Free Web NovelChapter 20: Chapter 20: Money, Money, Money
[Iron Cloth Shirt - Level One: (1/500)]
The text before Xie Yuan’s eyes changed, indicating a breakthrough in his cultivation realm.
Feeling the minuscule yet undeniably real wisp of Blood Qi in his chest, Xie Yuan’s lips curved into a slight smile.
This meant he had officially entered the first level of the Iron Cloth Shirt technique. He could now nurture Blood Qi, strengthen his skin, and had taken the most critical step on the path to becoming a Martial Artist.
The first step is always the hardest. Many registered disciples paid ten taels of silver only to fail to even grasp the basics after three months, their money completely wasted.
Xie Yuan, however, had managed to feel the flow of qi in just over three days. One could say he was exceptionally talented.
’There’s not much Blood Qi, but I can try some Skin Training...’
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt dizzy, a profound sense of emptiness welling up from within his body.
It was a feeling deeper than hunger, a weakness that seemed to originate from his very bones.
Xie Yuan swayed on his feet, barely managing to sit down on the woodpile. It was a long while before he recovered.
He was somewhat alarmed and uncertain.
’Is... this what it means for the body to be depleted?’
It seemed he really couldn’t push his training too hard.
This was clearly a warning from his body.
’But why didn’t this happen before?’
He used to chop wood every day, sometimes from dawn till dusk, which was far more strenuous than what he was doing now. Back then, his arms would be so tired he couldn’t lift them, but it was just pure exhaustion. He’d be fine after two days of rest. He had never experienced this terrifying, bone-deep weakness before.
After a moment of thought, Xie Yuan began to understand the reason.
’Practicing martial arts means squeezing out one’s physical potential... Martial Artists even shorten their lifespan before they reach a certain level...’
’It’s like those top athletes from my previous life. Their bodies were practically inhuman, and everyone thought they were the picture of health. But after retiring, they’d be plagued by injuries and often wouldn’t live long. It’s the same principle, isn’t it? It’s all due to overtaxing the body.’
’This wisp of Blood Qi in my chest is the very essence of my Qi and Blood. I can use it for Skin Training and walk the path to the extraordinary, but it’s created by condensing my Qi and Blood.’
’If a person is physically robust, using a suitable Cultivation Technique and supplementing with nutritious food and medicine, the impact on their body wouldn’t be significant. But for someone like me, who’s already running on empty, it’s a pure overdraft on my vitality.’
Having figured this out, Xie Yuan felt the wisp of Blood Qi in his chest again, his expression turning complex.
’They say one drop of essence is worth ten drops of blood. How much of my life force did this wisp of Blood Qi cost me? I’m completely drained...’
No wonder you had to be physically robust to practice martial arts; you truly needed a strong constitution to endure it.
And it was also true that one needed Inner Power to reach higher realms. Otherwise, just training martial arts without a proper cultivation method was no different from burning away one’s life force.
’Inner Power is too far off. I should focus on saving money to replenish my body first. It’s only fifty or sixty taels, right? What’s the big deal? If worse comes to worst, I’ll just go hunt another tiger!’
Of course, fifty or sixty taels was an enormous sum, and tigers weren’t exactly easy to come by.
But Xie Yuan didn’t want to give up, nor could he.
After giving himself a pep talk, he didn’t even have the strength to wipe himself down. He went straight into his room and collapsed onto his bed.
The next morning, Xie Yuan woke up in a daze, still feeling empty and exhausted, as if he’d spent the entire previous night "entertaining himself."
’This is killing me. I’ll take another day off.’
It wasn’t until the third day that Xie Yuan felt some of his strength return. He let out a long sigh.
’I can’t train recklessly again until I’ve replenished my body’s reserves.’
He was reluctant, but he knew what was important. Besides, it wasn’t hopeless. Hodar had already told him the solution; it was just a matter of saving money, which would simply take time.
But this was his only option, and he had to speed things up.
After all, there were always eyes in the village watching him, and he never knew when trouble might come knocking again.
Previously, by chopping iron-poplar trees, Xie Yuan figured he could make a gross income of about two taels of silver a month. But now, his Chopping Wood skill had advanced.
Just by chopping iron-poplars, his income could increase substantially, but he had better targets in mind.
’Fragrant Camphor Wood and Nanmu wood are both fine materials for building houses and making furniture. There’s no way they’d sell for mere firewood prices, right?’
Xie Yuan picked up his axe and headed into the mountains.
It was impossible to find valuable tree species on the forest’s outskirts; any that might have been there would have been felled long ago by woodcutters from the surrounding mountain villages.
The few good trees Xie Yuan had seen last time were deep in the mountains, near the clearing where the great beast had appeared.
It wasn’t quite the deep mountains, though. During the last tiger hunt, they had expected to be gone for two days. Instead, they had run into the tiger right on the edge of the deep mountains, and after three swings from Xie Yuan’s axe, the entire trip was over within a single day.
Having developed an interest in hunting, Xie Yuan had asked Zhu Dongming for some basic knowledge on pathfinding, avoiding danger, and identifying animal tracks. Furthermore, it was winter, so most of the snakes, insects, and wild beasts were in hiding. As long as he didn’t get lost, it was safe to venture a bit deeper.
He followed the trail he’d marked during the tiger hunt. The path felt more familiar the second time around, and in less than half a day, he spotted the first tree he had noted.
It was a large Fragrant Camphor Wood tree.
The tree naturally gave off a fragrant aroma that was not only pleasant to smell but also repelled insects.
Well-to-do families in the city loved to use it for cabinets, bed frames, and the like. This wood would have no trouble finding a buyer.
’I’m taking you to the city for a better life. If you have a spirit, please bless me with good fortune.’
Xie Yuan put his palms together and prayed silently for a moment before taking his Tiger Bone iron axe in hand.
THWACK!
THWACK, THWACK...
A steady chopping sound echoed through the forest. But after only a short while, with a loud CRACK, the tall camphor tree toppled helplessly, crushing two smaller trees beneath it.
’This axe is incredible!’
Xie Yuan was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t had a chance to properly test it before. Now that he had, he found it was much sharper than he had imagined!
Fragrant Camphor Wood was sturdy enough to be used in construction, yet it couldn’t withstand more than a few swings from his axe!
Zhou Feng was a true friend.
Of course, the fact that his own Chopping Wood skill had leveled up again also played a part. The combination of the two made felling these massive trees a simple matter.
With the camphor tree down, another problem arose.
How was he going to get such a massive tree out of the deep mountains? ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
After sizing it up, Xie Yuan thought to himself:
’I’ll just have to cut it into manageable sections and haul them out myself.’
He had already worked out a rough plan before he came. He had considered asking for help, but that would mean sharing the profits, which he was unwilling to do.
Now that he was here, he saw it wasn’t overly thick. He could cut it into a few short sections and just make more trips. If that proved too difficult, he could just cut those sections in half again. He would get it out one way or another.
The only issue was that it was meant for furniture, not firewood, so he couldn’t cut it into pieces that were too small.
Xie Yuan was like a poor business owner, unwilling to pay for labor and forced to do everything himself.
The sound of an axe striking wood once again rang through the forest.
When Xie Yuan saw the sun beginning to set in the west through the gaps in the canopy, he hoisted a large log onto his back and began the trek out of the mountains.
’I’ll just treat it as a workout...’
Xie Yuan had already verified that physical labor like Chopping Wood only caused short-term fatigue, not the kind of deep depletion that wore down his body. It was something he could recover from with more food and sleep.
Only practicing his martial arts—squeezing out and stimulating his Blood Qi—caused that bone-deep sense of dread.
He fell into a routine, entering the mountains with his axe at sunrise and hauling logs down at sunset. A full ten days passed this way.
He finally finished cutting the entire Fragrant Camphor Wood tree into fine logs, borrowed a flatbed cart from the village, loaded everything up, and began pushing it toward Panlong Town with a sense of trepidation.
’If I can’t sell this for over a tael of silver, then all this hard work won’t have been worth it... But expecting to sell wood for that much... am I being too greedy? Ah, well, seven or eight hundred wen would be fine too.’
He didn’t mind if it took more time. As long as there was hope, he had the same dogged determination as the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains.
Of course, that was assuming no one was eyeing him with predatory intent...
Upon arriving at the home of the largest carpentry merchant in town, Xie Yuan pushed his cart of wood forward and asked for a price.
"How much did you say???"
