30: Fight the Bull Again

“Alright, we’re going now!”

Hearing Gu Chang’s words, Li Ergou and the others quickly sprang into action, but in the end, they only found two soldiers.

The other three were either conscripted again or had fled with their families to other places, and were now completely out of contact.

“We also hid after hearing the news, but life is impossible now.”

“When the Yellow Heaven Great General and the Xuan King start fighting, no one knows when it will end. If we are caught, I’m afraid we won’t escape the fate of fighting on the battlefield.”

The two soldiers looked significantly worse than they had a few months ago, and upon seeing Gu Chang, their expressions showed an unconcealed regret.

They had too many concerns back then, fearing problems after entering the mountain, and were also reluctant to give up the land they had earned with great difficulty through military merits. But they never expected that after the Yellow Heaven Great General occupied this place, everything they had obtained at the risk of their lives would be stolen.

In the past, they were considered elites in the Mu King’s army, but after leaving the army, how could they, isolated and outnumbered, contend with the soldiers under the Yellow Heaven Great General?

“Enough! Since you understand now, I only ask you if you are willing to follow me into the mountain next?”

Gu Chang had no interest in their regrets; people must always be responsible for the choices they make.

“Willing!”

“From now on, I’m determined to follow you, sir!”

The two agreed without any hesitation. Now, they didn't want to die for those rebel kings, and they still wanted to protect their families. Besides Gu Chang, there was no better option.

“Alright! Next, you two go notify your families to pack their belongings.”

“When we return, we will all enter the mountain together. As long as you obey orders then, I will definitely ensure the safety of your relatives.”

Gu Chang replied directly, but he naturally couldn't trust them as much as he trusted Li Ergou and the others.

“Yes! We understand!”

After resolving this matter, Gu Chang immediately led his subordinates to continue their journey. It was clearly impossible to go directly into the city to find medicinal herbs, but fortunately, there were still some market towns and pharmacies nearby.

It would be best if they could find the required medicinal herbs in these places; if not, they would have no choice but to travel to larger cities.

“There’s a pharmacy in Wushan Town. In the past, the medicinal herbs collected from the mountain were basically sold there, but I don’t know if it’s still there now.”

Compared to Gu Chang, two people in his team were clearly more familiar with the nearby market towns, so after careful consideration, they immediately told Gu Chang a place name.

“Let’s go take a look first. You lead the way, and remember to avoid the main roads as much as possible!”

Upon hearing them, Gu Chang immediately made a decision. Regardless, the danger level of a market town would definitely be much lower than that of a city.

“We’re familiar with the roads here; we definitely won’t be discovered!”

The two immediately patted their chests to guarantee it. They had grown up in this area and knew exactly which paths were safest.

“Alright, let’s go!”

At Gu Chang’s command, they arrived outside Wushan Town, led by the two.

At this time, the sky had just barely begun to lighten, and the entire Wushan Town was shrouded in morning mist. The surroundings were silent, and no one was seen moving about.

“I will enter the market town alone later; the rest of you will be responsible for support outside.”

After observing the market town from a distance for a while, Gu Chang gave the order, because unlike scattered villages, this market town clearly had troops stationed for defense.

“Yes!”

Everyone agreed without any hesitation. A moment later, Gu Chang directly stealthily approached the market town.

“Hoo~ Hoo~”

With the enhancement of his internal Qi, Gu Chang’s speed was extremely fast. The ten-foot-high market town wall was nothing in his eyes; he could jump over it with a single leap.

This time, his objective was clear, and such a market town would absolutely not have any elite soldiers or powerful generals stationed, so his courage also grew much greater.

In reality, the situation here was much as he had imagined. Only ordinary soldiers were responsible for guarding this place, and no one noticed his movements at all.

The pharmacy in the market town was quite easy to find. After all, the place wasn't large, and Gu Chang quickly found his way there.

Upon entering the pharmacy, Gu Chang immediately went to the medicine room and quickly found the medicinal herbs he needed.

After successfully obtaining the medicinal herbs, Gu Chang threw down a piece of silver and quickly disappeared, the entire process being completely undetectable. As for the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs in the market town, they did not attract any attention.

“Go! Back to the mountain!”

“Yes!”

Upon arriving outside the town, Gu Chang waved his hand, and his group quickly departed without stopping.

At the same time, the two soldiers who were to enter the mountain with them this time, along with their families, were also ready.

So, the group quickly entered Da Wu Mountain, and it wasn't until after noon that they returned to the valley.

“These medicinal herbs should be enough for you to use for half a year.”

“Next, all of you practice well and strive to reach the Iron Skin level as soon as possible. If not, then quickly begin Flesh Refining. Everything must be focused on improving your strength!”

“I plan to go hunting Savage Oxen in the deep mountains after one month!”

Upon returning to his valley, Gu Chang quickly made arrangements. Ordinary people were mainly responsible for matters of production and daily life, while they themselves devoted all their time and energy to improving their strength.

Thus, life in the valley returned to its previous state, with everyone wholeheartedly immersed in their respective tasks.

After seeing the situation outside the mountain, Li Ergou and the others clearly trained even harder.

Especially the two soldiers who later followed them into the mountain, they were even more diligent. They also understood that their status might not be as good as Li Ergou's, and the only way now was to be more obedient to Gu Chang and strive to improve their strength.

At the same time, the other ordinary people in the valley all felt fortunate. Although resources in the valley were relatively scarce, at least they didn't have to suffer exploitation from officials or worry about bandits and wars. As long as they were willing to work, eating and drinking their fill was never a problem.

Just like that, a short month flew by. Gu Chang’s Refining Bone had basically entered the initial stage, but it was still far from Minor Achievement.

During this time, he drank a lot of tiger bone wine, his internal Qi became increasingly robust, and he became more proficient in mastering the five combat techniques.

However, further progress would be very difficult now. The reason was simple: the Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill was not a martial art that could be rapidly improved through quiet Cultivation; this martial art required slaughter, combat, and destruction!

The further one Cultivates, the more this becomes true, requiring one to affirm their will through killing, and to gain opportunities for further Breakthrough through life-and-death struggles!

So, when the month was up, Gu Chang immediately began preparing to enter the deep mountains.

He hadn't forgotten the fierce Savage Ox he encountered last time!

At the same time, Li Ergou and the others were also ready. Their strength had also improved over the past month, but most of them were still at the Stone Skin level. Only four people had reached the Copper Skin level, and as for Iron Skin, there were none.

This was the result of him supplying large quantities of secret medicines and meat. If not for this, their strength improvement would probably have been even less.

From this, it can be seen that Cultivating martial arts is not easy; talent, resources, and effort are all indispensable.

Even Gu Chang himself only reached his current level through abundant resources and continuous Reincarnation and combat, along with the enhancement from his main body in the real world.

“Go! Depart!”

“As you command!”

At Gu Chang’s command, his ten soldiers immediately sprang into action.

Soon, their group entered the depths of Da Wu Mountain.

“Next, when you find the Savage Ox, you must not get close. You only need to shoot arrows from a distance to attract its attention; leave the rest to me.”

Gu Chang led them to the location where he had encountered the Savage Ox last time, then instructed them.

If they encountered such a large creature, they would probably be killed in an instant.

“Alright!”

Soon, Gu Chang saw a massive Savage Ox, like a giant elephant. Li Ergou and the others immediately drew their bows and shot arrows.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

However, ordinary arrows had no effect on the Savage Ox; they only seemed to sting it, merely enraging the beast.

“Moo~”

Immediately, the enraged Savage Ox began to roar and bellow. Seeing this, Gu Chang drew his saber and charged towards it.

At this moment, his internal Qi circulated within his body, his five senses were amplified, his reactions enhanced, and his strength, speed, and reflexes were all boosted.

“Kill!”

“Swish, swish, swish!”

“Woo~ Woo woo~”

Instantly, he transformed into an afterimage and appeared beside the enraged Savage Ox. Immediately after, the military saber in his hand became a blur of motion, and a shrill wailing sound was like the cries of a malevolent spirit.

The sharp blade light instantly left several-inch-deep wounds on the Savage Ox’s thick and tough hide.

“Boom! Bang!”

The intense pain caused the Savage Ox to roar furiously and trample everything around it. Even hard rocks were like tofu dregs before its terrifying strength.

Gu Chang, relying on his keen reactions and extremely fast footwork, quickly dodged these attacks, then closed in again, continuously swinging his saber to inflict damage.