Treasure Medicine

Shen Xiuhan's gaze shifted slightly as his mind raced.

From what he knew, the Golden Dragon Gang had, at most, three or four martial artists who had entered the Manifest Force realm. They had already been at a disadvantage against the Turbulent Wave Gang.

And Gao Nian had been killed by him.

With the Golden Dragon Gang's sinews and bones broken, they were even less of a match for the Turbulent Wave Gang.

But with defeat already certain, why had Gao Fu not fled Longcloud County at once? Why had he instead done the opposite and holed up in Tian Erhu's empty house?

Was he hiding in plain sight, convinced the Turbulent Wave Gang would never search that place, hoping to cling to life until this so-called "opportunity" opened...

Or was he waiting for reinforcements?!

All at once, a name came to Shen Xiuhan's mind...

Tian Ping'an!

Tian Erhu had been a core member of the Golden Dragon Gang.

The earlier intelligence had also made it clear that Tian Erhu was highly valued by Gao Fu.

That being the case, it was hardly surprising that Gao Fu knew Tian Ping'an's identity, or even had a way to contact him.

A few days ago, his second senior brother Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting had both stated with absolute certainty that the Dragon Cavalry Army would send people this year to select a batch of promising young talents for the army.

Tian Ping'an was not only a centurion in the Dragon Cavalry Army, but also an expert in the Sinew-Tempering realm...

Worst of all, he was a native of Longcloud County.

With his military status, strength, and standing, if he wanted to, he could easily take on this assignment of returning home to recruit new soldiers.

If he returned to Longcloud County and met up with Gao Fu—or learned from Ma Xianyang and the others at Through-the-Back Martial Hall that Tian Erhu's death was tied to him...

The consequences of vengeance from a Sinew-Tempering realm martial artist would be simply unthinkable!

Shen Xiuhan's eyes turned cold as he made up his mind.

He could not sit and wait for death.

He had to find a way to strike first, cut the grass and pull out the roots!

But this matter had to be planned flawlessly. He needed to kill with a borrowed knife without exposing his own foundations.

Shen Xiuhan let out a long breath and temporarily pressed down the many thoughts in his heart.

[Intelligence ②: The Turbulent Wave Gang's chief, "Zheng Dadao," was in fact born from the Dragon Cavalry Army! After leaving the ranks, he secretly accepted the earnest invitation of Wang Zhidao, head of the Wang Family of Longcloud County. Leading a group of fellow hardened soldiers who had also retired, he concealed their identities, raised the banner of the "Turbulent Wave Gang," and served at the command and expense of the Wang Family of Longcloud County!]

Wang Zhidao!

The current head of the Wang Family, one of Longcloud County's five great families!

Not only was he in the Force Transformation realm, he was also the blood-related cousin of the Eastern Guard General!

One scattered clue after another swiftly linked together in Shen Xiuhan's mind, forming a vast and enormous net.

No wonder the Turbulent Wave Gang had not seized other territory after raising its banner, but had instead latched onto the Golden Dragon Gang and beaten them to death.

Because the Golden Dragon Gang was a dog raised by the White Family!

And because of the "child-snatchers" case Shen Xiuhan had exposed some time ago, the White Family had torn all pretense with Through-the-Back Martial Hall and come to blows.

The backer behind Through-the-Back Martial Hall was Eastern Guard Martial Hall, which was controlled by the Wang Family.

Zhao Honggang and Feng Xiaobao had once fought Bai Xi'an at the county office, only to be suppressed by Bai Jing, the White Family's eldest young master, all by himself.

Later, Wang Xuanyang, Eastern Guard Martial Hall's chief disciple, stepped in to stop them, but that was as far as it went.

On the surface, the Wang Family had acted with great restraint in the conflict between Through-the-Back Martial Hall and the White Family.

Their own forces, including the Eastern Guard Escort Agency, had neither voiced an opinion nor intervened.

They had merely allowed Eastern Guard Martial Hall and Through-the-Back Martial Hall to battle the Bai clan.

Presumably... they feared the Luo Family, the White Family's in-laws, would get involved!

After all, Luo Changming, head of the Luo Family, was also the county magistrate of this county—and an expert who had been in the Force Transformation realm for many years.

The connections behind the Wang Family might have been formidable, but in Longcloud County, they only had Wang Zhidao, a single Force Transformation realm expert, holding the fort in the open.

That was why they had Through-the-Back Martial Hall stand at the forefront and challenge the White Family openly.

Behind the scenes, however, they had directed this group of hardened military veterans to use underhanded methods and dig deep into the White Family's foundations.

And those rumors traded over tea in the market—that the Turbulent Wave Gang was some band of defeated rebel troops and wandering bandits who had fled here...

Now, it seemed they were nothing but smoke released by the Wang Family to blind others' eyes.

At this thought, Shen Xiuhan's expression shifted, and his brows gradually furrowed.

Wait...

Since Zheng Dadao came from the Dragon Cavalry Army, there's no reason he wouldn't know Tian Ping'an, a Dragon Cavalry Army centurion. Yet Tian Ping'an's own elder brother was mixed up with the Golden Dragon Gang, and Zheng Dadao showed not the slightest restraint or mercy when he struck, driving Gao Fu into the state of a homeless dog...

A sharp glint flashed through Shen Xiuhan's eyes as he thought to himself:

Either he doesn't know.

Or he's pretending not to know.

If it's the former, that's fine. But if it's the latter... then it seems the Dragon Cavalry Army itself has factions and rival hills, competing with one another, perhaps even... being at odds from the start.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Xiuhan silently committed this intelligence to memory and continued reading.

[Intelligence ③: Secret method for hatching and raising "Azure Awl Chicken eggs"—they must be warmed beneath an ordinary brooding hen for twenty-seven days. After they hatch, Heartclearing Grass, Meridian-Linking Grass, Three-Leaf Poria, and Azure Firefly Flower must be chopped and mixed together, then fed daily in the proper proportions. Only after two months will they enter adulthood.]

[Intelligence ④: Formula for the "Jadeblood Pill." The main ingredients are the essence blood and meat of a second-rank treasure beast, the "Azure Awl Chicken," supplemented by Purpleblood Vine, ten-year mountain ginseng, Snake-Tail Grass, Dewcondensing Grass, Flybinding Vine, and Rotbone Root. Begin refining with fierce heat for one shichen and two quarters, then switch to gentle heat and simmer slowly for fourteen shichen before the pill can condense.]

[Intelligence ⑤: One li north of Cloud Ripple Island's waters, three segments of the "Treasure Medicine · Jadeheart Lotus Root" lie hidden in the depths of the lakebed.]

Intelligence ⑥: ...In the rear courtyard of Through-the-Back Martial Hall in Longcloud County's inner city, the original copy of the Force Transformation-level stance art, "Through-Back Stance," is stored.]

[Intelligence ⑦: ...In the depths of Cloudwater Lake lie the belongings and inheritance of a true disciple of "Sea-Fishing Tower"...]

As Shen Xiuhan watched the lines of text emerge one after another on the light screen, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"So that's how it is... So this is how those chicken eggs are hatched and raised!"

The three Azure Awl Chicken eggs he had brought back had been incubated beneath his family's old hen.

Yet several days had passed without the slightest sign of movement.

Shen Xiuhan had even been considering whether to simply stew them and let Momo nourish herself with them.

He had never expected the conditions for hatching such treasure beast eggs to be so complicated and demanding.

The cycle was long, and the cost was high!

Fortunately, he had heard of more or less all the listed herbs. None of them were particularly rare.

Besides...

After inheriting the "legacies" of Yu Zhe, Tian Erhu, Gao Nian, Scarface, and two unknown kind-hearted brothers in succession, Shen Xiuhan could easily afford these herbs.

And this was a deal guaranteed to bring profit without loss.

If he could truly hatch and raise adult Azure Awl Chickens with this secret method, every investment would yield returns many times over.

Even the Jadeblood Pill formula in [Intelligence ④] became important and within reach at that moment.

As for the Jadeheart Lotus Root...

There were Treasure Fish in the water, treasure beasts on land, and spiritual things among grass and trees. It was hardly strange.

The Jadeheart Lotus Root sounded like an aquatic spiritual herb. Once he reached Cloud Ripple Island, he would have to make time to investigate it and find a way to take it for himself.

As for the final two pieces of intelligence, Shen Xiuhan ignored them as usual.

The former was a dragon's pool and tiger's den, while the latter was unfathomably deep. Neither was something he could lay a hand on at present.

Just as he was thinking, Madam Zheng's call came from the kitchen:

"Eldest son, breakfast is ready..."

"Coming!"

Shen Xiuhan answered, withdrew the light screen, and turned toward the thatched cottage.

There was still a little girl asleep inside. He had to hurry and wake her up to wash and eat.