Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Zhao Tietou was tied to a wooden stake in the torture chamber. The gag in his mouth had just been torn off when he spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at Xu Hao's feet.

"You little bastard, you're already trying to use torture before you're even weaned? When I was in the underworld, you were still wearing open-crotch pants!"

Xu Hao wasn't annoyed. He simply bent down and picked up a rag stained with years of blood, slowly wiping the handle of the whip in his hand, his face still bearing a simple, honest smile: "Sir, please don't curse me. I'm just a servant. The jailer said he needs to loosen your muscles a bit. If you cooperate, I can save myself some trouble."

"Cooperate? Cooperate my ass!" Zhao Tietou's eyes were bloodshot, his muscles tense, making the chains rattle. "I'm a Red Hook of the Salt Gang! If you dare to take such drastic measures, I'll have my brothers tear this lousy government office down!"

"The Salt Gang?" Xu Hao paused, raised his eyelids, but his gaze did not fall on Zhao Tietou. Instead, it fell on the red-hot branding iron next to him. "I heard yesterday that the Salt Gang's branch leaders were all shot into pincushions. I'm afraid your title of 'Red Pole' is not very useful anymore."

Zhao Tietou's face stiffened, clearly shocked by the news.

His eyes darted around, and his tone suddenly softened, becoming somewhat tempting: "Young man, I can tell you're an honest man. What's the point of struggling in this filthy place? Why don't we do some business?"

Xu Hao seemed intrigued by these words, paused his actions, and asked with a naive look, "What kind of business?"

"Let me go." Zhao Tietou lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I'm not actually a member of the Salt Gang, I'm a spy planted by the Canal Gang in the Salt Gang! A bunch of idiots who smuggle salt want me to take the blame? Dream on!"

Seeing Xu Hao's blank expression, as if he "didn't understand," Zhao Tietou grew impatient: "You idiot! It's okay if you don't understand, you at least know what silver is, right? As long as you turn a blind eye tonight, I'll find a way to sneak out and give you five hundred taels... no, a thousand taels of silver!"

Xu Hao shook his head again, picking up a rusty boning knife and brandishing it a couple of times: "The jailer said that if I let the prisoner escape, I'll lose my head. No matter how much money you have, it's useless if you don't live to enjoy it."

"You!" Zhao Tietou was furious. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he stared at the approaching blade. Finally, he revealed his trump card, "Fool! Tonight, the Canal Gang is shipping a batch of 'Blood Crystals' in Rat Alley in the west of the city! These are the lifeblood of martial artists. If you release me, I'll give you one. Even if you don't learn martial arts, you can take it and travel far away, exchanging it for a lifetime of wealth. Isn't that better than spending your life cleaning chamber pots?"

The tip of Xu Hao's knife stopped steadily half an inch in front of Zhao Tietou's eyeball.

Blood crystals.

This stuff is a valuable commodity; a piece the size of a fingernail can be exchanged for a hundred taels of gold, and it's a crucial auxiliary material for breaking through from the Bone Forging Realm to the Tendon Changing Realm. How dare the Canal Gang defy the odds at this critical juncture?

Xu Hao's mind raced. The Surveillance Bureau was already worried about not being able to find Chen Yuanzhi's body; if they found out that the Canal Gang was planning something big tonight...

"Rat Alley... dye house?" Xu Hao repeated softly.

"Yes! It's in the abandoned dye workshop!" Zhao Tietou thought Xu Hao was interested and nodded quickly. "I'm in charge of the backup. Without me, their shipment won't be able to leave. Let me go, and I'll take you to get it..."

"I understand." Xu Hao interrupted him, his honest expression instantly vanishing, replaced by a chilling indifference.

Zhao Tietou was stunned. Before he could react to how the servant had changed his expression, he felt an extremely cold aura rushing towards him.

[A chilling aura]

Zhao Tietou felt a buzzing in his head, and he seemed to see countless vengeful ghosts and demons claiming his life. His whole body stiffened, and even his tongue got tied in knots.

"Keep your mouth shut in your next life."

Xu Hao did not draw his knife. Instead, he formed his five fingers into claws and activated the "Overturning River Force" within his body, gathering an extremely yin and soft spiral force at his fingertips.

puff.

He yanked hard at Zhao Tietou's throat.

Click.

His throat was shattered, leaving five bluish-purple and blackish finger marks.

Zhao Tietou's eyes widened, and his body went limp and collapsed.

The image in my mind suddenly jolted.

[Execute the villains and absorb their resentment.]

[Blessed Land Level Upgrade: City Death Row LV3 (Fierce and Evil)]

[Obtain Special Treasure: Ghost-Faced Mushroom]

Xu Hao didn't rush to examine the treasure, but instead skillfully searched the corpse.

He pried out a copper whistle engraved with water ripples from the lining of Zhao Tietou's shoe sole.

"A token of the Grand Canal Gang..."

Xu Hao fiddled with the bronze whistle, an idea forming in his mind.

Xu Hao turned and went to the mezzanine. "Young Master, stick your head out a little more, yes, a little more, okay!"

After saying that, he re-inserted the bone needle into Chen Yuanzhi's neck, who had just crawled out.

Seeing that the young master had stopped breathing and wouldn't be discovered by that eunuch surnamed Wei, Xu Hao stuffed him back inside.

Xu Hao then stumbled out of the torture chamber, his legs gave way, and he almost knelt on the slippery bluestone slabs of the passageway.

He didn't even bother to straighten his crooked hat, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Warden! Warden! Great news... no, big news!"

The prison warden, who was playing dominoes with several guards in his cell, was so startled by the shout that his hand trembled and the tiles scattered all over the floor.

He was about to curse when he saw Xu Hao rush in excitedly, and his heart skipped a beat.

"What a wailing! Is the Red Stick dead?" The jailer pushed the sign aside and suddenly stood up.

"He's not dead! He confessed! He confessed!" Xu Hao gasped for breath, pointing towards the torture chamber. "He couldn't withstand the torture and said... said the Salt Gang is planning a big operation tonight! They're going to deliver a large shipment of goods to the Canal Gang in Rat Alley in the west of the city! He also said he'd lead the way if given a way out!"

"Rat Alley? The Canal Gang?" The jailer's eyelids twitched wildly.

The Observatory has turned the city upside down these past few days, just to find something.

now……

"Did you hear that clearly?" The jailer grabbed Xu Hao by the collar and spat in his face.

"It's real! Realer than real gold!" Xu Hao nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "He said it's... something that could cost you your head, and it seems to involve the young master of the Chen family from a few days ago... He said he'd only tell you the details if he saw an official."

Upon hearing the words "Young Master Chen," the jailer felt a chill run down his spine.

This was a major worry for Eunuch Wei.

"You keep watch at the gate! No one is allowed in or out!" The jailer shoved Xu Hao aside, grabbed his hat and pulled it over his head, then ran out like his pants were on fire. "I'm going to fetch Lord Wei!"

Xu Hao watched the jailer's figure disappear around the corner, and the panicked expression on his face instantly vanished.

He slowly straightened his collar, then turned and walked back to the door of the torture chamber.