Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

His current cultivation level is stuck at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm.

After five years of arduous training, the first three levels of the "Dragon Body Refining Technique" have been perfected. Nine dragon tendons run through his entire body, the dragon bone is beginning to take shape, and his physical strength has exceeded ten thousand jin.

The reason he hasn't broken through to the Acquired Realm isn't because he can't, but because he wants to achieve the breakthrough in the most perfect state.

The leap from physical refinement to the acquired realm is one of the most crucial hurdles in the entire martial arts cultivation process. The acquired realm is divided into three minor stages—Blood Transformation, Golden Body, and Divine Power. The first step, "Blood Transformation," is the process of transforming the blood and qi of the entire body from that of an ordinary person into that of a martial artist. The more solid this step is, the wider the path ahead will be.

The "Dragon Body Refining Technique" also mentions that the more resources a practitioner accumulates in the Body Refining Realm, the more resources they will need to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm.

Because his physical foundation far surpasses that of other martial artists of the same realm, ordinary breakthrough methods are simply insufficient to support him in completing the transformation of his qi and blood.

This blood-repairing pill came just in time to solve his immediate problem.

He took the Blood Exchange Pill from his inventory and held it in his palm. The pill was about the size of a thumb, entirely crimson, with faint blood-red patterns flowing across its surface. It was warm to the touch, and he could faintly feel the surging medicinal power contained within.

There was no rush to take the medicine—breaking through to the Acquired Realm was no small matter, and a quiet and safe place was needed.

After putting the Blood Exchange Pill back into his inventory, he was about to close the system panel when he suddenly paused. He wanted to check the source of the energy points.

For the past three days, the energy points on the system panel have been steadily increasing. But there was one number he hadn't looked at closely—each time the energy point increase notification was followed by a small annotation.

He opened the energy point acquisition record and read it line by line.

Kill the Red-maned Boar, gain 80 energy points.

Kill Iron Hammer Zhang, gain 200 energy points.

Slaying low-level demonic beasts...

Late at night.

In the southern district of Qinghe City, there is a dilapidated temple.

The temple had been abandoned for many years. Most of the courtyard wall had collapsed, and a corner of the roof of the main hall had also collapsed.

Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the broken roof and walls, casting dappled shadows on the dusty ground.

Inside the dilapidated temple, a bonfire was lit.

The dry firewood crackled and popped in the flames.

Beside the campfire sat an old beggar dressed in patched clothes.

He carried a shiny bamboo cane in his arms, the top of which was carved with a crooked gourd shape. His face was full of wrinkles, and his hair was disheveled. The tattered cotton-padded jacket he wore looked like it had been worn for many years, patched upon patched, its original color unrecognizable.

There was a little boy sleeping on the haystack nearby. He was dressed in patched clothes, his face was dirty, and his hair was matted. He looked to be no more than seven or eight years old.

Two beggars, one old and one young.

A clay pot sat over the campfire, simmering with thin porridge. A few grains of rice bobbed in the boiling water, their delicate aroma wafting through the steam.

The old beggar stared intently at the earthenware pot, as if he were looking at some extraordinary treasure.

call--

A gust of night wind blew in through the crack in the broken wall.

The campfire flickered.

The old man who had been staring at the earthenware pot had a slight change in his expression.

At the same time, the little beggar who had been sleeping lying down opened his eyes.

Those eyes were clear and sharp.

That's definitely not the look a seven or eight-year-old child should have.

"Why are you suddenly looking for us?"

The little beggar spoke up.

The voice was deep and hoarse. It was clearly the voice of an adult man.

The dilapidated temple fell silent for a moment.

A dark figure darted in from the shadows outside the hall and knelt on one knee before the campfire. The newcomer was completely shrouded in a black cloak, obscuring his face; only a tall, thin silhouette was visible.

"grown ups."

The shadowy figure spoke in a very low voice.

Something happened.

The old beggar didn't speak, but simply poked at the firewood in the campfire with his bamboo cane.

The little beggar sat up, cross-legged on the haystack, and stared at the dark figure.

"explain."

"A new squad leader arrived at the Garrison Command today," the shadowy figure said. "I heard he was directly sent from the Guangling Prefecture's Thousand-Household Office. He's not very old, about fifteen or sixteen. His surname is Dongfang."

"East?"

The little beggar's eyes narrowed slightly.

"The Eastern Family of the Imperial City?"

"Uncertain. The information from the Thousand Household Office only says it was assigned, without specifying its origin."

The little beggar was silent for a moment.

"Anything else?"

"Also... today, when I went out of the city to meet with Li Rui, I was followed on my way back."

The air around the campfire seemed to freeze for a moment.

The little beggar's eyes sharpened.

"Being followed? By whom?"

"I don't know."

The shadowy figure lowered its head.

"I went out from the south of the city and met Li Rui at Shili Pavilion outside the city to exchange last month's intelligence. On my way back to the city, I noticed someone following me outside the north gate. The other party's tracking method was very sophisticated. If I hadn't deliberately circled around the city gate twice, I wouldn't have noticed at all."

"Did they stay behind?"

"no."

The shadowy figure's voice carried a hint of shame.

"At the time, I thought it was someone arranged by the registrar of the South City District."

After all, the registrar of the South District had always suspected his subordinate of having dealings with Li Rui, so it made sense for him to send someone to follow and investigate. Moreover, the subordinate was only followed after meeting Li Rui, so the timing matched up.

The little beggar didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

The shadowy figure continued, "But after returning, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt."

"Something's not right?"

"If the registrar of Chengnan District really discovered the relationship between his subordinate and Li Rui, he shouldn't have sent people to follow him."

The shadowy figure raised its head, revealing a pale, gaunt middle-aged face beneath the cloak.

"He should have just killed his subordinates."

The dilapidated temple was quiet.

Only the dry firewood in the campfire crackled, and the thin porridge in the earthenware pot bubbled and gurgled.

The little beggar remained silent for a while before suddenly speaking.

"When did that new clerk arrive?"

"today."

"You're here today, so you're being followed today."

The little beggar's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

"coincide?"

The shadowy figure lowered his head: "This subordinate dares not presume to speculate."

The old beggar remained silent. He simply stirred the thin porridge in the earthenware pot gently with his bamboo cane, his gaze fixed on the bubbling rice grains, as if lost in thought.

The little beggar asked again, "What did Li Rui say? Is the investigation continuing?"

"Li Rui said that after the last lead went cold, he dared not make any big moves for the time being. Although the Zhenfu Division officially closed the case after Zhou Tie's death, Zheng Yuanlang, the acting centurion of the branch division, was no fool and was still paying attention to the matter in private. Li Rui's idea was to hold off for now and wait for the storm to pass."

"Take it easy."

The little beggar repeated the three words, his tone tinged with coldness.

"How many years has that thing been buried in the vast mountains? If it continues to stagnate, and someone else gets there first, who will take responsibility?"

The shadowy figure dared not respond.

Another silence followed.

Finally, the little beggar waved his hand.

"Keep an eye on the Garrison Command. Investigate that new junior officer. But don't alert him."

"Yes."

"besides."

The little beggar's gaze fell on the night outside the dilapidated temple, his voice low and deep.

"Investigate the person who's following you. Whether it's the registrar of the South District or someone else—find him."

"Understood."

The dark figure rose, flashed, and disappeared into the night outside the palace.

The dilapidated temple fell silent once more.

The old beggar finally spoke.

His voice was old and hoarse, like the wind blowing through dry, cracked tree bark.

"That little flag bears the surname Dongfang."

The little beggar turned to look at him: "Which one do you think it is in the capital?"

The old beggar did not answer.

He used a bamboo cane to lift the earthenware pot off the campfire and placed it on a nearby stone. Then he took out two chipped rough porcelain bowls from his pocket and slowly poured two bowls of thin porridge into them.

"Whether it is or not."

He pushed one of the bowls in front of the little beggar.

"The waters of Qinghe City are starting to turn muddy."

The little beggar picked up the bowl of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip.

"It's better if the water is murky. If the water is clear, the fish won't be able to hide."

The old beggar did not respond.

He simply picked up his bowl of porridge and slowly began to drink it.

Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the dilapidated temple, falling on the two men and illuminating their gray hair and patched clothes.

From a distance, they looked like an old man and a young boy, living on a bowl of thin porridge in a dilapidated temple.

Nothing special.