Ambush Interception!

Qin Shuang browsed three weapon stalls, but none had a saber he particularly liked. He ended up buying a standard long saber, slung it across his back, and left the black market.

"There are quite a few tigers in Xuan Yin Mountain, fifty miles outside the black market!"

"First, I'll find a place to hide, consume the Tiger Blood Pills, and upgrade my Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill from 'Proficient' to 'Mastered'! Then, tomorrow at dawn, I'll hunt tigers before returning to Qingzhou City!"

Qin Shuang stood thirty paces away from the black market entrance, calculating in his mind.

When buying the weapon, he had asked the stall owner. Xuan Yin Mountain had many tigers, and the tiger blood and bones needed by the pharmacies in the three major cities nearby to refine Tiger Blood Pills were hunted from the tigers there.

His Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill required killing ten Fierce Tigers, and his Fierce Tiger Fist required killing one White-Browed Tiger with Fiery Eyes.

At this moment.

It was already past nine in the evening.

People were still arriving at the black market from afar. Qin Shuang, with his long saber on his back, sped along the maple forest in the direction of Xuan Yin Mountain.

At this moment.

Three masked figures in black hid in a grove of trees about three miles from the black market entrance. A grey mouse was perched on the shoulder of the one leading them. The three of them stared intently at the black market's exit.

These three were Yun Shenhai, who had sold pills to Qin Shuang in the black market, and his companions Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu.

Suddenly, a figure wearing a black hood emerged from the black market, carrying a package, and sped off in the direction of Xuan Yin Mountain.

"Squeak squeak squeak~~!"

The moment the black figure appeared, the Spirit Sniffing Rat on Yun Shenhai's shoulder suddenly squeaked.

"The fatty is out! Chase him!"

Seeing this, Yun Shenhai's eyes lit up. He beckoned to Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu beside him, and the three of them gave chase in the direction Qin Shuang had gone.

An hour later, forty miles from the black market, at the foot of Xuan Yin Mountain, Qin Shuang found a large tree in a grove. He leaped onto a triangular branch and sat down cross-legged.

[Alchemy: First Grade (Mastered)]

[Simplification: After refining pills ten thousand times, one can prepare a batch of Tiger Blood Pills. Mastery allows advancement to Great Accomplishment.]

He took out the fifty Tiger Blood Pills he had just bought and focused his consciousness on the panel.

"The pills are fine."

Qin Shuang, using his mastery-level alchemy experience, checked the Tiger Blood Pills and, finding them satisfactory, felt relieved. He took out one Tiger Blood Pill and popped it into his mouth.

[Consumed Tiger Blood Pill +1]

A surge of potent medicinal energy swept through his body. Qin Shuang quickly circulated his Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill, converting the medicinal energy into Qi and Blood within his body.

The Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill converted the Tiger Blood Pills very quickly. In just a minute and a half, the medicinal energy from one Tiger Blood Pill was completely absorbed, transforming into Qi and Blood that nourished his bones.

Qin Shuang felt his bones had become a bit sturdier.

[Consumed Tiger Blood Pill +1]

[Consumed Tiger Blood Pill +1]

[...]

Qin Shuang didn't delay, continuing to consume the Tiger Blood Pills. This was his nature; once he got his hands on the pills, he wanted to turn them into strength immediately to feel at ease.

"Hm?"

Just as Qin Shuang was consuming his eighteenth Tiger Blood Pill, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from about twenty feet away.

Qin Shuang narrowed his eyes, immediately put his things away, gripped his long saber, and listened carefully. There were three people coming.

Yun Shenhai stood outside the grove, stroking the head of the Spirit Sniffing Rat in his hand. A sinister grin flashed in his eyes as he said to the Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu brothers, "He's in here! He bought Tiger Blood Pills and then continued to browse the black market; he must be quite wealthy!"

"This bastard made us travel so far. We'll deal with him properly later!"

Chen Jinchun looked at the grove, and the long sword in his hand let out a zheng sound. The Qi and Blood of the Bone Forging Realm manifested on his body's surface, forming a Qi and Blood Gauze Robe that was almost tangible, on the verge of transforming into Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke!

"Come out! We only want money!"

Yun Shenhai's Qi and Blood erupted, and a ten-foot-high Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke hovered above his head, exuding a suffocating pressure under the faint moonlight of the night!

"Roar!"

Just then, a tiger's roar echoed! Yun Shenhai discovered a red silhouette lunging towards him!

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"Seeking death!"

Yun Shenhai's eyes shot out cold light. He poured his Qi and Blood into his long sword, which carried the sound of wind and thunder as he thrust it towards the red silhouette!

At the same time.

His two junior brothers, Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu, thrust out their long swords, blocking all the red silhouette's escape routes!

"Swish!"

To Yun Shenhai's surprise, the red silhouette suddenly bent like a nimble fish. The next moment, it appeared behind him to his left and lunged at him again!

Moreover.

The red silhouette's aura suddenly surged. The Qi and Blood, over ten feet high, soared into the sky, transforming into the phantom image of a fierce tiger's Qi and Blood. A terrifying tiger's might pressed down with the tiger's roar!

"Not good...!"

Yun Shenhai's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to use his movement technique to dodge, but it was too late. He felt a heavy blow to his chest, heard the sound of bones cracking, and his body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily about four Zhang away!

With a Fierce Tiger Pounce, Qin Shuang heavily injured the strongest bandit and then unleashed his Swimming Dragon Steps, charging toward the remaining two!

Although Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu had already advanced to the Bone Forging Realm, they were merely at the Qi and Blood Gauze Robe stage. How could they be a match for Qin Shuang, who was already at the Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke stage and had even condensed a phantom image of a roaring tiger?

Within two exchanges, both of their long swords snapped, and they spat blood, falling more than four Zhang away!

"Let me tell you, the last person who provoked me, I cut wounds all over his body, then smeared honey on them. Guess what happened?"

Qin Shuang dragged the three nearly dead bandits together and squatted in front of them, speaking calmly.

He hadn't expected...

That the bandit Yun Shenhai was the stall owner who sold him pills!

The three of them, Yun Shenhai, Chen Jinchun, and Chen Jinqiu, also sold pills. At the same time, whenever they spotted a "fat sheep," they would leave a mark and intercept them outside to rob them.

"Spare... spare us..."

"G-Great hero... this humble one... is willing to offer all his wealth and become your loyal subordinate, just begging you to spare our lives!"

Yun Shenhai prostrated himself before Qin Shuang, fear in his eyes. At this moment, he regretted it immensely. He had always had things go his way, always picking on the weak.

He never imagined that the "soft persimmon" he picked this time had hidden his strength!

He had run into a solid iron plate!

Chen Jinchun and Chen Jinqiu also knelt beside Yun Shenhai, their eyes filled with terror.

"Tell me, can what you have on you buy your lives!"

Qin Shuang said calmly, while searching through the three bandits' belongings.

In their bags, Qin Shuang found ten Dragon Blood Pills, one hundred and eighty Tiger Blood Pills, ten silver notes, and over five hundred taels of silver.

There was also a piece of something resembling beast hide. One side was carved with a map of mountains and rivers, and the other side depicted a vast ocean!

"G-Great hero, we still have three... three thousand taels of silver..."

Yun Shenhai said, trembling.

"Only three thousand taels?"

Qin Shuang frowned upon hearing this, displeased. "Don't you make a lot of money selling pills?"

After all, He had bought fifty Tiger Blood Pills, and the seller must have made at least half the profit, right?

How could he only have this much after setting up shop in the black market every day?

"G-Great hero, my elder brother is an alchemist... we just sell them on his behalf and earn a small fee. That's why we had to resort to robbery. The money we earned also needs to be used for our cultivation, so only this much is left..."

Yun Shenhai looked at Qin Shuang, pleading in terror, and kept slapping himself. "Great hero, we were wrong, we shouldn't have attacked you. As long as you spare me, I'll give you the three thousand taels of silver, and we'll follow you from now on... I'll even sell my two properties to you..."

At this moment, Yun Shenhai just wanted to live. As long as he could survive and escape, anything could be discussed.

After all, His elder brother was an alchemist who had already advanced to the Marrow Jade Realm. When the time came, he would have his brother deal with this person and get revenge!