From a humble farmer to a great martial arts master

14. Unexpected wealth

Snow and ice.

The air was bitterly cold.

Ren Qingshan, wearing only shorts and shirtless, practiced his skills in the open space in front of the salt field.

He bent his knees slightly and raised his hands horizontally, as if chopping wood.

His bronze skin had an oily sheen.

Snowflakes landed on me, but they didn't melt.

With only a slight tremor of the muscles, they all fell to their feet.

This is a manifestation of the qi and blood having been conserved to their maximum extent.

There was absolutely no leak.

It further transforms the nine earth forces, advancing the control over qi and blood to another level.

Not far away, salt workers coming and going would occasionally look up and cautiously glance in this direction, whispering among themselves with envy and awe.

The monthly salary of a silver-ranked guard is five taels of silver!

We people work ourselves to the bone for a month and only earn six hundred coins, not even enough to go home for the New Year.

Ren Qingshan has sharp hearing and eyesight, and his perception is exceptionally keen.

Hearing their voices, Anran continued practicing her skills.

Nobody has it easy.

My wife is still at home celebrating the Lunar New Year with her big belly.

Who isn't busy and toiling away, all for a few coins?

Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. I have been on duty at Saltworks No. 3 and haven't had a full night's sleep.

The food at the saltworks was, of course, bland and watery compared to the Lu family's food.

My mouth is practically tasteless.

In this desolate wilderness, it takes eighty miles to go out.

"Old Sun, go catch a chicken."

His gaze drifted to the large rooster kept in the abandoned salt well to the west, and Ren Qingshan licked his lips.

I'm craving it.

"Alright, would you like it boiled or roasted, sir?"

Old Sun, who was cooking at the salt field, walked briskly over and asked with a smile.

"Boiled" (or "white-cut").

"You boil the water and pluck the feathers, I'll take care of the rest."

Ren Qingshan was not confident in his skills.

The food they cook is worse than pig feed; it's a complete waste of ingredients.

Old Sun responded, grabbed a handful of chaff, and clucked to lure a few chickens over. He then took a frozen cabbage leaf, rolled it into a funnel shape, and covered the chickens' heads with it. The colorful rooster was instantly frozen in place, unable to move.

blink.

They then plucked the hairs and bled the animals.

A large, white, and tempting chicken.

Boil a pot of water, then immerse the white chicken meat in it. First, scald the chicken skin until it is firm, then gently lift and slowly lower it repeatedly until the chicken is thoroughly cooked inside and out.

Old Sun's Adam's apple bobbed incessantly, his index finger twitched, and he flattered with a beaming smile, "Sir, your martial arts are astonishing; even if you don't want to cook, you're still quite adept."

"That's right."

"We work from dawn till dusk, just for three meals a day."

"Here's a big chicken leg for you!"

Ren Qingshan smiled.

Counting down the days, from now on, one chicken a day, whatever else you might lose, don't lose your appetite.

……

into the night.

Inside the building, the large communal sleeping area was scorching hot, and a group of salt workers slept fully clothed, the whole room reeking of sweat and foot odor.

When Ren Qingshan entered to inspect the place, he was almost knocked over by the stench.

After calling out names one by one without missing anyone, they finally left.

My eyes felt slightly sore from the smell.

The conditions at the mountain saltworks were truly rudimentary; there wasn't even a place to take a bath.

Let alone them, even I would inevitably smell bad after a few days.

Stepping outside and breathing in the fresh air feels like being reborn.

Ren Qingshan shook his head and smiled before inspecting each part of the salt field.

everything is fine.

But he didn't go back to his room to sleep.

Find a secluded spot with snow, take off all your clothes, and do some simple cleaning.

Rubbing your body with snowballs feels incredibly refreshing.

Ren Qingshan was so happy he wanted to sing.

However, at that moment, his ears twitched slightly, and he heard a series of rustling sounds.

It seemed to be coming from the abandoned salt well.

A slight chill ran through him. Ren Qingshan quickly dressed, went back to his room to get his bow and arrows and realgar powder, and hurried away.

……

Under the faint moonlight.

A major battle is underway.

Countless centipedes, in a terrifying number, kept emerging from the sealed mine shaft.

The rooster remained silent, only pecking at its food with its head down.

Chickens are natural enemies of centipedes.

Even so, the sheer number of them still couldn't withstand the pressure.

More and more centipedes emerged, almost covering the ground, but they were surrounded by realgar powder and could not be crossed.

Every day, Ren Qingshan would sprinkle realgar powder again, and this time it really worked.

This……

It doesn't seem dangerous at all.

As long as no large shipments are released.

Moreover, these centipedes are actually a good medicine.

I wonder if the pharmacies in the city would accept it?

Centipedes that haven't become sentient are both food and medicine, so there's nothing to be afraid of.

Thinking about this...

Ren Qingshan immediately took action.

He hurried to the kitchen, brought over the water vat, then grabbed a shovel and tweezers for picking up charcoal. With quick eyes and hands, he precisely picked up the centipede's head, crushed it, and casually tossed it into the vat, just like picking up peanuts.

Reptiles have no intelligence; even if many die, they know no fear.

Ren Qingshan's fingers flew across the keyboard, and at that moment he truly felt like he was picking up money.

Although the value of this medicine is unknown, the quantity is enormous, almost inexhaustible.

I had heard that the centipede that had become a demon had been killed by the experts of the Demon Suppression Division, and now all of these have benefited me.

Comfortable.

I thought it would be dangerous, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a chance to make a fortune!

No one gets rich without unexpected wealth.

This is a windfall!

……

From midnight until the early hours of the morning.

As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, the centipedes emerging from the salt wells gradually receded like the tide.

Ren Qingshan looked at the two large vats filled with centipede corpses, his eyes showing satisfaction.

The two jars of centipedes weighed at least over 100 pounds.

Before everyone else got up, Ren Qingshan, carrying a vat in one hand, strode down the mountain.

It's about 80 li from here to Lujiazhuang. If we run at full speed, we'll arrive in an hour.

……

The morning light is dim.

Xuejia Village, not far from Lujiazhuang.

Xue's Pharmacy.

The young shop assistant was sweeping snow in front of the door when he saw a burly man carrying a water vat in each hand striding towards him.

Steam was rising from above.

"Hey buddy, do you sell medicinal herbs here? How much are the centipedes?"

Ren Qingshan asked with a loud laugh.

This pharmacy is renowned far and wide; whether selling or buying medicine, it offers the most affordable prices.

The waiter, quite adept, immediately replied, "Thirty coins per ounce, sir. Do you have a prescription?"

He wouldn't sell this medicine without a prescription.

"I'm not buying, but if I'm selling, will you take it?"

With a reference price in mind, Ren Qingshan asked again.

"Yes, we received it."

The waiter replied.

Then I saw two water vats placed steadily in front of me.

Seeing the tank full of dead centipedes, the guy got goosebumps all over his body.

Although I've processed this stuff before, seeing so many of them all in one jar still makes my scalp tingle.

"Centipedes... centipedes... where did all these come from?"

Ren Qingshan laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. If you're going to buy it, just name your price and weigh it. I'm in a hurry. If you can't make the decision, call your manager out."

While the two were talking at the door...

A middle-aged man in his forties walked out of the pharmacy. He was thin, with half-gray hair, and had a rather refined demeanor.

"Master, this customer is asking if we buy medicinal herbs?"

After glancing at the two large vats, Xue Jiren looked at Ren Qingshan with a smile, made an inviting gesture, and said unhurriedly, "Please come in, sir, let's talk inside."

"Don't come inside yet. Just tell me if you'll accept it or not. If not, I'll go to another house. I'm in a hurry."

Ren Qingshan disliked his tediousness.

Xue Jiren chuckled to himself.

"I will accept it, but I need to inspect the goods first."

As he spoke, he took out a pair of silver gloves from his pocket, slowly put them on, picked up a centipede corpse, and examined it carefully: "Centipedes are one of the five poisonous creatures, and are certainly a good medicine, but it's quite rare to catch so many at once. Are you a martial arts master, sir?"

"Um."

Name your price.

Ren Qingshan wanted to throw the centipede at him, then steal his money and run away.

This person really talks a lot!

"Hmm, these centipedes are of decent quality, but some are incomplete. We still need to sort them carefully. Besides, with so many in my shop, I'm afraid we won't be able to use them for two years..."

As Xue Jiren was rambling on, he suddenly saw Ren Qingshan reach out to take the jar and leave, so he got to the point: "Fifty coins, fifty coins a pound."

Fifty coins.

This weighs about 120-130 jin and is worth six taels of silver!

Ren Qingshan was greatly moved.

but……

"A little higher, or I'll ask around at another place."

Xue Jiren remained calm: "Then...then let's go. We'll wait for you to ask around and come back."

Hey?

How can this person be so confident?

The waiter chimed in, "Sir, our Xue family has been making medicine for a century, and we have an excellent reputation in this area. No one can offer a higher price than us. Besides, your fresh herbs need to be sorted, cleaned, dried, air-dried, and processed. Every step is essential to reduce costs."

Ren Qingshan glanced at them, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but for the sake of the money, he let them off the hook.

"That's the price then."

"Let's weigh it."

The two vats were moved to the backyard, and the contents were emptied and weighed, totaling 132 jin (approximately 66.6 kg).

It sold for six taels of silver, plus six hundred copper coins.

The money and goods were settled.

Ren Qingshan picked up the two empty jars and dashed off again.

I made six taels and six fen in one night!

This is more profitable than selling yourself!

……

……