Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 265: Chapter 153: The Deceptive Posthouse, Extra Income_2

The young attendant couldn’t help but laugh after hearing that. ”You really underestimate our boss lady! She’s not just a pretty face. Our boss lady is a genuine Silver Bone Realm expert. Besides, anyone who frequents this route knows that our boss holds an important position in the Red Cloud Prefecture. Anyone reckless enough to mess around is like an old man eating poison—looking for death!”

Gu Sheng committed this information to memory, casually ordered a few small dishes, reserved the most basic room, and dismissed the attendant.

One had to admit that while this inn was indeed safe, its charges were exorbitant!

Gu Sheng ordered three dishes in total: two meat dishes and one vegetarian. The food wasn’t anything exotic—just roasted chicken, sauced beef, and stir-fried vegetables. In Canghe County, these three dishes wouldn’t even cost one tael of silver. Here, however, it took a full twenty taels! And if the food costs were already so high, then the accommodations were even more expensive. The cheapest room he reserved for one night was thirty taels, and above that were three tiers—Grade A, B, and C rooms. To his shock, the Grade A room cost a staggering one hundred and eighty taels!

This price was outrageous—enough to buy a small courtyard in the outskirts of Canghe County. Gu Sheng couldn’t help but wonder what mystery lay behind the Grade A room to justify such a steep cost.

A quarter of an hour later, the attendant served all three of Gu Sheng’s dishes. Upon taking a bite, Gu Sheng almost spat it out.

The food here was undoubtedly both expensive and terrible. Seeing that no one around him dared to complain, though, Gu Sheng wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. The attendant had already warned him earlier—this boss lady wasn’t someone to offend.

While eating, Gu Sheng noticed a man in a fitted outfit who walked briskly into the inn with a knife hanging at his waist. He placed an emblem card on the counter and pulled out a silver note worth five hundred taels.

”Boss lady, may I trouble you to temporarily recruit some people under your name for the Mu Merchant Guild?”

The boss lady received the silver note with a beaming smile. She lowered her voice and asked with a chuckle, ”How could a prestigious Mu Merchant Guild suddenly lack manpower? Did you perhaps discover something in Thunder Wood Mountain?”

The man from the Mu Merchant Guild frowned upon hearing this. ”Boss lady, asking such a thing will only break the rules!”

The boss lady laughed, covering her mouth. ”Haha, I’ve overstepped. Fine then, I’ll help you recruit. However, what kind of compensation are you providing? Let me know so I can make it clear to them.”

After clarifying everything, the boss lady suddenly slammed her palm on the counter, creating a loud noise.

The commotion immediately captured everyone’s attention. The previously noisy hall grew silent in an instant.

With everyone’s eyes on her, the boss lady cleared her throat and announced, ”Ladies and gentlemen, there’s a mission in Thunder Wood Mountain that needs extra manpower. Is anyone interested in making some side money?”

The diners were unfazed, as if this was routine. Some immediately asked questions.

”What kind of mission is it? Is it dangerous? How’s the compensation offered?”

The boss lady responded with a faint smile. ”This mission involves a simple escort task. The danger level is relatively low, but the pay is quite generous: five hundred taels per day for Blood Refining Realm Perfect cultivators and one thousand taels per day for Copper Bone Realm cultivators! So, anyone interested?”

The pay was indeed attractive—so much so that Gu Sheng found himself tempted.

Since he wasn’t in a rush to get to Red Cloud Prefecture, the opportunity to make money and broaden his horizon was naturally irresistible.

Seeing several people step forward to sign up, Gu Sheng also approached the counter to register.

”Boss lady, count me in.”

Gu Sheng’s youthful face hadn’t completely lost its boyish charm. Seeing him, both the boss lady and the Mu Merchant Guild representative appeared doubtful.

The Mu Merchant Guild representative furrowed his brows and said, ”Why would a young lad like you mess around here? Go find a cool spot to stay out of the way!”

Due to the Snake Breath Skill, neither of them could detect Gu Sheng’s cultivation realm unless he revealed it himself.

Feeling helpless, Gu Sheng activated his qi and blood, unveiling his cultivation of Blood Refining Realm Perfect.

”I meet the requirements. Can I sign up now or not?”

As they sensed the Perfect cultivation energy emanating from Gu Sheng, both of them froze.

”Which powerful family or sect does this prodigy belong to?”

The same thought simultaneously crossed their minds. The boss lady raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Little brother, which family are you from? Where are your elder guardians?”

Judging by Gu Sheng’s youthful appearance, the two estimated his age to be around seventeen or eighteen. At that age, achieving Blood Refining Realm Perfect meant he was either a genius from one of the top families in Red Cloud Prefecture or a core disciple from the three sects. Such individuals were always accompanied by elders when traveling. By asking, the boss lady clearly intended to build connections with his family or sect.

Unfortunately, Gu Sheng was neither a prodigy from a powerful family nor a sect disciple.

Gu Sheng shook his head with a smile. ”I’m just a hillbilly from a small place. If I were from a great family, why would I need to earn money from this job?”

Hearing this, the boss lady and the Mu Merchant Guild representative found his reasoning somewhat plausible.

”Alright then! You’re in. Gather at the entrance tomorrow morning!”

The Mu Merchant Guild representative scrutinized Gu Sheng for a long while before making the decision.

After finishing his meal, Gu Sheng followed an attendant to his room.

The room was extremely small—barely two to three square meters. Aside from a bed, there was nothing else, not even a teapot. It was clear that this inn had mastered the art of squeezing profits! Fortunately, Gu Sheng wasn’t particular about luxury and managed to make do for one night before heading to gather at the inn’s entrance early the next morning.

The boss lady didn’t appear today. Leading the group was the same representative from the Mu Merchant Guild.

A total of twelve people assembled at the entrance, including Gu Sheng. Among them, three were Copper Bone Realm cultivators, while the others were Blood Refining Realm Perfect cultivators.

The Mu Merchant Guild representative swept his gaze over the group, then exuded Copper Bone Realm energy from his body.

Despite being of the same realm, his aura exerted significant pressure on the three Copper Bone cultivators.

Thanks to Gu Sheng’s practice of three physical cultivation Martial Arts techniques, his body had long been tempered to near perfection, far surpassing others of his rank. As a result, the representative didn’t affect him. Still, for appearances’ sake, Gu Sheng pretended to be overwhelmed, lowering his posture and showing a pale expression.

Noticing the changes in everyone’s demeanor, the representative smirked faintly, a trace of arrogance flashing in his eyes.

”I am Mu Qinghe, the leader of this mission. Remember, don’t ask questions you shouldn’t, don’t look where you shouldn’t, and the rewards will be paid in full after the mission is completed!”

Some seasoned individuals seemed to recognize Mu Qinghe’s identity but wisely chose not to expose it.

The three Copper Bone Realm cultivators frowned slightly, lost in thought. They were well aware of the Mu Merchant Guild’s standing in Red Cloud Prefecture. If Mu Qinghe had openly introduced his affiliation yesterday, more Copper Bone cultivators would surely have joined. But since he opted to recruit under the boss lady’s name, could there be another layer of intrigue?

As Gu Sheng was unfamiliar with the Mu Merchant Guild, he didn’t harbor such concerns. For him, this mission was simply an opportunity to earn extra money and gain experience.

After the brief instructions, Mu Qinghe led the group toward the mountain range bordering the official road.

On the way, Gu Sheng took the chance to strike up conversations with his companions, aiming to gather useful information.

From their chats, he learned that the cluster of mountains they were now traversing was collectively called Thunder Wood Mountain. The name originated from the area’s distinctive terrain, which attracted lightning during storms. Over time, the trees here underwent subtle mutations, with some developing traces of lightning energy within them—thus, the name Thunder Wood Mountain.

Of course, most of the trees contained only faint traces of lightning energy. When ignited, they behaved like firecrackers, exploding with small bursts. But exceptions existed. Thunder Wood Mountain’s unique geography occasionally produced two highly-specialized materials: a refining material called Iron Thunder Wood and an herbal ingredient named Thunder Fruit.

Gu Sheng learned from his companions that these two materials were extremely rare and valuable. Either one was worth over two hundred thousand taels and was highly sought after by major sects and powerful families. Many speculated that this mission likely involved escorting Iron Thunder Wood or Thunder Fruit.

Fascinated by the rarity and high price of these materials, Gu Sheng grew curious. Judging by their value, both items, if refined, must certainly yield top-tier results.