Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 343: Chapter 168: Yun Lei 3

He hadn’t expected such a small sliver to have so much weight. It was much heavier than an equally sized piece of Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Essence Dried Meat.

Next, Chen Cheng raised it to his nose and took a gentle sniff.

The first thing he smelled wasn’t the usual iron-like tang of ordinary Treasure Beast Dried Meat, but an aroma closer to that of raw iron.

Immediately after, Chen Cheng detected another, vaguely familiar medicinal fragrance.

“This dried meat… is it from the Nine Altars Sect?” Chen Cheng asked.

“You have a discerning eye, sir,”

the maidservant said.

“This dried meat is indeed prepared with a secret, exclusive recipe from the Nine Altars Sect. My master had to pull some strings just to purchase a batch before we set out. You certainly can’t find it on the open market.”

“Don’t underestimate that little piece. An ordinary person who eats it will feel completely full and won’t get hungry for three days and nights.”

“Furthermore, its restorative effects are about three times that of an equal amount of Exotic Tiger Essence Dried Meat.”

“If I’ve spoken a single false word, you may do with me as you please, sir!”

“Alright, I’ll try it.”

Chen Cheng popped the small piece of dried meat into his mouth and slowly began to chew.

“How decisive of you, sir!”

the maidservant said earnestly.

“When traveling and offered food by a stranger, most people would put on a show. They’d ask endless questions or be consumed by suspicion. Someone like you is a rare sight indeed. This humble servant is truly impressed!”

It was clear the young maidservant now held Chen Cheng in higher esteem. She had subtly switched from referring to herself as “I” to “this humble servant.”

But how could she know that Chen Cheng’s senses were far beyond those of an ordinary person? A single look, sniff, and taste were all he needed to confirm the dried meat was safe.

What she was even more unaware of was that Chen Cheng had long been honing his resistance to poison. For the past month or two, he had been using the Iron Bone Antitoxic Ointment in synergy with his Unyielding Attribute every day, which had boosted his poison resistance significantly.

Furthermore, his Transforming Force could suppress the spread of toxins, while his Health Tai Chi could aid in recovery and purification.

For these reasons, tampering with his food posed almost no threat to Chen Cheng.

“We can trade.”

Chen Cheng made his decision after only a few chews.

The dried meat was still in his mouth, but he could already feel an uncontrollable surge of saliva. It carried a rich medicinal fragrance, a wave of heat, and the tang of blood, spreading through every fiber of his being at an unprecedented speed.

His stomach churned faster, and the feeling of fullness was more profound.

Of course, the most important part was that after his Gastric Strength digested the meat, the ‘nutrients’ absorbed by his physique and Tai Chi Qi had indeed reached—and perhaps even surpassed—three times the amount from an equal portion of Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Essence Dried Meat.

‘Forget about it being higher; even at a one-to-three exchange rate, I’d be making a solid profit.’

“You’re very forthright, sir,”

the maidservant said.

“How about a one-to-two exchange? One piece of Golden-backed Exotic Bear Dried Meat for two pieces of your Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Dried Meat.”

“Agreed.”

Chen Cheng nodded, his expression betraying nothing, but inwardly he was ecstatic.

‘I wouldn’t have lost out at one-to-three.’

‘A one-to-two ratio is an absolute steal.’

‘The maidservant kept casually mentioning how extravagant her master was. I didn’t think much of it at first, but now it looks like I’ve run into a genuine rich woman.’

The two parties then smoothly completed the trade.

The young maidservant brought over five boxes containing a total of one hundred pieces of Golden-backed Exotic Bear Dried Meat, trading them for ten of Chen Cheng’s boxes, which held two hundred pieces of Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Dried Meat.

The boxes were roughly the same size, as were the individual pieces of dried meat.

After a careful inspection, Chen Cheng confirmed the deal. He had made a killing, netting a profit of nearly thirty percent.

‘Right now, I’ve still got about a thousand pieces of Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Essence Dried Meat in the large wooden chest next to me. If I can trade all of them for Golden-backed Exotic Bear Dried Meat at this rate, I’ll be laughing in my sleep.’

‘Oh, wait.’

‘I don’t sleep these days.’

…

「Seven days later, the caravan entered the territory of Yunlei Mansion.」

Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, Chen Cheng gazed out slowly.

On both sides of the trade route, the fields lay barren and overgrown with wild weeds.

Skeletons littered the roadside. Some had rotted away, leaving only white bones wrapped in tattered cloth. Others still had their ashen-gray skin, stinking of putrefaction and crawling with maggots.

In the distant villages, no smoke rose from chimneys, no roosters crowed. The eye was met with nothing but a vista of ruins and rubble.

Occasionally, creatures—be it wild dogs or wolves—could be seen scavenging among the ruins. They didn’t flee at the sight of humans, their eyes glowing red with hunger.

On a more distant mountaintop, a large, black flag with red markings was faintly visible.

Along the way, Chen Cheng had seen far too many such flags, all with different colors and designs.

They were raised by either the rebel army or the Green Forest Bandits.

According to Old Huang, the carriage driver, it was a case of “new king, new flag on the mountain; whoever holds the blade calls the shots.”

The official army was focused on the front lines, so the local Government Offices alone were powerless to eliminate these mountain strongholds.

In the end, it was the common people who suffered most.

The caravan traveled a while longer before a group of refugees appeared from out of nowhere. Sallow, emaciated, and dressed in rags, they swarmed the caravan, holding out their hands to beg for food.

When they first started encountering refugees, the Martial Artists in the escort would give out a few rations.

But they gradually discovered that their charity solved nothing. Giving away even a single bite of food would only attract an even larger crowd of refugees.

These people, driven mad by starvation, could hardly be called human anymore.

They would block carriages, snatch goods, and even dare to abduct people…

Out of a moment of compassion, Su Bing had her driver stop to give rations to the refugees. As a result, several strong men suddenly lunged out, grabbed her by the sleeve, and tried to forcibly drag her away.

Luckily, she was a Martial Artist. She struck down several of them on the spot, which was the only thing that scared the mob into retreating.

Had she been the young lady of an ordinary family, once abducted…

…there wouldn’t have been even a bone fragment left to find.

After that incident, the escorting Martial Artists shed their naive compassion completely. Whenever refugees got too close, they immediately had the caravan guards draw their swords to drive them off. Sometimes, they even took action themselves.

In the last few days, Zhao Dongping had even started to take pleasure in slaughtering the refugees.

If any dared approach, he would simply take out his Bow and Arrow and shoot them dead. His Archery was superb; within a hundred paces, he almost never missed.

In addition, after entering the territory of Yunlei Mansion, notices from the Evil Extermination Bureau could be seen plastered all over the streets of the two small towns they passed through.

These notices generally fell into two categories: warnings about Evil Cults and reports of demon calamities.

The two names that appeared most frequently were the “Immortal Bone Sect” and “Fox Demon.”

Chen Cheng let the curtain fall, his fingers drumming unconsciously on his knee.

‘This Yunlei Mansion is far more dangerous than I imagined.’

“Get back! If you fucking dare take another step, don’t blame me for—AARGH! GAH…”

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the front of the caravan.

Chen Cheng threw the curtain open again, and his expression changed drastically.