The Case of the Stolen Warehouse

In barely half a month, Song Ankang's strength had surged forward as if riding a rocket. From an ordinary man, he had broken through several realms in succession and advanced to the Inner Refining First Layer, earning the right to be called a second-rate expert.

The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance had certainly played an enormous role in his rapid improvement, but the medicinal herbs from the warehouse had also contributed greatly—and their consumption had been even greater.

Three whole months of his salary, plus three months of Liu Yuanqing's salary, had only bought enough medicinal herbs for Song Ankang to use for half a month.

As the lord of Chaoyun Manor, his monthly salary was the highest here, and the medicinal herbs it could be exchanged for were quite considerable.

Those medicinal herbs could have lasted an ordinary martial artist one or two years, yet in Song Ankang's hands, they had been used up in just half a month.

Though he was the lord of Chaoyun Manor, being able to draw three months of salary in advance was already pretty good. He could not ask for any more advances.

Without medicinal herbs to assist him, Song Ankang had only one way to continue improving at high speed: practice the Organ Injury Fist more.

With a helpless bitter smile, Song Ankang gave Qiushi some instructions before heading to the Training Room. He locked the door behind him and began performing the Organ Injury Fist.

Boom...

Awooo...

With one punch, Song Ankang howled in agony. Compared with the pain of injuries to skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and muscles, the pain caused by damage to the heart was far more terrifying. A single punch had nearly been more than he could bear.

"You have performed the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture. You have been affected by the side effects of the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture. Your heart has been damaged... The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance is taking effect, absorbing energy from the outside world and preparing to transform the side effects. Please wait!"

Song Ankang collapsed onto the floor in pain, waiting miserably for the feedback from the side effects. At the same time, the contents of the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture, the Heaven Concealing Earth Absorbing Art, and Treading Snow Without a Trace kept surfacing in his mind. He tried to distract himself by comprehending these cultivation arts and martial techniques, but the pain remained unbearable.

Had he not spent the past half month bitterly cultivating the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture and absorbing side effects to strengthen his mental will considerably, Song Ankang truly might have fainted from the pain.

Unfortunately, cultivation in the Inner Refining realm required particular care. Song Ankang did not dare pass out either, or else he would have no choice but to strike himself with two Heartbreak Fists.

"The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance has accumulated sufficient energy and is beginning to take effect... Your injuries have been healed, your qi and blood are increasing, and your heart is strengthening!"

Who knew how long had passed before the feedback from the side effects finally arrived. Feeling as though his heart had been soaked in a hot spring, Song Ankang felt comfortable all over.

Regrettably, the feedback lasted only a few minutes. It ended before Song Ankang even had time to savor it, though the tempering of his heart had improved considerably once more.

After leaving the Training Room, he ate something. Although there was no longer any Medicinal Cuisine, there was still beast meat to enjoy. The energy within it was not bad either, barely enough to support Song Ankang in practicing the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture's cultivation method for ten minutes.

After finishing the cultivation method, Song Ankang hesitated for a moment, then grimaced and struck himself with another Organ Injury Fist before collapsing to the ground, twitching.

Through such bitter training without fear of pain, Song Ankang's tempering of the five viscera was progressing at a respectable speed—at least dozens of times faster than cultivators of the same rank.

Still, if he had sufficient medicinal herbs to assist him, his improvement would be even faster. Moreover, the cultivation method of the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture could effectively enhance mental will.

Thus, while bitterly cultivating the combat techniques, Song Ankang was also looking for a suitable way to make money. After thoroughly searching through the original owner's memories and drawing on some modern methods of earning money, he vaguely had an idea of a path.

However, that path still needed refinement and could not be put into use immediately.

That evening, after dinner, Song Ankang was preparing to return to his bedroom to cultivate the combat techniques of the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture when bursts of clamoring came from outside. He had assumed the noise would soon die down, but instead it grew louder and louder, continuing without end.

Song Ankang frowned and took Qiushi and Jiang Yunhe, who likewise could not sleep, toward the warehouse from which the commotion was coming. They found that more than half the manor had gathered there, noisily arguing about something.

Only after drawing close did Song Ankang learn the cause of the matter from the crowd's clamor.

"Hao Jiyong, hurry up and confess! Who else but you would steal those precious medicinal herbs? If you admit it now, you may still get off lightly. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless—we'll beat you to death on the spot."

"This year's drought has been severe, and the harvest was already poor. We were counting entirely on some precious medicinal herbs left over from last year to weather this hardship. Now you've stolen several precious herbs in a row. How are we supposed to pay the taxes? You're trying to force everyone to their deaths!"

"Manager Liu also said that ten days ago, you were the only one who used the warehouse keys. The thefts began after that. We carefully inspected the warehouse and found no traces of Demonic Beasts, which means the thefts must have been committed by a person. Who else could it be but you?"

"That's right. A few days ago, someone even saw you taking a ten-year ginseng to Tongxin Town for sale. One of the precious medicinal herbs missing from our warehouse was a ten-year ginseng. And someone discovered that your younger brother has fallen into his gambling addiction again and owes the gambling house a great deal of money. You must have done something so utterly heartless to repay his debts."

The warehouse had been robbed, and every clue pointed to a warehouse hand named Hao Jiyong. Hearing the crowd's denunciations, Hao Jiyong grew somewhat anxious as well.

"I absolutely did not steal those precious medicinal herbs! I, Hao Jiyong, have always acted openly and honorably. I have never stolen anyone else's belongings, much less the precious medicinal herbs in the warehouse. I did not do this."

"I did use the warehouse keys ten days ago, but I did not secretly have new keys copied. I went to get grain for all of you. Besides, I wasn't the only one who used the warehouse keys ten days ago. Other people used them too, so why insist that I was the one who stole from the warehouse?"

"My younger brother really has owed the gambling house a huge sum these past few days, and our whole family is unable to repay it. That is why every night, I risk going into the surrounding woods to search for medicinal herbs, hoping to sell them and pay off his debts. That ten-year ginseng was found in Red Leaf Forest, not in our warehouse."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask my wife and children. They all know about this, and they have kept trying to persuade me not to take such risks."

Yet not many people believed Hao Jiyong's defense.

"You say you're open and honorable, and that makes you open and honorable? I could say I'm a first-rate expert, but who would believe that?"

"The others had neither the motive to secretly copy the keys nor the motive to steal precious medicinal herbs. Only you had that motive."

"Your wife and children are surely in the same boat as you. Why would they expose you? Hao Jiyong, just confess. There's no one else this could have been but you."

"Even if you didn't do it yourself, you definitely can't be unrelated to it. Maybe your younger brother did it, and you were merely an accomplice."

Because there were quite a few suspicious points surrounding Hao Jiyong and the evidence he produced was not particularly convincing, even more people became convinced that he had done it.

But Hao Jiyong continued to deny it. Seeing how stubbornly he refused to admit it, Liu Yuanqing, the warehouse manager, grew angry. He stepped forward, pointed at Hao Jiyong, and said, "Since he refuses to confess even when faced with death, let's drag him into the dungeon and give him a vicious beating. We'll see whether he still dares to be so stubborn then."