Secret Medicine, Evil King Token! Treasure Blade Ink Feather!

As various forces stirred and undercurrents surged, Gu Cheng, the very instigator of this outcome, had returned to Changle County and arrived at Xiao Yun's home.

"These small bottles contain the 'Boiling Blood Powder' I need?"

Gu Cheng examined the five exquisite small porcelain bottles on the table.

He reached out, picked one up, and opened the stopper.

Inside, he found a very fine white powder that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Judging by its appearance alone, one might think he was importing goods from the Golden Triangle...

And it wasn't just the appearance; its value far surpassed gold. The cost of refining just one small bottle of Boiling Blood Powder was equivalent to five or six Star Cloud Flowers.

"That's right. Don't let the small amount in this bottle fool you. The vitality this bottle of Boiling Blood Powder can provide is no less than that of an ordinary Mortal Breaking Realm Demon Core!"

Xiao Qing'er sat beside him and explained softly.

In the few days since he last saw her, the sickly girl's complexion had become even paler and more haggard, clearly indicating the significant effort she had put into refining the medicine.

"Boiling Blood Powder's medicinal effects are very potent. For the first few months after you start taking it, it's best not to exceed a fingernail's worth per day."

Xiao Qing'er extended her fair, tender little finger and earnestly cautioned him: "If you take too much, it will not only place a severe burden on your body but also shorten your lifespan!"

"If you experience any discomfort after taking it, remember to come and see me immediately!"

"Mhm, I understand."

Gu Cheng nodded slightly and brought his nose close to the bottle's opening, sniffing gently.

The initially faint fragrance instantly intensified several times, becoming incredibly pungent. Under the stimulation of that peculiar scent, the qi and blood within his body surged like a powerful tide, becoming incredibly agitated. He inexplicably felt an intense craving for the white powder in the small bottle.

Just smelling it had such an effect. If one were to swallow a whole bottle, its medicinal power would naturally be beyond measure.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Gu Cheng nodded with satisfaction, placing the five bottles of Boiling Blood Powder into his storage pouch.

Looking at the sickly girl's haggard appearance, he silently acknowledged this favor.

Xiao Qing'er smiled charmingly, then, as if suddenly remembering something, continued: "Oh, and Brother Gu, when Shopkeeper Song came to deliver the medicinal ingredients, he also asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"Shopkeeper Song said..."

The sickly girl glanced at Gu Cheng furtively, her expression rather peculiar.

"He said his wife misses you dearly. She hopes you can visit her in the backyard more often to 'chat' and cultivate your relationship when you have time..."

"..."

Gu Cheng instantly understood the meaning behind Shopkeeper Song's words and was momentarily taken aback.

Good heavens! Even I, a devoted admirer of pure love, wouldn't dare to be so bold. And yet, you're practically offering your beautiful wife to me?

Gu Cheng felt speechless. Perhaps in the eyes of these wealthy merchants, as long as they could curry favor with him, a martial arts expert with boundless potential, wearing a cuckold's hat was insignificant! After all, if life is to go smoothly, one must embrace a little green, right?

Late at night, all was silent.

The bright moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon Gu Cheng's bedroom, as if draping his room in a hazy veil.

After preparing a large table of delicacies for Miss Xu and ensuring his "pet" was thoroughly stuffed, Gu Cheng returned to his room. He sat on the bed and began to inventory the spoils of his recent expedition. The gains from the past ten days were primarily concentrated on the assassin from the Evil King Pavilion.

Gu Cheng took out Feng Sanshi's storage pouch and began to empty its contents one by one. The storage capacity of this pouch was about half the size of the one Xu Nianxue had gifted him, making it a mid-grade storage artifact.

There were quite a few good things inside.

Just the gold alone filled a large chest, and it was highly likely that this was the reward paid by the Zheng Family.

Besides that, two items most piqued Gu Cheng's interest.

One was a bronze-colored token, palm-sized, etched with the pattern of an evil ghost's head.

It wasn't hard to guess that this was likely the identity token of an Evil King Pavilion assassin.

Earlier, during dinner.

Gu Cheng had asked Miss Xu for details and gained a general understanding of this renowned assassin organization within Yun Province.

According to Xu Nianxue.

The assassins of the Evil King Pavilion were all eccentrics with extraordinary talent but also brimming with a wicked nature.

Even a Spirit Refinement genius like Feng Sanshi, who was at the middle stage of the Mortal Breaking Realm and could control a high-stage Mortal Breaking Realm Demon Servant, was only considered to be of average skill within that assassin organization.

However, fortunately, the Evil King Pavilion was an organization that only acted for profit.

Unless the employer paid extra, they wouldn't seek revenge for their assassins even if they were killed by their target.

In their eyes, a useless person who couldn't match the skill of their opponent dying was actually a good thing, a form of purification.

"Hmph, it's a pity that the Zheng family won't have a chance to pay extra soon..."

Gu Cheng snorted coldly, already marking them down as targets to be killed.

He decided to wait a few days for the heat to die down, then find a suitable opportunity to strike.

The second item was a black long saber.

The blade was about three fingers wide and approximately three feet and three inches long.

It was entirely black, like black jade, with an extremely elegant and refined design, resembling a high-end custom craft.

The material of this ink saber was also very special.

Not only was its hardness considerable, but its toughness was also excellent, and its weight was astonishingly absurd.

The weight of this saber alone was nearly fifty catties, more than ten times that of ordinary weapons!

However, for Gu Cheng, whose Blood Demon Body had reached great completion.

A weapon of this weight felt no heavier than a wooden sword or saber used by children for play, and it felt quite good in his hands.

"What a fine saber..."

Gu Cheng admired the ink saber in his hand, unable to put it down.

On the hilt, he also found two delicate characters inscribed—

—Ink Feather.

Clearly, this should be the name of this precious saber.

"That Feng Sanshi was a Spirit Refinement Cultivator who controlled Demon Servants; he didn't seem like someone who'd use a saber."

"Did he perhaps capture this Ink Feather Saber as spoils of war from his assassination target before?"

"But no matter what, it belongs to me now!"

Gu Cheng's lips curved slightly as he muttered to himself.

This was an unexpected delight.

His innate blood weapon possessed incredible power, and when paired with the Blood Shadow Blade Technique, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

But that was ultimately his trump card; he still lacked a suitable weapon for daily use.

Now, with this Ink Feather, that problem was finally solved.

Besides these items.

What filled the majority of Feng Sanshi's storage pouch were books recording various musical theories, as well as several musical instruments that looked very precious.

Clearly, this Evil King Pavilion assassin was quite passionate about music.

"This scoundrel is actually a cultured type?"

Gu Cheng flipped through the sheet music in his hand, his mood becoming quite complex.

Thinking about it, the spare time activities of these villains all seemed quite rich, didn't they?

The Blood Lady, as the concubine of a Blood Blade Sect elder, enjoyed studying cooking and collected a pile of recipe books.

Feng Sanshi, as an assassin in the Evil King Pavilion, enjoyed dabbling in music and collected a pile of sheet music.

In contrast, Miss Xu, who was a Demon Hunter, only knew how to stuff her face and collected a pile of smutty books...

Damn it, why did he suddenly feel like the righteous path in this world was hopeless?

Gu Cheng shook his head, casting aside all these messy thoughts.

He then opened his system panel and looked at Feng Sanshi's Soul Remnant.

"Since this guy was a cultured type who enjoyed music."

"So, if I just talk to him about music, I can easily max out this remnant soul's favorability?"

Gu Cheng stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Based on his experiences communicating with remnant souls the previous two times, he had already figured out the strategy for this one.

As long as he could cater to its preferences and apply the right approach.

Over time, he would definitely be able to extract all the value contained within this remnant soul!

"This way, I'll also be able to obtain more profound Spirit Refinement methods, right?"

Gu Cheng lay on his bed, closing his eyes.

He poured fifty years of his lifespan into Feng Sanshi's remnant soul in one go