"You?!"
Liang Zhan's pupils shrank the instant he recognized the figure.
There were eight of his personal disciples guarding around Medicine Valley—how had this man managed to slip in without a sound?
"Someone—!"
He shouted while raising his sword, trying to counterattack.
"Bang—!"
Before he could even swing, another streak of black lightning struck. The arrow pierced straight through his wrist, nailing his arm to the wall. His sword clattered to the ground with a sharp clang, leaving him completely defenseless.
"Brother Chen!"
Liang Zhan forced out a pained smile, his face contorted from agony. "Brother Chen, there's no need to make such a big scene, right?"
"Cut the crap."
Chen Sanshi yanked off his mask.
Truth be told, with the distinctive bow and spear he carried, covering his face made little difference. The only real way to stay safe was to leave no witnesses.
He drew another arrow and pinned Liang Zhan's other hand to the wall. "From now on, whatever I ask—you answer. Understand?"
The situation was too tangled for guesses. Eavesdropping on a few words wasn't enough. He needed a living mouth to make sense of it all.
"Ah—!"
Liang Zhan trembled violently, his body shaking uncontrollably from the pain. "Brother Chen! Please, ask whatever you want—I'll tell you everything, I swear!"
"Good."
Chen Sanshi's tone turned icy. "The so-called immortal treasure—is it in Xiang Tingchun's hands? Is he using it to blackmail you into donating supplies to the Thousand-Household Division?"
"H-how do you know that?" Liang Zhan gasped, drenched in cold sweat. "You're right… that's exactly what happened."
"What is the immortal treasure?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Bang—!"
Another arrow flew. It struck his right leg and pinned it to the floor.
"AHHH!!!"
Liang Zhan's scream echoed through the valley. He was on the verge of passing out. "Brother Chen, mercy! I'm not lying! We've been searching for it this whole time! All we know is—it can refine the essence of Spiritual Grain!"
"Start from the beginning."
Chen Sanshi's voice was cold and final.
"It was the Tuoba tribe!"
Liang Zhan gritted his teeth, each word dragged out through the pain. "Two months ago…"
As he recounted the events in broken detail, Chen Sanshi finally pieced together the full story.
Two months ago.
That was when he had just arrived in this world, still troubled by Qin Xiong's death.
At the same time, far away on the northern plains, the Tuoba tribe had fallen into chaos—a brutal struggle for the crown prince's throne.
The third prince of Tuoba failed in his bid for power. To survive, he faked his death and fled across the border into the Great Sheng Dynasty.
Before escaping, he stole the Tuoba tribe's sacred treasure—the very same immortal treasure—intending to present it to the Longqing Emperor. With it, he hoped to gain the dynasty's military aid and reclaim his throne.
When he reached Poyang County, the exiled prince, fearful of pursuit, sought out the local magistrate, asking him to report to the prefecture for protection and an escort to the capital.
At the time, the magistrate was Old Zhang, a man who had spent his entire life navigating officialdom.
He knew one thing very well—if the higher-ups in the prefecture got involved, he'd get no credit at all.
So he secretly turned to the four major martial halls, planning to escort the prince himself and seize the merit.
But then—things turned bloody.
The Yunhe Hall Master, upon overhearing the conversation between the magistrate and the prince, grew greedy.
If no one else knew the prince was here in Poyang, why not just kill him and take the treasure for themselves?
With the immortal treasure, they could strengthen their halls, expand their influence, and rise beyond this tiny county—to become one of the great sects of the martial world.
Driven by that ambition, the four martial halls joined forces. They poisoned the prince's meal and ambushed him and the magistrate in secret, intending to wipe them both out.
Unfortunately for them, the prince was no fool. He fought back desperately and managed to escape with the key to the treasure.
In the end, the martial halls were left only with a sealed box—one they couldn't open.
But not long after, the prince returned under cover of night, killed the Yunhe Hall Master, and reclaimed the jade box.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control.
The four great martial halls realized they could no longer keep things hidden, so they turned to Xiang Tingchun for help, promising to share the immortal treasure with him once it was secured.
After that—Chen Sanshi himself became involved.
During the hunt for the Tuoba prince, the Witch God Sect suddenly intervened, throwing everything into chaos. The prince was gravely wounded in the fight, fled the city, and died just outside its walls.
And the treasure—fell right into Chen Sanshi's hands.
A bloody and ruthless battle for fortune, waged in the shadows.
"Where does the Spiritual Grain come in?"
Chen Sanshi pressed the question, voice cold and steady.
"Cough… cough…"
Liang Zhan's mouth was full of blood, but he forced himself to speak. "The prince… didn't reveal much."
"All we know is, through the immortal treasure, one can refine a sacred medicine that aids in cultivation."
"And Spiritual Grain… is one of the most crucial ingredients."
"We don't know the exact method. That's why…"
"…we started experimenting on people."
"Pan Quan created a special kind of pill. He ground the Spiritual Grain into powder and mixed it into the medicine. When consumed, it would allow the body to absorb the Spiritual Grain."
"About ten people were needed to completely purge its poison."
"Unfortunately, that process wasted most of the grain's essence. The final pill's effect was limited—it only really benefited tempering bone cultivators."
Chen Sanshi glanced down at the peasant who'd just died in agony, finally understanding. His voice was calm, but his eyes were cold. "You used living people as filters?"
"Just peasants," Liang Zhan replied matter-of-factly. "What's the big deal? Even crude pills made this way yield incredible effects. If we could get the immortal treasure and refine the process further, not just tempering organs—even transforming force wouldn't be impossible!"
"Otherwise, why do you think we're willing to serve as Xiang Tingchun's stepping stones for his promotion? It's all for the immortal treasure!"
He gritted his teeth, a glimmer of desperation flickering in his eyes. "Brother Chen, let's work together!
"As long as you don't kill me, none of this ever happened tonight."
"My family will even provide you with every resource you need. With your talent, reaching the tempering organs stage is only a matter of time."
"When you achieve it, we'll join forces—kill Xiang Tingchun, seize the immortal treasure, and rise to the peak of the martial path together!"
"You even dare talk about killing the Thousand-Household?"
Chen Sanshi sneered, his tone sharp with mockery. "Take a guess—who do you think sent me?"
Liang Zhan's mind went blank. His lips trembled as he quickly changed tone. "No, no, Brother Chen, you misunderstand! Please, you can't kill me!
"As long as you spare me, I can give you anything—money, herbs…"
His eyes darted toward the door. "The medicine fields! Did you see them? All of that is yours! Just let me live!"
"Idiot," Chen Sanshi said flatly. "If you're dead, it's still all mine."
That single sentence silenced Liang Zhan completely. His breathing grew ragged; words caught in his throat, but none came out.
Chen Sanshi pointed toward the corpse of the peasant who'd been used as a test subject. "What did you just call him?"
"A… a lowly peasant from the countryside…" Liang Zhan stammered automatically.
His voice weakened, almost pleading. "Brother Chen, must it really end like this? Xiang Tingchun will never see you as one of his own. For him, anyone can be discarded if it means climbing higher.
"We could keep doing this—capture more people, refine more pills, grow stronger together. Isn't that better than dying here?"
"Brother Liang," Chen Sanshi said, his voice deep and unyielding, his gaze cold as steel. "Did you forget one thing?"
He took a step closer, the bowstring already drawn. "I'm from the countryside too."
"Whoosh—"
A Qi Mei Needle Arrow pierced through Liang Zhan's brow. His body jerked once, then went still—lifeless.
Chen Sanshi turned his gaze toward the corner, where the apothecary Li Yaoshi lay in a pool of blood, barely alive.
"Do you have any sacks here?" he asked, his tone calm and chilling.