward a manor at its base.

This was a trading market for herbs and wild game, where hunters, herbalists, and merchant caravans gathered in large numbers. As he walked into the manor, he saw hunters and herbalists setting up stalls everywhere, along with vendors selling bows, crossbows, beast bait, and traps for capturing wild beasts. Calling it a manor was hardly accurate; it was more like a specialized marketplace.

A burly man selling beast meat at a nearby stall glanced at Lin Zheyu and couldn't help but exclaim, "A live Red-Eyed Wolf, and one at the first transformation of blood qi!"

Having hunted in the mountains for years, he was deeply familiar with wild beasts and instantly recognized the creature in Lin Zheyu's hand. His shout drew the attention of others, and many turned to look at Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu's fierce and domineering face remained expressionless as he swept his cold gaze around. Holding the live wolf and carrying two wolf corpses on his shoulder, he strode calmly forward.

"Friend, will you sell that Red-Eyed Wolf? I'll offer 40 taels of silver," an old man approached and asked with a smile.

"

Heh

, old man, you think you can buy a live Red-Eyed Wolf for only 40 taels? I'll pay 85 taels, and I'll buy those two wolf carcasses too for 8 taels each," another burly man cut in with a grin.

"Make way, make way. This friend, I'll take all three. 130 taels of silver for the live Red-Eyed Wolf and the two carcasses," a powerful-looking man declared as he stepped forward.

The crowd parted as a tall, muscular middle-aged man emerged, clearly someone the others feared.

"Pang Da of Wolf King Fort. I knew someone from Wolf King Fort would show up."

"With Wolf King Fort's beast-taming techniques, they might even be able to train that wild Red-Eyed Wolf into a pet beast."

"What a pity. If only I'd made an offer earlier..."

The people whispered among themselves as Lin Zheyu calmly looked the man up and down.

The man appeared to be in his forties, was broad and heavily built like most martial practitioners, but unusually tall at at least 2.3 meters tall. He made no attempt to conceal his first transformation of blood qi aura, and a massive black wolf stood beside him.

"Anyone offering higher? If not, I'll sell to this friend," said Lin Zheyu evenly. He glanced around, waited for a moment, but no one else raised the price.

He turned to the man and said, "Deal."

"Straightforward. I like that," replied the man. "I'm Pang Da of Wolf King Fort. If you catch any more live wolf-type beasts, sell them to us. We'll always offer the best price."

Pang Da handed over 13 taels of gold with a smile.

"Alright," Lin Zheyu replied coolly, then walked through the crowd and entered deeper into the manor.

The onlookers watched him leave, murmuring among themselves.

A new face. It seems Bafang City has gained another powerful warrior.

Pang Da watched Lin Zheyu's back and pondered silently.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Since the rebel army's rise, many powerful individuals had arrived in Bafang City from other places, but few could capture a Red-Eyed Wolf at the first transformation alive like Lin Zheyu. Red-eyed wolves were fast and thick-skinned; even a fourth transformation expert could only inflict minor wounds with a full strike. They were also pack beasts who were rarely seen alone, usually moving in groups of more than a dozen. Most martial artists could only flee upon encountering them. Only someone like Lin Zheyu, with extraordinary lightness techniques and a powerful attack like the Mountain Shattering Palm, could easily handle an entire pack and capture their leader alive.

Hunting fierce beasts might not be a bad path after all.

A live beast at the first transformation of blood qi, along with two Organ Forging Realm wolf carcasses, sold for over a hundred taels of silver. It was more than he had expected. If he could make such profits every day, it would be no worse than hunting bandits back in Songyi City.

As expected, strength was the foundation of everything. Once one's strength rose, there were countless ways to earn money, and there was no need to ever worry about being poor. If one couldn't earn, it was only because their strength wasn't enough.

Lin Zheyu wandered around the manor. Many herbalists were selling various herbs, but they were all common varieties, and none of the rare ingredients he needed. The herbs listed in the Toxicology Codex for refining poisons were precious items that sold easily; those sellers had no need to peddle their goods in such markets.

After exploring for over two hours and understanding the market prices for beasts around Bafang City, Lin Zheyu left. A living beast could fetch five to six times the price of a dead one. If Lin Zheyu could capture a beast at the fourth transformation of blood qi alive, it could easily sell for more than 700 or 800 taels.

***

The next day, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, its light pouring down and filling the courtyard with heat. It was the height of summer, and the weather was unbearably hot. Bare-chested, Lin Zheyu trained in the courtyard, sweat pouring down like rain.

1. 虞 (yú) can mean "caution," "pleasure," or appear in ancient place names (like 虞国, State of Yu). In many literary or sect names, it's used for elegant, refined, or noble nuance rather than literal meaning. ☜