Blood Rage, Prefectural City Lin Family

Noticing that Soul Chasing Old Man and the little Flying Head Zombie had finished being refined, Chu Ge perked up and carefully examined the messages.

Exotic Power Secret Technique—Blood Rage: Description: (Blood Rage, a secret technique passed down from Blood Exotic Yu Ruihong of the Twelve Exotics. It can burn one's blood and qi for a very short time, unleashing one's strongest blood-and-qi power. The stronger one's blood and qi, the greater the power and the longer it lasts.

Two wisps of exotic power are required to inherit and master it. One must possess and awaken Spiritual Aptitude to comprehend it independently and learn it. Once learned, it can be used without expending exotic power.)

Refined Imp: Description: (A refined imp extracted from an inferior Flying Head Zombie made by a headhunter. It is rather precious and far superior to an ordinary imp. It is the crucial core that Soul Chasing Old Man used to control the Flying Head Zombie with headhunting arts. It excels at finding treasures, exploring hidden places, and possessing people.

Controlling it requires one wisp of exotic power each day to feed it. Using the refined imp's abilities will consume even more exotic power.)

Exotic Power Crystal: Description: (A number of exotic power crystals extracted from the Corpse Driving Banner. Sacrificing them to the Dragon Clock can convert them into one hundred and twenty-three wisps of exotic power.)

Seeing the three messages before him, Chu Ge was delighted.

An exotic power secret technique, a refined imp, and exotic power crystals that could be converted into a large amount of exotic power.

He had really taken down the great boss of Linyuan City's newbie village and scored an enormous haul.

"I didn't expect Soul Chasing Old Man's secret technique to be connected to the Twelve Exotics, too. It's one of the Blood Exotics. Were the Twelve Exotics strange people like Wine Exotic Lu Zongzhao? How did Soul Chasing Old Man get this secret technique?"

"He was able to learn it, so he must have had Spiritual Aptitude. I can expend exotic power to inherit and master it, but to learn it completely on my own, I'll need Spiritual Aptitude myself."

Thoughts raced through Chu Ge's mind. He immediately converted all the exotic power crystals into exotic power.

As for the secret technique and refined imp, the place and circumstances weren't suitable for inheriting and mastering them now. He would have to wait until he reached the prefectural city.

Chu Ge immediately dispelled the Crimson Scale Claws.

He could feel the cool, bloodline aura of the Red Scale Claw Fish inside his arms had grown much fainter.

Perhaps using this innate ability one more time would exhaust the Spirit Fish's bloodline completely.

Unless he obtained another corresponding Spirit Fish, it would be difficult to possess this ability again.

He felt a little regretful, but he didn't regret using it this time.

When masters fought, life and death were often decided in an instant.

If you launched a sneak attack without going all out, you were giving your opponent a chance to turn the tables. If you died, you had no one to blame but yourself.

He casually gave a tug on a specially made transparent thread.

Whoosh—

The Shadow Puppet flashed out of the woods. The instant it pounced onto him, the exotic power withdrew, and it was squeezed flat again, becoming a black cloak draped over his shoulders.

For now, the Shadow Puppets he made could only disguise themselves as him or someone else. They could assist in battle, confuse enemies, or conceal poison inside their bodies to launch surprise attacks.

The puppets seemed to have ordinary uses, but even just acting as a double to confuse enemies in battle had often helped him seize the advantage. Soul Chasing Old Man and Dark Poison Child had both suffered badly because of it.

He was about to turn and leave with Xiao Qian.

Suddenly, he heard faint sounds coming from beyond the woods. His gaze flashed, and he told Xiao Qian to hide before darting away and vanishing from the spot.

Beside the road outside the woods, four Yellow Turban Sect thugs were holding their breath as they slowly backed away. Every one of them looked terrified and was wound tight with tension.

They could hardly believe that the prey they had been robbing had suddenly transformed into a ferocious beast, even killing their own steward. It was utterly terrifying.

And this man wasn't just mysterious and frightening, seemingly a demonic martial artist; his various methods were also utterly baffling.

Suddenly, the four men felt their vision blur.

The terrifying, burly figure in the woods some distance away had vanished. Their hair stood on end, and their foreheads turned cold with sweat.

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and all four immediately turned and fled.

But then came a THUD!

The first man to run turned around and slammed into something like a small mountain, staggering backward from the impact.

He looked up and saw the very fiend who had just killed their steward. The man was tall and powerfully built, with chest muscles bulging beneath his collar like solid rock. His arms looked as if they had been forged from iron bars, brimming with astonishing strength. He had clearly practiced some kind of body-tempering martial art.

"Your steward killed my horse, and you still think you can run?"

Chu Ge smiled faintly at the four men blocking his way. He thought his smile was kind and radiant, but to them, it looked terrifying.

The four Yellow Turban thugs, who had been vicious as fiends, now felt a chill creep down their spines from top to bottom.

"Kill!"

Two of them suddenly summoned their courage and charged forward with a shout.

The other two leapt backward and fled.

"Good teamwork!"

Chu Ge smiled faintly and thrust out both arms. His attack swept forth with the force of a thunderclap weighing ten thousand jun. The moment his fists moved, surging waves of force choked the air from their noses.

The greatest difference between a Blood Change Realm martial artist and martial artists of the first three realms, including Bone Training, was the ability to release force outward and protect the entire body with blood and qi, drawing them in and releasing them at will.

As Chu Ge attacked, it was as if he had raised a raging tide. The air churned wildly like boiling mud.

The few martial artists, who had only reached the Muscle and Skin Refining Realm, naturally had no chance of escaping his grasp.

However, he didn't kill them outright.

Instead, he subdued all four.

"Y-you... what do you want?"

"Kill us or skin us, do as you please! If you're a real man, give us a quick death!"

The four sat collapsed on the ground, their faces yellow with fear. They trembled all over like they had the ague, their legs shaking like sieves.

They felt Chu Ge's eyes darting around with ill intent, like drills boring into their hearts.

"I'm not killing you right now. Your steward killed my horse, so now the four of you can either be my horses—or die right here!"

Chu Ge folded his arms across his chest. His tall, burly frame radiated an intimidating presence as he gazed at the four men, completely at ease.

All four swallowed nervously, their hearts feeling as if they were about to leap out of their throats. Hearing Chu Ge say they would only have to be horses and wouldn't die immediately, they all relaxed and nodded like pounding garlic.

Better to live a shabby life than die. As long as they were alive, they still had a chance.

"I thought every one of you from the Yellow Turban Sect was a hero who wasn't afraid to die."

Chu Ge scoffed. "Seems you're still not as crazy as that bunch from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult! Say thank you."

The four blushed with shame, but at Chu Ge's last words, they all froze.

One of them stammered instinctively, "Th-thank you..."

"Good! You have manners."

Chu Ge smiled and pointed at the carriage. He told the other three, "Go take care of that. Drag the horse away."

"Yes, yes!"

A short while later, a peculiar carriage, dragged by four burly men, began rolling along the mountain road with a clatter. It was an incredibly bizarre sight.

While Chu Ge was driving the four men toward Jiangcheng Prefecture, two Hidden Water Sect disciples had already arrived in the prefectural city and were waiting for the young master of the Chu Family.

However, the two disciples were soon invited to the Lin Family residence in the prefectural city, where they became honored guests.

At that moment, in a garden pavilion at the Lin Family estate, Lin Tao was smiling as he entertained the two outer disciples, leaving them both deeply flattered.

"Senior Brother Lin, you shouldn't! We should be the ones to toast you. We'll drink first!"

"That's right, Senior Brother Lin. Please, have as much or as little as you like!"

When had these two outer disciples ever been treated this way by a true disciple senior brother at the Force Condensation Realm?

They already felt as though an incredible blessing had befallen them just to be chosen for the task of serving Chu Feixue, the newly promoted true disciple.

Now, in the presence of Lin Tao, another true disciple, they were deferential and humble, hardly daring to breathe.

"Come now, you two don't need to be so formal!"

Lin Tao raised a hand to stop them. He was refined and graceful, smiling warmly as he said, "What concerns Fei Xue concerns me, too. You should both know that I've always pursued your Senior Sister Chu.

"My Lin Family is one of the five great families in Jiangcheng Prefecture. As a senior brother and the host here in Jiangcheng Prefecture, of course I should welcome my fellow disciples who've come to do a job."

Neither outer disciple had heard that Lin Tao was pursuing Chu Feixue, but they were quick to catch on and nodded their thanks.

"What's your task?"

"We're to follow Steward Song's instructions. Senior Sister Chu told us to pick up her younger brother, Chu Ge, and escort him straight to the town at the foot of the sect's mountain, where he can rest."

"Senior Brother Lin, look. This is Young Master Chu's portrait. He's truly handsome, just as one would expect from Senior Sister Chu's younger brother."

The other disciple hurried to curry favor, taking out Chu Ge's portrait to show him.

The Chu Ge in the portrait looked much younger, as if it had been painted several years ago. He still had a youthful, innocent look.

Lin Tao's eyes lit up. He took the portrait, studied it, and smiled approvingly. "Not bad. He does look a little like Fei Xue. The older sister is beautiful, and the younger brother is handsome, too."

Hearing this, the two outer disciples assumed Lin Tao was simply fond of everything connected to her. They hurried to laugh along and flatter him.

Lin Tao changed the subject. "But there's a problem with your assignment. It's not right."

"Huh? Senior Brother Lin, what's the problem?"

"Think about it. Fei Xue's younger brother has been pampered all his life. He's a person of great importance. How could he arrive in Jiangcheng Prefecture and immediately rush off with you to stay in a town at the foot of the mountain, covered in dust from the journey?"

Lin Tao shook his head. "Fei Xue's arrangement is unreasonable. It would be too hard on our little brother. I think you should bring him to stay at the Lin Family residence for a while, then I'll personally arrange for someone to escort him there."

"Ah?" The two outer disciples were dumbfounded.

"B-but, Senior Brother Lin, this was Senior Sister Chu's arrangement. We..."

"Her arrangement is her arrangement. It's unreasonable, so I'll make a different one. This is for her younger brother's own good."

Lin Tao frowned slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes. Then he smiled at the two men again. "Don't worry. When Chu Ge arrives, I'll receive him personally. If Fei Xue has a problem with it, I'll explain things to her myself. I won't put either of you in a difficult position.

"For the next few days, stay here at the Lin Family residence and enjoy yourselves. There's no need to rush back to the sect."

His tone was calm, but there was no room for argument.

"Well..." One disciple was still hesitating.

The other quickly tugged at his sleeve. "Since Senior Brother Lin has said so, let's do as he wishes. After all, you and Senior Sister Chu are close. Her younger brother is your younger brother, too. It's only right that you host him!"

"Ah, yes, yes! Senior Brother Lin, you're right!"

"Good!"

Lin Tao smiled as though it were only right and proper.

Soon, he left the garden pavilion and went to a bright hall, where he summoned a servant.

"Have you contacted the stewards of the other families? My Lin Family may compete with them, but they should still give me, Lin Tao, some face."

"Eldest Young Master, I've contacted them. They've all done as you instructed."

"Good!"

A confident smile appeared on Lin Tao's handsome face as he slowly clenched his fist.

He naturally wouldn't go to receive Chu Ge in person right away.

Offering goodwill first often went unappreciated and lowered one's status.

It also made it harder to get the other person to follow him wholeheartedly.

But he knew exactly what a country bumpkin from some backwater place would do after arriving in the prefectural city.

Chu Feixue wouldn't yield easily, so he would first win over her younger brother, Chu Ge. Then surely it wouldn't be long before he had Chu Feixue, too.