A martial artist's cultivation consumed vast amounts of resources. With his current funds, he would have no trouble in the short term, but in the long run, he still needed more sources of income.
At this thought, Chen Tie immediately cupped his hands. "Since Eldest Senior Brother thinks so highly of me, how could I dare refuse?"
Shen Yan laughed heartily and patted Chen Tie on the shoulder. "The supplies will arrive tomorrow."
Warmth filled Chen Tie's heart at those words. For someone of his strength to receive a secret medicine subsidy, it had to be thanks to Shen Yan.
He immediately gathered his thoughts and continued practicing. However, since Chen Tie spent most of his days at the martial hall, he could only practice the martial arts of the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall.
He could only practice the other two martial arts at night or in the morning.
[Fierce Tiger Fist: beginner (85/100)] [Fierce Tiger Stance Art: minor accomplishment (10/200)]
The day's training soon ended. Chen Tie looked at his progress and made some calculations.
At his current pace, the Fierce Tiger Stance Art could only gain two points a day, while the Fierce Tiger Fist gained three.
That meant he would need three months to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm.
That could hardly be considered slow. After all, it had been a year since Eldest Senior Brother and the others broke through to Skin Refining, and they still had not reached the Flesh Refining Realm.
But the world was growing ever more chaotic. The sooner he grew stronger, the safer he would be.
As dusk approached, the disciples of the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall gradually dispersed.
Three figures sat in the reception hall in the inner courtyard.
Mo Hong wore a grave expression, his usual languor gone.
Before him were two elderly men. The thin man with an air of easy freedom was Qian He, master of the White Crane Martial Hall.
The one with the steady, firmly rooted stance was Zheng Rong, master of the Mountain-Piercing Martial Hall.
At that moment, all three were looking at the two bottles of Qi and Blood Pills on the table.
"Mo Laohu, are you certain about your information?" Qian He was the first to break the silence.
"I took this bottle of pills to a friend for identification. These are also Qi and Blood Pills, but they're stronger and cheaper."
"But tests have shown that martial artists who take them over a long period accumulate Qi and blood faster and break through more easily."
Neither Qian He nor Zheng Rong showed any excitement at this. In fact, a trace of worry appeared on their faces.
How could there be so many pills in the world that were both cheap and effective? If they truly worked that well, they should definitely cost more.
"What exactly are the side effects?" Zheng Rong asked the crucial question.
"Taking them over a long period allows martial artists to accumulate Qi and blood faster and increases their chances of breaking through, but they only work for Skin Refining and the Flesh Refining Realm."
"That's because these Qi and Blood Pills only speed up the accumulation of Qi and blood by drawing on the body's reserves in advance and squeezing its functions dry. Breaking through to the Flesh Refining Realm is already the limit. By then, the marrow is already strong on the outside but hollow within, and the martial artist's lifespan is greatly shortened!"
The moment Mo Hong finished, Qian He and Zheng Rong cried out in shock.
"What?!"
"Where on earth did such vicious Qi and Blood Pills come from?"
Zheng Rong asked tentatively, "What if a martial artist stops taking these Qi and Blood Pills midway?"
"They're addictive. Stopping is extremely difficult."
Both men drew in a sharp breath.
Mo Hong's expression was grave. "The sources we've managed to trace so far indicate that they came from the inner city. As for which faction is responsible, we don't know."
Mo Hong stopped there, leaving the rest unsaid.
Selling unauthorized medicine on such a vast scale was one thing, but selling poisonous unauthorized medicine made this a far bigger problem.
There were definitely more than one or two factions involved, and they surely had some purpose they could not reveal.
"How should we handle this?" Zheng Rong asked.
Clearly, powerful factions were involved. This was not something a few martial halls could interfere with. In the end, their choice was not to make it public, but to keep themselves out of harm's way.
Mo Hong picked up a bottle of pills. "Strictly forbid our disciples from taking these pills. We can't control other people. We can only look after our own."
Qian He and Zheng Rong exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
Chen Tie slowly finished his practice. Every night, he trained until the hour of the Rat.
[Resounding Viscera Blood Scripture: first level (3/100)]
"Looks like I can gain two points a day with this too. This technique takes less time than the Fierce Tiger Stance Art."
The next day, Chen Tie rose at the hour of the Rabbit. After breakfast, he practiced the Supple Bone Palm in his own courtyard.
[Supple Bone Palm Initiation (2/100)]
Chen Tie practiced until nearly the hour of the Snake before finishing and heading to the martial hall.
"Junior Brother Chen, you've been arriving quite a bit later lately. You're no longer the most diligent person in the hall."
Shen Yan greeted Chen Tie as soon as he arrived.
"I'm faithfully following your advice, Senior Brother-balancing work and rest."
Chen Tie did not argue and followed Shen Yan's gaze.
In a corner of the outer courtyard, three longtime disciples were repeatedly striking iron sand, clearly intending to reach Skin Refining.
"These longtime disciples have made great progress recently. After asking around, I learned that they've been taking a new kind of Qi and Blood Pill."
As he spoke, Shen Yan took a bottle of pills from inside his robe.
Chen Tie accepted it. The bottle looked somewhat familiar. He tipped out a pill and discovered that it was precisely the kind of Qi and Blood Pill he had obtained from Xue Gui.
"Senior Brother, where did these pills come from?" Chen Tie asked casually.
"All the major medicine shops in the city have started selling these new Qi and Blood Pills recently. They're only six taels each, four taels cheaper than the old ones, and you get a discount if you buy more."
"But the new ones are more effective. Quite a few martial hall disciples in the nearby wards have been using the New Qi and Blood Pill to accumulate Qi and blood, and they're progressing much faster. Many outer courtyard disciples who originally couldn't have reached Skin Refining within three months have broken through with the pills' help!"
Shen Yan spoke with a face full of emotion.
Chen Tie betrayed nothing at those words, but a faint unease stirred within him.
After obtaining that bottle of new Qi and Blood Pills, he had never taken any. Instead, he had sold them off to medicine shops for five taels of silver apiece.
There should be no pills in this world that were both cheap and effective.
If there were, something else had to be wrong with them.
A sudden commotion broke out. Among the three men striking iron sand, the one named Wen Tai had broken through to Skin Refining.
His hands were red and swollen, and his face was flushed. He was clearly beside himself with excitement.
Many of the nearby outer courtyard disciples gathered around.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior Brother!"
"Congratulations!"
"Senior Brother, do you have any tips for breaking through?"
The outer courtyard disciples clamored with questions.
Delighted as he was, Wen Tai had no intention of keeping anything to himself.
"I only managed to accumulate enough Qi and blood to break through because I took these new Qi and Blood Pills!"
"They're incredibly effective!"
The others were half-convinced. Before long, another of the remaining two men broke through to Skin Refining.
The answer the outer courtyard disciples received was once again the new Qi and Blood Pills. At once, everyone erupted with excitement.
These three had originally had no hope of breaking through. Once their three months were up, they would have had to pack their bedding and leave.
Now that they had broken through, the other disciples were itching to act.
In the inner courtyard, Mo Hong sat in a chair, gravely admonishing the inner disciples before him.
"Every one of you remember this: you must not take these new Qi and Blood Pills!"
"They damage the body. If you take them, your path in martial arts will be utterly ruined!"
"Yes, Master Mo!"
The disciples answered in unison.
Just then, another clamor sounded. Naturally, the commotion from the outer courtyard disciples' breakthroughs could not escape his notice.
With a complicated expression, Mo Hong came to the outer courtyard. At the sight of the two disciples who had reached Skin Refining, his face showed no joy.
The disciples all saluted him.
Mo Hong opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he merely offered a few words of encouragement.
Then his tone shifted. "The new Qi and Blood Pills harm the body. For the sake of your health, you'd best not take them!"
The outer courtyard disciples were startled at first, but still cupped their hands and answered:
"We will heed your teachings!"
Chen Tie took in all of Mo Hong's unusual behavior, and his suspicions deepened.
There was definitely something wrong with these new Qi and Blood Pills.