The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Ye Sheng stood at the door of the shed, looking in the direction where Wang Laizi and his group had disappeared. The pent-up frustration in his heart finally dissipated a little.

The peach wood plaque from the boatmen's gang was indeed effective, making someone like Wang Laizi so wary.

He turned and went back into the house. Ye Kai was leaning against the corner of the wall, looking nervous. When he saw that it was Ye Sheng who entered the house, his expression visibly relaxed.

"Brother, that bastard Wang Laizi shouldn't dare come back again, right?"

Although he was inside the house, he heard Ye Sheng and Wang Laizi's conversation outside very clearly.

Ye Sheng put the wood-chopping knife back in the corner of the wall and sat down next to his younger brother.

"I dare not in the short term."

He paused, then added, "But this kind of person holds grudges, so we need to be careful in the future."

Ye Kai nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The shed fell silent, with only the sound of the river breeze blowing through the eaves and the wooden sign swaying gently.

Ye Sheng took out the remaining copper coins and counted them carefully.

He earned 180 coins from selling the limestone. After paying Liu Ye his share and the initial investment, he had about 110 coins left. He then gave Old Chen 100 coins as a down payment, leaving him with only 10 coins.

Three months later, he would need to make up the difference of 400 coins in cash, plus 150 coins in interest.

A total of 550 coins, that's no small sum.

Ye Sheng leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

If you rely solely on chopping firewood to sell, a basket of firewood can fetch a maximum of eight coins, depending on market conditions. After deducting the time and effort spent on the journey, you're lucky if you can chop and sell two baskets a day.

Sixteen coins a day, less than five hundred coins a month. Although it seemed like they could raise enough to pay off the boatmen's debt in three months, this didn't even include the younger brother's medicine and the two brothers' daily expenses.

Besides, Old Chen said he had to take any work offered by the boatmen's guild during these three months. How would he have time to chop firewood then?

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the broken wooden box in the corner.

Now that the skill of [Herbal Identification] has been unlocked, if I can quickly improve it to the beginner level, it may open up new ways to make money.

The town's pharmacy buys herbs, and although the prices aren't high, they're stable. Moreover, if they manage to find rare herbs, they might be able to sell them for a better price.

Immediately, Ye Sheng stood up, walked to the wooden box, and took out the piece of paper with the "Herbal Identification" label, reading it carefully.

He read very slowly and carefully, memorizing every word.

After a while, he put the paper away and turned to Ye Kai, saying, "Brother, I'm going out for a bit."

"Brother, where are you going?"

"Gathering herbs."

After Ye Sheng finished speaking, he picked up the wood-chopping knife, pushed open the door, and went out.

It was already afternoon, and the sunlight shone on the river, making it sparkle.

Ye Sheng walked along the riverbank, his gaze sweeping over every wetland and every pile of rocks.

The innate perception granted by his [Scavenging (Skilled)] ability allows him to instantly distinguish between areas where there might be valuable items and areas where there are just ordinary junk.

After walking about half a mile, Ye Sheng stopped beside a patch of reeds.

There, several more snake tongue grass plants were swaying in the wind. Ye Sheng squatted down and carefully dug them out.

Herbal Identification: 3/100 → 4/100

Ye Sheng's lips curled slightly; progress had been made. He continued searching along the river and found two more blood orchids and a small clump of maidenhair ferns.

Herbal Identification: 4/100 → 7/100

Ye Sheng carefully wrapped the herbs he had dug up, tucked them into his pocket, and continued scavenging.

This time, his target was the deeper pile of rocks.

The area is damp and overgrown with weeds, making it the most common habitat for Gelsemium elegans.

Although the poisonous plant *Gelsemium elegans* is highly toxic, if one could collect it, it might be able to be sold to the vendors at the ghost market.

After all, the ghost market buys everything.

Ye Sheng carefully made his way through the pile of rocks, his eyes searching among the weeds.

Suddenly, the perception of [Scavenging (Skilled)] jumped.

The sensation didn't come from the herbs, but from a stone?

Ye Sheng stopped and looked in the direction he sensed.

Beside a bluestone half-buried in the soil, there is an inconspicuous little grass.

The grass leaves are dark green with serrated edges; it is indeed the Gelsemium elegans.

But what caught Ye Sheng's attention was not the heartbreak grass, but the blue stone.

He walked over, squatted down, and reached out to touch the surface of the bluestone.

It feels cool to the touch and smooth to the touch; that faint, familiar "coolness" returns.

It's a remnant of spiritual energy!

Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

This blue stone, it turns out, also contains spiritual energy?

Although it is fainter than the gray stone from last time, it does exist.

He dug hard and dug the bluestone out of the soil.

The stone is small, about the size of a palm, dark blue in color, with a smooth surface and some faint natural patterns.

Ye Sheng held it in his hand, and the "coolness" emanating from it was slightly more noticeable than that of the paper.

"Could this be another fragment of a spirit stone?"

He muttered to himself.

If that's true, maybe we can make some money selling it.

Afterwards, Ye Sheng carefully put away the bluestone and the heartbreak grass, then turned and walked back.

When we returned to the shed, it was nearly dusk.

Ye Kai was leaning against the corner of the wall, flipping through the book "Fengwu Zhi" (A Record of Local Customs).

His eyes lit up when he saw Ye Sheng enter.

"Brother, you're back? Did you gather any herbs?"

"We found it."

Ye Sheng took out the herbs from his pocket and waved them in front of Ye Kai.

"This is snake tongue grass, which can clear heat. I'll boil some water for you to drink tonight."

Ye Kai took the herbs and examined them carefully.

"Brother, where did you pick these? There are so many."

"By the river."

Ye Sheng took out the blue stone and placed it in front of Ye Kai.

"And I found this too."

Ye Kai curiously leaned closer to observe carefully.

"What is this now?"

"have no idea."

Ye Sheng shook his head.

"But it feels cold to the touch, so it might be a fragment of a spirit stone."

Ye Kai's face lit up with joy when he heard the words "spirit stone fragments".

"Brother, are you going to sell them at the ghost market again?"

Ye Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "No rush."

He carefully put the bluestone away and said, "The spiritual essence remaining on this stone is too weak; it might not fetch a good price. I'll keep it for now and sell it all together when I've collected a few more."

Ye Kai nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Night was falling.

Ye Sheng brewed a bowl of snake tongue grass water for Ye Kai and gave him the medicine left by Manager Hu on time.

Then, he sat by the fire, took out the three pieces of vermilion paper, and reviewed the contents recorded on them once again.

The next morning, Ye Sheng got up very early. After eating, he picked up his firewood basket and prepared to go into the mountains to chop firewood.

"Brother, are you going to chop wood today?"

Ye Kai was somewhat worried.

"Um."

Ye Sheng nodded.

"Even with the name of the shipping guild, we still have to make money."

He paused, then said, "Take good care of yourself at home. I'll be back soon."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out.

The mist on the river dissipated, revealing shimmering waves.

Ye Sheng walked quickly along the riverbank into the mountains.

The road into the mountains is difficult to travel; it consists of rugged paths overgrown with thorns on both sides.

But Ye Sheng walked very steadily. The lower body strength brought by the "standing meditation" made him feel as if he were walking on flat ground on the mountain road.

After walking for about an hour, he arrived at a dark forest. The trees here were dense, mostly thick, miscellaneous trees, perfect for cutting firewood.

Ye Sheng put down his firewood basket, drew his machete, and began chopping. The blade struck the tree trunk with a dull thud.

Each strike employed the power generation techniques of the "basic swordsmanship," with the force transmitted smoothly through the shoulders, waist, hips, and legs in one fluid motion.

Before long, a piece of miscellaneous wood, as thick as a bowl, fell down.

Ye Sheng cut off the branches, cut the wood into sections, tied them up, and put them into the firewood basket.

Just as he was about to cut the second one, he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him.

Ye Sheng's heart tightened, he gripped the wood-chopping knife tightly, and turned around abruptly.

Deep in the woods, a pair of eerie green eyes were staring at him.

It was a wild wolf.