Chapter 20

Tiger Roar in the Forest

In the corridor outside Lin Yan’s room, Lin Yan closed the door to avoid disturbing Xiaozhi.

“How do you know my name?”

“How do you know my name?”

The two of them asked in unison, but they were silent for a moment.

Pang Tong said, “Looks like I don’t need to introduce myself. Why are you calling me?”

Lin Yan said ambiguously, “I heard that you have a pill called the Spirit Recovery Pill here.”

Pang Tong narrowed his eyes and closed them completely. “You want to buy the Spirit Recovery Pill?”

‘I’m just curious. Why didn’t you knock on my door?’

“Hehe, you’ve only been in the sect for half a month. If I want to look for you, I’ll look for you next month. Moreover, your Five Animal Hands Technique is the fastest in Wu Yard. Even Eldest Senior Brother personally praised you. There’s a high chance that you can enter Wei Yard. It’s impossible for you to buy it.”

Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Pang Tong seemed to know the situation in Wu Yard like the back of his hand.

“Not necessarily.”

“Oh?”

Pang Tong revealed an interested expression.

Lin Yan remained calm. “What’s the effect of this Spirit Recovery Pill?”

Seeing that Lin Yan didn’t seem to be joking, Pang Tong’s interest was piqued. He chuckled and said, “This Spirit Recovery Pill is a pill made from five precious herbs. Its greatest effect is to temporarily strengthen one’s muscles and bones for a period of time!”

“Isn’t this the same effect as the Five Animal Hands?”

The purpose of practicing the Five Animal Hands was to strengthen one’s muscles and bones and resist the damage caused by the circulation of blood energy.

Pang Tong stretched out a finger and shook it. “The effect of the Spirit Recovery Pill is several times stronger than the Five Animal Hands Technique. Moreover, the two overlap and the effect is better.”

He took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and said excitedly, “Do you know what martial arts the people from Tiger Yard practice?”

Lin Yan nodded. “I’ve heard of it. It’s called the Mountain Splitting Fist.”

“The Mountain Splitting Fist is simple and has great lethality. However, the circulation of its blood energy is too violent. Even if an ordinary person’s blood energy transforms, they can only practice it for fifteen minutes a day. Their muscles and bones won’t be able to withstand it. It’s impossible to master it without a few years.

“However, after consuming the Spirit Recovery Pill, as long as one’s blood energy is replenished within three days, training for a few hours won’t damage one’s bones and tendons. After the medicinal effect wears off, it might even permanently strengthen one’s bones and tendons. Is this effect powerful enough?”

“It permanently strengthens the muscles and bones, so it’s also helpful to the Five Animal Hands Technique?”

“That’s right. You only need at most three Spirit Recovery Pills. I guarantee that you can pass the Wu Yard assessment.”

Lin Yan nodded. “But I heard that the side effects of the Spirit Recovery Pill are also very big.”

Pang Tong nodded. “The Spirit Recovery Pill has great medicinal effects, but it’s also extremely poisonous. When the medicine takes effect, the poison will also invade the internal organs and you’ll be in intense pain at all times. Moreover, a Spirit Recovery Pill can reduce one’s lifespan by at least three years and destroy one’s martial arts foundation. There’s no room for improvement.”

Lin Yan was deep in thought. “Senior Brother Pang, aren’t you afraid that I won’t buy it?”

Pang Tong chuckled and said, “I, Pang Tong, am a decent businessman. The price is clearly stated and I don’t cheat anyone. However, once I sell it, I won’t accept refunds.”

Although the side effects of the Spirit Recovery Pill were great, to some people who had no hope of martial arts, it could help them grasp martial arts.

To them, the price of losing a few years of their lifespan and damaging their foundation was actually not too great. The most important thing was to be able to become a martial artist.

“How is it? Junior Brother Lin Yan, do you want to buy it?”

“I wonder how much the Spirit Recovery Pill costs?”

Pang Tong rolled his eyes. “One Spirit Recovery Pill for one tael of silver!”

Lin Yan chuckled and opened the door. “Goodbye, Senior Brother Pang.”

Pang Tong hurriedly pressed on the door. “Please don’t! We can discuss the price! Tell me, how much is it?”

Lin Yan extended a finger. “Ten for one tael of silver!”

“Why don’t you go rob someone!”

Pang Tong blurted out.

“This Spirit Recovery Pill is made of five precious medicinal herbs. It’s only specially provided by the City Lord’s Mansion. Even if you don’t take into account manpower, the cost of one pill is at least two taels of silver! I worked so hard to get it out of Tiger Yard. I’ve already lost 50% of my profit by selling it at one tael!”

“Senior Brother Pang, you don’t have to lie to me. Who would pay one tael of silver for a medicine that can shorten one’s lifespan? Ten for one tael of silver!”

“No, 800 copper coins per pill!”

“It’s too much. I’ll go as high as 150!”

“Junior Brother, you’re too greedy. I’m at a disadvantage. I’ll reduce the price for you!”

“…”

After a round of verbal sparring, Lin Yan finally bought three at the price of one tael of silver.

In fact, he only wanted to buy one to try, but Pang Tong didn’t agree and insisted on selling a package. Helplessly, he could only buy three.

He was actually not very satisfied with this price.

He mainly wanted to use the poison of the Spirit Recovery Pill to recover his blood energy. One Spirit Recovery Pill was equivalent to three days. Three pills for nine days, costing one tael of silver, was too extravagant. Previously, he could only earn 200 copper coins a month.

If he could go to the mountain to pick poisonous mushrooms, that would be a huge profit.

However, on second thought, he should be content!

If others wanted to recover their blood energy as quickly as he did, they had to eat blood energy medicine like the Red Cloud Fruit. It was two taels of silver apiece, and it could last for two to three days at most. It was already a huge benefit for him to only use one tael of silver for what cost seven to eight taels of silver.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan asked, “Senior Brother Pang, aren’t you going to ask me why I bought the Spirit Recovery Pills?”

Pang Tong smiled faintly. “I never ask about clients.”

He secretly mocked Lin Yan in his heart. It was definitely impossible for someone with some aptitude like Lin Yan to eat the Recover Spirit Pill. Then, there was only one reason for buying the Recover Spirit Pill—to be a middleman like him and sell it to others.

However, he had already occupied the market inside Dragon Gate Pavilion, and outside…

Hehe, this was a poisonous pill with huge side effects. Other than the new disciples of the Dragon Gate Pavilion, where else would there be such a stupid and wealthy person that was so easy to trick?

Last month, two disciples had this idea. They hoarded goods and sold them in the market. In the end, they either couldn’t sell them or scammed others. In the end, they were killed and crippled.

“Junior Brother Lin Yan, do you have anything else to ask?”

“Since Senior Brother Pang asked, I’ll tell you. Apart from the Spirit Recovery Pill business, is there anything else Senior Brother Pang wants to sell?”

“What do you want?”

“Recently, there have been rats in my hometown. I want to buy some poison to kill rats, but I have nowhere to buy them.”

There was no such thing as rat poison in this world. After Lin Yan finished speaking, Pang Tong’s narrowed eyes constricted slightly. “Poison…”

Lin Yan did not speak.

Pang Tong smiled. “In terms of poison, there’s only one place in the entire Ding’an City where it can be sold publicly—the Blood Drop Cave of the Chengshou District. Every seven days, there will be an underground ghost market there.

“However, not everyone can enter the Blood Drop Cave. You need a guarantee. Junior Brother Lin Yan, if you want to go, it’s best to enter Wei Yard first and get Eldest Senior Brother to sign a guarantee.”

Lin Yan nodded happily. “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Pang.”

After the two of them agreed on a way to meet each other, Pang Tong took his leave.

Lin Yan returned to his room and took out a light blue porcelain bottle. He poured out a dark red pill and observed it carefully.

Three hundred and thirty copper coins. It was just a small pill. This was more money than he had earned in the past month.

It was too expensive, too expensive.

However, now was not the time to feel heartache. He did not hesitate and gently cut off about a tenth of it with a piece of wood. He threw it into his mouth to taste it first.

Before Lin Yan could savor the aftertaste of the pill, a scorching heat surged from his abdomen.

“It’s quite strong!”

Lin Yan’s eyes lit up slightly. He had deliberately not eaten the Emerald Wind Powder today to test the medicinal effect at this time. He did not expect that a tenth of the Spirit Recovery Pill would be so poisonous!

Compared to the Emerald Wind Powder, the difference between the two was like the difference between a flood and a stream.

Lin Yan felt a strong sense of bloating. No, he had to practice!

He immediately got up and ran to the martial arts arena under the moonlight. Under the moonlight, he started practicing the Five Animal Hands Technique.

Different from the Emerald Wind Powder, the poisonous power of the Spirit Recovery Pill was like an endless spring that continuously flowed from his abdomen to various parts of his body, as if it could not be used up.

At the same time, a cold stream that was completely different from the blood energy heat spread along his limbs and meridians to all parts of his body. It was like a strong and elastic net that connected his entire body.

“This must be the medicinal power of the Spirit Recovery Pill. No wonder it can strengthen the muscles and bones. The medicinal power circulates throughout the body and covers all the important and weak parts of the body with a protective membrane. It can naturally resist the circulation of blood energy.”

Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat.

His previous actions were all scripted.

The cat was like a tiger, the horse was like a deer, the dog was like a bear, the chicken was like a crane, and the human was like an ape. Whatever Eldest Brother did, he would follow.

Even if he felt that his movements were not like the tiger’s or the crane’s, he had never thought of practicing according to his imagination.

This was because he was worried that if he cultivated recklessly, it might cause the circulation of his blood energy to change and an accident would happen, causing his bones and tendons that had yet to be nurtured to be damaged.

But now, with the protection of the Spirit Recovery Pill, he might be able to experiment unscrupulously according to his understanding of these ferocious beasts and birds!

Lin Yan immediately assumed a posture and recalled the tiger form he had seen in his previous life.

The tiger was the king of all beasts. One mountain could not accommodate two tigers. The tiger roared in the forest, and the clouds followed the tiger…

“If you treat a tiger like a cat, it can only be agile. However, how can a tiger only be agile? The tiger’s forehead is born with the word ‘king’. The true meaning of the tiger form is mighty!”

The word ‘mighty’!

Lin Yan’s eyes lit up. His movements adjusted according to his understanding as he tried his best to imitate the tiger’s form in his memory.

Tiger pounce!

“ROAR!”

There seemed to be a silent tiger roar in his ears. Lin Yan pounced forward without hesitation.

At this moment, the Flying Tiger under the command of the Yellow Emperor, the White Tiger that was one of the Four Sacred Beasts, and the tiger that was killed by Wu Song…

In any case, all the tigers that Lin Yan could think of were with him!

With a pounce, Lin Yan’s movements suddenly deformed. He couldn’t even maintain his basic muscle movements.

However, his eyes shone brightly.

“This is the feeling. An evil tiger pounces on its prey, dominating the mountains and wilderness, and all beasts revere it!”

The rapid increase in proficiency allowed Lin Yan to confirm that he had taken the right step.

With the protection of the Spirit Recovery Pill, Lin Yan adjusted his movements fearlessly. Sometimes, he would indeed activate his blood energy, but under the protection of the Spirit Recovery Pill, he did not feel any discomfort.

As Lin Yan adjusted his actions time and time again, imitating Evil Tiger, the proficiency numbers in the Golden Bodhi Scripture began to jump rapidly again.

For a full four hours, Lin Yan specially practiced the Tiger Form. His movements became more and more open and different from his original movements, but his proficiency increased faster and faster.

Lin Yan only stopped when there was no longer any heat in his abdomen. He took advantage of the silence in the middle of the night to go back and rest.