By the time everything was settled and the silver was safely tucked into his belt, the sky had already darkened.
Zhao Qiao and the others hurried to leave.
"Things are getting dangerous lately. That Witch God Sect's been causing trouble—people are dying every day. We'd better head home quick. Shitou, you stay careful too."
Witch God Sect.
Chen Sanshi frowned slightly.
Logically speaking, that cult should've been hiding in fear in Poyang by now. How did they still have the guts to stir up trouble in public?
He had no idea when he'd finally get a chance to find them.
Carrying his silver, Chen Sanshi went to the apothecary, only to find the doors already shut.
Not only Yunyan Apothecary but even Yunhe Apothecary was closed.
"Too late, huh?"
He didn't mind. Tomorrow would do just as well.
When he got home, Gu Xinlan and Xu Bin's wife, Madam Tong, were sitting in the courtyard sewing insoles. The moment they saw someone rush in wrapped in a bloody tiger pelt, both women screamed in shock, trembling like flower petals in the wind.
"Shi ge'er…"
Gu Xinlan's heart was pounding hard as she stammered in disbelief. "You—you killed a tiger?"
Chen Sanshi scratched his head awkwardly and quickly dropped the load to the ground. He turned to Madam Tong and said apologetically, "Sister-in-law, I didn't know you were visiting."
"It's… it's fine."
Madam Tong stared at the blood-soaked youth and didn't dare linger. She stood up and left in a hurry.
"Shi ge'er, really!"
Gu Xinlan sighed as she helped him unload the rest of the spoils. "Sister Tong is pregnant—you nearly scared her to death."
"My fault."
Chen Sanshi took off his armor and said, "Sorry, Lan jie'er. Can you cook the tiger's heart and meat together? As for the tiger skin, when you have time, tan it into a blanket or something."
It was already late autumn. The weather was getting colder day by day. A tiger hide would be perfect for keeping warm.
"Alright. Go wash up first."
Gu Xinlan went straight to the kitchen to get the fire going.
Soon, the dinner table filled with dishes—tiger heart and tiger meat, beef slices, salted duck eggs, and a bowl of steaming white rice. She'd even used blood-tonic herbs to make a medicinal soup. The meal looked fit for a feast.
Chen Sanshi tore into the tiger heart without hesitation.
"Shi ge'er, d-don't eat too much of that," Gu Xinlan said softly, her cheeks flushed pink as she bit her lip.
"Huh?"
Chen Sanshi paused, then remembered. The last time he ate bear heart, his qi and blood had surged so fiercely that it nearly drove Lan jie'er to exhaustion.
"It's fine."
He grinned. "I'm not the same as before. I can control it now."
A tiger heart like this would sell for at least 30 taels of silver, if one could even find it for sale.
After all, tigers weren't rabbits—you didn't just stumble upon one on the mountain.
The moment the tiger heart hit his stomach, a wave of heat surged through him, far stronger than the bear heart's effect. Along with it came a violent, predatory urge—as if he himself had become a savage beast thirsting for blood.
Riding the surge of energy, Chen Sanshi stuffed a few mouthfuls of beef into his mouth, finished the Blood-Replenishing Soup in one go, and grabbed his Willow-Leaf Spear. He stepped into the courtyard and began practicing.
It was late autumn, and the trees outside their gate had long begun shedding leaves. The wind swept piles of yellow leaves into the yard.
The spear whistled through the air, stirring up the fallen leaves. They swirled around the youth like countless butterflies, yet every flutter carried killing intent. The faster they spun, the sharper the wind became, almost forming a small tornado, ready to shred anything that dared approach.
Deadly—and breathtakingly beautiful.
Gu Xinlan stood by the door, dazed.
How long had it been? Barely over a month ago, their family had still been worrying about paying taxes.
Now, they were well-fed and well-dressed, and the man before her had grown into someone who wielded true martial power. It felt like a dream.
One practiced his art; the other quietly watched.
Before they knew it, the sun had sunk behind the hills, and night covered the sky. One by one, the stars began to gleam.
Soaked in sweat, Chen Sanshi finally stopped.
"Hu…"
He exhaled deeply, planting the spear firmly beneath the plum tree in the courtyard.
[Technique: Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry (Mastery)]
[Progress: 120/1000]
[Effect: Spear strikes fierce and swift; endurance extraordinary; qi and blood vigorous]
"This tiger meat really works wonders!"
"If I buy more tonic herbs tomorrow, I should be able to break through to Minor Achievement within half a month."
"Hiss…"
He felt the qi still boiling in his veins, the beastly heat surging under his skin—yet the excitement in his eyes only burned brighter.
Even after hours of nonstop spear practice, Chen Sanshi could still feel the effects of the tiger heart and the Blood-Replenishing Soup burning through his veins. His blood surged like molten fire, yet his muscles finally began to ache for rest.
"Here, wipe off your sweat."
Gu Xinlan had already prepared a towel beforehand. She stood close, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead. "You must be starving. What do you want to eat—ah!"
Her slim wrist was suddenly caught in a firm grip.
"Shi ge'er, what are you doing?"
"Doing," Chen Sanshi growled simply, then swept Lan jie'er off her feet and carried her straight into the bedroom.
"I told you—stop eating so much beast heart!"
…
The next morning, when Chen Sanshi arrived at the garrison gate, a dust-covered patrol was just returning from outside.
Leading them on horseback was Hundred-Household Luo Dongquan.
In the center of the group was a prison cart holding a single captive.
The man wore ordinary clothes like any commoner of the Great Sheng Dynasty, yet something about his features looked subtly wrong, out of place—like he didn't belong here.
Luo Dongquan glanced briefly at the man but said nothing as he led the unit through the gate.
"Hundred-Household Wang!"
Chen Sanshi called out to the plump officer at the rear of the convoy. "That man—could he be…?"
"Yeah," Fat Wang spat to the side. "One of the Witch God Sect bastards."
He grumbled in irritation. "This brat had balls the size of an ox! The whole city's out hunting their cult, and he still dared to sneak into the Spring Full Pavilion looking for a girl!"
"That bold?" Chen Sanshi raised a brow.
"Damn right!"
Fat Wang snorted. "If I hadn't been in the next room fighting over the same girl, who would've thought he was hiding there? Talk about hiding right under the lamp!"
"…"
Chen Sanshi didn't care much for their story.
What caught his attention was the immortal treasure. "Have they caught all the Witch God Sect members yet?"
"Not yet."
Fat Wang scratched his nose. "But soon. Once you catch one, the rest can't stay hidden long. A few days, tops."
Chen Sanshi quietly exhaled.
That meant it wasn't over yet. The treasure's key hadn't been found—and that meant there was still a chance.
Of course, he wouldn't act recklessly. The box was already in his hands; he just needed to find out who had the key. Then, when the time was right, he'd make his move.
Watching the convoy disappear into the garrison, Chen Sanshi turned to his own task.
He headed to the armory workshop to place an order.
The man in charge was a burly, bare-chested middle-aged blacksmith named Niu Gai, his body gleaming with sweat and corded muscles.
Niu Gai stopped hammering, wiped his forehead with a rag, and asked bluntly, "So, how heavy do you want your bow?"
"Ten-stone."
Chen Sanshi took out several pieces of the tiger bone he had saved—dense and solid, though not much in quantity.
"Tiger bone, huh?"
Niu Gai turned a piece in his rough hand, nodding thoughtfully. "Good stuff. It can replace ox horn or tough wood for the bow's limbs. But for the core, it's too stiff—lacks elasticity. I'd suggest using mutated purple-gold bamboo that's at least fifty years old. Even then, you'll only get a bow of about six to seven stone at best."
"Six or seven stone?"
Chen Sanshi frowned. "What would it take to make a ten-stone bow then?"
He wanted a true training weapon, one that could keep up with his growing strength. Constantly swapping bows was a waste.
Niu Gai explained patiently, "The bowstring is always the limit. Normal ones are made from ox sinew or horn—strong, but they cap out. Even if I forced the draw weight to ten-stone, the performance would be poor. Tiger sinew won't work either. You'd need sinew from a beast-type spirit creature, maybe a mutated ox—or something even better."
"What about a deer?"
Chen Sanshi paused. "I mean… a white spirit deer."
Niu Gai's eyes lit up. "Now that would work. Deer sinew is naturally flexible, and from a spirit beast, even more so. If you can bring me sinew from a white deer-type creature, I'll forge you a bow that easily exceeds ten-stone strength."