Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 98 - 89: Gold Medal Blade Catcher, Family Heirloom

Cyan Cloud Avenue, the snow was swirling.

The small shops along the street gradually shut their doors, leaving only a few lanterns swaying in the wind. The door of the Demon Slayer Bureau was half-open, and the constable on duty tightened his coat and leaned against the Wanted List, sleeping soundly, which made the place seem less deserted than usual.

A figure came stepping through the snow from the east of the city.

The constable heard the footsteps and drowsily looked over. In this winter weather, could someone be idle enough to come for a bounty? When he saw a tall, strong man with a stern face, the constable suddenly perked up.

"Mr. Li!"

"Take me to see Director Li."

As summer and autumn passed, the lotus pond at the Demon Slayer Bureau had long withered, leaving the water desolate. In the study, Li Zhihe sat by the fire, brewing a pot of wine.

"Mr. Li, can you drink wine?"

"Naturally."

Li Zhihe poured a cup of hot wine for Su Mu. In winter, a sip of hot wine warms the body, but this wine was bland, not strong enough for Su Mu, who had been drinking specially brewed medicinal wine for half a year.

After a few cups, the conversation started to flow.

"Time truly flies. That initial meeting at the stone pavilion feels like yesterday. Mr. Li has been a registered Silver Blade Catcher at the Demon Slayer Bureau for a year now. What brings you here today?"

"I need one more bounty to exchange for martial arts. I'm here to accept a bounty today."

"That's easy to arrange."

Li Zhihe stood up and fetched three bounty scrolls from the cabinet under his desk. "Mr. Li, please take a look."

Su Mu, though having only accepted five bounties since becoming a Blade Catcher, had grasped the rules of the Demon Slayer Bureau's bounties. The bureaus' bounties must be archived whether completed or not.

To meet the need for long-term storage, the bureau had strict material classifications for bounty orders. Level 3 bounties were typically on tanned sheepskin, tough and durable;

Second-Level Rewards were rarer, written on silk with special ink that could last a hundred years without fading.

The three presented bounties were silk, all second-level rewards. Su Mu took them, spread them out, and glanced over.

"Butcher Rokh, Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist, massacred the Zhou Clan in Changfeng County and then set fire… one Second-Class Merit from Cyan Cloud Demon Slayer Bureau, bounty of a hundred taels."

"Ghost-Hand Scholar Zhou Qing, Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist, disguised as a wandering doctor, poisoning the water source causing twenty-three deaths at Xiaofeng Ridge… one Second-Class Merit from Cyan Cloud Demon Slayer Bureau, bounty of a hundred taels."

"Lu Mountain, previously one of the commanders of the Cyan Cloud Army, Seventh-Grade Second-Time Tendon Transformation Martial Artist, defected two years ago… two Second-Class Merits from Cyan Cloud Demon Slayer Bureau."

Su Mu was slightly shocked upon glancing over, not surprised by the bounties outside Qingyun County. The Silver Order of the Blade allowed free passage through the three counties without entry fees and facilitated their bounties.

What startled Su Mu was the third bounty, his gaze lingered on the two Second-Class Merits for a moment; this bounty was clearly the most difficult among them.

The bounty specifically noted this individual as a Second-Time Tendon Transformation Martial Artist and formerly one of the Cyan Cloud Army commanders, indicating a likely deep network within Qingyun City. Killing such a person would surely bring trouble.

Su Mu did not immediately accept the bounty but turned to ask, "Director Li, besides martial arts, I need the 'Muscle-Protecting Pill' and the 'Bone Strengthening Pill.' Can the Demon Slayer Bureau exchange them?"

"Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill?"

Li Zhihe finished his hot wine, putting down the cup as his heart stirred.

The Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill are necessary for impacting the Seventh Grade Muscle Strengthening Realm, the former protecting the tendons from injury, the latter helping the power to refine the tendons.

This meant Su Mu intended to push into the Seventh Grade Realm. Su Mu, yet to reach Eighth Grade, had already been promoted to Silver Token, having killed at least four Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artists, except the strength of Black Insect Elder remained unclear, all were villains of First-Time Tendon Transformation.

One bounty could be considered luck, but not three; Li Feiyu's ability to leap over a First-Grade Realm to slay Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artists was undoubtedly impressive.

Li Feiyu lay low for half a year; though his presence faded in the eyes of common folk, his reputation grew within the circles of powerful forces and elites in Qingyun County.

According to Li Zhihe, many major forces were secretly investigating Li Feiyu's origins, with intentions to recruit him.

Li Zhihe speculated that Su Mu had probably completed the Third Bone Forging; regarding realms above Transforming Force, even in a Qingzhou Prefecture, such individuals were rare, he dared not imagine further.

Three Refining Forces of Transforming Force plus three Bone Forging, such solid martial dao groundwork, if promoted to Seventh Grade Muscle Strengthening, his power would multiply, becoming a sharp blade in the Demon Slayer Bureau.

Thinking about this, Li Zhihe's eyes flickered with heat and he spoke.

"Mr. Li, given our relationship, I'll be frank. The Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill, along with the secret medicines for tendon transformation, are all available at the Demon Slayer Bureau, but they're far more valuable than Bone-Forger Ointment."

"One Muscle-Protecting Pill requires three Second-Class Merits, one Bone Strengthening Pill requires two Second-Class Merits, and one portion of the Muscle Strengthening Secret Medicine requires two Second-Class Merits. The former two can only be exchanged once per person, a perk for registered Blade Catchers."

After saying this, Li Zhihe held back a final thought that promotion to Gold Medal Blade Catcher removed these restrictions, but it's been over twenty years without a Gold Medal Blade Catcher emerging from Qingyun, Changfeng, and Cang River counties.

Gold Medal Blade Catcher promotion was stringent, requiring assessment from the Qingzhou Prefecture Demon Slayer Bureau for appointment, hence mentioning this to Su Mu was pointless; he didn't bring it up.

Su Mu's eyes flickered, realizing that the Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill were essentials for tendon transformation, needed during each impact, such as Second-Time Tendon Transformation, Third-Time Tendon Transformation.

Instead of refining the meridians daily, all that is needed is to employ the Muscle Strengthening Secret Medicine.

Not to mention the subsequent need for Muscle Strengthening Secret Medicine, merely obtaining a set of pills to break through Muscle Strengthening requires completing five second-level rewards or fifteen level-three rewards, which cannot be considered easy.

Direct exchange is already so difficult, it is feared that the formula might be hard to obtain through the Demon Slayer Bureau.

Thinking swiftly, Su Mu was still reluctant to give up, asking, "Does the Demon Slayer Bureau have a Muscle Strengthening formula to exchange?"

Sure enough, Li Zhihe frowned slightly, poured and shook his head after serving a drink to Su Mu, "Mr. Li, the value of the pills and secret medicine formulas needed for Muscle Strengthening exceeds even Seventh-Grade Martial Arts; it can rival Sixth-Grade Martial Arts. I'm afraid I can't satisfy you... This matter needs first to be reported to Qingzhou Prefecture's Demon Slayer Bureau, but this hope is too slim."

Li Zhihe smiled bitterly and spoke tactfully, indicating that the hope was too slim to extinguish Su Mu's thought of exchanging from the Demon Slayer Bureau.

After speaking, Li Zhihe raised his cup, and after the two drank another cup, he spoke in a pondering tone.

"Apart from the Demon Slayer Bureau in Qingyun County, the Five Great Powers of Cyan Cloud, as well as some ancient families, also hold some Muscle Strengthening formulas. Mr. Li, with your White Jade Order, you can try at the Qingyun Auction in the future."

"Alright, thank you, Director Li, for informing me."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu felt a stir in his heart. He was mentally prepared for this outcome. After three rounds of drinks, Su Mu accepted the Ghost-Hand Scholar's reward and took away the related secret letter.

As for the reward from Changfeng County, Su Mu did not accept it; the back-and-forth journey for this reward would take a long time, but if it were a reward from Canghe County, Su Mu would accept it.

Su Mu remembered that Uncle Li and Xiaohu's old home was in Canghe County, and he could visit them on the way; as for Changfeng County, forget it.

"No need to see me off, Director Li."

Su Mu walked out of the Demon Slayer Bureau, met a haggard-looking one-armed swordsman head-on, and the swordsman glanced at Su Mu, who looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, then quickly looked away, taking out a Silver Order from his waist and showing it.

"Can you report that I request to see Director Li?"

The Silver Order, Silver Token Blade Catcher, is it?

Also a Silver Token Blade Catcher, Su Mu curiously took a look, and his keen senses noticed a name engraved on the back of the token at the moment it was taken out.

"Li Yan...could it be that Flying Goose Saber?"

Su Mu was slightly surprised and then became clear. He remembered that the Blade Catcher's corpse that died in the hands of the Black Insect Elder had a Sword Catching Copper Order, indicating that person was not the Flying Goose Saber known from Baihe Town's tavern; there was another who died tragically.

After a glance, Su Mu looked away and walked towards Golden Iron Long Street.

Inside the Demon Slayer Bureau, Li Zhihe was somewhat surprised to see Li Yan, as this person had taken the Black Insect Elder's reward half a year ago and vanished without a trace; Li Zhihe assumed he died at the hands of the Black Insect Elder.

Li Yan naturally noticed Li Zhihe's subtle expression, especially when the gaze fell on his empty left sleeve. Li Yan's expression subtly changed before he spoke directly.

"Director Li, I am here today with a request."

"Please speak."

"Was it Li Feiyu who accepted the Black Insect Elder's reward half a year ago and then killed him?" Li Yan asked with burning eyes, wanting to confirm once more.

Li Zhihe immediately nodded, "That's right, it was Mr. Li."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan urgently spoke, "Director Li, can you tell me the whereabouts of Li Feiyu?"

Li Zhihe's eyes narrowed, and he did not answer. At this time, Li Yan sighed and recounted how his brother and he were attacked by the Black Insect Elder, his brother's tragic death, and someone avenging and covering the enemy with a cloth for a memorial service.

During these past six months, Li Yan had not appeared publicly; he was handling his deceased brother's affairs.

"Li Feiyu avenged my brother and is a benefactor of us siblings; I want to meet the benefactor."

"Unexpectedly, there is such a turn of events; may the deceased rest in peace, offer condolences and adapt to changes..." Li Zhihe was moved by the words and sighed, "To be honest, Mr. Li's whereabouts are always mysterious, and he only appears when accepting rewards. You are unfortunate; Mr. Li just took a reward and left."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan trembled, "Director Li, are you saying that the person in the raincoat earlier is the benefactor?"

"Precisely."

"Then, Li Yan, you might stay at an inn in Qingyun City. Mr. Li is always fast and decisive and will certainly return within days. If Mr. Li is willing to see you then, I'll send someone to inform you."

After saying this, Li Zhihe suddenly remembered something and immediately took out a Copper Order, "This item was brought back by Mr. Li that day, take it."

"Thank you, Director."

Li Yan accepted the token, with tears in his tiger eyes, his expression sad, then he bowed with clasped fists to express gratitude before asking about the 'Li Feiyu's' biography and leaving the Demon Slayer Bureau.

To meet as soon as possible, Li Yan stayed at the nearest inn to the Demon Slayer Bureau.

Inside the room, Li Yan took out a package from inside his coat.

"If the benefactor returns and is unwilling to see me... then ask Director Li to pass this on to the benefactor. Keeping this item with me is ultimately like letting a pearl be covered in dust."

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