Deceived?

Jiang Feng stood up and began to ransack the warehouse.

Having lived a life of hardship, he truly could not bear to waste anything as he looked at the corpses and scattered medicinal herbs covering the floor.

He had become quite proficient in the craft of looting corpses.

Even though there was nothing left but a pile of mangled remains, he still managed to strip them clean in less than half an hour.

When all was said and done, these people were merely the lowest-ranking apprentices in the Medicine Hall; most of them had pockets cleaner than their faces. After a full sweep, he only managed to scrounge up about four taels of silver shards.

"Sigh, although it isn't much, it's the thought that counts. I accept your apologies, and I forgive you for what happened before. Rest in peace."

He looked at the chaotic scene, muttered a few words as a formality, and then turned to scavenge for herbs.

The herbs kept here were naturally just common, basic goods. Anything truly rare would have been secretly shipped away the moment it was collected; it would never spend the night in this outpost.

Following the memory of the Blood-Qi Pill recipe in his mind, Jiang Feng picked out a fair amount of herbs capable of nourishing blood and qi. He bundled them up, slung the pack over his back, and left the blood-soaked warehouse without looking back.

The rain outside had stopped, but the dark clouds in the sky had yet to disperse, still pressing down on the horizon with a gloomy weight.

Jiang Feng stepped heavily through the mud, hurrying toward the direction of Black Water Town as he remembered it.

He knew very well that nights in this world were far more dangerous than days, especially outside the town walls.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to expend the little remaining blood-qi power in his body, forcing himself to pick up the pace.

Finally, just before the town gates were about to close at dusk, he stepped into the familiar Black Water Town.

Once inside, his goal was clear. He headed straight for a small restaurant he remembered having decent food, ordered a full table of dishes, and prepared to treat his stomach to a proper feast.

Although he had only been gone for less than two days, he had barely eaten anything substantial aside from those few bowls of wontons before he left.

As for the emergency rations and the pot of blood-qi nourishing soup in the warehouse, they had long since been exhausted after that brutal fight.

"Customer, this is the last dish, the steamed chicken. Your order is complete."

Just as Jiang Feng picked up his chopsticks to dig in, the waiter reached out to stop him with a look of hesitation.

Jiang Feng looked up in confusion at the young man dressed in coarse linen:

"What is it? Is there something else?"

The waiter scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and offered a conciliatory smile: "Sir, would it be convenient for you to... settle the bill first?"

Jiang Feng was stunned. He did not recall this small restaurant having a rule about paying before eating.

He then followed the waiter's gaze and glanced down at his own appearance, and he immediately understood what was going on.

Dressed in tattered, filthy rags with a Ghost-Head Blade slung across his back, he certainly looked like someone who had come to dine and dash.

He was not annoyed, however, and simply fished a tael of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table:

"Is this enough?"

The anxiety on the waiter's face vanished instantly. He bowed even lower, his smile becoming increasingly radiant:

"Enough, more than enough! Thank you for your understanding, sir. Please don't take offense; the shop really has no other choice. Lately, the rumors of evil spirits entering the town have been running wild. Many people have been using the spirits as a cover to commit murder, arson, and looting.

Just this 'dine and dash' business has happened several times already. If it happens a few more times, this little shop really won't be able to hold on."

At this, a look of sorrow couldn't help but surface on the waiter's face.

Jiang Feng hadn't expected that in just two days, Black Water Town had descended into such a state of chaos.

Seeing the waiter turn to leave, he reached out and stopped him again.

The waiter looked puzzled: "Sir, do you need anything else?"

Jiang Feng took half a piece of silver from his pouch, placed it on the table, and asked with a gentle smile:

"It's nothing major. I just wanted to ask you about someone. Sun Bowei—have you heard this name?"

About half an hour later, Jiang Feng had wiped the table clean, filled his belly, and set off toward the south side of town.

Following the waiter's directions, he navigated through the streets and alleys, and before long, he arrived at an open, flat area.

From a distance, he could see a sturdy perimeter wall made of thick logs. Compared to the surrounding clusters of adobe houses, it looked exceptionally grand.

As he approached, he saw the gate was made of two heavy pine planks, with a pair of massive deer antlers hanging from the lintel and a complete wolf pelt nailed to each side.

This was the signature facade of the Sun Brothers. Anyone in town who saw this setup from afar knew they had reached the Sun Family territory.

Jiang Feng looked it over and nodded to himself:

"Judging by this display, Sun Bowei really didn't lie to me. They have indeed saved up quite a fortune."

His anticipation grew even stronger. He glanced left and right, confirmed there was no one around, and nimbly vaulted over the wall.

He had questioned the waiter thoroughly back at the restaurant; the Sun Family really did consist only of these three brothers living together. They made their living hunting in the mountains, kept to themselves, and rarely showed their faces in town. The places they frequented most were merely those flower-scented alleys and the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

Such a lifestyle meant that even if the three brothers were to vanish from the world without a sound, no one would notice for a long time.

For Jiang Feng, this was perfect.

He even considered that he could simply claim this place as his own and use it as his temporary base.

Walking into the courtyard, Jiang Feng did not lower his guard. He drew his Ghost-Head Blade from his back and scanned every corner with a sharp gaze.

Hearing about something was one thing, but seeing it for himself was another. Until he had thoroughly inspected the entire residence, he remained skeptical about its safety.

The courtyard covered a fair amount of ground, and the rammed-earth floor was packed flat and solid. Even after the heavy rain, there wasn't a hint of mud underfoot, which showed that a great deal of effort had gone into its construction.

The main house consisted of three large rooms with blue bricks and tiles, and there were several side rooms behind it used as a kitchen and warehouse. The layout was compact and practical.

To be honest, this place was infinitely better than the dog kennel he had lived in at the Medicine Hall. A thought couldn't help but cross Jiang Feng's mind: it wouldn't be bad at all if he could live here permanently.

Jiang Feng began his search from the main house, rummaging through boxes and cabinets.

But aside from a pungent, cloying scent of perfume and hundreds of colorful pieces of women's lingerie, he found absolutely nothing.

He stood amidst the mess, unable to stop himself from frowning: "Strange. They couldn't have sold off their entire family fortune just to have fun in the brothels, could they?"

Just as he emerged from the main house, full of doubt, a series of rapid rustling sounds reached his ears, closing in on him at high speed.

Jiang Feng's gaze sharpened. He looked toward the sound and saw three large, half-man-tall black dogs standing not far away, baring their fangs and emitting low, vicious growls from their throats.

"So they kept dogs. Well, they are hunters, so that's normal."

He muttered to himself, raised his blade, and walked toward the dogs. He had searched the house and found nothing, and he was feeling frustrated; these beasts would be perfect for venting his anger.

The largest black dog in the lead attacked first, lunging at him with a wild roar. Jiang Feng didn't even fear evil spirits, so why would he care about a few beasts?

He shifted his body slightly and unleashed three sharp, lightning-fast slashes. Each strike was fatal. The three large dogs didn't even have time to whimper before they closed their eyes forever, becoming his late-night snack.

He flicked his wrist to shake the blood and gore off his blade, only then noticing that another black dog was hiding nearby.

This dog was nowhere near as sturdy as the previous three; it was scrawny and thin, like a greyhound.

It hadn't made a sound from start to finish, just squatting quietly in the corner, its pair of pitch-black eyes staring straight at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng scoffed and walked over with his blade: "Heh, you're the clever one. The others were scrambling to jump at me, but you were cowering in the back."

The thin dog neither bared its teeth nor barked; instead, it curled its body even tighter.

Jiang Feng clicked his tongue in wonder and tapped it with the tip of his blade: "You're quite the opportunist. It's a pity I've never kept a dog, and I don't like keeping them—too much trouble. Better to just slaughter you for meat."

He raised his blade, ready to decapitate the dog, when he saw the creature bend its legs and kneel right in front of him. Its two front paws kept bobbing up and down, exactly like a person bowing and begging for mercy.

Jiang Feng's hand froze in mid-air, watching the scene with great interest:

"Heh, you little beast, you've actually gained some intelligence. You know fear, and you even know how to beg for your life?"