A Contest of Strength Within the Stronghold, Secrets Hidden in Evil Pills

Seeing that no one spoke, Hei Kui nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to assign the men, Xue Ren, the silent second-in-command at his side, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Chief, the brothers among the Four Liangs and Eight Pillars already command quite a few men. If you assign them more now, I'm afraid they won't be able to manage them."

Hei Kui turned sideways, his gaze fixed tightly on Xue Ren. His fists clenched, emitting faint cracking sounds that seemed especially conspicuous in the silent hall.

"I wonder what insight the second-in-command has?"

There was more than a trace of gritted teeth in those words, especially when Hei Kui emphasized the word "second."

Xue Ren heard the hostility in Hei Kui's words, but he did not care. They were all men who had come through blades and flames. Why would they care about such things?

"My brothers have been idling about all day anyway. Why not assign Chen Sanmu's men to them, Chief?"

Among the crowd below, the bandits who had originally followed Chen Sanmu were furious but dared not speak. What did they take them for, to be fought over like this?

Hearing this, realization appeared on Hei Kui's face.

Sure enough, barking dogs don't bite. The moment this dog opened his mouth, he wanted to snatch men.

Hei Kui pondered inwardly. He did not say those words aloud; for now, he did not wish to tear all pretenses with Xue Ren.

After all, the Azure Cloud Bandits were pressing down from above. Even a veteran Qi-Blood Realm martial artist like Hei Kui did not dare defy them.

Hei Kui burst into laughter. "Since the second-in-command is willing to share my burdens, then as your elder brother, I naturally agree."

Hei Kui paused, his words sincere, as though he were truly considering Xue Ren's interests.

"How about this? The second-in-command has only been in our stronghold for a short time, after all. There are probably some matters you are not yet familiar with."

"Forty percent of the brothers brought by the third-in-command will go to you. The remaining sixty percent will still be led by the Four Liangs and Eight Pillars."

Xue Ren turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared hard at Hei Kui.

He had thought they would split them fifty-fifty. He had not expected this "black ghost" to secretly withhold another ten percent.

Xue Ren was about to speak, but Hei Kui gave him no such chance.

Hei Kui chuckled. "Second-in-command, we can sit here together in peace only thanks to the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person."

Xue Ren replied with a half-smile, "That is true. But Chief, what does that seem to have to do with what we are discussing now?"

This dog gives me no face at all. Hei Kui looked at Xue Ren's face, secretly enraged. Sooner or later, he would teach him a brutal lesson.

"Of course it has something to do with it. We came to Azure Radiance Mountain on the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person's orders."

At this point, Hei Kui suddenly turned and swept his gaze around the hall. Then he moved closer to Xue Ren, lowering his voice meaningfully.

"The High Person has spoken. We must find that great tomb."

"At such a critical juncture, if the two of us fall into a dispute and ruin the High Person's business, then when the High Person calls us to account, neither of us will have any good fruit to eat."

"And you know the High Person's methods as well."

As he said this, Hei Kui seemed to recall something, and a trace of wariness flashed through his eyes.

Xue Ren raised a brow, surprise flashing in his eyes. He had not expected this "black ghost" to see things so clearly.

Indeed, one could not judge a person by appearances... none who could cultivate to the Qi-Blood Realm were fools.

At the mention of the High Person's methods, not only Hei Kui but even Xue Ren felt a chill in his heart.

With that thought, Xue Ren smiled faintly.

"Since the Chief has put it that way, if I continue to pester you unreasonably, then it would be Xue's fault."

Hearing this, the stone in Hei Kui's heart finally dropped. He was just about to lift his wine cup and share a drink with Xue Ren, letting the matter pass.

Xue Ren suddenly said, "I heard earlier that the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person bestowed quite a few miraculous pills. I wonder if Chief could let your little brother broaden his horizons."

Hei Kui's hand reaching for the wine cup froze slightly. He pulled at his face and bared his teeth.

This dog...

"Hahahaha... Good! Since worthy brother is curious, just come with me." Hei Kui roared with laughter.

Having said that, Hei Kui glanced at the people standing in the hall and said coldly,

"Tan Bing, go divide up the brothers brought by the third-in-command properly. Understand?"

As he spoke the final three words, Hei Kui gave Tan Bing a meaningful look.

Tan Bing squeezed out from the crowd. Meeting Hei Kui's gaze, he cupped his hands and loudly said,

"Rest assured, Chief. Tan Bing understands."

Hei Kui waved a hand. "Go."

Then, one before the other, he and Xue Ren headed deeper into the cave.

Tan Bing understood well that there was much to be gained from assigning men. The capable ones were to be assigned over here, while those with weaker cultivation and less strength were given to the second-in-command. That was the meaning behind Hei Kui's look.

After the two chiefs left, everyone gathered around and surrounded Tan Bing.

Someone shouted, his voice still carrying a trace of weakness, "Liangtai Tan, I'm still short a few men."

The man was Yu Zhutou. He had suffered severe losses in Azure Radiance Mountain earlier and had nearly become a commander without an army.

Liangtai Tan glanced at Yu Zhutou and gave him a reassuring look.

Then he called out loudly, "Brothers brought by the third-in-command, come over first. Let's properly decide where each of you will go."

In an instant, many people gathered around Liangtai Tan. It was bustling as a marketplace.

Not far away, three men stood together. One of them looked at Tan Bing and sneered. "That Tan fellow sure got himself an easy job."

Though he sneered, a trace of envy flashed deep in his eyes. This man was Jin Liangtai, one of the Four Great Liangs.

"I say, Missing Tooth, if you wanted to take this job, what were you doing earlier?"

Missing Tooth was Jin Liangtai's nickname. One of Jin Liangtai's front teeth was missing. Though he had replaced it with gold, what good names could there be in a bandit den?

The name Missing Tooth was destined to follow Jin Liangtai for the rest of his life.

"Don't talk about me. Old Sword, did you not want this job too?" Jin Liangtai curled his lip and replied irritably.

"Of course I did. Assigning manpower is a cushy post." Old Sword replied with a smile.

Jin Liangtai said helplessly, "As the saying goes, men fear entering the wrong trade, women fear marrying the wrong man. Following a good boss is very important in a bandit den."

Old Sword added, "Isn't that so? Just because Tan Bing has followed the Chief the longest, the Chief gives every lucrative task to him."

Old Sword held a sword in his arms. Though his left eye was blind, his entire person radiated a vigorous, soaring spirit.

He was skilled with the sword, so the bandits all called him Sword Liangtai.

As for why Jin Liangtai did not call him One-Eyed, it was naturally because Old Sword's blade was too sharp. He did not want several sword holes punched through his body.

At that thought, amusement filled Jin Liangtai's eyes as he glanced at Zhu Ling beside him.

Feeling Jin Liangtai's teasing gaze, Zhu Ling looked as though he had eaten shit. The old wound in his right chest seemed to ache faintly.

Zhu Liangtai snorted coldly, turned, and left.

Boring... Jin Liangtai smiled soundlessly. "Old Sword, I'll be going first."

After glancing at Tan Bing amid the crowd, Old Sword hugged his sword and turned to leave.

As for Chen Sanmu's corpse lying in the hall, neither the bandits who had previously followed him nor those of Blackwind Stronghold spared it an extra glance.

As Old Sword walked along, thinking of the promise the Chief had made him a few days ago, his heart burned hot.

At the time, Hei Kui had sought him out alone and told him that once they completed the task assigned by the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person, he would bestow upon him a Blood Exchange Pill.

The Blood Exchange Pill had only one effect: it could help Bone Tempering Realm martial artists undergo Blood Exchange.

Yet that effect alone made Bone Tempering Realm martial artists across the world flock toward it like ducks, willing to go mad for it.

Upon consuming a Blood Exchange Pill, one could stimulate the marrow to produce fresh blood and replace the old blood in the body. This was also the cultivation process of the Qi-Blood Realm.

At the time, doubt had flashed through Old Sword's heart, and he had directly asked why it was him.

Hei Kui's answer had been equally straightforward—if Tan Bing's strength had been sufficient, he would certainly have considered him first. Unfortunately, Tan Bing lacked the necessary foundation.

The same went for the other two.

Hei Kui had also said that the pill was bestowed by the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person, and everything was for the sake of finding that great tomb.

Thinking of this, the vigor in Old Sword's body grew even more spirited, brimming with life as though he had returned to his youth.

Deep in the cave, Hei Kui and Xue Ren arrived at a secret chamber. Xue Ren casually surveyed the surroundings, then found a stone stool and dropped onto it.

Hei Kui glanced at Xue Ren, took out a white jade porcelain bottle, and tossed it to him.

"Take it. There are three Blood Pills bestowed by the High Person inside."

Xue Ren caught the jade bottle in one hand and gently removed its stopper. In an instant, a bloody stench wafted out.

Xue Ren's expression changed, and he raised his head to ask,

"These are Blood Pills?"

To his surprise, Hei Kui sneered. "Asking when you know full well."

Xue Ren gripped the jade bottle, his expression grave as he said in a low voice, "You know that isn't what I mean."

Unconcerned, Hei Kui smiled and revealed a mouthful of large yellow teeth as he asked in return,

"How do you think the Azure Cloud Bandits raised so many martial artists?"

Regarding the Azure Cloud Bandits, the greatest force of the greenwood, Xue Ren only knew that they commanded an army made up of countless martial artists, and that they even possessed beings above Qi-Blood martial artists.

It was said such people could ride the wind through empty air and manipulate the powers of heaven, earth, and nature. They were practically immortals.

This was also one reason why the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person had made Xue Ren, formerly a chief himself, join Blackwind Stronghold with just a single sentence.

Hearing Hei Kui say this, Xue Ren thought of many things at once.

Xue Ren fell silent. He had not known that the pills bestowed by the Azure Cloud Bandits' High Person were such Blood Pills.

After a moment, he poured a Blood Pill from the jade bottle, placed it in his palm, and brought it close to smell.

Mixed with an iron-rust scent, it was crimson all over. The patterns on its surface twisted without order, like the final struggles and wails of a dying person.

Once the rust scent passed, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed at him. Drawn by the fragrance, the qi and blood within his body circulated several degrees faster.

"Heh, I never thought the second-in-command would be so particular." Hei Kui folded his arms. Seeing Xue Ren sniffing and examining it, he could not help tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Then his tone shifted. "But people like us can stop at nothing to survive. Do we still care what the pill was refined from?"

"That is enough, second-in-command. I've given you the pills, so I won't see you out." Hei Kui said impatiently.

Xue Ren still said nothing. He merely put away the Blood Pills in silence, turned, and left.

Watching Xue Ren's retreating back, Hei Kui narrowed his eyes and secretly spat.

"Pretentious."

Xue Ren walked along, the bottle of Blood Pills already tucked into his sleeve.

It was not that he was being pretentious. He had once been the chief of Vermilion Serpent Stronghold and had killed countless people. Though this was his first time hearing of pills refined from people, he did not think there was anything wrong with it.

This world was one where the weak were meat and the strong ate.

He had once heard people say that only by enduring hardship could one become a person above others. He had believed it deeply, running about tirelessly for his livelihood, yet he had remained poor and destitute.

Meanwhile, those idle hooligans who spent their days preying upon the common folk lived in flourishing splendor.

At that moment, he had understood: enduring hardship could not make one a person above others. One had to eat people!

Only by eating people could one become a person above others!

Having realized this, he slaughtered all the local thugs who had bullied him in the night, then fled to the mountains overnight to become a bandit.

After all these years of wind and rain, Xue Ren had long stopped believing in right or wrong. Principles? Could they let him live a few more days?

After returning to his quarters, he took out a Blood Pill. After staring at it for only a moment, he picked one up and swallowed it.

At the outskirts of Azure Radiance Mountain, within the camp originally constructed for hunting.

Everyone sat gathered together. This was a meeting belonging solely to those of the Qi-Blood Realm.

The three great lineages of Verdant Grain County, as well as all forces with Qi-Blood martial artists overseeing them, had arrived.

"Everyone, it has been a long time since we last met." An elderly man with a white beard and long whiskers said with a smile.

The old man looked utterly ordinary, his face covered in wrinkles, save for a pair of extraordinarily bright eyes that seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.

The old man was Gu Zhao, master of Golden Eyes Martial Hall within the city.

Gu Zhao was also the alliance leader of Verdant Grain County's Martial Hall Alliance.

"Brother Gu, it truly has been a long time." Another man replied with a smile.

That man's palms were huge, far larger than an ordinary person's. He was rolling a pair of white jade walnuts in his right hand. He looked amiable enough, but he was Hong Tao, chief of the Azure Flood Gang.

The Azure Flood Gang controlled the water transport of Verdant Grain County. Its men were spread throughout every corner of the city, and its power was immense.

The man beside Hong Tao was no less formidable. He was Wei Zheng, chief of the Firewood Gang.

The Firewood Gang's subordinate forces spread throughout the forests and mountains around Verdant Grain County. Almost nothing that happened in the wilderness escaped the Firewood Gang's eyes.

Besides them were the Qi-Blood Realm martial artists of the three great lineages, along with Qin Anming, the grand elder of Green Grain Martial Academy.

At this moment, Qin Anming sat upright in the seat of honor. With a long beard, plain robes, and vigorous spirit, he looked full of energy.

He could sit in the seat of honor not because he was the strongest, but because the Martial Academy was an official institution of Great Qian.

Matters great and small that occurred in every region were presided over by people from the Martial Academy.

Qin Anming gave a soft cough. Only after everyone's gazes had focused on him did he slowly say,

"Everyone, we have gathered here today primarily to discuss the bandits of Blackwind Stronghold."

"Whatever opinions you have, feel free to speak openly."

"Brother Qin, Blackwind Stronghold has committed every evil imaginable. This is the perfect opportunity to wipe them out in one net." Hong Tao said righteously as he rolled the white jade walnuts.

The moment those words were spoken, all the Qi-Blood martial artists present looked over.

Who did not know that the Azure Flood Gang controlled water transport? Of those in Verdant Grain County who did business, whose household had not suffered extortion at their hands?

Wei Zheng tilted his head and smiled with amusement. "Brother Hong, why do those words sound so awkward coming from your mouth?"

Gu Zhao stroked his long beard with one hand, smiling as he watched the two men.

The people of the three great lineages watched the spectacle in silence.

Hearing this, Hong Tao did not grow angry. He said meaningfully, "They say nothing in the mountains can escape the Firewood Gang's eyes. So why did the Firewood Gang fail to discover Blackwind Stronghold beforehand?"

At that, Hong Tao instead smiled.

"Brother Wei, was Blackwind Stronghold truly hidden too deeply? Or could it be that your Firewood Gang and Blackwind Stronghold..."