Just as he was speaking, Iron Tiger’s words abruptly stopped.
At this moment, a sleek, black rat darted out from a nearby bush and quickly climbed onto Gu Yuan’s shoulder.
At the same time, he felt a tingly sensation on his back, as if something was staring at him.
Iron Tiger suddenly turned his head to see a centipede over two feet long, with fangs as sharp as knives and an iron-blue carapace, coiled atop a nearby rock.
Threads of gray mist emanated from the centipede’s body, quickly gathering and transforming into a gray arrow, shooting straight at him.
"Demon art?!"
Iron Tiger was greatly alarmed and instinctively swung his Ghost Head Saber, slashing downward!
This Ghost Head Saber, dark green and made from Hundred-Forged Refined Iron mixed with Refined Copper, was heavy and sharp. With his strength, he could cleave even an iron man in two with one swing.
The Ghost Head Saber struck the gray arrow precisely, shattering it with a clang.
But the shattered pieces of the gray arrow turned into streams of gray mist, quickly spreading out.
Sizzling sounds filled the air!
The sturdy Ghost Head Saber was corroded by the gray mist, sizzling and quickly melting into a pool of gray-black iron fluid, dripping onto the ground and corroding a pitted hole.
As for Iron Tiger himself, his arms and face were also touched by the spreading gray mist.
Iron Tiger screamed a few times, the sound eerie and strange, but he could only hold on for a moment before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
This notorious Peak Martial Master met his end here.
The power of the demon art was terrifying!
"Awu, well done!"
Gu Yuan gave Awu a thumbs-up, praising it.
Receiving the praise, Awu seemed quite thrilled, its two antennae quivering, and quickly crawled over, wanting to nuzzle up to Gu Yuan just like Ah Huang.
Seeing this, Gu Yuan felt his scalp tingle and hastily waved to stop it:
"No way! Wait, don’t come any closer!"
Ah Huang was fine, just a rat.
But Awu’s sharp legs were even more daunting than hooks—he couldn’t handle it!
Rejected by Gu Yuan, Awu curled into a ball, its antennae gently swaying, looking rather aggrieved compared to its earlier fierceness.
"Alright, alright, I know you’re upset. I’ll get you something tasty later."
After comforting the saddened Awu, Gu Yuan carefully began searching Iron Tiger’s body.
Before long, he found three things on him.
One was a stack of silver notes of varying denominations, totaling over five hundred taels of silver.
This money was obviously Iron Tiger’s savings over the years, a sum that an average family couldn’t possibly save up in a lifetime of hard work.
Yet now, it all conveniently belonged to Gu Yuan.
With this money, he wouldn’t lack the supplements needed for practicing martial arts for some time.
Another item was a Martial Arts Secret Manual titled "Black Tiger Fist," which was of intermediate level.
[Dao Rhyme Points +43!]
Upon touching this manual, it also contributed 43 Dao Rhyme Points to Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan skimmed through it and discovered that despite being named "Fist," "Black Tiger Fist" was actually an Inner Cultivation Martial Art, with detailed techniques and tips for cultivation.
But compared to the "Golden Snake Swallowing Yuan Technique," this martial art fell short by a tier or two. It described cultivation methods with phases of Refining Skin, Refining Tendons, Bone Refining, and Innate Refining but lacked the Washing Marrow and Blood Exchange phases, allowing one only to become an Innate Martial Master at most.
In other words, it was a martial art pointing directly to the Innate Refining Organ Realm.
However, even so, the "Black Tiger Fist" was still quite valuable.
Had it not been for the fortuitous acquisition of the "Golden Snake Swallowing Yuan Technique," Gu Yuan wouldn’t even have access to such an intermediate martial art.
"This ’Black Tiger Fist’ might not be of much use to me, but it can expand my martial arts foundation. Plus, as long as it hasn’t been recorded by Jade Cauldron Tower, I can exchange it there for other martial arts I need or even Contribution Points..."
Thinking this, Gu Yuan carefully stored it away.
Then, he held the last item in his hands, examining it cautiously.
It was a Jade Pendant taken from Iron Tiger’s neck.
[Dao Rhyme Points +529!]
Acquiring 43 Dao Rhyme Points from the "Black Tiger Fist" manual was already significant, but this Jade Pendant held over ten times more!
This made Gu Yuan instantly realize its extraordinary nature!
The Jade Pendant before him was a small, verdant gourd.
Specifically, it was finger-sized, vibrant as if carved from top-grade jade.
Its craftsmanship was exceptional, appearing seamlessly formed, with no signs of carving on the surface.
Holding it, Gu Yuan felt a gentle coolness flowing into his body, refreshing his spirit while subtly nourishing his vitality and even his tendons and bones.
"Could this be a magical artifact?"
Gu Yuan speculated, growing somewhat excited.
The experiences today were truly eye-opening for him.
Whether the astonishing, mysterious abilities of the Innate Martial Masters or the magical artifact like the Jade Ruyi of Old Man Mo, they all left a profound impression on him.
The gourd-shaped Jade Pendant with so many Dao Rhyme Points inevitably sparked connections in Gu Yuan’s mind.
But after thoroughly examining it several times, he found that although this Jade Gourd could emit a cooling energy that slowly nourished the body, its effect was slow and not outstanding. Other than that, there seemed to be no special features.
"It seems this item either conceals some secret or has a peculiar function I’m unaware of, but my knowledge is too shallow to discern it, or it’s simply a somewhat special pendant."
Gu Yuan’s eyes flickered:
"Whatever the case, it’s great for nourishing the body, so I’ll keep it for now."
At the riverside, Gu Yuan washed the small, verdant gourd pendant and then hung it around his neck.
Afterward, he called the three small companions over.
Due to Big Mouth’s unique size, Gu Yuan let it coil around his arm, concealing it with his sleeve.
As for Awu and Ah Huang, they followed him, and the man with his three pets returned to the caravan.
...
After a night’s rest, the caravan set out again.
Three days later, the caravan finally returned to Beiliang County.
Yet, while they departed with grandeur and hustle and bustle, this return saw only a few left, reflecting a somber sight.
Gu Yuan, however, paid no mind to this. The continuous travel for days had left him somewhat tired.
Moreover, he knew that Luo Sheng, Yang Han, and others had matters to attend to, reporting to Xia Mingyang, leaving them no time for him.
So, after greeting Luo Sheng, he went home to rest.
But little did he know, just after he left, a figure emerged from a nearby street corner, glanced at his departing figure, and then headed in another direction, disappearing into the crowd.
...