Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Zhou Yang’s voice was a little soft, his head lowered, his eyes darting around.

During this time, the changes in Pingling County had been tremendous.

The Yao Family had suddenly become the number one household in the inner city, with the backing of Magistrate Nie from above and having opened up the market with Blood-Nourishing Medicinal Cuisine below.

One could say that in Pingling County, what the Yao Family wanted, the Yao Family would eventually get!

Having spent so much time with Jiang Shu, he understood him too well. He was a pure Martial Artist. Had it been someone else with such potent salt, MSG, and spices, they would have marketed them extensively, making an untold fortune. But Jiang Shu only periodically supplied some to the Zhou Family’s restaurant. In his eyes, making money could never surpass advancing his Martial Arts Realm. That’s why he had advanced so quickly from a Martial Artist practicing Qi Blood Transport to nurturing his strength and achieving the Skin Grinding Realm.

But... that was probably it! In the vast Pingling County, up to now, how many Martial Artists in the Bone Forging Realm were there? The masters of the martial arts halls, the Family Heads and elders of the prominent families, the powerful figures within the County Office—all together, there were at most only forty or fifty people. Jiang Shu, no matter how talented, would at most reach the Skin Grinding Realm in all these years. Chou Lao, from his backing, the Famished Tiger Martial Arts Hall, was also old and his vitality was declining. A few months ago, Chou Lao and Jiang Shu were, in his eyes, like mountains—figures to be revered. But now, facing the true Yao Family, he realized that a prominent family was always a prominent family. Especially the Yao Family, now backed by Magistrate Nie; their power was far beyond what the Famished Tiger Martial Arts Hall could match.

He couldn’t help but stealthily glance up at the expressionless Jiang Shu.

In his mind, he recalled Yao Wenbai’s visit to the Zhou Family’s restaurant a few days prior. After presenting the secret recipe for the Blood-Nourishing Medicinal Cuisine during a grand birthday celebration, Yao Wenbai’s status was elevated once again. Dressed as a graceful young master, although he was only at the Great Circle of Qi Blood Circulation, he could summon several cultivators at the Skin Grinding Realm to act as enforcers at the restaurant. His status and treatment were already comparable to those of a true direct heir. In front of such a scion of a great family, what did his Zhou Family’s restaurant count for? Cooperating with the Yao Family might not be a bad thing. In fact, it might be better...

"No hurry. I’ve been a bit busy recently," Jiang Shu shook his head, his words half true, half false. "A Martial Artist’s daily meat consumption is enormous. I plan to go hunting in the mountains during this time to see if I can take down some Mutant Beasts."

When Zhou Yang spoke these words, he knew the note in his courtyard warning him to ’Be Careful’ was not baseless. His suspicions were confirmed: Zhou Yang had definitely become greedy. Otherwise, coming from a merchant family, he should know better than anyone that keeping secret recipes to oneself was the safest path. To ask so directly, either he thought Jiang Shu, devoted to martial arts, didn’t much care for salt, MSG, and spices, or he believed their time together had earned him enough trust. And yet, a small establishment like the Zhou Family’s restaurant, even if you gave them the courage of eighteen bears, wouldn’t dare to be so audacious as to try and trick him out of his secret formulas. There was only one possibility: the Yao Family had made their move.