Chapter 187: Crossing Hands Again (II)

The next morning, six beast corpses lay on the ground. After eating plenty of beast meat last night and resting fully, his blood qi had recovered to around 80%. In the forest, beasts as terrifying as the one he had previously encountered were extremely rare. As long as he did not go deeper, he usually wouldn't run into such high-tier creatures.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

"Little Black!" Lin Zheyu shouted loudly.

He had stayed in the city a bit too long, helping his master, Liang Song, with his revenge, causing the tracking powder on Little Black to lose its effect. Without the tracking powder, finding Little Black in the vast mountains was no easy task. The little creature could run incredibly fast and would wander the entire mountain range hunting beasts to roast and eat.

***

Time passed. Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting streaks of light across the forest floor. Carrying a newly advanced Blood Qi Realm beast over his shoulder, Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest. After four days of hunting, he had finally hunted a Blood Qi Realm beast. Although it had only just entered the realm, it could still sell for fifty to sixty taels of silver.

"Little Black!"

His deep voice echoed through the forest.

Hiss!

Suddenly, a familiar sound drifted over, and Lin Zheyu's eyes lit up as joy surfaced on his face. He had thought he would return empty-handed this time. If he still couldn't find it, Lin Zheyu planned to return to the city, rest for a day, and then come back out.

He had run out of medicinal broth, and his essence, qi, and spirit had already been nourished to their peak. Returning would allow him to prepare more broth and also break his limits again to obtain Origin Force.

In the previous two breakthroughs, he had gained only 1 unit of Origin Force each time. This time, he should be able to gain two.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Hiss, hiss, chirp, chirp, hiss.

Little Black's sounds drew closer and soon its familiar plump figure appeared.

Chirp, chirp~!

Little Black approached Lin Zheyu and squatted obediently before him.

"You rascal, were you grilling meat just now? Your mouth is completely covered in grease," Lin Zheyu looked Little Black over and said with a smile.

Finding this little fellow again put him in an excellent mood. After spending so much time together, man and beast were extremely in sync. When Lin Zheyu saw Little Black eyeing his pack and the beast slung over his shoulder, he immediately knew what it wanted.

"Fine... You have to sacrifice bait to catch a wolf. I'll grill this hard-earned beast for you." Lin Zheyu laughed and patted Little Black's head.

"Go gather some firewood."

He tapped its little head and instructed it. Hearing this, Little Black chirped excitedly and eagerly collected firewood.

The beast was huge, and even when roasting until nightfall, Lin Zheyu only managed to cook two-thirds of it. Both man and beast were stuffed full. After reapplying tracking powder on Little Black, Lin Zheyu finally left the forest and returned to Bafang City. By the time he arrived home, night had fully settled in.

***

Late at night, the moon shone faintly, scattered among sparse stars. Lin Zheyu had trained for more than six hours, and only by late night did he finally break past his physical limit.

With the improvement of the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, my endurance has increased again. Once it reaches perfection, I might need more than eight hours just to break my limits

.

As his strength rose, he felt that he might eventually need to train for an entire day straight. Lin Zheyu felt it was time to forge a set of weighted equipment; otherwise, breaking his limits each time would take far too long.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 2]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Ninth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (Third Stage: 15%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

He took out three sets of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder, poured them into a wooden basin, and mixed them evenly.

Use 2 units of Origin Force to upgrade the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual.

As the thought emerged, he began a new round of training. In an instant, a vast mysterious energy surged from deep within his cells, drawing in the medicinal power and nourishing his physique.

The membrane beneath his skin thickened continuously, strengthening the outer layer of his defense. At the same time, his muscles, tissues, and bones grew stronger and tougher.

A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes. His eyes were filled with exhaustion.

"

Hoo~.

"

Lin Zheyu exhaled slowly, clearing away the lingering pain in his consciousness.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 0]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Ninth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (Third Stage: 29%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

29%... still short by 11 units of Origin Force. In about a month, I should be able to perfect the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual.

Lin Zheyu then tested his progress. His defense had increased again, and his strength had grown significantly. He threw a punch, the resulting wind howling sharply.

Lin Zheyu estimated that once he perfected the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, his raw physical strength alone should reach close to the second transformation of blood qi. This was an astonishing level.

Physical strength also lasted much longer than blood qi power. However, the Mountain Shattering Palm required blood qi to unleash power far beyond his physical limits. With raw strength alone, he could not use techniques like that. But techniques like the Raging Wind Slash, which did not rely heavily on blood qi burst techniques, were not greatly affected.

The next day, Lin Zheyu did not go out to hunt. After spending four days outside the city, he needed a day of rest to adjust his state of mind.

At Xingluan Street, in Spring-Filled Pavilion.

This was a well-known entertainment house in Bafang City. Lin Zheyu lounged lazily in his chair while two women in sheer red gauze, their figures graceful and soft, attended to him gently.

"So comfortable... No wonder this place is famous. The girls here know far more than the ones at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion," Xie Jiang said with a grin.

It had been a while since Lin Zheyu last met with them. Recently, the Feihong Gang's business had begun expanding, and Jia Yanyong, Xie Jiang, and the others had become quite busy. He had also been preoccupied with matters concerning Liang Song and had little free time.

"By the way, Lord Lin, when I was at Shunxing Court today, I saw people from Forest Net Temple asking about your master. Did your master offend them or something?" Jia Yanyong suddenly said.

Shunxing Court was a newly opened restaurant under the Feihong Gang, and it had been lively because of recent promotions.

"

Oh?

"

Lin Zheyu paused in surprise. He had not expected Forest Net Temple to actually trace Liang Song's origins and begin asking people from Songyi City about him. But very few truly knew Liang Song's background. Jia Yanyong and the others only knew because they were close to Lin Zheyu. Ordinary people had no idea that Liang Song had even taken a disciple.

"

Mm,

thank you. Keep an eye on Forest Net Temple for me. If anything happens, make sure to let me know," said Lin Zheyu.

"Come on, there's no need to be polite. You're part of the Feihong Gang, too," Jia Yanyong said with a cheerful smile.

The group listened to music and watched performances at Spring-Filled Pavilion until late into the night before finally leaving.

The next day, Lin Zheyu did not rush out of the city. Instead, he remained in Bafang City to observe Forest Net Temple's movements. He felt uneasy. If his involvement ended up rescuing Liang Song and avenging him, yet causing danger to Han Mo's wife and child, he would feel deeply guilty.

Inside a restaurant in Bafang City, Lin Zheyu disguised himself as an ordinary-looking middle-aged man and quietly watched the four Forest Net Temple members in the distance.

He had been following these Forest Net Temple members for several hours. These people were asking anyone from Songyi City about Liang Song and about the major powers in Songyi City. They were likely planning to start from the major factions of Songyi City. Common folk knew nothing about Liang Song, but large factions were different; they should have information on him.

Should I eliminate them? As long as Forest Net Temple has its hands full, it won't have time to investigate my master.

Suddenly, his expression shifted as he glanced toward the restaurant stairs. An elderly man with a gentle expression walked up and quietly took a seat by the window.

"Master?" Lin Zheyu froze for a moment, then smiled faintly.

Even though Liang Song was disguised, he recognized him instantly. The aura of a third transformation expert, traces of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, and even through the disguise, the limp in his right leg was still faintly visible. With so many clear clues, Lin Zheyu recognized him at a glance.

"With master's experience in the Martial World, anything I can detect, he definitely noticed as well."

Lin Zheyu smiled lightly and stood up to leave. With Liang Song present, there was no need for him to intervene. With his strength, if he weren't seeking revenge but merely wanted to distract Forest Net Temple and prevent them from involving Han Tianmin and the others, it would be exceedingly easy for him.