Chapter 191 – Soul Iron Gains Flesh, Blood Gold Crystals Bring Life, The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell and Returns - Part 2
After befriending Han Feng and Leng Round, Li Yuan learned bits and pieces about the day-to-day life of sixth rank martial artists. All he could do was sigh to himself. Every realm had its own pressures.
Those who belonged to the great sects and clans at least had something to look forward to. But for those like Han Feng and Leng Rou, wandering on their own, life was rough. Their breakthroughs often stemmed from exceptional talent and strong sect legacies, but reaching the fifth rank from the sixth was virtually impossible if you couldn’t see the path ahead.
For them, all that was left was to hone their skills, wander in search of any opportunity, or establish their own sect and pass down their teachings to disciples...anything to avoid letting their ancestral lineage die with them.
Han Feng and Leng Rou appeared to be a pair of sixth rank wanderers, but back on the Cloudpeak Province, they were revered as the founding patriarchs of a sect alliance. Even so, that alliance couldn’t get their hands on any blood gold.
They had roamed Cloudpeak Province for decades, hoping to stumble on some miracle, but turned up empty. Now nearing a hundred years of age, the couple decided to venture out, gambling on the slimmest chance to break into the fifth rank.
Traveling until they reached Northriver Prefecture, they heard rumors of this freelance enforcer recruitment. So they signed up—first, to earn some blood gold; second, to build contacts with the major powers, maybe even find a chance to become official enforcers; third, because Northriver Prefecture was a remote region, which they assumed wouldn’t be too dangerous.
“Mister Woodson, my wife and I never expected to run into someone so generous here. If it hadn’t been for the heads-up you gave me, I would’ve walked right through that door and taken a lethal blow from that undying husk.” Han Feng’s hearty laughter rang out.
“The credit goes to you, Mister Han, not me,” Li Yuan replied. “Still, so that door really was a trap, was it? No wonder several disciples died as soon as they stepped inside. You’ve cleared that up for me. I’ll be extra careful next time.”
“Haha! You’re being too modest!”
“Come on, let’s have a drink,” Li Yuan said. “I’ve heard this particular wine is pretty good. It’s sold by the Purejade Merchant Association. I was skeptical at first, thinking nothing local could be that special. But to my surprise, it’s actually fantastic. Real good stuff.”
Never missing a chance to market his own products, Li Yuan poured each of them a cup of Springdream Brew, hoping to break into the high-end scene.
Han Feng took a sip, savoring the taste. His eyes lit up. “Superb! I’ll have to order a dozen jars from them next time!”