At dusk, Shen Han returned to the little courtyard in the east of the city.
He immediately took out a batch of ingredients for Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water and simmered them over a low flame in a medicinal stove.
Before long, a faint, delicate fragrance rose into the air.
"The Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water smells so much better than Qi Condensing Powder. At last, I won't have to put up with that stench anymore..."
Shen Han muttered to himself.
While waiting for the medicinal brew to finish simmering, he took the other items out of the Bronze Mirror.
First came the Returning Cloud Pills.
There were nine pills in the two bottles of forbidden medicine. The example of Cao Ziping, the Green Garment Gang's leader, had shown that these Returning Cloud Pills were no ordinary medicine. As long as someone still had a breath left, they could keep him alive. It was just unclear how they had stolen them from the palace.
"These pills could be useful to me..."
Next came the silk cloth covered in four patterns, along with the Dark Iron Brick and the Soul-Illuminating Jade Seal.
Shen Han leaned closer to the oil lamp and studied the silk cloth carefully, especially the four characters "Mystic Frost Soul-Sealing" written on it.
It was obvious that each character came from the name of one of the four objects.
Mystic: Dark Iron Brick.
Frost: Cold Frost Wood Mirror.
Seal: Heavenly Seal-Opening Bead.
Soul: Soul-Illuminating Jade Seal.
But how exactly was this thing supposed to be used?
Iron Fist Villa had been searching for the Dark Iron Brick for years, and Du Chong had kept the Soul-Illuminating Jade Seal close at hand. If these items were ordinary, they would never have gone to such lengths. That was proof enough that the claim about accelerating cultivation wasn't just a baseless rumor.
But how was he supposed to make it work?
Shen Han had no clue.
After all, there were no hidden mechanisms on the Dark Iron Brick or the Soul-Illuminating Jade Seal. Their materials were simply unusual.
"I'll think about it later..."
He put everything back into the Bronze Mirror.
For now, having his clone cultivate was the only way.
Fortunately, his clone was exceptionally talented, making progress by leaps and bounds. It was truly an astonishing existence.
Mirror Master: Shen Han Cultivation: Flesh Refining Technique: Ancient Sun Technique (Great Accomplishment) Martial Arts: Angry Dragon Divine Fist (Perfected), Sky-Splitting Blade Technique (Perfected) Skill: Medicine (Perfected)
The clone grew more and more adept at circulating energy through its meridians, and its efficiency at condensing true qi kept improving. Its strength visibly increased by the day.
"Let's try the medicine."
After waiting a little longer, the Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water was ready.
The medicinal brew was clear and translucent. Shen Han carried it to the Bronze Mirror and instructed his clone to drink it and begin cultivating at once.
"It works up to the Bone Refining stage, so this is the perfect chance to see how effective it is!"
The next moment, the clone understood. It tipped its head back and drained the entire bowl of Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water.
Then it sat cross-legged and began cultivating, letting the medicine work its way through its body.
"Whew..."
Shen Han immediately felt the change.
The tremendous wave of warmth the Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water brought to his clone flowed into his body as well. It surged like boiling water, as if it might spill over at any moment.
"Fantastic!"
Shen Han couldn't help shouting.
Looking into the mirror again, he saw his clone steaming all over, hard at work cultivating.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
The clone was drenched in sweat, but the results were excellent: the purity of its true qi had improved by a full thirty percent.
"The Four Stages of Martial Arts are Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Tendon Refining, and Bone Refining. This will greatly shorten the time it takes me to break through to Tendon Refining.
"Marrow-Cleansing and Tendon-Forging Water really is extraordinary. Qi Condensing Powder can't compare. Its only drawback is the price. No wonder Wen He and his apprentice extorted such a large sum of money.
"But no matter what, I have to make sure I get a dose every day!"
Shen Han made up his mind.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to give his clone a daily dose of this high-grade medicinal brew.
He had twenty-four doses left. He certainly couldn't go back to the Green Garment Gang for more ingredients, so he would have to find another way and come up with a different plan.
"Keep cultivating, clone. I'm going to bed."
After fetching water and washing up, Shen Han flopped down on his bed.
His clone cultivated day and night while he provided enough food. As he put it, they had divided up the work and were striving together, cooperating for mutual benefit...
Stone Ox Mountain, Green Garment Gang.
Secret chamber.
"What did you say? My Lin'er was hacked to death with a single blow!"
The Green Garment Gang's leader, Cao Ziping, stamped his foot hard and roared at the four martial artists kneeling before him.
The martial artists trembled with fear. "Yes. The Young Gang Leader never had a chance to fight back. He was cleaved in two... The four of us risked our lives just to escape and bring back the news..."
The deputy leader, Li Shan, gave a cold snort. "Who was the killer?"
"An Ugly Man. He killed the Young Gang Leader, then chopped off Du Chong's head from the Black Dragon Gang..."
The martial artist recounted everything that had happened the night before.
At this, Cao Ziping's face turned livid. "This happened because of that traitor, Qin Wu. His entire family must pay for it! Supervisor Meng, there's no time to lose. Take my written order and kill Qin Wu's whole family!"
"Yes, Gang Leader!"
Meng Songyun quickly accepted the order and withdrew. The four martial artists watched him go, their hearts filled with dread.
"By the way, Old Li, have you ever heard of that Ugly Man?"
Cao Ziping turned to Li Shan.
"No."
Li Shan shook his head. "I've been active in Three Rivers County's martial world for decades, and I've never seen an ugly middle-aged expert like that."
Cao Ziping frowned. "Then this is strange. Who would dare attack both the Green Garment Gang and the Black Dragon Gang?"
"Could it be the Moon Worship Cult?" Li Shan suggested.
Cao Ziping waved a hand. "I know Deputy Incense Master Bai Wei's level of cultivation. In my opinion, his men wouldn't dare openly challenge the Green Garment Gang."
Li Shan said, "But this matter is no small thing. Gang Leader, we must prepare in advance."
Cao Ziping said gravely, "Exactly. And we can't let our fight with the Black Dragon Gang stop.
"You four, where is my Lin'er's body?"
The four martial artists hurriedly replied, "It's still at the other courtyard..."
"Bastards! Then how dare you come back here?" Cao Ziping's expression turned cold. "Old Li, deal with them!"
"I'll do as you command, Gang Leader."
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shan made his move. He snapped the necks of all four martial artists, killing them on the spot.
Meanwhile, at the Black Dragon Gang's headquarters.
Three men wore grave expressions.
They were the Black Dragon Gang's senior leaders.
The leader, Du Guangling, was tall and fierce-looking.
The left guardian, Ding Dian, was dressed like a scholar.
The right guardian, Cai Long, wore a straw hat.
"Gang Leader, I haven't found out who that Ugly Man is yet," Cai Long reported, cupping his fists.
Ding Dian added, "That's right. As far as I know, there's no such person in Three Rivers County."
Du Guangling's expression turned savage. "He killed my Chong'er and even humiliated him by what he did to his head. He's clearly coming for the Black Dragon Gang. This is beyond endurance!"
"Cao Lin of the Green Garment Gang died at his hands too," Cai Long added.
Du Guangling drew a deep breath. "Could he be planning to take on both our gangs by himself?"
Ding Dian hurriedly said, "Gang Leader, could that fellow be from Iron Fist Martial Hall?"
"Unlikely," Du Guangling replied. "My spy at the martial hall says there isn't an ugly middle-aged man among them."
Ding Dian said, "That's intriguing."
Du Guangling pondered for a moment, then barked, "One day, I'll tear that Ugly Man to pieces and avenge my Chong'er! Cai Long, Ding Dian, continue your secret investigation. The moment you learn anything, report back to me!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Besides, swallowing up the Green Garment Gang is urgent. We're at the point where every coin counts. The next time you take people to collect protection fees, raise the price!"
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