Treasure Pill, Tiger Leopard Bone Forging

This time, killing Shopkeeper Lin was something Liang Qisheng had planned carefully before acting.

No one would ever suspect that a mere Meat Refining executioner from distant Blade-Casting Town could sneak through the night, strike with a single fatal blow, and then flee a hundred li before anyone was the wiser.

Even if the Li Family or Nine Harmonies Hall were as resourceful as the heavens themselves, they would never pin the blame on him.

Liang Qisheng's mind was clear and his gains were plentiful.

After carefully sorting everything out, his harvest was as follows:

Silver notes totaling over three thousand taels—this included both Nine Harmonies Hall's procurement funds and Shopkeeper Lin's personal savings.

This single haul fattened Liang Qisheng's once-lean purse to bursting.

It wasn't just a gain; it was a windfall from the heavens, a massive stroke of fortune.

He no longer had to calculate every copper like when he bought Body Tempering Pills.

There were also two martial arts manuals.

Flying Eagle Steps, though only a part of the Thirteen Flying Eagle Forms.

Still, this lightness technique could save his life; in the jianghu, such skills were generally far more valuable than combat techniques of the same level, and it could make up for his shortcomings.

Once he mastered it, he would be as light as a swallow, as swift as an eagle soaring through the sky.

He had witnessed the advantages of this technique firsthand when Shopkeeper Lin hunted him that day.

From now on, even if he faced a powerful enemy he couldn't defeat, Liang Qisheng would have a sliver of a chance to retreat.

The other manual was the supremely superior combat technique, Great Vajra Finger.

After returning, Liang Qisheng had made discreet inquiries into the origins of this martial art.

He learned it was a Vajra Sect martial art from the Western Regions—fierce in power, overbearing and sinister—truly a top-tier art that even Bone Refining martial artists feared.

Originally, Shopkeeper Lin had prepared it for his own future advancement, but it had fallen into Liang Qisheng's hands.

For the time being, he wouldn't need to worry about finding a new technique.

Then there was that box wrapped in golden-thread tiger-leopard dragon patterns.

After returning, Liang Qisheng spent some effort and finally opened it.

To his surprise, it contained only a single pill and an oilskin wrapping with writing on it.

The small characters detailed the pill's origins.

This thing was far too precious; in a sense, it was in no way inferior to the Great Vajra Finger.

In fact, it might even be more valuable.

The Liaodong Tiger-Leopard Sect was a famous major sect in Quanzhou.

Its foothold in the prefectural city meant it was far beyond the reach of small, backwater forces like the three families of Shiwu County.

Even the Shi family, the local tyrants of Shiwu County whom Liang Qisheng saw as an unshakable colossus, were nothing more than country bumpkins with a bit of power in the eyes of the prefectural sects.

And this Tiger-Leopard Bone-Forging Pill was a renowned and precious pill that the Tiger-Leopard Sect had been famous for over two hundred years.

It was said to be refined from tiger bones and leopard marrow, combined with ninety-five rare herbs, to strengthen the body, nourish the physique, and enrich the blood and qi.

Its ability to forge bones and adjust one's bone structure was truly unparalleled.

Even in Shiwu County, it was unlikely anyone had ever seen such a top-tier pill.

Even the Li Family, one of the county's three great clans, would have had to expend tremendous effort and a bit of luck to obtain this pill.

Seeing the writing on that oilskin seal, Liang Qisheng was completely stunned.

He had never imagined that this pill was merely passing through Lotus Town in transit, meant to be delivered to the Li Family's old patriarch for his eightieth birthday celebration—and he had intercepted it.

This kind of hot potato, Liang Qisheng dared not sell openly; he could only consume it himself.

Moreover, such a top-tier pill had a price but no market; it simply couldn't be bought, and he wasn't foolish enough to sell it.

"Nine Harmonies Hall was essentially the Li Family's white glove in Lotus Town. Lin Lang's rise to the position of head shopkeeper wasn't just because he was a Li Family houseborn; his skills and cunning were both indispensable."

"...The blood on his hands wasn't just one or two lives. Just from him alone, I gained over a hundred Merit Points."

That day, after the fatal strike, Liang Qisheng had checked the data in his mind:

"...Slaying a criminal wretch, gained one hundred and sixteen Merit Points!"

Merit Points didn't care about one's background; as long as one's hands were stained with blood, they were mostly guilty.

But over a hundred Merit Points meant Shopkeeper Lin was a truly great villain.

Of course, it could also be due to multiple factors like his higher strength—Liang Qisheng would need to verify this further later on.

As the saying goes, when a whale falls, all things thrive.

It was no exaggeration to say that Shopkeeper Lin's fall had left Liang Qisheng stuffed to the brim.

"Murder and arson buy a golden belt; bridge-building and road-mending leave no bones."

"...Ill-gotten gains are hard to chew, but they sure taste good."

The matter in Lotus Town, with the Li Family stepping in, would still stir up no small aftermath.

But for Liang Qisheng, this affair was already over.

He traveled a thousand li by night, killed in the darkness, withdrew upon success, left no trace, and suffered no consequences.

By now, he had already cast the entire matter from his mind.

Next, Liang Qisheng would devote all his energy to tempering his body.

He was already at the late stage of Meat Refining; with enough Body Tempering Pills, he would soon reach Meat Refining Perfection.

The gleaming silver notes in his hands were indeed burning hot, but Liang Qisheng decided to hold off for now.

He would not touch the Li Family's two-thousand-five-hundred-tael Great Silver Banknote for the moment, lest he attract unwanted attention.

He still had Shopkeeper Lin's five-hundred-tael private savings in hand, enough to temporarily solve his resource shortage.

Buying a large quantity of Body Tempering Pills would be more than sufficient.

After all, at ten taels of silver per Body Tempering Pill, Liang Qisheng's main principle was quantity over quality—plenty to go around.

Besides, it was ill-gotten wealth; spending it carried no psychological burden.

Fifteen days later, when the last Body Tempering Pill was accompanied by a toad-like croaking in his abdomen, Liang Qisheng's blood and qi surged like a furnace.

Torrents of sweat seeped out through his pores, the medicinal power accumulating in his flesh and blood, making his entire body feel as if it were boiling.

Liang Qisheng stood up and exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi.

He stretched his limbs, then began to practice the Black Tiger Fist.

As the martial technique Liang Qisheng had cultivated the longest since entering this world, the Black Tiger Fist had been deduced to 97% completion, already at Perfection, with only 3% remaining until Mastery.

In Liang Qisheng's hands, this fist technique erupted with far greater power than it did in others'.

Hungry Tiger Pounces on the Sheep.

Tiger Roars in the Mountain Forest.

Black Tiger Descends the Mountain...

Move by move, the fist technique flowed with Liang Qisheng's body's motion.

As the air trembled, he had already transformed into a fierce black tiger.

His form shifted, his tiger might shaking the heavens.

On the quiet training ground, vicious winds howled, and tiger roars shook the sky.

The entire plaza was enveloped by this terrifying gale, with fist winds rippling in all directions.

This time, Liang Qisheng did not continue the demonstration. After completing the full set of techniques, he stopped and stood, letting his breath disperse the turbid qi in his abdomen.

"Finally at Mastery. All that accumulated medicinal power from the Body Tempering Pills has seeped into my flesh and blood, completely filling the gaps in my body."

"Too bad—eating too much has built up resistance; these Body Tempering Pills are now useless."

He casually clenched his fist and punched the air, producing a loud "thump, thump."

Clearly, Liang Qisheng's body had fully absorbed all the essence of the Body Tempering Pills.

Moreover, his own strength had begun a new transformation.

Surpassing the strength of two oxen, he had thoroughly solidified his foundation, making it unshakably firm.