Poison, Poison, Poison

At the turn of a thought, Zhang Ming asked about another matter.

"Father, how are the slaughterhouses, Livestock Farms, and medicinal herb base doing now?"

"The slaughterhouses and Livestock Farms are developing fairly well. The Livestock Farms now have cattle, sheep, pigs, and so on—around ten thousand head in total. The scale is beginning to take shape."

"The medicinal herb base has only just started. Whether it can succeed is still unknown.

"Even with the medicinal herb cultivation books you brought back, results will not be visible in the short term."

"Mm, I understand."

Zhang Ming nodded, quite satisfied.

With ten thousand cattle, sheep, and pigs, the main medicinal ingredients for Bull Secret Medicine would basically never be lacking.

As for the medicinal herb base, relying on the perfect-level medical arts obtained through [Ignite Comprehension], he knew the cultivation methods, growing conditions, planting requirements, precautions, and so forth for all manner of ordinary medicinal herbs.

As long as they proceeded step by step, its growth would absolutely not be a problem.

The two would complement each other. They would certainly be of great benefit to his future martial path.

"Father, has anything major happened in Yang City recently?"

Zhang Yongfeng said, "You want to ask about those Gangs and Martial Arts Halls, as well as those minor officials?"

"That's right. Besides coming back to see you all, the other reason I returned this time is to deal with all those miscellaneous rats."

Zhang Yongfeng rose to his feet and stared intently at Zhang Ming.

"Deal with all of them? Are you sure? What gives you that confidence?"

"Of course I am!"

Zhang Ming did not conceal it. He clenched his five fingers into a fist, and the air exploded.

The surging Vital Energy within him roared like a great tide.

The oppressive aura of a Postnatal Martial Artist filled the entire study.

"Son, son, you... you... you're a Postnatal Martial Artist!"

The Zhang Family did have servants and guards at the Warrior level, so Zhang Yongfeng could sense it.

His own son's imposing presence was countless times stronger than those servants and guards.

"Mm. The Mysterious Buyer has great influence. I was fortunate enough to obtain a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, which improved my aptitude. After years of accumulation, I finally became a Postnatal Martial Artist."

"Good, good, good, good!"

Zhang Yongfeng was overjoyed.

"My Zhang Family has produced a Unicorn Child! My son has Emperor Talent! My son..."

"Uh."

The aura around Zhang Ming instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Father, stop teasing me with the nonsense I said as a child."

"How am I teasing you? I mean it. My son has..."

Zhang Ming was speechless and hurriedly skipped over the subject.

"In any case, I'm preparing to make a move against those people."

"My strength now is no weaker than any Martial Arts Hall master or Gang leader. The number one in Yang City can only be me."

"Those sewer rats, as well as those ungrateful minor officials who still refuse to give up—I'll deal with every last one of them!"

Zhang Yongfeng frowned, somewhat worried.

"Son, I know that becoming a Postnatal Martial Artist has filled you with confidence, and that you're happy to have obtained a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that improved your aptitude."

"But you must never underestimate others. You need to act prudently."

"The you now, compared to before... you've changed... changed into someone somewhat unfamiliar."

"Mm?"

"Unfamiliar?"

Zhang Ming was taken aback. He looked at himself and recalled everything that had happened over the past few months.

In merely the time it took to breathe, he understood the source of that "unfamiliarity."

"Perhaps. But Father, the past is the past, and the present is the present."

"At different stages, the things that must be done are naturally different."

"In my eyes, the Zhang Family has already moved beyond the initial stage, the stage where we had to do business politely and courteously. The days of honestly conducting trade are gone forever."

Zhang Ming paused before continuing.

"Let's put aside the matter of the Mysterious Buyer for now. There are also the natural disasters, man-made calamities, and rebellions in Shu Land."

"Within a few months, large numbers of refugees will definitely arrive in Yang City."

"And when I look through history, whenever the times descend into chaos, it is also when Demons, Monsters, Ghosts, and Oddities spring up in droves!"

"Father, we must make preparations early. Otherwise, we truly will become a drifting boat carried along by the current, unable to control our own course!"

Zhang Yongfeng fell silent. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But in the end, he chose to remain silent.

"Ah, do whatever you wish to do. Your Mother, I, and the Zhang Family will be your strongest support."

Then Zhang Yongfeng changed the subject.

"But the same words still stand: do not be careless! Having read the history books, you should know how many great figures capsized in the gutter."

"Don't worry, Father. I'll be careful."

"Mm. Where do you plan to begin?"

"With the Mighty Bull Martial Arts School—the place I know best!"

The next day.

Inside a private room on the third floor of an ordinary inn in the city.

Zhang Ming looked down at the bustling street below and casually asked his master, Fang Hongbo, who was in the room.

"Master, have you made your decision?"

Fang Hongbo's expression was conflicted and hesitant.

"Are you truly going to do this?"

Turning around, Zhang Ming smiled at his master.

"Over these years, what treatment have you received at the Martial Arts Hall? How has the Niu Family Father and Son treated you? As your disciple, I need not say much more, do I?"

Mighty Bull Martial Arts School. Mighty Bull Martial Arts School. Mighty Bull Martial Arts School.

The source of that "Bull" was Niu Kangsheng and his son.

Though Fang Hongbo was the senior disciple, he was ultimately an outsider.

He could never become the master of the Martial Arts Hall in his lifetime.

What was more, compared to Fang Hongbo, Niu Kangsheng's son, Niu Kangshao, was no worse in martial cultivation.

Fang Hongbo's hopes of becoming hall master were even more distant.

For a senior disciple with no hope whatsoever of becoming hall master, with nowhere left to rise, it was easy to imagine how the hall master would arrange things for him.

Over the years, only Fang Hongbo himself knew just how much grievance and toil he had endured.

"Are you sure?"

"He... he is my master, after all. Even if he has treated me poorly, he is still my master."

Zhang Ming answered calmly.

"I'm sure. As long as he dies, all Master needs to do is keep control of the situation."

Stepping a little closer, Zhang Ming spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"And Master, don't you think several Martial Arts Halls are too many for a little place like Yang City?"

Night.

A bright moon hung high in the sky.

At the Mighty Bull Martial Arts School, the lights in Niu Kangsheng's study burned brightly.

Inside the study, Niu Kangsheng casually read an ancient book in his hand, yet his mind kept twitching with unease. He always felt that something was wrong.

"Why do I feel so unsettled?"

"There have been no Carrier Pigeons from Shao'er's side these past two days. Has something delayed him?"

"Ah, that Zhang Ming. Why hadn't I noticed before? He's like a turtle, curling up in one place all day without moving?"

After cursing softly, the inexplicable unease in his heart did not lessen.

Niu Kangsheng closed the ancient book.

"Forget it, forget it. I won't read tonight. I'll go see Rou'er."

Thinking of the thirteenth concubine he had married into the household just a month ago.

Niu Kangsheng's heart burned with heat.

Just as he was about to rise and head for the rear courtyard.

Dizziness and blurred vision, along with a swelling ache in his brain, instantly spread through his entire body.

"Damn it, poison!"

As an old hand of the martial world, Niu Kangsheng immediately realized there was a problem.

"Someone, someone! Someone! There's an assassin, there's an assa—"

"Stop shouting. Tonight, all the guards around here have been invited away."

Zhang Ming, dressed in black night clothes, pushed open the door and entered.

"You... you... who are you?"

Niu Kangsheng forcibly roused his Vital Energy, resisting the dizziness, blurred vision, and swelling pain in his head.

"Me?"

Zhang Ming smiled faintly. His perfect-level Medicine and Poison told him that the poison had already seeped into Niu Kangsheng's five viscera and six bowels. Death was certain.

Seeing that the situation had been settled, Zhang Ming simply stopped disguising himself.

"You don't recognize me? Didn't we just meet not long ago?"

"You old bastard, you even sent your son to intercept and kill me. Completely inexplicable."

Zhang Ming removed his mask, revealing his true face with a cold sneer.

"The Martial Arts Hall and my Zhang Family could have cooperated properly. We provide the money, you do the work. Perfectly reasonable."

"I hadn't even turned against you yet, but you turned against me even faster?"

Rubbing his cheek, Zhang Ming looked displeased.

"You've made it seem as though I'm the passive one, as though you're leading me around by the nose."

To be honest, Zhang Ming truly felt insulted.

As a transmigrator, he had actually been led around by the nose by "natives," and those "natives" had turned against him first!

It was simply a disgrace to transmigrators.

Shouldn't transmigrators always be the ones to turn hostile first and scheme a whole bunch of people to death?

How could it be the other way around?

Utter humiliation!

Utter humiliation!