The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The night was as dark as ink, and the sound of the Duanlong River's waves murmured in the distance.

Ye Sheng stood at the entrance of the shed and looked up at the sky. Thick clouds obscured the moon, leaving only a few scattered stars twinkling at the edge of the clouds; it was the perfect time to enter the Ghost Market.

He turned and went back into the house. Ye Kai was already asleep, breathing steadily.

Ye Sheng quietly rummaged through the bottom of the broken wooden box and found the ghost mask, the ghost market copper plaque, and the blue stone. He then wrapped the black stone, dead wood, and animal bones he had picked up that day in an old cloth and stuffed them into his pocket.

Before leaving, he glanced at the wood-chopping knife in the corner, hesitated for a moment, and then picked it up. Although the ghost market had its rules, one could never be too careful.

At that moment, the night wind was biting on the pier, making his thin clothes flutter loudly. After leaving the pier, Ye Sheng headed directly west, disappearing into the wilderness.

This time, he knew the way well and walked much faster than before. In less than an hour, he arrived at the old locust tree at the mass grave.

It was still early, so Ye Sheng leaned against a tree trunk and began practicing his stance. His hand had been split open during the day's fight with the wolves, and it still ached slightly, but this pain only made him more alert.

Time passed slowly, and in the distance, the hooting of owls was mournful and long.

Suddenly, the wind stopped.

Ye Sheng opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw that hunched figure in black robes again. She was carrying a pale green lantern and appeared silently three zhang away.

"It's you again?"

"it's me."

Ye Sheng took out the Ghost Market copper token and handed it over.

The man in black robes didn't take it, but only glanced down at it, then used his eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hood, to scrutinize Ye Sheng for a moment.

"I didn't expect you to even have a bronze medal, that's amazing."

After saying this meaningful sentence, the man in black turned and left.

"Come with me."

Ye Sheng quickly followed.

This time he noticed that although the man in black robes walked unsteadily, there was not a sound when he stepped on the ground, not even a single withered leaf was broken.

This skill is something no ordinary person could achieve.

Soon, the two arrived at the earthen slope.

The woman in black robes raised the lantern and waved it across the slope, and the phantom image of the stone tablet with the character "幽" (you, meaning secluded) reappeared. She reached out and pressed her hand on the top of the tablet, and the ground cracked open, revealing the stone steps leading to the entrance.

"Go in."

The man in black robes stepped aside.

"Remember, there are a lot of people from other cities today, so don't cause trouble."

Ye Sheng nodded, put on the ghost mask, and stepped into the darkness. The stone steps remained slippery and steep, and the glowing stones on the walls emitted a cold, eerie white light.

Ye Sheng walked more steadily this time, quickly rounded the sharp bend, and suddenly the view opened up before him. There were many more stalls in the outer market tonight than last time.

With shadowy figures and ghostly faces swaying, Ye Sheng didn't rush to find a stall, but instead circled around the perimeter first.

His innate perception of "Scavenging (Skilled)" makes him exceptionally perceptive of his surroundings. He can tell at a glance which stalls sell genuine goods and which are scams.

After circling around for a while, Ye Sheng stopped in a secluded corner. There was a stall there, run by a thin, old man wearing a patched gray robe and a wooden carved ghost face mask.

A black linen cloth was spread out on the stall, with a few items scattered on it: three pieces of ore of different colors, half a piece of animal bone, and several small porcelain bottles.

Ye Sheng walked over and squatted down.

"Old man, how much are these animal bones?"

The stall owner glanced at him, his voice hoarse.

"You know your stuff?"

"I know a little."

The stall owner gave a cold laugh.

"You know a little? Then tell me, what kind of bone is this?"

Ye Sheng picked up the piece of animal bone and weighed it in his hand. The bone was about half a foot long, slightly cool to the touch, with a smooth surface and a faint white glow.

[Scavenging (Skilled)]

[Feedback: Fragment of a demonic beast skeleton, approximately thirty years old, with trace amounts of residual spiritual energy; suitable for medicinal use or weapon crafting.]

"Demon beast bone".

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

"It's not old, only about thirty years old, so the spiritual energy is thin, but it's in excellent condition."

The stall owner's eyes narrowed. "Oh! Kid, I didn't expect you to actually know your stuff."

He held up three fingers.

"Selling for 300 coins, no bargaining."

Ye Sheng shook his head, put down the bone, and said, "Too expensive, I don't want it."

He stood up, as if to leave.

"Wait a minute."

The stall owner called out to him.

"You're not here to buy anything, are you?"

Ye Sheng turned around.

"Old man, you have a good eye. I'm here to sell something."

"Let me see it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng took out a black stone and a blue stone from his pocket and placed them on the stall. The stall owner picked up the two stones, examined them closely, and then sniffed them.

After a while, he raised his head.

"This black stone is a black iron ore, of medium quality; while the blue stone is a blue crystal ore, of low quality. Both stones can be used to forge ordinary weapons."

He paused.

"I'll offer fifty coins for two stones."

Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat: Fifty coins, higher than expected.

But he remained calm and said, "Old man, I found this deep in the mountains; I was almost killed by wild wolves. Isn't fifty coins too little?"

"How much do you want?"

"One hundred coins."

The stall owner sneered.

"Do you think I'm a sucker? I'm only giving you fifty coins for this quality ore because you know your stuff."

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then pretended to be at a disadvantage and said, "Seventy coins, that's the lowest I can offer."

The stall owner stared at him for a long time, then finally sighed, "Fine, seventy coins it is."

He took out a string of copper coins from his pocket, counted out seventy coins, and threw them onto the hemp cloth.

"Take a look yourself."

Ye Sheng squatted down and carefully counted the coins one by one. After confirming that there were no errors, he strung the copper coins together with hemp rope and put them in his pocket.

"Old man, I have two more things here."

He then took out the piece of dead wood and the animal bone.

The stall owner picked up the dead wood, glanced at it a few times, and shook his head.

"Ordinary dead wood, the artificial aging is too obvious, it's worthless."

Ye Sheng's heart sank; it seemed that this piece of dead wood was indeed not struck by lightning.

The stall owner picked up the animal bone again and examined it carefully. After a while, he squinted at Ye Sheng and asked, "Kid, where did you get this?"

"I encountered a wolf in the mountains today, but I chased it away. This seems to be what it left behind."

"Wild wolves?"

The stall owner muttered something under his breath, remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, this isn't a wolf bone."

He lowered his voice and continued, "These are the leg bones of an Ironback Jackal."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng's pupils contracted: Ironback Jackal?

"Although the Ironback Jackal is a low-level demonic beast, once it reaches adulthood, its strength is equivalent to that of a late-stage beginner-level martial artist."

The stall owner looked up at Ye Sheng suspiciously and asked, "That wolf you encountered, was it a juvenile ironback jackal? You managed to drive it away?"

Hearing this, Ye Sheng was also unsure, after all, he had never seen an Ironback Jackal.

He simply rolled up his sleeve, revealing the scratches on his arm. The stall owner stared at the wounds for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Good lad, you have guts, daring to fight the Ironback Jackal alone without being defeated. I'll offer 150 coins for this bone."

Ye Sheng's heart raced: 150 coins! Adding the 70 coins he just sold, he's already earned 220 coins tonight.

"Okay, deal."

This time he didn't try to bargain.

The stall owner nodded, then counted out 150 copper coins and threw them onto the linen.

Ye Sheng put away the money, stood up, clasped his hands in thanks to the stall owner, and said, "Thank you, sir."

"Wait a minute," the stall owner suddenly said.

"Kid, since you were able to drive away the Ironback Jackal, you must be quite strong."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I have a job here, I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Ye Sheng became wary and asked, "What kind of work?"

"In three days, I need someone to go to the Bone Forest to collect 'Soul Grass' for me. The reward is one hundred coins, plus a bottle of healing medicine."

Ye Sheng frowned: The Forest of Chaotic Bones?

He had heard of that place; it was one of the most dangerous places outside Blackrock Town, filled with bones and decay, and said to be haunted by ghosts at night.

Why should I go?

"Because you know your stuff and you have the guts."

The stall owner said calmly.

"The Yin Soul Grass grows near the Chaotic Bone Forest and must be harvested at night. Most people dare not go there, and even if they do, they may not recognize it."

Ye Sheng pondered: A reward of one hundred coins plus a bottle of healing medicine was indeed tempting, but the risks were not small.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

Don't think about it for too long.

The stall owner pulled a black wooden plaque from his sleeve and tossed it to Ye Sheng.

"If you're willing to take this job in three days, bring this sign and come find me at the Ghost Market."

Ye Sheng caught the wooden plaque and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you, sir."

He turned and left, heading straight for the exit.

With 220 copper coins in his pocket, it wasn't much, but it at least gave Ye Sheng hope.

If things continue like this, it won't be difficult to collect 550 coins in three months.

Upon exiting the cave, the old woman in black robes was still standing under the old locust tree, carrying a lantern, like a ghost.

Ye Sheng nodded to her and turned to leave.

When they returned to the shack in Shuilongdu, Ye Kai was still asleep, breathing steadily.

Ye Sheng tiptoed to the bedside, took out the copper coins from his pocket, and divided them into two portions. He hid one portion in a broken jar under the bed, and kept the other portion on his person, intending to go to the town's pharmacy tomorrow to get medicine for his younger brother.

After finishing all that, he sat down by the fire and closed his eyes. Tonight's harvest was good, but he was still hesitant about the herb-gathering job.

Although the Forest of Broken Bones is dangerous, the rewards are tempting.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng opened his eyes and took out the black wooden plaque from his pocket. The front of the plaque was engraved with the character "Yin", and the back had a complex rune pattern.

He held the wooden plaque, pondered for a long time, and finally put it away, muttering to himself, "Never mind, I'll go to sleep first and make a decision in three days."