Harvest

Both of them were covered in dust and stains, and Vulture even had a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his arm.

As their gazes swept across the crowd and finally landed on Li He, the corners of Vulture's sinister face twitched upward, revealing a malicious smile that vanished in an instant.

Li He glanced at them, turned around immediately, and walked with a limp toward the streets on the outskirts of the Old Harbor District, soon blending into the darkness.

About half an hour later.

The people in the Old Harbor District had all left, and two stealthy figures slipped in through a secluded entrance on the other side of the district.

It was Vulture and Jackal.

They looked around, confirmed that no one from the Special Task Force or anyone else was following them, then quickly converged. After whispering a few words, they crept along the perimeter wall toward the depths of the docks.

The two were extremely cautious, walking and stopping, constantly looking back to observe their surroundings. After circling several times, they finally ducked into an area of abandoned old shipyards deep within the Old Harbor District.

They stopped in front of a pile of shipping containers half-covered by a massive canvas tarp.

The two moved aside several oil drums, revealing a bundle wrapped tightly in waterproof fabric underneath.

Jackal let out a sigh of relief and reached out to grab the package.

Clang!

A loud crash suddenly erupted behind them.

Vulture and Jackal whipped their heads around just as a rusty, empty oil drum came whistling toward them.

They dodged quickly, only to collide with a cloud of lime and gravel.

"Ah, my eyes!" Jackal took the brunt of it, his eyes blinded instantly. The sharp pain and the sensation of foreign objects made him let out a shrill scream.

Vulture reacted slightly faster, jerking his head to the side and closing his eyes, but he was still struck in the cheek by a spray of gravel, which burned with intense pain.

"Damn it, it's an ambush!" Jackal was terrified. Ignoring the pain in his eyes, he relied on his combat experience to dive to the side while reaching for the weapon at his waist.

But it was all too late.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

A moment later.

The sound of the submachine gun faded. Li He dragged two corpses out from behind the shipping containers, scanned the surroundings, and once he was sure no one was there, he tossed Vulture and Jackal into the sea.

The submachine gun, now out of ammunition, was also thrown into the sea. The weapon splashed into the water and sank rapidly.

After finishing all this, Li He shouldered the bulging canvas bag and left quickly.

The night was deep.

Li He dialed a number. After a brief wait, Wang Zhengyang's voice came through: "Hello? Little He? Why are you calling so late? Is something the matter?"

"Master Wang, I took a mission from the Martial Artists Association and had some success. I'm looking for a safe place to offload the goods. Do you have any connections?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

Wang Zhengyang gave a light cough: "You kid, you've got guts. In the West City Old District, in the back alley of Xinsheng Grocery Store, there's a bar called Night Returner. The owner is Old Huai. Just tell him Old Song sent you. Remember, you must take cash."

"If you need to buy anything, you can go to the nearby Black Wind Street. There are herb shops, weapon shops, and clinics; everything you need is there. The specialty is cash transactions, no questions asked about the origin. Be sure to stay safe. Leave as soon as the trade is done; don't linger."

"I understand. Thank you, Master Wang." Li He noted the location.

"Take care of yourself," Wang Zhengyang cautioned before hanging up.

Following the directions, Li He soon found the Night Returner bar mentioned by Master Wang.

The interior of the bar was small and dimly lit, with lights only on the bar counter and a few tables in the corners.

A few scattered figures sat at the dilapidated wooden tables, their bodies bearing various scars, their auras fierce and heavy.

In the corner, there were even a few worn-out scabbards and holsters leaning against the wall; it didn't look like a place of entertainment, but rather a temporary stronghold for martial artists.

Li He's appearance drew some attention.

He ignored these gazes and walked straight to the bar.

An old man stood behind the counter, wiping a glass.

"What'll you have?" the old man asked without looking up.

"Old Song sent me." The hand wiping the glass paused slightly. The old man looked up, his eyes lingering on Li He's young face for a moment before sweeping over the bulging canvas bag on his back.

"In the back." The old man gestured with his chin toward a curtained passageway to the side of the bar.

Li He nodded, opened the door, and walked in.

Inside was a smaller room with only an old wooden table and two chairs.

Old Huai, the old man, followed in shortly after. He closed the door, sat down across from him, and lit a cheap cigarette: "The goods."

Li He didn't speak. He placed the heavy canvas bag on the table, unzipped it, and took the items out one by one, laying them before Old Huai.

Fifteen pale yellow energy crystals, ten irregular metal fragments, eight red vials of unknown purpose, and four packets of powder were the entire haul from this trip.

Old Huai tossed the four packets of powder into the trash can.

"Don't touch this kind of stuff. As for the rest... kid, your path is a bit wild. It's got the stench of Black Snake on it."

Li He felt a shiver in his heart; this old man had truly sharp eyes, but his face remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Can you take it?"

Old Huai stared at Li He for a full ten seconds before finally grinning, "Take it? Why wouldn't I? One hundred thousand in total. Do you want cash or a transfer?"

"Cash," Li He replied without hesitation.

Old Ape nodded, not asking another word.

He stood up, walked over to a heavy, old-fashioned safe in the corner, opened it with a key and a combination, and pulled out several thick stacks of Federation currency to begin counting.

The transaction was completed quickly, and Li He stuffed the thick stack of Federation currency into his backpack.

"The deal is done," Old Ape patted the safe, "The door is over there. If you have good goods in the future, you can come back."

Li He nodded without saying another word, shouldered the backpack filled with cash, lifted the curtain, and quickly left the bar.

Inside the bar, Old Huai lit another cigarette and muttered to himself, "The Black Snake Gang just had their nest raided, and already goods like this are surfacing? Old Song has taken in a good apprentice... I need to handle this quickly, too, to avoid the Black Mamba coming to my door."

Exiting the tavern.

Following the map, Li He soon arrived at Black Wind Street, as mentioned by Master Wang.

The place was brightly lit and bustling with noise. Both sides of the street were packed tight with various snack stalls, barbecue stands, and even crude juggling booths.

Li He moved quickly through the crowd, found a staircase leading underground, and descended; it became much quieter inside.

He soon found an herbal shop, gathered all the necessary medicinal ingredients, and spent all one hundred thousand in cash. The resulting concoction would be enough for him to use for ten days, which would surely be enough to cultivate the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique to the minor success stage.

As he left, Li He sensed several gazes filled with ill intent.

He didn't stop walking, his eyes sharp as knives as he swept them toward the sources of those gazes, carrying an undisguised murderous aura. Most of those covetous gazes wisely looked away.

The journey home was uneventful.

Li He finally returned home.

The next morning.

Li He set up a large tub in his bedroom with an electric stove underneath. He instructed his mother not to enter and began preparing the medicinal bath.

Following the ratios recorded in the cultivation manual, he tossed the various ingredients into the boiling hot water one by one. As the herbs hit the water, they immediately released a pungent, medicinal aroma.

Finally, he carefully opened the jar of Iron-Backed Mountain Boar bone powder. The grayish-white powder seemed to still possess vitality, with faint energy fluctuations present. The moment it entered the water, the surface seemed to be activated, bubbling and churning violently.

Li He took a deep breath, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the medicinal pool.