The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

When Ye Sheng walked out of the Broken Bone Forest, his legs were as weak as noodles.

The sky grew brighter and brighter, and the morning mist spread across the wilderness like a thin veil covering the ground.

He stepped on dry grass, and with each step he could hear his bones creaking.

The wound on my shoulder had scabbed over, but even the slightest movement caused it to throb painfully. The spot on my calf where the iron-backed jackal's tail had struck me was swollen badly, and my trousers were stretched taut over it.

Ye Sheng stopped and leaned against a crooked tree to catch his breath.

He took out the demon beast's inner core from his pocket and looked at it in his palm.

The blood-red beads gleamed with a warm luster in the morning light, and felt cozy and comforting to hold in my hand.

His [Scavenging Skill] senses told him that this item could fetch a high price.

But Ye Sheng didn't immediately feel happy. He recalled the battle just now, in which the Ironback Jackal's speed, strength, and defense completely overwhelmed him.

If it weren't for good luck in using the Ghost Flower to distract that beast, I would most likely be its meal by now.

"Still too weak."

Ye Sheng said something in a low voice, then wrapped the inner core again and stuffed it into his pocket.

He then touched another cloth bag, which contained the Yin Soul Grass, completely intact.

This job is now considered complete.

Ye Sheng muttered to himself, looked up at the sky, and estimated that there was still more than half a day before the zodiac was set. He decided to go back to Shuilongdu first.

Because I have some injuries, I need to treat them as soon as possible.

Ye Sheng took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and continued walking forward. The path beneath his feet became increasingly familiar, and the wilderness gradually transformed into a rocky beach on the riverbank.

The distant roar of the Duanlong River echoed, deep and resonant.

Ye Sheng quickened his pace, climbed over the last earthen slope, and the pier and sheds of Shuilongdu finally came into view.

In the morning mist, those dilapidated shacks looked like old turtles lying on the riverbank, gray and lifeless.

But as Ye Sheng looked at it, a sense of inexplicable peace welled up in his heart.

I'm finally back alive.

He walked onto the pier, his steps uneven, the wooden planks creaking under his feet.

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

When Ye Sheng entered, his eyes lit up, but his expression immediately changed.

"Brother, are you hurt?"

Ye Kai struggled to stand up, but his legs were still immobile, so he could only use his hands to support himself and move forward.

"Don't move."

Ye Sheng waved his hand, walked to the corner and sat down, leaning against the cold wooden board, and let out a long breath.

"It's nothing, I just ran into a little trouble."

Ye Kai bit his lip, his eyes reddening.

"Brother, why do you always get injured when you go out? If anything happens to you, I..."

"Alright."

Ye Sheng interrupted him, took out the demon beast's inner core from his pocket, and waved it in front of Ye Kai.

"See that? We made a killing this time."

Ye Kai was stunned for a moment, then took the inner core and weighed it in his hand.

"What is this?"

"The inner core of a demonic beast."

Ye Sheng grinned, which aggravated the wound on his shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Iron-backed jackals can fetch a good price."

Ye Kai's eyes widened.

"Iron-backed jackals? Bro, you've encountered iron-backed jackals?"

"Yeah, it almost ate me."

Ye Sheng spoke casually, but when Ye Kai saw the injuries on his body, tears streamed down his face.

"Brother, stop working so hard to earn money. Can we...can we just not take the money?"

Ye Sheng was silent for a moment, then reached out and ruffled Ye Kai's hair.

"Silly brother, if we don't work hard to earn money, where will we get the money to treat your leg? And how will we pay back the debt to the shipping guild?"

He paused.

"Besides, didn't my brother come back safe and sound?"

Ye Kai lowered his head, tears falling to the ground drop by drop.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't dragged you down..."

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Where is Miss Su?"

Ye Sheng looked around the house and asked.

"She said she had something to do and had to go out for a bit, and she hasn't come back yet."

Ye Kai responded.

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng didn't think much of it. Instead, he stood up, walked to the corner of the wall, and rummaged through a broken wooden box to find a few herbal remedies for external application.

"Go boil some water and put some medicine on the wound."

He went outside the shed, lit a fire, and threw the herbs into an earthenware pot to boil.

Before long, the aroma of medicine filled the air.

Ye Sheng poured the boiled medicine into a bowl, tore off a strip of cloth, dipped it in the medicine, and gently wiped the wounds on his shoulders and calves.

The herbal juices seeped into the wound, causing a burning pain, but Ye Sheng didn't even flinch.

He's gotten used to it. He's suffered more injuries in this period than in the previous ten years combined.

But each injury made him stronger.

After applying the medicine, Ye Sheng changed into clean clothes and threw the tattered clothes stained with blood into the river.

He returned to the shed and sat down next to Ye Kai.

"Brother, I have to go out again tonight."

Ye Kai raised his head, his eyes filled with worry.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"Sell the Ghost Market, the Soul-Slaying Grass and the Inner Core."

Ye Sheng took the cloth bag out of his pocket, opened it, and showed it to Ye Kai.

"This is Yin Soul Grass; people in the Ghost Market buy it. This stuff can sell for 100 coins, and with this inner core, it can probably sell for 300 or 400 coins."

Ye Kai bit his lip.

"Brother, be careful."

"rest assured."

Ye Sheng stood up, picked up the blood-stained woodcutter's knife, walked to the riverbank, and carefully washed it clean with the river water.

The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, even brighter than before.

He sheathed the knife back in his waistband and looked up at the sky.

It was still early, so he needed to rest for a while and recover his strength.

Ye Sheng returned to the shed, lay down on the straw mat, and closed his eyes.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and he soon fell asleep.

He slept very soundly. When Ye Sheng woke up, it was already completely dark.

He opened his eyes and realized that it was almost time.

"Brother, I'm leaving."

He stood up, put on the ghost mask, took the ghost market copper token, and pushed open the door to go out.

The night was as dark as ink, and the river wind was biting.

Ye Sheng walked along the familiar road toward the mass grave.

This time he walked even faster, and in less than an hour he arrived at the old locust tree.

The black-robed guide was already waiting there.

"here we go again."

Her voice was hoarse.

"Um."

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

Actually, he was also puzzled. He always wore a ghost mask when he came, so why could the old woman who guided him always recognize him?

The man in black robes glanced at it and nodded.

"Keep up."

Soon, the two arrived at the underground cave.

There weren't many people from outside the city tonight; just a few scattered stalls, and the stall owners were all squatting on the ground, looking listless.

Ye Sheng didn't linger in the outer city; he went straight to the old man's stall.

The old man was still there, sitting on the stone, slowly polishing a jade pendant.

He looked up when he saw Ye Sheng coming over.

"The kid's here?"

"Um."

Ye Sheng took out the cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and placed the Yin Soul Grass on the stall.

"Five plants, with intact roots and stems, and undamaged leaves."

The old man picked up a plant, brought it close to his mask to examine it carefully, and then sniffed it.

After a long pause, he nodded.

"Yes, it is indeed the Yin Soul Grass, and it looks very good."

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

"This is your payment."

Then he took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve.

"This is a healing medicine. Your wounds will heal in three days if you apply it."

Ye Sheng accepted the copper coins and porcelain bottle, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the old man.

Thank you.

"Don't rush off."

The old man suddenly spoke.

"Your injuries look quite serious. Did you encounter something in the Bone Forest?"

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"We encountered an adult ironback jackal."

The old man's eyes narrowed.

"An adult ironback jackal? You killed it?"

"Um."

Ye Sheng took the demon core out of his pocket and placed it on the stall.

"This is its inner core."

The old man picked up the inner elixir and examined it carefully.

He gently stroked the surface of the inner core with his fingers, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

After a while, he raised his head, his voice filled with surprise.

"Kid, you're pretty good."

He paused.

"I'll offer three hundred coins for this inner core."

Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

Three hundred articles!

Adding the 100 coins from earlier, I can earn 400 coins tonight.

But he remained expressionless.

"Old man, this is the inner core of a fully grown ironbacked jackal. I almost got killed by it to get it. Three hundred coins, isn't that a bit too little?"

The old man stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Heh, you really dare to talk back."

He paused.

"Alright, since you handled this matter so well, I'll give you another fifty coins. Three hundred and fifty coins, that's the most I can give you."

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, deal."

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then counted out three hundred and fifty copper coins and threw them onto the hemp cloth.

"Kid, I see you're quite capable. If I need any more work in the future, I'll look for you."

Ye Sheng carefully put away the copper coins and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the old man.

"Thank you for taking care of me, sir."

He turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

With 450 copper coins in his pocket, Ye Sheng felt much more at ease.

Adding the twenty coins he had left, he now had four hundred and seventy coins in his hand.

We are still 80 coins short of our goal of 550 coins.

But there are still more than two months left. As long as we continue like this, raising enough money won't be a problem.

Ye Sheng stepped out of the cave, took off his mask, and took a deep breath.

The night wind felt icy cold on my face.

He turned and walked away quickly, disappearing into the night.