Chapter 59: Wild Elephant Flesh Tempering
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Wild Elephant Flesh Tempering
"Two things. First, I’d like to know how to become a Ghostwriter."
Su Mu collected his thoughts and spoke.
"You want to be a Ghostwriter?"
Wei Yongfu asked in confusion, "Give up being a perfectly good Official to become a Ghostwriter? Are you out of your mind?"
"I became a Ghostwriter because I had no choice. I have no family to rely on, and cultivating the Martial Dao is incredibly expensive. I can only risk my life for silver."
Wei Yongfu said, "But you don’t have to. Being an Official is a much easier way to make money.
"My personality just isn’t cut out for it, otherwise I would’ve become an Official long ago."
Ghostwriters might seem dashing, but in reality, they never know where their next meal is coming from. They truly risk it all just to earn some silver.
Unless you had some strange fetish for it or absolutely no other choice, who would want to be a Ghostwriter?
"It’s not for me. It’s for a friend."
Su Mu said, "I have a friend who wants to become a Ghostwriter."
"Oh, I see."
Wei Yongfu stroked his chin. "There aren’t many barriers to entry for becoming a Ghostwriter. The most important thing is being able to find work, and I can’t help much with that. Your friend will have to build a reputation first before anyone comes looking for him.
"Doesn’t the Government Office have a wanted list? You can have your friend catch a few fugitives from the list and turn them in to the Government Office for the bounty. Once he’s famous, people will naturally seek him out."
Su Mu frowned.
’Even if I captured fugitives from the wanted list, it would just be seen as me fulfilling my duties.’
’After all, for both a constable and a Taiping Bureau White Clothes, apprehending fugitives from the wanted list is part of the job.’
’It seems I’ll have to find another way to become a Ghostwriter.’
"Let’s move on to the second thing."
Su Mu said thoughtfully, "I’d like to hire you to accompany me out of the city to investigate a case."
"Easy. As long as the price is right, I’ll do anything."
Wei Yongfu said without hesitation, "You’re a regular customer, so I’ll give you a discount. One hundred taels of silver a day. Stronger enemies will cost extra."
A peculiar shrewdness gleamed on Wei Yongfu’s simple and honest face.
"That’s daylight robbery."
Su Mu said, speechless.
A squad leader’s salary was only four taels of silver a month. One hundred taels a day was more than a squad leader’s salary for over two years.
Of course, the official salary only made up a small portion of a squad leader’s total income.
Still, one hundred taels a day was an astronomical price.
"It really is a friendly price."
Wei Yongfu said seriously, "I’ve already broken through to the Third Stage of Body Tempering. Go and ask around. How much silver does it cost to hire a guard at the Third Stage of Body Tempering?"
He had earned a large sum from Su Mu before and successfully bought a Tendon Tempering Pill. Now, he had already stepped into the Tendon Tempering Realm.
A Ghostwriter at the Third Stage of Body Tempering was a rare sight, even in the Inner City.
"One hundred taels a day is acceptable, but I’ll need you for more than just being a guard. You’ll have to handle some other matters for me."
Su Mu mused.
’Most of the constables in the South City Bureau are only at the First Stage of Body Tempering. They’re not of much use.’
’The case in Five Miles Temple Village is a bit strange. It’s worth spending some silver to hire someone at the Third Stage of Body Tempering.’
"For one hundred taels a day, I’m at your command."
Wei Yongfu said with professional integrity, "I won’t charge extra for enemies below the Third Stage of Body Tempering. But if I have to deal with an enemy at the Third Stage of Body Tempering, that will cost extra."
"Deal."
Su Mu nodded.
’This counts as official business. I’ll just get the South City Bureau to reimburse me later.’
’If the South City Bureau won’t reimburse me, I’ll just use another identity to have a ’chat’ with He Yuxing.’
’Being an official isn’t about being a good person; you have to learn to be flexible.’
Su Mu gave a few instructions in a low voice. Wei Yongfu nodded repeatedly, and a moment later, he departed under the cover of night.
After daybreak, Wei Yongfu headed straight out of the city to Five Miles Temple Village, but that is a story for later.
After sending Wei Yongfu off, a weight was lifted from Su Mu’s mind.
The case in Five Miles Temple Village had to be investigated thoroughly, one way or another.
’It’ll take some time for Wei Yongfu to go there and back. Since I have some free time, I’ll start on flesh tempering.’
With a thought, Su Mu summoned the system panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: constable leader/Taiping Bureau White Clothes (Ninth Grade)]
[Points: 50]
[Realm: Extreme Skin Tempering Realm]
[Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique (Perfection), Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique (Perfection), Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method (Perfection)]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Beginner)]
An extra line of text had appeared on the panel.
Realm: Extreme Skin Tempering Realm.
’Could it be that my realm was too low before, so the system panel didn’t deign to display it?’
Su Mu mocked himself inwardly. With the boost from his dual identities, the speed at which he accumulated Points had indeed increased dramatically.
After raising the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method to Perfection, he still had fifty Points left on the system panel.
"’Channel the accumulated Qi and blood from Body Tempering, combine it with special medicinal ingredients, and infuse it into the body’s muscles, tempering them until they are like steel...’"
Su Mu took out the "Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill" he had bought from Wei Yongfu and began to study it, word by word.
Compared to a Skin Tempering Technique, the Flesh Tempering Technique involved many more postures.
These postures made it possible to train all the muscles in the body, allowing Qi, blood, and medicinal power to fuse with them.
The postures themselves were actually quite simple. The key lay in the Spiritual Medicines, which were to be ingested internally and applied externally.
The Body Tempering Realm was, in essence, about using external forces to temper the human body to its absolute limit, then working from the outside in to unlock the body’s hidden potential and achieve a complete transformation.
Therefore, the Body Tempering Realm tested not only one’s aptitude but also one’s financial resources.
With enough money, even someone with ordinary aptitude could raise their realm by piling on resources and time.
This was unlike the realms above Body Tempering, where a lack of aptitude meant you were truly stuck.
Of course, if one’s aptitude was poor, even if they were born into a great family, their family might not be willing to invest too many resources in them.
After all, spending a massive amount of resources to ultimately produce someone only at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering was hardly a cost-effective investment.
The Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill included a formula for an internal concoction that the previous Skin Tempering Techniques lacked.
Su Mu cautiously visited several pharmacies before he managed to buy all the medicinal ingredients for the formula.
A single set of ingredients, for both internal and external use, cost a full ten taels of silver.
The cultivation method mentioned that one set of these ingredients was needed every three days.
By that calculation, a year of flesh tempering would cost at least one thousand taels of silver.
This was an absolutely staggering expense.
Scholars are poor, warriors are rich. This was the naked reality of the world.
The medicinal soup was done brewing.
Ignoring the bitterness, Su Mu downed it in one gulp. He then casually smeared the external medicinal liquid all over his body. Only then did he assume the posture described in the Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill, lying prone on the ground, pushing with his limbs to move his body up and down.
As his muscles stretched and pulled, the scorching Qi and blood naturally began to churn within him. The power of the medicinal soup also exploded inside him, spreading through his muscles with every rise and fall of his body.
Su Mu continuously changed postures, like a young Wild Elephant, heaving, ramming, kicking, and stomping.
A moment later, white vapor was rising from his body, and the temperature in the room seemed to have risen by a couple of degrees.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Mu stopped and stood up, ending his cultivation session.
The Qi and blood in his body gradually subsided, and the unabsorbed medicinal power settled within him, waiting for the next cultivation session.
"*Hooo...*"
Su Mu exhaled a puff of white air, feeling the changes in his body.
After just one session, he could feel a distinct improvement in his strength.
This was the benefit of cultivating his skin to the extreme realm. With his deep reserves and solid foundation, the moment he started tempering his flesh, the effects were immediate and dramatic.
While washing the sweat and medicinal liquid from his body, Su Mu called up the system panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: constable leader/Taiping Bureau White Clothes (Ninth Grade)]
[Points: 50]
[Realm: Extreme Skin Tempering Realm]
[Cultivation Technique: Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill (Uninitiated/+)...]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Beginner)]
...