"Oh." After hearing Qin Feng's words, Luo Yi smiled strangely.
"Please, sirs, come inside." He made a welcoming gesture and ushered them into the courtyard.
Qin Feng led his subordinates into the courtyard and saw that it was clean and tidy, with no signs of a fight.
"Kid, you don't mind if we take a look around the rooms, do you?" Having found nothing amiss in the courtyard, Qin Feng looked at Luo Yi as he spoke. Though he phrased it as a question, his gaze brooked no argument.
"Please." Luo Yi started to lead them into the rooms.
Looking at the calm young man, who showed none of the fear ordinary folk felt when faced with constables, Qin Feng hesitated. After a moment, he said, "Kid, there's no need to check the rooms. We'll just wander around the courtyard for a bit, go through the motions, and then leave."
"By all means, constables, look around the courtyard. I'll leave you to it!"
Paying the men no further mind, Luo Yi went to the kitchen, brewed his Tonic Medicine, and took out a piece of Bear Gall to swallow.
Once he had everything ready, he walked beneath the courtyard's great banyan tree, assumed the stances of the Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique, and began to practice.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" Luo Yi punched the air, each blow making it crack like thunder.
Qin Feng, strolling around the courtyard with his men, jumped at the sudden noise. He turned to look at the youth practicing beneath the tree. The boy threw a fierce punch, and the air in front of him seemed to ripple.
"Gulp." Qin Feng and his constables swallowed involuntarily at the sight. They couldn't help wondering what would happen if that punch landed on them.
Qin Feng shook his head, unable to imagine it, then hurried over to Luo Yi.
"Little brother, uh, we've finished our inspection. We've confirmed there's nothing wrong with your courtyard, so we'll take our leave."
With that, Qin Feng waved to his subordinates, signaling them to withdraw.
Seeing the constables about to leave, Luo Yi quickly stopped practicing and escorted the five men out of the courtyard. "Take care, constables. I won't see you off any farther."
"Of course, of course. Little brother, don't waste your time on us."
Qin Feng led his men out of the courtyard, his face instantly turning gloomy.
He had planned to use the investigation as an excuse to scrape a good layer of oil off these commoners. Instead, he'd ended up investigating a martial artist who was at least in the Flesh Refining Realm.
Feeling thoroughly unlucky, he looked at the men following behind him.
"Who reported the case to the county office this morning?"
Hearing their boss's question, one of the men hurried to answer:
"Reporting to you, Chief Qin: it was an old couple living in the alley beside this kid's."
"Good. Lead the way. If we can't squeeze any oil out of this kid, we'll go take a look at those two old fossils' place."
After seeing the men off and closing the courtyard gate, Luo Yi's smiling face instantly turned cold.
"Strength. Strength." If he were an ordinary man, those constables could have peeled his skin off today, even if they didn't kill him.
Rather than waste time on pointless imaginings, Luo Yi assumed the stances of the Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique and continued practicing.
He had practiced for a little over half an hour when a woman's cries came from the neighboring alley.
"Spare us, constable! Spare us!"
"My old man truly hasn't done anything illegal. Please investigate this fairly, constable!"
"A bunch of troublemakers! You reported a case to the county office first thing in the morning, just to cover your tracks and divert attention. Men, take these two suspects to the jail for now and await the County Magistrate's orders."
After taking the two old people into custody, Qin Feng looked at the crowd that had gathered nearby to watch.
"What? You like watching a spectacle so much? Are you accomplices of theirs?"
Afraid of being dragged into trouble for no reason, the onlookers scattered in every direction.
As Luo Yi continued practicing in the courtyard, he heard the absurd commotion in the alley and couldn't help shaking his head.
About fifteen minutes later, the effects of the Bear Gall and Tonic Medicine wore off, forcing Luo Yi to stop practicing.
He silently thought, Open Panel. Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique (Not yet initiated 25/200).
Being able to practice for only a little over an hour each day was far too slow. He had gotten more than five hundred taels of silver from that woman last night, and Luo Yi could hardly accept making such slow progress. He returned to his room, took out fifty taels of silver and the Elixir Recipe he had written earlier, tucked them into his robes, and headed for the largest apothecary in Yunlu County.
He arrived at Huang's Apothecary in the center of the market and stepped inside. Seeing the shopkeeper flirting with a young female clerk, Luo Yi handed him the recipe.
"Shopkeeper, prepare the herbs according to this Elixir Recipe. I want ten sets of each of the ingredients listed."
The shopkeeper, whose face practically oozed lechery, had his fun interrupted by Luo Yi and showed his displeasure.
He casually picked up the Elixir Recipe from the counter and studied it for a while. He noticed that each recipe listed many herbs whose medicinal properties clashed.
After giving Luo Yi a careful look, he thought, This kid looks like a decent sort. Who knows where he picked up these recipes, yet he dares use them. Well, he ruined my fun, so let's see if these medicines kill him.
The shopkeeper had no intention of warning Luo Yi about the danger. He prepared the herbs exactly as the recipes prescribed. Even if the kid really got sick from taking them, the constables couldn't pin the blame on him.
Before long, the shopkeeper emerged from the back room with a large package of herbs and handed it to Luo Yi, speaking rudely.
"Kid, that'll be fifty taels of silver."
"So expensive?" Luo Yi didn't pay right away. He opened each package, carefully examining and checking the herbs. Once he confirmed they were all right, he reluctantly took out fifty taels of silver and handed them to the shopkeeper.
"Putting on airs. If you're broke, don't come here to buy medicine." Taking the silver, the shopkeeper couldn't help insulting Luo Yi as he watched him fuss over the herbs.
Ignoring the shopkeeper's fury, Luo Yi carried the herbs home.
He spread them out on the stone table and sorted them into groups, selecting the ingredients needed to practice the Body Refining Method. He stuffed the remaining worthless herbs into a bag and tossed it into a corner of the courtyard.
After sorting the herbs, he took out one dose and went to the kitchen, where he boiled the necessary ingredients in a pot.
After boiling them for about fifteen minutes, the herbs had fully released their medicinal properties. He opened the lid and ladled out the pot's black liquid.
Ignoring its bitterness, Luo Yi swallowed the medicine in one gulp. A wave of heat surged through his abdomen. He carefully felt the warmth coursing through his body; its effects were comparable to those of the Bear Gall and Tonic Medicine he had taken before.
No wonder this Tonic Medicine cost five taels of silver. It was much more effective than the one-tael medicine he'd used before.
Without wasting any more time, he assumed the various stances of the Berserk Bear Flesh Refining Technique.
"Pounce!" "Heave!" "Ram!" "Stamp!" With each move, the warmth in his abdomen circulated through his body.
Just like that, Luo Yi kept refining his body. Before long, an hour and a half had passed, and the roiling warmth in his abdomen gradually faded.
Once the medicine had run its course, Luo Yi planted his feet and settled into a finishing stance.
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