Deep-Night Ambush

After carefully reading through the Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique, Luo Yi set the manual down on the stone table.

He assumed a stance and recalled the movements illustrated in the Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique.

"A pounce!" "A heave!" "A thrust!" "A stomp!" A figure darted and wheeled around the courtyard. Gusts of force kicked up dust and fallen leaves from the ground, sending them swirling in every direction.

After completing the entire set of moves, a notification appeared on the system panel: Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique progress +2.

Two points! Luo Yi guessed it was because his aptitude had improved to the highest grade, which had greatly increased the speed at which he cultivated Flesh Refining Realm techniques.

Luo Yi was very satisfied with the rate at which his progress was increasing. His body still felt fine, so he had no intention of stopping.

"Grr!"

As he continued practicing, his breathing took on the rhythm of a berserk bear, and from time to time, a muffled "Grr" rumbled from his throat.

At that moment, the person in the courtyard seemed to be grinding his sinews and tempering his body. From a distance, though, he looked more like a monstrous berserk bear hunting its prey, the courtyard filled with a savage aura.

He practiced like this without pause. A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the warm current spreading from his abdomen gradually faded. The effects of the tonic medicine and bear gall he had taken were nearly spent.

Knowing that practicing any longer would leave his body depleted, Luo Yi stopped and went into the kitchen to simmer some tonic medicine. Then he took another piece of bear gall.

"Phew." He drew a deep breath and continued practicing.

Before the effects of the bear gall had nearly worn off, Luo Yi took time to drink the tonic medicine. The combined effects of the two lasted for about an hour of practice this time, before the warm current in his body faded once more.

So quickly! He had expected the bear gall and tonic medicine to be less effective for a Body Refining Realm martial artist, but he hadn't thought their effects would diminish by this much.

Seeing that little bear gall and tonic medicine remained, he decided not to take any more.

Sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, Luo Yi took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Following the instructions in Introduction to Poisons, he had taken care to break the Elixir Recipe suitable for Flesh Refining Realm martial artists into five parts, mixing in a large amount of other, worthless herbs with each part. That way, no one would learn what the recipe was for and cause him trouble.

Once he had finished and made sure that only he could understand the Alchemy recipe, he planned to go to an apothecary and buy the ingredients.

Just as he stood up, Luo Yi felt the few thousand copper coins left in his pocket and gave a smile more painful than a grimace. He put the Alchemy recipe away.

He didn't have any silver to buy new herbs. The sky was also growing dark, so Luo Yi returned to his room, planning to turn in early and get up early tomorrow to figure out how to earn money for medicine.

Lying on the bed, he silently thought, Open panel:

"Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique (Uninitiated 13/200)"

This Flesh Refining Technique was much slower to cultivate than the Skin Refining Technique. An hour and a half of practice had only increased his progress by twelve points.

At his current pace, it would take nearly ten days at the very least to break through from Skin Refining and enter the Flesh Refining Realm.

If an ordinary martial artist could break through from Skin Refining to Flesh Refining in ten days, they'd probably wake up laughing. Luo Yi, however, wasn't satisfied with this speed.

As night deepened, a group of men gathered in a courtyard at the end of an alley in South District. They wore black clothes and dark head coverings, and each held a Dao.

"Little Wolf Head, all the brothers taking part in tonight's operation are here. Please give us your orders."

"Good!" After hearing his subordinate's report, Little Wolf Head nodded from the steps, turned, and called out to the crowd in the courtyard:

"Brothers, someone killed one of our Green Wolf Gang brothers yesterday. We can't let this go unavenged."

"Every brother taking part tonight can come to me for a five-tael silver reward when we get back."

Hearing that they would even get silver, the young ruffians in the courtyard shouted excitedly, "Wolf Head, you're wise! Thank you, Wolf Head!"

Hearing his brothers drop the "Little" from his name, Little Wolf Head, who was always mocked behind his back for living off a woman by selling his looks, grew instantly excited. At last, he had found a chance to prove his strength.

With an unconcealed grin, Little Wolf Head swept his hand through the air. "Brothers, move out! Let these commoners learn what happens when they offend the Green Wolf Gang."

By now, nearly all the lights in Yunlu County had gone out. Little Wolf Head led some twenty men through the night, carefully evading the soldiers patrolling the city as they crept toward the courtyard where Luo Yi lived.

The group arrived at their destination without a hitch. Little Wolf Head glanced at one of the ruffians behind him.

The ruffian understood his leader's meaning at once. He drew his Dao and cautiously lifted the door latch.

After successfully entering the courtyard, they locked the gate behind them.

Little Wolf Head looked at the two men at the back of the group and whispered, "You. You two keep watch here. No one is to come or go except me."

Having left men to block their retreat, Little Wolf Head turned to the three rooms in the courtyard. Since he didn't know exactly which room Luo Yi slept in, he hesitated.

A subordinate who had been gathering information on Luo Yi saw that their leader had been standing there for ages without moving and hurried over.

"Boss, according to what we heard, the pretty young lady lives in the west wing, and that kid lives in the east wing."

Afraid Little Wolf Head might mix up the rooms, the ruffian even pointed in the right direction.

Hearing the report and thinking of Luo Xi's beautiful face, Little Wolf Head was practically overcome with excitement.

Afraid Luo Xi would hear the fighting in the courtyard and escape, Little Wolf Head casually pointed at a few men. "You go grab the pretty young lady. The rest of you, charge into the room with me and hack that kid to death."

With that, the two groups charged toward their respective targets.

Luo Yi had been sleeping soundly when he heard footsteps running through the courtyard. He sprang out of bed and slowly drew the Dao hidden beneath his pillow.

After taking up his weapon, Luo Yi folded his clothes and arranged them on the bed, then covered them with a blanket. From a distance, it looked as if someone were sleeping there.

Once everything was ready, he heard the footsteps reach the door. He slipped aside and hurried into the nearby wardrobe.

At that moment, Little Wolf Head and a group of young ruffians stormed into Luo Yi's room.

Seeing the figure on the bed, Little Wolf Head wondered: Our footsteps were so loud. How could he still be sleeping so soundly?

A doubt rose in his mind. Worried there might be an ambush, Little Wolf Head turned to a ruffian beside him.

"You. Go up and cut him down!"

The ruffian who had been singled out cried out inwardly at his bad luck, his face twisting into an expression uglier than if he'd eaten shit.

Seeing the murderous look on his leader's face, he knew that if he didn't obey, Little Wolf Head would probably kill him instead.

Gripping his Dao tightly, he cautiously approached the bed in the corner of the room. He raised the weapon high and, with a sharp "Crack!", brought it down on the figure beneath the blanket.