Ambushed

Just as he was about to be seized, Song Wen took half a step back, neatly dodging the black-clad man's reaching hand.

Seeing that the ambush had failed, the three black-clad men stopped hiding and sprang directly out of the alley. Their movements were exceedingly nimble. One blocked Song Wen's path ahead, another cut off his retreat behind, while the man closest to Song Wen lunged straight at him.

Having little experience in fighting, Song Wen instinctively circulated his spiritual power and threw a punch at the man rushing him.

That man did not take Song Wen's attack seriously at all.

They had secretly sought out the guards outside Extreme Yin's courtyard beforehand and investigated. Only a few days ago, Song Wen had just succeeded in drawing qi into his body. No matter how miraculous the path of cultivation was, it could not grant someone great strength in merely a few days.

The man neither dodged nor evaded, continuing to reach for Song Wen.

"Bang!"

The punch landed solidly on the black-clad man's chest.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of breaking bones rang out.

The man was sent flying more than ten feet by the punch, crashing heavily onto the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly soaked through the black cloth covering his face.

"Young Gang Master!"

The other two black-clad men cried out in alarm.

"Catch him! Don't let him get away!"

The one Song Wen had punched to the ground was none other than Tang Liang, the young gang master of the Heavenly Baleful Gang.

He struggled to rise, but Song Wen's punch had shattered several of his ribs. One rib had pierced his lung, leaving him unable to move for the moment.

Before coming here, he had thoroughly investigated Song Wen. As a second-rate martial artist, with two trusted aides of equal strength at his side, taking down Song Wen, who had cultivated for less than ten days, should have been as easy as turning over his hand.

Even in the martial world, a second-rate martial artist was considered a capable fighter with a name to his credit.

Yet, through carelessness, he had actually failed to take Song Wen's punch.

It was not as though Tang Liang had not considered asking the gang's first-rate experts for help. However, there were only a handful of first-rate experts in the Heavenly Baleful Gang, and none of them were particularly close to him. There was a risk of the secret leaking.

Seeing that Song Wen was not easy to deal with, the other two black-clad men each reached to their waists and drew short swords that gleamed with icy light before attacking him.

Song Wen knew he was no match for the two of them. He immediately performed a donkey roll, tumbling to Tang Liang's side. In the same motion, he drew the dagger from his boot and pressed it against Tang Liang's throat.

"Back off, or I'll kill him!"

Song Wen shouted sternly.

The two black-clad men froze in place, unsure what to do.

"Young Master Song, stop. We only want the cultivation method. We do not wish to make an enemy of you," one black-clad man said quietly.

The disturbance here had long attracted the attention of nearby passersby. In these chaotic times, ordinary people had long developed the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, and everyone had retreated far away.

The black-clad man was not afraid of being overheard when he stated their purpose outright.

Song Wen sneered. "If you want the cultivation method, go find Extreme Yin. Why come kidnap me? You can't handle Extreme Yin, so you picked on me, the soft persimmon, instead."

Tang Liang, lying on the ground, had finally caught his breath. He shouted, "I am the young gang master of the Heavenly Baleful Gang. If you dare touch me, you won't escape either. Hand over the cultivation method obediently, and we'll ensure you remain safe and sound."

One of the black-clad men had already exposed his identity, so Tang Liang could not be bothered to conceal it any longer and openly admitted who he was.

Song Wen would not believe his nonsense. Tang Liang, as the young gang master of the Heavenly Baleful Gang, had failed to obtain the cultivation manual. That could only mean Extreme Yin treasured the method dearly and was unwilling to pass it on lightly.

If Song Wen revealed the method and Extreme Yin learned of it, Extreme Yin would likely no longer care about Song Wen's usefulness as a medicine man and would directly kill him to vent his rage.

"Even if I die, I'll die after you. If you don't believe me, you can try it."

Song Wen looked savage. He tore away the black cloth covering Tang Liang's face, memorized Tang Liang's appearance, then slapped him heavily across the face.

"Pfft!"

Tang Liang spat out another mouthful of blood, along with two teeth.

"Move aside!"

Song Wen shouted loudly.

The two black-clad men exchanged a glance and slowly retreated.

Soon, they had backed away several dozen feet.

"Keep backing up, faster. Get fifty zhang away," Song Wen shouted.

When the two black-clad men had retreated more than forty zhang, Song Wen suddenly broke into a run without warning and charged rapidly toward the Heavenly Baleful Gang.

As for Tang Liang, Song Wen did not kill him.

If he truly killed Tang Liang, Song Wen feared that the Heavenly Baleful Gang's leader would go mad. When that happened, even Extreme Yin might not be able to protect him.

When the two black-clad men saw Song Wen suddenly flee, they wanted to pursue him, but the distance was too great. Their hearts had the will, but their strength fell short. They could only go to Tang Liang's side, help him up, and leave.

Song Wen ran all the way back, only stopping once he entered Extreme Yin's courtyard.

Panting heavily, he slowly made his way toward the small building.

Heavenly Baleful Gang, Tang Liang, just you wait!

Song Wen thought bitterly.

At the same time, he decided that he could not casually leave this small courtyard in the future.

At least within this courtyard, he was safe for the time being.

When Song Wen reached the foot of the small building, Extreme Yin's figure suddenly appeared in the second-floor corridor.

"Song Wen, what's wrong with you? Why are you so out of breath?"

"Mm... Reporting to Master, it's nothing. I was just running to stretch my body a little."

Song Wen hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to tell the truth.

Tang Liang had come for the cultivation method. Telling Extreme Yin about this would certainly make him keep an eye on Tang Liang, but whether he would kill Tang Liang, the young gang master, was hard to say. After all, Extreme Yin still had uses for the Heavenly Baleful Gang.

Tang Liang might not die, but Extreme Yin would certainly suspect that Song Wen had leaked the cultivation method.

By then, let alone freely entering and leaving the courtyard, Song Wen might not even be able to leave this small building. He might even suffer Extreme Yin's harsh torture and interrogation.

Extreme Yin did not grow suspicious. He turned and went back into his room.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, Song Wen had already taken four antidote pills.

That also meant the newly arrived batch of young people had been here for a month.

During this time, Song Wen noticed that Extreme Yin's temper had become increasingly volatile. Not a single person from this group had succeeded in drawing qi into their body, leaving Extreme Yin, who had invested so much time, somewhat frantic and exasperated.

"Song Wen, here is an antidote pill. Your master will be entering seclusion for a while. Take good care of the medicinal garden."

Extreme Yin had originally intended to spare Song Wen's life and no longer use him to test medicines. Song Wen had done a fairly good job tending the medicinal garden, saving him quite a bit of time.

Now that this group of students had all failed to draw qi into their bodies, he was gradually losing patience.

He was preparing to fire up the furnace and refine pills once more. As for Song Wen's fate, it could only be left to Heaven's will.

If Song Wen died while testing the medicine, then he could only blame his own bad luck.

Song Wen watched Extreme Yin's figure gradually disappear behind the stone door of the alchemy room and thought to himself.

Looks like I'll have to kill a few people and devour some qi and blood.

Song Wen could not help growing somewhat excited. This would be his best opportunity to break free of Extreme Yin's control.

The essence blood Song Wen had obtained by killing the little beggar and Brother Biao had gradually been absorbed by his body. As for where that essence blood had gone, he did not yet know. But of one thing he was certain: his physical body had been strengthened to a certain degree.

The next day.

Ever since Tang Liang's ambush, Song Wen had not left the small courtyard again. Now, he once more stepped through the gates of the Heavenly Baleful Gang.

He wandered along the bustling street for half an hour. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he head toward Number Twenty-Five, Copper Gong Alley.

Copper Gong Alley was clearly an alley where commoners lived, its houses mostly old and low.

After entering the alley, Song Wen discovered that the houses had no number plates.

He could only stop a passing auntie and ask for directions.

"Auntie, may I ask how to get to Number Twenty-Five, Copper Gong Alley?"

The auntie gave Song Wen a sidelong glance, her eyes carrying some disgust.

"Don't know!"

Seeing her expression, Song Wen knew that she definitely knew Number Twenty-Five, Copper Gong Alley, and also knew that Gou Hang lived there. She simply held deep resentment toward Gou Hang and had extended that resentment to Song Wen, who was asking after Gou Hang's residence, which was why she refused to give directions.

"Auntie, I'm not a bad person. I just have something to discuss with Gou Hang."

The auntie looked utterly disdainful. "Looking at your fair and clean appearance, you don't look like you come from any decent family. What good young man is as pale and clean as you?"

Song Wen's mouth twitched. He was not actually all that fair-skinned. It was simply that this auntie lived at the bottom of society and knew only poor folk weathered by sun and rain, so she naturally thought Song Wen looked unusually pale and took him for a man engaged in certain special trades.

This auntie could not be swayed by reason or sentiment, so Song Wen had no choice but to bring out his trump card.

He reached into his robes and held out a mace of silver before her.

"Tell me where Number Twenty-Five is, and this silver is yours."

The auntie swiftly snatched the silver, inspecting it carefully. Once she confirmed there was nothing wrong with it, a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Young man, your features are refined and handsome. One can tell at a glance that you are a kind person."

She pointed at a house not far away. "That's Number Twenty-Five."

Then she lowered her voice and added, "That little cur isn't living here anymore."

Song Wen frowned slightly. "By little cur, do you mean Gou Hang? When did he move out?"

At the mention of Gou Hang, the auntie's face filled with disgust. "Who else could it be? That thing even chickens loathe and dogs hate. He moved away more than twenty days ago."

"Do you know where he moved to?"

The auntie shook her head. "That, I don't know."

She hurriedly tucked the silver into her clothes, as though afraid Song Wen might ask for it back.