The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 150 - 125 Eight Treasure Deer

Chapter 150: Chapter 125 Eight Treasure Deer

Li Yi and Zhao Qian were chatting in the garden, and through Zhao Qian’s words, Li Yi learned a lot about the cultivation knowledge of this world and heard of some rare and exotic treasures. However, the stories about those precious items and spirit monsters made Li Yi curious about the cosmic energy of this place.

A place that can nurture heaven and earth’s treasures must be abundant in cosmic energy.

Moreover, this is not Earth, and it’s very likely the cosmic energy here is unpolluted. If he were to practice the White Bone Temple Guiding Skill here, wouldn’t it be even better?

With this thought, Li Yi’s eyes brightened.

If the cosmic energy was abundant, that would indeed be great news. He could refine his martial arts and undergo evolution and transformation. By walking both paths of cultivation, his strength would undoubtedly improve by leaps and bounds. Once he became powerful, no enmity would be a problem, whether it was his master’s old enemies or his own offense against Yang Yilong, he could knock them all down with a single punch.

"Hold on, I’ll practice the White Bone Temple Cultivation Skill tonight. It’s best to follow my master and practice martial arts during the day."

Although Li Yi was excited, he was not impulsive. He needed to arrange his time wisely to maximize efficiency.

While he was chatting with Zhao Qian, it wasn’t long before Zhao Ge arrived at the courtyard door with Rong Niang and Shou Hou, two disciples, leading horses and knocking on the gate.

After hearing the noise, Zhao Qian first cautiously observed and then, after confirming the identity of the visitors, she opened the door.

"Father, how did it go? Was everything smooth?" Zhao Qian hurriedly took the reins and led the horse to the stable.

Zhao Ge shook his head: "You Shui Town is too small. Such fine strong bows, powerful crossbows, and steel knives can’t sell at a good price. However, the ten or so horses fetched a nice sum. Oh well, in these special times, we can’t afford to care too much. We might as well sell everything all at once. They were loot anyway, of no use if kept."

Shou Hou, with a smile, said, "But I persuaded the master to keep Jin Bufen’s saber. It would be a waste to lose such a treasure saber in You Shui Town."

Then he patted the good knife at his waist.

"Jin Bufen’s knife is indeed good, but it can easily attract trouble... Never mind, I plan to make a comeback and kill my way back anyway. If trouble finds us, we’ll just kill them too, and then rob them again to get more money." Zhao Ge said, "Although we made some silver coins this time, the expenditures were also big; we bought almost all the good medicines in the town. I reckon it should be enough to last us and the group for these days."

"Rong Niang, go sort out the things on the horse’s back. Didn’t you say earlier you wanted to buy an item of clothing for Meng De? Now is the time to bring it out and see if Meng De likes it."

"Yes, Master," Rong Niang answered and, together with Shou Hou, carried the bought goods inside the house. Then she brought out a red cloak with a touch of a girl’s shyness and handed it to Li Yi.

"Eldest Brother, do you think this cloak fits well?"

"Thank you, Rong Niang."

Li Yi smiled as he took it, flicked it open with a swish of his hand, and the red cloak unfolded and draped perfectly over his body, neither too long nor too short, neither too big nor too small.

And the Five-clawed Black Dragon on his Flying Fish Robe was just concealed by the cloak. Although it was less eye-catching, the red cloak was still prominent. But as a gift from Rong Niang, he was very happy.

"Not bad, Meng De looks even more distinguished with the cloak on. With such a presence, stepping out would surely turn all eyes on him."

Zhao Ge, seeing the vibrant and spirited Li Yi, with an extraordinary demeanor, couldn’t help but offer praise as well.

Being young is indeed wonderful.

The future is boundless.

Nothing like himself, growing old with declining qi-blood.

The future head of Zhao’s Martial Arts Hall would be this person before him.

Zhao Ge thought to himself, he had already decided that once vengeance was taken and the Martial Arts Hall was successfully rebuilt, he would retire and hand over the hall to Li Yi. He believed that under Li Yi’s leadership, the Martial Arts Hall could only prosper more.

"It’s a pity I don’t use a saber. If I had a Brocade Spring Saber, I’d pass for a Jinyi Guard," Li Yi said with a smile, then took off the cloak, preparing to put it away.

"Eldest Brother, what is a Jinyi Guard?" Rong Niang came over, took the cloak from Li Yi, and started to fold it carefully.

Li Yi explained, "It’s an institution from our Ming Dynasty, tasked with monitoring officials and holding imperial authority, empowered to execute before reporting, and each of them was a martial arts expert. They were all equipped with Flying Fish Robes and Brocade Spring Sabers. But the Ming Dynasty has fallen into history, leaving nothing but some historical records."

"I see, similar to the Divine Martial Envoys of the Divine Martial Sect here," Zhao Ge interjected, stroking his beard. In the Four Seas and Eight Continents, there’s a similar institution.

It gathers martial artists from all over to serve the court. He was once invited to join the Divine Martial Sect but refused. It was more free to run a Martial Arts Hall in his hometown than deal with power struggles. That was not his ambition.

"Eldest Brother, you’re saying courts like yours can also be overthrown?" Shou Hou joined the conversation curiously after he had put away the horses.

Li Yi explained, "Of course, dynasties come and go. It’s always been like this. A corrupt and tyrannical court would naturally inspire heroes to start a rebellion, proclaim themselves king. In our history, we’ve spent almost every moment either in rebellion or on the way to one. You’ll find anything from beggars rising to become emperors, princes committing fratricide and patricide, treacherous officials causing chaos in the palace, foreign invasions... you name it. In short, it’s a complete mess. As the saying goes, it’s the emperor’s turn to sit on the throne—this year, it’s our family’s turn."

Everyone was astounded by this brief statement.

This... this is too exciting.

The people from Li Yi’s place were rebelling for thousands of years?

"Meng De, you don’t have ideas of rebelling too, do you?" Zhao Ge asked, still stunned.

Li Yi shook his head and said, "There are no emperors where I come from anymore, and nobody rebels either."

"That’s good," Zhao Ge replied, relieved.

Just what kind of world was that? Too terrifying.

"Eldest Brother, I don’t understand this. Rebellion is a grave crime that warrants the execution of nine kin. How could those people dare to do such a thing?" Shou Hou scratched his head, genuinely at a loss. If he were in desperate straits, he would only die himself; he would never dare to drag his family into it.

"Execution of nine kin?"

Li Yi paused for a moment, then quickly added, "Why not make the nine kin rebel together? If successful, they could become Imperial Relatives and share in glory and wealth for generations. If they lose, they would become a part of history. If they’re already doomed, what is there to fear?"

"..."

Everyone fell silent at his words.

But for some reason, upon careful consideration, they found that this statement made a lot of sense.

"Meng De, talk less of such things in the future," said Zhao Ge, patting his shoulder with earnest seriousness.

Shou Hou grinned, giving Li Yi a secret thumbs-up.

The eldest disciple was truly worthy of being the eldest.

Born rebellious, scorning nobility, regarding the heroes of the world as nothing more than weeds.

Emperors take turns to rule, this year it’s my family’s turn,

What’s called mettle, this is mettle.

"All of you, too, should hold your tongues a bit. These words are all treasonous. With our enemies not yet defeated, let’s not create unnecessary complications," Zhao Ge then sternly shouted, forbidding his disciples from discussing such topics.

"Alright, Master, we won’t talk about it anymore, we won’t," said Shou Hou, somewhat resentfully.

But he still liked listening to the eldest disciple talk about rebellion.

However, such talk was indeed prone to bring trouble to this place, so Li Yi also refrained from saying more.

A short time later,

The gate was knocked upon again.

It was the broker who had visited earlier.

"Is the distinguished person in? The task is completed, the two expert sheep slaughters and twenty yellow sheep have all been brought over... and that Shan Zhen as well," called out the broker from outside the door.

"Father, I’ve purchased some delicacies and found a Shan Zhen to nourish everyone," immediately said Zhao Qian.

Zhao Ge nodded, "Well done, you’ve managed the task thoroughly. We martial artists indeed need to recuperate for a few days. Shou Hou, go open the door, drive the sheep into the stable. Today, let them slaughter two yellow sheep to stew first, and add in some of the tonic herbs we bought earlier. I want to take a good look at that Shan Zhen."

"You Shui Town is hardly the place I’d expect to produce a Shan Zhen, aquatic treasures seem more plausible."

He then expressed his skepticism.

As the courtyard door opened,

The broker immediately bowed with a flattering smile. Behind him, an old shepherd was herding sheep, accompanied by butchers equipped with their own slaughtering tools, all waiting respectfully.

"Where is the Shan Zhen?" Shou Hou scanned the scene and asked.

"Bring it over," the broker gestured.

Instantly, four sturdy men carried a wooden cage wobbling over, accompanied by a Skin Training martial artist, who seemed to be wary of the Shan Zhen breaking free from the cage and escaping.

Zhao Ge stepped forward briskly, standing in front of the cage to take a look.

He saw an old deer inside the cage, with its body marked by five colors distinct from ordinary deer. Despite being confined, its eyes were exceedingly bright, resembling human eyes filled with animosity as they scanned everything around.

"It’s an Eight Treasure Deer."

Recognizing it at a glance, Zhao Ge thought it was a pity: "This is an old deer that’s grown into a Shan Zhen. Its Qi-Blood is declining. Had it not begun foraging in the wild, a deer of this age would have long been dead. Even though it has become an Eight Treasure Deer, it’s not of much use now. Its flesh has aged, and its marrow is drying up. Despite its large frame, it actually weighs less than fifty pounds."

"What? It’s an old deer that’s about to die? Damn it, you tricked me," Zhao Qian fumed upon hearing this and intended to confront the broker.

No wonder this Shan Zhen was hard to sell—it turned out to be just this.

Zhao Ge, however, waved his hand to signal Zhao Qian to calm down.

Finding a Shan Zhen in You Shui Town was fortunate enough; it wasn’t the time to be choosy.

Seeing her father speak, Zhao Qian had no choice but to stop and close her mouth.

"How much do you intend to sell this Eight Treasure Deer for?" Zhao Ge then asked.

Seeing that Zhao Ge was an experienced handler, the broker said resignedly, "The original price was two hundred taels, and we took a deposit of ten taels. If your Excellency really wants it, one hundred eighty taels would suffice."

"The price isn’t outrageous; I won’t bargain with you. Two hundred taels it is. Add twenty more yellow sheep to the deal, and I’ll take the Eight Treasure Deer," Zhao Ge stated.

With those words, the broker’s face broke into a broad grin, eagerly agreeing, then immediately had the Eight Treasure Deer brought inside.

"Shou Hou, pay him and show the guests out," commanded Zhao Ge.

Shou Hou promptly settled the payment in Silver Coin and had the shepherd drive the sheep inside. He then instructed the sheep slaughters to pick out two healthy ones for slaughter to stew well.

Once all was handled, Zhao Ge turned his attention back to the Eight Treasure Deer.

"Father, what’s so interesting about an old deer? We might as well slaughter it tomorrow to prevent it from starving to death. That way, we can nourish you and everyone else. Let Brother Yi also have a taste of the Eight Treasure Deer," Zhao Qian suggested.

Zhao Ge huffed, "What do you know? There’s a charm to an old deer. A deer that has survived so long in the wild, where hasn’t it been? What dangers doesn’t it know? Now that it has grown and transformed into an Eight Treasure Deer with open spiritual intelligence, it will remember all the fine things it saw in its youth. If we can tame it and take it on a trip through the wilderness, we might find many Shan Zhen and precious herbs."

"The martial hall needs to be rebuilt, and we will inevitably need precious items. Meng De, try taming it when you have the chance. If you succeed, keep it and start raising it; if not, kill it for its meat."

He was already considering the rebuilding of the martial hall.

Clearly, he had great confidence in Li Yi’s ability to have stopped those two Qi Cultivation Martial Artists from Sanyang City.

"I will do my best,"

Li Yi had no experience with taming beasts, but it seemed his master didn’t either, so he had no choice but to try his hand at it.