From a humble farmer to a great martial arts master

15. Centipede

Ren Qingshan carried the water vat, spent sixty copper coins to buy a pig's head from a pork stall by the roadside, and hurried back to Yanjing.

The sky was bright.

The salt workers had just gotten up one after another and squatted in a row under the eaves, slurping their rice porridge.

All that could be heard was Old Sun cursing, "Who the hell stole two water vats!"

The kitchen originally had six large water vats, but now only four remain.

Ren Qingshan chuckled, carried the jar inside, said he was going to practice his martial arts, casually tossed the pig's head to him, and told him to braise it and eat it.

Old Sun apologized with a forced smile, but there was a hint of joy in his expression.

Lord Ren is very generous.

When adults eat meat, you can also benefit from it.

The salt workers outside the door stared wide-eyed at the huge pig's head, swallowing hard.

……

Nothing happened during the day.

The chickens stopped eating rice, which puzzled Old Sun.

Ren Qingshan only said that some centipedes had run out last night, and the chickens had eaten their fill, so there was no need to worry.

Although Old Sun was a little scared, he had no choice but to calm down after hearing what the silver-ranked guard had said.

By evening.

Ren Qingshan was already looking forward to whether centipedes would appear tonight.

Six ounces a night.

I still have to work nine more days.

If this kind of market were available every day, I could earn my entire year's salary.

……

The moon rises above the treetops.

All things were silent.

Ren Qingshan stood guard beside the abandoned salt well.

They waited until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) had passed, but no centipede came out.

I felt extremely disappointed.

Why aren't you coming?

The habits of this insect are truly unfathomable.

Looking at the deep entrance of the salt well cave, Ren Qingshan wanted to crawl inside and take a look.

However, let's hold off for now.

All for the sake of making money.

Unwilling to risk their lives.

If there really is a large cargo inside, and you get trapped and die, then all your plans will be ruined.

We waited for almost half an hour more.

still none.

Ren Qingshan felt quite helpless, but he had no choice but to give up.

……

in this way.

From then on, Ren Qingshan would guard the abandoned salt well every night.

Until... the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

No more centipedes appeared.

With only two days left before his shift ended, Ren Qingshan was truly unwilling to give up.

After circling the salt well and repeatedly investigating, Ren Qingshan decided to give the method he had come up with in the past two days a try.

I caught a chicken.

With a snap, its neck was broken, and warm, scarlet chicken blood dripped down into the abandoned salt well.

Tick.

Tick.

The chicken blood fell into the bottomless salt well, plummeting endlessly without a sound.

Ren Qingshan strained his hearing and eyesight to the limit, yet he could see nothing and hear nothing.

All we can do is wait patiently, like a fisherman.

I don't know how much time has passed.

A rustling sound quietly broke the silence.

Ren Qingshan's heart stirred.

coming!

It really came!

We've prepared the large vats and even the burlap sacks in advance. Let's see how much we can harvest tonight!

A dense army of centipedes emerged like a tidal wave.

The chickens were excited and quickly pecked at the food.

Ren Qingshan was quick as a flash, picking up the items in no time.

until dawn.

The swarm of centipedes retreated like a tide.

Ren Qingshan took stock of his gains.

Tonight's feast is even more lavish than last time: two vats and a sack.

It weighs roughly 200 jin (100 kg).

They packed everything into sacks, carefully carried them, and ran down the mountain.

……

"Dr. Xue, I'm here again."

"Centipedes, are you still buying them?"

As Ren Qingshan strode into Xue's Pharmacy, he asked with a smile.

I went down the mountain a few days ago, fetched some water, bought some meat, and asked around.

A pound of fresh centipedes costs fifty coins, which is indeed the highest price. Some vendors, like black-hearted maggots, only ask for thirty coins.

A hint of worry appeared in Xue Jiren's eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, wanting to ramble on, he swallowed the words back and opened his mouth with a wry smile.

"Keep it."

"However, I can only offer forty coins."

"This medicine is used in small quantities, but with such a large quantity, centipedes will not fetch a good price on the market for the next three years."

"And... I won't accept any more of yours in the future."

Ren Qingshan's face darkened.

I want to swear.

But then I thought about it again, and he wasn't wrong. The market is only so big. If these few hundred kilograms are supplied, the town's centipede medicinal materials will be saturated.

"Okay, okay, okay."

"The price you quoted will apply."

Ren Qingshan was helpless.

He finally found a way to make money, but after only two sales, he died prematurely.

This time, a total of 212 catties were sold at a price of 40 wen per catty, earning 8 taels of silver plus 480 wen.

The money and goods were settled.

Ren Qingshan walked out of the pharmacy, shaking his head and smiling.

He sold them twice, earning fifteen taels of silver, which was not bad; enough to soothe the melancholy of not being able to go home for the New Year.

……

As usual, Ren Qingshan bought some meat and returned to the salt field.

Today I practiced archery.

The number of arrows received was not large, only about a thousand. They were used sparingly for practice, and although they had to be retrieved after being shot, some were inevitably lost.

However, with the year-end approaching and weapons about to be stored away, it was time to indulge in some fun.

Regarding future weapon choices, Ren Qingshan still prefers bows and arrows.

Without it.

As we all know, long-range weapons are the safest.

I used to be an amazing marksman!

call out!

In the dense forest, Ren Qingshan drew his bow and nocked an arrow, pulling the heavy bow to its limit. With perfect coordination of hand and eye, the arrow flew out like a shooting star.

The tree trunk was directly a thousand paces away.

It's a fine bow, both steady and accurate; the bow and the bowstring are both meticulously crafted.

Of course, it is also quite valuable.

It will cost at least sixty taels of silver.

For martial artists, everything is precious!

The cultivation techniques are expensive, the secret medicines are expensive, and the weapons are expensive too.

For me right now, it's still something I can only dream of but never achieve.

effort!

Make money!

……

It was evening.

As dusk began to fall, a bright and round moon eagerly leaped into the night sky.

Some salt workers looked at the moonlight, tears welling up in their eyes, thinking of their families back home.

An elderly salt worker sang a folk song, a song that brought tears to the eyes of many.

Even Old Sun couldn't help but secretly wipe the corner of his eye.

Ren Qingshan listened silently, feeling a pang of sadness, but not to the point of tears.

—If we're really talking about homesickness, who among you can beat me?

Lao Tzu's hometown is in another world.

But since we're here, we might as well make the best of it.

A real man never looks back.

Ok?

Suddenly.

Ren Qingshan's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced in the direction of the abandoned salt well. He then saw a dark shadow shoot out like lightning, flying towards the moon in mid-air.

The speed is extremely fast.

It is almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

Startled, a dozen or so roosters took flight in a flurry, making it impossible to catch up.

Ren Qingshan activated his eyesight and instantly drew his longbow, shooting an arrow at the dark figure, but it was too late; the arrow flew far away.

This……

Is it a fairy?

Or is it the Centipede King, which has not yet become a demon but already has some power?

There really was a lot of cargo inside!

"Everyone, assemble!"

"Open the warehouses immediately and transport the salt down the mountain!"

Ren Qingshan gathered his strength and roared loudly.

We had been preparing for this for over ten days and had a complete contingency plan in mind.

Although this thing has run away, it's unknown whether it will ever come back.

It is my duty to protect the lives of the salt workers and the salt that has been extracted over the past two weeks.

The salt workers were still puzzled, but those with sharp eyes had already seen that countless centipedes were crawling out of the abandoned salt well in the distance. Although they were blocked by realgar, their numbers were increasing.

"Centipede!"

"It's a centipede!"

The crowd shouted in alarm.

boom!

Ren Qingshan had already opened the salt warehouse door and taken out a sealed barrel of kerosene and an arrowhead tied with a strip of cloth: "Don't panic! Two people push one cart, fill it with salt, and hurry down the mountain. I'll cover the rear!"

Upon hearing this, the salt workers felt reassured and quickly followed the orders.

Ren Qingshan grabbed the kerosene barrel, strode towards the abandoned salt well, poured a ring of kerosene around the realgar powder, and after walking far away, shot a firecracker.

In an instant, the flames spread, forming a ring of fire that blocked the centipede swarm.

Then a crackling sound rang out.

Chickens flew around wildly.

What a pity... it's all money.

Centipedes are money, and chickens are money too.

But at this moment, there's no time to worry about that.

I wonder how much that big thing that just flew away weighs. If we kill it, how much money will it be worth?

As Ren Qingshan thought this, he looked up at the sky, but could not see any trace of it.

This centipede king seemed to be heading solely for the moonlight...

……

……