Qi-Blood Fifth Level

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Yi Yang found Zhao Gang on the west side of the town entrance.

Zhao Gang leaned beneath an old elm tree. He had taken off his inner armor and tossed it at his feet. His sweat-soaked undershirt clung to his body, and a strip of bloodstained white cloth was wrapped around his ribs.

His face looked weary, with dark circles beneath his eyes and stubble noticeably thicker than before he had set out.

But his spirits were good.

The exhilaration of someone who had strolled through the gates of death and returned hung at the corners of his mouth, exactly like a gambler leaving a gambling den with his winnings.

Seeing Yi Yang stroll over, Zhao Gang grinned, showing a row of white teeth. "Old sir, I made it back alive."

Yi Yang looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on the bandage beneath his ribs for two breaths.

"Were you hurt?"

"Just a flesh wound. Nothing serious." Zhao Gang patted the spot, hissed, then pretended nothing had happened. "The cut was shallow. Didn't touch the bone. I did earn some merit, though. Not much, but enough to pull a few strings and move up another rung."

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.

"And the fighting on this trip loosened the bottleneck to the qi-blood third level. A few days in seclusion now that I'm back, and I should have a shot at breaking through."

Yi Yang nodded and said with a faint smile, "Congratulations."

With greater strength, Zhao Gang could help him handle matters more effectively. After all, Yi Yang was advancing too quickly; unless Zhao Gang kept pace, certain resources would remain beyond his reach. Their relationship was mutually beneficial.

Zhao Gang waved a hand. He was about to recount his exploits in the fighting and indulge in some boasting when something occurred to him, and his face abruptly darkened.

The relief of surviving a brush with death vanished, replaced by teeth-grinding hatred. His back teeth creaked, and the muscles in his cheeks tightened into two hard ridges.

"If that bastard Tang Hao hadn't meddled, I could've earned twice as much merit this time."

Zhao Gang lowered his voice and moved half a step closer to Yi Yang.

"There was a stronghold I was supposed to lead the attack on. I spent three days gathering the intelligence myself-entry and exit routes, sentry positions, their numbers and organization. I had it all sorted out. Then, an hour before we set off, Tang Hao got his hands on a transfer order from who knows where and snatched that stronghold right out from under me."

He gulped cold water from his waterskin, his Adam's apple bobbing. Water spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he did not even bother wiping it away.

"I got reassigned to the smallest target with the leanest pickings. That miserable place had five cult lackeys altogether, not a single one at the qi-blood second level. After killing them, it was barely worth putting a line in the merit ledger."

Zhao Gang spat out a couple of curses and punched the tree trunk, shaking loose several flakes of bark.

Yi Yang said nothing, merely standing there and listening.

After finishing his tirade, Zhao Gang took two ragged breaths, then abruptly changed the subject.

His tone turned grave and wary.

Zhao Gang leaned toward Yi Yang's ear, lowering his voice until only the two of them could hear.

"Old sir, there's something you need to watch out for."

Yi Yang tilted his head to listen.

"Tang Hao broke through during this operation. Qi-blood third level, Sinew Tempering Realm."

Yi Yang's expression did not change at the news, as though Tang Hao reaching the qi-blood third level had nothing to do with him. In truth, it scarcely did. Tang Hao's main target was Zhao Gang, but Yi Yang was close to Zhao Gang and showed no fear of Tang Hao, making him conspicuous enough to be targeted as well.

Seeing no change in Yi Yang's expression, Zhao Gang continued, "And that's not all. Somehow, he's actually made a connection with the County Commandant over in the county city."

"During the fighting, there were a few unfamiliar faces mixed into his squad. They weren't wearing Heaven Patrol Office uniforms-they were from the County Office. On the way back, he didn't return with our town's contingent. He went toward the county city with the County Commandant's men instead."

At this news, Yi Yang's fingers lightly rubbed the hilt of his saber inside his sleeve. His expression finally shifted, and he smiled. "Oh? Tell me how those two got tangled up together."

The County Commandant.

The man who had sent Lu Neng and the other two to retrieve the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force.

Tang Hao had connected with the County Commandant-with those two snakes coiled together, their target went without saying.

Zhao Gang patted Yi Yang's shoulder, his palm pressing a little harder than usual. He had always felt that the sixty-year-old man before him was no ordinary elder, and he spoke tentatively.

"Old sir, Tang Hao is a sly bastard. Now that he has the County Commandant backing him, he's holding far more cards than before. Things might be quiet for you at the Archive Hall, but the tree longs for stillness while the wind refuses to cease."

He looked Yi Yang in the eyes and spoke with a meaningful undertone. "If you need help, make sure you tell me. This life of mine was salvaged from a heap of corpses. It isn't worth much, but if you need me, I won't hesitate."

Yi Yang nodded, his voice hoarse. "Thank you for the warning."

After Zhao Gang left, Yi Yang stood alone beneath the elm. Its lengthening shadow enveloped him in cool shade.

He looked toward the county city, a chill lurking deep within his cloudy eyes.

The County Commandant had made no move all this time.

After Lu Neng and the other two died, that side had been unnaturally quiet. Yi Yang had assumed the man feared the authority of the Heaven Patrol Office and dared not act rashly.

So it was not that he intended to do nothing. He planned to strike from within and kill with a single blow.

Tang Hao.

Yi Yang withdrew his gaze, adjusted his cuffs, and slowly walked back.

That same night.

An inconspicuous residence in the eastern district of Yunlin County City.

The courtyard wall was low and the frontage plain, no different from its neighbors along the alley. Inside, however, lay three successive courtyards, and a secret passage in the rear courtyard led to the next street, allowing people to come and go unnoticed.

In an inner room.

The oil lamp burned a dim yellow, its flame swaying in the draft. Two shadows stretched across the wall, one long and one short.

The County Commandant sat in the host's seat. He was in his early forties, with a fair face and a neatly trimmed short beard. He had changed out of his official robes into plain casual clothes, but the lofty authority of his office still lingered in his features, as though carved there.

He held a bowl of tea, his gaze resting on the man opposite him.

Tang Hao occupied the guest's seat.

He had exchanged his black clothes for a respectable blue cloth robe, though his shoulders and back still filled it out tightly. He lounged with one leg crossed over the other, a faint smile at his lips.

There was a trace of flattery in that smile, but also the confidence that he deserved his seat.

After all, as a member of the Heaven Patrol Office, he naturally stood half a head above the County Office in the imperial hierarchy. The man opposite him could not order him around. Besides, now that he had reached the qi-blood third level, his merits on this expedition might earn him promotion to Acting Patrol Commander upon his return.

He had plenty of reason to stand tall.

The County Commandant set down his tea bowl and dispensed with pleasantries, going straight to the point.

"Patrol Captain Tang, I approached you on the battlefield because I need your help disposing of someone."

Tang Hao raised an eyebrow. "Please go on, sir."

"Yi Yang."

The County Commandant's tone grew heavy as he uttered the name.

"Patrol Captain of the Archive Hall at the Heaven Patrol Office in Cloud Pattern Town. Number thirty-four. A sixty-year-old man from Three Trees Village."

His fingers tapped the tabletop at an even pace.

"He has something that belongs to me. The men I previously sent to Cloud Pattern Town-three capable fighters at the qi-blood second level-not one of them returned alive."

He paused.

"And he is also implicated in the death of one of my trusted men."

A sharp gleam flashed through Tang Hao's eyes. The white-haired old man with the straight back appeared in his mind-an ally of Zhao Gang, who ranked at the very bottom.

But he had never expected information like this from the County Commandant. That old man had taken out three fighters at the qi-blood second level?

Tang Hao replied unhurriedly, "Oh? None of the three came back? This old man is rather interesting."

The County Commandant said coldly, "He's wearing the skin of the Heaven Patrol Office now. We belong to different branches, and without solid evidence, there is nothing I can do to him for the time being."

He studied Tang Hao, trying to see through the man before him. "That's why I came to you. You're inside the Heaven Patrol Office, which makes it easier for you to act. Once it's done, name whatever terms you wish."

Tang Hao did not ask what the County Commandant wanted to recover from Yi Yang.

He did not care.

All he cared about was the price the man would pay.

Tang Hao held up five fingers and waved them.

"Five hundred taels of silver, plus three Fourth-Rank Bone Tempering Pills."

The County Commandant's expression changed. "Have you lost your mind?"

Unperturbed, Tang Hao leaned against the back of his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"Don't be hasty, sir. Hear me out. If that old man could kill three fighters at the qi-blood second level, he certainly isn't the useless fool he appears to be. I won't strike personally-I'll hire men from the Three Great Gangs, at least two capable fighters at the qi-blood third level peak, men of standing within their gangs. With me providing support, three fighters at the qi-blood third level surrounding and killing one old man will leave no room for failure."

He paused, then added another remark.

"More men, greater risks, and a difficult cleanup. That's why the price is somewhat steep. What do you think, sir?"

The County Commandant remained silent, tapping the tabletop more than a dozen times, each tap farther apart than the last.

But at the thought of the secret manual very likely in Yi Yang's possession, he finally gritted his teeth.

"Three hundred and fifty taels, and two Bone Tempering Pills. Not a copper more."

Tang Hao smiled, triumph written all over his expression, like a cat that had caught a mouse by the tail.

"Deal."

The County Commandant rose and walked over to Tang Hao, his gaze icy.

"Let me remind you: there must be no chance of failure. Lu Neng and the other two died there because they underestimated him. That old man is harder to deal with than you imagine."

Tang Hao thumped his chest. "Rest assured, sir. With three fighters at the qi-blood third level and my advantage inside the Heaven Patrol Office, even if that old man is forged from iron, we'll smash him into iron slag."

The County Commandant nodded, his tone softening somewhat.

"If you handle this well, we can work together more in the future. My connections in the county city could prove useful to your climb through the Heaven Patrol Office."

Greed flashed through Tang Hao's eyes, and he cupped his fist. "May your kind words come true, sir."

Late that night.

Tang Hao emerged from the residence and walked along the empty streets of the county city. Moonlight stretched his shadow long, and the echoes of his boots striking the paving stones bounced between the high walls on either side.

He could not suppress his smile.

He was already calculating whom to recruit, how to lay the trap, and how to divide the spoils afterward.

"Yi Yang, Yi Yang."

He murmured the name, his tone tinged with both contempt and excitement.

"A sixty-year-old bag of bones, hiding all this time. Just what secrets do you have? Could that business in Desolate Village have something to do with you too?"

He rubbed his fingers together.

"I hope you don't disappoint me."

Killing Yi Yang would also sever one of Zhao Gang's arms. His feud with Zhao Gang had dragged on for a long time. This promotion offered the perfect opportunity to finish Zhao Gang off as well.

Tang Hao strode away and vanished into the depths of the night.

Meanwhile.

A small courtyard in Cloud Pattern Town.

The door was firmly bolted, and the window paper sealed tight. Steam billowed through the kitchen, where the pungent medicinal fumes made the eyes sting.

Yi Yang sat in the medicinal bath.

Scalding medicinal liquid soaked into his flesh and bones. The potency of the Sinew-Strengthening Powder and Minor Tendon-Refining Pill burrowed through his pores, like thousands of fine needles piercing the gaps between his bones at once.

Pain.

Pain that made even his back teeth chatter.

But Yi Yang did not stop. He drove the Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art at full force, accelerating his qi and blood circulation and grinding the medicinal potency inch by inch into the boundaries of his internal organs.

The progress before his eyes kept jumping.

29460...29520...29580...

Every jump in the numbers came with a metallic, stone-like resonance from deep within his bones.

29640...29700...

His body was changing. Beneath his flesh, the membranes of his internal organs began to heat up. That thin layer of inner radiance seeped from deep within them, denser than ever before.

29820...29900...

Yi Yang's breathing grew labored. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his teeth clenched tightly. The surface of the medicinal bath trembled, spreading ring after ring of ripples.

29940...29970...

30000.

Boom.

All five organs gave a deep rumble at once.

It was not an outward burst, but an inward contraction. In that instant, all his qi and blood were swallowed by the five organs, then rebounded from their walls in the next instant, flooding his limbs and every bone in his body.

The water in the bath suddenly sank two inches, then surged back up and splashed over the rim.

Yi Yang opened his eyes.

His eyes were clear and bright, every trace of cloudiness gone.

Qi-blood fifth level.

Organ Refining Realm.