Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Heishui Town is more than 20 miles away from the county seat. It is located at the confluence of the largest tributary of the Heishui River and is an important shipping node on the Heishui River.

People rely on the mountains for sustenance and the water for livelihood; most of the townspeople make a living by fishing or as boatmen.

Zhou Fugan stood in front of a dilapidated courtyard, carrying a tailor's box on his back.

This was his uncle's house; they used to be local fishermen. His eldest son, Zhou Guangshun, learned fishing skills here. Later, after his aunt passed away, the two families had some conflicts and didn't keep in touch for many years.

If Zhou Fugan hadn't found an excuse to leave the city, he wouldn't have thought of coming to visit.

To my surprise, after so many years, everything had changed. The courtyard was dilapidated and no one lived there anymore.

Just then, an old fisherman walked by carrying a fish basket.

Zhou Fugan stepped forward to stop him and asked, "Brother, do you know where the Wang family, who used to live here, went?"

The old fisherman looked at him, then at the dilapidated courtyard, a hint of surprise on his face.

"What is your relationship to the Wang family?"

"I am Wang Wentong's cousin."

"Are you surnamed Zhou?" The old fisherman asked in return, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"Indeed, may I ask your surname, brother?" Zhou Fugan nodded and asked casually. Years ago, he often visited his aunt, and it was normal for this old fisherman, who lived nearby, to have seen him before.

"My surname is Zhang, and I live on the front street. I've seen you before."

The old fisherman agreed, then sighed deeply, "Alas! Please accept my condolences regarding the Wang family's situation."

"Three years ago, Wang Wentong went deep into the Blackwater Marsh with others to catch treasure fish, but he got into trouble with something unclean and died not long after returning. Then his whole family also contracted a strange disease and died. Even this house is unwanted."

"Such a thing is true!"

Zhou Fugan was startled upon hearing this.

He knew about the Blackwater Marsh. Located in the upper reaches of the Blackwater River, it was vast, with complex terrain and crisscrossing waterways. It was shrouded in thick fog year-round, like a natural labyrinth, fraught with danger.

Legend has it that there are precious fish and medicines deep in the Blackwater Marsh, which has attracted many desperate people to go in like moths to a flame.

I never expected that my cousin would go too.

However, the precious fish and medicine are not so easy to obtain. In addition to the dangerous terrain, it is said that the Blackwater Marsh is also haunted by water ghosts and kappa, who specifically guard the vicinity of the precious fish and medicine. Once an ordinary person is targeted, there is no chance of survival.

Thinking of this, he felt a little sad. Although they hadn't been in contact for many years, he was still his cousin, and he never expected that his entire family would be wiped out like this.

"Life is truly unpredictable!"

Zhou Fugan shook his head and sighed, then turned and left.

The old fisherman watched him leave, his expression shifting between light and dark. He raised his hand as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he watched Zhou Fugan walk away without saying a word.

...

On his way back, Zhou Fugan did not walk, but spent some money to take a boat.

With the sails billowing, the passenger ship sailed downstream at great speed and soon arrived at the county town's dock.

As Zhou Fugan disembarked and entered the city, he saw a group of constables riding horses and hurrying out of the city. The leader, carrying a long sword on his back, had a cold and stern face and exuded a murderous aura. It was none other than Chief Constable Yu Zhenhai.

Soon, more yamen runners were added at the city gates to strictly check all sorts of people.

He knew that the scene of the Black Serpent Gang's ambush of the caravan had been discovered!

However, this has nothing to do with him anymore.

He wasn't afraid the authorities would find him. The contents of the caravan were enough to distract the authorities, and they wouldn't bother to investigate who the murderer was.

As for the Black Snake Gang, there's even less to worry about.

He hid Gao Fei's body to mislead the public, making people believe that Gao Fei had fled to escape punishment. Next, the Black Snake Gang will probably need to figure out how to explain themselves to the authorities.

Furthermore, the fact that the caravan dared to engage in the capital offense of smuggling bows and armor indicates that the power behind them was undoubtedly considerable. If they were to investigate, the Black Serpent Gang would be overwhelmed with problems, leaving them no time to pursue the truth.

...

Back home, it was not yet noon, and Zhou Guangcheng was making garments. Seeing him come in, he quickly put down his work and went to greet him.

"Father, you're back. How are things at your uncle's house?"

"Ugh!"

Zhou Fugan waved his hand and sighed, "Don't mention it. Your uncle is long gone, and so is his whole family."

"What happened?" Zhou Guangcheng asked in surprise.

"The neighbors said they all died from the disease." Zhou Fugan didn't mention anything about the dirty things so his family wouldn't worry.

"What? This..."

"Alas! This world is too bitter!"

Zhou Fugan didn't want to say more, so he waved his hand and walked into the backyard.

...

Back in his bedroom, Zhou Fugan opened the tailor's box and took out a cloth bag.

Inside, there was a small pile of silver, totaling more than ten taels. Below the silver were two silver notes, each worth fifty taels.

"We've struck it rich!"

Zhou Fugan was overjoyed.

This trip alone cost a hundred taels of silver, so we won't have to worry about tonics for a while.

Then he took out a flat wooden box, which he had found in the caravan leader's baggage along with the silver notes.

Zhou Fugan took the wooden box and saw that it was sealed with sealing wax. He carefully scratched off the wax, opened the box, and immediately a strange fragrance wafted out.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the box contained a ginseng root.

This ginseng is as thick as a finger, entirely blood red, with complete roots and a remarkable appearance. It is quite different from ordinary ginseng.

"A precious medicine!"

Zhou Fugan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly closed the box!

Although he had never seen the precious medicine before, he had been inquiring about martial arts matters recently and had heard of it. This ginseng was of extraordinary quality, definitely not an ordinary herb, and was probably the legendary precious medicine.

He was overjoyed. Although he didn't know what the ginseng's effects were, most precious medicines were very helpful for martial arts practitioners' cultivation.

"I have to give it a try!"

Zhou Fugan thought for a moment, then opened the box again, carefully plucked a blood-red root, put it in his mouth and chewed it. His mouth was filled with a strange fragrance. He swallowed it, and a hot breath went straight down his throat to his stomach.

A prompt immediately appeared on the virtual interface.

"The host has taken the precious medicine Blood Ginseng for three years. Its effects include: strengthening flesh and blood, fortifying muscles and bones, nourishing internal organs, replenishing qi and blood, and increasing the success rate of condensing qi and blood. It also slightly extends lifespan."

"Price: Generates a powerful blood poison; anyone below the Qi and Blood Realm who ingests it will die!"

"An exemption can be activated without incurring a cost, while retaining its effectiveness."

"It's truly a wonderful treasure!"

Zhou Fugan was overjoyed upon seeing this.

This blood ginseng has incredibly comprehensive effects; it is effective not only for martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm but also for those in the Qi and Blood Realm.

Most importantly, it can increase the success rate of condensing qi and blood.

For a martial artist in the Body Tempering Realm to break through to the Blood Qi Realm, they need to condense the power of blood qi. This is much more difficult than the three stages of Body Tempering, and countless martial artists have stopped here.

This blood ginseng can increase the chances of breaking through to the next level. If it were released, it would surely cause Body Tempering Realm martial artists to fight to the death for it. Of course, this substance is poisonous and cannot be taken directly. However, its toxicity can be reduced by preparing it into a decoction or cooking it, so that Body Tempering Realm martial artists can still consume it.

Zhou Fugan was most concerned about the last effect: increasing lifespan.

His age is a major concern; his biggest worry is that he will die of old age before he can achieve mastery of martial arts.

Therefore, the life-extending effect of blood ginseng is truly extremely important!

As for the terrifying blood poison, it was not even a consideration for him.

"This treasure is terrifyingly powerful; it should rightfully be mine!!!"

Overjoyed, Zhou Fugan immediately decided to eat the blood ginseng.

However, the medicinal effects of blood ginseng are too potent, so it is not advisable to consume it whole.

He sensed the medicinal power of the root he had tasted, then plucked off all the roots of the blood ginseng and swallowed them.