Chapter 38

Who could it be?

Was it someone plotting to take his blood because of his current "weakened" state?

Or was it a random passerby looking to rob him?

Or perhaps, were they people sent by Zhou Qingyang?

If they were Zhou Qingyang's men, then a flaw must have appeared somewhere, and the man was still suspicious of him.

Regardless of who it was, he could not continue wandering outside.

He feigned ignorance of being followed, turned into a grocery store to buy some supplies, then went to a butcher shop to buy a large piece of meat before returning to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

After careful consideration, he felt that the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was the safest place for now.

Whether it was for cultivation or medicinal baths, he could not do it outside.

The dangers outside were unknown.

The enemy could even be the cultivators of the entire town, or something else entirely.

He had no way to defend against that.

Yet at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, the gruesome deaths of Chen Ju and the Wang Brothers had left the other cultivators in the building like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring; they were already terrified out of their wits and certainly would not dare to go to the backyard for some time.

Zhang Jiu included.

Moreover, during this period, Zhou Qingyang had been personally leading men to patrol the building.

Even that heart-gouging monster would likely have its reservations.

As a result, the most dangerous backyard of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion had temporarily become the safest place.

The behavior of the young maid, as well as Zhou Yan and Sun Tong this morning, was proof enough.

The backyard of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion had now become a place where monsters lurked and people kept dying; it was the most terrifying spot, and no one would dare go there unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, this was his chance!

Returning to the backyard, he found it was indeed devoid of a single soul.

He did not know where Zhou Yan and Sun Tong had gone.

Without further hesitation, he immediately went to the small stone hut in the corner and began to build a fire to brew his medicine.

At this hour, Zhou Qingyang and the men from the Town Guard Bureau had already left, so there was even less chance of anyone coming to the backyard to disturb him.

As the fire roared, the water in the pot quickly began to boil.

He added the medicinal herbs required for his cultivation and began to brew them.

At the same time, on the stove sat some tonics he had just bought at the grocery store outside.

Time slipped away quietly.

A rich, medicinal scent permeated the entire kitchen.

Just as the brewing reached its final stage, a slight noise suddenly came from outside.

Before entering the small stone hut, he had scattered many dead leaves and twigs on the ground outside; as long as someone stepped on them, they would inevitably make some sound.

He feigned ignorance and continued brewing the medicine.

At that moment, the wooden door creaked as it was suddenly pushed open.

Zhang Jiu's voice appeared at the entrance: "Brother Luo, brewing medicine?"

Luo Qingchen pretended to be startled, turned to look at him, and said in a weak voice: "Yes, Boss. My body really can't take it anymore, so I went out this morning to buy some tonics."

Zhang Jiu smiled, walked into the stone hut, glanced at the medicine on the stove, then at the decoction in the pot, and nodded: "It is time to buy some tonics to nourish your body."

He paused, then added with a smile: "Brother Luo, just focus on your recovery. As for the night patrols, there is no rush. I suspect Captain Zhou and his men won't be leaving for a while; it's safer with them on patrol."

Luo Qingchen nodded and suddenly asked: "By the way, Boss, do you have any extra silver on you? I ran into Brother Zhou and Brother Sun this morning; they moved out to rent a place, and I want to move out too, but I..."

"Oh, where would I have any extra silver?"

Before he could finish, Zhang Jiu immediately interrupted him with a bitter smile.

"I don't even have money to buy meat lately. Like you, I'm borrowing money everywhere."

Luo Qingchen said with a bitter face: "Boss, I don't dare live here anymore. Can you help me..."

Zhang Jiu waved his hands hurriedly: "Brother Luo, it's not that I won't help you, but I've already told you about this—I'm not in charge, and I can't help you change locations. As for borrowing money to rent a place, I really don't have any..."

"Right, I have things to do, so I won't disturb your brewing."

With that, he did not dare to linger and immediately took his leave.

Watching his hurried retreating figure, the bitterness on Luo Qingchen's face gradually faded.

He closed the door and continued brewing the medicine.

Soon, the decoction in the pot was finished.

He poured it into a bathing barrel, mixed in hot water, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the barrel.

For the sake of safety, he did not draw his blood immediately.

After waiting for another short half-hour, he saw that there was nothing unusual outside, so he quietly took out a dagger, slit his wrist in the water, and began to squeeze out his blood.

The fresh blood gushed out rapidly, quickly diffusing into the medicinal liquid in the tub.

The moment it touched the Demon Stone, it changed immediately.

The 100% blood in the first blood bar within his body soon dropped to 70%.

But in an instant, he refilled it.

Meanwhile, the 260% blood in the second blood bar within his body decreased to 230%.

Searing energy began to bore into his body through every pore.

The bones within his body immediately began to respond, emitting a joyful crackling sound.

The energy within his body surged like a raging tide!

Soon, the full tub of thick medicinal liquid turned pale and diluted.

When he rose from the bath, his internal cultivation progress had changed from 160/1000 to 170/1000!

After putting on his clothes and cleaning the stone hut, he returned to the third room.

He closed the door, locked the windows, and set up traps.

Then, he began to cultivate.

Under the constant stretching and relaxing of his muscles, as well as various high-intensity strains, the medicinal energy within his body began to rapidly temper his bones.

His bones began to heat up, burn, and ache.

Then, nourished by the medicinal power, they became comfortable, only to begin a new round of tempering.

Over and over again, as if steel were being forged a thousand times.

By nightfall, the cultivation progress within his body had surged from 170/1000 to 190/1000.

The speed this time seemed even faster!

After resting for a while, he went to eat dinner and took the opportunity to observe the situation in the building.

Still, no one came to the backyard.

After dark, he continued to hide in the pitch-black room to cultivate.

Before this, he had set up various things under the windows outside, at the doorway, in the corridor, and in the courtyard.

That night, it was calm and peaceful.

He cultivated all night without feeling tired.

When the night faded outside the window, he rested for half an hour, went out to bathe, changed his clothes, and ate breakfast.

Then he returned to sleep.

When it grew dark again, he continued to cultivate.

After continuing to cultivate like this for five days, the medicinal energy in his body had been completely refined.

And his internal cultivation progress had changed from 190/1000 to 260/1000!

For these past few days, the building had been very quiet.

As for the backyard, no one had come again, except for the people from the Town Guard Bureau who occasionally came to patrol at night.

On this morning.

After carefully observing the situation in the building, he came to the small stone hut again to decoct the medicine.

This time, no one came to spy while he brewed the medicine.

He successfully completed another medicinal bath.

At this time, the blood in the second blood bar within his body had decreased from 230% to 200%.

When the soreness in his bones was soothed by the medicinal power, a warm current that felt extremely comfortable began to flow rapidly through his entire skeletal structure.

After the medicinal bath, he returned to his room to continue cultivating.

The medicinal energy from this bath was completely refined after he cultivated for three consecutive nights.

Following that, he decocted the medicine and took another bath.

This time, after only three more nights of cultivation, all the medicinal energy had been refined.

And his internal cultivation progress had rapidly grown to 350/1000.

At this moment, there was still 170% of the blood left in the second blood bar.

This blood should be enough for about six more medicinal baths.

Judging from the speed of his cultivation progress during this period, six medicinal baths would not be enough to directly break through to the Blood Changing Realm.

Fortunately, he still had silver and could buy more blood.

In his view, this cultivation speed was still a bit too slow, but for other cultivators, it was absolutely unimaginable.

After all, not even half a month had passed.

For an ordinary cultivator, breaking through from the Bone Strengthening Realm to the Blood Changing Realm requires at least a year.

Sometimes even two or three years.

For some, it is an impossibility for their entire lives.

This is especially true for the Blood Medicine cultivators here, for whom the task is even more arduous.

Therefore, to have made such progress in a mere half-month is already quite remarkable.

Next, he must continue the medicinal baths and continue his cultivation!

He would strive to break through within a month!

On this morning.

After finishing breakfast, he went to the stone house to brew his medicine again.

Who would have thought that while he was soaking in the tub after brewing the medicine, the door would be pushed open with a loud "clatter"!