Wang Xuan looked at everyone with a face full of shock, his expression still carrying a trace of disbelief!
Seeing that Wang Xuan seemed genuinely unaware, Liu San froze for a moment, unsure how to question him.
Shi Qian pushed Liu San aside and stared fixedly at Wang Xuan. "My eldest brother was found dead in the mountains today."
"Today, you were the only one who entered the mountains."
"Are you sure you didn't run into my eldest brother?"
There was menace in his gaze. As he spoke, the qi and blood within him surged, carrying an intense pressure!
Wang Xuan pretended to panic and took a step back. "I... I really don't know!"
"I was hunting in the mountains all day today. I never ran into your eldest brother. Besides, Blackwind Mountain is so huge—how could we possibly run into each other that easily?"
Hearing that, Shi Qian was left speechless.
Blackwind Mountain was enormous; calling it a mountain range would not have been an exaggeration. Normally, without companions while hunting, whether one met anyone depended entirely on luck.
But then Shi Qian's gaze fell on Wang Xuan's clothes. He noticed the Blood Sacrifice on Wang Xuan's chest, and his eyes immediately narrowed!
"Then where did the blood on your chest come from?"
Shi Qian's tone grew harsher!
Cold light churned in his eyes, carrying killing intent!
Wang Xuan immediately explained, "Isn't it normal to get blood on yourself while hunting? These are the pheasants I caught. If you don't believe me, see for yourself!"
As he spoke, he stepped aside.
The two pheasants in the courtyard came into everyone's view.
Shi Qian stared at the two plump pheasants in the courtyard. Anger surged in his eyes, yet he had nowhere to vent it!
After learning of his eldest brother's death, he had investigated everyone suspicious, only to rule them out one by one. Wang Xuan alone was now the most suspicious!
Yet right now, he had no proof that Wang Xuan had done it!
"You really... aren't lying to me?"
Shi Qian took a step forward and stared at Wang Xuan. The pressure of his qi and blood intensified as he tried to intimidate him!
However!
He had only just entered the Stone Hide level himself, putting him on roughly equal footing with Wang Xuan. Facing his pressure, Wang Xuan did not feel much fear.
Still, Wang Xuan put on a panicked expression and hurriedly said, "No... I really didn't!"
Seeing that Wang Xuan's eyes did not seem to be lying, Shi Qian let out a heavy snort.
"Hmph! Let's go!"
He immediately turned and left.
Liu San and the others hurried after him.
The nearby villagers watching the spectacle could not help shaking their heads and sighing. If Shi Qian failed to find Shi Yong's killer, he probably would not let this matter rest easily!
Before long, the surrounding villagers all dispersed.
Chen Shan walked over then and looked at Wang Xuan. "Little Stone, you really didn't see Shi Yong when you went into the mountains?"
Wang Xuan shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Really, I didn't, Uncle Chen!"
"The tax collection is coming soon. I've been wandering around the forest all this time—how could I have run into him?"
Chen Shan sighed helplessly. "I heard Shi Yong died in Blackwind Mountain. He was eaten by demons!"
"You must be more careful!"
"Also, Shi Qian is narrow-minded. With his eldest brother dead, he may very well take his anger out on you!"
Wang Xuan nodded. "I'll be careful, Uncle Chen. Don't worry!"
The two chatted a little longer before Chen Shan turned and left.
On the other side.
After Shi Qian left, his face immediately darkened!
"Brother Qian, are we just letting Wang Xuan off like this?"
"I always feel that Brother Shi Yong's death has something to do with that guy. We haven't seen him for just a few days, but he seems to have gotten a lot stronger!"
Liu San and the others followed beside Shi Yong and could not help discussing it.
Shi Qian's face was gloomy as he snorted. "So what if we suspect him? Do you have any evidence?"
"I even used qi and blood pressure on him just now, yet I still couldn't make that bastard talk. He looked afraid of me, but there wasn't much fear in his eyes!"
"There must be something wrong!"
"Then what should we do?"
Liu San asked.
Killing intent surged in Shi Qian's eyes. "I have my own way of testing him!"
"If my eldest brother's death has nothing to do with him, then fine. But if it does... I'll make sure he dies an ugly death!"
In the courtyard.
After everyone left, Wang Xuan immediately shut the door, and his face darkened at once.
"I thought Shi Yong's corpse would not be discovered for another few days. I never expected it to be found so soon!"
Wang Xuan thought to himself.
He had not expected Liu San and the others to discover Shi Yong's death so quickly, or to find the body!
"Since Shi Yong's death has already been exposed and Shi Qian knows about it, does Zhou Bapi know as well?"
"If he knows too..."
"Then that guy I encountered in the mountains today was definitely sent by him!"
Wang Xuan's expression changed slightly!
He became even more certain that the Demon-Human from the Pity Life Sect he had encountered in the mountains was inseparably connected to Zhou Bapi!
"Brother Shi, what happened?"
"I heard Shi Yong died. What happened? Did he encounter demons?"
Lu Yao asked nervously.
Her own family had died because of demons, while Wang Xuan's father and eldest brother had also died at the hands of demons. She possessed an instinctive fear of them.
Wang Xuan came back to his senses and shook his head. "Sister-in-law, don't overthink it. How could there be demons on the outskirts of Blackwind Mountain? Shi Yong most likely ran into a Black Bear or a tiger."
"If it had been demons, how could I have wandered through the forest all morning today without encountering any?"
Lu Yao bit her lip. "No matter what, you still need to be careful."
"Don't enter the mountains for the next couple of days."
Wang Xuan nodded. "Don't worry, Sister-in-law."
"I won't enter the mountains for the next couple of days."
Lu Yao said nothing more. Carrying the pheasants, she turned and entered the kitchen to start cooking.
While Lu Yao was cooking, Wang Xuan picked up his bow and arrows and began practicing archery in the open space outside the courtyard.
His Intermediate Archery was about to reach Minor Mastery, and he still had sixteen Attribute Points that he could use to break through at any time. Yet in Wang Xuan's eyes, he was still far too weak!
"This world is getting more chaotic by the day. I must seize every moment to grow stronger. Only then will I have the strength to protect myself in these troubled times!"
Wang Xuan muttered, immediately nocking an arrow and drawing his bow!
Intermediate Archery Experience +20 Intermediate Archery Experience +20
As arrow after arrow flew out, his Intermediate Archery experience rose rapidly as well.
After the time it took to burn one stick of incense.
Wang Xuan fired his final arrow, and the experience panel for Intermediate Archery began to change.
Your Intermediate Archery has broken through to Minor Mastery. Minor Mastery Progress: 1/3200 Intermediate Archery has broken through. You have gained 4 Attribute Points. Current Attribute Points: 20 Your strength has increased. Current strength: 250 kilograms
The Crimson Panel's notification sounded.
Wang Xuan's body gave a hum as his understanding of Intermediate Archery deepened by more than double. At the same time, the qi and blood throughout his body surged.
The skin all over his body became even tougher!
"Finally, I've broken through!"
"Now I can use Attribute Points and break through to the Stone Hide level in one burst!"
"Crimson, add points!"
Without hesitation, Wang Xuan immediately chose to add points!
In an instant!
All twenty Attribute Points were added to Strength.
Hum—
Wang Xuan felt the qi and blood in his body violently tremble. A spring-like hot current surged from deep within him, instantly washing through his entire body!
That hot current coursed through his flesh, qi and blood, sinews, and bones, making his whole body erupt with a surging roar like mountains calling and seas crashing!
"Ah!!!"
Wang Xuan clenched his teeth, and his face instantly twisted into a fierce grimace!
Before the naked eye, his body turned brass-colored, then bronze-colored. Finally, after reaching some sort of limit, specks of silvery white appeared!
This silvery white was even more powerful than the earlier bronze color. It was precisely the sign of the Stone Hide level within the Iron Skin Realm!
Wang Xuan's strength rose rapidly!
Three hundred kilograms, four hundred kilograms, five hundred kilograms!
Hum!
The instant he broke through five hundred kilograms, the qi and blood within Wang Xuan instantly expanded by more than double, surging through his body like a stream!
Only after more than ten seconds did this breakthrough finally stop!
Wang Xuan's face was flushed red. Feeling the surging power within him, he could not help clenching his fists as the Crimson Panel's notification sounded in his mind.
Your realm has broken through. Current realm: Iron Skin Realm, Stone Hide level Your strength has increased. Current strength: 650 kilograms Your physique has greatly improved. You have gained the enhancement effect, Copper Skin Iron Bones Copper Skin Iron Bones: Doubles your own strength and doubles defense. Duration: one minute. The duration will increase as the host's strength increases.
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