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The next day.

Lu Li carried a medicine basket on his back, filled with a large haul of meat covered by a layer of herbs to conceal both the items and the scent of blood.

He did not buy the meat from a single stall; instead, he visited several, purchasing small amounts at each to avoid raising suspicion.

As a medicine gatherer, buying a little at a time was acceptable, but buying in bulk would inevitably invite unwanted attention.

His current strength was more than enough to deal with ordinary people, but against a martial artist in the Flesh Refining Realm, he was still lacking.

Moreover, there were plenty of Flesh Refining Realm martial artists to be found in Longwind County.

Therefore, it was better to be cautious; if he were to get entangled in something, the losses would outweigh the gains.

He walked back along the road.

During the journey, Lu Li kept thinking that perhaps he should change his identity.

Otherwise, continuing like this was time-consuming, exhausting, and ultimately unsustainable.

If I want to change my identity, I must have strength so that others won't covet what I have.

Join a martial arts school?

Lu Li pondered carefully: "The tuition for a martial arts school is exorbitant; just entering costs twenty taels of silver."

"And that doesn't even include room and board—the expenses are massive."

"The quality of these schools is also inconsistent, and they might not even have anything better than my Tiger-Subduing Fist. Paying just to buy an identity isn't worth it; that is the worst possible plan."

"The Huang Family keeps many martial artists, including some experts, and they don't charge a tuition fee; room and board are fully covered."

"But to become a martial artist for the Huang Family, one must perform a great service."

"I once heard of a man who found a rare Purple Gold Flower in the wilderness and presented it to the Huang Family, which allowed him to negotiate terms and stay to practice martial arts."

Hmm, if it's a potent medicinal herb, perhaps I could try venturing into the deep mountains? Lu Li turned his head to look toward the deep mountains, his eyes narrowing.

He also needed potent herbs to advance his martial path quickly.

If he truly wanted to enter the Huang Family, killing two birds with one stone would be ideal.

As for leaving the Huang Family later, that will be easy. Once my strength is sufficient, I can just fly away.

Besides, I'm just a lowly peasant; would the Huang Family really waste their energy hunting me down?

Having made up his mind, Lu Li quickened his pace.

As he neared his home, he saw pedestrians with sallow complexions, looking like walking corpses.

One man had collapsed to the ground, his body covered in frostbite. Perhaps driven by extreme hunger, he was scooping up snow with both hands and devouring it frantically.

Lu Li glanced at him from the corner of his eye; the man's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted in a mask of resentment.

But judging by his condition, he likely wouldn't last much longer.

Lu Li felt a heavy weight in his heart and quickened his pace once more.

Soon, he returned home and took out the meat.

He set aside some fresh portions and proceeded to dry the rest.

Watching the meat sizzle and drip with fat, Lu Li couldn't help but feel his appetite stir.

"With my current status and funds, I can only afford common pork, chicken, duck, and fish."

"But for a martial artist, the more ferocious the beast, the more nourishing it is—creatures like tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves."

"However, the price is steep; a single catty costs half a tael of silver, which is half a month's wages for me."

"It seems that earning money and establishing an identity must be prioritized."

"I must also practice martial arts diligently to deal with the Incense Fragrance Sect. I wonder if they have already taken action."

As the sky grew dark, Lu Li stewed a pot of pork. He picked up a piece the size of a fingernail with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, savoring the flavor for a long time before swallowing.

"Not gamey, not tough—the cooking time is just right."

He licked his lips, the lingering fragrance teasing his hunger. Soon, he could no longer wait; ignoring the scalding heat, he began to feast.

Now that he was a martial artist, his appetite had increased significantly. He finished the entire pot of stewed meat along with some coarse rice in no time.

Lu Li sat on a chair made from a wooden stump, a look of satisfaction on his face.

He had always lived a life of feast or famine, but he had never felt this satisfied before!

The essence of the food seemed to transform into streams of warmth, nourishing his body and leaving him feeling warm, both physically and mentally.

Three days later.

Lu Li had been fishing in troubled waters between the two gangs, robbing the Black Tiger Gang once and the Blood Wolf Gang twice, netting a total of twenty taels of silver.

Lu Li was already very satisfied. Although the gang members bullied the poor, they weren't as wealthy as the true masters of the county.

The idea of getting ten taels in one go was purely a matter of luck.

He tallied his silver: he now had a full forty-five taels.

Over these past three days, Lu Li had never gone without meat, perhaps due to a martial artist's high metabolic rate and his progress in training.

Lu Li's frame had grown noticeably fuller than before.

His cheeks had gained some flesh, and his high, protruding cheekbones were no longer so prominent.

In my past life, I would have called my former self a skeleton soldier; now, at least I look like a normal human being.

Lu Li looked at his face in the bronze mirror and revealed a faint smile.

He glanced at his wrists, which had also gained a layer of flesh, and nodded in satisfaction.

Furthermore, he felt his body brimming with strength, and his martial arts training felt much easier than before.

He went out into the courtyard and began to practice the Tiger-Subduing Fist, one move at a time.

The wind from his punches stirred the accumulated snow, swirling it about as if a fierce tiger were leaping and turning through the drifts.

Lu Li looked at his status panel and saw that the proficiency of his Tiger-Subduing Fist had already reached 150 points.

Ever since he started eating his fill at every meal, Lu Li no longer felt that hollowed-out exhaustion after training; instead, with his body growing stronger, he could practice the Tiger-Subduing Fist a few more times.

Consequently, his current progress was rising much faster than before.

Only 50 points left; it should take about three or four more days. If only I had another medicinal pill, I could make a breakthrough by tomorrow, Lu Li thought to himself as he stared at the light screen.

A single pill could save me five or six days of hard labor.

Ever since he had used that pill, Lu Li had been unable to stop thinking about it.

However, he was still too poor; if he bought another pill, he would be left with nothing again.

Cheap pills would certainly lack the same potency.

After some thought, Lu Li gave up on the idea.

The people from the Incense Fragrance Sect hadn't tracked him down yet, and he could still handle the gang members; he didn't lack these few days of time.

Thinking of the gangs, Lu Li pondered briefly. He had been fishing in troubled waters between the two factions—could they have already caught on?

It wasn't that Lu Li feared the gangs would investigate him and seek revenge.

After all, he was just a lowly herb gatherer; how could he possibly be a martial artist?

What he feared was that if they declared a truce, he would lose his good channel for earning silver.

Then he would have to worry about money all over again.

At the same time.

Black Tiger Gang.

The gang leader, Zhao Heihu, was eating his meal.

He was tall and burly with a face full of thick flesh. His arms were exposed, the muscles knotted like undulating mountain ranges, radiating power.

The table was covered in delicacies, including rare ingredients like bear paw and tiger meat. It was a feast of color, aroma, and taste that would cost no less than ten taels of silver.

Suddenly, someone hurried in, looking quite anxious: "Leader, it's bad! Fifteen of our brothers have died for no reason over the past few days!"

Zhao Heihu paused his bowl-shoveling hand, looked up, and frowned: "What did you say?"

The man repeated himself, then added: "Recently, some brothers noticed others were missing and went to look for them. They found some had died bizarrely in their homes, while others died in alleyways. The attacker is extremely ruthless; every strike is aimed at a vital point."

"Most only had a single wound—it was definitely a one-hit kill!"

Zhao Heihu was stunned, and then fury surged to his head. With a savage expression, he slammed his rice bowl onto the table.

"It must be that damned Old Dog Lin playing dirty tricks! Damn him, fighting over territory is one thing, but to resort to underhanded murder? Does he want a fight to the death with my Black Tiger Gang?"

Without a second thought, he assumed the Blood Wolf Gang was behind it.

Although their line of work was despised and they had offended many, revenge was one thing, but it was impossible for fifteen people to have all offended the same person, right?

The only thing he could think of was that the Blood Wolf Gang was striking from the shadows.

"That son of a bitch Old Dog Lin! I'll make his Blood Wolf Gang pay in blood!"

At that same moment, a roar that shook the heavens erupted from the Blood Wolf Gang.

"Ahhhhh! Zhao Laomao, you backstabbing bastard! I, Lin Batian, will slaughter your Black Tiger Gang!"