With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

Nothing happened that night.

Early the next morning.

With a creak, Zhao Yao pushed open the courtyard gate and walked out, his clothes neatly arranged.

A short man, about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a thin tin mask and with protruding facial features that gave him a cautious look, happened to come face to face with Zhao Yao as he was leaving.

"A ghost!"

Before Zhao Yao could do anything, this one encounter terrified the man so much that his hair stood on end, his facial features contorted, he screamed, and his little tongue almost popped out of his throat.

Zhao Yao raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and watched as he ran off into the distance.

This person is Su Shangtao's page.

At yesterday's class reunion, when "Zhao Yao" drank the poisoned wine, the pageboy was still serving Su Shangtao and secretly glanced at him.

The page boy came here so early in the morning; Su Shangtao must have sent him to find out what was going on since Jianpu hadn't returned all night.

Having roughly guessed this, and realizing that Su Shangtao would soon find out that he was not dead, Zhao Yao followed his plan and immediately headed to the nearest pharmacy.

Before long, Zhao Yao arrived at his destination.

"Shanyi Pharmacy".

He stood at the entrance of the newly opened pharmacy, read the sign once, and stepped inside.

A moment later, he came out again.

At this moment, all the money he carried had been used up, and in its place was a 'Minor Rejuvenation Pill'.

He used his dagger to break the wax seal and, without hesitation, swallowed the "Minor Rejuvenation Pill" right there on the street.

Before the effects of the medicine had fully dissipated, Zhao Yao immediately set off for his next planned destination.

He walked briskly down the street, which was not yet crowded, and not long afterward, the Lesser Rejuvenating Pill began to take effect.

Steam and white smoke first rose from his head, and as he continued walking, his body became full and strong in front of a restaurant, and then visibly withered away at the next alley entrance.

This series of changes was caused by the medicinal power of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill replenishing his vital energy, which he then absorbed by using the Jade Man Chess set.

Zhao Yao only stopped swallowing when his body became skin and bones.

He glanced at the amount of primordial energy stored in the jade chess piece and frowned when he saw that it was less than half of one-tenth of the original amount.

According to his experience, when the Yuan Qi (primordial energy) in the Jade Man Chess game, with its distinct layers of flame, reaches one-tenth of its original amount, and touches the innermost layer of the smallest nested doll in the Jade Man Chess game, the Yuan Qi will be shaped into a preliminary human form, thus empowering the physical body and enhancing martial prowess.

"It seems that even the memories of the previous incarnation cannot be fully trusted. The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is not powerful enough!"

I wonder how the Great Rejuvenation Pill is... Shan Cai Gambling House...

Standing in front of a casino, Zhao Yao looked up and read the words on the sign.

He didn't come to gamble; he came to borrow money.

As a graduate of an official school, the money distributed by the government each month was the source of his confidence to borrow money.

He claimed that he was "sick" and had become as thin as a skeleton, which was the reason he came to borrow money.

With the borrowed money, I can immediately buy the Great Elixir of Rejuvenation.

"suck……"

He took a deep breath, and before they closed up shop, he strode inside.

Before long, Zhao Yao, who had borrowed the money, walked out of the gambling den with a happy face and began to turn back towards "Shanyi Pharmacy".

……

At Shan Yi Pharmacy, the old manager repeatedly reminded everyone of the instructions for using the medicine:

"Guest, please remember that the Great Rejuvenation Pill is extremely potent and should never be taken indiscriminately."

When a person is extremely weak and on the verge of death, they can simply break off a small piece and eat it.

If an ordinary person were to swallow it whole, it would result in their vital energy exploding. Remember this! Remember this!

"Thanks for reminding me, I understand."

Zhao Yao nodded in response with a smile in his eyes.

"That's good. It was my fault for being so talkative... Please take care, guest."

Under the cheerful gaze of the old shopkeeper, who was stroking his beard, Zhao Yaowen bowed to the old shopkeeper in a refined manner and stepped out of Shanyi Pharmacy.

As soon as he stepped onto the street, within the old shopkeeper's sight, Zhao Yao took out the Great Rejuvenation Pill he had bought with borrowed money. Just like before, he couldn't wait to use his dagger to break the wax seal, put the pill into his mouth without hesitation, tilted his head back, and swallowed it whole!

"Ouch~ You're going to die!"

This scene terrified the old shopkeeper, who plucked a piece of his beard, slapped his thigh, and pointed ahead with a look of utter heartache.

What kind of mess is this? It was supposed to be a big order early in the morning, but it's turned into a tragedy right in front of the store!

"Gurgle..."

After swallowing the medicine, Zhao Yao savored the taste and began to focus on sensing the changes within his body.

The Great Rejuvenating Pill was indeed powerful. As soon as it entered his stomach, the outer layer of medicinal power dissolved into his body, and his primordial energy immediately rose up and began to surge and wash over his body!

Judging from the speed of the medicine's effects, it would be very soon for an ordinary person's vital energy to explode.

Zhao Yao calmed his mind and created a vortex within the jade chess piece. Under the suction force of the huge vortex, the primordial energy that was about to overflow in his body immediately had a way to release pressure.

Within the soul body, at the edge of the chessboard, the jade chess piece with the character "卒" (pawn) engraved on it emitted a soft white light, and gushing primordial energy was drawn into it;

Within the Jade Man Chess set, the level of primordial energy stored is gradually increasing, with a visible rate of increase, approaching the upper limit of the innermost flame layer of the smallest nested doll within the Jade Man Chess set.

A moment later, the primordial energy finally filled the innermost flame layer of the jade chess piece, and a jade figure of primordial energy, beginning to take human form, was thus outlined.

The medicinal power of the Great Rejuvenation Pill has finally been completely exhausted.

"It's done!"

Standing on the street, observing the changes in the jade chess game, Zhao Yao's eyes lit up, and he immediately muttered a low shout in his mind:

"Yuan Qi, join forces!" 』

In an instant, the primordial energy that had begun to take human form in the smallest nesting doll of the Jade Chess set instantly appeared and jumped out, attaching itself to Zhao Yao's body.

A faint, white light, invisible to the naked eye, emanated from Zhao Yao's body and then instantly receded onto his skin, giving his body and handsome face a subtle yet alluring charm.

"Phew~"

Zhao Yao let out a breath, clenched his fist, looked down at his smooth, jade-like fingers, and felt the power twice as strong as before. The anxiety in his heart was finally relieved a little.

"receive!"

With a thought, the primordial energy figure immediately detached from his physical body and shrank back into the innermost flame layer of the jade chess piece.

"If you're choosing a general from among the dwarfs, then among ordinary people, I should barely qualify as a 'general' now. Even if Su Shangtao sends someone to my door again, I'll have some confidence to maneuver around."

A two-meter-tall adult male, with double the strength—I wonder if I'm stronger or weaker compared to a Black Iron Realm warrior who stands a full three meters and three-tenths of an inch tall?

Although all beings in this world practice the breathing techniques of the warriors, very few have managed to cultivate them to a high level.

In Zhao Yao's memory, his predecessor had never seen anyone taller than five meters.

The predecessor had speculated on the reasons for this:

Firstly, wealthy and powerful people are more likely to come into contact with martial arts and look down on the breathing techniques of strongmen.

Secondly, ordinary people do not have the resources to continue practicing the "Hercules Breathing Method." The more one practices the Hercules Breathing Method, the taller one becomes, and the greater one's daily energy consumption, it is difficult for ordinary people to maintain their supply. Moreover, being too tall makes daily life quite inconvenient.

Zhao Yao stood there, observing the gradually bustling street. From the short man who was over 1.9 meters tall to the many normal-sized people who were around 2.1 or 2.2 meters tall, each passerby perfectly verified the memories of his predecessor.

"How is that possible?!"

"Could an ordinary person do that? Swallow an entire Great Rejuvenation Pill? Are the pills in my shop not potent enough...?"

Inside the Shan Yi Pharmacy, the old manager stared at Zhao Yao in disbelief, muttering to himself incessantly.

In his view, it was simply impossible for Zhao Yao, an ordinary person, to swallow the entire Great Rejuvenation Pill and only have his muscles swell up like a balloon, without the tragic explosion of his vital energy.

Sensing the gaze, Zhao Yao snapped out of his thoughts, turned to smile at the old shopkeeper, shook his sleeves, and strode away.

……

"Now that we have basic military strength, it's time to think about how to resolve the karma from our past lives."

Su Shangtao... should try his best to figure out why he wanted to harm his predecessor and find an opportunity to kill him; or find a place to hide and leave this place forever.

Legend has it that everyone on the front lines of overseas exploration can learn martial arts...

On his way home from the city, Zhao Yao maintained his breathing technique and fell into thought about the future.

A constable who was approaching suddenly stopped, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked Zhao Yao:

"Is this Mr. Zhao in person?"

Zhao Yao stopped and looked at the other person, raising an eyebrow, wondering how the other person had managed to intercept him so precisely halfway there.

He returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a nod:

"I am Zhao Yao, is Your Excellency looking for me?"

Seeing that he had found the right person, the constable breathed a sigh of relief, bowed again, and said:

"As you may know, tomorrow is the annual literary banquet held by the county government for the scholars. The county magistrate has specially sent me to invite you, Mr. Zhao. Please come with me, Mr. Zhao."

"..."

How could this be? Zhao Yao frowned.

"The students' literary banquet means we'll be seeing Su Shangtao tomorrow, right?"

What a small world!

"I understand, sir. Please guide me..."

"Please follow me, sir..."