Leaving Hundred Herbs Hall, Jiang Che suddenly spotted a cooked food stall not far across the street.
The aroma of roast chicken wafted over.
Jiang Che sniffed, and his mouth immediately began to water.
Compared to Exotic Beast Meat, this roast chicken was a supreme delicacy.
He walked up and said, "Boss, how much for a roast chicken?"
"Three hundred Copper Coins for one! Freshly roasted today. Would you like one, sir?"
The owner was a short man, not even reaching Jiang Che's chest.
"Alright, I'll take one!" Jiang Che took out the Copper Coins and paid without hesitation.
For the old Jiang Che, three hundred Copper Coins would have been a huge sum of money.
But after buying expensive Exotic Beast Meat, he now felt this roast chicken was incredibly cheap.
Although it wasn't Exotic Beast Meat, eating more meat could also supplement his Qi Blood a little, so it was somewhat useful.
Besides, both he and his sister had been craving it.
After it was wrapped up in a lotus leaf, Jiang Che carried the roast chicken and headed home.
As he neared home, Jiang Che suddenly noticed several burly men in black jackets with short blades at their waists, going door-to-door and asking questions.
These men looked ferocious, banging on the doors with a loud BANG BANG BANG.
An old man whose door had been smashed open was as pale as a ghost, and the child behind him was so frightened they couldn't stop crying.
'It's the Thunderbolt Gang...'
Jiang Che recognized them.
The old Jiang Che might have been afraid.
But now, he was a Martial Artist.
These ordinary gang members hadn't even cultivated their Qi Blood. No matter how strong they were, they were no match for him.
In a sense, a Martial Artist was no longer an ordinary person.
Jiang Che walked straight toward them.
When the Thunderbolt Gang members saw Jiang Che approaching, they were about to stop him.
But then they saw he was wearing the Disciple's Robe of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall. He exuded a sharp aura, and their expressions immediately changed.
"It's a Qi Blood Realm Martial Artist..."
They muttered under their breath.
"Fall back!"
The leader didn't want to clash with a Martial Artist and immediately led his men away.
"Sir, what was going on with those men?" Jiang Che walked up and asked.
He was a bald old man in a short white tunic. He stared after the retreating Thunderbolt Gang members, a look of terror still on his face.
"Sigh, it's a sin! It's those fiends from the Thunderbolt Gang!"
The old man's voice was hoarse and still trembling with shock.
"Lately, their members have been dying one after another. It's downright unnatural! Their heads are missing, their stomachs are sliced open, their organs are gone... it's a horrific sight!
"But they still haven't caught who did it. The Gang Leader says someone is just playing tricks, so he sends people out to investigate every day. But if you ask me,"
The old man shrank back and lowered his voice, "It must be an evil spirit!"
Jiang Che nodded and said no more.
'Looks like that green-eyed monster is getting more and more brazen...'
The thought of that night sent a chill down Jiang Che's spine, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
His strength was much greater now than when he first broke through, but he still felt he was no match for the monster.
'It has to be at least at the Stone Skin Realm... no, maybe even the Iron Skin Realm!'
Jiang Che thought to himself.
When he got home, Jiang Ling was sitting with her head down, mending something.
"Brother, you're back!" Seeing Jiang Che, Jiang Ling quickly hid what was in her hands behind her back and came over to greet him.
"Didn't I tell you not to take on this kind of work anymore?" Jiang Che frowned, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"I don't have anything else to do at home, so... I was just idle anyway." Jiang Ling's face flushed slightly, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.
Suddenly, she seemed to smell something, and her eyes instantly lit up.
"Huh?"
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Che couldn't help but smile and took out the roast chicken wrapped in the lotus leaf.
"Wow! Roast chicken!"
Jiang Ling cried out in delight, practically bouncing with joy.
"I'm affiliated with an Escort Agency now. I make thirty silver a month, plus an extra ten for every escort mission! A roast chicken is nothing. We can eat it every day!" Jiang Che patted her head.
"Wow, roast chicken every day!" Jiang Ling's eyes went wide.
Then, the brother and sister sat around the table and began to feast.
After finishing the roast chicken, Jiang Che took out several oil-paper packages of Exotic Beast Dried Meat from his robe and carefully spread them on the table.
"Brother, what's this?" Jiang Ling asked curiously.
Jiang Che handed her a piece. Jiang Ling took it, sniffed it, and instantly wrinkled her brow.
"What a gamy, rank smell! What is this stuff?" Jiang Ling's little face scrunched up, and she put it back down in disgust.
"This is Exotic Beast Dried Meat. It's used by those in martial arts training to replenish their Qi Blood," Jiang Che explained.
"This... is it really edible? Won't it give me a stomachache?" Jiang Ling's face was full of doubt.
"Of course it's edible... Though I admit it doesn't smell great, and it tastes... uh, not very good either." Jiang Che shook his head with a bitter smile. "But to replenish my Qi Blood, I have to eat it no matter how bad it tastes!"
With that, he picked up a piece of the blackish-red dried meat, broke off a small chunk, took a deep breath, and popped it into his mouth.
As soon as he started chewing, the gamy, rank smell intensified, instantly filling the entire room.
His sister covered her nose and left.
Jiang Che didn't dare chew for too long and forced himself to swallow it.
But he felt it get stuck in his throat, nearly choking him. He quickly chugged a large mouthful of water and finally managed to get it down.
Before long, he felt a swelling heat in his lower abdomen.
It seemed his body, depleted from excessive martial arts training, was finally starting to recover.
His eyes lit up. He took out a pen and noted down the type of dried meat and the sensation of Qi Blood it produced.
Then, he began to try the next piece.
After trying all the different kinds of Exotic Beast Dried Meat, Jiang Che carefully compared them and found that the most effective one was surprisingly not the Pork and Lamb Beast Dried Meat, but the dried meat of a snake-type Exotic Beast!
The meat was from a Black Beast called the Shadow Ring Snake, a type of Exotic Beast that was a hybrid of a regular venomous snake.
'Looks like Senior Brother Zhang was right. What suits others doesn't necessarily suit me...'
'I'll buy this one from now on.'
Jiang Che made a mental note.
On this day, Jiang Che was practicing his fist techniques in the Disciple Courtyard of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall.
Sweat soaked his training clothes, and every punch whistled through the air.
After eating Exotic Beast Meat for several consecutive days, Jiang Che felt his Qi Blood had grown much stronger.
Although he was still not on par with Zhang Xiong and the others.
But he was already much stronger than before.
'My Cloud-Stacking Fist is about to reach Minor Achievement...'
[Cloud-Stacking Fist: Entry Level (86/100)]
Jiang Che looked at the Skill Proficiency Panel, his heart filled with joy.
Everything was slowly getting better.
"Senior Brother Jiang!" A regular apprentice from the Martial Arts Hall shouted from the entrance. "Someone's here to see you!"
Jiang Che stopped his movements, wiped away his sweat, and walked toward the entrance.
A thrill of excitement went through Jiang Che. 'Could it be...'
Outside the entrance stood a man dressed in a green martial arts uniform.
"Brother Jiang Che?" the man asked.
"That's me," Jiang Che nodded.
"I am Li Qiang, a Darts Master from the Zhenyuan Escort Agency."
The man clasped his fist in a salute.
"In three days, we have an escort mission to Hengsha City—a delivery, basically. We're short on manpower, so Steward Wang sent me to ask if you're interested in going."
Hengsha City!
Jiang Che's heart skipped a beat.
It's finally here!
"I'll go!" Jiang Che said without hesitation.
"Good! Three days from now, at the hour of Mao, we'll meet at the agency entrance." Li Qiang said, then turned and left.
Jiang Che stood where he was, feeling a little excited.
'I finally have a chance to go to Hengsha City!'
But soon, his brow furrowed.
'What about my sister, Jiang Ling?'
He didn't feel safe leaving her home alone.
Especially with the Thunderbolt Gang causing trouble lately, and that green-eyed monster...
'I have to think of a solution.'