He hadn’t expected it to be so friendly with his Senior Brother.

This meant Xile could tell who was closer to its master.

The sign of a good dog.

Watching Zhou Xing play with Xile, Qin Fang remembered he still had some salted Wild Boar King meat in the house. He spoke up, "Senior Brother, I’ll go make us some food. Why don’t you eat here today?"

"Alright." Zhou Xing didn’t stand on ceremony.

Qin Fang went into the kitchen. He had been eating the Wild Boar King meat for many days, so there wasn’t much left.

’This meat has some medicinal properties and is very good for the body. I wonder if it will have any effect on Senior Brother?’

He started cooking.

An hour later, the two of them were in the house, feasting heartily.

Then, his Senior Brother said, "I saw that Ganlu Hall seems to have opened a branch here in Fishermen’s, too?"

Qin Fang nodded. "They did. And they’re having a sale recently—Qi Blood Pills are half price."

His Senior Brother’s brow furrowed. "Half price?"

Qin Fang asked, "Senior Brother, I asked you to keep an eye on Ganlu Hall before... have you found anything?"

His Senior Brother frowned and shook his head. "You said Ganlu Hall has been acting strangely lately and that there might be a problem, but I haven’t found anything so far. Besides, I’ve seen plenty of people taking these Qi Blood Pills, and there haven’t been any related incidents. Could it be we’re just being paranoid?"

"Nothing at all?"

Qin Fang frowned. He was silent for a moment before saying calmly, "Maybe we are being paranoid, but I believe... people are driven by profit. If Ganlu Hall was really just after the so-called title of ’True Martial’s Number One Apothecary,’ well, they’ve already achieved that. What’s the point of this price-cutting promotion?"

"Do Qi Blood Pills have no production cost?"

"Besides, their price was already abnormally low... and now they’ve cut it in half again... It’s like they’re afraid people *won’t* buy them."

"Senior Brother, if you were the owner of Ganlu Hall, would you do something like this?"

Zhou Xing frowned, then shook his head. "I probably... wouldn’t."

"So, when something is this abnormal, there must be something wicked at work."

Qin Fang shook his head. "I don’t know what they’re plotting... but in any case, it can’t be wrong to just watch and wait for now."

Hearing this, Zhou Xing nodded.

What Qin Fang said made a lot of sense.

By not acting, he couldn’t make a mistake.

He’d just wait and see.

Then, Qin Fang asked about the current situation in True Martial...

"It’s a mess."

At this, Zhou Xing’s brow furrowed. "The incident with Wang Hu has thrown everyone into a panic. The Government Office stepped in to calm people down, but it had little effect... We’re even seeing a wave of people fleeing. Many have started returning to their villages... probably hoping to lay low and ride out the storm."

Qin Fang nodded lightly.

’That was to be expected, I suppose...’

After all, the incident with Wang Hu was horrifying, and it happened right at the entrance of Ganlu Hall, the most popular spot in town, with countless witnesses.

Although the Demon died shortly after it emerged and didn’t cause any casualties, the incident itself was terrifying enough.

A perfectly normal person suddenly bursting open, with a monster leaping out from inside...

Even if the monster died immediately, does that make it any less scary?

The incident happened in True Martial County Town. Who could say for sure there aren’t other monsters walking around in human skin right now?

You could be walking down the street, and at any moment, someone might just explode and a monster could leap out...

It’s enough to scare you to death.

You’d have to be crazy not to run if you had the chance.

"So have they found the reason for his transformation?"

His Senior Brother sounded helpless. "How are we supposed to investigate? There isn’t a single clue. All we know is that he encountered a Demon and then fell into the water... That’s the only suspicious part. But everyone knows about the Demon scourge now, so what’s the use of knowing that?"

Qin Fang fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "This Demon scourge... can we really only wait passively for people from the Sacrificial Hall to arrive? Hasn’t True Martial County made any preparations of its own?"

His Senior Brother’s eyes widened at the question. "That’s a Demon we’re talking about! And it’s in the water! Who would dare go and try to exterminate it?"

"I heard someone tried to organize a party during the last Demon scourge. They gathered a large number of Anjin and Mingjin masters, and even several Huajin Powerhouses went... They managed to find the Demon, but the result was a near-total wipeout. Even a few of the Huajin Powerhouses were killed..."

Zhou Xing sighed. "Demons are no longer worldly creatures, and even Huajin Martial Artists are still just mortals... They simply can’t handle them. It’s not a matter of numbers anymore."

"All we can do is wait for the Sacrificial Hall."

Hearing this, Qin Fang fell silent. He finally let out a soft sigh and said no more.

The topic had grown heavy. After they finished their meal, Zhou Xing stood up to leave.

Qin Fang walked him out of Fishermen’s and up the mountain path. Only after Zhou Xing repeatedly insisted he go no further did Qin Fang finally stop.

After watching his Senior Brother disappear into the distance, Qin Fang let out a soft breath and turned back toward his courtyard.

Standing in the courtyard, he closed his eyes and began to recall the lesson Zhou Xing had just given him...

The Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile hadn’t been recorded by his panel yet. With his Senior Brother constantly interrupting to give pointers, he hadn’t been able to fully concentrate.

Now, while the memory was still fresh, he had to lock the Pile Skill onto his panel...

’Like water... gentle... relaxed, but not limp...’

Qin Fang closed his eyes, immersing himself completely in the Mental Realm of the Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile.

Time flowed by quietly.

Then, at a certain moment...

’Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile (High Grade Root Technique) (entry-level): 1/500’!

A new line of text appeared on his panel.

Qin Fang let out a long breath and opened his eyes.

Success.

Now... all he had to do was follow the steps and cultivate.

From this day forward, Qin Fang’s Low Grade Root Technique—the Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile—was officially replaced by the High Grade Root Technique—the Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile!