Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

The Inner City Commandant's Office.

The dim light of the oil lamp cast a long shadow of Commandant Qin Lie.

His brows were furrowed with an unyielding melancholy as he paced back and forth in front of his desk, while an elderly man sat in a chair beside him.

The old man was the Assistant Commandant, a civil official, but in reality, he was also a military man. However, due to his age, he rarely took action and was usually responsible for advising Qin Lie.

"My lord! Today is the perfect opportunity. The banquet is over, who would have thought we'd act tonight?"

The Commandant Cheng held out a scroll: "The scouts have repeatedly confirmed the location; it's in a large mansion in the west of the city... Whether it's innocent or guilty, we'll know once we take it down."

"It's true that the gang leader Song Qing has connections with the officials in the prefectural city. If they really find out about the Blood Spirit Mushroom, it would be a great achievement! To clear their name, those officials certainly wouldn't dare to say a word. Even if they're wrong, you can say it's a gang purge, leaving them with nothing to say."

"Commander Qin! You've served as commander in Songjiang for ten years, are you truly content with this...?"

"What are the odds of being right?" Qin Lie suddenly spoke up: "If I'm wrong, I can explain myself on the surface by killing a few gang members... But it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among some people... They've suppressed me for so many years, and I haven't said a word..."

"Bang!"

He slammed his hand on the table: "But when I open my mouth, it will be... earth-shattering!"

"Sixty percent certain."

"Why only 60%?"

"First, we don't have direct evidence that the Black Tiger Gang has harmed the people... The main forces of the Black Tiger Gang are all outside the city, and given the current situation outside, it's hard to say whether they have arrested anyone."

"Secondly, if the Black Tiger Gang is really cultivating Ganoderma lucidum, then they should not be short of money, but judging from the information we have gathered, their gang is not wealthy."

"Third, even if we find the meat vat, they'll have an excuse... like saying the Heavenly Mother Cult secretly buys vegetables. But... there's nothing we can do about it..."

"Fourth, don't forget... we've already investigated the temple three times, but found nothing."

Fifth, meat Ganoderma has never appeared on the market in Songjiang County.

Qin Lie slowly turned his head: "You mentioned five points, so where did the 60% come from?"

The Commandant Cheng spoke calmly and in a deep voice: "The Black Tiger Gang's power has been expanding, and it has repeatedly defeated the Dragon Snake Gang to the point of being powerless to fight back, but it has never wiped out the Dragon Snake Gang in order to cover up its true intentions."

"Although the gang doesn't seem wealthy, it has more and more skilled members..."

"My analysis is that the money should have all ended up in Song Qing's hands, and Song Qing most likely sent the money outside. The fact that there is no meat Ganoderma in the market in Songjiang County is probably because people don't eat the grass near their burrows."

The Commandant stroked his beard and continued, "What truly convinced me was that a martial artist who failed his first attempt at breaking through the barrier was discovered by a scout to have miraculously reached the Ming Jin level, which matches the characteristics of the Flesh Spirit Mushroom, which can stimulate blood and qi and forcefully break through the barrier."

"That's why we were able to pinpoint the location of the house by following that person."

"Um?"

Qin Lie's expression softened, and he pondered for a moment:

"Tonight... can the scouts confirm how many experts are inside?"

"We have identified seventeen members with the Ming Jin skill. It is unclear whether there are more, but we can confirm that there are no ordinary gang members here, which is why we were discovered so late."

"Seventeen people were identified?"

Qin Lie paused for a moment, then tapped his fingertips heavily on the table, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"The Commandant is being too cautious. In my opinion, this is almost certainly true. A mere county gang is secretly keeping seventeen Ming Jin (experts)?"

"Make your move at midnight!"

The Commandant was taken aback and was about to speak when Qin Lie interrupted him in a deep voice:

"We will wait a few more hours, and at midnight we will secretly go to the county camp to muster the troops."

"First, do not disclose the target; second, do not use fire for illumination; third, do not ride horses and make noise; fourth, do not stop without authorization!"

He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, its cold gleam blinding: "I've been raising it for so long, it's time to put it to rest."

"promise!"

Inside the dark hall, amidst the flickering light of the oil lamp, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Commandant.

******

"The Blood Spirit Mushroom has the potential to help ordinary martial artists advance to the Ming Jin realm..."

In the darkness, Ye Ci squinted, his gaze sweeping across the large house with its blue bricks and gray tiles like that of a hawk.

This house is located on a hillside in the west of the city, within the outer city wall.

Songjiang County is divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city is prosperous, while the outer city is mostly inhabited by poor families, not much different from the countryside.

When the enemy attacked, the outer city was the first line of defense, so wealthy families did not spend much money on its maintenance.

The house is surrounded by a large area of ​​wild forest, making it extremely secluded. Outside, there are fields stretching out in a flat expanse.

The roof ridge tiles are neatly arranged, and a copper bell hangs from each of the upturned corners. It does not ring in the wind, indicating that it has been fixed in place by something.

The house is surrounded by a two-zhang-high blue brick wall, with two large black elm wood doors tightly closed, and a blurry plaque carved on the lintel.

Ye Ci lightly touched the ground with her toes, silently taking a few steps closer.

A faint, fishy odor instantly entered my nostrils, somewhat resembling the smell of a dead turtle...

Ye Ci subconsciously covered her mouth and nose, her brows furrowing slightly.

"It's the stench of a rotting corpse..."

Ye Ci pondered for a moment, becoming even more certain that he had not killed the wrong person.

Clearly, the other party mistook him for a jealous martial arts student. After several rounds of beatings and jabs, the good-for-nothing spilled out a lot of information like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Although not comprehensive, it was enough for him to make inferences.

They use human blood to nourish a certain precious medicine.

Precious medicine...

Even though it could only help people break through to the Ming Jin level, Ye Ci was still somewhat interested.

Eliminating harm for the people is not my wish; making money along the way is the right path.

He came fully prepared.

"Is there a large group of people with the Ming Jin skill level? We'll find out once we go inside."

Ye Ci's eyes flickered slightly as he silently circled around to the left side of the house.

He stopped at the foot of the brick wall, not in a hurry to climb over it. He tightened the bow on his shoulder, stuffed the quiver with rags, listened for a moment, and then threw out a stone to check if there were any hidden sentries under the wall.

Confirming that there was no one inside the wall, Ye Ci suddenly exerted force with her feet, her figure as light as a swallow, and quietly leaped onto the brick wall.

With a slight push of his hands against the top of the wall, he avoided the sharp barbed wire and landed steadily in the courtyard.

In the darkness, unnoticed by anyone, a pair of eyes watched this scene with great interest.

The moment Ye Ci landed, he suddenly lowered his body and darted to the base of the house wall like a raccoon. He crouched down, held his breath, and even his breathing became extremely light.

After waiting quietly for about half an incense stick's time, no one came out to check, so it seemed that the people inside had not been disturbed.

Even so, Ye Ci's heart still beat slightly faster. He observed the entire house, where the main house on the north side was brightly lit and filled with noise.

The current location faces the side gate of the house. The courtyard is messy and disorderly, with two wooden carts parked there and several bundles of firewood piled up in the corner, scattered on the ground.

There were no dogs or sentries in the courtyard.

It was dark all around, with only a few rays of light shining through the windows of the neighboring houses.

"The stench is coming from these rooms..."

Ye Ci thought to himself, crouched low, and silently circled around to the front of the house, stopping by the door.

"Slap! Slap!"

The sound of whips cracking came from inside the house, mixed with the harsh shouts of several people, as well as the painful groans and moans of the injured.