Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Xu Yang shook his head. "Don’t laugh at me, Senior Brother. I used to be arrogant and ignorant, but I’ve given up on that now."

"Brother Xu, you know my brother Jiang Yan?" Jiang Fan asked curiously.

Only then did Xu Yang learn the man’s name was Jiang Yan. He shared a surname with Jiang Fan, so he must also be from the Jiang Clan of the Marquis Mansion.

He shook his head. "I’ve met Senior Brother Jiang once before."

Not wanting to disturb Jiang Fan and Jiang Yan, he quickly left the courtyard.

He ate in the dining hall, then returned to continue consolidating his cultivation. After three straight days, his cultivation finally stabilized.

’It’s about time. I should descend the mountain.’

The one-month deadline he’d agreed to with Zhu Bin was fast approaching. Moreover, only four of the ten days allotted by Li Fire Peak remained.

He didn’t know what the so-called selection entailed, but it was sure to have its benefits. He could only focus on other matters once the issue with the Blood Coagulation Pills was settled.

With his Wolf Fang Saber slung over his back, Xu Yang went out and found Sun Tao. "Senior Brother, I have to go down the mountain on business for a few days."

Sun Tao nodded in satisfaction. "Rest assured, I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone. By the way, Junior Sister Lin Wei achieved Qi Cultivation Gang yesterday."

’Taking this long to achieve Qi Cultivation Gang... Honestly, even if her progress was delayed because she was indulging in carnal pleasures, her talent is still somewhat lacking.’

’At this rate, it’s debatable whether she can ever reach Gang Qi Great Success. The smartest thing for her to do would be to marry a capable man, but she just didn’t pick a good one.’

"Congratulate Senior Sister Lin on my behalf."

Xu Yang didn’t say anything more. He had said all that needed to be said; her ultimate fate was now up to her.

He quickly exited the Purple Sun Sect. In a secluded spot, he changed into the clothes and conical hat he had hidden there, then shot toward Cyan Yang City as a faint red streak of light.

’So fast!’

His Gang Qi Minor Achievement cultivation, combined with his Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind at the Minor Achievement Realm, produced a speed that even astonished Xu Yang himself. A single leap could cover dozens of yards, and the scenery flew past him in a blur.

He sprinted at full speed, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he could see Cyan Yang City rising from the plains. Only then did he stop using Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind and enter the city on foot.

He first observed the area around his rented courtyard. Only after confirming that no one was watching did he unlock the door and go inside.

The courtyard was covered in a thin layer of dust. He checked the subtle markers he’d left by the doors and windows, confirmed no one had been there, then changed his clothes again. He then set out to purchase the herbs needed to refine the Blood Coagulation Pills, visiting different apothecaries for each one.

Everything went smoothly at first. But as he was gathering the last few herbs, he had just left an apothecary when he sensed he was being followed.

The streets were crowded, but with his cultivation at Gang Qi Minor Achievement, his five senses were greatly enhanced. He was certain it was not an illusion.

Judging by the footsteps and breathing, the person had been tailing him ever since he left the apothecary. They had followed him for several blocks, their eyes never leaving him.

Xu Yang didn’t look back. He kept walking, and as he passed an alley, he abruptly ducked inside.

The Su Family scout hesitated for only a moment before pursuing him into the alley.

The alley ahead was empty; there was no sign of Xu Yang.

’Not good!’

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears. He hastily looked up, only to see a dark figure pouncing from the rooftop, wreathed in a terrifying gust of Gang Qi.

Before the figure even landed, the powerful gust of Gang Qi was already stinging his face.

Without hesitation, he mustered all the True Qi he could and thrust a palm upward. The resulting Palm Force let out a roar.

A cultivator at the Great Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation!

Such a cultivation level would make one an expert among ordinary people, but before a master like Xu Yang, who was at Gang Qi Minor Achievement, it was no different from being a child.

His fingers, like steel claws, tyrannically shattered the Palm Force. Before the man could react, his hand clamped around his throat like an iron vise.

"Tell me who sent you, or you die!"

Xu Yang’s voice was glacial. A tyrannical pressure crashed down on the man like a tidal wave. He was certain he had never seen this person before.

The Su Family scout froze mid-retreat, not daring to move another inch.

He knew if he made the slightest move, the master before him could kill him in an instant.

"Sir, are you the Pill Master who refines Blood Coagulation Pills for the Zhu Family?" the man asked, his voice nervous.

Xu Yang’s heart skipped a beat. ’So this is because of the Blood Coagulation Pills, not some common thief after my money.’

’I’ve only collaborated with the Zhu Family once, and I’m already being tracked. The appearance of the Blood Coagulation Pill must have encroached on someone else’s business.’

He had anticipated this, which was why he had been so cautious.

"You have one more chance to talk."

Xu Yang snorted, tightening his grip slightly. As the scorching Gang Qi touched his skin, the Su Family scout’s face contorted in agony.

"I’m from the Su Family! Patriarch Su wants to meet with you. As long as you agree to perform alchemy for our family, I guarantee our offer will be better than the Zhu Family’s!" The Su Family scout revealed his identity without a hint of hesitation.

After all, the Patriarch’s orders were to find the Pill Master refining Blood Coagulation Pills for the Zhu Family and win him over with a better offer.

If he didn’t state his identity, how would this Pill Master know that the Su Family’s power far exceeded the Zhu Family’s?

"The Su Family..." Xu Yang murmured thoughtfully.

’If the terms are better, I’m naturally willing to work with them. It’s not like I have any special attachment to the Zhu Family.’

’But the Su Family... as far as I know, there’s only one in Cyan Yang City. Su Man’s family.’

’The Su Family has a reputation for being tyrannical; they’re not well-regarded.’

’They talk about better terms, but they might just lock me up the moment I show my face and turn me into their personal alchemy slave.’

’Besides, the Su Family will likely ally with Xiao Hua and his father. Cooperating with them is out of the question.’

’Xiao Hua and his father are already on my hit list. I’m bound to become enemies with the Su Family sooner or later.’

Seeing that Xu Yang hadn’t refused, the Su Family scout quickly said, "Sir, the Su Family sincerely invites you to work with us. We can meet any cond—"

KRAK!

Before the man could finish, Xu Yang snapped his neck.

He couldn’t let the man leave alive. Knowing the Su Family’s tyrannical ways, he knew that if you weren’t with them, you were against them.

Letting him go would only invite greater trouble.

After taking the silver from the man’s corpse, Xu Yang leaped onto the roof, retrieved his herbs, and quickly returned to the rented courtyard.

’I have all the herbs now, but what about next time?’

’Next time, the Su Family might not send a scout. They might send an assassin.’

’It seems I’ll have to have the Zhu Family prepare the herbs for me from now on.’

Buying the herbs himself was too risky. He hadn’t fully trusted the Zhu Family before, but now he had no choice but to take a leap of faith.

’I originally wanted to learn alchemy to have my own means of making a living, so I wouldn’t have to sell my life to anyone. I was too naive. Making my own money is like snatching food from the mouths of these great families. I’m earning money, yes, but it’s become far more dangerous.’

’Right now, a low-grade elixir like the Blood Coagulation Pill is already causing this much trouble. In the future, when I learn to refine high-grade elixirs like the Guiyuan Pill or the Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill, the danger will be even greater.’

After pondering for a moment, he began to process the herbs and prepare for the alchemy.

...

In the alley, the body of the Su Family scout Xu Yang had killed was soon discovered. People from the Su Family quickly arrived to carry the corpse away.

Su Mansion, Outer Courtyard.

The scout’s corpse was brought here, and an expert quickly began an autopsy.

"A single, fatal blow. His neck was snapped cleanly, with no signs of a struggle. He must have been killed while restrained. He likely met the Pill Master, and was then eliminated."

Su Jianye’s face was livid as he listened to the examiner’s report.

All the Su Family’s scouts had been deployed, lying in wait for nearly a month, only for it to end like this. He had offered generous terms, and in return, the other party killed his scout.

This was a clear statement. The man intended to continue working with the Zhu Family, completely ignoring the Su Family. He wouldn’t even negotiate. He was cautious to a fault.

He had originally planned that if the man dared to show his face, he would simply kill him if negotiations failed. But the man hadn’t even given him the opportunity.

"Send out all our scouts. Find him. If he doesn’t want to live, then we’ll grant his wish and kill him."

If you’re not a friend, you’re an enemy.

Su Jianye ordered sharply, "Go question the apothecaries near the scene of the incident. Someone there must have seen his face. Also, investigate the surrounding neighborhood. He might live there.

"And pass word to the Law Enforcement Team. Ask them to help keep an eye out. Tell them the Su Family will reward them handsomely if they find him."