Heartache

Zhong Lin did not know how effective the pills were, but one effect had already made itself known.

Heartache.

It had been a long time since Zhong Lin had felt that pain of watching his money vanish while his heart bled alongside it.

He had no use for Bone Strengthening Pills yet, so Zhong Lin bought five Blood Replenishing Pills—for fifty taels of silver.

Even though Zhong Lin earned a great deal from painting, his daily expenses were high too! The brothers' daily meat supply and the Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup he had bought while training took up the bulk of his spending. These fifty taels of silver had nearly emptied him out.

If the physician at the medical clinic had not pointed him this way, and if Zhong Lin had not trusted him, he would never have bought them.

He carefully tucked the bottle of Blood Replenishing Pills into his clothes, terrified that it might get bumped or damaged.

A thought stirred in Zhong Lin's mind, and he asked softly, "Are you selling the pill formula?"

The owner of the ghost-face mask silently glanced at Zhong Lin before finally spitting out two words.

"Ha ha!"

"..."

Farewell.

His silver was spent, and there was no reason to remain in the Black Market. After wandering around once, he turned and left.

As Zhong Lin exited the Black Market, the bearded man suddenly said, "Once you leave the Black Market, we take no responsibility for your safety."

Zhong Lin paused, murmured his thanks, then hurried away.

"Someone really followed me."

Zhong Lin flicked a glance behind him from the corner of his eye. He could vaguely make out a dark shadow shifting through the woods behind him.

Old Zhou had emphasized the dangers of the Black Market to him countless times, even strongly advising him not to go. The bearded man had also offered a deliberate warning as he left. How could Zhong Lin not stay alert?

Still, he had underestimated the Black Market's dangers. No matter how he detoured or concealed his trail, they had caught up to him.

"Come on, then!"

A flash of killing intent crossed Zhong Lin's face as he pretended to panic and quickened his pace.

"Trying to run? Stop him!"

The forest behind him shook, and three figures burst out at once.

The leader was a man with triangular eyes and a large nose, a Ghost Head Saber hanging at his waist.

Two burly men followed at his left and right. The cruel expressions on their faces made it clear that neither was someone to trifle with.

As they passed a bend, the three suddenly discovered that Zhong Lin had vanished.

Whoosh!

Just as the triangular-eyed man hesitated, a shrill whistle tore through the air from afar.

The triangular-eyed man's expression changed drastically. He threw himself forward and shouted, "Get down!"

Unfortunately, he was still a step too late. The burly man behind him on the left only saw a flash of cold light coming straight at him, swift as lightning, before heat bloomed in his chest.

He instinctively looked down and saw an arrow's fletching still trembling in his chest.

"S-so fast..."

With that, he breathed his last and crashed to the ground.

"Third!"

The triangular-eyed man's eyes nearly split apart as he roared.

After becoming a Ranked Martial Artist, Zhong Lin had switched to a stronger Iron Bow. Iron strips were embedded along its back, increasing both its range and power. It could easily shoot straight through a person.

Whoosh!

Another whistle came through the air. The instant the sound rang out, the remaining two men rolled away like donkeys, one hiding behind a huge boulder and the other behind a tree.

With a scream, the burly man behind the tree was still struck in the thigh by Zhong Lin's arrow. He cried out and fell to the ground.

"Boss, these arrows can turn—"

Before he could finish, the head he had exposed when he fell was pierced clean through by another arrow that had appeared from nowhere.

Max-Level Archery · Curved Shot

Bullets from modern firearms followed parabolic trajectories, let alone arrows with far less force behind them. As long as one mastered the proper technique, it was possible to make arrows turn.

Before he had even seen his enemy, two of his brothers had died right before his eyes. The triangular-eyed man was thrown into utter chaos and roared furiously, "Come out! Come out, you coward! If you've got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one! Come out!"

Creak!

Hearing the triangular-eyed man's roar, Zhong Lin actually walked out of the darkness, tossing aside the bow in his hand.

"I'm out."

Seeing that Zhong Lin had truly emerged—and had even thrown away his bow—the triangular-eyed man was overjoyed. He seized his Ghost Head Saber and charged at Zhong Lin, bringing the massive blade down with the force of Chop Huashan Mountain.

Instead of retreating, Zhong Lin advanced. He twisted his body aside and narrowly evaded the Ghost Head Saber, then lashed out with a kick. Heavy and powerful, it tore through the air as it drove straight toward the man's chest.

Not good.

The triangular-eyed man's heart jolted. He lowered his legs into a horse stance, and the Ghost Head Saber that had been chopping downward abruptly turned midair into a horizontal slash aimed directly at Zhong Lin's waist.

Bang!

Zhong Lin's kick struck the triangular-eyed man's chest, but he turned the force into a clever one. Borrowing the rebound, he retreated several steps in succession and evaded the blade.

"As expected, he's trained in martial arts. His combat experience is far richer than mine. And just as I suspected, he's an ordinary person."

The reason Zhong Lin had not shot him dead was that he wanted to use him as a sparring partner to temper his martial skills.

From the moment Zhong Lin fired the first arrow and the triangular-eyed man immediately dropped to the ground, he had confirmed that this was an ordinary person—at the very least, someone whose martial arts had not reached rank.

A true Ranked Martial Artist had a body like armored hide and skin like oxhide. They did not fear arrows at all. When facing arrows, they would generally only shield their eyes. Why would they throw themselves flat onto the ground like this man had?

That was why Zhong Lin had not shot him dead. If the man had been a Ranked Martial Artist, Zhong Lin would not have fought him at all. He would have simply kited him to death.

The triangular-eyed man's chest felt tight, and shock filled his heart. What tremendous strength. Too bad he's an idiot—he actually threw away his bow.

It was not as though he had never encountered people stronger than himself. He was confident that with his viciousness and abundant fighting experience, he could kill his opponent.

"Die!"

The triangular-eyed man did not hesitate. Raising the Ghost Head Saber, he lunged at Zhong Lin once more, savage and ferocious as a tiger breaking free of its cage.

Zhong Lin did not yield either. His body moved, and the two closed the distance in an instant.

The Ghost Head Saber slashed down at an angle, carrying immense force and sealing off Zhong Lin's route of movement, leaving him nowhere to flee.

Zhong Lin paused, then stepped forward. Like willow catkins, his body brushed along the blade's edge and slipped past it in an instant, closing directly with the triangular-eyed man.

"How is that possible?"

Though disbelief flooded his heart, his left hand reached to his waist, and a dagger appeared. It slashed fiercely across Zhong Lin's abdomen like a swallow skimming the water.

Rip!

The dagger tore through Zhong Lin's clothes and scraped across his skin, but the sound that came from his skin in the next moment filled the triangular-eyed man's face with terror.

"Skin like oxhide... a Ranked Martial Artist."

Slash!

Zhong Lin raised his arm. A short blade suddenly appeared in his empty right hand and lightly swept across the triangular-eyed man's throat.

Blood sprayed like snowflakes. The triangular-eyed man clutched his neck, his body going limp before he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The battle was over.

Zhong Lin lowered his head and looked at the torn clothes over his abdomen. The exposed skin bore only a red mark.

"Even an ordinary person who hasn't reached rank could force me this far. Killing Chi Yan that day really was just luck!" Zhong Lin sighed inwardly.