Xiang Lingfei clutched the ten taels of silver in his palm, but their cold touch did nothing to soothe the fire scorching his insides.
He staggered out of River-Breaking Martial Hall, his legs so unsteady it felt as if he were walking on cotton. Every step took sheer force of will to keep him from collapsing on the spot.
With each step, his vision flickered between black and white. A constant ringing filled his ears, and the world seemed to spin around him.
The past half month had been nothing short of being dragged straight into hell for Xiang Lingfei.
He had once been Liu Chuzhou's most capable right-hand man, and one of the notable Second Blood Martial Artists among the Outer City's younger generation.
Wherever he went, people treated him with courtesy and eagerly sought his company.
But now he had fallen so low that he had to bow his head and borrow money wherever he could, all while watching people's expressions.
And there was only one culprit behind it all—
That damned Longevity Blessing Paste!
Half a month ago.
Liu Chuzhou had taken him to a secret gathering.
There, a mysterious man who called himself Master Li produced a dark-red, paste-like substance and claimed it was a miracle drug that could help people break through their cultivation bottlenecks.
At first, Xiang Lingfei had been wary. But with Liu Chuzhou's hints and everyone else egging him on, he had ultimately failed to hold the line and tried just a tiny bit.
At first, a strange, sweet fragrance seeped into his nostrils, and heat instantly surged through his body. His blood and qi churned, as if every meridian had been unblocked. The sluggishness he usually felt while cultivating vanished, replaced by a long-forgotten sense of ease.
The sensation was so