Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

The two returned to the courtyard.

Xiao Liu walked with a limp, his face was covered in bruises, his mouth was split open, and his left eye was so swollen that it was only a slit.

Chen Mo made him sit on the straw mat in the storage room, then pulled up a chair and sat down himself, staring at him for two seconds.

"How badly are you hurt?"

Xiao Liu grinned, then hissed as he pulled at his wound: "It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."

Chen Mo took out fifty taels of silver from his pocket and placed it on the straw mat.

"Take this to the pharmacy and buy some wound medicine to treat the injury."

Xiao Liu froze, staring at the silver ingot, not daring to reach out and take it.

"Young master, I..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Chen Mo leaned back in his chair. "You can only work for me once your injuries are healed."

Xiao Liu put the silver into his pocket, lowered his head, and his eyes were a little red.

Chen Mo didn't give him time to recover.

"Do you know why I just said the ledger was in my hands?"

Xiao Liu raised his head.

"I have no idea where the ledgers are."

Chen Mo looked at him.

"But the shopkeeper didn't kill you immediately after capturing you. Instead, he tortured you repeatedly, which shows that the account book is very important to him. Even if he is willing to submit to me now, there's no guarantee he won't treat you cruelly in the future."

"If I tell him the ledger is with me, his attention will turn to me, and you'll be safe."

Xiao Liu lowered his head, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Chen Mo changed the subject.

"Tell me. Didn't I tell you to go talk to the manager about a partnership? What exactly happened with the account books?"

Xiao Liu looked up and wiped his eyes.

"Young master, before I go to the shopkeeper to discuss cooperation, I'll sneak into the pharmacy and steal the account book."

Chen Mo looked at him.

"I knew that thing was the shopkeeper's weakness, and I thought that having it would give me more leverage when I talked to him. I searched for a long time before finding it, and then hid it in a safe place."

Chen Mo asked, "Where did you hide it?"

Xiao Liu said, "Don't worry, young master, it's hidden very well. The shopkeeper won't be able to find it."

Chen Mo didn't ask any further questions.

"Just hide it well."

He didn't bother to ask further; the account book posed less of a threat to the manager than he did.

Xiao Liu continued, "I went to the pharmacy again to discuss cooperation with the shopkeeper, but unexpectedly, the shopkeeper turned around and went into the back room, bringing back a man in black. Then I was captured and taken out of town."

Chen Mo thought about it carefully. So, the shopkeeper had planned this all along to get rid of Xiao Liu and him and eliminate any future troubles.

Xiao Liu was able to save his life entirely because of the account book; his act of stealing the account book in advance inadvertently saved his life.

"Go home and recover properly. Come back to me when you're fully healed."

"Yes, young master."

On the other side, the shopkeeper didn't sleep all night.

He dragged the black-clad man's body to the back of the mountain and buried it. He returned to the pharmacy, sat behind the counter, his hands still trembling, his mind filled with Chen Mo's smiling face.

The moment I close my eyes, that's the image I see.

The man in black's head exploded like a rotten watermelon, splattering red and white matter all over the ground.

And Zhang Deshuai... he was laughing, even as he blew his head off with his unique hidden weapon.

With a smirk and a smile, his eyes crinkled, as if he were watching a good show.

That phrase, "In your next life, don't risk your life for others," is as light and airy as brushing a speck of dust off your sleeve.

The most terrifying part was the last sentence, "Your whole family will be buried with you."

His tone was terrifyingly calm, as if killing an entire family was as casual as eating and drinking.

The shopkeeper felt a chill run through his body.

The Zhao family committed murder, leaving blood on the blade and a menacing look between their brows, at least letting you know you were killed.

But Zhang Deshuai?

He smiled as he saw you off, as if you were just a nuisance bug that he had swatted and then complained that you had dirtied his hands.

This is not human.

This is a demon in human skin.

The shopkeeper gripped the corner of the quilt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

From now on, I would rather offend the entire Zhao family than dare to provoke this evil star even with a single glance.

The next morning, Chen Mo arrived at the pharmacy, where only the shopkeeper was present.

When the shopkeeper saw that familiar figure, his hand on the abacus trembled, and the beads fell to the ground.

"Young Master Zhang!"

He leaped out of the doorway, bending at the waist like a bow.

Chen Mo sat down directly: "Give me the prescriptions for Yi Qi San and Zhuang Gu Wan."

The shopkeeper froze: "This...this is the Zhao family's lifeline. If I give it to you, the Zhao family will take my life!"

Chen Mo smiled.

"The Zhao family wanting your life is a matter for later."

He leaned in, his voice as soft as a whisper.

"I'd rather you live than die. Which do you choose?"

The shopkeeper's legs went weak, and he knelt down.

"I wrote."

The shopkeeper lunged at the counter, his pen trembling so badly he couldn't write a single word.

"Keep your hand steady."

Chen Mo tapped on the table.

"If you write it wrong, you rewrite it; if you omit something, I'll write it for you, using the blood of your whole family."

The shopkeeper was sweating profusely.

Chen Mo is becoming more and more skilled at scaring people, and this trick works very well.

The shopkeeper quickly finished writing and presented it with both hands.

Chen Mo glanced at it, then tucked it into his robes. Suddenly, he leaned down and asked, "If the Zhao family finds out and asks, do you know what to say?"

"No, nobody's been here..."

"That's right."

Chen Mo laughed, "If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who will know about this?"

The shopkeeper revealed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Regarding the medicinal herbs, continue with the market price. When Xiao Liu comes to pick up goods in the future, you can pay the normal price."

"Yes, yes."

Chen Mo asked the shopkeeper to bring him an alchemy furnace, twenty portions of Qi-boosting powder and bone-strengthening pills. After taking the items, he stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at the shopkeeper.

"Work hard, you won't be shortchanged."

The shopkeeper bowed and saw him to the door, and collapsed to the ground as soon as Chen Mo's figure disappeared at the alley entrance.

Back in the courtyard, Chen Mo closed the door.

He took out the prescription from his pocket, glanced at it, and a system notification popped up.

[Host detected learning alchemy, record?]

"Enter".

Alchemy (Beginner: 0/100)

[Grade: Life Skill]

[Description: The basic skill of refining elixirs. The higher the proficiency, the better the quality of the elixirs.]

[Effect: Can be used to refine basic elixirs such as Qi-Boosting Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pills. Current Quality: Low Grade.]

Basic alchemy knowledge and experience were instilled into his mind.

Chen Mo set up a small furnace, prepared the medicinal materials according to the proportions in the pill formula, and threw them into the alchemy furnace.

The first batch burned.

The second batch produced five dark, unremarkable pills. The system notification read: "[Low-grade Bone Strengthening Pill, effect halved]".

Alchemy Proficiency +100

Congratulations! Your alchemy skills have broken through: from beginner to proficient.

Alchemy (Proficiency: 0/500)

[Effect: Can be used to refine basic elixirs such as Qi-Boosting Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pills. Current quality: Low-grade, with a small chance of refining a mid-grade elixir.]

There is a chance of it becoming a medium-grade pill, and the efficacy of a medium-grade pill is twice that of a low-grade pill.

Chen Mo became more and more skilled at refining the herbs, which tumbled in the furnace, filling the entire room with their fragrance.

When I was refining for the fifth time, the panel changed again.

Congratulations! Your alchemy skills have broken through: from proficient to master.

Alchemy (Proficiency: 0/1000)

Until all the medicinal herbs are used up,

Alchemy (Minor Success: 2300/3000)

[Grade: Life Skill]

[Description: The basic skill of refining elixirs. The higher the proficiency, the better the quality of the elixirs.]

[Effect: Can be used to refine basic elixirs such as Qi-Boosting Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pill. Current quality: Medium, with a small chance of refining into high-quality.]

As skill level increases, the number of pills produced each time increases. After reaching the minor completion stage, one batch can produce fifteen medium-grade Bone Strengthening Pills, and fifteen portions of Qi-Boosting Powder can also be obtained.

Moreover, one superior bone-strengthening pill is equivalent to five of the previous ones.

Chen Mo swallowed a pill, sat cross-legged, and began practicing the Qi-cultivation technique.

The medicinal power surged through my body like a flood, my meridians were stretched and swollen, my bones and muscles cracked, and my blood and qi surged like a tide.

He quickly began practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist.

Fifteen minutes later, open the panel.

【Mountain Crushing Fist (Perfect: 100/30000)】

[Grade: Third-rate martial arts]

[Description: Basic martial arts techniques, consisting of three forms—Mountain Splitting, Rock Crack, and Mountain Collapse. The movements are powerful and decisive, suitable for martial artists in the Body Refinement stage to build a foundation.]

[Effect: Strength +120]

[Special Effect: Collapse - 10% chance to deal double damage, and inflicts a brief stun upon triggering]

His punching power reached 965 jin.

The eighth level of body training.

He clenched his fist and a smile played on his lips.

Chen Mo put the remaining pills into his copper ring and stood up to stretch his muscles.

"From now on, I can refine my own pills. The cost is low, and I can eat as many as I want. With the freedom to make pills, I've taken another step closer to the Inner Strength Realm."