Chapter 7

Just below the characters written by Xu Fu, there was a string of more than twenty fist-sized stone caves. These stone caves were naturally formed, without any trace of artificial work. Inside each stone cave, a bamboo scroll was placed.

Wu Mian picked up a bamboo scroll, and as soon as he opened it, his gaze was fixed on the contents. The bamboo scroll recorded several methods of using magical techniques, which were not only unknown to Wu Mian, but even the grand administrator of the alchemists had never heard of them. Even if the administrator had seen them in person, he would not have had the power to perform the techniques written on the bamboo scrolls.

After a while, Wu Mian opened several other bamboo scrolls. They all contained insights and techniques of the alchemists, but none of them recorded methods for self-cultivation. This was also a precaution left by Xu Fu. If someone accidentally entered, they would at most take away the gold in the cave and would not be interested in the cultivation techniques they couldn't understand.

For Wu Mian, the content of the bamboo scrolls was still somewhat profound. After a whole night, he only understood a few basic techniques in the first scroll. Ten days later, Wu Mian had learned half of the techniques in that scroll, but to fully master them was still a long way off.

Originally, Wu Mian planned to come down the mountain only after completely mastering the techniques recorded on the bamboo scrolls. However, by the morning of the tenth day, the dry food he had prepared at the foot of the mountain was all gone. Although Wu Mian's current constitution could endure, he had not practiced the technique of abstaining from food. After another day and a half, he was so hungry that he became distracted and started to lose focus while reciting the bamboo scrolls. Helplessly, Wu Mian had to put the bamboo scrolls back, take a gold cake, and leave the cave, planning to return to the foot of the mountain to get more food before coming back to study the techniques on the bamboo scrolls.

Just as Wu Mian stepped out of the cave, a wild beast's unique stench hit him. He heard a low growl, and then a huge figure rushed straight at him.

Tiger! Wu Mian was startled, never expecting to encounter a tiger on such a large mountain, just as the old pavilion keeper had mentioned. In the chaos, he didn't have time to use the techniques he had just learned. He could only tuck his head in, cross his hands to protect his vital points. As soon as he assumed this posture, the tiger was already in front of him. The massive impact knocked Wu Mian down, and the tiger opened its huge mouth to bite his neck.

Wu Mian realized that although he was now immortal, if his head was bitten off, he would likely not survive. In a panic, he reached out and grabbed the tiger's neck, forcefully pulling it upward. He heard a "crack," and the tiger's head was directly broken, with its back of the head oddly贴在了虎背上.

The tiger, being the king of beasts, did not die immediately even with its neck broken. It let out a mournful cry, released Wu Mian, and ran off aimlessly. Unfortunately, the tiger could now see nothing but the sky. It didn't run far before it collided with a tree, fell to the ground, and lay there convulsing.

Wu Mian stood up from the ground, and the wounds inflicted by the tiger were healing at a visible speed. He watched the tiger from a distance until it was completely dead, then dragged the dead tiger to the cave entrance. Without any tools, Wu Mian had to tear the tiger's skin off with his bare hands and divide the tiger meat into several portions.

Fortunately, the mountain was full of wood. Wu Mian dragged a dead tree nearby, broke it into firewood, and lit a fire. For the entire afternoon, he did nothing but roast the hundreds of pounds of tiger meat, turning it into dried food. With this tiger meat, Wu Mian managed to survive in the cave for more than two months.

Since the strange young man with white hair had come up the mountain, nearly three months had passed. The people at the foot of the mountain had almost forgotten the strange man they had seen three months ago. It was another 15th of the month, and the old pavilion keeper was wandering around the market as usual. Just as he was about to go home for a drink, a commotion behind him caught his attention.

A young man with white hair, wearing a tiger skin, was walking down the mountain path. Although his clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable, the old pavilion keeper immediately recognized him as the strange man who had gone up the mountain three months ago.

As the old pavilion keeper was stunned, the young man with white hair saw him, walked over, and draped the entire tiger skin over the old pavilion keeper, saying, "For a full meal, okay?"

The old pavilion keeper was speechless for a moment before he understood what Wu Mian was saying. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The unclean tiger skin gave off a strong bloody smell, confirming that this was a good deal.

"Did you kill this tiger?" Although there was no one else around, the old pavilion keeper still asked a redundant question.

Wu Mian, with his unique tone, said, "Not me," and before the old pavilion keeper could fully show his surprise, the young man with white hair quickly added, "Or you?"

Although the young man's words were a bit harsh, the old pavilion keeper, considering the tiger skin, had to swallow his anger. He chuckled and said, "Then you are a tiger-slaying hero. Not just a meal, I can provide you with a month's worth of food. It's the 15th today, and the hunters killed a wild bull yesterday evening, which is already in the pot."

As he spoke, he took the tiger skin off and said to a young boy behind him, "Dog Lengzi, go tell Old Liu at the pot to send ten pounds of the best wild beef to our shop..."

Before he finished, Wu Mian suddenly said, "Fifty pounds!"

The old pavilion keeper swallowed and stared at Wu Mian, saying, "Fifty pounds, can you eat that much?"

Compared to the entire tiger skin, fifty pounds of beef was nothing. The old pavilion keeper gritted his teeth and agreed.

The old pavilion keeper's family ran the only restaurant for miles around. Although it was a rural inn, it was a significant business in the area. After bringing Wu Mian to the restaurant, the old pavilion keeper shouted to the counter, "We have a guest, everyone get busy, make some pancakes and fry some eggs! Cut some pickles, I'll have two ounces with the young man."

As he spoke, he went behind the counter, brought out a wine jar, and led Wu Mian to a table, pouring him a bowl of somewhat murky wine, then poured one for himself. A young waiter brought over a few dishes of cut pickles. At this time, the kitchen was already bustling, and soon the aroma wafted out.

The old pavilion keeper didn't wait for Wu Mian to start, he picked up a piece of pickled radish, chewed it, took a sip of wine, and said to Wu Mian, "Young man, there's nothing fancy, just country food. If you like it, have a bite; if not, just sit for a while. The beef and pancakes will be here soon."

Seeing that Wu Mian had no interest in the pickles and murky wine, the old pavilion keeper urged the kitchen and started to probe Wu Mian, "Young man, you don't look like someone from Liaodong. What did you do on Yanshan for three months? Did you kill this tiger yourself? I have no other intentions, just asking. If the officials come, I need to have an answer. You know, being a pavilion keeper these days is not easy..."

Throughout the conversation, the old pavilion keeper did all the talking, while Wu Mian just watched him, not saying a word. Finally, the old pavilion keeper, out of things to say, suddenly slapped the table, looked at Wu Mian, and shouted, "Are the pancakes not ready yet?"

After the old pavilion keeper shouted, the kitchen brought out a plate of coarse grain pancakes and a large plate of wild beef, which relieved the old pavilion keeper. Surprisingly, a dish of fried eggs was also brought out. The young waiter explained, "First, we cut five pounds of beef for you to enjoy with the wine. The rest of the beef is kept warm in the pot. When you finish, the chef will cut more, to prevent it from getting cold and congealing."

"No need," Wu Mian finally spoke, saying, "Pack up everything on the table, including the remaining beef. I'll take it with me."

The old pavilion keeper had just picked up a piece of beef and was about to put it in his mouth when he heard Wu Mian's words. He frowned, and his suppressed anger flared up again. He looked at Wu Mian and said, "Young man, we agreed to provide you with a meal. I'll accept whatever you eat, but I didn't agree to you taking it away..."

Before he finished, the young man with white hair took out two golden cakes and threw them into the pickle dish, shattering it with a "clank." Then he threw another gold cake and said, "I'll give you two more."

Gold! The old pavilion keeper's eyes widened, and his lips trembled. He picked up a gold cake and bit it, almost breaking his teeth. Before he could laugh, he heard Wu Mian say, "This is for the beef and pancakes."

The old pavilion keeper looked at Wu Mian, unsure of what to do, and said, "This is a hundred taels of gold, how can I make change?"

Wu Mian looked at him, half-smiling, and said, "Who said I need change?" Hearing this, the old pavilion keeper excitedly stood up from his chair, but Wu Mian continued, "Keep it in the counter, spend it later, and remember my face..."