Chapter 48: Heart-Wrenching

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Heart-Wrenching

However, when Chen Yue tried to spread his Gang Qi further to cover his entire body, he felt a distinct sense of sluggishness and weight.

The surging Qi Blood and Qi Force in his body were completely insufficient to supply and maintain such a wide area of Gang Qi; its edges began to blur.

’My cultivation still isn’t high enough,’ Chen Yue realized, slowly retracting his Gang Qi.

The Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield at the Minor Success Realm brought a quantum leap in his use of Gang Qi, but the Gang Qi’s range, intensity, and duration were still inextricably linked to his own cultivation level.

With his current cultivation at the Refining Flesh Realm, it was already a struggle to maintain a stable shield of Gang Qi over his torso. Covering his entire body was clearly beyond his reach.

’Good thing I’m about to break through.’

Feeling the ever-growing abundance of Qi Blood within him, a flicker of anticipation crossed Chen Yue’s eyes.

With the Vast Firm Essence Technique, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, and the lowered breakthrough threshold from his Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging, he was not far from the Bone Forging Realm.

...

「Two days later, deep in the night.」

Once again disguised, Chen Yue slipped out of the Chen Mansion and silently made his way to the black market along a familiar route.

However, when Chen Yue reached the corner where Shen Dujiang usually set up his stall, he stopped short.

The person sitting behind the stall was not the usual shrewd-eyed owner, but a stranger—a young man in his early twenties with a stout build and a simple, honest face.

Dressed in worn, simple clothes, he was nervously wringing his hands and looking all around.

Chen Yue hesitated for a moment but didn’t leave. Instead, he ambled over like any other customer.

When the young man saw Chen Yue approach, he looked him up and down. His eyes lit up, and he quickly stood, his face breaking into a smile as he said in a low voice, "Sir... are you the customer who usually sells elixirs to my uncle?"

Chen Yue met his gaze calmly, neither confirming nor denying.

Zhao Lin seemed to relax, his smile growing wider as he explained:

"Please don’t be alarmed, sir. My uncle has been tied up with some urgent business lately and couldn’t get away. He was worried about delaying your transaction, so he asked me to come tonight and handle it for him. He told me everything that was needed."

’Tied up with urgent business?’

Chen Yue’s brow twitched. Shen Dujiang was a seasoned veteran who had navigated the black market for years. He prized his reputation and stability above all else. He would never entrust such a crucial transaction to an unfamiliar nephew unless he had absolutely no other choice.

"Where are the items I requested?" Chen Yue didn’t press the issue, getting straight to the point.

"Right here, right here! My uncle made sure of it. Everything’s ready!"

Zhao Lin nodded eagerly. He turned and gestured toward the small hut behind him. "This way, sir. The items are inside."

Chen Yue followed him into the dim hut. From a corner, Zhao Lin produced two packets of herbs and handed them to Chen Yue, his tone obsequious:

"Please inspect them, sir. One packet has the ingredients for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, and the other is for the Antitoxic Pill. They were both prepared just as my uncle instructed."

Chen Yue took the packets, weighing them in his hand. He then untied a corner of one and quickly examined the contents by the lamplight.

The type and quantity of herbs were correct, but Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked up at Zhao Lin and asked, "Is this everything?"

Zhao Lin froze, seemingly caught off guard by the question. He shook his head instinctively. "My uncle only mentioned these two packets of herbs. Did you order something else, sir?"

Chen Yue didn’t answer, asking instead, "Then, according to our arrangement, how many Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills am I giving you today?"

The guileless smile returned to Zhao Lin’s face. "Ah, about that... my uncle said the usual amount would be fine."

"And how many is the usual amount?" Chen Yue pressed, his tone flat.

"Well..."

Zhao Lin’s smile stiffened. "My uncle left in a hurry," he stammered. "He just said to go by the usual price. As for the exact number... I didn’t ask. Sir, you can just give whatever the amount usually is."

Hearing this, the corners of Chen Yue’s mouth lifted into a slight smile beneath his mask. "And did your uncle happen to mention how many silver taels I owe for these herbs?"

Zhao Lin’s eyes darted around. "My uncle... wasn’t very clear on a lot of the details. As for the silver... sir, just give whatever you think is right."

"Alright."

Chen Yue nodded. He took a plain, small porcelain vial from his robes and handed it over. "Here is today’s payment. Take it."

Zhao Lin quickly took it and pulled out the wooden stopper. He peered inside, and the guileless smile on his face instantly froze. He looked up at Chen Yue. "There’s only one Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill?"

"That’s right."

Chen Yue said calmly, "This is how it always is. I take the herbs, and by our usual arrangement, you owe me three taels of silver."

"You...!"

Zhao Lin’s expression darkened, and his voice turned hard. "The money is fine, but there’s no way it’s only one Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill! Sir, don’t play games with me!"

Chen Yue said nothing, simply watching him with an unreadable, knowing smile.

Zhao Lin’s eyes narrowed. The last vestige of guilelessness vanished from his face, replaced by a grim, cold expression. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he lowered his voice.

"Why be so difficult about this? Just turn a blind eye. You take the herbs, I get the elixirs, we finish the deal, and we both go our separate ways. Wouldn’t that be easier? There’s no need to make this ugly. It doesn’t do either of us any good!"

"Turn a blind eye?"

Chen Yue finally chuckled. The sound was abrupt in the quiet hut, laced with undisguised ridicule. "I’d love to, but unfortunately..."

He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over several inconspicuous corners of the room before returning to Zhao Lin’s face.

"If you hadn’t filled this room with Intoxicating Fragrance beforehand, I might have actually believed you!"

From the moment he stepped into the hut, Chen Yue had smelled a strange, sweet scent mixed in with the odor of old herbs and dust. His Innate Talent, Immune to Hundred Poisons, was not yet fully developed, but its poison-resisting properties were already beginning to manifest.

The moment he circulated his Qi Blood, he felt a subtle numbness in his sinuses. The dose was massive; an ordinary person would have already collapsed.

The two words, "Intoxicating Fragrance," exploded in Zhao Lin’s ears like a clap of thunder.

"Die!"

Without another moment of hesitation, Zhao Lin roared. His left hand, which had been hidden behind his back, shot forward. A cold glint of light, like a viper striking, thrust straight at Chen Yue’s abdomen!

In that very same instant.

CRASH! SMASH!

The wooden window lattices on both sides of the hut exploded inward as two shadowy figures burst through like tigers released from their cages, bringing with them a fierce gust of wind.

One was agile, his Qi Blood surging—he was clearly a Martial Artist at the Refining Flesh Realm. The other was slightly weaker but had reached the peak of the Skin Refining Realm.

Their target was clear. Flanking him from the left and right, they formed a three-pronged pincer with Zhao Lin at the front. Their short blades drove straight for Chen Yue’s vital points.

Three Martial Artists!

Two at the Refining Flesh Realm and one at the peak of the Skin Refining Realm, all just to capture a single Alchemy Master? Such a force could only be described as extremely cautious!

And yet, faced with this sudden, three-pronged assault, Chen Yue’s gaze was frighteningly calm.

He didn’t spare a single glance for the two attackers who had smashed through the windows. His eyes were fixed on Zhao Lin, who was thrusting at him with a dagger.

’Too slow!’

Chen Yue thought, his footwork shifting just enough for the vicious dagger to scrape past the fabric at his waist.

Meanwhile, Chen Yue’s left hand shot out, his fingers like a talon, precisely locking onto the wrist of Zhao Lin’s dagger-wielding right hand.

CRACK!

The sharp crack of bone echoed clearly. An excruciating, tearing pain shot through Zhao Lin’s right wrist, as if it had been crushed in an iron vise. He screamed in agony as the dagger slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.