Both Sides Search! Crimson Baleful Intent Strengthens the Heart!

"True Man Wuji, please, have a seat!"

The magistrate forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, straining to keep his outstretched hand from trembling. A smile remained fixed on his face as he spoke to Bai Wuji.

Bai Wuji sat down with a faint smile.

A yamen attendant stepped forward and served Bai Wuji tea.

The attendant had also witnessed Bai Wuji's ruthless slaughter of the Prefecture City Constables that day. His hands shook uncontrollably.

The more he trembled, the more he feared that a single displeased look from Bai Wuji would get him killed.

At that thought, he shook even harder.

After tremblingly serving Bai Wuji his tea, the attendant slowly retreated. Only after he had backed far away did he let out a long breath. Then he realized that the underclothes pressed against his back were already soaked through.

The magistrate sat down as well, while the Advisor stood beside him in attendance.

"May I ask what brings True Man Wuji here?" the magistrate asked with a forced smile.

Bai Wuji casually let his gaze settle on the magistrate's face, and the magistrate immediately felt as though his life and death were already in Bai Wuji's hands.

"I want Magistrate Zhan to find someone for me," Bai Wuji said.

"May I ask whom True Man Wuji wishes me to find?" the magistrate asked, while secretly guessing Bai Wuji's intentions.

"A martial artist at least at Fourth Blood Bone Forging, whose force is domineering and who is proficient in Martial Arts such as the Heart Shattering Palm and Seven Injuries Fist," Bai Wuji said.

The magistrate's heart jolted. He knew Bai Wuji wanted him to find the hero who had killed three White Lotus Sect Hall Masters.

Hmph, I was going to find this hero anyway. Then I'll do as you wish and search for him too!

Once I find him, I'll secretly have this hero get rid of you.

Just as the magistrate was thinking this, Bai Wuji's gaze suddenly turned savage.

"Magistrate Zhan, give me that man's whereabouts within one month."

"If you fail, then your family..."

"Heh heh."

Bai Wuji gave two sinister chuckles, then rose to his feet. With a sweep of his sleeve, he strode leisurely out of the yamen.

With both the White Lotus Sect and the authorities searching, he refused to believe they would fail to find that Mysterious Martial Artist.

By the time he reached the yamen entrance, a carriage was already waiting for Bai Wuji.

The driver was none other than Bai Wuji's trusted confidant, Zeng Shiyong.

After getting into the carriage, Bai Wuji said to Zeng Shiyong:

"That mysterious man stole several crates of medicinal ingredients. He must have found somewhere to store them."

"Shiyong, send another portion of the White Lotus Sect disciples to search throughout Jade Water City and its surroundings for those crates of medicinal ingredients."

"Yes, Altar Master."

After agreeing, Zeng Shiyong cracked his whip, and the carriage sped away in a cloud of dust.

At this moment, inside the yamen.

After being threatened by Bai Wuji, Jade Water City's magistrate, Zhan Qing Tian, was pale as clay.

When Bai Wuji had been leaving, he had considered taking advantage of Bai Wuji being alone and ordering every constable in the yamen to surround and attack him.

But he quickly suppressed that thought.

Because he feared that even if all the constables could defeat Bai Wuji, they would not be able to keep him there.

If Bai Wuji escaped, then he and his family would likely all die at Bai Wuji's hands today.

"Call Lin Qi over."

Zhan Qing Tian's lips trembled slightly as he spoke to the Advisor.

A short while later, the constable named Lin Qi arrived.

Lin Qi was a constable in his thirties, a Three Blood Martial Artist. He was clever and smooth in dealing with people.

Zhan Qing Tian looked at Lin Qi and immediately said:

"Lin Qi, go to the accounts room later and collect five hundred taels' worth of Silver Notes. Then go to my home and take another five hundred taels' worth of Silver Notes. After that, mount a fast horse and hurry to the Prefecture City to grease the right palms. Tell them what has happened here, and beg them to quickly send down a powerful constable capable of killing Bai Wuji!"

"Yes!" Lin Qi accepted the order and withdrew.

There was a chance they would not find that Mysterious Martial Artist within a month.

Zhan Qing Tian believed Bai Wuji truly would kill him and his family when the time came, so he placed his hopes on the powerful constables of the Prefecture City.

After Lin Qi had been gone for a while, the Advisor asked Zhan Qing Tian:

"My lord, should we now instruct the Office to search for that Mysterious Martial Artist?"

Zhan Qing Tian nodded. "Go give the order."

After Bai Wuji had threatened his family, anxiety and anger surged into Zhan Qing Tian's heart. He felt terribly unwell now, as though even standing up took some effort.

Advisor lowered his voice again and said to Zhan Qing Tian:

"County Magistrate, if we really find that Mysterious Martial Artist, should we work with him, or hand him over to Bai Wuji?"

With his family weighing on his mind, Zhan Qing Tian had lost his ability to think clearly for the moment, so he asked Advisor:

"Advisor, what do you think?"

Stroking the goatee on his chin, Advisor said in a low voice:

"If the Prefecture City Constables come down in time, we'll join forces with them and that Mysterious Martial Artist to attack the White Lotus Sect."

"If the Prefecture City Constables don't come down, then we should hand that Mysterious Martial Artist over first."

After hearing this, Zhan Qing Tian nodded, thinking that this was the only way.

Night. Qinghua Mountain.

As Su Que ate Horse Meat and Tiger Meat, he read the manual for the "Crimson Fiend Skill."

The tiger had stepped on the densely packed Animal Traps Su Que had laid out in order to eat his horse.

After being gravely wounded, the tiger had still tried to eat the horse, only to be kicked to death by the horse's hooves.

When Su Que arrived at the place where he had tied up the horse that night, he found the bleeding horse and a dead tiger.

So, he roasted and ate both the horse and the tiger.

His appetite was enormous now. Even an entire horse and tiger were not beyond him.

Once he had finished the Horse Meat and Tiger Meat, he had also finished reading the "Crimson Fiend Skill."

By the light of the barbecue fire, he began brewing the Startling Blood Soup for that night and the following dawn.

After it was ready, he drank the medicinal soup and began cultivating the "Crimson Fiend Skill."

According to the "Crimson Fiend Skill" manual, cultivating the "Crimson Fiend Skill" would allow one to produce Crimson Fiend True Qi within the heart meridians.

Crimson Fiend True Qi was a type of true qi aligned with the fire element of the Five Elements.

Once Crimson Fiend True Qi had reached the entry level, the true qi would carry a faintly elevated temperature.

Once Crimson Fiend True Qi reached a certain realm, the true qi would become scorching hot.

When it struck someone, it could burn their skin. When poured into their meridians, it would scorch those meridians.

When Crimson Fiend True Qi was cultivated to a deeper level, the true qi would carry Fire Poison.

If the true qi was poured into an opponent's meridians and the opponent could not dispel the Fire Poison in time, their meridians and flesh would suffer constant scorching damage.

The reason the "Crimson Fiend Skill" was an evil art was not only because Crimson Fiend True Qi carried a sinister nature, but also because cultivating the "Crimson Fiend Skill" caused tremendous damage to the heart.

When Su Que saw that the Crimson Fiend Skill harmed the heart, he recalled that among the prescriptions he had taken from Jing Sha's training room were Heart Replenishing Powder, Heart Strengthening Pill, and Heart Protecting Soup.

It seemed Jing Sha had collected those prescriptions to repair the damage the Crimson Fiend Skill had inflicted upon his heart.

"I don't need medicine to make up for the damage."

"With the Crimson Fiend Skill's side effects reversed, not only will my heart remain unharmed, it will become even stronger."

"Still, if medicinal ingredients are plentiful, I can brew those three medicines as well and make my heart stronger upon stronger."

"The stronger my heart, the greater my stamina, and the more fiercely my qi and blood will surge!"