Is This Herb Guaranteed Genuine?

A bundle of Nirvana Qi Grass was priced at fifteen hundred taels by the stall owner.

Several people in animal masks kept haggling the price down.

"We brothers have more than a dozen people, and we all want Nirvana Qi Grass."

"Sell it to us cheaper. We'll come back for more next time."

The stall owner said, ashamed and angry, "You think you can threaten me just because there are more of you?"

"I have people backing me too."

The animal-masked people hesitated.

At this moment:

Chu Qing examined the herb.

Following the diagram Pharmacist Li had drawn, he carefully checked every identifying feature.

The stall owner sneered inwardly.

His craft was exceedingly refined. Unless a pharmacist who had personally seen Nirvana Qi Grass came over, no one would be able to tell real from fake.

But if a customer discovered it was fake inside the Black Market, he still had a real bundle on him to produce.

If they failed to discover it... then he had even less to fear.

A few minutes later:

Chu Qing said, "Is this medicine guaranteed genuine? I can pay more."

The stall owner sneered inwardly. "One hundred percent genuine!"

"I'll take it."

He handed the stall owner a stack of Silver Notes.

The stall owner smiled and immediately completed the transaction.

The several animal-masked people beside them were displeased.

"Kid, we had our eyes on this first."

"How could you cut in sideways?"

"Believe it or not, once you leave the Black Market, we'll rob you?"

Chu Qing smiled.

He carefully tucked the Nirvana Qi Grass into his clothes. "I'll wait for you outside."

"Either you beat me to death."

"Or I beat you to death."

With that, he strode away like a shooting star, heading straight outside the Black Market, where he stood without moving.

Inside the Black Market:

The masked people wore ugly expressions.

They had merely wanted to make a deal without capital.

But someone like Chu Qing, who knew he had been targeted yet not only refused to flee but instead waited outside for them—this was the first time they had seen such a person in this vast Black Market.

A man in an eagle mask said quietly, "This guy is full of confidence."

"Should we... choose another target?"

The other masked people nodded.

They left one person behind to secretly watch the stall owner while the rest continued searching for targets.

The stall owner sneered.

He had trained seventy or eighty Iron Sinews and possessed a fierce Palm Technique. With powerful backers behind him, he was brimming with confidence.

"When the Black Market ends, if they dare cause me trouble, I'll reveal my identity and show them a move. They'll surely tuck their tails between their legs and scram."

One minute...

Three minutes...

People in the Black Market noticed Chu Qing.

After asking around and learning what had happened, they secretly marveled:

"How long has it been since the Black Market had someone this fierce?"

Before five minutes had passed, Chu Qing saw that the masked people were not coming out. He sneered inwardly, turned, and left.

Walking on grass +1

Profession Slot flashed.

One minute...

Five minutes...

Grass on Wings advanced to the Proficient level.

Chu Qing adjusted his posture and exerted force through his legs. More than twenty great sinews wriggled, his speed surged by a great margin, and his own exhaustion lessened.

One hour...

Two hours...

Past two in the morning, Chu Qing returned to Stone Rock County.

As he was about to step into Stone Rock County, the Profession Slot refreshed:

Technique: Grass on Wings Perfection—cannot be improved

Promotion Condition—none

The next second, his speed doubled once more.

His toes touched the ground, his body light and nimble. The grass beneath his feet bent two-thirds of the way down, and before it could fully settle, Chu Qing had already whistled away.

"No wonder it's called Grass on Wings."

His speed surged by another great margin, and Chu Qing soon arrived at Pharmacist Li's apothecary.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The knocking woke Pharmacist Li.

A few minutes later:

Pharmacist Li repeatedly examined the Nirvana Qi Grass and said hesitantly:

"This great hero... this Nirvana Qi Grass... is fake."

Chu Qing: "Hm?"

Pharmacist Li: "Hm!"

Chu Qing fell silent.

One minute...

Three minutes...

Pharmacist Li was drenched in sweat, terrified that this man would slap him to death to vent his anger.

In the end:

Chu Qing let out a long breath and sneered.

"The Black Market truly lives up to its name."

"He pounded his chest and swore it was one hundred percent genuine. I even gave him an extra three hundred taels, and he still cheated me."

"You go to sleep first. I'll get another bundle."

With that, he turned and left.

Watching his back, Pharmacist Li smiled bitterly to himself. "Those who dare sell fake goods in the Black Market all have backgrounds and backers."

"If you go to the Black Market, you'll only suffer losses and humiliation."

"When that time comes... I fear he'll pour all his resentment onto me."

Pharmacist Li could not sleep.

With Perfection-level Grass on Wings fully unleashed, Chu Qing raced straight for the Black Market in Qinghe County.

"The stall owner dared to deceive me because he must have confidence."

"Perhaps he already left, or perhaps he is still in the Black Market, relying on his backers."

"But no matter which it is, I must seek justice."

"The thousand-odd taels I earned through bitter labor cannot simply go down the drain."

He increased his speed, circulating Grass on Wings with all his strength. Every Iron Sinew in his legs was mobilized as he ran madly.

When he had covered one-third of the journey, the Profession Slot flashed:

You have completed the second condition for Iron Cloth Shirt.

Chu Qing's heart stirred. "Perfect timing."

He immediately took out three portions of Iron Cloth Shirt secret medicine and swallowed them.

Technique: Iron Cloth Shirt Mastery—train a hundred times daily, consume secret medicine, Thousand Day Great Completion.

Promotion Condition—1: ten portions of secret medicine

"The amount of secret medicine increased, but the condition decreased."

"Good thing I have plenty of secret medicine."

"Continue the promotion!"

More secret medicine went down his throat.

Technique: Iron Cloth Shirt Proficient—train a hundred times daily, consume secret medicine, Thousand Day Great Completion.

Promotion Condition—1: thirty portions of secret medicine

He had no secret medicine left and could not advance any further.

But it was enough.

With a Proficient technique, one portion of secret medicine could train two Iron Sinews.

He had twenty portions of secret medicine. Swallowing them all at once would be enough to cultivate every Iron Sinew of Iron Cloth Shirt.

He activated Iron Cloth Shirt and cultivated.

Iron Sinew +10%

Iron Sinew +10%

Profession Slot flashed.

Heat spread through Chu Qing's chest, back, and limbs as Iron Sinews rapidly formed one after another.

Ten minutes...

Half an hour...

All forty Iron Sinews of Iron Cloth Shirt had been cultivated.

Apart from the Iron Sinews in his limbs overlapping, ten Iron Sinews had been added to both his chest and back.

Thus, his total number of Iron Sinews reached seventy-six in one stroke.

The increase in Iron Sinews sent his strength soaring by a great margin.

At the same time, his skin became taut, tougher than three to five layers of old oxhide.

He had a feeling:

Even if an ordinary person held a long saber or iron sword, they would not be able to split open his flesh.

After all his hard work, he had grown stronger again.

"He said it was guaranteed genuine, yet he gave me fake goods."

"And I even paid him three hundred taels extra."

"Wasn't that bullying an honest man?"

Near four in the morning, the Black Market dispersed.

More than a dozen masked people surrounded the herb peddler in a tight ring.

The other people of the Black Market scattered in all directions, not bothering to watch the excitement.

The peddler sneered and pointed at his own mask.

"What? You want to rob me?"

"Do you know who my brother-in-law is?"

"Why don't you ask around and find out how many people I've deceived in this Black Market? Who dares trouble me?"

"Don't think that no one will know your identities after you kill me."

"As long as you are within the thousand-mile jurisdiction of the Armored Soldier Sect, even if you crawl into a rat hole, my brother-in-law will find you."

The Armored Soldier Sect?

The pupils of the dozen masked people shrank.

Was it worth it for a thousand-odd taels?

Just then, a loud roar came from afar. "Where is the stall owner selling fake medicine?"

The roar shook the four fields.

The fake-medicine stall owner sneered and shouted, "I'm right here. Come over if you have the guts."

A figure passed through the masked people and charged straight toward the fake-medicine stall owner.

The fake-medicine stall owner sneered. "My brother-in-law is..."

Before he could finish speaking, the figure charged at him without slowing down.

The peddler sneered. "Want a fight?"

"I have so many Iron Sinews and a fierce Palm Technique. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

He let out a low roar and thrust out both hands, his skin turning iron-blue.

Iron Sand Palm

Both palms struck Chu Qing's chest.

The next second:

The peddler's expression changed drastically. His hands made contact as though they had struck old oxhide.

This was—body tempering!

Mantis Fist

Murder glinted in Chu Qing's eyes as he crossed his arms and hacked down savagely.

The stall owner's flesh and blood burst apart, his breastbone caved in, and he nearly folded in half as he flew backward.

The next second, Chu Qing gave chase, raising his long leg high before lashing down viciously:

Red Snake Leg

"Kill!"

The vendor's upper and lower body folded together. Before he could hit the ground, Chu Qing seized his corpse and sped away.

More than a dozen Masked Men stood where they were, silent for a long while.

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