Chapter 39: Seeking Stone Marrow:
Chapter 39: Seeking Stone Marrow:
Xu Lian couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The stone marrow he needed could only be obtained with the help of the Quarry Patrol Inspector. But if he asked directly, would the Quarry Patrol Inspector agree to give it to him?
It was possible. After all, the inspector had already given him the purple jade token, so it wasn’t out of the question to give him the stone marrow.
However, if he asked directly, he might risk offending the quarry patrol inspector.
This was a concern that Xu Lian couldn’t ignore.
The Quarry Patrol Inspector had promoted him to oversee a new mining site, and had even given him the purple jade token for emergencies. Clearly, the inspector had a favorable impression of him. If he were to request the stone marrow and ruin that impression, it would be a grave mistake.
“Relying on others is no match for relying on myself. I’ll figure it out on my own and try to avoid troubling the quarry patrol inspector,” Xu Lian resolved after careful thought.
Han Du, unaware of Xu Lian’s internal deliberations, cautioned, “Brother Xu, what I told you about the world outside of town – keep it to yourself. We don’t want to get into trouble.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Han. I’m not the kind of person who talks,” Xu Lian replied with a reassuring smile.
Then he asked, “Brother Han, when you visited Stone Town in your youth, how did you get there?”
Han Du seemed to understand Xu Lian’s intentions. “You’re not thinking of going there yourself to get stone marrow, are you?”
Xu Lian nodded seriously. “I can’t rely on the quarry patrol inspector for everything. If I bother him too often, he might start to think that I’m incapable. So I want to handle this myself.”
Han Du sighed. “When I went there, it was because my brother-in-law took me with him.”
“Your brother-in-law?” Xu Lian remembered hearing rumors about Han Du’s family connection to the town mayor. “The town mayor?”
Han Du nodded with a slight sigh. “Back then, my sister was quite beautiful and became the mayor’s concubine. She was highly favored, and as a result, the mayor took care of me. But as my sister grew older and lost favor, the mayor stopped taking care of me.”
How realistic… Xu Lian thought. “So you only managed to visit Stone Town when the mayor was traveling there?”
“Exactly. The journey from Green Bamboo Town to Stone Town isn’t particularly far, but the mountain paths are treacherous. You can’t make it there in one day, so you’d have to camp overnight in the wild. That means running into the night patrol, which is a death sentence for ordinary people.”
“The mayor, however, carried an official jade token issued by the higher authorities. It allowed him to bypass the night patrol, so he was able to take me safely through the wilderness and reach Stone Town.”
Han Du paused before adding, “If you want to go to Stone Town, you’ll need one of those jade tokens. And it has to be at least of blue grade or higher to make the Night Patrol avoid you”.
Xu Lian remembered what Lu Kan, the captain of the Blade Squad, had once explained about the grades of jade tokens. They were divided into nine levels: green, cyan, blue, red, black, white, purple, silver, and gold.
The purple jade token in Xu Lian’s possession was far superior to the blue grade. It would be more than enough to make the Night Patrol retreat, allowing him to spend a night in the wilderness and reach Stone Town safely.
But once he got to Stone Town, how would he obtain the Stone Marrow?
Xu Lian did not ask, and Han Du did not volunteer an answer. Both men understood the situation without needing to say it out loud.
Stone Marrow could only be found in the mines of Stone Town. Obtaining it meant either stealing or robbing, both of which would violate Stone Town’s laws.
If Xu Lian got caught, he’d have to face the consequences alone. Han Du wasn’t about to give him tips on stealing or robbing, lest he be implicated.
Xu Lian understood that Han Du sharing so much information with him was already a generous favor.
By noon, Xu Lian had a meal at Han Du’s mining site before taking his leave.
“Stealing stone marrow from Stone Town’s mines is no doubt risky. But stone marrow is the key material for me to advance to the Marrow Refining level. Without it, I’ll remain stuck in the bone tempering stage forever. No matter the risk, I have to try.
“To be on the safe side, I’ll wait a while before going to Stone Town. At the very least, I should wait until the Quarry Patrol Inspector officially introduces me to the Yi Sect. With the protection of a Yi Sect identity, I’ll have an added layer of security.”
Back at the mining site, Xu Lian made a cursory inspection before retreating to the stone house to drink tea and wait for the workday to end.
“Being a mining supervisor is so boring and tedious…”
If others knew what Xu Lian was thinking, they would undoubtedly curse him to his face. “You lazy bastard! Sitting there without a care in the world, collecting twenty taels of silver a month without lifting a finger! And then there’s the ‘extra’ income from the mine. If you fancy a girl, just say the word and she’s yours! Come on, let’s swap places, I’ll be the supervisor and you can do the hard labor!”
Time passed, day by day.
Xu Lian idled away his days at the mining site, putting in minimal effort while saving his energy for the nights at home where he worked more diligently.
From time to time, he visited the Lichun Brothel to see Chuntao and check how her singing and dancing were progressing. Watching her practice always led to pulling her into a room, unable to resist her charm. She truly had the potential to become a courtesan queen – irresistibly alluring.
He also paid a visit to the Pei family, ostensibly to thank them for the tiger bone and tiger whip wine sent by Pei Heng. In reality, it was a chance to subtly give Pei Zhaoxi, the fiery little pepper, a meaningful glance.
Pei Zhaoxi kept a cold face, turned her head away, and completely ignored him.
However, the next day, Pei Zhaoxi appeared at the stone house of the mining site, cloaked and mysterious. Once again, Xu Lian indulged in her fiery passion.
However, what puzzled Xu Lian was that he couldn’t gauge Pei Zhaoxi’s level of affection for him.
“Could it be that her affection level for me is too low, not even meeting the baseline required for it to show up?”
That was his only guess. After all, their initial relationship hadn’t been mutual. How could there be any affection at all?
Just like that, ten days passed.
“It should be time by now. I can inform the Quarry Patrol Inspector that I’ve reached the Bone Tempering stage.”
Xu Lian took out the violet jade token and focused his thoughts on it, as instructed by the Quarry Patrol Inspector.
Silently, the jade token began to glow.
“What is it?”
A clear, girlish voice came through – it was that of the Quarry Patrol Inspector.
What a sultry voice for a fox. If she transformed into a human form, would she look like a young girl?
Xu Lian didn’t dwell on the thought and quickly said, “Your subordinate has something to report. You mentioned that once I reached the Bone Tempering stage, you would guide me into the Yi Sect. Just now… I’ve broken through to Bone Tempering.”
The jade token was silent for a moment before the white fox’s voice replied, “I’ll be over shortly.”
Xu Lian waited patiently.
Soon, a white figure emerged from the bushes and jumped through the window into the room. It was the White Fox, the quarry patrol inspector.
Her sharp, intelligent eyes examined Xu Lian. “Judging from your vitality and bone structure, you have indeed reached the Bone Tempering stage.”
Xu Lian felt a chill run down his spine. His meager cultivation was completely transparent in the presence of such a powerful practitioner.
“Your talent is remarkable. It’s only been half a month since you reached the Muscle Refining stage, and you’ve already broken through to the Bone Tempering stage. Your cultivation speed rivals that of some Yi Sect prodigies,” the white fox remarked.
Xu Lian’s heart tightened. His decision to wait ten days before reporting his breakthrough had been correct. If he had informed them immediately, it would have been too shocking.
Even the Yi Sect’s geniuses couldn’t advance that quickly – it would have been unbelievable.
“Follow me. I’ll lead you into the Yi Sect,” the white fox said, turning around and leaping out of the window.
To avoid being seen, Xu Lian had no choice but to follow her out of the window and leave the mining site.