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

In the days that followed, Ye Ci devoted almost all his time to practicing his stance training.

Every three days, Ye Ci would need to spend one dose of Qi and Blood Powder, which cost three taels of silver. In addition, he received a free dose of Qi and Blood Soup. Ye Ci calculated that he would only need to spend about twenty-five taels of silver per month.

As for the medicinal bath, Ye Ci felt that the medicinal power was insufficient and it only relieved fatigue, so he stopped taking it every day.

In short, he spent about thirty-five taels of silver on himself each month, ten taels on rent, and less than one tael on food and drink for his family, because the escort agency would give him some rice and meat when he went on a mission.

Grandma Li often sighed, saying that she used to feel heartbroken if a bowl that cost three coins was broken.

But things have really gotten better now.

News of the fire in the west of the county town finally spread, causing quite a stir.

The disciples in charge of house management were also discussing it animatedly.

"Have you heard? It was Wang Xiuse, the leader of the Dragon Snake Gang, who took action against the Black Tiger Gang. That night, Leader Wang wiped out one of the Black Tiger Gang's strongholds... but it's said that there's some secret about that place..."

"What secrets are beyond our knowledge? It's said that Wang Xiuse went to assassinate Song Qing, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, in the dead of night. Both were veteran masters of internal strength, and they died together!"

"..."

No one knew the specifics, only that the fire was caused by a gang conflict; the rest was just rumors flying around.

"With these two big gangs down, the inner city will be in turmoil again, and their gang leaders will inevitably fight each other for territory."

"It has already caused quite a stir. Commandant Qin personally directed the operation and suppressed a lot of gangsters."

"Heh, he just reaped the benefits without lifting a finger. I heard he took the opportunity to steal a lot of money."

"Shh...Are you crazy?!"

"..."

Ye Ci practiced martial arts in the courtyard, his ears filled with news from the inner city; he couldn't help but listen.

In his view, no official in the Great Qian Dynasty was not greedy for money, and Commandant Qin probably wanted to grow his gang bigger so he could have a good meal all at once.

In this way, one can still gain a good reputation for eliminating harm for the people.

Then, he heard some news.

"Why do I say that official has ulterior motives? The city is in chaos now, and these thugs need a leader... That official has supported a deputy leader of the Dragon and Snake Gang named Lü Fang."

The speaker became more cautious and addressed Commandant Qin as "that sir".

"Who is Lü Fang? I heard he only practiced martial arts for a few days and failed to even pass the initial test once."

"Ahem, I heard he's a cousin of that lord's nephew..."

"What a mess! Wang Xiuse and Song Qing were fighting like tigers, but in the end, a small fry got the benefit. It all comes down to family background. Why don't I have a relative like Commandant Qin in my family?"

Everyone was chatting happily, completely unaware that Ye Ci, standing nearby, was the real instigator.

Ye Ci suddenly realized the truth.

The plaster man... it really is Commandant Qin, otherwise why would he be looking for Lü Fang?

Lü Fang...

Ye Ci remembered that he still owed her three coins.

******

These days, Ye Ci noticed that Yang Shi's expression was not very good.

He was summoned by Commandant Qin several times, and his expression grew increasingly grave upon his return.

Ye Ci was puzzled and worried that the lord would find him.

That afternoon, the sun was at its zenith.

The disciples stood in a horse stance, sweat streaming down their faces, but no one dared to slack off.

Master Yang stood deep in thought beside the inner courtyard. Suddenly, he raised his hand and spoke in a low voice:

"Look!"

Qi Wang immediately stopped what he was doing, quickly ran to Master Yang, and bowed respectfully:

"Master!"

"Go and summon all the apprentices in the front yard. I have something to tell them today."

Qi Wang was surprised, but dared not ask any more questions, and quickly agreed and left.

Before long, all the disciples stood neatly in the center of the training ground, their eyes fixed on Master Yang.

The courtyard was eerily quiet, with only the soft breathing of the disciples.

Master Yang walked to the center of the arena with his hands behind his back, his gaze slowly sweeping over each young face. After a long while, he finally spoke:

"I've summoned you here today not to teach you martial arts, but to tell you something: the path of martial arts is about perseverance!"

"For those who practice martial arts, there are no shortcuts, only hard work!"

His words were firm and resolute, and the disciples all looked solemn.

"recently……"

Master Yang seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Recently, a precious medicine has appeared on the market in a neighboring county. It can help people successfully pass through the gates..."

"Is it to increase the success rate of getting through to the next stage?"

"That must be very expensive..."

The disciples whispered among themselves.

Master Yang raised his hand and pressed down, and the courtyard instantly fell silent.

He looked at everyone, his tone growing increasingly solemn: "This precious medicine can forcefully help people break through the first barrier of martial arts! Those mediocre talents who can't even get started after three to five years of training can break through their bottlenecks and greatly increase their strength after taking it."

Some of the front yard apprentices' eyes lit up.

Master Yang immediately swept his gaze over, his eyes suddenly turning sharp as knives: "This is an evil artifact forged using insidious methods! Forcibly breaking through the barrier may seem effortless, but in reality, it's digging up your own foundation and cutting off all your future paths!"

He paused, his tone icy: "Those who consume this will forever remain at the first hurdle. Even if they cultivate with all their might, there is absolutely no chance of them succeeding a second time!"

"Moreover... it's made with human blood. Once you take it, you'll lose your mind and become like a wild beast."

"What? Human blood!"

"Lost consciousness?!"

The crowd erupted in uproar, their faces filled with shock.

Seeing this, Master Yang softened his tone and said, "I'm telling you this so that you're not allowed to touch it! Otherwise, you're not my disciples, Yang Huaichuan! If I find out, I will definitely expel you from the sect!"

The courtyard fell silent once more, the disciples all solemn, no one daring to utter another word.

Ye Ci quickly understood the situation. Master Yang clearly knew about the Blood Spirit Mushroom, but it was inconvenient for him to say it aloud, so he informed the disciples in this way.

However, it can completely deprive a person of their mind, turning them into a wild beast...

Ye Ci thought about it and agreed that it was quite possible, perhaps similar to the case of mad cow disease.

"The master didn't explain it clearly."

After Master Yang left, Jiang Ding'an came up from behind, shook his arm, and said with a hint of smugness:

"Master Yang is talking about Blood Lingzhi. Our escort agency has traveled all over the country and never heard of it. Blood Lingzhi can help people open the first barrier, and there is Bone Lingzhi to help people open the second barrier. Flesh Lingzhi can even help people cultivate to the level of Transformation Force."

"Transformation into internal energy?" Ye Ci was taken aback.

Jiang Ding'an waved his hand and said, "These three types of Ganoderma lucidum require human flesh, blood, bones, and blood as nourishment, and also need other secret methods to grow. They don't have any side effects like Master Yang said. It's just that we common people can't see them at all, so Master Yang is worrying unnecessarily..."

"Can't I see him?" Ye Ci asked.

"This thing is known as the Three Treasures of the Demonic Sect. You can't see it unless you have contact with the Demonic Sect. Do you think the Demonic Sect would sell this thing to an ordinary person? They must be out of their minds."

After saying that, he went off to practice his skills, leaving Ye Ci standing there in a daze.

And they've even gotten involved with the Demonic Sect?

He simply didn't want to become a pawn of Commandant Qin...

Alright!

Even if the Heavenly King himself came, Ye Ci wouldn't admit that the fire in the west of the city was related to him.