A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

It was nearing evening at Qingyang Martial Arts School.

After seeing Chen Shaoshang off, Zhou Yuan did not stop, but continued to practice his stance training in the courtyard.

He was already a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, a realm that was once an unattainable height for him before he began practicing martial arts.

However, when he actually stood there, he realized that the pressure on his shoulders had not lessened in the slightest; it had simply transformed from a struggle for basic sustenance into a thirst for greater strength.

Whether it was Zhao Dacheng, who secretly framed him, or the martial arts competition that was just two months away, both made him feel extremely eager to improve his strength.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, dark clouds rolled in, and a muffled rumble of thunder grew louder as it approached.

Before long, large raindrops began to pour down.

Zhou Yuan finished his practice and stood up, his mind racing: "I've got the medicinal bath recipe; now I need to gather the herbs. With the medicinal bath as an aid, my skill level will definitely increase much faster."

He recalled the rather expensive medicinal herbs on the prescription, most of which could only be found in the inner city.

Seeing the increasingly dark sky and the torrential rain, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated, turned around and walked into the rain, heading straight towards the inner city.

As evening approached, the rain continued incessantly.

Zhou Yuan held up an oil-paper umbrella and walked on the slippery bluestone road in the inner city.

He is now well-off. The thousand taels of silver notes he plundered from the Black Wind Mountain bandits last night, plus what he got from killing Gao Sheng and Wei Rong, bring his total to over seventeen hundred taels.

This huge sum of money is enough to support his cultivation expenses for a long time.

About half an hour later, Zhou Yuan found an old shop called "Jishi Pharmacy" in the southeast corner of the inner city.

He folded his umbrella, shook off the moisture from his clothes, and went inside.

Zhou Yuan recited the medicinal herbs listed in the bath recipe given to him by his master, Zhu Xiaowen.

The pharmacy clerk worked quickly and soon prepared a large bag of medicinal herbs and handed it over.

"Sir, that'll be ten taels of silver in total."

Ten taels of silver.

Zhou Yuan clicked his tongue slightly.

This amount of money, if it were in the past, would have been enough for him and his sister to live frugally for two or three years. But now, it's only enough for the cost of one medicinal bath.

The path of martial arts is indeed a gold-devouring beast.

If it weren't for the windfalls I'd received before, my meager savings wouldn't have been able to withstand such a drain.

He sighed inwardly, paid the money, and then took out the ancient prescription for treating his sister's leg injury.

"Hey buddy, could you check this out for me again? Do you have any of these medicinal herbs in the shop?"

The shop assistant took the prescription and, seeing Zhou Yuan's generous spending, dared not be negligent. He quickly returned to the back storeroom to search carefully.

A moment later, the waiter came out with an apologetic look on his face.

The result left Zhou Yuan somewhat disappointed.

Of the main ingredients recorded in the ancient prescription, apart from the fire lingzhi that he already possessed, none of the others were available.

The pharmacy only had half of the remaining ten auxiliary medicines in stock.

However, Zhou Yuan was not discouraged.

This is an ancient prescription, and most of the medicinal materials recorded on it are rare and uncommon, so it is normal that you cannot find them for a while.

He bought all five kinds of auxiliary medicines that he could currently purchase, and instructed his assistant that if he received any other medicinal materials from the prescription in the future, he should be sure to save a portion for him.

The waiter readily agreed.

This trip cost nearly forty taels of silver.

Zhou Yuan packed all the medicinal herbs and carried them in his hand, without feeling much pain in his eyes.

He opened his umbrella and stepped back into the increasingly dense rain.

Raindrops pattered against the umbrella, splashing up tiny droplets on the bluestone slabs of the street.

Zhou Yuan walked slowly.

Just then, a man with an exceptionally large physique walked towards them.

The man was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, completely covering his face.

He carried a broadsword wrapped in thick cloth on his back, and his whole body exuded a strong, pungent, and chilling aura.

That's the kind of killing intent that can only be honed by constantly walking on the edge of life and death.

Zhou Yuan paused, his blood and qi surging unconsciously, and he instantly tensed up.

This person is extremely dangerous!

Zhou Yuan's mind raced. He had taken many lives on his hands, and it was hard to say that some enemy might be coming after him.

However, as the burly man in the straw raincoat brushed past him, he only paused almost imperceptibly, pulled his straw hat down a little further, and then made no other move.

Zhou Yuan did not turn around and continued walking forward.

After walking several hundred feet, he slowly turned around.

The rain intensified, and amidst the rising steam, only the blurry silhouette of the burly man in the straw raincoat could be seen.

He headed towards Zui Chun Lou, the largest and most expensive brothel in the inner city.

"That figure... seems somewhat familiar."

Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, searching his memory for a moment, but he still couldn't match this person with anyone he knew.

After a moment, he snapped out of his thoughts, stopped thinking about it, quickened his pace, and headed towards the muddy alley in the outer city.

……

Meanwhile, in the inner city, at the Chen family residence.

Inside the study, Chen Chongfeng, the head of the Chen family's forging shop, was frowning as he faced the mountain of account books piled on his desk.

A middle-aged man dressed as an accountant was standing to the side, cautiously reporting in a low voice.

"Master, since the Wang family's blacksmith shop opened, our profits in the first month have shrunk by a full 30%."

"Those major families in the inner city, whether they were coerced by the Wang family or received some benefits, have cancelled all their previous orders and turned to buy weapons from the Wang family instead."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chongfeng slammed the ledger shut.

"What about the patrol battalion?" he asked. "Why did they cancel their orders too?"

Upon hearing Chen Chongfeng's question, the middle-aged man trembled and lowered his voice even further.

"Reporting to your master, the commander of the patrol battalion said that they have no plans to clear out Black Wind Mountain recently, and therefore do not need so many weapons and armor for the time being."

"However... he also said that if our Chen family agrees to do business only with their patrol battalion in the future, they can purchase a large quantity in advance."

Chen Chongfeng could no longer hide his anger and slammed his hand on the table.

What a cruel joke!

The merchant alliance is running on the bank, and the patrol battalion is taking advantage of the situation!

The Chen family only wanted to remain neutral, but now they have become the target of suppression by both sides, truly facing a crisis.

He forcibly suppressed his anger, waved his hand, and dismissed the middle-aged man.

Just then, the curtain to the study was lifted, and Chen Shaoshang walked in from outside.

Chen Chongfeng didn't even look at him, but simply spoke in a calm tone.

"Should we cancel the orders from the Han and Jiang families as well?"

Chen Shaoshang nodded helplessly.

After hearing this, Chen Chongfeng did not blame him as usual. Instead, he sighed and said earnestly:

"Now you know why I told you to make friends with those rich kids, right?"

"You, Jiang Qian from the Jiang family, and Han Ming from the Han family are from the same sect."

"If you had been closer to those two in your daily lives, the Jiang and Han families certainly wouldn't have stood idly by like this today!"

Chen Shaoshang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end he just remained silent.

He disliked making friends with ulterior motives, but he couldn't refute his father's words.

Just then, the gatekeeper announced from outside.

"Master, Master Zhang Hao, who is affiliated with the company, has come to pay his respects."

Chen Chongfeng frowned slightly.

Zhang Hao is a newly recruited employee who is temporarily affiliated with the company.

Recently, the Chen family's business has suffered setbacks, and Zhang Hao is not the first to come to "pay a visit".

They called it a visit, but in reality, they were just trying to gauge the situation and see if the Chen family's ship was still stable.

Chen Chongfeng snorted coldly in his heart, but remained outwardly calm, and gave the order to the person outside the door:

"Go to the accounting office and withdraw fifty taels of silver, and also get fifteen Body Tempering Pills. Just say it's an advance payment from me."

"Yes, sir."

After giving his instructions, Chen Chongfeng straightened his clothes, stood up, and strode out of the study.

Chen Shaoshang stood there, watching his father's departing figure, his expression growing increasingly somber.

He knew that his father was using money to buy temporary stability and to demonstrate the Chen family's continued wealth to those wavering affiliates.

But how long can this method last?

The curtain swayed gently, stirring up a breeze that ruffled the account books spread out on the table, making a rustling sound.

......