Chapter 108: Blood Pill (I)

Rustling filled the air as the branches in the forest swayed gently.

Puff, puff, puff

.

Blades pierced into flesh, producing wet, muffled sounds. Lin Zheyu dispatched several bandits with ease and stepped forward to search their bodies. He rummaged for quite a while but found little of value. Just like before, they carried nothing but poison powders, medicinal dusts, and hidden weapons.

After studying the Toxicology Codex for so long, Lin Zheyu would not call himself a master, but he had acquired a decent understanding of poisons. Most of the poisons these bandits used were concocted by mixing venomous insects and toxic herbs they found in the mountains, and their potency was not particularly strong. They worked well against martial artists below the Blood Qi Realm, but against someone like Lin Zheyu, who had undergone his first transformation of blood qi, their effectiveness dropped drastically. The regenerative power of blood qi was formidable and could greatly alleviate the symptoms of poisoning. Ordinary poisons, unless administered in large quantities, had little effect.

Even so, some deadly toxins required extreme caution, even from Blood Qi Realm martial artists. The Soul-Scattering Powder he had previously obtained from members of the Zhao Family was one such example. If a Blood Qi Realm martial artist was afflicted by Soul-Scattering Powder, even their powerful blood qi could only slightly alleviate its effects to buy time for treatment. A prolonged delay would carry the risk of death.

"They're all ordinary poisons... not worth much," muttered Lin Zheyu after identifying them, then casually pocketed the items.

For the past two days, he had been searching around Lion Valley, killing many bandits, but the spoils were meager. The last time, when he encountered bandits returning from a raid, had only been a stroke of luck.

Wandering aimlessly through the forest like a headless fly isn't much of a plan. Senior brother and the others only move when bandits attack merchant convoys. Perhaps I should wait near their encampment and follow when they march out to suppress the bandits. Afterwards, I can swoop in and rob the robbers.

It seemed like a promising plan. The City Guard had scouts stationed along major routes, constantly tracking the movements of bandits. With their help, Lin Zheyu would be able to obtain information on the bandits' whereabouts much more quickly.

***

In Songyi City, Lin Zheyu's home stood in a rather secluded spot where few people passed by. Two unfamiliar faces appeared outside the small courtyard, strolling past as if they belonged there. When a nearby Feihong Gang underling wasn't paying attention, one of them moved swiftly and vaulted over the wall into the courtyard with remarkable agility, while the other casually walked on and sat under a tree to keep watch.

As the man entered the courtyard, Little Huang barked in alarm.

It could barely bark twice before a pebble shot from the intruder's hand struck the dog's head and knocked it unconscious. He glanced around and began searching the place. Other than the flowers and plants Liang Song had left behind and a few training implements, there was little of note in the yard.

"Thunderstream Vine, Azure Maiden Worm, Crimson Tea Blossom... All poisonous herbs and insects. That boy really is dabbling in toxins," muttered the man as he searched.

In the uncleaned trash, he found scraps of poisonous herbs and the corpses of venomous insects. After restoring the trash to its original state, he took out a piece of wire, bent it a few times, and easily picked the lock on the door. The bedroom contained very few belongings. He searched thoroughly, but apart from confirming the occupant's study of poisons, he found no other clues.

"Hiding things deep, aren't you? Can't even find a single silver," muttered the man under his breath. He searched carefully but found nothing; nothing of any real value at all. Before long, his companion outside gave a soft cough, and he moved swiftly, leaping out of the courtyard.

At the Xing residence, the man who had broken into Lin Zheyu's courtyard was now reporting back to Xing Zhicheng.

"Reporting, sir. I searched Lin Zheyu's place and found some residue of poisonous herbs. That boy is indeed involved with toxins. Aside from that, there was nothing else. The courtyard showed no signs of a struggle. We also questioned the nearby residents, but none of them heard anything unusual that night."

"

Hmm

. You may go," said Xing Zhicheng with a nod. His brows furrowed slightly, and irritation clouded his expression.

"Father, why don't I just wait by the city gate and seize a chance to capture that boy and interrogate him?" Xing Penghai suggested. They had used that tactic once before, though that time Lin Zheyu had lingered at the gate to see his senior brother off, giving Xing Penghai and Xing Jinglong enough time to catch up.

"How are we supposed to capture him? Every time he returns from outside, he uses a different gate, and the timing is never the same. With the limited men we have, we can't just waste them guarding all four gates," said Xing Zhicheng, his brows deeply furrowed. The Xing Family was indeed powerful, but they were merely a branch family, and the manpower and soldiers at their disposal were not many. Worse still, because 10 elite soldiers and 2 Organ Forging Realm experts had died last time, much of their authority had been stripped away.

"But... But are we just going to let Uncle Zhiyuan's death go like this? The family elder and those uncles are truly heartless. Uncle Zhiyuan and Jing'an died, and all they said was that they'd assign someone to investigate and told us to wait for the results!" said Xing Penghai angrily.

Great families were not as harmonious as outsiders imagined. In many families, internal strife and struggles for power were fierce and unrelenting. When Xing Zhiyuan and his son Xing Jing'an had died, the uncles in the family did not first think of finding the killer and avenging them. Instead, their first thought was to seize resources and redivide the authority Xing Zhiyuan had once held, arguing bitterly among themselves. The sight left Xing Penghai feeling disheartened.

"Leave this matter to me. I'll find a way. News came yesterday that Lin Zheyu has already reached the peak of the Bone Forging Realm and even defeated many peak Bone Forging Realm experts of the Feihong Gang. To reach such a level in less than half a year, there's no way the family elder and the other elders won't be tempted," said Xing Zhicheng coldly.

A genius with such astonishing aptitude, once nurtured with secret medicines, could be raised into a first transformation Blood Qi Realm expert in a short period of time. With some luck, even a second transformation was possible. A warrior of that caliber would rank among the top within the Xing Family.

Although Lin Zheyu was unwilling to pledge allegiance to them, that was not an insurmountable problem. Many drugs could damage specific regions of the brain, reducing a person to a state of madness. And madmen were much easier to train. Some of the family's most loyal deathsworn had been conditioned in this very way.

"Father, you mean..." said Xing Penghai with a knowing look.

"Yes. I will report this matter to the fifth elder. He will surely be tempted and will personally act to capture him," replied Xing Zhicheng evenly. If the fifth elder took action, he would undoubtedly succeed in capturing Lin Zheyu. Once that happened, Xing Zhicheng would have the chance to interrogate him and uncover the clues behind Xing Zhiyuan's death.