The Bodies Are Discovered, Qin Ming's Plan

"Qin Ming, go home earlier in the evenings for a while. Don't linger outside too long."

A burly figure walked over.

"Senior Sister Li."

Qin Ming cupped his hands.

Every time he saw Senior Sister Li, his heart skipped a beat. Nowhere in all of Qingshan Town could one find another person with muscles like hers.

"Second Senior Sister, did something happen?"

Lu Liu's expression tightened.

Li Shengnan was well informed because she worked for an escort agency.

"I heard six or seven bodies were found on the west side of town. They seemed to have been murdered. Four more bodies were found on the east side. They all had one thing in common: every bit of flesh had been stripped from their bodies, so the killer was most likely the same person."

"So many people died!"

Lu Liu was shocked.

A dozen or so people dying at once in a single town was already a major case.

"What about the killer? Any clues?"

"I don't know. Probably not. The bones were buried under the snow and weren't discovered until it melted. Whatever clues there were are gone. In any case, be careful lately. The town isn't peaceful, and quite a few unfamiliar faces have appeared."

Li Shengnan hurried off as soon as she finished speaking.

After those bones were discovered, Qin Ming couldn't shake the feeling that wind was sweeping through the tower before a mountain storm.

He had planned to cultivate and slaughter pigs step by step, but now it seemed he was running out of time.

Could Yan Yue-Ren's men have come?

Qin Ming's palms broke out in sweat.

Yan Yue-Ren was an incense master of the Wild Wolf Gang in Qingyang County. His strength was surely considerable, and he had a whole gang of lackeys under him. If they came after Qin Ming, he would be no match for them.

No, that wasn't right.

To deal with an ant like him, Yan Yue-Ren, a dignified incense master of the Wild Wolf Gang, had no need to come in person. At most, he would send a couple of lackeys to ask Scarface about the situation.

He still had time, but not much.

I'll go up the mountain tomorrow!

Qin Ming quickly made his decision.

Relying on Qi-Blood Soup and ordinary meat alone, he could gain at most six proficiency points a day in the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill. Even at the fastest pace, it would take thirteen days to break through.

"Senior Brother, can I take this Qi-Blood Soup away with me?"

Qin Ming asked.

"There's medicinal powder for the Qi-Blood Soup. One portion costs one tael of silver. Mix a tenth of it with water each time you drink it."

"Give me one portion for now."

Qin Ming took out one tael of silver.

He had drunk three bowls a day for the past four days, twelve bowls of Qi-Blood Soup in all. Apart from the first bowl, which the martial arts hall provided each week, the remaining eleven had cost him one tael and one qian of silver. Adding this purchase, Qin Ming had spent two taels and one qian on Qi-Blood Soup alone.

"What, you're not coming tomorrow?"

Lu Liu raised his eyebrows.

"Mm."

Lu Liu gave him a long look but asked no more questions. He went to the dispensary and came back with a packet of medicinal powder.

"By the rules, senior disciples guide newcomers for a few days after they join. As it happens, I'm also planning to go into secluded cultivation for a while. Qin Ming, I hope you'll give me a big surprise the next time I see you."

Lu Liu smiled and patted Qin Ming on the shoulder.

"Here, take this."

Lu Liu discreetly slipped Qin Ming a palm-sized piece of air-dried venison.

"Take this venison and eat it. Your fundamentals are already very solid. From here on, you'll have to rely on yourself."

Boom!

Just then, Ye Wei's powerful frame shuddered as he held his stake stance. A powerful presence burst from him and rippled swiftly outward, making the fallen leaves on the ground tremble.

The skin and hair all over his body quivered and pulsed, as though an invisible force were about to burst through his skin.

"He broke through! Ye Wei became a martial artist!!"

Every outer-court disciple turned to look at Ye Wei, their gazes filled with envy, jealousy, unwillingness, and a tangle of other feelings.

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Senior Brother Ye's bitterness has finally turned to sweetness. His fists have broken through the four bare walls of his home! From now on, he's a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate, a bird free to soar across the vast sky!"

Clang!

Soon after, a bell rang, and the gates to the inner court slowly opened.

Hall Master Fei Heng, whom they hadn't seen for several days, was pushed out in his wheelchair with a smile on his face.

"Ye Wei, step forward and receive your reward!"

A handsome, long-haired young man with a somewhat bewitching appearance stepped forward.

"Is that Eldest Senior Brother? When did he get back?"

"So that's Eldest Senior Brother. I heard he's already reached the major accomplishment stage of the Skin Refining Realm. Is that true?"

"Eldest Senior Brother is so handsome!"

"It's him, Yan Yangtian!"

Qin Ming's heart stirred.

Lu Liu had mentioned Yan Yangtian to Qin Ming.

He was the hall master's eldest disciple, exceptionally gifted, at the late stage of the Skin Refining Realm and only a hair's breadth from perfection. He had long been recognized by everyone as the successor to the Bagua Martial Arts Hall.

Yan Yangtian often trained outside and rarely appeared at the hall, so only some of the older disciples knew him.

Ye Wei straightened his clothes and hurried forward respectfully.

"I am your junior brother Ye Wei. I have long admired your great reputation, Eldest Senior Brother!"

"Congratulations. From now on, we're one of our own."

Yan Yangtian handed Ye Wei a handwritten booklet and a jade bottle.

"This is the Eight Trigrams Palm and Qi-Blood Powder. I hope you'll cultivate diligently from now on and not bring shame to Master's name."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"Present the tea!"

Holding a bowl of tea in both hands, Ye Wei knelt before Fei Heng.

Once the ceremony was over, the inner-court gates slowly closed, and Ye Wei vanished from the outer court along with them.

Though the inner and outer courts were separated by only a gate, the difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

The outer court did not truly belong to the Bagua Martial Arts Hall. Only by entering the inner court could one truly become part of it.

"Qi-Blood Powder! I've heard one packet is worth five taels of silver!"

"That much? Then wouldn't one packet of Qi-Blood Powder be worth fifty bowls of Qi-Blood Soup?!"

"Damn, the gift for becoming a disciple only costs eight taels of silver. Ye Wei just got five taels back in one go, and with the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill and Eight Trigrams Palm on top of that, he made an absolute killing!"

"More than that. Once word gets out, the people coming to propose marriage will probably wear down his doorstep. Ye Wei has completely turned his life around, from a dung-collecting boy to a martial artist master."

Everyone whispered excitedly among themselves.

In a corner, two dejected figures left with bundles on their backs.

Today was already the sixtieth day, and they still hadn't broken through to the Skin Refining Realm. According to the rules, they had to leave the martial arts hall today.

Some rejoiced while others grieved.

Qin Ming watched the scene, tightened the bundle on his back, and turned to leave.

Unlike these people, he had a panel. He was certain to become a martial artist; the most important thing now was to shorten the process.

Only by becoming a martial artist and taking Fei Heng as his master could he gain a sliver of breathing room.

Meanwhile, at the town yamen.

Butcher Wang's wife, Wang Shi, was kneeling on the ground, tearfully recounting Qin Ming's story with added embellishments.

"Cousin Uncle, you must get justice for us. Old Wang can't have died for nothing."

Not far away, a potbellied middle-aged man sat on a raised platform. He looked down at Wang Shi and shook his head.

His name was Wang Bo. He was the steward at the town yamen, in charge of matters large and small, and his status was not low.

"There are no witnesses and no physical evidence. How am I supposed to arrest someone on your word alone? Besides, how can you be sure Little Wang is dead? Maybe he went to the neighboring county to slaughter pigs for the New Year."

Wang Bo spoke indifferently, a trace of impatience on his face.

He couldn't be bothered with these poor relatives at all, unless they brought him money.

"Cousin Uncle, as long as you can catch the murderer, I'm willing to give you half our family property as a token of thanks!"

Wang Shi gritted her teeth.

She had heard from Old Wang what sort of man this cousin uncle was, and she had no choice but to cut off a piece of her own flesh.

"Haha! I was only joking just now. Get up, quickly. I'll have someone investigate this thoroughly for you!"

Wang Bo laughed and immediately summoned two yamen runners.

"It's late today. You two go and bring that brat Qin Ming in for questioning first thing tomorrow morning."

The two runners exchanged a look and nodded. "Yes."