The Li Lineage Bleeds Heavily

Qin Ming lowered his head, panting heavily, his terrifying Qi and Blood dispelling all the darkness in the room.

In the corner, Yang Zhi, stripped naked, stared wide-eyed at Qin Ming, his mind reeling with turmoil.

"He... he actually... just how much strength has he been hiding?!"

Seeing Qin Ming looking over, Yang Zhi subconsciously lowered his head. Facing Qin Ming at this moment, he no longer had any thoughts of revenge, only fear.

In the hands of that female ghost, he was toyed with like a plaything, yet this powerful being was actually beaten to death by Qin Ming with his fists!

The thought of this made Yang Zhi tremble uncontrollably.

"You're quite lucky."

Qin Ming said calmly.

The female ghost didn't immediately drain Yang Zhi dry; it turned out she had her eye on Yang Zhi and wanted to have her way with him. However, before she could finish, Qin Ming rushed in and killed her.

"Get dressed properly, don't disgrace the Demon-Hunting Team!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Yang Zhi hurriedly put on his clothes.

Meanwhile, seeing that the commotion had subsided, Li Yuanqing and the others cautiously approached.

Having just seen the female ghost, they were so frightened that they scattered and ran away in all directions, completely unaware of what was happening behind them.

Looking at the collapsed walls, the broken wooden doors, and the utterly destroyed courtyard, the ground looking as if it had been plowed, Li Yuanqing turned pale with fright.

Is this really something a human could do? Anyone who didn't know better would think a mad bull had charged in.

Even Xuan Huo, a master of the Bone Refining Realm, felt his eyelids twitch wildly.

Such destructive power is comparable to that of the Bone Refining Realm expert like him.

"Qin... Qin Ming, where is the female ghost?"

Wang Wei stammered and could barely speak properly.

"Dead."

Qin Ming took a deep breath, rapidly circulating the Fire Poison Art within his body to restore his depleted Qi and Blood. His gaze then fell upon Li Yuanqing. "Patriarch Li Lineage, now we should discuss the matter of reward."

"Remuneration?"

Li Yuanqing thought he had misheard.

The Demon-Hunting Team is government-funded and specifically responsible for handling supernatural Ghost Monster matters, just like how constables arrest people and county magistrates preside over trials. It's all part of their duties, so why would Qin Ming ask him for payment?

"Of course, as you saw before, according to the usual practice of the Demon-Hunting Team, this place should have been sealed off. Now that I've helped you get rid of this Ghost Entity and suffered such serious injuries, shouldn't the Li Lineage give me some medical expenses?"

Li Yuanqing's lips twitched suddenly.

You're not injured at all! You killed the female ghost, and you still have the nerve to say you're injured!

Li Yuanqing was unwilling to pay the money, but it's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. Qin Ming's attitude clearly showed that he wouldn't give up without paying.

Li Yuanqing forced a smile, "Since Lord Qin has spoken, then this humble subject will offer five hundred Silver as a token of my appreciation."

"I don't want any money."

Qin Ming slowly shook his head, "I want Spirit Medicine, ten Spirit Medicine!"

Li Yuanqing nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Ten Spirit Medicine?! Why didn't you just steal them?!

If it weren't for fear of Qin Ming's strength, Li Yuanqing would have loved to slap Qin Ming to the ground and stomp on him a few times.

We are currently in a chaotic era, especially with the recent spate of Ghost Entity and Supernatural Incident. The price of Qi-Blood Powder has risen across the board, and all kinds of old medicines have also increased in price. Even the most ordinary Spirit Medicine costs no less than a thousand taels!

"What? Are the lives of hundreds of members of the Li Lineage not worth ten Spirit Medicine?"

Qin Ming's expression turned cold, and his tone became unfriendly.

"Xuan Huo."

Li Yuanqing looked pleadingly at the only Bone Refining Realm expert in the entire Li Lineage.

"I'm sorry, Master, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Xuan Huo shook his head and stepped back, making his stance clear.

Why would he risk his life for a few hundred taels of silver a month?

Qin Ming could even beat that Ghost Monster he dared not provoke to death, let alone him.

Seeing this, Li Yuanqing was so angry that his mind went blank.

The Guest Elder whom the Li Lineage had spent a fortune cultivating actually chose to stay out of it at the crucial moment!

"Ten Spirit Medicine are too many, one at most!"

Li Yuanqing took a deep breath.

"Ten plants, not a single one less."

A ruthless glint flashed in Qin Ming's eyes. "Li Yuanqing, you know perfectly well what you've done. Why did you give me that courtyard? Do you really think I don't know what you were thinking?"

Li Yuanqing's expression suddenly changed drastically.

How did Qin Ming know about this?

"You... you..."

He pointed at Qin Ming, speechless.

"Okay, ten plants it is."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Li Yuanqing could only swallow his anger.

Soon, Li Yuanqing brought ten Spirit Medicine from the warehouse.

These Spirit Medicine were recently collected from below by the Li Lineage's pharmacy. They haven't been processed yet, and some of the Spirit Medicine still have damp soil and dew on their roots.

Li Yuanqing's heart was bleeding; this was pure silver, more than ten thousand taels!

"Alright, that matter is settled. Now let's move on to something else."

Qin Ming put away the Spirit Medicine and said with a smile.

"Is there anything else?"

Li Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat; he had a very bad premonition.

"Qin Ming, don't push your luck!"

Li Yuanqing's voice trembled; at this moment, he finally understood what it meant to use one tiger to devour another.

"Wang Wei, Yang Zhi, you two go back first."

Qin Ming glanced back at the two of them.

The two exchanged a glance, realizing that Qin Ming had deliberately sent them away, and quietly packed their things and left.

"Master Li Lineage, I think it's best if this matter remains a secret between the two of us."

Li Yuanqing's face turned pale and then red, wondering what Qin Ming was up to.

"All of you, step back!"

Li Yuanqing said coldly.

"Master, should I stay?"

Xuan Huo stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"What are you doing staying here? Do you dare to fight Lord Qin?"

Li Yuanqing wore a mocking expression.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xuan Huo clasped his hands slightly and left.

In the blink of an eye, only Qin Ming and Li Yuanqing remained.

"Patriarch Li Lineage, at this point, there's no need for us to hide anything. The 'Wandering Dragon Steps' are indeed with me, and I know you really want it. Name your price, and I'll sell it to you if the price is right."

Li Yuanqing was slightly taken aback by such blunt words, and after a long silence, he slowly spoke.

"The 'Wandering Dragon Steps' is merely Ninth-Rank Martial Art, and it's an external skill, not Internal Cultivation Manual. A typical ninth-grade external martial art on the market costs only a dozen or so taels of silver, and the most expensive doesn't exceed a hundred taels. Therefore, I can offer one hundred taels of silver for this 'Wandering Dragon Steps'."

Li Yuanqing held up one finger.

One hundred taels?

Qin Ming's lips curled into a cold smile. "This is a movement technique, comparable to Internal Cultivation Manual cultivation methods. The key is that this martial arts manual is currently a unique item. The Li Lineage can easily use this manual as a legacy. You think you can just fob me off with a mere hundred taels?"

"How about a thousand taels?"

Li Yuanqing hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Ten Spirit Medicine, and the cultivation technique for you."

Qin Ming said calmly.

"Absolutely impossible! Don't even think about it!"

Li Yuanqing was furious.

Ten Spirit Medicine are worth over ten thousand taels of silver. If Qin Ming has already obtained ten Spirit Medicine, and the Li Lineage has to provide ten more, it will truly be a devastating blow.

"Ten Spirit Medicine and the 'Wandering Dragon Step' are yours. You have it whether you like it or not!"

As he spoke, Qin Ming forcibly shoved the cultivation manual into Li Yuanqing's hand.

"Now you can take me to the storeroom to get the medicine!"

Qin Ming smiled faintly, "Patriarch Li Lineage, I know you are a smart man, and you would never seek your own death."

Li Yuanqing was frightened by Qin Ming's cold gaze. Considering that even Xuan Huo was helpless against Qin Ming, he could only lead the way.

Half an hour later, Qin Ming left the Li Lineage satisfied. Li Yuanqing escorted Qin Ming all the way out, with a humble and ingratiating smile on his face.

"Master, this brat has gone too far. This matter cannot be left unresolved."

A trusted confidant standing nearby couldn't help but feel indignant.

"Smack!"

Unexpectedly, Li Yuanqing slapped him hard across the face. "Idiot! Can't you see this kid's strength? Even Xuan Huo, Bone Refining Realm Xuan Huo cultivator, isn't confident enough to attack rashly. What do you want?"

"Master, are we just going to leave this matter as it is?"

"Another person asked."

"Of course not! I've got this score in mind, and I'll get my revenge a thousandfold when I get the chance!"

Li Yuanqing gritted his teeth. He had no strength at the moment and could only endure it. Fortunately, although he had paid a huge price this time, he had obtained the "Wandering Dragon Step" technique, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

After returning home, Qin Ming hired a moving team to move from the small courtyard to the large house provided by the Li Lineage.

"Boss, Qin Ming has moved!"

"Very well! Since he's willing to die, then so be it. Tonight, send someone to assassinate him!"

"Yes."

That night.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands resting on his knees with his palms facing the sky.

After circulating the "Fire Poison Art" within his body for several weeks, Qin Ming took out the Spirit Medicine he had obtained during the day and began to eat it in large gulps.

While others need to consider refining Spirit Medicine, Qin Ming doesn't have this problem at all. He only needs to eat the Spirit Medicine and then use his cultivation technique to absorb the spiritual power, and the values on his panel start to jump wildly.

[Add 50]

[Add 50]

[Add 100]

The Spirit Medicine was quickly used up, and Qin Ming began taking the old medicine again.

The Li Lineage provided a total of more than a dozen Spirit Medicine, and used older herbs to replace the rest.

[Seventh-Rank Martial Arts: Fire Poison Art (1000/1000 Perfect Mastery)]

The moment Qin Ming Perfect Mastery the Fire Poison Art, it meant that he had completely stepped into the Skin Refining Realm Peak, and was only one step away from the Flesh Refining Realm.

"Finally done! The next step is the Flesh Refining Realm!"

Qin Ming's eyes shone with barely suppressed elation.

The Fire Poison Art section on the panel slowly changed.

[Seventh-Rank Martial Arts: Fire Poison Art (1/2000)]

The Fire Poison Art truly lived up to its reputation as Seventh-Rank Martial Art; this was the second time he had seen a realm beyond Perfect Mastery.

The first is the Butcher's Knife Saber Technique; I have already broken through the first stage.

Just as Qin Ming was thinking about his future plans, a very faint sound came from above.

That was the extremely faint sound of shoes stepping on the tiles; you definitely wouldn't hear it if you weren't paying attention.

"Is he an assassin or a petty thief?"

Qin Ming suddenly looked up, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

He'd like to see who dares to mess with him!