Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 112 Someone is still shooting arrows

Perhaps the first round of bidding was too frenzied. The second round was much more sober. After Zhou Ye bid relentlessly, he finally won a bottle for 295 taels. It was even cheaper than the first bottle's bid!

However, Zhou Ye then stopped making moves and began to calmly observe the situation of the others.

Sure enough, Zhou Ye soon discovered that the main bidders for the mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills were from powerful aristocratic families. Although most of them concealed their faces, these scions of aristocratic families still preferred to sit together in groups.

Since that's the case, then let's continue bidding alongside the powerful families. These scions of noble families must have information that the outside world doesn't yet know. Furthermore, Zhou Ye has a hunch that it's most likely related to the supply of elixirs.

Anyway, pills are a form of hard currency, so buying more can't be a bad thing.

However, during the subsequent auction, Zhou Ye was surprised to discover that he was not the only smart person!

Many people finally realized what was happening and joined the bidding. The price soared, with no bottle falling below 300 taels and almost all above 350 taels. The highest bid even reached 415 taels!

Before we knew it, more than 20 bottles had been auctioned off, and less than 10 bottles remained.

Zhou Ye finally made up his mind. Once again, he was determined to win and threw himself into the bidding. In the end, he won another bottle for 360 taels.

I've already obtained two bottles. With the aid of these mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills in my cultivation, breaking through to the Ming Jin stage is more than enough. Furthermore, even after reaching the Ming Jin stage, these mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills will still have some effect.

About half an hour later, all the mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills were finally auctioned off. Due to the extremely heated bidding, the atmosphere became very lively.

"The item up for auction now is the Bloodstained Sword. Although this sword hasn't quite reached the level of a divine weapon, it's only a hair's breadth away—"

"The first-rate martial arts technique, Phoenix Eye Needle, is now being auctioned off."

"What's being auctioned now is a set of protective soft armor, made of—"

"What's being auctioned now is a medicinal herb—a ten-year-old Red Scale Flower—"

"Auction now—"

"."

'

During the subsequent auction, Zhou Ye was essentially a spectator. Because he lacked almost nothing, he didn't have a strong desire to buy anything.

Okay! Actually, I'm still missing those divine weapons and high-level armor. But those are extremely expensive, and they rarely appear in previous auctions. Even top-tier weapons or armor a step below are simply unaffordable for me.

However, the auction featured many wonderful items, which broadened Zhou Ye's horizons considerably. The increased knowledge alone made the trip worthwhile.

If you think about it, you'll realize that just two bottles of mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills cost over 600 taels of silver. Therefore, as your cultivation level increases, you need to make up for all your shortcomings, which is simply burning money!

Several hours later, the auction finally entered its second half. And the opening act of the second half was also a variety of elixirs.

After auctioning off some top-quality wound medicines and antidotes, it was finally time for the most sought-after cultivation-enhancing pills.

"Distinguished guests, what we are auctioning now is the superior-grade Qi and Blood Pill. You heard right, the superior-grade Qi and Blood Pill. There are 10 bottles in total, with 3 pills in each bottle. The starting price is 200 taels, and each bid must be at least 10 taels."

"boom--!"

The entire audience erupted in commotion. It was well known that the effects of a superior-grade Qi and Blood Pill were extremely powerful. Giving it to someone in the late stages of the Qi Refining realm would be somewhat wasteful. It was generally only taken by those in the Ming Jin stage. It was even rumored that superior-grade Qi and Blood Pills could have some effect in the early stages of the An Jin realm.

On the other hand, since there are not many high-level alchemists in Fufeng County, most of the Qi and Blood Pills, such as mid-grade and high-grade ones, are transported from outside.

So, high-grade Qi and Blood Pills like these weren't unheard of before, just very rare. The price was generally around 50 taels per pill. To be honest, this starting bid already represents a significant premium.

However, for Zhou Ye, a self-taught martial artist from the common people, the opportunity to obtain a high-grade Qi and Blood Pill was extremely rare. This was because it was usually only available to government officials or wealthy families, and even then, the quantity was quite limited.

As expected, the bidding price skyrocketed as soon as the auction began.

"210 taels!"

"250 taels!"

"280 taels!"

"300 taels!"

"350 taels!"

'

""

The bidding was in full swing. Zhou Ye decided to bid high, shouting, "500 taels!"

The sudden high price silenced the entire room. Many people immediately focused their attention on Zhou Ye.

A powerful surge of energy enveloped Zhou Ye, instantly sending chills down his spine.

Fortunately, someone quickly followed suit and started bidding: "520 taels!"

"530 taels!"

'

'

When the experts shifted their attention, Zhou Ye realized that he was completely soaked in sweat.

I was careless, I was careless again.

Zhou Ye reminded himself again—this is the world of martial arts. Beneath the surface order, the true rule is the survival of the fittest. As long as the profit is sufficient, many things truly defy reason.

At this moment, Zhou Ye dared not make any rash moves. He completely abandoned the auction of these high-grade Qi and Blood Pills. And after all the high-grade Qi and Blood Pills had been auctioned off, he quietly left the venue while no one was paying attention.

Zhou Ye activated his Concealment Technique to its fullest extent, maximizing his agility. After circling the city many times and finding no one following him, he finally returned to his home at the docks, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Even as he rested that night, Zhou Ye was still shaken. Ultimately, one's level of understanding and composure are the most important things!

Now, the matter in the county town has finally come to an end.

But before returning to his small home, there was one more thing that needed to be resolved: the elderly couple, Old Gao and his wife, must not die unjustly. Even though he only had a few months left to break through to the Mingjin realm, Zhou Ye couldn't wait any longer.

I still can't let this go! No matter how much I try to live prudently, I still want to be willful just this once!

Late at night three days later.

Zhou Ye lay on a rooftop. He wore a mask and was dressed entirely in black, almost blending into the surrounding night.

About a hundred paces ahead of Zhou Ye, there was a brothel.

After several days of surveillance, Zhou Ye finally found an opportunity. Tonight, the leader of the Flower Snake Gang was hosting a dinner. He brought along all the gang's core members, including Black Six, and invited Xiong Ge from the Woodcutter Gang.

According to Zhou Ye's plan, if these people all come out at once, then he'll use arrows to shoot them from a distance. He'll kill as many as he can. If they all choose to spend the night in the brothel, then he'll have to find another opportunity.

The primary target is Xiong Ge, followed by the leader of the Flower Snake Gang, and then Hei Liu. These three are already on Zhou Ye's blacklist, and he will kill them all sooner or later.

Peeking into the direction of the brothel, Zhou Ye found that there was still no movement at the entrance, and he couldn't help but start to have wild thoughts.

That's the downside of the prefectural city; there are just too many experts here, and you never know when you might run into a few. Plus, the government has night patrols, and the brothels definitely have martial arts practitioners on official behalf. So, it's impossible to cause any major disturbance; assassination is the only option.

If they were in the wild, they would have already stormed our doorstep. These few people are no match for us.

And so, another hour or so passed. Zhou Ye was incredibly bored waiting; he was almost dozing off.

However, at that moment, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the entrance of the brothel, and Xiong Ge, the leader of the Flower Snake Gang, and others appeared together. Xiong Ge was even holding two girls on his left and right arms.

Zhou Ye's spirits lifted. He immediately picked up the bow beside him and drew a wooden arrow.

To prevent any suspicion later, Zhou Ye specifically chose wooden arrows this time.

I tested the bow's power and calculated the distance between the two sides. Having gotten used to iron-pole arrows, I was still a little unaccustomed to using wooden-pole arrows again.

Zhou Ye drew the eight-stone bow to its fullest extent, took a deep breath, and tried to clear his head.

Suddenly, a girl blocked Xiong Ge's path, causing Zhou Ye to lose his angle for shooting arrows.

Holding his breath, Zhou Ye patiently waited for the opportunity to appear again, like a hunter.

But just then, a loud "bang" was heard, and from the rooftop not far away, came the sound of a bowstring.

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment. When he looked towards the brothel again, he saw that Xiong Ge had been shot in the throat. Amid the screams of the girls beside him, Xiong Ge looked like he was about to drown, his hands flailing helplessly in the air.

"Swish swish——"

Before anyone could react, several more arrows rained down from the rooftop. One of them struck the Flower Snake Gang leader in the eye socket, and he collapsed and died instantly, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. Several other key members of the Flower Snake Gang were also hit by arrows, some dead and some wounded, and the entrance to the brothel was already in complete chaos.

I saw Black Six lying on the ground. I don't know if he has been shot dead.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from a nearby house: "You scoundrel! Prepare to die!"

A powerful surge of energy erupted from the sky, and a Ming Jin martial artist burst through the door, sword in hand. Upon spotting the direction of the archer, the Ming Jin martial artist immediately pounced towards him.

The archer reacted just as quickly. Without lingering in the fight, he immediately fled across the rooftops.

Seeing the man's retreating figure, Zhou Ye was stunned again. A smile finally appeared on his face. What a familiar figure! It was that kid? At least he's alright!

Seeing that the Ming Jin martial artist was about to give chase, Zhou Ye immediately turned his arrow around and fired two arrows in quick succession, reaching the Ming Jin martial artist in front of him. Then, he drew his battle sword, leaped up, and stood in front of the Ming Jin martial artist.

Under the astonished gaze of the martial arts master, Zhou Ye coldly said, "Friend! This is a personal matter. Don't meddle!"

Seeing the martial arts master hesitate, Zhou Ye sheathed his sword, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and then, displaying his exceptional agility, gave chase—

The martial arts master with the Ming Jin skill remained rooted to the spot, his expression shifting between light and shadow. Judging by that speed, this person must also be a Ming Jin master, right?

If it were that same martial artist who had just entered the realm of internal strength, then we would definitely go after them. But now a "manifest strength" martial artist of the same level has suddenly appeared? Then there's no need to risk our lives.

Forget it! Practicing martial arts is hard enough, why risk your life for someone else?

Let's just go home! Let's pretend nothing happened.