Chapter 236: Strong And Remarkable Effect (II)

Boom!

The man stomped hard and shot backward. He hadn't been confident of victory even before, but now that his opponent had used a life-burning technique, he was definitely outmatched. Even if he wanted to use his own, it was too late, as activating such techniques required time. He could never execute it as swiftly and seamlessly as Lin Zheyu.

Damn it, I can't escape!

The man cursed inwardly, blood qi erupting as his muscles swelled and veins bulged hideously.

Since there was no escaping, he could only fight head-on. The opponent wouldn't last long using a life-burning technique; if he could just endure, victory would be his.

A terrifying momentum qi erupted from Lin Zheyu's body as he unleashed the threefold power Barbaric Ox Fist. Combined with the Boiling Blood Secret Art and his blood qi burst technique, a faint, furious bellow of an ox seemed to echo through the air.

Bang!

Their fists collided. A thunderous boom resounded, followed by the crack of shattering bones and a scream of agony. Lin Zheyu's punch tore through the man's defense like a storm, his opponent's arm exploding the instant their fists met.

Whoosh.

Overwhelmed by pain, the man screamed, but the cry was cut short as a violent gust roared past. Lin Zheyu gave him no chance to recover, striking again with another Barbaric Ox Fist, this time straight for the head. The man raised his remaining arm to block, but both arm and skull burst apart under the blow. Flesh, blood, and shattered bone splattered in every direction.

"

Ah

, I've wasted another unit of Origin Force. Let's hope that what you've got on you is worth it," Lin Zheyu muttered, looking at the corpse.

He only wanted to cultivate quietly and live peacefully, yet trouble kept finding him. In this world, even being a decent man was no easy task.

Lin Zheyu quickly searched the man's body, stuffing everything he found into his bag before turning and leaving in haste. He took out a pouch of purple powder, sprinkled it over himself to erase his scent, and vanished into the forest once more. While the Boiling Blood Secret Art was still active, he had to get as far away as possible. Even if someone else was tailing him, catching up to a man under the effect of the Boiling Blood Secret Art would be no simple feat. And if they could, they would be far too powerful to bother with stealth.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Lin Zheyu moved at incredible speed. After dashing two or three kilometers, the effect of the Boiling Blood Secret Art began to fade. He stopped, used 1 unit of Origin Force to restore his body to its peak condition, then continued on his way. To avoid leaving a trail, he deliberately chose routes filled with mist, miasma, and swamps—places that would make pursuit difficult.

***

About ten minutes after Lin Zheyu left, a middle-aged man followed the trail marks left in the forest and caught up.

"Such a thick stench of blood... Did Fourth Brother act first?"

The man frowned, the breeze carrying a heavy scent of blood to his nose. His expression darkened. With a sudden motion, he accelerated sharply toward the source of the stench. After pushing through the dense woods, a familiar sight met his eyes. It was a headless corpse. He froze, then his face twisted with grief, rage, and ferocity.

"Fourth Brother!"

A furious, grief-filled roar echoed through the mountains, shattering the surrounding trees with its force.

By then, Lin Zheyu had already gone far, deep into the mountains. Finding a secluded spot, he changed out of his blood-stained clothes, grabbed Little Black, and continued running deeper into the wilderness.

"I've run this far, so there's no way anyone could still be following me." Lin Zheyu stopped by a mountain stream, murmuring under his breath. His brows furrowed slightly as a ringing filled his ears. The use of the Boiling Blood Secret Art had once again left his mind overdrawn.

"Little Black, go catch a beast and gather some firewood for roasting. As for you running around earlier, I'll deal with that later," Lin Zheyu said, glaring at the creature.

Chirp, chirp...

Little Black let out two weak chirps before darting off into the woods and disappearing from sight.

Kneeling by the stream, Lin Zheyu scooped up a handful of water and washed his face. As he rubbed it clean, his appearance gradually returned to normal. The water was icy cold, and under its stimulation, the throbbing in his head eased noticeably. Unknowingly, his pain tolerance had improved greatly. In the past, after overdrawing his spirit, he would have suffered for a long while. But now, he merely frowned a little and was still able to carry Little Black to flee for miles.

"Let's see what good stuff that guy had on him. If it's all worthless junk, then I've really lost out," Lin Zheyu muttered quietly.

He opened his pack and laid out the items he had taken from the man's body. Counting them over, there were 82 taels of gold, several bottles of medicinal pills, and a few pellets and poisons.

This jade token... Was that man from the Tang Family?

Lin Zheyu's mind raced as he saw the Tang character engraved on the jade.

He couldn't figure out when he had offended anyone from the Tang Family.

Could one of those three earlier have been a Tang?

"Forget it. Tang Family or not, I've already offended the Pei Family. What's one more douchebag family?" Lin Zheyu muttered, tossing the jade token into the stream.

He had killed that man while wearing Zhao Hao's face. The man Zhao Hao killed had nothing to do with Lin Zheyu. He was merely a martial artist at the fifth transformation of blood qi, nothing more.

"

Huh?

This blade seems rather unusual."

Lin Zheyu examined a small black-iron dagger about the size of his palm. It looked utterly ordinary. It was something he wouldn't spare a glance for if it were lying on the ground. Yet the fact that a Marrow Refining Realm expert had kept it on his person was suspicious. He couldn't discern its nature, but there was no doubt that this blade was extraordinary.

Lin Zheyu put the small dagger away, together with the treasure map. Anything he couldn't understand but seemed extraordinary, he would keep for later. One could never know when they might come in handy.

"This bottle holds Essence and Qi Pills, sixty-eight of them in fact. If I sell them, that'll fetch quite a sum of silver."

He opened the bottle and counted sixty-eight pills in total. Added to the ones he had previously acquired but never used, he now possessed eighty-nine Essence and Qi Pills altogether. Based on the auction house prices, each pill could sell for around 125 taels of silver. If sold all at once, that would exceed 10,000 taels.

Unfortunately, Lin Zheyu had yet to find a safe channel to sell them. The black market didn't trade in Essence and Qi Pills, so if he sold them recklessly, he might attract the attention of dangerous people.

I'll store them for now and wait for the right chance to sell,

Lin Zheyu thought.

According to Li Lingyun, Essence and Qi Pills were meant to help Blood Qi Realm martial artists condense and refine their blood qi. Lin Zheyu, however, had the assistance of Origin Force and did not need them. He would rather exchange them for silver to buy Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder, a medicinal herb with terrifying side effects but equally immense potency, offering him the best cost-to-benefit ratio.

Lin Zheyu continued checking the miscellaneous items. Aside from the Essence and Qi Pills, the gold, and the black-iron dagger, nothing else looked valuable, except for three blood-red pills. He remembered those. He had found three identical ones on the Pei Family martial artist he'd killed earlier. That man had used a desperate life-burning technique, paired with this very pill.

So this pill is used by esteemed family martial artists when risking their lives... I wonder if it can also restore mental energy,

Lin Zheyu thought, staring at the pills in his hand.

After a moment's thought, he decided to test one. Taking a blood-red pill from the jade bottle, he placed it in his mouth. Its fragrance was rich, and it melted instantly on his tongue, dissolving completely after a few chews. A cool sensation spread from his abdomen as the medicinal power was absorbed and transformed into a steady stream of energy that merged into his blood.

"

Eh?

"

Lin Zheyu let out a surprised sound.

The pill's effect was remarkable. Once swallowed, it was quickly absorbed and converted into a massive surge of blood qi energy. His blood qi, which had dropped to less than 20% during his escape, began to replenish rapidly. At the same time, a cool, refreshing aura flowed into his mind, easing the intense pain from his mental exhaustion as soon as it reached his head.

"What a fine thing! What kind of pill is this that it can restore both spirit and blood qi?" Lin Zheyu was astonished. It was his first time discovering a pill that could heal the mind as well. With enough of these, he could shorten the time needed to push past his limits and hasten his Origin Force accumulation.

"What potent medicine! My blood qi is recovering so fast!" Lin Zheyu marveled as he felt the steady refining of blood qi surging through his body.

"I wonder where I could buy more of these pills... and how much they would cost," he muttered softly.

He took out the remaining two pills, placed them together with the previous three, and kept them close to his body. Such rare pills were treasures that could mean the difference between life and death at a critical moment.