Chapter 0009: You Know What I Mean

"Heh heh, men, you know." Jack Foster let out a dry laugh, his expression saying, 'You know what I mean.' Then he strode off, laughing.

"That woman’s not bad, the third lady of Qinghua Brothel in Jiangbei City." Jack Foster's dry laughter came from outside the tent again.

Not long after, a tall woman with a willow-shaped face, dressed in a red long robe, gracefully entered the tent. She bowed to Charles Carter and said, "I am Olivia Green, here especially to serve the centurion."

Charles Carter glanced at her—her looks were indeed quite good. Even by modern standards, she would be considered above average in appearance. Moreover, she wore a pure floral fragrance that was quite arousing.

However, Charles Carter had seen many women before. He wasn’t interested in this kind of woman at all. Besides, for her to come to the army to serve in private, she must have already slept with quite a few officers.

"I’m injured, so there’s no need." Charles Carter waved his hand.

"If the centurion doesn’t accept me, I’ll be executed." Olivia Green looked sorrowful.

"Oh? Why?" Charles Carter was taken aback.

"It’s a private military rule among the generals. I dare not disobey. Also, the generals paid for this out of their own pockets. If I go back, my boss will beat me to death." Olivia Green's pitiful look was truly moving.

"How about this, you just rest here in the tent for a while before going out. Just say you’ve already finished. Also, here’s ten taels of silver as a reward for you." Charles Carter took out a silver ingot and tossed it to her.

"I heard the centurion was rewarded with three yuan stones by the general?" Olivia Green asked.

"That’s right. Why do you ask?" Charles Carter found this brothel girl’s question a bit odd.

"I mean no harm, I just want to make a deal with the centurion." Olivia Green said.

"First, tell me what these yuan stones are for?" Charles Carter asked.

"In our Great Yu Dynasty, these naturally occurring stones, rich in medicinal properties, are divided into five types, according to their attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Martial artists also practice according to attributes. For example, if your body is suited to practicing metal attribute techniques, you learn those techniques." Olivia Green explained.

"I see. So, does that mean you can only consume yuan stones that match your attribute?" Charles Carter asked.

"Exactly. If you’re of the metal attribute and eat a wood attribute stone, it’s not good for you, because metal and wood counter each other.

Of course, there’s also a high-quality stone called a yuan stone, which is attribute-less. That means any martial artist can consume and absorb it. The three you were just rewarded with by the general are attribute-less yuan stones.

As for wood stones, they’re actually called wood yuan stones. Attribute-less yuan stones are very rare because they’re extremely useful." Olivia Green said.

"You want these attribute-less yuan stones for someone to use in their cultivation, right?" Charles Carter asked.

"Yes, for my younger brother. His body is very strange, not belonging to any of the five elements. Only attribute-less yuan stones can be consumed and absorbed by him. I don’t really know the reason." Olivia Green said.

"Tell me about your deal." Charles Carter said.

"It’s this thing, passed down in my family for generations. But after hundreds of years, no one has figured out what it’s about.

Some time ago, by chance, I came to the military camp. I discovered that the symbols shown on the sheepskin are somewhat similar to those at Tongqiao Pass.

I think the secret passed down by my ancestors might be at Tongqiao Pass. My ancestors always instructed us to pass it down from generation to generation until the secret is uncovered. It’s said that one of my ancestors was a ‘Qi Tongjing’ expert." Olivia Green said.

"You mean this secret was left by your Qi Tongjing ancestor?" Charles Carter asked, his interest piqued.

"Possibly. Even if not Qi Tongjing, definitely someone above the innate level. Also, I want to go with you to search for it. If there’s any benefit, I’ll give you thirty percent. But you have to give me three yuan stones as the condition for the deal. Of course, maybe there’s no secret at all, so it’s a gamble." Olivia Green said.

"Deal!" Charles Carter agreed without hesitation. It was unlikely that a Qi Tongjing expert wouldn’t have left something valuable.

Anyway, he had secretly gotten ten yuan stones from Commander Smith, so he wasn’t short on them for now. The secret of a Qi Tongjing expert was much more important.

The next night, Charles Carter quietly set out with Olivia Green. Of course, the official reason was to scout for military intelligence outside the camp, so it didn’t arouse General Grant's suspicion. They arrived at Tongqiao Pass at three in the morning.

Tongqiao Pass was extremely treacherous, with two towering mountains reaching into the clouds, and only a narrow mountain path in the middle, barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side.

So, if an ambush was set here, it would be very effective. However, the stone cliffs on both sides of Tongqiao Pass were almost at a ninety-degree angle, making them hard to climb.

After arriving, the two of them observed in secret for a while, then found a spot that seemed to match the location indicated on the sheepskin map. Quietly, they took out ropes and began to climb.

Charles Carter noticed that Olivia Green seemed even more agile than he was. However, since Olivia Green had family, and Charles Carter had looked into her background, he wasn’t worried about her playing any tricks.

Finally, in a dense thicket, they found a cave covered in weeds. After carefully tapping around to make sure there was no poison gas, they crawled inside.