An Unwelcome Visitor at the Door

"Sure enough, late Skin Refining Realm."

Bi Changsheng first checked his Cultivation Level and found that it had risen from the initial stage of Skin Refining to the late stage. The extent of the improvement was roughly what he had expected.

Next, Bi Changsheng examined the rest of his condition. Because he had taken the All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup beforehand, his body's potential had not been drained dry.

However, the Body Burning Art's method of "burning" lifespan and potential was still too overbearing. His body could not quite bear it.

By Bi Changsheng's estimate, he would need several days of recuperation before he could undergo Life-Spending Cultivation again.

"The Great Dao is within reach!"

His conjecture had been proven true, and even with Bi Changsheng's temperament, he could not help feeling somewhat excited.

If he had merely passively enjoyed the benefits brought by the Longevity Dao Fruit before, he was now beginning to actively excavate this inexhaustible treasure trove.

However, the Skin Refining Realm was only the first realm of martial arts. Beyond it lay the Bone Forging Realm, Inner Strength Realm, Qi and Blood Realm, True Qi Realm, Condensing Gang Realm, and more.

Each realm was further divided into three minor stages: early, middle, and late.

Moreover, this world also had the legendary immortal cultivators, capable of soaring through the skies, burrowing through the earth, plucking stars, and seizing the moon.

I still cannot slacken.

Bi Changsheng silently reminded himself.

Having completed his improvement, Bi Changsheng was in high spirits. When he stepped out of his room, he found Uncle Fu drinking tea in the courtyard.

He walked over, sat down, and began chatting with Uncle Fu.

"Father, I'm back!"

Just as Bi Changsheng and Uncle Fu were chatting, a shout rang out from beyond the courtyard gate.

"Is that Zheng Qing?"

Hearing the voice, Bi Changsheng asked Uncle Fu. From the original owner's memories, Uncle Fu had once adopted a beggar boy he had taken a liking to.

The boy was a year younger than the original owner. He had taken Uncle Fu's surname Liu and was named Liu Zhengqing.

Uncle Fu smiled happily upon hearing the voice.

"It's that lad. Young Master, please wait a moment. I'll open the gate for him."

Once Uncle Fu opened the courtyard gate, a burly youth entered with both hands full of things, though his face still retained a trace of childishness.

This was Liu Zhengqing.

The moment he came in and saw Bi Changsheng sitting in the reclining chair, Liu Zhengqing was overjoyed. He dashed over to Bi Changsheng.

"Young Master, you've finally woken up!"

"Not only have I woken up, I've completely recovered."

Looking at the youth, who had already grown bigger than in his memories, Bi Changsheng replied with a smile.

By then, Uncle Fu had shut the courtyard gate and walked over.

"You child, why are you always so reckless?"

"I told you, there's no need for so many formalities. Zheng Qing, go put those things away first, then bring out a stool and sit with us for a chat."

Bi Changsheng said with another smile.

Liu Zhengqing glanced at Uncle Fu, who smiled and said, "Since Young Master told you to go, then go."

Only then did Liu Zhengqing carry the things into the kitchen, put them away, then bring over a small stool and sit beside Bi Changsheng and Uncle Fu.

Only after asking did Bi Changsheng learn why Liu Zhengqing had returned so late: they were short on money.

The Bi Family allocated funds to this ancestral residence once a year, and more than half a year had already passed since the last allocation.

On top of that, they had bought many expensive medicines to treat Bi Changsheng, and the money on the books had already been spent clean.

Uncle Fu had only managed to keep them going until now by dipping into the savings he had accumulated over the years. Earlier, to buy that batch of medicinal ingredients for Bi Changsheng, he had even poured in his last bit of coffin money.

As for Liu Zhengqing, he went out every night to do grueling loading and unloading work for small merchants, earning a little silver to help support the household.

Hearing this, Bi Changsheng looked at Liu Zhengqing, who was a year younger than this body of his and still utterly boyish, then at the thin Uncle Fu.

A warm current flowed through his heart. After all, without the two of them holding on and giving so much, there would have been no him.

"Wait for me here."

With that, Bi Changsheng rose and entered his room. He took a red Kirin Jade Pendant from a box in the drawer of the bedside table, then came back out and handed it to Uncle Fu.

"This jade pendant was carved from Crimson Cloud Warm Jade, and its craftsmanship came from a master's hand. Uncle Fu, take it to the Treasure Pavilion and sell it. The silver from it should be enough to sustain us for a while."

Crimson Cloud Warm Jade was rare and precious. Wearing it over a long period was beneficial to the body.

Uncle Fu had originally wanted to persuade him otherwise. After all, this was the only relic Bi Tiancheng had left to the original owner.

No matter how difficult things had become before, he had never considered touching this jade pendant.

"You know that my body has recovered. Next, I will still need to buy the prescription from today to aid my cultivation, and that won't be a small expense."

But Bi Changsheng had already made up his mind. He was not a stubbornly inflexible man.

He would still need to purchase All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup to assist his Life-Spending Cultivation, and that would cost a considerable amount of money.

After hearing this, Uncle Fu knew Bi Changsheng had a point and stopped trying to persuade him. After lunch, he took the jade pendant and went out again.

Less than an hour later, reliable as ever, Uncle Fu returned successfully. The original owner's father had bought that jade pendant for twelve hundred taels, and Uncle Fu had sold it for the quite respectable price of one thousand taels.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

A burly man, led by a shifty-looking fellow, arrived before the small courtyard where Bi Changsheng lived. After stopping, the burly man spoke to the shifty man leading the way.

"Ding San, is this the place?"

"That's right, Brother. I checked the place several times and saw with my own eyes that the kid returned to this courtyard every time."

The shifty man replied with a fawning smile.

"He lives in such a shabby place, yet that person really spends money as freely as you said?"

Looking at the ordinary courtyard before him, the burly man asked suspiciously.

"I saw with my own eyes that the kid bought plenty of costly medicinal ingredients from several apothecaries on multiple occasions. He's definitely a big fish."

"I've already found out that only that kid and an old man usually live in this courtyard. Aside from being a little sturdier, that kid shows no signs of having practiced martial arts. He poses no threat to us at all."

"Maybe they recently stumbled upon some lucky opportunity, but now all of it belongs to you, Brother."

The shifty man patiently flattered the burly man.

It turned out that Uncle Fu had handled the first purchase of medicinal ingredients himself, but afterward, he had entrusted Liu Zhengqing with going out to buy them.

Although Liu Zhengqing had been as cautious as possible when buying the ingredients, even deliberately purchasing them in batches from several apothecaries, the shifty man had still happened upon the matter by chance.

After discovering that the ingredients Liu Zhengqing bought each time were quite valuable, the shifty man began harboring crooked thoughts.

Limited by his own strength, he was not confident he could monopolize the haul. To be safe, he reported it to the burly man and brought him along.

The burly man was named Tian Dazhuang. He had originally been a street thug who had practiced martial arts, but he had never managed to break through the Skin Refining Realm and become an official martial artist.

During the chaos two months ago, when the Bi Family was destroyed, he had seized the opportunity to join the Sun Family, one of Lin'an County's new three great powers.

Relying on sheer ruthlessness, he established himself within the Sun Family. With their support, he finally broke through to the Skin Refining Realm and was now responsible for managing the district where Bi Changsheng lived.

The shifty man was named Ding San, one of Tian Dazhuang's underlings. He had a little cleverness, but usually loafed around all day.

That was how he had happened to discover Liu Zhengqing's purchases of medicinal ingredients.

"Good. If things are truly as you say, you'll certainly get your share of the benefits."

After understanding the situation, Tian Dazhuang promised Ding San with a relaxed expression.

"Thank you, Brother. Thank you, Brother."

Upon hearing Tian Dazhuang's promise, Ding San was overjoyed. Smiling as he thanked him, he walked up to the courtyard gate and prepared to knock on it.