Blood-Qi Pill

After replenishing his Qi-Blood to the full, Lu Hao meditated in his room for a while longer before pushing open the door and walking out.

Seeing Lu Hao emerge, Shi Kang hurried over, his face brimming with excitement.

He raised his voice and said to Lu Hao, "Brother Hao, we found 97 taels of silver in the Golden Saber Gang's storeroom. We also searched more than a dozen taels of loose silver from the Golden Saber Gang members. Altogether, it came to 115 taels of silver."

As he spoke, he turned and pointed at the weapons piled on the ground nearby.

"There are also more than a dozen ring-hilted sabers, more than a dozen daggers, and several dozen manuals of the Golden Blade Method."

Shi Kang then pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes and held it out before Lu Hao. "Brother Hao, we found this on Shen Mao. It looks like medicine, but I don't recognize it. Take a look."

Lu Hao accepted the porcelain bottle and pulled out the stopper. Inside lay a dark-red pill. A rich medicinal fragrance drifted from the mouth of the bottle.

The deep-blue panel quietly appeared.

[Detected an equippable item: Blood-Qi Pill]

[Effect: When Qi-Blood is insufficient, consuming it immediately restores fifty percent of Qi-Blood. When Qi-Blood is full, consuming it temporarily raises the maximum Qi-Blood limit by 10 points and may assist in breaking through to the next realm. The above effects apply only to the Gate-Breaking Realm.]

[Equipment effect: When Qi-Blood is insufficient, using it immediately restores Qi-Blood to full. When Qi-Blood is full, it temporarily raises the maximum Qi-Blood limit by 20 points.]

[Note: Current number of Equipment Slots: 1. Equipment Slot 1 is occupied by the Black Tiger Method, so the Blood-Qi Pill cannot currently be equipped. After removing the Black Tiger Method, a seven-day cooldown is required. The Blood-Qi Pill can only be equipped after seven days.]

[Remove the Black Tiger Method?]

Lu Hao pondered for a moment. This Blood-Qi Pill truly was a fine thing. He had been worrying about his Qi-Blood running dry when fighting others to the death, and now he had such a treasure as the Blood-Qi Pill. Especially after equipping it, its effect would be twice the result with half the effort.

However, his Black Tiger Stance Art had yet to reach Perfect Mastery. If he removed the Black Tiger Method now, the time it would take him to break through into the Martial Artist Realm would inevitably be delayed. And the pressure brought upon him by Zhou Zhenbei, a Bright Force Martial Artist, clung to his bones like maggots, making him desperately eager to step into the Martial Artist Realm.

For now, the only plan was to first train the Black Tiger Method to Perfect Mastery and enter the Martial Artist Realm. By then, perhaps he could gain another Equipment Slot. If that happened, he would not need to remove the Black Tiger Method and could equip the Blood-Qi Pill at the same time.

At once, with a thought, he chose no, and the panel slowly faded away.

"This is a Blood-Qi Pill. It's used to replenish Qi-Blood." Lu Hao replaced the stopper and looked at Shi Kang.

"Brother Hao, you even recognize this? Judging by the name, it must be a treasure. You should keep it!" Shi Kang said.

Lu Hao thought about it and did not decline again, instead slipping the porcelain bottle into his robes. He thought that if he ever fought someone to the death and truly exhausted his Qi-Blood, this pill would give him one more means of preserving his life.

"How many brothers did we lose?" Lu Hao looked at Shi Kang.

"Three died. More than a dozen brothers were injured, and two of them were hurt pretty badly," Shi Kang answered.

Lu Hao looked around the courtyard, sweeping his gaze over everyone, then let out a long sigh.

"Take 30 taels from the seized silver. Send 10 taels of silver in compensation to each family of the fallen brothers. Also, have someone write down the names of the dead brothers. From now on, the branch hall will send each fallen brother's family another sum of silver every month."

Though Lu Hao's voice was not loud, it clearly reached the ears of every Black Tiger Gang member in the courtyard.

Everyone turned to look at Lu Hao in unison. Their eyes held astonishment, disbelief, and excitement.

These people from the gangs had all been too poor at home to afford to join a martial academy, so they earned their living on the edge of a blade.

In the past, when they fought other gangs, the gang would only pay two taels of silver if someone died—barely enough to buy a coffin.

Yet Lu Hao was not only giving the dead gang members a huge one-time compensation payment, but would also provide their families with silver every month afterward.

The Black Tiger Gang members often fought other gangs for territory. No one knew which day they might be gone. Once they were gone, the parents, wives, and children left at home would naturally live in dire straits. Lu Hao's arrangement put their hearts much more at ease.

Lu Hao swept his gaze over everyone again. "Of the remaining silver, each injured person gets one tael, and each uninjured person gets half a tael."

As soon as those words fell, every Black Tiger Gang member revealed grateful expressions once more. Not only had Lu Hao not skimmed any of the seized silver, he was instead dividing it among every brother. They all felt that following Lu Hao meant they had followed the right man. It also strengthened their resolve to follow him with unwavering loyalty.

Everyone knew clearly that if not for Lu Hao today, more than half the people present would have been left here for good. Now Lu Hao even wanted to give each of them silver, and they felt ashamed to accept it.

One gang member stepped forward and said, "Deputy Hall Master Lu, being able to ensure that the parents, wives, and children of the dead brothers have a livelihood is already like giving everyone a calming pill. I absolutely cannot accept this silver."

"That's right, Deputy Hall Master Lu. Keep this silver to buy meat and medicinal soups that replenish Qi-Blood, so you can increase your strength. In the future, you must lead the brothers to kill a few more of those Golden Saber Gang scum."

The people in the courtyard all chimed in, and no one was willing to step forward to collect the silver.

Lu Hao was helpless. After thinking it over, he realized that a treasure like the Blood-Qi Pill must be extremely expensive. He truly needed to keep some silver to purchase Blood-Qi Pills.

In the end, he insisted on giving each injured gang member one tael of silver, then kept the remaining 70 taels.

"Kangzi, leave me two sabers and daggers. Take all the remaining weapons and the Golden Blade Method back and turn them over to the gang." After saying this, Lu Hao led everyone away from the Azure Robe Branch Hall.

At the same time, led by Xiong Kaishan and Ma Xiaotian, the Golden Saber Gang, along with Diao Xiaolin and Qiu Shan, stormed into the Black Tiger Gang's Everjoy Hall Branch.

At this time, only twenty or thirty gang members responsible for internal affairs remained at the Everjoy Hall Branch. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the fifty Golden Saber Gang members had slaughtered the Black Tiger Gang members until they were thrown into chaos, corpses lying crisscrossed throughout the courtyard.

Xiong Kaishan held a ring-hilted saber in his hand, blood still dripping from its tip.

He walked up to Han Zheng and Chen Xuan, with Ma Xiaotian following close behind.

Diao Xiaolin held a longsword and demanded sharply, "Where is Lu Hao?"

Han Zheng glanced at the corpses filling the courtyard and gave a bitter laugh.

"Lu Hao has already led men to raid your Golden Saber Gang's Azure Robe Branch Hall. But I never expected you to raid our branch hall as well. Since matters have come to this, let Han here experience the Golden Blade Method."

As he spoke, Han Zheng assumed a stance.

Chen Xuan's eyes shifted. He closed his folding fan, tucked it into his waist, and clasped his fists toward the two Golden Saber Gang hall masters.

"Hall Master Xiong, Hall Master Ma, we are old acquaintances, after all. Chen wishes to abandon darkness and turn toward the light, joining the Golden Saber Gang. Would the two of you be willing to make this convenient?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zheng's eyes widened in fury as he glared viciously at Chen Xuan.

"Chen Xuan! You spineless wretch! For the sake of living, you dare betray the gang! Have you forgotten that anyone who betrays the gang will implicate their parents, wives, and children? Are you not afraid of punishment under gang law?"

Chen Xuan sneered and looked at Han Zheng.

"Hall Master Han, keeping our lives is more important for now. As for gang law and all that, we can discuss it later."

Chen Xuan paused. "Besides, didn't you and I both want to get rid of Lu Hao? That is the same goal as the Golden Saber Gang's. Why not surrender to the Golden Saber Gang and join forces to eliminate Lu Hao?"

"Pah!"

Han Zheng spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto Chen Xuan's face and roared angrily.

"Chen Xuan! We worked together for so long, yet only today have I truly seen you for what you are!"

"The conflict between you, me, and Lu Hao is an internal conflict within the gang. Brothers may quarrel within the walls, but together they ward off insult from without. Now that the Golden Saber Gang has already killed its way into our branch hall, this is the very time for you and me to join hands against the enemy and avenge our fallen brothers. Kill one and break even; kill two and earn one. A true man should die where his death has meaning!"

Before Chen Xuan could speak, Ma Xiaotian shouted furiously, "Enough!"

He took a step forward with his left foot.

"I did not come here to listen to you two argue. Chen Xuan, when those Everjoy Hall scum return, keep them occupied. Help me take down Lu Hao, and that will count as your pledge of allegiance. Now get to the side and let me deal with this Han fellow."

Ma Xiaotian looked at Han Zheng again and snorted coldly. "Han, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Then hand over your life!"

As soon as the words fell, Ma Xiaotian and Xiong Kaishan attacked Han Zheng from front and back. They had barely exchanged five moves when Ma Xiaotian struck Han Zheng across the back with the flat of his saber. Two Golden Saber Gang members immediately stepped forward and tied Han Zheng up.

Ma Xiaotian hurriedly summoned Chen Xuan, had the courtyard cleaned up, and made further arrangements, waiting only for Lu Hao to return.