Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

Chapter 83 Precious Medicine (Seeking First Subscription)

"Borrowing soldiers' pay and substituting inferior weapons and rations, Pang Yunlong's behavior is too disgusting."

Zhou Yuan rubbed his temples, feeling that being the city guard commander wasn't so easy.

Pang Yunlong has left him with a mess.

There were over a hundred soldiers, each receiving two taels of silver per month, and Pang Yunlong even embezzled that silver.

"The combined pay of these hundred-odd soldiers over several months is only about a thousand taels of silver, which isn't much."

Zhou Yuan pondered to himself, "The problem is that the city garrison doesn't have a single tael of silver in its public account, and it's still heavily in debt for food and weapons!"

These weren't major problems. Luo Boyan didn't intend to cheat him, so he registered all the confiscated properties and land under the name of the city guards.

With those properties and land, one can easily fill these gaps and even make a small fortune by thinking of a few ways.

Based on his experience from his previous life, mastering these things wouldn't be difficult for him.

However, these things would consume a lot of his energy and would inevitably delay his martial arts training time.

Zhou Yuan had no intention of retiring to his position as commander of the city guards.

His goal has always been to practice martial arts and take the imperial martial arts exam.

Being the commander of the city guards is only for money and resources. If this affects martial arts training, then it's putting the cart before the horse.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Heng made his decision.

He rode away from the military camp and headed straight for the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School in the inner city.

Zhang Jun, the headmaster of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School, warmly received Zhou Yuan. Upon hearing that Zhou Yuan was looking for Gao Da, he immediately had someone wake up Gao Da, who was still sleeping.

"Let me join the city guard? How much silver will you pay?"

Gao Da curled his lip in disdain.

"How dare you speak to Commander Zhou like that?"

Zhang Jun raised his foot, as if to kick.

Gao Da was clearly not afraid of his master, and he dodged away with a grin.

"How much silver you can earn depends on your own abilities."

Zhou Yuan said, "You'll take 30% of the city guard's surplus."

"Three hundred city guards are to be stationed at the four gates of the city, and they also need to patrol day and night, check passers-by, and arrest bandits. This group is too heavy, so we need to pay them more."

Gundam shook its head like a rattle drum.

Zhang Jun was extremely disappointed in his lazy disciple!

Is this about money?

This is power!

Zhou Yuan clearly wanted to be a hands-off manager; as long as he agreed, all three hundred city guards would be under Gao Da's control.

Recruiting, training, equipping – there are plenty of opportunities here!

The most direct benefit is that his disciples from the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School will be able to easily join the city guards and receive pay.

With this fast track, wouldn't the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School have a greater advantage than other martial arts schools when recruiting disciples?

With such a great opportunity, you, Gao Da, are still being picky?!

Zhang Jun almost couldn't resist taking matters into his own hands.

However, Commander Zhou clearly looked down on his old bones.

"If you don't want to do it, then I'll go find Wang Chao."

Zhou Yuan said.

"Wang Chao? That rock-crush? He's fine training soldiers, but what else can he do?"

Gao Da curled his lip in disdain, "Fine, fine, for the sake of our friendship, I'll take 30%, I'll take the loss."

By giving up a portion of the profits, Zhou Yuan directly recruited a deputy commander.

Although Gao Da is lazy, he is flexible, strong, and has the support of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School, so it is not difficult for him to support the city guard.

Zhou Yuan only needs to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor; the money was well spent.

In the following days, Zhou Yuan continued to go to the county garrison camp every day.

Every time he went there, besides wandering around, he would find a corner on the training ground to practice his boxing quietly.

As for recruitment and training, Gao Da and Zhou Shun were responsible for those tasks.

Thanks to their efforts, the city guards gradually returned to normal.

However, the treasure hidden by Pang Yunlong has not yet been found.

Luo Baiyan and Yue Zichuan had already left Gaoshan County, and before leaving, they specifically instructed Zhou Yuan to find that batch of treasure.

.

After finishing his shift that day, Zhou Yuan did not go home, but instead went to a pharmacy called Baicaotang.

"Are you in stock of Qi and Blood Pills?"

Upon seeing that it was Zhou Yuan, the shopkeeper hurriedly ran out from behind the counter, bowing and smiling obsequiously, "Commander Zhou, there has been some trouble in the prefecture recently, and the Qi and Blood Pills are in short supply. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a few more days."

The purge of the Pang family in Shenbing Valley didn't just happen in Gaoshan County; their stronghold was in the prefecture capital.

It's easy to imagine that the chaos in the prefectural capital was even greater than in Gaoshan County.

"Do we have to wait a few more days?"

Zhou Yuan frowned. Without Qi and Blood Pills, he could only accumulate 120 Free Points each day, which was far too few.

"There's nothing we can do about it. The world is in turmoil these days, and Qi and Blood Pills are in even higher demand than ever before."

The shopkeeper smiled wryly.

"Alright then, give me some Qi and Blood Pills. Remember to save a few for me when they arrive."

Zhou Yuan said.

Gaoshan County is just a county town after all; even if there is silver, it cannot be spent. If it were in a prefecture, Qi and Blood Pills would not be so rare.

The shopkeeper readily agreed and personally took out a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills and handed it to Zhou Yuan.

"Commander Zhou, would you like some precious medicine?"

After the transaction was completed, Zhou Yuan was about to leave when the shopkeeper suddenly looked around furtively and then lowered his voice.

"Hmm? You have some precious medicine here?"

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed.

The medicinal power of this precious medicine is no less than that of the Qi and Blood Pill; if it is aged for a long time, its medicinal effect may even be much better than that of the Qi and Blood Pill.

However, this precious medicine is even rarer than the Qi and Blood Pill.

No, no.

The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly and whispered, "However, I do know where to find precious medicine!"

"Tell me, if the news is true, I will not treat you unfairly."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Commander Zhou."

The shopkeeper, beaming with delight, said, "To be honest, Commander Zhou, when I was young, I went into the mountains to collect herbs and once discovered a precious herb. At that time, the herb had just sprouted, so I didn't pick it."

Originally, I planned to wait until it was ripe before picking it, so that I could use it as a stepping stone to advancement. However, something happened in my family, and I left Gaoshan County. I only returned two years ago.

After returning, the little man tried to find the precious herb again, thinking that it had been dug up by someone, but unexpectedly it was still there.

However, that precious herb is guarded by a spirit beast, and my strength is too weak to deal with it.

Zhou Yuan sized up the shopkeeper. The man was in his forties. When he was young, it must have been ten or twenty years ago.

A 20-year-old precious medicine has absolutely amazing effects.

"If you count it up, that precious herb is already twenty-five years old. That spirit beast probably wanted to wait until the precious herb reached thirty years old before consuming it."

"When a precious medicine reaches thirty years of age, its potency will undergo a qualitative improvement."

Before the shopkeeper could finish speaking, Zhou Yuan interrupted him, carefully inquired about the location of the precious herb, left ten taels of silver, and departed.

"There are monsters lurking in the mountains fifty miles outside the city, entering villages and eating people?"

------

Gao Da frowned, looked at Zhou Yuan, and asked, "Are you sure this is a mission for our city guards?"

"Otherwise what?"

Zhou Yuan countered with a question.

"Divine Weapon Valley, Black-Clad Guards—anyone will do. What are we, the city guards, to be qualified to go out of the city to exorcise demons?"

When Gundam gets ruthless, he even curses himself.

However, what he said was true. Most of the city guards were ordinary people, and even those who had broken through to the next level were extremely rare. Dealing with demons was indeed beyond their capabilities.

The Great Qi Dynasty had a special agency responsible for dealing with demons, and those sects also had the responsibility to exorcise demons.

"Perhaps it's because the monsters this time are weak."

Zhou Yuan said without batting an eye.

Gao Da looked at it suspiciously, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You're the commander, so you call the shots. But let me tell you, the newly recruited city guards are useless; they haven't even finished learning a single sword technique."

Gao Da shrugged and said.

"This will serve as excellent practical training."

Zhou Yuan said, "Those without missions, take them with you. We'll set off in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Oh, and bring the Divine Arm Crossbow that Elder Luo left behind as well.

The city guards' crossbows were obtained by Zhou Yuan from Luo Baiyan on purpose, so that no one would doubt the origin of the crossbows in his possession.

Military orders are absolute.

After a cup of tea, Zhou Yuan rode away from the military camp.

Following closely behind were Gao Da, Zhou Shun, and a hundred fully armed city guards.

Zhou Yuan is no longer the powerless blacksmith he once was. Wouldn't it be foolish for him to abandon his soldiers and risk his life to search for precious herbs in the mountains?

The group proceeded along the official road, and passersby showed some fear upon seeing their armor and weapons.

"City Guard!"

Pedestrians quickly moved aside, and no one dared to block the way.

Who doesn't know who the "sky" is in Gaoshan County these days?

"Why are the city guards out of the city? What are they up to this time?"

"Could it be that they've gone out of town to suppress bandits? I heard that the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's shipment was robbed; could it be because of this?"

"A new broom sweeps clean, and Commander Zhou has just taken office, so he's bound to make some moves. We should keep a low profile to avoid running into his trap."

".——"

Amidst the chatter of passersby, Zhou Yuan and his companions gradually walked away, eventually disappearing into the direction of the mountains.

Amidst the crowd, Luo Rongrong stood by the roadside, staring blankly in the direction where Zhou Yuan and the others had gone.

Although she survived, the Luo family was no longer what it used to be, and to make a living, she now works as a bodyguard.

If she had been able to recruit Zhou Yuan into the Luo family back then, or if she had simply submitted herself to Zhou Yuan, what would the situation be like now?

"I almost became the First Lady of Takayama County."

Luo Rongrong's eyes were filled with regret. Who could have imagined that a down-on-his-luck craftsman would rise to become the top craftsman in Gaoshan County in just over a year?

Now, she doesn't even have the right to appear in front of him anymore.

Zhou Yuan did not notice Luo Rongrong.

Even if he noticed, he wouldn't care at all. They weren't familiar with each other to begin with, and besides, she was Pang Yuanyou's slut.

When he was in the blacksmith shop, he only knew a handful of people, such as Cheng Jiuhe and He Yuguang.

He Yuguang died at the hands of the Pang family, and Cheng Jiuhe was also crippled. Now, there are very few people in Gaoshan County who are worthy of Zhou Yuan's special attention.

When Zhou Yuan and his group arrived at the foot of the mountain fifty miles away, it was already sunset.

Zhou Yuan ordered them to rest for the night at the foot of the mountain to conserve their energy.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Zhou Yuan, who had been practicing stance training all night, woke everyone up and continued their journey into the mountains and forests.

After walking a few miles, Zhou Yuan suddenly stopped and raised his right hand.

"All troops on high alert!"

Splash!

The soldiers became somewhat flustered and on high alert; some set up their crossbows, some drew their bows, and some drew their swords.

Just then, a foul-smelling, eerie wind swept over them.

Clang!

A soldier, pale-faced, accidentally shot an arrow from his bow.

With a clang, the arrow struck something, producing a crisp metallic sound.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, a python, seven or eight zhang long and as thick as a water bucket, covered in fine scales, rose from the dense forest, its scarlet eyes fixed on the soldier who had missed his shot.

"Release the arrows!"

Zhou Yuan shouted and fired an arrow from his crossbow.

The soldiers came to their senses. Some fired crossbows, some drew bows, and those who had nothing picked up stones and threw them.