Liu Yiyi

But the damage to his meridians had not fully healed.

Meridians were far too important to cultivators. Tomorrow, he still needed to buy an Essence-Nourishing Pill.

Wang Mengde examined himself with his divine sense.

[Host: Wang Mengde]

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence (Success Is Inevitable)]

[Qi Cultivation: Qi Refinement Level 2 (10/200)]

[Body Cultivation: Body Tempering Level 1 (64/100)]

[Technique: Minor Five-Element Breathing Art, Level 2 (10/200)]

[Spells: Spirit Eye Technique (Minor Accomplishment) 85/200; Fishing Technique (Minor Accomplishment) 88/200; Entwining Silk Technique (Minor Accomplishment) 99/200]

His gaze fell upon those rows of numbers, and his eyes brightened slightly.

Both his cultivation technique and spiritual power cultivation had actually increased by four points.

One had to know that raising his cultivation by four points through spiritual sand alone—

Would require a full two hundred grains of spiritual sand, as well as a great deal of time.

Yet refining pills for cultivation was actually more cost-effective than directly absorbing spiritual sand.

Wang Mengde sighed with feeling.

No wonder cultivators were all so keen on pills.

Wang Mengde clenched his fist and felt the abundant spiritual power within him, deeply refreshed.

Spiritual power surged through his meridians, several degrees more robust than before. That sense of strength filling him made his entire body feel lighter.

Getting stronger really did feel good.

The corners of Wang Mengde's lips curled upward slightly.

But he soon calmed down.

Suppressing that faint feeling of floating on air, he began pondering today's killings.

Chen Dahu and Chen Two-Tiger's corpses had sunk to the seabed. By now, they had probably long since been eaten clean by sea fish, leaving no traces behind.

The chances of discovery were not high.

Still, quite a few people likely knew that he had borrowed spirit stones from the two.

The Island Patrol Guards would certainly come to question him.

How should he answer?

Wang Mengde rapidly weighed his options.

There was also their younger sister—Tian, the Talisman Master's wife.

If she learned that her brothers had gone missing, she would certainly search everywhere.

But Tian, the Talisman Master, was merely the brothers' brother-in-law, not their blood brother.

How deep could the bond between a brother-in-law and his wife's brothers really be?

Chen Dahu and Chen Two-Tiger were a pair of scoundrels—one lecherous, one addicted to gambling. They had likely caused their brother-in-law no end of trouble.

Wang Mengde narrowed his eyes, and an idea formed in his mind.

Wang Mengde took a deep breath and suppressed his thoughts.

He took out a grain of spiritual sand and held it in his palm.

Then he began cultivating.

In this world—

Cultivation and strength were the true kings.

If he were strong enough, then even if Tian, the Talisman Master, learned that he had killed his wife's brothers, there would be nothing he could do to him.

If he were strong enough, would Shen Qingyue's elder sister dare leave and never return, making the former Wang Mengde a laughingstock?

If he were strong enough, would a petty man like Zhou Daqing dare mock him?

He tightened his grip around the spiritual sand and continued cultivating.

With the pressure of debt gone and a small profit in hand, Wang Mengde freely absorbed spiritual sand.

In one go, he cultivated for four hours.

He absorbed a full sixteen grains of spiritual sand, circulating his technique through thirty-two cycles.

Early the next morning, the weather was clear.

As usual, Wang Mengde went foraging along the shore with his sister-in-law.

At noon, he arrived at the docks.

Wang Mengde walked up to his berth and was just about to board his boat.

"Mengde."

A voice called from behind him.

Wang Mengde turned around. It was Zhou Laoqi from the neighboring berth.

He was an old Rogue Cultivator in his forties who had fished these waters for twenty years, with Qi Refinement Level 2 cultivation.

Zhou Laoqi leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Mengde, have you heard? Something happened to Chen Dahu and Chen Two-Tiger."

Wang Mengde's heart tightened. The news had spread so quickly.

But his expression remained unchanged, and he even put on an incredulous look. "No way, right? I saw Chen Two-Tiger at Shipwreck Reef yesterday."

"When someone passed Dragon Tooth Reef, they saw clothes floating on the sea. They seemed to belong to Chen Two-Tiger, so they came back and told his younger sister."

"Chen Two-Tiger's younger sister panicked and went looking for Chen Dahu, only to find that Chen Dahu wasn't home either. She reported it to the Island Patrol Guards overnight."

"The Island Patrol Guards went out to search and found only fragments of the brothers' clothes and wreckage from their spirit boat. Based on the damage to the small spirit boat, they concluded it had been attacked with a Golden Arrow Talisman."

After hearing this, Wang Mengde put on a frightened look. "This world really is too dangerous. You can get blasted by talismans even while fishing. I'll have to be more careful when going out to sea in the future."

"Isn't that the truth?" Zhou Laoqi sighed. "Us Rogue Cultivators don't earn spiritual sand easily. Not only do we have to guard against demon fish, we also have to watch out for bandit cultivators."

Wang Mengde nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Laoqi added, "Oh, right. At noon today, Tian, the Talisman Master, put out a reward.

He said that anyone with information about the killer would receive three hundred grains of spiritual sand."

Three hundred grains of spiritual sand.

So he really was only their brother-in-law.

Wang Mengde inwardly breathed a small sigh of relief.

The amount of the reward showed that Tian, the Talisman Master, did not particularly care about those two brothers-in-law.

Perhaps he was merely going through the motions for his wife's sake.

He revealed a regretful expression and shook his head. "What a pity I don't know anything. Otherwise, I'd quite like to earn those three hundred grains of spiritual sand."

"Don't even think about it." Zhou Laoqi patted his shoulder. "Those bandit cultivators are all desperadoes. If you saw one, how could he possibly let you go?"

Wang Mengde nodded.

He suddenly said, "Old Zhou, how about the two of us go fishing together today? Going alone is too dangerous."

Zhou Laoqi nodded again and again. "I was thinking the same thing. I'm scared too.

If we run into those bandit cultivators who kill for loot, one person might not even be able to escape.

With two people together, at least we can look out for each other."

Having settled it, the two each piloted a small spirit boat and headed out to sea together.

By evening—

The two returned to the docks together in their boats.

Today's catch was neither good nor bad. All the sea fish sold for a total of forty-three grains of spiritual sand.

Afterward, Wang Mengde took a detour to a shop called Pill Cauldron Hall and bought an Essence-Nourishing Pill.

When he reached his front door—

His steps paused.

Three people stood in the courtyard.

They wore the standard robes of the Island Patrol Guards: one woman and two men.

At their head stood an extremely voluptuous woman.

The woman had a baby face, fair skin, and delicate features. She looked no more than a teenager, even carrying a trace of girlish innocence.

Yet her figure was extraordinarily eye-catching. The originally loose-fitting robe was stretched taut over her body, outlining breathtaking curves.

That contrast was unforgettable at a glance.

She radiated the aura of Qi Refinement Level 6.

The two men standing behind her were both at Qi Refinement Level 4.

Wang Mengde's heart tightened.

He recognized the woman.

The famously fiery little pepper among Rosy Cloud Island's Island Patrol Guards—Liu Yiyi.

It was said that her background was formidable and her temper explosive. Whenever she encountered Rogue Cultivators who had committed crimes, she often beat them up first without a word.

It was said that she had once caught a bandit cultivator who still dared talk tough. She broke all three of his legs on the spot before escorting him back to Rosy Cloud Island.

Ever since then, Rogue Cultivators on Rosy Cloud Island would take a detour whenever they saw her.

Wang Mengde had not expected her to be the one who came.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped through the courtyard gate.

Before he could speak—

A massive spiritual pressure crashed down upon him.

The woman released the spiritual aura of Qi Refinement Level 6, pressing it toward Wang Mengde without the slightest restraint.

That pressure was nearly tangible, like a small mountain bearing down upon his head.

Caught off guard, Wang Mengde staggered back under its weight. His back slammed into the courtyard gate with a dull bang.