61 I’m Invincible
At the foot of the mountain, at the entrance of Peace Town, from a distance, Jiang Ming saw a few soldiers in armor patrolling the town entrance.
“It seems that Peace Town is now the Green Mountain Army’s private land.”
Although the army had already left, there should still be some small fries left to look after the base. He did not expect that the Old Snake Gang would be gone and replaced by the Green Mountain Army.
Jiang Ming sighed internally. He could not tell whether it was good or bad!
As he approached, a soldier stopped him and scolded, “A herb-gatherer? Are you stupid? Where’s the fee for going down the mountain?”
“A f*cking mountain fee?” Jiang Ming was shocked. Back then, even the minor officials of the imperial court were not so brazen.
A fat middle-aged man who looked like the leader quickly ran over and kicked the soldier who blocked their path. Then, he cupped his hands to Jiang Ming and smiled, ”
“Chief Jiang, please forgive me. The newcomer is stupid!”
Jiang Ming squinted his eyes and looked at the man. He recognized him.
When the commander of the supply camp, Li Yong, brought people to give out porridge, he had been following Li Yong and knew that Jiang Ming was from the Tiger Hunting Village.
“Zhang Zhushi, what kind of foolishness is this?” he asked with a smile.
Zhang Zhushi’s chubby face was oily, and he looked benevolent. “The Old Snake Gang has committed many evil deeds. Now that they’ve been completely eradicated, there’s no one to take care of the medicine market in Peace Town. It’s a mess, and there are often bloody incidents of fighting and snatching. Moreover, we also need to leave some people here to guard Peace Town. Master Li went with the army, so he sent us to guard this place, watch over the medicine market, maintain order, and patrol the mountains and forests to prevent bandits from coming. It’s also a form of protection for the people,” Zhang Zhushi said with a face full of righteousness.
Jiang Ming could not help but complain internally, “Li Yong is really kind on the surface but ruthless on the inside. Not only did he trick the people of Peace Town into being cannon fodder, but he also didn’t let go of this source of wealth.”
Jiang Ming remembered that Li Yong had killed Mr. Dong. It was probably to prepare for him to take over this source of income.
The harvest of Peace Town’s medicine market might not be enough for the huge Green Mountain Army, but if Li Yong took all of it into his pocket under the excuse of guarding the town. It was not a small sum of money.
Moreover, the herbs in this town were basically all sold to the Green Mountain Army. If Li Yong asked his men to tamper with the price, it would be a profit on both sides.
“Regardless of whether it’s the Old Snake Gang or the Green Mountain Army, the herb gatherers of Peace Town will always be exploited. It seems that the Green Mountain Army thinks that they’ve achieved their goal and can’t even be bothered to pretend anymore,” Jiang Ming said internally, but his face showed a smile. “Since it’s a rule, then I won’t make things difficult for you. What are the fees for coming down the mountain?”
“Ah, for the others, it’s three copper coins. Chief Jiang, with your status, of course you don’t need to pay,” Zhang Zhushi hurriedly waved his hand and refused with a tough expression.
Jiang Ming glanced at him.
‘I don’t believe you.’
* * *
“Greetings, Chief Jiang!”
“Chief Jiang, long time no see.”
As soon as Jiang Ming walked into the bar, the customers around him greeted him one after another. Jiang Ming responded to them with a smile and walked to the counter.
“You are really slippery. You’ve been in the mountains for three months.” Old Jiang, who was settling the accounts, looked up and laughed.
“I just came down the mountain and three copper coins were fed to the dogs,” Jiang Ming said with a pout.
Old Jiang was stunned and sighed, “It’s good enough that you’re still alive. The Green Mountain Army is better than before. They’re a bit stronger.”
Jiang Ming was silent. Perhaps many people had the same idea as Old Jiang.
To them, the Green Mountain Army officials were not so ruthless. They were happy enough to not be exploited as badly as they were before.
However, this kind of life might not last long.
“That’s right, a few days ago, someone picked the fire cloud grass again. I don’t know what’s going on this year, but only half a year has passed and three people have gotten lucky! You’ve been in the mountains every day, and you haven’t seen any?” Old Jiang suddenly asked.
Jiang Ming’s heart trembled. The frequency of finding fire cloud grass had been increasing in the past two years. Could it be that what the lousy storyteller had written was true? An immortal herb would appear?
“It seems like I have to go back to the mountains to take a look!” Jiang Ming thought internally, but his expression remained calm. He sighed and said, “Maybe I’m not lucky enough.”
* * *
It was August.
The Green Mountain Army had arrived in the Jiangnan Prefecture and said that they would take another city in half a month.
Jiang Ming, on the other hand, paid no attention to the outside world. He bought rare medicinal herbs from the Wang family’s medicinal shop and returned to the cottage in the mountain. Every day, he picked herbs to practice martial arts and temper his body.
Master Si and the fat tiger’s team dominated the mountains, and the area around the house had become a forbidden area for the animals in the mountains.
Moreover, this duo was getting more and more skilled in finding medicinal herbs. One had brains and the other had brawn, which saved Jiang Ming a lot of energy.
He was even considering feeding the fat tiger some secret medicine when he was free.
Jiang Ming performed the Blood-Burning Saber Technique, and the blood Qi in his body gushed out continuously and condensed on the blade, erupting with a terrifying power that could split rocks.
Jiang Ming used up all his blood Qi with the last strike.
“I can finally use the Blood-Burning Saber Technique without any worries.” Jiang Ming’s face showed a satisfied smile.
After triggering his heightened perception several times, Jiang Ming’s understanding of the intent had made rapid progress. Now, he could control blood Qi as easily as he could his limbs. Jiang Ming himself was probably comparable to a second-class martial artist.
After returning to the mountain, Master Si found him some fire cloud grass. This morning, he mixed it with various other herbs and made a medicinal soup for him to drink.
With the help of the fire cloud grass, Jiang Ming had completely completed the tempering of his flesh and blood. He only needed to temper his meridians and he could become a top-notch second-class martial artist.
He could finally completely control the Blood-Burning Saber Technique and was not affected by the boiling blood Qi. The blood Qi in his body was enough for him to make more than fifty strikes in a row.
He could now do whatever he wanted in Great Cloud City.
The Blood-Burning Saber Technique allowed him to fight above his level, but the premise was that the other party had to fight him head-on. However, first-class martial artists were not fools. When they saw someone using a forbidden technique, they would turn around and run.
Master Si and the fat tiger returned. Master Si’s little paws were waving.
Jiang Ming immediately understood its gesture and was surprised, “You found fire cloud grass again?”
While he was excited, he also had a bad feeling. Fire cloud grass was being discovered too frequently.