Chapter 12

......

"Medicated bath?"

In a corner of a narrow alley, a tall, slender man in white clothes frowned as he caught a faint scent of medicine.

"Is Wei He really interested in this kid?"

After hesitating for a moment, he turned and left.

He moved quickly, avoiding pedestrians, and after passing through several alleys, he turned into the backyard of a large mansion.

"How did you come here?"

Inside the courtyard, an old man with a cane frowned as he watered the flowers.

"Yang Baotian!"

The tall, slender man in white gave him a cold glance. "This matter has failed. When the deputy leader returns, think about how you will explain it."

"Failed?"

Yang Baotian struck his cane hard, half-disbelieving. "With your skills, couldn't you kill this brat? The outer city is so chaotic now, didn't you have a chance?"

"He moved into the inner city, and it's not far from the alley where Wei He is."

The tall, slender man remained expressionless and did not mention the medicated bath. Instead, he said, "Wei He is a ruthless person. I don't want to risk my life for such a brat."

"This matter is significant. If you don't handle it, how will you explain it to the deputy leader? Can you explain it away?"

Yang Baotian became agitated, regretting his involvement with the Liansheng Sect.

In the past year, he hadn't gained much, but he had paid a high price.

"That's your problem, not mine." The tall, slender man said casually and was about to leave.

"Wait!"

Yang Baotian called out to the man in white. "If we can't touch this brat for now, that's fine. There are still vacancies for prison guards in Heishan City."

The tall, slender man frowned. "Have you discussed the target with the others? Are you not afraid they will hold you accountable later?"

"Ha ha~"

Yang Baotian leaned heavily on his cane, laughing coldly.

"Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep. If we can't get through this, where will there be a future? I can't afford to worry about that anymore."

"Fine, I'll help."

The tall, slender man didn't want to ask more. He raised his index finger. "Give me another hundred taels, now. I don't want cash, just a bank note!"

"A hundred taels..."

Yang Baotian's face twitched, but he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Alright!"

......

"Is this possible?!"

Yang Yu was both surprised and delighted.

He had known for a long time that he couldn't absorb a second 'ingredient' until the 'Cauldron of Gluttony' turned completely black.

These past few days, he had eaten many 'stones,' but the process of refining them also consumed energy, so he had only managed to maintain a balance.

The appearance of the blood-replacement progress bar was a pleasant surprise.

This also indicated that with the 'Cauldron of Gluttony,' he had easily crossed a threshold that Hu Wan had not managed to cross in several months.

The progress bar itself wouldn't speed up the blood-replacement process, but it allowed him to track his progress more accurately and plan more effectively.

What surprised him, however, were the four words before the progress bar: 'one-time blood replacement.'

If there was one, there could be a second, a third...

"How much medicine will this cost..."

Yang Yu muttered, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

In his estimation, even if one attempt succeeded, it would cost more than two hundred taels. If it failed, the cost of the medicine for the second attempt would be several times higher.

And this was just for one blood replacement...

"Money, money..."

Yang Yu sighed, picked up his broken sword, and began practicing.

With daily practice, his mastery of sword techniques had deepened. Although progress was slower as he advanced, he was gradually nearing the end.

The refinement of the broken sword was almost complete.

......

"Phew!"

Heaving a heavy sigh, he stepped out of the already murky and cold medicinal liquid, stretched his body, and felt a surge of energy.

"It seems easier and faster than what Old Wei said..."

Yang Yu thought to himself.

Theoretically, the stronger the body, the faster the blood replacement. Hu Wan, for example, seemed to have learned some external hard qigong to speed up the process.

But according to Old Wei, even with this, Hu Wan needed to rest for two to three days after each medicated bath, and for ordinary people, it was normal to do it once every ten days.

However, Yang Yu didn't feel tired or exhausted. In fact, he felt so good that he was almost intoxicated by it.

The only issue was that his body didn't reject the medicine, but his skin couldn't withstand the prolonged soaking.

This was a natural reaction, and it would be fine after a while.

"Does this mean I can complete the blood replacement faster than Hu Wan?"

Yang Yu wondered.

"Clean yourself up."

At that moment, the old woman, who had been worried all night, came over with a sheet, wrapped it around Yang Yu, and looked at him with concern.

"Grandma, haven't you slept yet?"

Yang Yu came back to his senses.

"I'm old, and I can't sleep well in a new place. The real estate agent delivered the deed this morning, and I've put it away..."

The old woman brought over steamed buns and porridge and gave Yang Yu a message that made him shudder.

"Just now, I saw a group of people heading towards the outer city. They say there might really be an epidemic. If we hadn't left early, we would have been trapped in that alley..."

"So soon?"

Yang Yu's heart skipped a beat, feeling a bit scared.

The methods for dealing with epidemics in Heishan City, or the entire Great Ming, were simple and brutal—quarantining an area and forcing all potentially infected people into it.

After hearing Zhu Shisan's words yesterday, he had been a bit worried about being trapped in the outer city, but he hadn't expected the authorities to take action so quickly.

Or was the situation even more serious than he imagined?

"The inner city is still safe, but we can't go to the outer city for a while."

Seeing Yang Yu lost in thought while eating the steamed bun, the old woman gave him a warning and went back inside. She was tired after a sleepless night.

With the outer city in chaos, she could only delay the old man's funeral.

"Is this epidemic related to the Liansheng Sect?"

Yang Yu pondered.

Wang Fobao's request for him to move to the inner city yesterday probably wasn't without reason.

"I need to speed up..."

Yang Yu felt a sense of urgency.

Heishan City seemed to be becoming increasingly dangerous. If he didn't have the means to protect himself, he would be left with only prayer when danger came.

Over the next few days, Yang Yu barely left the house, except to buy necessary items. During the day, he practiced sword techniques and strengthened his body in the courtyard.

With each medicated bath, his already not-so-slim body became stronger.

At night, he didn't waste any time, soaking in the medicated bath and refining the broken sword.

Splash~

Boiling hot water poured into the large tub, and the steam rose, revealing the smooth lines of Yang Yu's body.

"After this bath, the medicine will be gone..."

Swallowing a prepared stone, Yang Yu stepped into the tub, submerging up to his neck, and closed his eyes.

He had already entered the 'Cauldron of Gluttony.'

Without any delay, he picked up the broken sword and began chopping. Soon, the progress bar on the cauldron wall jumped again.

The refinement of the broken sword reached completion.

Buzz~

Like a temple bell being struck heavily.

Yang Yu shuddered, and a series of images flashed before his eyes, like a slideshow in his mind.

"That was..."

In a daze, Yang Yu felt as if he had had a dream.

A vivid and clear, yet fragmented and chaotic dream.

In the dream, he saw a quiet and reserved young man who inherited his father's profession as a prison guard.

He had no hobbies, only a love for martial arts, but his family was poor, and no one would teach him.

After much effort, he only learned some basic skills.

But he practiced day and night, and over time, he developed some proficiency.

Relying on his sword skills, he became a prison guard and married a widow from the alley.

He lived a simple and peaceful life, though he sometimes regretted not having a child.

But it was just a regret, until that day.

He saw a beggar boy outside the city, about thirteen or fourteen years old, thin and small. The boy wanted to enter the city but was driven away by the guards.

A sense of compassion rose in him, and he took the boy in.

He brought him into the city, cleaned him up, fed him, and even begged the head constable to take him in as a constable.

Having a son wasn't bad.

He thought that after this escort mission, he would resign and find a good job for the boy...

He would let him study, practice martial arts, get married, and have children...

Anything would be fine,

Just not like himself...

At the moment of falling off the cliff, his heart was filled with regret and reluctance.

...

The chaotic memories flowed like a slideshow, quickly covering a lifetime.

Finally, the scene froze.

It was a dark and gloomy cave, with only a faint light flickering. By the fire, an old man with disheveled hair squatted next to a skeleton.

Holding a yellowed book, he read page by page, muttering and gesturing.

"Is that the old man?!"

Yang Yu was startled and wanted to look closer, but the scene suddenly shattered.

At the same time, the progress bar for the 'broken sword' on the cauldron wall disappeared.

Yang Yu was dazed for a moment before he came back to his senses.

"The old man didn't die when he fell off the cliff. It seems he had a strange encounter?"