Chapter 94: Qingzhou Lu Clan, the Art of Harvesting and Supplementing

Seeing Fang Xu pat each of the three people, seemingly gaining nothing, Huang Qingzhou laughed.

"I already told you, and you still don't believe it... Let's go."

The two returned to the mountain path, and not long after continuing forward, Fang Xu noticed three more arrows begin to flash on the virtual light curtain!

Huh!?

Delighted in his heart, he hurriedly stopped to look, and indeed discovered several corpses in a depression on the right side!

Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Xu quickly ran over.

Behind him, Huang Qingzhou was completely dumbfounded!

"I said, you kid have sharp eyes!"

"How do you keep finding these corpses?"

"I told you, there's no way there could be anything good!"

While Huang Qingzhou stood by the roadside complaining, Fang Xu had already patted each of those corpses.

Seven corpses, three of which were his so‑called "friends"; these three "friends" contributed 30 agility and 85 strength this time.

Since the system awakened, this was Fang Xu's first time gaining the agility attribute.

The warm current formed from the attribute points surged into his body, making him instantly feel light, as if a single leap could carry him several zhang away!

Not bad, not bad!

He clapped his hands happily, then returned once more to face Huang Qingzhou.

"You're so happy, what good stuff did you find?" Huang Qingzhou said lightly.

Fang Xu raised the two pieces of broken silver in his hand.

These two taels of silver were indeed found by him on one of the corpses; likely the killer disdained to pick them up, letting Fang Xu gain an unexpected windfall.

Looking at the two taels of silver in Fang Xu's hand, Huang Qingzhou helplessly smiled and shook his head.

"Fang Xu, once you enter the inner gate of the Ascension Immortal Society, you'll find these things really aren't much use; by then don't be a country bumpkin who's never seen the world."

"You'll be laughed at."

Fang Xu, unconvinced, wiped the bloodstains off the silver in his hand, looked at Huang Qingzhou and asked, "How come, do Ascension Immortal Society disciples not use gold and silver money?"

Huang Qingzhou shook his head and said, "It is used, but only outside; within the Ascension Immortal Society, transactions use contribution points, elixirs, and even various materials."

"Ordinary gold and silver, aside from buying daily necessities, really aren't very useful."

Hearing this, Fang Xu pondered a moment and felt it made sense.

The Ascension Immortal Society's influence spreads across several neighboring countries; secular currency and values are certainly different, so using gold and ordinary money would likely be troublesome.

As for elixirs and some materials, in the martial world they already have a relatively stable value representation; using them as currency is indeed good.

"Senior brother's teachings, I'll remember them." After clasping his hands toward Huang Qingzhou, he still satisfiedly stuffed the two taels of silver into his bosom.

Seeing this, Huang Qingzhou was truly speechless.

The two continued onward, and Fang Xu did not again encounter his tragically deceased "friends".

Bang!

Bang!

As they neared the entrance of the Tilan Mountain Ruins, fierce fighting sounds suddenly came from the mountain path ahead.

Hearing the commotion, Huang Qingzhou set down the wine jar he had just brought to his lips, a gleam flashing in his eyes as he said, "It's a Martial Venerable!"

"Quick, go see!"

Upon hearing that, Fang Xu hurriedly followed him forward.

Pushing through the onlookers, he saw that each side of the battle had over ten people, their cultivation generally at the Martial Master level.

On the other side of the battlefield, two Martial Venerable‑level martial artists were locked in combat.

"Is it him?"

Seeing one of the Martial Venerables, Fang Xu's brows slightly furrowed.

He had seen this person before!

That day, after returning from making friends at Tilan Mountain, while passing Xu Lao Han's home outside Fenglin Town, he happened to encounter this Martial Venerable bringing his lackeys to massacre the Xu Lao Han couple and defile their son and daughter.

Seeing the aura emanating from both sides' movements, Fang Xu felt fortunate he hadn't acted rashly back then.

Otherwise, he probably couldn't even block a single move of theirs.

"Senior Brother Huang, which of the two is stronger?"

A clash of Martial Venerables is already beyond Fang Xu's ability to discern the nuances, since he has never personally witnessed a battle between Martial Venerables up to now.

Huang Qingzhou frowned, watched a while, then said, "The middle‑aged Martial Venerable in the brocade robes is somewhat stronger."

"His opponent, though comparable in strength and experienced, is older, with declining qi and blood; dragging it out, defeat is inevitable."

"That brocade‑robed Martial Venerable likely wears a body‑protecting treasure; relying on it and his own strength, the longer he holds out, the smaller the old man's advantage becomes."

Listening to Huang Qingzhou's explanation, Fang Xu looked again at the two combatants and indeed saw that the old man seemed to be constantly launching fierce attacks, hoping to defeat the brocade‑robed man in the shortest time.

But the brocade‑robed man also seemed to realize that dragging the fight out was most advantageous for him; facing the old man's fierce assault, he merely kept blocking.

Huang Qingzhou stood aside, drinking wine, occasionally offering Fang Xu a couple of explanations, bearing the air of an expert.

Although he is only a Ninth‑Level Martial Master, he has likely seen many Martial Venerables in action, and his judgment of their techniques is quite precise.

"Huh?"

"Gone?"

Raising his head again, Huang Qingzhou discovered that the jar of maple‑leaf brew in his hand had been completely drunk dry.

He immediately picked up the jar of wine beside Fang Xu, knocked off the mud seal, and prepared to drink.

"Huang—" Fang Xu wanted to stop him, but realized it was already too late.

Huang Qingzhou took a gulp; before the wine even entered his throat, he felt a spicy, bitter, astringent, and slightly foul taste fill his mouth.

Compared to the distinctive taste of Maple Leaf Brew, it's worlds apart!

Pfft!

Ptui! Ptui! Ptui!

What kind of liquor is this? It's truly undrinkable!

He had been drinking the Maple Leaf Brew that cost twenty taels of silver per jar, but when he suddenly drank the inferior liquor that Fang Xu had bought for two taels of silver per jar, he spat it out the moment it entered his mouth.

Fang Xu, seeing this, quickly sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness and glanced at his friend list.

Yet he saw that on the friend list, Huang Qingzhou's name flickered a few times before disappearing outright.

Phew!

His consciousness returned to his body; he snatched the wine jar back from Huang Qingzhou's hands: "Senior Brother, even if you don't drink it, you shouldn't waste it."

Huang Qingzhou wiped his mouth, looking disgusted: "Next time don't buy this kind of rotten liquor—it's not fit for human consumption!"

Fang Xu was about to retort—

"Look, that old man is about to lose!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Fang Xu quickly focused his gaze, and indeed, amid the clashing sides, that old man's breath was gradually weakening; he had shifted from offense to defense, desperately blocking the attacks of the silk‑clad Martial Venerable.

"Cloud Wave Force… so it's them." Gazing at the man's technique, Huang Qingzhou gave a faint smile.

Fang Xu wondered: "Who is that person?"

Huang Qingzhou curled his lip: "The Lü family of Qingzhou."

"The Lü family's disciples excel at Cloud Wave Force; their attack methods are uncanny, making it a fairly renowned martial skill."

"It's just that their reputation is terrible, so nobody likes them…"

As the two talked, the silk‑clad Martial Venerable had already begun to disrupt the old man's defensive rhythm; his long sword brought up a faint ripple, and with one sweep he knocked aside the old man's spear, instantly piercing his throat.

Having disposed of that old man, the silk‑clad Martial Venerable wasted no time, turning to slaughter on the other flank; he helped his subordinates cut down all the opposing martial artists, leaving only a handsome youth, face full of despair, trembling on the side.

"Take him away." After sheathing his sword, the silk‑clad Martial Venerable glanced at the youth, unable to hide his excitement.

"Haven't you seen? That youth possesses a rare Yin‑Yang constitution—a physique that should appear only in women, yet shows up in a man; that fellow is surely after his constitution." Huang Qingzhou remarked lightly.

Fang Xu, hearing this, looked at the handsome youth being held by two martial artists, his brows slightly furrowed.

"What are they grabbing him for?"

"A furnace cauldron." Huang Qingzhou scoffed: "The Lü family's ill repute stems from their direct descendants practicing dual cultivation—absorbing yin to supplement yang, absorbing yang to supplement yin. Once they set their sights on a martial artist with a special physique, trouble follows."

"All right, let's go." Having said that, Huang Qingzhou was about to turn and lead Fang Xu away when he saw the silk‑clad man striding straight toward them.

(End of chapter)