「The next morning.」

The Zhu Family Master and Elder Wu stood in the secret chamber, their expressions dark.

Zhu Huan’s handmaiden had come to his room early in the morning, only to find the secret door wide open. Both Zhu Huan and the Snake Demon had been beheaded.

"Who on earth did this?"

The Zhu Family Master gritted his teeth.

He had placed high hopes on Zhu Huan. For the Zhu Family to rise to the next level, they needed to cultivate their own Yijin Martial Artist.

But now, Zhu Huan was dead, and the Snake Demon he shared a symbiotic bond with had died along with him.

Elder Wu bent down to examine the wounds on the bodies of the Snake Demon and Zhu Huan.

"A saber... and arrows. The killer is likely a Bone Forger Martial Master, but a Martial Artist this deadly is rare indeed."

The more Elder Wu looked, the more alarmed he became. He had never seen such a ruthless and powerful saber technique.

"Investigate. I want that killer found."

The Zhu Family Master flicked his sleeve and left with that single command.

Now that Zhu Huan was dead, he saw no reason to waste any more time here.

He was more concerned with the Zhu Family’s reputation. If the killer wasn’t caught, the Zhu Family would never be able to hold their heads high among their peers again.

The great families were always so heartless.

...

News of Zhu Huan’s murder quickly spread throughout Qinghe County.

Of course, the Zhu Family kept his symbiotic relationship with the Snake Demon a secret.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

A knock sounded at the gate of the Bai Family Ancestral Mansion.

"Who is it?"

Xiao Qiaoniang was making breakfast with Sister Zheng. She dried her hands and walked toward the gate.

The Hongqiao Dye Workshop had been forced to close for three days because of the trouble Zhu Huan caused, so she was staying at the mansion.

When she pushed open the gate, she saw Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family standing there, a worried look on her face.

"Sister Chen, what happened?"

Seeing it was Xiao Qiaoniang, Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family pulled her into the courtyard, poking her head out to make sure no one had followed before closing the gate.

Xiao Qiaoniang grew curious, seeing how cautious Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family was being.

"Sister Chen, what in the world is going on?"

Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family grabbed Xiao Qiaoniang’s hand.

"You don’t know? Zhu Huan died last night!"

"What?!"

Xiao Qiaoniang was stunned by the news.

"This... What on earth happened?"

Xiao Qiaoniang’s face was filled with disbelief.

Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family stared intently at Xiao Qiaoniang, scrutinizing every detail of her expression.

’Could it be she really doesn’t know?’

Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family wondered to herself. Xiao Qiaoniang didn’t look like she was faking it.

It was only yesterday that Zhu Huan had made trouble for the Hongqiao Dye Workshop, and now he had been killed that same night. It was hard not to be suspicious.

"Are you sure it wasn’t you?"

Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family couldn’t help but press the question.

Just at that moment—

CREAK... The door to the east wing of the courtyard was pushed open. Bai Yuan stretched, yawned, and looked toward the gate.

"Sister Chen, what brings you here so early?"

Seeing Bai Yuan greet her so warmly, Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family gave an awkward smile, exchanged a few more words with Xiao Qiaoniang, and then turned to leave.

After Xiao Qiaoniang saw Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family out, she asked her question.

"Uncle, Zhu Huan is dead. Did you know?"

The reason Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family hadn’t detected anything was that Xiao Qiaoniang truly hadn’t known.

"I know. I did it."

Bai Yuan said in a voice only the two of them could hear. He made no attempt to hide it.

Xiao Qiaoniang’s face filled with terror. She pulled Bai Yuan into a room, terrified that Aunt Zheng in the kitchen might hear.

Before Xiao Qiaoniang could speak, Bai Yuan said preemptively,

"Sister-in-law, just act as if this never happened. Leave everything else to me."

With such a major incident on their hands, the Zhu Family wouldn’t remember the Hongqiao Dye Workshop’s debt. The two thousand taels could be considered paid.

After composing herself, Xiao Qiaoniang went to the kitchen to help Aunt Zheng as if nothing was wrong.

Bai Yuan was rather surprised by his sister-in-law’s impressive mental fortitude.

He smiled and shook his head. ’Looks like I underestimated her,’ he thought.

He glanced at his status panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Occupation: Demon Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]

[Skills: Tracking (Master), Archery (Proficient), Tiger-Crane Form (Beginner), Blood Tiger Saber (Beginner), Five Animals Fist (Skilled)...]

[Reinforcement Points: 87]

He had earned a total of 87 Reinforcement Points from killing the Snake Demon and Zhu Huan last night.

This was so much faster than hunting beasts in the mountains.

The Snake Demon had provided 70 points and Zhu Huan 17. It was clear the Snake Demon at its full strength was incredibly powerful. If it hadn’t been in the middle of molting, Bai Yuan would have been no match for it.

But killing demons was just like killing people—there was no honor code to follow.

A real fight to the death wasn’t a turn-based game. Any method that killed your opponent was a good method.

Bai Yuan’s gaze fell on the words "Blood Tiger Saber" on the panel.

’Upgrade it!’

[Eighth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber: You continue to feed the saber with your lifeblood, and the killing intent of your technique surges.]

...

[Tenth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber: You find yourself gradually losing control of the saber.]

[You train bitterly, nearly suffering a Qi deviation, but you narrowly escape with your life.] 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

...

[Fifteenth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber: You have finally mastered the technique, achieving a minor level of success.]

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Occupation: Demon Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]

[Skills: Tracking (Master), Archery (Proficient), Tiger-Crane Form (Beginner), Blood Tiger Saber (Skilled), Five Animals Fist (Skilled)...]

[Reinforcement Points: 0]

Bai Yuan had used up all his Reinforcement Points just to raise the Blood Tiger Saber to the Skilled level.

A powerful killing intent flooded his mind, and he almost lost control. Fortunately, the sensation of his Tiger-Crane Form washed over him like a clear stream, dispersing the murderous aura.

"Hooo... That was close!"

Bai Yuan let out a long sigh of relief. Even with the Tiger-Crane Form, practicing the Blood Tiger Saber was incredibly dangerous.

His entire body felt limp and weak, as if all his strength had been sucked out of him. He could only lie motionless on the floor, without even the energy to call for help.

Xiao Qiaoniang only discovered Bai Yuan collapsed on the floor when she came into the room with a bowl of scallion noodles.

"Uncle, what’s wrong with you?"

Xiao Qiaoniang hurried over, crouching down to help Bai Yuan up.

Bai Yuan used every last ounce of his strength to whisper in Xiao Qiaoniang’s ear.

"Medicinal bath."

Xiao Qiaoniang immediately understood what he needed.

She instructed Aunt Zheng to boil several kettles of water, then, just as she had seen Bai Yuan do, she fetched the Body Refining Medicine and added it to the large wooden tub.

Bai Yuan was now too weak to undress himself.

In the end, her face beet red, Xiao Qiaoniang had no choice but to remove Bai Yuan’s clothes, layer by layer, until he was completely naked.

As Bai Yuan lay in the large wooden tub, the potency of the herbs seeped into his skin, and he finally felt a sliver of strength return.

He was beginning to understand why the protagonists in the novels from his past life always had to strip down to train.

’So it was for the medicinal baths.’

’The ancients truly didn’t lie!’

The medicinal properties continued to nourish Bai Yuan’s body. An hour later, he was finally full of vigor again.

After drying himself off and getting dressed, he devoured eighteen large bowls of noodles in one sitting before the gnawing hunger in his stomach finally subsided.

Aunt Zheng had never seen anything like it; she was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Her two growing boys at home were already big eaters, but they were nothing compared to Bai Yuan.

Xiao Qiaoniang gazed at Bai Yuan as he wolfed down the noodles.

’That solid chest... that bronze skin...’ The image from earlier kept replaying in her mind, impossible to dismiss.

"Sister-in-law, why is your face so red?"