Tortoise Breath Formula

"Morning, Old Lu."

Early in the morning, Lu Fan had just reached the entrance of the martial hall when a tall figure was already waiting there.

"Miss Qin." Lu Fan lowered his head slightly in greeting.

"Old Lu, has the hall master arrived?"

"Not yet."

Lu Fan shook his head and did not ask further.

Having lived to such an age, he naturally understood—what should not be asked, should not be asked.

Qin Yaxin nodded. Just as she was about to head inside, her gaze lingered on Lu Fan's face for a moment. She smiled casually. "Old Lu, you've been looking well lately. Much more energetic."

Lu Fan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. He smiled and replied, "Thanks to the hall master, I've had meat to eat lately. Naturally, my body has grown a bit stronger."

"Is that so?" Qin Yaxin gave it no further thought and turned to enter the courtyard.

Watching her figure disappear beyond the inner courtyard gate, the smile on Lu Fan's face slowly faded, replaced by a trace of gravity.

Qin Yaxin had only just entered Bright Force, yet she could already notice the changes in him. If it had been a Dark Force martial artist or stronger, they might have seen through the changes in his qi and blood at a glance, perhaps even guessed that he had become a martial artist.

He had to find a technique to conceal his aura as soon as possible. The sooner, the better.

During the day, Lu Fan worked as usual in the rear kitchen, preparing meat for the martial hall's disciples.

After the martial hall closed, he found a secluded spot, put on the Cracked Mask, and headed deeper into the district.

Most technique shops in Chi City were clustered along the district's main street. The streets were brightly lit, and martial artists came and went. Lu Fan did not go to those lively places, choosing instead to walk through deserted alleys.

After searching around, he finally found an inconspicuous little shop in the most remote corner of the street.

Its storefront was narrow, and the painted characters on its signboard had faded so badly that the strokes could no longer be made out. A few dusty old books were piled on the counter—clearly, few people visited the place.

Lu Fan was about to speak when the shop assistant hurried over, his face full of smiles.

His gaze swept over Lu Fan. Sensing the dense vitality in him, his smile became even more eager.

"Sir, what do you need?"

"A technique for concealing one's aura."

"Yes, yes, we have one. Please wait!" The assistant turned and ducked into the back room, quickly returning with a yellowed booklet. "Sir, this one is quite famous—"

"Skip it." Lu Fan raised a hand to cut him off. "Effects and price."

The assistant smiled awkwardly and put away his sales pitch. "This is the Tortoise Breath Formula. Once mastered, it can suppress one's aura to the lowest possible level, like an old turtle lying dormant. Even martial artists of the same rank would find it extremely difficult to detect you. I can tell you know your stuff, sir. One hundred taels of silver, and it's yours."

"Fifty taels."

Lu Fan did not even raise his head.

"No, sir, fifty taels won't even cover the cost..." The assistant wanted to haggle further, but Lu Fan had already turned toward the door without the slightest hesitation.

The assistant's expression changed, and he hurried after him. "Fine, fine, fifty taels it is. Consider it my honor to make a friend of you!"

After leaving the shop, Lu Fan touched the thin booklet tucked into his clothes. A hint of bitterness appeared on his face beneath the mask.

Of the hundred taels he had just received, half had vanished in the blink of an eye.

Earlier, Old Zhang had insisted on increasing his reward, but Lu Fan had declined. That bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills alone was worth a thousand taels. He already owed them enough and could not take more.

Now it seemed that after becoming a martial artist, there would only be more places to spend money.

No matter how much money one had, it would never be enough.

The sky gradually darkened, and there were barely any pedestrians left on the road.

Lu Fan tucked the Tortoise Breath Formula into his clothes and was about to return to his residence when a familiar voice drifted over from the other end of the street.

It was the sound of two young women talking.

Lu Fan instinctively slipped into the shadows beside him.

The instincts he had developed over thirty years in the martial hall's rear kitchen made his body react faster than his mind, even though he was wearing a mask.

Two figures approached side by side. They were Zhang Zhi and Qin Yaxin.

"Yaxin, congratulations on entering Bright Force." Zhang Zhi's voice remained as indifferent as ever.

"I'm far behind you, Sister Zhi."

Qin Yaxin looked at the girl beside her with admiration. "You entered the middle stage of Bright Force at sixteen. You'll definitely enter Dark Force before twenty. I believe you can do it!"

"Mm."

Zhang Zhi nodded calmly, with no particular joy visible on her face, as if such a thing was only natural.

From the shadows, Lu Fan saw this and felt some of the frustration in his heart dissipate.

Zhang Zhi was cold not only toward him, but toward her friends as well. That girl had simply been born with a cold temperament.

He was thinking of quietly leaving once the two women had gone farther away when Zhang Zhi suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Qin Yaxin asked in confusion.

Zhang Zhi did not answer.

An unprecedented gravity appeared on her usually indifferent face, her gaze fixed tightly on the darkness ahead.

"Come out."

After a brief silence, a figure slowly strolled out from a dense patch of shadow in the corner.

His gleaming bald head reflected a cold light beneath the moon. He raised his head, his icy gaze carrying undisguised killing intent, his qi and blood as heavy and solid as a mountain—Dark Force.

"Gu De!"

Zhang Zhi's pupils suddenly constricted.

She vaguely remembered seeing Gu De ten years ago, when Blackstone Martial Hall and Thunder Martial Hall had competed. At the time, Gu De had already been a late-stage Bright Force martial artist.

But the aura Gu De was giving off now was unmistakably that of Dark Force.

Beside her, all color instantly drained from Qin Yaxin's face.

"Gu De, what are you trying to do?" Qin Yaxin instinctively took half a step back. "Aren't you afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" Gu De grinned as he closed in on the two women step by step. "Young Miss Qin, it looks like your father hasn't told you yet. The one who robbed your Qin Household's shipment a few days ago was me. Oh, and those previous shipments? That was me too."

He licked his lips, his gaze roaming back and forth over the two of them.

"The hall master said that as long as I bring you two back, those little mistakes from before will be wiped clean. If you want someone to blame, blame that masked old bastard. If he hadn't ruined my plans, you two could have enjoyed a few more carefree days."

"Yaxin, run!"

Zhang Zhi spat out only four words before charging forward.

She did not look back.

She was the daughter of Blackstone Martial Hall's master. As long as she charged first, Gu De would have no choice but to attack her first.

Every extra moment she delayed him was another moment of life for Qin Yaxin.

But the gap between the middle stage of Bright Force and Dark Force was simply too great.

Gu De did not even meet her head-on.

With a casual palm strike, Zhang Zhi flew away like a kite with its string cut, slamming heavily into the alley wall. She let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

It was clear that Gu De had held back. After all, his goal was to capture them alive.

"Little Sister Zhi!"

Qin Yaxin's scream echoed through the alley.

Gu De twisted his wrist. His gaze moved away from Zhang Zhi, who lay on the ground, and slowly turned toward Qin Yaxin, who stood frozen in place.

"Don't rush. One at a time."

The corners of his mouth slowly spread into a grin. His eyes swept over Qin Yaxin's slender body, gleaming with undisguised possessiveness.

At that moment, a faint crack sounded from the end of the alley, and the smile on Gu De's face froze.