Concluding Karma, Abundant Harvest

Hearing footsteps behind him, Li Kui turned to see a figure holding a large saber, covered in blood. The darkness made it impossible to make out the person's face.

As they got closer, he realized it was Yang Heng!

"You..."

Li Kui's voice caught in his throat, fear seizing him as he froze.

Yang Heng's blood-soaked appearance here could only mean one thing: his two brothers were dead.

At that moment, he felt as if his blood had turned to ice.

Li Kui forced a smile, intending to beg for mercy, but Yang Heng had no intention of wasting words. He simply slashed his saber across Li Kui's throat.

Blood gushed like a fountain, his head separating from his body.

A column of blood shot Li Kui's head into the air. It tumbled a few times before landing in the distance.

His lower body, now unsupported, collapsed limply to the ground.

"Hoo..."

With Li Kui dead, Yang Heng finally relaxed, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

After a moment's rest, Yang Heng began to search Li Kui's corpse.

Before long, he found a book. Under the moonlight, he saw it was some kind of boxing manual.

There were also two Old Ginsengs and some copper coins left.

The Old Ginsengs were much larger than the one he had obtained before.

He stuffed everything into his robes and headed towards the site of the earlier fight, where two more bodies awaited his "search."

The two men were dressed in fine clothes, but their valuables were scarce, only about fifteen taels of silver.

Yang Heng began to clean up the scene, moving the bodies of the two men and Li Kui to a secluded spot, covering them with fallen leaves to avoid drawing attention.

Besides, this area was desolate and rarely visited; you wouldn't see anyone here for half a year.

The bodies would be hard to find here.

And even if they were discovered, who would know it was him?

He was just an ordinary apprentice at the pharmacy.

As for the bloodstains on the ground, Yang Heng didn't bother to clean them; it would have been too difficult.

The night was deep and dark, making cleanup a time-consuming and thankless task.

The summer wind would eventually cover the bloodstains with sand and leaves, so he didn't need to worry about it.

His own body was covered in wounds, his clothes and pants stained with blood. Returning to the pharmacy like this would arouse suspicion and add unnecessary risk.

Yang Heng decided to spend the night outdoors, take a bath, and wash his clothes clean.

The wind was strong at night, and since it was summer, his clothes would be dry by the next morning.

If the pharmacy asked why he returned the next day, he could just make up an excuse.

Rumor had it that Shopkeeper Chen favored him, and since Shopkeeper Chen hadn't refuted it, he believed no one would question him over such a minor matter.

Xiahe Village was situated by the river, downstream. The weather was dry, and the water flow was small, but it was still enough to take a bath.

Yang Heng, carrying two large sabers, headed in the direction of Xiahe Village.

The next day, Yang Heng hid the boxing manual, Old Ginsengs, and sabers in a secret spot, carrying only a few dozen copper coins back to the pharmacy.

Upon returning, Yang Heng handed the receipt to the counter staff and briefly explained why he hadn't returned the previous night.

The counter staff nodded and didn't pry further into the matter.

As long as he delivered the medicine and completed his tasks, they wouldn't care about anything else.

Yang Heng ate a quick meal and went out to deliver more medicine.

As for his injuries, Yang Heng had considered finding a clinic.

However, news of Li Kui's death wouldn't be hidden for long. If the pharmacy investigated and found out he was injured, and that both he and Li Kui hadn't returned that night, it would be easy to connect him to Li Kui's murder, which would be troublesome.

So Yang Heng decided not to seek medical treatment. They were just superficial wounds anyway and would heal in a few days.

Moreover, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl was helping him digest the remaining energy while absorbing energy from food.

Gradually, his injuries began to improve.

Thus, Yang Heng stopped worrying about his wounds and focused on delivering medicine.

The pharmacy hadn't yet discovered Li Kui's demise. Seeing that he hadn't returned yesterday, they assumed he was out drinking with friends, a situation that had occurred before, so they didn't pay it much mind.

Li Kui had a close relationship with Master Zhang, so the pharmacy wouldn't fault him for not working for a day or two.

After finishing his deliveries, Yang Heng stretched slightly and returned to the pharmacy, not going to the place where he had hidden his belongings.

Li Kui was dead. Although the outside world didn't know yet, Yang Heng decided to play it safe to avoid any risks.

He flipped through the fist manual that morning and learned it was a Martial Arts Manual named Vajra Fist, and also an Intermediate Martial Art that could be cultivated to the Iron Bone Realm. Yang Heng immediately beamed, his lips curling upwards, and he started to dance with joy.

His wish, which had been unfulfilled for many days, was finally realized, and Yang Heng couldn't contain his happiness.

Having a Martial Arts Manual was equivalent to possessing the key to open the door to martial arts. He could finally make a dash towards becoming a Martial Artist.

As long as he became a Martial Artist, in this chaotic world, he would have the power to protect himself and greatly increase his ability to resist risks.

Upon seeing this fist manual, Yang Heng finally understood why those two martial artists were willing to be at Li Kui's beck and call and come to hunt him down.

The first realm of martial arts is called the Body Tempering Realm.

The Body Tempering Realm is divided into four minor realms: Blood Strengthening, Qi Refining, Iron Bone, and Organ Tempering.

Body Tempering Realm martial arts are divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Beginner Martial Arts can at most be cultivated to Qi Refining.

Intermediate Martial Arts can be cultivated to Iron Bone.

Advanced Martial Arts can be cultivated to Organ Tempering and contain secrets for breaking through the Body Tempering Realm. They are priceless and are the closely guarded secrets of a family, a gang, or a power.

Outsiders cannot possibly obtain them.

Most of the martial arts on the market are low-level. Intermediate Martial Arts are rarely seen, and Advanced Martial Arts are even rarer, with one appearing perhaps once in ten years.

Vajra Fist is an Intermediate Martial Art that can be cultivated to the Iron Bone Realm, making its value immeasurable.

From the scene outside the tavern, it was evident that the two men were familiar with Li Kui. They were most likely from Qingyang Town, studying martial arts elsewhere, and happened to be encountered by Li Kui upon their return.

People of the same level tend to gather together.

Li Kui, on the other hand, was merely a pharmacy apprentice, likely from an ordinary family or one whose fortunes had declined.

From this, it could be inferred that the two men were by no means from prestigious families, and the martial arts they practiced were likely low-level.

To obtain this Intermediate Martial Art and reach a higher realm, they followed Li Kui's orders and hunted him down.

Unfortunately, the two men underestimated his strength and were ultimately killed by him.

With this cleared up, Yang Heng no longer worried about anyone coming for revenge.

The feud with Li Kui was completely resolved, and he had avenged the original owner.

Next, Yang Heng decided to focus on cultivating Vajra Fist, to become a Martial Artist as soon as possible, gain the ability to protect himself, and at the same time, properly appreciate this world.

Three days later, Li Kui still had not returned to the pharmacy.

At this point, the pharmacy could be certain that something had happened to Li Kui.

As a pharmacy apprentice, Li Kui represented the pharmacy's reputation when he was outside. If something happened and the pharmacy ignored it, it would not only lose the hearts of its employees but also make outsiders think the pharmacy was weak and could be bullied at will.

Li Kui's death was a small matter; the pharmacy's reputation was a big one.

The pharmacy had two Martial Artists. Shopkeeper Chen was responsible for the daily management of the pharmacy. The other Martial Artist was responsible for transporting medicinal materials to the main store in Qinghe City and managed a transport convoy.

Shopkeeper Chen held the highest position among the two.

To show his seriousness, Shopkeeper Chen personally took action.

Besides inquiring with other forces in Qingyang Town that had Martial Artists, he also apprehended some ruffians for questioning.

After some investigation, they only learned that Li Kui had gone west with two men, but they had no idea what he was going there for.

Soon, the identities of the two men were also clarified: they were Li Kui's childhood friends who were training at the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School in Qinghe City.

Another three days passed, and the murderer of Li Kui and the location of his demise were still unknown.

Making such a big fuss and getting no valuable information in the end would only make outsiders laugh.

Therefore, Shopkeeper Chen apprehended several notorious ruffians and publicly executed them.

The explanation given to the public was that these individuals had killed Li Kui out of greed for wealth.

He didn't care what people thought in their hearts.

By doing this, he was sending a message to outsiders, warning those who harbored ill intentions towards the pharmacy that the pharmacy could not be trifled with, and anyone who dared to oppose the pharmacy would face death.