Night fell, and the Outer City sank into silence once more.
Back in the secluded side room of his home in the South District.
Wang Yuan sat cross-legged and carefully opened the jade box "sponsored" by the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall.
The Crimson Blood Ginseng lay quietly inside. Scarlet-red like blood from end to end, it resembled a tiny person sitting in meditation, giving off an exceptionally dense aura of qi and blood along with a unique medicinal fragrance.
Merely taking a whiff made the qi and blood within one's body stir faintly.
"I hope this can help me take another step forward."
Wang Yuan drew a deep breath, hesitated no longer, picked up the costly Crimson Blood Ginseng, and directly placed it in his mouth to chew.
The ginseng was not hard. Instead, it was somewhat soft and carried a rich bittersweet taste.
But the instant it entered his stomach, Wang Yuan felt a scorching current far more violent and several times purer than Qi and Blood Pills, or even the dried meat of a Second-Rank Fire Rhino, explode within his body.
That qi and blood surged madly toward his limbs and bones, flooded into every meridian, and seeped into every inch of tendon and bone.
Shi Long would have been frightened to death if he had seen this. The Crimson Blood Ginseng was rich in qi and blood and was normally diluted in medicinal meals before use.
Who ate it like Wang Yuan, swallowing it in two or three bites as though it were a meal?
Boom!
Wang Yuan felt as if thunder had exploded beside his ears. The qi and blood throughout his body began racing and swelling uncontrollably.
His skin instantly turned crimson, like a cooked shrimp, while wisps of white steam even rose from the top of his head.
At that moment, Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone displayed its terrifying capacity for endurance and absorption.
His sinews, tough as coiling dragons, firmly locked down the violent torrent of qi and blood and greedily absorbed it.
Wang Yuan guarded his mind and circulated the qi and blood methods of Panshi Fist and Chasing Wind Leg with all his strength, guiding this vast qi and blood into his own circulation, continuously condensing, purifying, and strengthening it.
Who knew how long passed before the violent torrent of qi and blood finally gradually subsided, completely absorbed and fused by his body.
Wang Yuan slowly opened his eyes. He lightly clenched his fist, sensing the qi and blood within him, nearly twice as abundant as before.
A powerful confidence welled up from within him.
"This Crimson Blood Ginseng truly lives up to its reputation!"
Joy filled Wang Yuan's heart.
He felt that his cultivation had taken a great stride forward.
Although he had yet to break through to Second Blood Change.
His accumulation of qi and blood had already reached a considerably profound level, and he was no longer far from that threshold.
It could be considered Major Accomplishment of First Blood Change.
With a thought, he tried circulating the Blood Burning Technique.
Previously, when he used the Blood Burning Technique at Minor Accomplishment, it could increase his strength by fifty percent.
But afterward, he would always feel obvious weakness and a deficit of qi and blood, requiring time to recover.
Yet now, with the dramatic increase in both the quantity and quality of his qi and blood.
The burning heat brought by "Blood Burning" remained, but the feeling of weakness had been greatly reduced.
It was as though he had merely undergone a relatively strenuous bout of exercise, entirely within his range of endurance.
"With my current reserves of qi and blood, maintaining the Blood Burning Technique at Minor Accomplishment under normal conditions will no longer be a problem!"
A flicker of excitement flashed through Wang Yuan's eyes.
This meant he had gained a powerful trump card he could use at any time, without needing to worry too much about its side effects.
But what delighted him even more was the unprecedentedly clear, warm, and satisfied sensation coming from the Black Talent Bead mark on his chest.
He focused his senses.
[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: (35/100)]
It had soared directly from a little over 28 to 35.
The progress had directly surpassed thirty percent!
The energy provided by this Crimson Blood Ginseng far exceeded the total of all the pills and food he had consumed before.
Sure enough, the higher-grade the heavenly treasures, the greater their benefit to the Talent Bead!
"At this rate, if I can obtain several more Treasure Medicines similar to Crimson Blood Ginseng."
"Or the flesh and blood of even higher-rank demon beasts, then obtaining another talent may not be so far beyond reach..."
Wang Yuan's heart burned with fervor. His desire to acquire more high-quality resources had become stronger than ever before.
Strength was the foundation of everything.
And the awakening of the Talent Bead was his greatest guarantee for rapidly increasing his strength!
He rose to his feet and stretched his muscles and bones. Crackling sounds came from all over his body, brimming with a sense of power.
His gains from using the Crimson Blood Ginseng this time had far exceeded his expectations.
Not only had his qi and blood risen sharply, stabilizing his use of the Blood Burning Technique at Minor Accomplishment, it had also greatly advanced the Talent Bead's accumulation of energy.
Meanwhile, deep in the night, inside the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters.
Gang Leader Zhao Hu sat in a tiger-hide chair with a face as gloomy as water, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.
Two men stood below him, the Black Tiger Gang's core fighting strength.
The man on the left was tall and thin, with sinister eyes like a viper. He was Deputy Gang Leader "Viper" Sun Miao, at First Blood Change.
The man on the right was a bald, burly fellow with a face full of flesh and a ferocious knife scar across his chest.
He was the other deputy gang leader, "Mad Dog" Liu Mang, likewise at First Blood Change.
These three were the Black Tiger Gang's greatest reliance for ruling over Bluestone Alley and several nearby alleys.
"You've all heard about it, haven't you?"
Zhao Hu finally spoke, his voice hoarse and carrying a trace of barely perceptible anxiety.
"That Wang Yuan from Panshi Fist Academy reached First Blood Change in one month."
"And at the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall, he shattered a spear barehanded and defeated Li Liang in three moves!"
Sun Miao and Liu Mang's expressions both turned extremely ugly upon hearing this.
They had immersed themselves in martial arts for many years before barely breaking through to First Blood Change. They knew full well how difficult it was.
A cultivation speed like Wang Yuan's was simply unheard of.
Even more terrifying was his actual combat ability. Shattering a spear barehanded?
What kind of terrifying strength did that require, and
"If this boy does not die, my Black Tiger Gang will surely perish!"
Zhao Hu suddenly slapped the armrest and stood up, vicious light blazing in his eyes.
"He and us have long since reached the point of life and death!"
"Song San and Widow Li most likely fell at his hands."
"Once he breaks through to Second Blood Change—or even without Second Blood Change, once his spear technique becomes a little more refined—who among us can stop him?"
Sun Miao licked his somewhat dry lips and said in a sinister voice:
"Gang Leader, we understand the reasoning."
"But... how do we kill him?"
"That brat now lives in the South District, right under Panshi Fist Academy's nose."
"His own strength is formidable, and his vigilance certainly will not be low."
"We can't exactly charge into the South District, into Panshi Fist Academy, to kill someone, can we? That would be no different from courting death."
Liu Mang scratched his shiny bald head and said in a muffled voice:
"Exactly. That damned place in the South District has several times more patrolling constables than the East District. People from Panshi Fist Academy are always coming and going too. There's no way to make a move!"
Zhao Hu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his irritation, and said coldly, "If we can't do it openly, then we'll do it in the dark!"
"He will have times when he is alone, times when he leaves the South District!"
Zhao Hu's voice sank low:
"As far as I know, that boy is extremely cautious."
"Apart from traveling between the Fist Academy and home, he almost never goes wandering around."
"Even when he occasionally leaves, he goes quickly and returns quickly."
"Trying to intercept and kill him while he is out is too difficult, with too many variables."
"Then we move against his family!"
A vicious gleam flashed in Sun Miao's eyes.
"His parents, his older sister! As long as we seize them, that brat won't dare refuse!"
But Liu Mang gave a bitter smile at those words:
"Gang Leader, his sister Wang Yu is now a steward at the Zhang Family in the Inner City."
"The Inner City is heavily guarded. With the few people we have, let alone capturing someone, whether we can retreat unharmed is a problem."
Sun Miao added:
"His parents do live in the South District. I heard they opened a general store."
"But the South District... if our people go there in large numbers, it will be far too conspicuous."
"And who can guarantee that Wang Yuan hasn't arranged some backup around his parents?"
"What if it is a trap?"
For a time, the hall fell into silence.
Intercepting Wang Yuan himself was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Moving against his sister in the Inner City carried enormous risk, nearly suicide.
Moving against his parents in the South District was likewise fraught with difficulties and far too uncertain.
Zhao Hu paced back and forth irritably, feeling like a wild beast trapped in a cage. He could clearly see the threat, yet had nowhere to sink his teeth into it.
Wang Yuan was like a turtle withdrawn into a hard shell, leaving this vicious dog, accustomed to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, with nowhere to bite.
"Are we just going to watch helplessly as he keeps growing?"
Zhao Hu roared unwillingly.
Sun Miao pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Gang Leader, perhaps... we can wait for an opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"An opportunity to throw the South District into chaos as well, or at least weaken its patrol strength."
Sun Miao's eyes were venomous. "For example... if the Black Wind Bandits outside the city can stir up even greater trouble again.
"Or even... if that plague were to accidentally spread to the South District?"
Zhao Hu halted, a brilliant light suddenly bursting from his eyes.
That was right!
Gaoye City was already swaying amid wind and rain.
If the situation deteriorated further, the South District could not possibly remain untouched.
When that time came, with order in chaos and people panicking, it would be the best chance for them to strike.
"Wait!"
Zhao Hu gritted his teeth and forced the word out from his throat.
"Tell the brothers to behave themselves recently. Keep a close watch on Wang Yuan's family store and home in the South District.
"The moment there is any unusual movement, report it immediately."
"At the same time, find a way to get some plague-stricken patients from the East District to stay in the South District for a few days..."
A cold smile surfaced on Zhao Hu's face.
He refused to believe that Gaoye City could remain peaceful forever.
Once chaos broke out, it would be an opportunity for the Black Tiger Gang—for Zhao Hu himself.
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