Murder and Arson Bring Golden Belts, Brute Ox Skin Grinding Paste

Outside Changxing Gambling House, the alley was pitch-black, while water surged through the ditch.

Chen Meng, his face scarred by a knife wound, and Zhao Fei walked out cursing, carrying the smell of alcohol.

"Pah, my luck was terrible today. And even the heavens are against me—why the hell did it have to rain?" Zhao Fei complained bitterly.

Chen Meng went to the grassy riverbank to relieve himself. His whole body shuddered, and he gritted his teeth as he said coldly:

"There wasn't a damn thing valuable in that poor brat's house. It's infuriating! If we catch him and sell him to a human trafficker in the County Town, it'll just cover today's losses!"

Having made up his mind, Chen Meng looked up at the night. This weather was perfect for murder and arson.

A fair-skinned, clever boy like Zhou Qiming would have plenty of buyers in the County Town. At worst, he could serve as a study boy and reading companion.

"Selling him to traffickers would be letting him off too easily. Let me have some fun first!" Zhao Fei gave a savage grin, wickedness rising from his heart.

The two exchanged a glance and were about to sneak toward the Zhou Family home.

During the day, Cheng Yu had backed Zhou Qiming up, and the two of them had suffered a loss. Added to their gambling losses, they had to vent this Nameless Karmic Fire on Zhou Qiming.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Chen Meng. He wore a Night-Robe, his gaze icy, like a ghostly phantom.

The sudden appearance frightened Zhao Fei and Chen Meng so badly that they shuddered, sobering up by more than half.

"Who's there?!" Chen Meng roared, drawing his blade with a backhand.

"The one here to take your life."

A hoarse voice came from the figure. Those eyes grew even colder, making Chen Meng's hairs stand on end, as though a ferocious beast had fixed its gaze upon him.

He had already reached the level of controlling Blood Qi. He was only half a step away from breaking through the great threshold of Skin Grinding, making him a capable fighter even in town.

Yet before this black-clothed person, he was utterly suppressed by sheer presence. He had not sensed the other party approaching at all, which showed just how terrifying his strength was.

Zhao Fei trembled violently and begged, "Spare me, hero! I'll give you all the money on me. Please don't kill me."

Chen Meng's scalp went numb as well. Not wanting to provoke the other party, he hurriedly said:

"Why don't we make friends? My cousin is an elite of the Jinsha Gang, Bone-Breaking Hand Chen Tianxing. If I'm hurt here..."

The two exchanged looks, each seeing terror in the other's eyes. Neither understood where they had offended such a powerful figure.

"Heh. You want to make friends now? Too late."

Zhou Qiming sneered. Chen Meng was at death's door, yet he still dared threaten him.

"You're the one courting death!" Chen Meng flew into a rage as well. His Blood Qi erupted, and he slashed down with his blade.

The black-clothed person raised his hand as well. The blade in his hand struck later, yet arrived first, chopping straight down.

Electric Light flashed. No one could see how Zhou Qiming had made his move—this strike was simply too fast.

And bolstered by Brute Force, his monstrous strength of more than a thousand jin could not be blocked by mere flesh and blood. Even a wild ox or fierce tiger would not withstand it!

The two figures crossed, separating at the first touch.

In an instant, blood gushed out, mixing with the rainwater and staining the ground red.

"Guh... I..."

The blade fell from Chen Meng's hand. He weakly clutched his throat with both hands, his face filled with regret and despair, before collapsing into a pool of blood.

With a single strike, he, a man capable of controlling Blood Qi, had been cut down on the spot.

What broke him most was that he could not understand where he had provoked such a deadly enemy.

"Spare me, great hero! I still have an old mother at home to support! Show mercy, please!"

Zhao Fei was so terrified he nearly pissed himself. He threw away his weapon, dropped to his knees, and repeatedly kowtowed as he begged for mercy.

A Muscle Cultivation expert! This black-clothed person was definitely at the second great threshold of Body Tempering, at the same Muscle Cultivation level as Cheng Yu and Fang Hai!

Only strength like that could kill Chen Meng in an instant.

"If you want someone to blame, blame this world." Zhou Qiming stepped forward without the slightest sympathy.

Had his own strength not been sufficient, he might well have fallen into these two men's hands. And then who would have sympathized with him?

Knowing escape was impossible, Zhao Fei's face turned deathly pale. Bracing himself on the ground with both hands, he kept backing into the corner.

"It's you—it's Zhou Qiming, isn't it?!"

Thunder seemed to flash through Zhao Fei's mind as he cried out, about to raise his voice in a furious shout.

But unfortunately, the rain concealed everything.

Even if this black-clothed person was not Zhou Qiming, he was absolutely connected to him. Perhaps he was a helper Zhou Qiming had hired from the martial hall.

No one could have imagined that a grudge formed at noon would cost them their lives that very night!

Zhao Fei was overcome with regret, his eyes full of despair.

"Then I really can't let you live!" Zhou Qiming stepped forward to silence him. Even after being identified on the spot, he showed no panic whatsoever.

At those words, Zhao Fei was seized by even greater terror. There was no longer any doubt about Zhou Qiming's identity!

It was too absurd, too unbelievable. Who could have imagined that the Restaurant Servant they had seen during the day possessed the strength of such a prodigy?

Even Cheng Yu was probably no more than this.

How laughable. During the day, they had thought Cheng Yu was the one who had given the youth confidence. Only now did they realize that Cheng Yu had stepped in just in time not to protect Zhou Qiming, but to protect their dog's lives!

In that instant, Zhao Fei's entire worldview was shaken and overturned. A Muscle Cultivation expert had actually been hiding in a restaurant doing odd jobs—his concealment was beyond anything Zhao Fei could have imagined...

Before Zhao Fei could finish drowning in regret and horror, his fine head fell to the ground.

"Wouldn't it have been better to stay alive?"

Zhou Qiming shook his head and stepped forward to search the bodies.

Those who killed often knew: kill someone without looting the corpse, and you might as well have killed for nothing.

He found a total of twenty taels in silver notes on the two men. He had struck it rich in one go.

After all, even now that he had risen to apprentice status, he would need two years of going without food or drink to save up twenty taels!

"Murder and arson really do bring golden belts. Working for a living suddenly doesn't seem so appealing."

A brocade bundle rolled from Chen Meng's chest. It was clearly something good.

Zhou Qiming opened it and found a prescription and a bottle of already prepared medicinal paste, both well preserved.

"Brute Ox Skin Grinding Paste. Good stuff."

Zhou Qiming's eyes lit up. He had not expected another pleasant surprise.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Chen Meng had reached the level of controlling Blood Qi and had nurtured his Blood Qi to its limit. It was time for him to grind his skin and step into the great threshold of Body Tempering.

And this Skin Grinding Paste prescription had most likely come from Chen Tianxing of the Jinsha Gang. Now it had fallen into his hands instead.

With the help of the Skin Grinding Paste, raising the progress of Iron Cloth Skill would become much easier.

Without Secret Medicine to assist, blindly training would not only easily result in injury, but would also greatly reduce efficiency. This haul had exceeded Zhou Qiming's expectations.

Splash!

After finishing his search, he threw the two bodies directly into the Golden Water River. The heavy rain had raised the water level considerably, and the rushing current instantly swept the corpses out of sight.

After carefully checking that he had left no traces behind, Zhou Qiming swiftly vanished from the scene. His figure disappeared into the night as though he had never been there.

As for Chen Tianxing's retaliation, he did not take it to heart at all.

Leaving aside the fact that there were no traces or evidence, even if the Jinsha Gang tracked him down, his realm would likely have risen with the tide by then. He would no longer be someone they could bully or extort.

The moment he returned home, Zhou Qiming hurriedly washed himself. The excitement after killing someone gradually settled as well.

He took stock of today's gains, sliced off a small piece of ginseng and swallowed it, then began training.

In the Small Courtyard, Zhou Qiming poured a pot of scorching-hot sand and gravel onto the ground, then immediately rolled over it to grind his skin.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, blisters had already risen across his upper body from the heat.

Zhou Qiming hurriedly poured out some Brute Ox Skin Grinding Paste from the bottle, diluted it, and applied it to his reddened, burning skin.

[Iron Cloth Skill (Not Yet Initiated 35%)]

Seeing the soaring progress on the panel, he was fired up. Ignoring the pain, he continued training with his head down!

The feeling that effort brought feedback and rewards immersed Zhou Qiming completely.

What was more, after the cultivation technique rose in level, it could permanently bring about a transformation in his Root Bone. The more he trained, the more addicted he became.

After gaining some insight into Iron Cloth Skill, he lasted a full two quarters of an hour on the scorching sand and gravel during the second round!

With the medicinal paste helping absorption, Zhou Qiming's skin membrane was clearly becoming tougher at a rapid pace.