Chapter 077 – Another Winter

At the gate of the black market, in that nameless little pavilion, Li Yuan pored over the entrance registry.

This registry was made in three parts. Each gate of the black market checked and recorded incoming goods. Those entries were then collected before nightfall and compiled into a single volume, which was delivered to Senior Li for review.

Only after Senior Li’s red brush stroke approved it would those goods go on sale. Most of the time, though, he simply skimmed the pages and stamped his seal without much scrutiny.

So, the items Li Yuan was looking at now were those just cleared for sale that very morning. If he had come earlier, he could have known ahead of time exactly what would appear in the market today.

He flipped through the notebook quickly, but his finger moved idly across the entries, reflecting his mixed hopes. He needed several things—

One was a ninth rank demonic beast. Ideally one with a gentle temperament, good at scouting, and adept at concealment. If possible, he also wanted a

tank

type creature, something capable of home defense and providing support. He was fed up with lacking a reliable pair of eyes. When he’d been waiting to ambush Ren, he’d been reduced to hiding in an undergrowth, waiting for the right moment. He wanted an edge in tracking and surveillance.

The second was eighth rank demonic beast meat to further stimulate his shadow blood. This, he hoped, would help him break through to seventh rank. But channels for eighth rank demonic beast meat were scarce. Most of it went straight to the sect master, deputy sect master, and elders, leaving none for everyone else. He’d even jokingly considered slaughtering Senior Li’s own ashen spiritmares, but he wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to pull that off undetected. For now, it remained only a wild idea.

The third was advanced skills. Li Yuan had come to realize that Archery, Tracking, Beast Taming, and Spearmanship were foundational skills. They served more as stepping stones than as signature moves. His Spring-Autumn Blade had three forms—Spring Thunder, Spring Awakening, and Leaping Abyss. Ultimately, if cultivated to the peak, these three forms could fuse into a single, ultimate skill—something ordinary basic skills could never match. He wanted to see if the black market offered any high-ranking martial arts that might help him broaden his horizons when his cultivation hit a bottleneck.

The fourth was cultivation techniques. Since his body could accommodate two types of shadow blood simultaneously, he wondered if it could hold a third. He had no idea if that was even possible, and advanced cultivation techniques rarely appeared for sale anyway. But if he spotted a likely lead, he’d certainly investigate. He wasn’t interested in any incomplete manuals like the Return-Willow Technique, which ended after ninth rank. If he took on something new, it had to include a more advanced pathway. Though Senior Li said he could always forge his own path, Li Yuan knew he wasn’t ready to create a brand-new technique from scratch just yet.

After a thorough look, Li Yuan sighed and put the registry aside. He hadn’t found a single item on his wish list.

Senior Li, who’d been watching him, remarked, “Didn’t find anything to your liking, eh? Don’t worry. Once we finish counting up the Wei Family’s spoils, plenty of stuff will enter circulation. Just swing by every now and then, and if you find something that aids your cultivation, I’ll make sure to smooth the way for you.”

Senior Li placed great importance on passing down his legacy. With his injuries too severe to fully heal, his greatest wish was to see his personal disciple reach a point where he could chart a new path for the Spirit-Release Technique and Spring-Autumn Blade. Only then would Senior Li feel he could finally let go of the burdens he’d carried for so many years.

“Many thanks, Master...” Li Yuan said.

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In the days that followed, Li Yuan’s life suddenly acquired a comfortable routine, and with that came a sense that time was flying by. His cautious, polite demeanor kept him from provoking needless conflicts, and with Zhao Chunxin’s formidable reputation and Senior Li’s fierce protection, he could quietly train and grow beneath their giant umbrella.

Compared to his peaceful corner of the world, the former Wei Family townships were embroiled in chaos. Naturally, the Sun Family would never just stand by while the Blood Blade Sect built its power. They understood the idiom that if the lips were gone, the teeth would freeze. If one powerful clan fell, the next might not be far behind. Fighting tooth and nail, they joined forces with any surviving Wei loyalists, offering clandestine support and resorting to sabotage wherever they could.

The 12 martial halls soon ran into one problem after another. Several clashes broke out along the way. Li Yuan didn’t know the details, only that the Blood Blade Sect lost more than a few people, and some halls were forced to shut down.

Despite the sect’s best efforts to train new disciples, their losses from all this open and covert strife couldn’t be offset by the influx of fresh recruits. Ultimately, the Blood Blade Sect saw no alternative but to bring in enforcers from outside.

They relaxed their requirements and began recruiting seventh and eighth rank martial artists from beyond the county. As it turned out, quite a few wandering martial artists were more than willing to sign up.

Firstly, it gave them a secure place to settle down. Secondly, their status would rise, allowing them to indulge in luxuries without restraint. And thirdly, having a stable supply of ninth rank demonic beast meat, even if not eighth rank, was still a considerable perk.

Though their arrival did strengthen the Blood Blade Sect, it also sowed the seeds of future discord.

Li Yuan paid little mind to these developments. Seizing the opportunity while the sect was in desperate need of manpower, he had Yu Mao quietly recommend Qian Da for recruitment.

Qian Da, already known for his unusual physique and steady mind, passed without issue. He was placed as an associate, then transferred to Silver Creek under Li Yuan’s supervision to learn the sect’s martial arts.

Grateful beyond measure, Qian Da recognized that he now bore Li Yuan’s personal mark. With this in mind, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving his benefactor, while Qian Si and Qian Wu continued transporting wild game as before.

The difference now was that Li Yuan no longer charged for those animals. Instead, he supplied them straight to the Ginger Tavern for Xue Ning to use.

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Summer gave way to fall, leaves fluttering down in drifts... Out in the rural villages, wheat fields showed only a sparse dusting of gold. It was a poor harvest. Yet again, famine was looming.

A sense of despair crept through the population, the misery beyond words. Grain and wine prices stayed high, and merchants eagerly hoarded the newly harvested grain, waiting for the chance to resell it at enormous profit.

Meanwhile, the Ginger Tavern opened a charity kitchen, serving porridge free of charge to beggars, refugees—anyone on the brink of starvation.

As autumn passed and winter arrived, the Blood Blade Sect’s new blood brought a mild upheaval. Where there had once been orderly discipline, small-scale acts of bullying and exploitation began to crop up among its ranks. For many, brute strength became a tool for pushing people around.

Li Yuan kept his distance, focusing on his small domain in Silver Creek and carrying on his simple routine—splitting time between the inner district, Silver Creek, and the black market.

He stopped by the black market each evening, bringing Senior Li hot tea or fine wine while checking the daily registry. That way, he’d know in advance which goods would appear the next morning and could plan his purchases. If he spotted something he wanted, he never gave himself away, and Senior Li never pried.

When the time came, Li Yuan would don his mask and cloak disguise with his short blade hidden in his sleeve. Then, he’d arrive at the black market at dawn to buy what he needed. To keep from standing out, sometimes he’d pass on beast meat, or deliberately show his face to purchase unrelated odds and ends. He even prepared seven different disguise sets, complete with a padded belly, high-heeled boots, fake beard, or long hair, just to ensure no one caught on.

Many in the black market wore masks anyway, so his odd getups drew little notice. In the past, he couldn’t have afforded such lavish acquisitions, but with Xue Ning backing him, he had the means.

Eighth rank demonic beast meat remained exceedingly rare, but thanks to the registry, he always knew what was coming in and could swoop in before anyone else. Over time, he managed to accumulate anywhere from 35 kg of meat on a slow month, and up to 50 kg when he was lucky.

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Time slipped by.

When the harshest stretch of midwinter arrived in the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow fell like slithering serpents, swirling flakes like silver scales scattering across the sky and land. The wind howled through the streets of Gemhill County, driving icy drifts around every corner.

Inside the courtyard of their inner district residence, Yan Yu and Xue Ning, both wrapped in white furs, admired the snow and plum blossoms. Over a brazier, a pot of simmering broth bubbled and steamed, filling the air with warmth and comfort.

Sitting alone under the eaves of his private study, Li Yuan gazed at the icicles hanging from the roof. He watched them swaying and snapping in the wind, shattering on the ground below.

He felt an unshakable certainty stirring inside that he would break through to seventh rank.

And when it happened, Li Yuan planned to immediately reach complete mastery, joining the ranks of the strongest in Gemhill County.