Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 181 - 137: Red Iron Essence and Demon Beast Blood!
"Ladies and gentlemen, this place is not safe to stay..." Su Mu's gaze fell on Zhang Jin, and he casually tossed the money bag he'd just taken from Qi Wuxing, "Zhang Jin, distribute this money to everyone and lead them out of here. You can take the body of that thief out to intimidate others."
"Yes, benefactor!" Zhang Jin responded with great respect and immediately began leading everyone in an escape.
Su Mu's eyes flickered slightly. Just now, he'd seen a faint trace of destiny's glow emanating from those who were prostrating and calling him their benefactor.
But this time, the glow of destiny didn't form, disappearing after just a moment.
"Maybe there aren't enough people..."
Recollecting his gaze, Su Mu didn't feel regret; rather, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If his destiny were built on the suffering of others, or if it caused more people to suffer, Su Mu would rather not have it.
As he made his way deeper into the cave, Su Mu's mood was somber. There were multiple underground prisons within the cave, each exuding a foul stench of blood and decay.
Each dungeon could likely hold twenty to thirty people, and there were seven or eight such prisons, packed with white bones, even the remains of children.
As the Flood Banner Lord of the Black Mountain Army, Qi Wuxing had been capturing innocent civilians and raising them like livestock!
Hell is empty; the demons roam the earth.
Su Mu's fists clenched silently, and at this moment, he understood the saying more deeply. The person leading Su Mu felt his anger, sweating profusely despite the cold underground cave. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"Hero Li, it's just ahead."
Just as the words left his mouth, Su Mu's hand fell upon the man's head. Before he could cry out, his body went limp and collapsed.
After killing the man, Su Mu took the torch and was presented with an iron door, which appeared to guard a storeroom.
On the iron door hung a thick iron lock.
Boom!
Su Mu reached for the iron lock, dropping it to the ground within two breaths. Pushing the door open leisurely, he found a small natural cave beyond it, housing three chests.
Upon opening the first chest, he found some gold and silver, with approximately two or three thousand taels of silver beneath a small layer of golden yuanbaos.
This amount wasn't sizable; after all, Martial Dao was known to be costly, not to mention the bottomless pit that was Corpse Refinement, with the required Demon Blood being extremely expensive. Most of the money Qi Wuxing had was used for Corpse Refinement, Martial Dao, and crafting armor.
The chest was too large to carry away conveniently, so Su Mu used clothes taken from the corpse outside the storeroom to bundle up all the golden yuanbaos and silver ingots.
After opening the second iron chest, Su Mu's eyes momentarily brightened as he recognized its contents. Inside the iron chest was a mining ore, nearly the size of a face basin, pitch black with a dark red hue.
"Is this Red Iron Essence?"
Su Mu hesitated, touching the mining ore. Immediately, the dark red glow on it flickered, and Su Mu felt a gently warming sensation.
Feeling the heat, Su Mu's eyes lit up, confirming the object was indeed Red Iron Essence, on par with the Cold Iron Essence he saw at the auction.
"At that auction, thirty pounds of Cold Iron Essence were sold for a staggering seven thousand taels..." Su Mu recalled that the piece of Cold Iron Essence had been merely the size of two fists.
This chunk, approximately the size of a face basin, weighed around one hundred and fifty pounds, surprising Su Mu after he weighed it. It was five times the size of the Cold Iron Essence at the auction.
The prices of Cold Iron Essence and Red Iron Essence were similar, meaning this piece of Red Iron Essence was equivalent to thirty-five thousand taels of silver.
"What a treasure, this Red Iron Essence can be used to forge the Great Spear!"
Previously, Su Mu had been pondering what material to use for forging the Great Spear, and now he didn't have to think further; it was like finding something without effort after searching high and low.
Thrilled, Su Mu opened the final iron chest; a strong, foul stench immediately filled the air.
Under the torchlight, three jade jars containing crimson liquid appeared inside.
"As expected, it's Demon Beast Blood, and of multiple types."
Su Mu sniffed and identified the three different types of Demon Beast Blood but felt slightly disappointed after opening them one by one.
"All of them are Cold Attribute Demon Beast Blood... Well, Corpse Puppets are inherently cold, so they naturally wouldn't use Fire Attribute Demon Blood." Su Mu sighed softly, having somewhat anticipated this.
"I'll take everything back. Later, whether I choose to sell it, retain it for forging weapons, or barter, it'll all be useful."
Su Mu cleared the chests of their contents and was about to leave when his steps paused, noticing an unusual area on the rock wall behind the chests from the corner of his eye.
"Could it be a secret mechanism?"
Su Mu immediately thought of the secret mechanism to open underground caves. He moved the chests aside and, using his spiritual power and eyes, carefully inspected the area, soon focusing his gaze on a particular spot.
After extending his hand to touch it, a clicking mechanism echoed; a hidden compartment appeared on the rock wall beside him. Inside lay a sandalwood box, and upon opening it, he found a secret manual with three words written on it: "Corpse Refining Technique."
"Corpse Refining Technique?"
Su Mu muttered, his eyes showing a hint of interest. He knew this Cultivation Technique was infamous, often condemned as a Demon Technique by the world.
But as a time traveler, Su Mu saw martial arts as a double-edged sword; used righteously or wickedly, it was up to the wielder.
Su Mu wasn't interested in Corpse Refinement itself but was intrigued by Qi Wuxing's method of transferring fatal damage to the Corpse Puppet. The cleverness in it might be worthwhile to learn.
"I'll study it carefully later."
Su Mu tucked the secret manual into his coat, finally scanning again with his spiritual power to confirm there were no other secret compartments before leaving. Along the way out, he noticed a forging workshop.
He approached, discovering a few incomplete iron armor pieces on the forging platform. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were parts of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet Armor. He guessed that Qi Wuxing had abducted craftsmen to forge armor for his Corpse Puppets.
"Good stuff, I'll take it back and study it too."
Soon, Su Mu noticed a detailed armor design pinned to the rock wall. With his eyes brightening, he tore it down, rolled it into a bundle, and tucked it into his coat.
After finishing everything, Su Mu left satisfied, and his face showed contentment. Before leaving, he saw three wolf-shaped Corpse Puppets.
"Rest in peace, may dust return to dust, and earth to earth."
Su Mu thought solemnly and then unleashed a series of punches that completely destroyed the Corpse Puppet, eliminating the Corpse Gu within them to free them entirely. Finally, he crushed the White Bone Bell into powder and scattered it into the wind.
After leaving the underground cave, the craftsmen who had seen daylight and Zhang Jin had not yet left. Upon seeing Su Mu, they immediately fell to their knees like a tidal wave.
"Thank you, Hero Li, for saving our lives!"
At Lin Family Manor, the grounds were bustling with commotion. The guards fled widely after seeing the Manor Master's remains, with many looting the manor's wealth as they escaped.
"Everyone, please leave," Su Mu said chivalrously, prompting the grateful crowd to depart. Yet Zhang Jin lingered, retrieving a Jade Token engraved with a Profound Turtle from his coat and presenting it with cupped fists.
"Hero Li, deeds of great kindness require no thanks. At present, I have nothing else to offer but if Hero Li ever comes to Changfeng County, I, Zhang Jin, will certainly treat my benefactor well. Should my benefactor have any command, I will not hesitate to go through fire and water!"
Changfeng County, hmm?
Su Mu's eyes flickered as he casually inquired, "Do you know where in Changfeng County one might obtain Demon Beast Blood?"
"Does the benefactor need Demon Beast Blood? If so, why not accompany me back to Changfeng County?"
