The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Wang Laizi uttered that harsh remark and led his men away, cursing and swearing. His fierce yet cowardly appearance drew disdain from the few migrant workers watching from afar.

Ye Sheng ignored the stares, turned around, went back into the house, and closed the door.

"elder brother……"

Ye Kai's voice was filled with worry.

"fine."

Ye Sheng walked to the fire and sat down, placing the wood-chopping knife across his lap and slowly wiping it with a piece of coarse cloth.

"He'll come looking for trouble again."

Ye Kai bit his lip; though he was sickly, he was sharp-minded.

"I know."

Ye Sheng didn't even look up, his knife-wiping motion steady, and said coldly, "But he doesn't dare to make another move."

The boatmen's wooden plaque hung under the eaves, like a guardian deity. No matter how unruly Wang Laizi was, he dared not openly provoke the boatmen's rules.

But it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. This ferry crossing is ultimately not a place to stay for long.

After paying off the debt to the boatmen, Ye Sheng felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. The remaining few dozen coins were enough for the two brothers to get through the month. The days that followed seemed to return to their previous routine.

Before dawn, Ye Sheng got up. He first practiced the four moves of the Basic Knife Technique hundreds of times in the open space outside the shed, until he was drenched in sweat and his arms were sore and numb, before he stopped to catch his breath.

[Basic Knife Skills: Beginner 63/500 → 67/500]

The progress on the panel was increasing slowly, but Ye Sheng was not in a hurry. Martial arts cultivation is like rowing against the current; the most taboo thing is to be impatient and restless.

He could feel that with each swing of his sword, his understanding of "momentum" deepened.

It was a subtle feeling, as if the knife was no longer an inanimate object, but an extension of one's own arm.

After practicing his swordsmanship, he would meditate for an hour, circulating his internal energy. The faint heat in his dantian had grown slightly stronger than before, like a gentle little snake slowly coursing through his meridians, washing away his fatigue and nourishing his blood and qi.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner, 15/100 → 16/100]

Only after doing all this would Ye Sheng carry his firewood basket and head into the mountains to chop firewood.

However, trouble still arose.

That afternoon, Ye Sheng carried a full basket of firewood to the firewood market at the west end of the ferry crossing. Ever since he hung up the peach wood sign, he no longer had to avoid Wang Laizi and take the long detour to Huoshiwan to sell firewood.

In the past, Ye Sheng's high-quality firewood was always the first to be sold. But today, several boatmen and town servants who regularly came to collect firewood avoided his gaze whenever they saw him.

Ye Sheng stopped one of the cooks he knew, wanting to know why. But the cook rubbed his hands together, looking troubled, and said, "Brother Ye... Brother Ye, I can't collect this firewood today."

"Why?" Ye Sheng asked, somewhat surprised.

The cook lowered his voice and gestured towards a figure gambling with someone not far away: "Wang Laizi has said that anyone who dares to take your firewood is going against him."

Ye Sheng looked in the direction he pointed and saw Wang Laizi sitting with his legs crossed, holding a wine pot in his arms. His eyes were like those of a venomous snake as he glanced in this direction, a smug smirk on his lips.

The other firewood sellers around him all kept their heads down and kept their distance from Ye Sheng, afraid of getting involved.

The cook sighed and said, "Brother, it's not that we don't want to help you. We can't afford to mess with Wang Laizi. He doesn't dare to touch you, so he takes it out on us laborers who have no money to donate."

"Yesterday, Old Li was beaten with a sack and his arm was broken because he spoke up and said something fair on his way home."

Ye Sheng fell silent. The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the woodcutter's knife, bulged out.

He had expected Wang Laizi to retaliate, but he never imagined the other party would resort to such despicable means, which was clearly intended to cut off his path to survival.

"understood."

Ye Sheng said coldly. He didn't make things difficult for the cook anymore, picked up his firewood basket, and turned to leave.

Behind him, Wang Laizi and his gang burst into loud, grating laughter.

Ye Sheng didn't turn back. He walked back to the pier step by step and placed the basket of firewood heavily at the entrance of the shed. The firewood scattered all over the ground.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Hearing the noise outside, Ye Kai asked with concern.

Ye Sheng didn't say anything, but walked to the riverbank and washed his face with the cold river water. His calm and cold eyes were reflected in the water.

Wang Laizi blocked his way to sell firewood. He could go to Huoshiwan, which was farther away, but that would take more time and effort and earn him less money.

Moreover, if Wang Laizi can block the firewood market, he can block Huoshiwan. As long as he remains in Shuilongdu, this harassment will not stop.

A direct confrontation? Now is not the time. Wang Laizi is always accompanied by a few henchmen, and he himself has some rudimentary skills. Although Ye Sheng's strength has improved considerably, he is not entirely confident in dealing with four or five people at the same time.

Moreover, Ye Kai is still at home, which is his biggest weakness.

I can't make a living by manual labor anymore. This kind of work makes me too easy to be manipulated.

Ye Sheng raised his head and looked at the distant, vast mountains. He suddenly remembered another skill of his.

[Herbal Identification]

He knows a thing or two about herbs, though only superficially. But in Shuilongdu, and even in the entire Blackstone Town, how many people truly understand herbs?

The town's pharmacies buy herbs, but at very low prices. Besides, he's currently being watched by Zhao Hu of the garrison, so going to town again would be too risky.

So, there's only one place left.

Ghost city.

He could go into the mountains to collect rare medicinal herbs that ordinary people wouldn't recognize, and then sell them at the ghost market.

Although the ghost market is a mixed bag, it only cares about the goods, not the people. As long as the items are good, you won't have to worry about getting a good price. Moreover, the stall owners in the ghost market might be able to recognize truly good items.

"elder brother?"

Ye Kai's voice came again.

Ye Sheng came to his senses, walked into the shed, and his face had returned to calm.

"fine."

He gathered the scattered firewood back up and stacked it in the corner, saying calmly, "If we can't sell the firewood today, we'll just burn it ourselves."

He paused, then said, "Brother, I'll go to the mountains again tomorrow to find some good medicinal herbs for you."

Ye Kai looked at his elder brother and felt that he was different from usual today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The next day, before dawn, Ye Sheng entered the mountains. He didn't go to the grove where he usually cut firewood, but instead ventured deeper into the more treacherous terrain.

His proficient scavenging skills made him exceptionally sensitive to the "atmosphere" in his environment.

He could vaguely sense that the "aura" was stronger in certain places deep in the mountains and forests, which meant that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was more abundant and that it was easier to grow high-quality medicinal herbs.

He crossed two mountain peaks and came to a damp canyon. A stream babbled through the canyon, and the rock walls on both sides were covered with moss and ferns.

Ye Sheng stopped by a pool of water. The air here was thick with moisture, and the sunlight was not direct, making it the perfect environment for shade-loving herbs.

He crouched down and carefully searched among the rocks and decaying leaves. Soon, Ye Sheng's eyes lit up.

In a crevice of a bluestone, he saw a plant the size of a palm. The plant's leaves were heart-shaped, with a ring of fine golden veins around the edges, which seemed to flow in the dim light.

The [Herbal Identification] panel immediately displayed the following information: [Golden Thread Orchid (Superior Grade), neutral in nature, clears heat and cools the blood, nourishes and strengthens the body. It has remarkable effects on qi and blood deficiency and chronic illness with weakness.]

nice one!

Ye Sheng was overjoyed.

The medicinal effects of this *Anoectochilus roxburghii* are far superior to those of *Hedyotis diffusa* and *Adiantum capillus-veneris*. If you were to take it to the town's pharmacy, it could fetch at least several dozen coins.

But Ye Sheng has no intention of selling the pharmacy.

He carefully dug out the golden thread lotus with its roots and soil, wrapped it in a damp cloth, and put it in his pocket.

[Herbal Identification: Beginner, 19/100 → 21/100]

He searched the vicinity again and found two more golden thread orchids that were slightly younger, making his trip quite fruitful.

Ye Sheng wasn't greedy; he immediately headed back after gathering the herbs. Deep in the mountains, no one knew what dangers they might encounter.

It was dusk when they returned to the shed. Ye Sheng took out the three golden thread lotus plants, and Ye Kai's eyes widened in amazement.

"Brother, what is this? It's so beautiful."

"Golden Thread Lotus, a good medicinal herb." Ye Sheng picked out the youngest one. "You can boil this one to make a decoction; it'll help you recover."

He carefully wrapped the other two plants in oil paper and hid them at the bottom of the wooden box.

At night, after Ye Kai went to sleep, Ye Sheng sat by the fire and, by the firelight, began to process some other common herbs that he had collected that day.

He washed the snake tongue grass and maidenhair fern with stream water, and then dried them slowly over a low fire, following the method Su Wan had taught him.

This is the most basic method of processing medicinal herbs. Processed herbs not only last longer, but their medicinal properties are also more easily activated.

He worked for half the night to finish processing all the herbs.

Ye Sheng's eyes flickered as he looked at the several packets of prepared medicinal herbs in front of him.

He made his decision.

Tonight, I'll go to the ghost market again.