Taking the Pill

The cold wind wailed.

It swept up the dead leaves and dust from the ground.

Shen Xiuhan's taut muscles slowly relaxed.

By the cold moonlight, he lowered his head and spread open his hands.

The joints of all ten fingers were mottled blue and purple, while beads of dark red blood slowly seeped from the splits in the webs of his thumbs.

His gaze darkened slightly.

Even though the "Iron Bone Technique" had reached perfection, making his bones far tougher than those of warriors at the same level, he still had not emerged unscathed from that close-quarters brawl.

Though Gao Nian had yet to break through the threshold of Bone Forging, he had steeped himself in the Blood Refining realm for many years, his qi and blood powerful and tyrannical.

Had he not possessed the "Iron Bone Technique" and "Startled Swan, Wandering Dragon," relying on "Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force" alone, he would likely have been the one lying dead tonight.

"Good thing nothing went wrong."

Shen Xiuhan bent down and deftly searched Gao Nian and the other corpses.

A moment later, not only had he recovered the four strings of cash Scarface had taken from him earlier, he had also gained five bulging money pouches and two official banknotes printed by the Qi Kingdom Ministry of Revenue.

After tearing open the pouches and weighing them roughly, he estimated there were around a thousand copper coins, along with over three taels' worth of loose silver when added together.

As for the two banknotes, each was worth ten taels. Both had been found on Gao Nian.

Thinking back to what Gao Nian had said earlier...

The loose silver and copper coins must have been extorted from poor households across the area tonight.

All for the sake of "shifting blame onto another."

They intended to rake in one last windfall before fleeing, while dealing the Turbulent Wave Gang a blow in the process.

Wasn't the Turbulent Wave Gang's fight with the Golden Dragon Gang all about the Fish Market branch and the profits from its territory?

Flying the Turbulent Wave Gang's banner, Gao Nian had collected the spring dues ahead of time.

When the Turbulent Wave Gang took over, they would be left with a rotten mess that could not yield a drop of profit.

And what would happen to those impoverished households that could no longer pay their dues?

Gao Nian could not care less. He had deliberately made this happen!

"Someone as vicious as you deserved no better."

Shen Xiuhan cast a sidelong glance at Gao Nian's face, his eyes still open in death.

Extorting money that would leave families without descendants, then silencing everyone who worked for him along with him...

He truly deserved to die.

"It is only a pity I didn't find that leg technique of his."

Shen Xiuhan shook his head regretfully.

Gao Nian's qi and blood had been abundant, and the leg technique he used was indeed extraordinary—its moves exquisite and ruthless.

If Shen Xiuhan could obtain it and put it through "deduction," another leg technique would leave his entire body without a single weakness.

Unfortunately, Gao Nian had not carried the technique on him.

Shen Xiuhan withdrew his gaze and ignored the corpses strewn about in every direction.

His figure flashed, silently vanishing into the night.

The day after Gao Nian of the Golden Dragon Gang died.

The sky had only just begun to lighten.

Shen Xiuhan was already standing in the courtyard, having practiced the "Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force" from beginning to end.

As his fists howled through the air, the qi and blood within him gradually came alive.

Shen Xiuhan drew his stance to a close and carefully took the small blue porcelain bottle from his robes.

He pulled out the wooden stopper and poured a "Jadeblood Pill" into his palm.

The pill was entirely blue, its surface marked by a fine, winding blood vein like a strand of silk. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from it.

Simply holding it in his palm and smelling it made the qi and blood in his body stir slightly.

Shen Xiuhan did not hesitate any longer. Tilting back his head, he swallowed the precious pill.

The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth.

At first, there was only a faint fishy sweetness. But after merely three breaths...

Shen Xiuhan's eyes flew wide open.

It was as though someone had stuffed a glowing red coal into his stomach. A violent torrent of scorching heat suddenly exploded within his gastric pouch!

"Such tyrannical medicinal power!"

Shen Xiuhan's heart shook violently.

This great medicine made from a second-rank treasure beast, the Azure Awl Chicken, was as different from the bowl of "Ebony Origin-Replenishing Soup" he had drunk before as heaven and earth.

If that medicinal soup had been a babbling brook, then this "Jadeblood Pill" was a torrent of molten lava bursting through a broken dam!

The violent medicinal power transformed into countless threads of qi and blood, like wild horses breaking free of their reins, madly washing through his meridians, limbs, organs, and entrails.

Beneath his skin, waves of swelling pain, as though he were being torn apart, surged through him.

Shen Xiuhan did not dare slacken.

If he allowed this medicinal power to rampage through his body, at best his meridians would be damaged; at worst, his vital essence would suffer grave injury!

He sank his waist into a horse stance, spread his arms, and began practicing the "Mystic Eagle Stance" again and again.

"Breathe..."

Guided by the rhythm of his breathing, the qi and blood that had been charging about wildly gradually became tamed, beginning to circulate in an orderly fashion along the stance technique's route.

The scorching medicinal power washed over his skin, muscles, and blood again and again.

This tempering continued for a full half hour.

"Crackle, crackle..."

Shen Xiuhan's entire body had turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

The sound of blood flowing through his body was as heavy and powerful as lead and mercury.

The beads of sweat seeping from his body evaporated into wisps of white mist before they could fall, spiraling upward over his head.

This was the manifestation of the medicinal power being wrung dry and completely absorbed by his muscles and blood!

"Whew..."

After a long while, Shen Xiuhan slowly gathered his stance, opened his eyes, and exhaled a stream of white vapor.

The airflow was like a solid white qi sword, shooting more than a foot through the air before finally dispersing.

Shen Xiuhan clenched his fists hard, feeling the strength within him so full it seemed ready to overflow.

He casually threw a punch, and the air actually gave a crisp snap!

"Good!"

Joy appeared on Shen Xiuhan's face.

"My total qi and blood has nearly doubled compared to before I took the pill. According to Second Senior Brother, this phenomenon of 'qi and blood like mercury' means I have reached minor accomplishment in the Blood Refining realm."

"A few more 'Jadeblood Pills' should push my qi and blood to great accomplishment, allowing me to begin breaking through to Bone Forging... The progress is much faster than Master predicted!"

"When that time comes, I will have a greater chance of protecting myself and seizing treasures on Cloud Ripple Island."

"Only..."

Shen Xiuhan's gaze shifted slightly.

Seeing that his "Intelligence" points had not changed at all, he sighed in faint disappointment.

"Looks like... only naturally spiritual beings like Treasure Fish and treasure beasts can increase 'Intelligence.' Even pills refined from their flesh and blood only have the effect of greatly increasing qi and blood..."

After pondering for a moment, Shen Xiuhan gave a mute laugh.

"This is already enough. I am being a little too greedy..."

He walked to the water jar at the corner of the courtyard, scooped up a ladle of well water, and poured it over his head, washing away the sticky sweat and impurities covering his body.

The icy water flowed down the lines of his muscles, and his mind cooled with it.

By rights, the most urgent matter is to keep accumulating "Intelligence." Once I have fifteen points, I can carry out "deduction" and raise my martial skills or cultivation techniques to another level...

But last night, not only did I kill Gao Nian, even the Luo Family steward, Luo Zhan, had displayed a strange attitude during the appointment meeting... These local snakes are all ruthless. I cannot let down my guard in the slightest!

Forget it!

Shen Xiuhan set down the ladle, wiped the water from his face, and his eyes suddenly sharpened as he awakened the golden screen in his mind:

[Today's intelligence has refreshed!]

[Intelligence ①: The Golden Dragon Gang is at a complete disadvantage in its conflict with the Turbulent Wave Gang. Gang Leader Gao Fu has decided to abandon their public branches and go into hiding, waiting for the 'opportunity' to arrive...]

[However, an accident has occurred. Gao Fu has learned that his only son, Gao Nian, has died. Fearing that the Turbulent Wave Gang will seize the chance to uproot them all, he is currently hiding with several trusted confidants at the fifth household in the Wild Beast Ward of the outer city...]

Shen Xiuhan's heart jolted!

That old fox Gao Fu had learned of Gao Nian's death so quickly, and had even curled up in hiding overnight!

But... why did the place he was hiding seem so familiar?

The outer city, the Wild Beast Ward, the fifth household...

Wasn't that Tian Erhu's home?