Steel Bones and Iron Sinews

The next day, an old man in black robes from the Black Mountain Gang arrived outside the city and walked straight toward the limestone cave.

Inside the cave, a thick, pungent scent of blood permeated the air, mingled with another medicinal odor. He sniffed the air. "Bone-softening Powder..."

He muttered to himself in a hoarse voice, then followed the trail of blood to a patch of freshly turned earth. He curled his hand into an eagle claw and plunged his arm deep into the soil.

With a forceful tug, the old man pulled out the corpse of a disheveled little old man.

"Worked to death, how miserable..."

As he spoke, he opened his mouth wide, and the corpse visibly shriveled as wisps of scarlet blood essence were sucked into the old man's mouth—a terrifying and bloody sight.

Indeed, this person was none other than the Blood Yin Child.

The Blood Yin Child closed his eyes, and a series of memories that did not belong to him surfaced in his mind, playing out like a slide show.

"Black Market, Chen Han, Heroic Assassin..."

These were the memories of the little old man before his death.

He nodded with interest, a smile curling his lips. "Chen Han... interesting..."

That same day, within Black Lion City.

The Blood Yin Child had changed his attire into a patched coir raincoat and trousers that were far too short, exposing his ankles; he looked no different from a rustic mountain villager.

He arrived at a street located near the Chen Family, a well-known martial arts clan in the city.

He only knew the person's surname was Chen, but he did not know if he was under the Chen Family's influence. If he wanted to find him, he would have to start there.

It was not that the Blood Yin Child was stubborn or that he absolutely had to kill Chen Han, but rather that this boy was extraordinary.

According to the information he had gathered, Chen Han had only been a Dark Force martial artist a few months ago, yet now he could defeat those at the Transformation Force level.

Furthermore, in the memories he had read, he had felt the terrifying fist force of Chen Han, which was clearly something only a peak Transformation Force expert could unleash.

Even if the boy were a prodigy, it was impossible for him to have improved so much in just a few short months.

Therefore, the Blood Yin Child concluded that there must be a heaven-defying secret hidden within this boy.

If it were merely excellent bone structure and martial talent, then using the Blood Yin Technique to drain him dry would likely be of significant benefit to him as well.

He might even have a chance to break through to the Martial Master realm, a level that could dominate an entire region!

The Blood Yin Child disguised himself as a farmer, sitting in a teahouse and gulping down tea cup after cup, his eyes scanning the passing crowds with feigned indifference.

Before long, he saw two young women wearing Chen Family attire passing by. He immediately trotted over, a silly, simple-minded grin plastered on his face.

"Two young ladies, please wait."

Shen Yue and Chen Huaiyu turned around to see a cheerful old man, his yellow teeth showing as he smiled.

"Is there something you need, old man?"

Shen Yue asked.

"This old man is looking for a relative. Are you two from the Chen Family?"

"Oh, I see. Since we are wearing these clothes, we are naturally from the Chen Family."

The Blood Yin Child smiled even more broadly, his face practically blooming.

"Good, good! Since you are descendants of the Chen Family, do you happen to know a young man named Chen Han?"

Shen Yue narrowed her eyes, feeling that something was off. Her brother-in-law was a live-in son-in-law; aside from the Chen Family and his own kin, what other relatives could he have?

"Chen Han? There is indeed such a person, but he is not currently at the Chen Family estate. He will likely return tonight; he is out on an errand.

If you wish to find him, you can go to the Chen Mansion tonight and ask."

Chen Huaiyu, not thinking much of it, answered the small, thin old man truthfully.

"Oh, I see. That is excellent. Thank you, young lady. This old man will be on his way now..."

With that, the Blood Yin Child left.

Only Chen Huaiyu, who acted as if nothing had happened, and a bewildered Shen Yue remained.

"Perhaps I... am overthinking it?"

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

Over these five days, the Blood Yin Child had gone to the Chen Family to look for Chen Han at least six times, but the result was always the same; he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Chen Han's shadow. Chen Han had vanished without a trace.

"Heh, missing? I suspect you got lucky and are now hiding in the Chen Family, too afraid to step out. No matter, this old man has plenty of ways to lure you out..."

At this very moment, the head of the Chen Family, Chen Feng, was also panicking.

Chen Han had not returned for five days, and there hadn't been a single shred of news.

If it were anyone else, he would have sighed and announced their death; the outside was not safe at night, and no one would stay out unless they were looking for trouble.

There was only one possibility: he was dead, his body left to rot in the wilderness.

But Chen Han was a rare martial arts talent, a prodigy of the Chen Family. It would be a terrible shame if he died. Unless the facts were laid out before him, he could not accept this outcome.

Just then, a servant came to report.

"Clan Leader, that little girl is here again."

"Is it that little girl, Shen Yue, again?"

"Precisely."

Chen Feng clicked his tongue, feeling troubled. "Just tell her I have already dispatched more men to search for her brother-in-law, so she need not worry too much."

"It is not about that; she has something to report to you."

"Report? Then let her in."

A moment later, the dainty Shen Yue entered the room and approached Chen Feng, bowing deeply with a very reserved demeanor.

"Clan Leader."

"Mm, speak your mind."

Shen Yue nodded and recounted the incident from that day when an old man had come looking for Chen Han.

Chen Feng let out an "oh" and asked, "Was that the first day Chen Han failed to return?"

"Precisely."

Chen Feng's gaze turned grave. It seemed that, just as he had expected, something had indeed happened to Chen Han. However, the fact that someone was still looking for him proved he was not yet dead; it was highly likely he had escaped.

Where could he have gone, and why not return to the clan? Was he wary of something?

Chen Feng pondered for a while but found no leads. He spoke up, "Mm, this information is very useful. You may return now; I will prioritize the matter of Chen Han."

"Yes, Clan Leader."

After Shen Yue left, Chen Feng summoned his trusted aide.

"Increase the number of men and search for Chen Han with all your might. I want to see him alive, or see his corpse."

"Yes."

Deep in the dense forest, inside a secluded cave.

Chen Han was practicing the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique. His movements were fluid and natural, unhurried yet concealing profound mysteries. His well-proportioned body was drenched in sweat, reflecting a faint glimmer in the dim firelight.

[Name: Chen Han]

[Skill: Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Proficient) 12/500]

His proficiency had been slowly rising during these days of arduous training, and at the same time, Chen Han felt subtle changes in his physique.

He felt lighter and more powerful.

Yesterday, on a whim, he had tried to lift a stone and was actually able to budge a boulder nearly nine hundred jin in weight, taller than a man and several meters wide.

The greatest change was in his sinews and bones. To an ordinary person, bones were merely common bone, and even for martial artists, they only became slightly harder through acquired tempering.

Yet, Chen Han's sinews and bones felt as if they were undergoing a fundamental transformation. He did not know exactly what kind of transformation it was, but if he had to explain it, it felt more like the bones of a beast.

"Could it really be as the martial manual says—that once this realm is mastered, one can possess steel sinews and iron bones, capable of uprooting mountains and lifting cauldrons?"

"In the normal martial path, this is a realm one would likely only reach at the peak of the Martial Artist stage. This is too exaggerated."

Furthermore, others had to rely on countless beatings and endless days of stance training to temper their bones, yet he only needed to practice Taiji.

This clearly did not seem right.

Chen Han had held this thought before, but now he felt more and more that this technique was not merely a simple health cultivation method; there was definitely an unknown background behind it.