Longevity Pill

"Crimson Blood Sand." Chu Ning spoke slowly.

Shen Yan's smile finally froze.

The air seemed to fall silent in an instant.

After a moment, Shen Yan let out a soft sigh and lifted his teacup for a sip. "It seems Constable Chu has decided that I'm involved in this matter."

Chu Ning watched him silently, neither confirming nor denying it.

Shen Yan gently set down his teacup. A strange glimmer flashed through his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Constable Chu, do you still remember the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox?"

Chu Ning frowned slightly. "What does it have to do with this?"

"The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox is a rare Spiritual Beast from the land of extreme cold. Its eyes contain a special kind of spiritual power known as 'Pupil Essence,'" Shen Yan said slowly.

"This spiritual power has a special use..."

He paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Refining the Longevity Pill."

Chu Ning's heart trembled.

The Longevity Pill?

"It was rumored that, when refined with a unique secret method, this pill could greatly extend the lifespan of its consumer, even allowing them to break through the limits of mortality."

Shen Yan sighed softly. "The people of this world have sought immortality since ancient times. Yet those who could truly set foot in the realm of 'longevity' were few and far between. But if they were given a chance, how could they ever let it go easily?"

"So, you're saying..." Chu Ning's gaze turned cold.

Shen Yan looked him straight in the eye and slowly uttered, "The Wang Family's ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan."

Chu Ning's heart sank at once.

"The Wang Family's ancestor?"

"The Wang Family is one of the most powerful lineages in Qingyang County, with deep foundations. Their ancestor, however, is already of advanced age. If his lifespan is nearly exhausted, he will certainly do whatever it takes to prolong his life."

"So they set their sights on the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox." Chu Ning spoke in a heavy voice.

Shen Yan smiled. "Not only that. They also need a massive amount of Crimson Blood Sand, because refining the Longevity Pill requires the blood essence of living people as an initiator."

Chu Ning's pupils contracted slightly.

Crimson Blood Sand, Blood Pills, Life Harvesting and Mutilation, the grain merchant massacre...

All the clues seemed to point in the same direction.

The Wang Family!

Chu Ning was silent for a moment before sneering. "The real business Boss Shen is involved in should be refining Blood Pills for the Wang Family."

Shen Yan rubbed the gilt incense pouch at his waist, his fingertips trembling faintly. His voice, however, deliberately remained light. "Does Constable Chu know that some businesses look immensely profitable, but are actually deals that cost lives?"

Chu Ning pressed his blade against the table. Its cold gleam reflected the fear that flashed briefly through Shen Yan's eyes. "Since Boss Shen knows it's a deadly business, why did you still wade into the Wang Family's muddy waters?"

Shen Yan sneered and drew a yellowed contract from a hidden compartment. The Wang Family's private crest was branded in its corner. "Three years ago, the Wang Family abducted my son. This indenture contract was the leverage they used to force me into cooperating."

Chu Ning's gaze sharpened as he slowly rose. "I'll remember what you said today. As for the Wang Family..."

He turned and walked outside, his voice cold and emotionless. "One day, I'll investigate it all myself."

Shen Yan watched his departing back and gently shook his head, his expression dark and unreadable.

When Chu Ning returned to the county office, Li Jing'an was standing quietly in the center of the training grounds, a thin dossier in his hand. He appeared to be pondering something.

Chu Ning strode over and recounted every piece of information he had pried from Shen Yan.

"The Longevity Pill?" Li Jing'an raised an eyebrow slightly, a searching glint flashing through his eyes.

"Does such a formula truly exist in this world?"

Chu Ning nodded, his expression solemn. "Shen Yan's words may not all be trustworthy, but the Wang Family's ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan. He may very well stake everything on one desperate gamble."

Li Jing'an slowly rubbed his chin as though pondering the matter. After a moment, he suddenly smiled. "If this is true, the Wang Family certainly won't give up on the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox so easily."

Chu Ning's gaze deepened. "The Wang Family has already begun openly offering a bounty and organizing a hunt for the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox."

Li Jing'an nodded lightly, then his eyes turned cold. "In that case, go and take part in the Wang Family's bounty hunt."

Chu Ning froze slightly, then immediately understood.

Li Jing'an wanted him to infiltrate the matter. There had to be another purpose behind it.

"The Wang Family may not let me join," Chu Ning said gravely.

Li Jing'an gave a soft laugh. "Since the Wang Family publicly issued the hunting bounty, any Ranked Martial Artist can participate. Naturally, you can as well."

"Now that you're a Black Snake Guard, they won't dare act against you lightly," Li Jing'an said indifferently.

Chu Ning pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I understand."

Several days later.

Night hung low, and Black Wind Forest was shrouded in a heavy twilight.

The bitter wind howled, whipping up dead leaves from the ground with a rustling hiss. Startled crows on the branches flapped their wings and let out shrill cries, their voices so mournful that they sent a chill through the heart.

A sizable party had gathered in the forest. Torches swayed, illuminating the greed or vigilance on the faces of those present.

Frost hung on the dead branches like swords. The white mist of their breath froze into ice crystals before it could disperse, while the grating scrape of boots against the frozen ground sounded like knives rasping across an iron plate.

The Wang Family's hunting party had assembled here today.

Dressed in black, Chu Ning kept his head slightly lowered as he blended into the crowd.

The hunting party was divided into two groups. At the front were the Wang Family's core members, each dressed in fitted martial attire with sharp blades at their waists. Clearly, every one of them was a capable martial artist.

Behind them were martial artists from the wider world who had been hired. Some had come for the bounty, while others had their own designs, but without exception, their gazes burned with greed.

After a moment, a middle-aged man in a blue robe slowly walked to the front of the party.

His face was stern, his brows sharp as blades, and his gaze keen as an eagle's. The aura around him was steady and powerful.

"Everyone."

He stood with his hands behind his back. His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"The Wang Family's ancestor has personally ordered this hunt. You must capture the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox alive. There can be no mistakes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up, whispering among themselves.

This man was Wang Li, one of the Wang Family's core members, as well as a Ranked Martial Artist of considerable strength.

"Capture it alive?"

"A living one is always harder to capture than a dead one. The Wang Family certainly knows how to make use of people."

"Hmph, so long as the bounty is enough, it's just a beast. What's there to fear?"

Wang Li's gaze swept over the crowd. Only after seeing that their reactions were entirely within his grasp did he slowly continue, "Whoever captures the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox will receive a bounty of a thousand taels of gold, plus a Profound Tier Martial Art!"

The moment those words fell, the crowd erupted in commotion.

That bounty was enough to make these martial artists from the wider world risk their lives.

A thousand taels of gold could make an ordinary martial artist rich overnight.

A Profound Tier Martial Art was an extraordinary art that could only be encountered by chance.

Standing among the crowd, a faint, cold smile appeared at the corners of Chu Ning's mouth.

The Wang Family's willingness to pay such a heavy price was enough to prove that the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox was worth far more than anyone imagined.

"If the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's Pupil Essence can truly be used to refine the Longevity Pill..."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and snorted inwardly.

To pursue immortality, the Wang Family had set traps and murdered people, wiped out the Zhao Family of grain merchants, and even secretly colluded with the Blood Refining Hall. Every sign showed that they had stopped at nothing.

Today's hunt could never be as simple as it appeared.

He raised his head slightly and swept his gaze over the members of the Wang Family.

Every one of them radiated murderous intent. Clearly, they had made preparations long ago.

Chu Ning's thoughts stirred as he tightened his grip on his saber.

The party began moving forward.

The atmosphere in the forest gradually grew oppressive.

The surroundings were terrifyingly silent. Only the hunters' footsteps crunching over fallen leaves echoed through the air.

The wind swept past the treetops, carrying the faintest trace of blood.

Ghostly blue fireflies suddenly appeared in the forest. Wherever they passed, ice spikes sprouted wildly. One martial artist accidentally touched one, and his right arm was instantly covered in frost flowers, the muscles stiffening, dead as stone.

"Ah—!"

A scream suddenly rang out ahead!

Everyone came to a halt.

"What happened?"

"Someone up ahead is in trouble!"

The torchlight cast forward, revealing a mangled corpse lying in the forest.

Blood soaked the dead leaves, dark-red liquid spreading across the ground in a horrifying sight.

The corpse's chest had been torn open by brute force, exposing stark white bones. Its flesh was a bloody mess, and its death was terribly gruesome!

Wang Li's face darkened slightly as his sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.

"Everyone, stay alert. Spread out and search!"

Everyone drew their weapons, nerves taut.

The wind in the forest seemed even more sinister and terrifying.

Chu Ning's eyes shifted slightly. He slowly walked forward, secretly tightening his grip on his saber.

The hunt had begun...