I'm a law-abiding citizen, you know

Zhao Hu sighed, then fished an egg and three boiled sweet potatoes from his pocket and held them out to Chu Fan.

Chu Fan did not refuse. He lowered his head and accepted them.

The egg and sweet potatoes were still slightly warm, clearly freshly cooked.

Zhao Hu sighed again. "That fishing net of yours was torn up by those beasts with Liu Da... If you have nothing to eat these next few days, come eat at my house."

"Help me weave some baskets first. Later, I'll ask around and see whether I can buy you a fishing net cheaply..."

"Uncle Zhao, there's no need." Chu Fan hesitated before saying, "I'm working as a miscellaneous worker at the Seven Star Gang. I won't starve."

"What? The Seven Star Gang?!" Zhao Hu was shocked. "How did you end up joining the Seven Star Gang? A gang like that..."

Within Qingyang Ancient City, gangs stood thick as trees in a forest, slaughtering one another endlessly for profit. No one knew how many died every month.

Even impoverished families would rather sell themselves into slavery than let their children join a gang.

Selling oneself as a slave at least brought in some money, and one's life would be safe.

But after joining those gangs, a single misstep could leave one's corpse sprawled in the street!

That was why, over the years, gangs like the Seven Star Gang and the Blood Saber Sect mostly recruited vagrants. Children from respectable families were exceedingly rare.

Zhao Hu had never imagined that after only half a month apart, Chu Fan had entered the Seven Star Gang.

But on second thought, Chu Fan's circumstances were so miserable. If he did not join the Seven Star Gang, how else could he survive?

"...You're only a miscellaneous worker?"

Zhao Hu came back to his senses and relaxed slightly.

Miscellaneous work was bitter and exhausting, but it was still better than fighting other gangs.

After offering Zhao Hu a few more reassurances, Chu Fan saw Zhao Hu and his wife out.

Back inside the house.

He ate the egg and sweet potatoes Zhao Hu had brought, then began recalling every scene from tonight's killings.

Perhaps because his strength had grown, he found that killing Liu Da and the others had not made him as nervous as being chased by monsters in online games in his previous life.

Chu Fan knew why.

Deep in his bones, he had always possessed a streak of ruthlessness and madness.

In his previous life, the noise from upstairs had disturbed the neighbors, and he had gotten into a conflict with the people above him.

The upstairs neighbors had brought a group of people charging down to beat him. Without a second thought, he had turned and rushed into the kitchen, emerging with a kitchen knife.

If those people had not run quickly enough, blood would have flowed like a river.

Because he had never intended to use the knife to scare anyone.

He really would have chopped them.

And if he had, he definitely would not have chopped only one person.

If things had truly ended that way...

Perhaps he would have vanished into ashes and smoke.

Or perhaps he would have crossed into this world several years earlier?

Even after thinking back on it many years later, he would still have made the same choice.

That was the greatest difference in temperament between him and the original owner of this body.

Chu Fan took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and looked at the Mountains and Rivers Map panel.

[Spiritual Essence: 31.9]

After saving up for so many days, finally... Hm?!

Seeing the Spiritual Essence on the panel, Chu Fan's eyes suddenly widened!

This number was wrong!

When he had returned from the Seven Star Gang, his Spiritual Essence had clearly been 24.7!

After "Literacy Technique" had continuously improved, his memory was now excellent. There was no way he could have remembered wrong!

Why had it surged to 31.9 overnight?

Could it be...

The images of Liu Da and the others' deaths flashed through Chu Fan's mind.

In the darkness, a bright light flashed through Chu Fan's eyes!

When eating food had increased his Spiritual Essence before, he had understood it as the Mountains and Rivers Map drawing some kind of energy incomprehensible to ordinary people from food and medicinal herbs.

He had also wondered whether there were other ways to increase Spiritual Essence.

It was as if an invisible force were tempting him to begin a killing spree.

I'm a law-abiding citizen, you know...

Chu Fan sighed inwardly, walked out of the room, and stood in the corridor.

He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, spread his feet neither square nor splayed, shoulder-width apart, raised both hands, and assumed the Opening stance of Twelve Forms Boxing.

Huff!

Inhale!

Huff!

Inhale!

The standing practice of Twelve Forms Boxing worked in tandem with the breathing method, beginning to circulate Qi and Blood.

Then, his entire skeletal frame rose and fell like rippling waves, trembling faintly.

He could sense it...

The wisps of scattered Blood Qi he had sensed before were rapidly flowing through his Limbs and Bones.

Dragon Form!

Tiger Form!

Horse Form...

Chu Fan slowed down and began performing Twelve Forms Boxing.

The originally scattered Qi and Blood Force linked together like strands of thread, twisting tightly around one another until they finally formed a "hemp rope"!

Under Chu Fan's control, that "hemp rope," formed from vigorous, dense Qi and Blood, was repeatedly twisted tight and tempered back and forth, becoming an even more powerful force!

This was circulating Qi and Blood.

Only when that hemp-rope-like Qi and Blood Force had been tempered without end and would no longer disperse could one be said to have truly grasped Blood Qi.

Chu Fan did not dare relax.

Though his movements were slow, his hands and feet never stopped. His boxing never broke, and he remained in the state of circulating Qi and Blood throughout.

Merely gathering scattered Blood Qi in one place did not count as success.

This strand of Qi and Blood Force had to be hammered and polished over and over before it could finally stabilize.

If a practitioner lacked firm will or became distracted, that strand of Blood Qi might disperse again, reducing all previous efforts to nothing!

Chu Fan guided that strand of Qi and Blood Force through one meridian after another.

Throughout the process, scattered Blood Qi continually joined it.

That force grew ever stronger, and ever harder to control!

Like a little snake growing into a python.

On that freezing winter night, sweat actually seeped from Chu Fan's forehead!

Huff!

Huff!

His chest rose and fell without pause, like the huge bellows pulled when a Fire Kiln opened its furnace!

Time slowly passed.

When the Hour of the Ox arrived, Chu Fan's entire body suddenly shuddered!

Boom!

A violent Force of Qi burst from his body, scattering the falling snowflakes outside the corridor.

"The first strand of Qi and Blood Force is complete!"

Chu Fan opened his eyes, walked into the yard, and bent down to pick up a piece of round wood.

He gripped the round wood with his left hand and threw out a fierce punch with his right!

Bang!

A dull sound rang out in the darkness. The round wood exploded instantly, splinters flying everywhere!

"Just by gathering one strand of Qi and Blood Force, my strength is already several times greater than before!"

Chu Fan felt an indescribable exhilaration in his heart as he began performing Twelve Forms Boxing in the snow.

The wind from his fists howled, sweeping up countless snowflakes.

Only after performing Twelve Forms Boxing four times in one breath did he finally show signs of fatigue and head back inside.

[Skill: Twelve Forms Boxing (Major Accomplishment) Progress: (37/800) (Trait: None)]

Including the round when he had gathered the Qi and Blood Force, he had performed it five times tonight.

The second round had gained 7 points of experience, while each of the other four had gained 6 points.

At this rate, the time Twelve Forms Boxing needed to advance from Major Accomplishment to Perfection would likely not differ much from the time it had taken to advance from Minor Accomplishment to Major Accomplishment!

That was the benefit of vigorous Blood Qi.

When he had first entered the Seven Star Gang, practicing Twelve Forms Boxing six times in a day had already been more than his body could bear.

But now, after practicing five times in one breath, his fatigue was actually less than after practicing once back then!

Early the next morning.

Chu Fan climbed out from beneath his blankets, intending to practice Twelve Forms Boxing twice first.

A burst of commotion suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Led by Zhao Hu, two constables pounded heavily on the door with a large hole in it. "Is Chu Fan here? Come out!"

Chu Fan's heart gave a slight jolt.

What was going on?

Qingyang Ancient City's Outer City had always been chaotic, and people often died violent deaths. The authorities had never bothered to intervene.

A few days ago, Big Brother Liu had been beaten to death in the street by the Fishery Bully. The constables had only come to take a look and had not truly pursued the murderer.

Why had Liu Da and the others' deaths been traced to him?

Judging by the situation, perhaps too many people had died overnight, alarming the authorities?

Chu Fan walked over and opened the gate. "I am Chu Fan. May I ask what business you officers have with me?"