"Wait here!"
After getting a definite answer, Gao Fei quickly returned to the house and shut the door.
He poured out the pills and swallowed one.
System: Purple-Viscera Organ-Tempering Art used 20 Merit Points.
In the first year, you sensed the Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pill tempering your internal organs and discovered that its effect covered the entire body, completely incompatible with your cultivation art. Only the spiritual energy within it was useful.
Under the pill's effects, the five viscera and six bowels were noticeably strengthened.
In the eighteenth year, you used the spiritual energy within the pill to temper your heart. Dots of metallic luster appeared on its surface, and the Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pill's spiritual energy was exhausted.
Over the years, you had tempered your internal organs with qi and blood and injured yourself several times before realizing that this was delicate work. It could not be rushed.
After waking, Gao Fei looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand and shook his head.
One pill had not even managed to temper his heart successfully.
He opened the door and walked out, tossing the porcelain bottle in his hand.
"Second Uncle, do you know about Beast Cores? One for four pills!"
Gao Linyue raised his hand halfway, then lowered it again.
"Beast Cores are good things, but they leak spiritual energy far too slowly. Their effects are long-term. You don't refine pills, so what do you need something that expensive for?"
"Don't worry about it!" Gao Fei had seen even the county magistrate collecting these things, so they certainly were not cheap.
"For poor people like us, Beast Cores are chicken ribs. I can't bear to buy one. Only great lineages like the Lin Family and Zhang Family might have them."
"Then let's pay the Lin Family a visit!"
Gao Linyue thought for a while and looked at the porcelain bottle in Gao Fei's hand.
"No. Let's go check the apothecary. At worst, I'll throw away my old face and buy it on credit for you."
After saying that, he walked to the door. "You're not coming?"
"No!"
Gao Fei shook his head. His uncle was going to buy on credit. What was the point of following him?
Half an hour later.
Gao Linyue returned with his head hanging low.
"Let's go have a look at the Lin Family. Who told them to collude with monsters?"
At the third watch of the night.
South of Yueyang County stood a manor covering ten mu.
Within its walls were artificial hills and flowing streams, little bridges and cool pavilions—everything one could want.
Every so often, a patrol of five blade-bearing guards passed by the walls.
A lantern-lit carriage entered through the main gate, passed straight through the greenery, and arrived at the front hall.
"Doctor, please take a look at my Second Young Master. Why does he keep coughing..."
At this moment, Gao Fei and his uncle were dressed in black nightwear with their faces covered, having just climbed over the wall.
"Second Uncle, where did you get nightwear like this?"
"Don't worry about that. That Lin brat got hurt—was that your doing?"
"No! Don't falsely accuse me!"
"You came here before. Do you remember any places where they might hide treasures?"
Gao Fei had no memory of it. How could he know? Besides, he had only been a lackey before. He probably would not have had the chance to learn where the treasure vault was.
"Forget it. Let's follow him. Maybe Lin Shaokun has Beast Cores on him."
Having a target was better than searching blindly through the Lin residence.
After passing through several corridors, Gao Linyue could not help sighing.
"How great would it be if I had a house this big to live in?"
"Stop fantasizing. You can't even afford to hire people to clean it. Are you trying to work Second Aunt to death?"
Hearing Gao Fei's words, Gao Linyue actually pondered it as he followed along.
"My pay really doesn't seem like enough..."
Following the doctor and evading two patrols, they arrived outside a side room in the rear courtyard.
By the time Gao Fei drew close, the doctor had already begun examining the patient.
Standing beneath the window, they heard him say—
"Second Young Master, your internal organs have been injured. Luckily, it was discovered early. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
The window was covered in thick rice paper, and they could only make out three shadows by the lamplight.
Lin Shaokun's voice came from within.
"Cough! Cough! Other than today, I haven't fought recently. And the force of today's blows shouldn't have been enough to injure my organs."
"Could it have been Zhang Mingfei of the Zhang Family, when we sparred seven days ago? Did he strike at me from the shadows?"
The doctor's voice sounded again, interrupting Lin Shaokun's muttering.
"I have written the prescription. Drink the medicine continuously for a month, and you will recover completely."
"Cough, cough, cough! See the doctor out. Brew the medicine today and bring it over. Don't come bother me at other times."
A woman answered, and two figures left the room.
They watched until the pair had gone far away.
Gao Fei could not help sighing inwardly. He had still underestimated this world.
Just as the two of them were about to break through the window and enter—
A middle-aged man's voice sounded from inside the room again.
"Lin Shaokun, your condition won't affect the next stage of the plan, will it?"
"It won't. Everything was arranged long ago. But are you certain that if Yueyang County falls into turmoil and the people lose faith in the Great Wu Kingdom, the county magistrate's cultivation will truly decline?"
"Rest assured. My daughter has returned after studying at the Azure Hill Fox Ruins. To Azure Hill, the workings of Great Wu's faith and fortune are no secret at all."
"Cough! Cough, cough! Fine. Keep grain prices steady for two more days. Once the Zhang Family has sold all their grain, keep driving them up. When the time comes, I want those people unable to buy even a single grain of rice with a tael of silver."
"Fine. Once this is done, you may take all your possessions and leave. I guarantee the other two Demon Race factions will not trouble you."
"I should be thanking you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to fake an injury."
"You're too polite!"
As the two said their farewells, Gao Fei and Gao Linyue exchanged a glance. They gestured to attack, drew their Tang Sabers, and lay in ambush on either side of the main door.
The door opened.
A six-foot-tall figure stepped out, with fox ears, the face of a middle-aged man, a slender body, and two fox tails swaying gently behind him.
The conversation had been pleasant. He was walking through the Lin Family's inner courtyard, the guards had been sent away, and he had never imagined he would be ambushed.
To preserve the element of surprise, Gao Linyue did not use Bright Force. His long blade swept horizontally at the fox demon's neck.
By the time the fox demon noticed, the blade was already before its eyes. There was no room to dodge. It could only tense its neck and turn to take the blow head-on.
Clang!
When it was struck, its head naturally dropped, pinning the Tang Saber in place as crimson blood began to flow.
Just as it raised a hand wreathed in spiritual power, it heard behind it—
A low, buzzing vibration.
Gao Fei had not attacked at first. He gripped his saber in his left hand and clenched his right into a fist, deliberately letting his second uncle draw its attention.
When the fox demon turned around, he gathered his strength and struck its chest from behind with a fist. Dark Force surged forth.
This time, he held nothing back. It was a full-force blow.
The spiritual power around the fox demon's raised hand quickly dispersed, and its arm fell limply. It turned its head, wanting to see the one who had ambushed it.
But it had only turned halfway before collapsing to the ground.
System notification: Slain an Early Spirit-Absorption Realm Greater Monster. Merit Points +42.
Even as it fell, Gao Linyue slashed it twice more, each strike landing on the vital point of its neck.
Only after confirming it had stopped breathing did he sheathe his blade.
"You scared me half to death. It was actually a Spirit-Absorption Realm monster. How did you kill it with one punch?"
"I think this isn't the time to discuss that."
As he spoke, Gao Fei had already walked inside.
Lin Shaokun held a sword, trying desperately not to cough. At this moment, regret gnawed at him. If I'd known, I wouldn't have sent the guards away.
"Cough! Hero, if there's something to discuss, let's talk it out. Don't get worked up. Name your price—however much silver you want."
Seeing Gao Fei enter with his saber, Gao Linyue hurriedly called out, "Don't kill Lin Shaokun. The Lin Family head is Yueyang County's registrar..."
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