Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After the demonstration, Lin Zheyu stopped. He looked at the two and said with a smile, ”How was that? Are you interested in a copy? I don’t know the market price, so you can name it.”

”800 taels. I’ll pay 800 taels for this manual, Brother Lin!” said Xu Qinyi with a grin.

”Since Brother Xu is offering 800 taels, I’ll offer the same. Tell Xihong about it, too, when he returns. I’m sure he’ll be interested as well.”

”This technique is well-suited for chaotic army battles and pairs perfectly with their family’s Berserker Art,” said Ren Qingfeng with a laugh.

”800 taels? Isn’t that a bit too high, though?”

Lin Zheyu was a little surprised. He had thought that at most it would sell for 400 or 500 taels of silver, but Xu Qinyi had directly offered 800.

”No, 800 taels is actually a bargain for us. Once we bring it back, it will be used by the entire family, which makes it very worthwhile for us. If you were to buy a rare leg technique manual in one of the major cities of the Central Plains, it would cost about the same, or maybe just a hundred or two less.”

Xu Qinyi smiled and added, ”If we were to send someone there, the travel expenses combined with the cost of the manual would far exceed 800 taels.”

”That’s true. Brother Lin, just accept it with peace of mind,” said Ren Qingfeng with a smile as well.

For their two families, 800 taels of silver was not much. Although martial manuals were valuable, both families already had plenty. Unfortunately, even with manuals and abundant training resources, there were still very few who could cultivate to the Blood Qi Realm.

”Then thank you both. These two manuals are handwritten copies. You can look through them first. If you’re not satisfied, you can still return them now,” said Lin Zheyu with a smile as he took out two manuals from his robe.

Within books, there are houses of gold[1]! The ancients truly did not deceive me!

A single manual had earned him such a sum, solving his urgent financial troubles. Xu Qinyi and Ren Qingfeng accepted the manuals, flipped through them, and revealed satisfied expressions.

The Ten Thousand Troop Steps leg technique was indeed exceptional, and even among leg techniques, it could be considered a rare treasure. Even if they did not cultivate it, it would still hold great reference value.

”I’ll take the manual first, and I’ll have the money sent to your residence later,” said Xu Qinyi. ”It’s an excellent technique. A leg technique manual focused entirely on agility is extremely rare, even among leg techniques.”

Ren Qingfeng said with a smile, ”I’ll take the manual as well. I’ll have 800 taels sent over once I return.”

”Thank you both for your support. If not for the two of you, I imagine it would have taken quite some time to sell even one manual, and it might not have fetched such a price,” said Lin Zheyu gratefully.

If he were selling it on the black market, he had no idea how long it would take to sell even one manual. For such high-level manuals, those who wanted them could not afford the price, and those who could afford them rarely needed to buy them since most already had their own martial inheritances. And once it was sold, others might set up stalls in the black market to sell copies too, which would become troublesome.

Moreover, the black market was controlled by several esteemed families, who seemed intent on preventing manuals capable of cultivating to the Blood Qi Realm from appearing there.

”Haha, manuals like this will never lack buyers. I’ll send word to Xihong of the Chen Family and have him contact you to buy one,” said Xu Qinyi with a laugh.

After purchasing the manuals, they could also sell copies themselves. But there was no need, as Xu Qinyi did not care about a few hundred taels. It was better to sell Lin Zheyu a favor. His father had gone to great lengths to win Lin Zheyu’s favor, even trying to marry a Xu Family daughter to him, though without success. Yuxiang had been rather disappointing.

”Come now! Drink, drink. It’s far too hard to get Brother Lin to join us; we can never find you,” said Ren Qingfeng with a laugh, raising his cup. Several times during their gatherings, they had wanted Lin Zheyu to join, but each time, he was nowhere to be found.

”That’s right, Brother Lin. You’re far too diligent. My father used to praise me as hardworking and driven, but ever since you appeared, he’s started complaining that I don’t work hard enough. He keeps telling me to learn from you and spend more time on martial training. Sigh,” said Xu Qinyi with a wry smile.

Lately, he had indeed been nagged endlessly by Xu Jingwu. Every time his father heard that Lin Zheyu had gone out of the city again, he would scold his own son.

”It’s boring to stay in the city. Things are far more interesting outside. I’ve learned quite a few intriguing things lately during my trips out, you know?

”Have you heard of Blood Pills? I heard from some bandits that a sect called the Nine Nether Sect has appeared in Lion Valley, and they can supply Blood Pills. After taking a Blood Pill, a person can directly break through from the Organ Forging Realm to the Blood Qi Realm. It’s quite miraculous,” said Lin Zheyu with a smile. He wanted to probe indirectly to see if he could learn anything from Xu Qinyi and the others.

”I’ve heard from my third uncle that Lion Valley has been taken over by the Nine Nether Sect. The Nine Nether Sect is a sect with a thousand-year heritage and deep foundations. It’s no surprise they would have such miraculous pills.

”My father and the others have already sent people to make contact. They’ll probably manage to get some pills soon,” said Xu Qinyi.

”I’ve read in ancient texts that Blood Pills are refined using the blood of powerful beasts or warriors as the main ingredient, combined with other rare herbs and processed through special methods.

”Although Blood Pills are miraculous, they have severe side effects. Once one takes it and reaches the Blood Qi Realm, that’s the limit. They’re meant for warriors whose potential is exhausted and who have no hope of advancing further,” said Ren Qingfeng.

After hearing news about Blood Pills, he had deliberately looked into the family’s records. The esteemed families of Songyi City had lineages stretching back centuries, and their collections contained many texts recording hidden knowledge. Every time Lin Zheyu met with them, he could glean some useful information.

”If one were to purchase a Blood Pill, would it be very expensive?” asked Lin Zheyu.

”Rarity drives the price. It could probably sell for over a hundred taels of silver! However, if you use a Blood Pill to break through to the Blood Qi Realm, your strength won’t improve beyond that. In my view, the Blood Pill’s value isn’t particularly high,” said Xu Qinyi after a moment’s thought.

In his view, Blood Pills were not very practical; they only seemed precious because they could not be bought on the market. After breaking through to the Blood Qi Realm using a Blood Pill, one’s strength could hardly improve any further. The blood qi within the body amounted to only a few strands, which would be completely spent after a single burst.

Such a person might be a Blood Qi Realm warrior, but the weakest kind. With heavy crossbows and a few skilled fighters working together, they could be easily slain.

”I don’t quite agree. For a martial artist, once they break through to the Blood Qi Realm, even with just a few strands of blood qi, a full-force outburst would still allow them to easily kill a peak Organ Forging Realm expert. The difference between the two is vast,” Lin Zheyu said, shaking his head.

”I agree with Brother Lin. If Blood Pills were available for purchase, many warriors stuck at the peak of the Organ Forging Realm would be willing to spend 200 or 300 taels on them,” said Ren Qingfeng with a nod, believing that even at a price of four hundred, there would still be buyers.

”Do you wish to buy one, Brother Lin? If you do, once my father obtains some Blood Pills, I’ll save one for you and give it to you at a lower price,” said Xu Qinyi with a grin.

”I’m just curious, since I’ve never seen one,” replied Lin Zheyu with a smile. He, too, possessed four Blood Pills.

He had previously considered selling them on the black market to exchange for silver to buy herbs, but now that was no longer necessary. Just by selling the technique to Xu Qinyi and Ren Qingfeng, he had earned 1600 taels of silver.

For the first time, Lin Zheyu realized how quickly money could come. Not long after he returned from the Xu Residence, Xu Qinyi and Ren Qingfeng sent the payment. Because the sum was large, they paid in gold. It was a total of 160 taels of gold, glittering brilliantly. It was a sight most pleasing to the eye.

The first thing I need to do is to buy herbs and raise my strength. With this much money, I can purchase over 100 sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction ingredients!

After saving up Origin Force for so long, he could finally make use of it.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 10]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Perfection), Sixfold Saber (Initial Mastery 79%), Golden Goose Technique (Sixth Stage: 12%), Ten Thousand Troop Steps (Second Stage: 57%), Poison King Body (First Stage: 0%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 3%)]

To raise the Golden Goose Technique to the perfection of the Eighth Stage, I’ll need over 200 sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction ingredients. If Chen Xihong also buys a copy of the technique, the money should be enough, thought Lin Zheyu as he looked at the data within his consciousness.

Just with the support of his three wealthy friends, he had already gathered enough silver to cultivate the Golden Goose Technique to its peak.

Martial cultivation really does burn through money like water! An ordinary person would need several lifetimes to earn over 2000 taels of silver! Lin Zheyu sighed.

1. This is a Song dynasty proverb from the poem 《劝学诗》 (”Poem Encouraging Study”), traditionally attributed to Emperor Zhenzong of Song (宋真宗, r. 997–1022), ”书中自有黄金屋” means ”Within books, there are houses of gold.” ☜