Chapter 177: Chapter 176: A Dime a Dozen

After Mingxin cried out, the surroundings immediately erupted into a chaotic buzz:

"This Number D-73 is so audacious! He actually agreed to this in a single breath!"

"Even if Elder Xu’s breakthrough only takes ten days, there must be at least two or three thousand bandits gathered out there! How does he dare!"

"Yeah! And Qingfeng Manor has been in decline for years. Even if their entire family, old and young, takes up arms, I doubt they could even muster a thousand people!"

"..."

"Sir, why not go back on your word now?"

"Even though you just agreed, backing out now would, at worst, only mean losing some face."

"But if you go to the manor, I’m afraid you’ll lose your life!"

Listening to the surrounding voices, Mingxin’s eyes filled with deep worry. She leaned forward slightly, her voice rising a little.

’I wonder if this demeanor is part of her training from the Chamber of Commerce.’

But regardless of whether she was sincere, Wu Chen just smiled and shook his head, rejecting her well-intentioned warning.

’No matter what, I have to go to Qingfeng Manor.’

’It’s simple. If I don’t go, I don’t get any Martial Arts.’

’Martial Arts techniques don’t just fall from the sky. You can’t pick them up off the side of the road, and the cliché of falling off a cliff and finding some peerless technique is pure fantasy.’

’If you want Martial Arts...’

’...you have to fight for them, snatch them, and risk your life for them.’

Besides, the fact that a once-great power like Qingfeng Manor could fall to its current, beleaguered state was a wake-up call for Wu Chen. It made him realize he had to seize every opportunity to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

After all, he had just slaughtered a Blood Slaughter Sect den. Knowing the Blood Palace’s methods, it wouldn’t be long before they acted. They wouldn’t bother asking for reasons or hunting for the culprit; they would just move to wipe out the four major sects entirely.

’I have to find the Blood Palace before they come for me.’

Setting that aside, he had also heard that the war over in Qingzhou was growing more intense.

It was anyone’s guess how much longer Qingzhou’s Black Armor Army could hold out against the northern Barbarian Soldiers.

Once Qingzhou’s city walls fell, who knew if beings even more terrifying than the Demon Corpses might emerge and march straight south to slaughter millions of civilians.

When that time came, forget about having the power to pacify the world with his blade; he and Hong Ling would at least need a safe place to call home.

After the uproar, a moment of silence fell.

Most people were unwilling to take the risk, but quite a few were tempted by Qingfeng Manor’s wealth. After the silence, many began to speak up:

"Number C-42, willing to go with the Young Mistress..."

"C-36..."

"Number B-14..."

"Number A-3..."

"..."

Although the journey posed immense risks, the allure of Qingfeng Manor’s wealth was clearly greater.

If they succeeded as guards, the silver coins they would receive as a reward after this was over could probably help them reach a higher realm.

This was a perfect example of "fortune is found through risk."

Wu Chen didn’t know how many people were in the auction hall, nor did he plan to ask.

But calls of acceptance began to rise one after another, and in total, nearly a hundred people volunteered before the shouting gradually died down.

"Thank you all, seniors!"

A look of joy flashed in Xu Le’s eyes as she heard so many voices respond. It grew even brighter when she heard the voice from an ’A’-ranked room.

Being able to occupy such a high-numbered A-rank room meant that person was at least at the Mid Stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm!

’Regardless of their identity, as long as they’re willing to help, they’ll be a huge asset!’

She bowed deeply. "In that case, I will await you all in the backyard of the auction hall!"

...

About an hour later, a group of over a hundred people, led by Xu Le and her servants, departed from the east gate of Cangwu City, galloping straight for the mountain forest.

’Three of them are in the Blood Coagulation Realm!’

’Are they common as dirt now?’

Wu Chen scanned the crowd with his senses, and his brows shot up.

Before, he hadn’t thought there were many people in the Blood Coagulation Realm; it was rare to even see one.

How was it that as soon as he broke through to the Blood Coagulation Realm, he was suddenly surrounded by others in the same realm!

’At this rate, someone in the Leakless Realm is going to pop out of the woodwork!’

’But the more, the better! With more of them around, I’ll have more opportunities to get Martial Arts!’

Wu Chen quickly turned his attention to the martial arts manual in his hands.

This martial arts manual was a sort of welcome gift from the Young Mistress of Qingfeng Manor.

As he finished flipping through the manual, the assignable points on his status panel began to pulse. By then, the group had already ventured deep into the mountains.

The mountain path showed signs of past maintenance, but with Qingfeng Manor’s gradual decline, its edges were now overgrown with weeds and littered with rocks.

The group had little to say, urging their horses to a faster pace. After traveling for a full day and night, Qingfeng Manor finally came into view in the distance as darkness fell on the second day.

’Hiss! This...’

Looking at Qingfeng Manor in the distance, Wu Chen felt a metaphorical headache coming on.

The manor was situated in a secluded valley, surrounded by mountains on all four sides. In its prime, it would have been a land of auspicious feng shui.

But now, it was a classic deathtrap.

’Never mind anything else. Just standing on the mountains and throwing fist-sized rocks would be enough to wreck the people below.’

But they were already here; turning back was not an option.

"Look out!"

Someone in the crowd yelled, and just as the word left their lips, countless crossbow arrows shot out from the woods with a sharp whistle.

WHIZ! WHIZ! WHIZ! WHIZ!

Wu Chen moved with extreme speed. He had sensed the ambush even before the warning cry.

His fingers were already on the hilt of his blade. A flash of dark red light accompanied his swing, slicing through the four or five arrows aimed at his horse.

He instinctively leaped up, about to charge into the woods for a slaughter, but Xu Le, who was leading the way, yelled out:

"Don’t get bogged down fighting! Just charge through and protect the manor!"

Wu Chen could only suppress his killing intent and follow the group, deflecting the rain of arrows as they charged forward.

As they galloped closer, the manor, fortified like a small city, was fully revealed before them.

The steward on the walls had already noticed the movement outside. Seeing the group of riders approaching with his Young Mistress at the lead, he immediately shouted for the servants to open the great gate, which was cast from refined steel.

Once the riders charged inside, the gate slammed shut, giving the bandits no opportunity to follow.

"Seniors, by the looks of it, the bandits will likely attack in about fifteen minutes. Do any of you require anything else to aid you in the fight?"

Xu Le waited for the men and horses to settle before respectfully cupping her fist and asking the question.

The group didn’t really need anything. As experienced wanderers, they already carried Healing Elixirs, and their weapons were Tier One at the very least. Even if she gave them tens of thousands in silver banknotes right now, it would be impossible to break out of the bandits’ encirclement before the Elder’s breakthrough was complete.

So, even if she settled the final payment now, the money would be useless to them.

Wu Chen, however, had no intention of being polite. He stepped forward and said:

"Martial Arts. I want Martial Arts for the Blood Coagulation Realm."

Hearing this, the others turned to look at Wu Chen as if he were a complete idiot.

’If you ask for elixirs, you can take them now to recover your stamina and nourish your core. If you ask for a High Tier weapon, you could kill enemies faster and carve out a path to survival.’

’But you’re asking for Martial Arts? Could you even learn them in time?’

’What’s the difference between asking for a manual now and asking for a stack of waste paper?’

Xu Le, however, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried he would make some exorbitant demand.

’To her, the Martial Arts manuals were just a pile of waste paper at this point. Trading that for one more person to stand guard and buy her grandfather even a few more moments for his breakthrough... it was an absolute bargain!’

She looked at Wu Chen. "How many do you want?"

Wu Chen retorted, "How many do you have?"

Xu Le: "..."

The crowd: "..."

For a moment, no one knew what to say. ’One manual should be more than enough,’ they thought. ’Could he even read through several?’

’Even if he could, could he possibly master their essence in time?’

’Doesn’t he understand the situation we’re in? The manor is surrounded by enemies. Is he really planning to cram at the last minute?’

Xu Le didn’t care about any of that. Her top priority was to stabilize morale.

She instructed the steward behind her, "Bring the two remaining Blood Coagulation Realm Cultivation Technique manuals we have in the manor and give them to this gentleman!"

"Yes, Young Mistress!"

A few martial arts manuals seemed insignificant to the others, but as they watched the steward nod and turn to leave, it dawned on them that Wu Chen was getting paid before he’d even lifted a finger.

The comparison suddenly made the rest of the hired help feel like they were getting a raw deal, and they began to clamor:

"Hey, Young Mistress! How about getting us some Healing Elixirs, too! We’re bound to get injured in the fighting and will need to replenish our Qi Power..."

"And this weapon of mine isn’t so great. I’m afraid it won’t be very effective for killing enemies!"

"..."

Xu Le: "..."

She stared at the group, speechless, and could only reply:

"Of course, those have been prepared for you all. Please, wait a moment..."

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