Harvest

After ransacking the room, he searched the two corpses.

Hmm, a bountiful harvest.

Aside from the precious fish that originally belonged to him.

There were also the Foundation-Cultivating Soup Pills issued to the pair by the martial hall yesterday.

And a total of seventeen taels of gleaming silver.

After gathering the spoils, the corpse puppet pulled out a tinderstick he had prepared in advance and tossed it casually into the woodshed, causing the room to ignite instantly.

The night was dark and the wind was high; the fire fed on the wind, growing ever more ferocious.

Inside the house, the fat on the two corpses crackled incessantly as it burned in the flames.

The corpse puppet wiped away any evidence of his presence, and once finished, immediately fled into the cover of the night.

Deep in the mountain forest in the distance, Lin Yi watched the room below as the fire grew, his expression cold and detached.

Cries of "Fire!" gradually rose from below.

However, when the local fishermen saw that the burning house belonged to Zhang Mingxi, they sheepishly returned home, pretending to know nothing.

In the end, only a sparse few people went to fight the fire.

Lin Yi had rehearsed the night's events countless times in his mind.

He believed he had been foolproof and would not be discovered, and there was the unexpected bonus of Li Niuhe ambushing Zhang Mingxi.

Taking one last deep look at the scene below, the corpse puppet turned and vanished completely into the night.

He returned to his residence and placed the spoils back into the hidden passage.

The next day.

Even though he had just killed people yesterday, Lin Yi did not sleep long and woke up with the dawn.

With those two gone, this was the first time Lin Yi had slept so comfortably in the martial hall.

Lin Yi rose, washed, and ate.

He ate half a catty of dried meat, washed down with some water.

He did not eat dry rations early in the morning to avoid blood sugar fluctuations.

This would affect his subsequent martial arts training.

This was a habit from Lin Yi's past life, which he still maintained in this one.

He scooped a bowl of water.

From his bosom, he took out a bottle of Foundation-Cultivating Soup Pills.

This item was a special supply of the martial hall; only by using the martial hall's status could one purchase a batch from the Peace Guard in the county each month.

On the surface, it could not be bought outside.

In the black market, however, one could buy a portion for five taels of silver.

It could help accelerate progress in breaking through the Martial Pass, and even after becoming a martial artist, it could help refine blood energy.

Rainbow Martial Hall issued three bottles every month, each containing three pills, which could be used over one to two days for martial cultivation.

Adding the ones issued by the martial hall yesterday and those scavenged from Zhang and Li, Lin Yi now had three bottles, enough to last him five or six days.

He lifted his hand and gently placed a Foundation-Cultivating Soup Pill into the bowl; the pill dissolved upon contact with water.

The water in the bowl suddenly turned into a clear, yellow medicinal broth, smelling of a rich herbal scent.

Once the pill had completely melted, Lin Yi drank it in one gulp and headed toward the training grounds.

It took less than half an incense stick of time to get from the dormitory to the training grounds.

Yet, during this process, the medicinal power was being frantically stimulated.

Lin Yi felt his blood boiling throughout his body, and his mind was exceptionally clear.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yi went straight into today's training.

With his blood and energy surging and his technique running wildly, Lin Yi could feel himself improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The speed was even twice as fast as it had been yesterday without the use of the Foundation-Cultivating Soup.

[Long Rainbow Technique proficiency +1]

[Long Rainbow Technique proficiency +1]

Two hours later.

``` [Long Rainbow Technique (Third Layer)]

[Proficiency: 752/1000]

A sudden look of joy appeared on Lin Yi's face.

He had underestimated the empathy effect he gained from Hu Ma.

He had previously estimated that it would take at least twenty days to break through the fourth Martial Pass.

Now, it seemed he would be able to break through by tomorrow at the latest.

After finishing his martial arts practice, Lin Yi returned to the large dormitory.

Just as he reached the courtyard, Lin Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks, a trace of vigilance flashing through his eyes.

There was someone in the room!

Lin Yi subconsciously prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Could it be, Lin Yi thought to himself, that the news of me killing Zhang and Li has been discovered? Has my identity as a practitioner of the Corpse Puppet Path been exposed, and are the Peace Guards searching my room right now?

No, that's not right. I left very few traces yesterday. Even if the investigation were fast, it's impossible for them to pin the suspicion on me after only one night.

...

Lin Yi hesitated for a long moment. Instead of entering immediately, he listened to the situation inside.

"Junior Brother, since you're back, come on in."

Suddenly, a clear, familiar voice came from the room.

Lin Yi started, stepped into the room, and cupped his hands in a salute toward the person inside.

"Senior Brother Liu."

The visitor was dressed in green robes with a square, handsome face and a sturdy build; it was Liu Lie, the third inner disciple of the martial arts hall master.

"Hmm." Liu Lie nodded, a kind smile appearing on his face. "Just finished practicing?"

Lin Yi nodded.

"You're certainly diligent. I think you have a high chance of breaking through the Martial Pass."

Lin Yi replied stiffly, "Thank you, Senior Brother. You are too kind."

Liu Lie punched Lin Yi on the shoulder and laughed, "We who practice martial arts should have boldness, chivalry, and a sense of the pugilistic world, not all this flowery, scholarly talk."

Lin Yi's body swayed from the punch, and he smiled, "Then... Senior Brother has a good eye."

Liu Lie laughed as well. "Hahaha, I couldn't tell... you've got a bit of a reckless streak in you too."

"Although my strength doesn't compare to Master's, if you run into any problems during your cultivation before you break through the Martial Pass, you can ask me."

Lin Yi nodded and thanked him.

Liu Lie had a very good reputation in the martial arts hall. He was upright, did not bully the weak, treated everyone equally, and was generous with a strong sense of brotherhood. Many people in the hall had received his care.

At the very least, Lin Yi did not dislike such a person.

Lin Yi's smile faded slightly as he asked, "Senior Brother, you must have come for something else, right?"

Liu Lie said:

"Oh, it's nothing much. Your dormitory is a four-person room, but only three people were living in it, right? So, I've found you a new roommate."

"A roommate?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.

Just at that moment.

There was a commotion from the latrine in the courtyard.

Lin Yi glanced over, his brow furrowing slightly.

He saw a youth dressed in greyish-white hemp clothes jogging toward him.

Lin Yi could not clearly see the person's face for a moment.

Firstly, the sunlight was quite bright and blinding.

Secondly, the person possessed a significant amount of fortune that was somewhat dazzling, and what was particularly strange was that this person's fortune was a dense, pitch-black color.