Chapter 118 - 93: Twilight
Cao Zhao looked as if half his soul had been torn from his body.
His eyes were sunken and dark-rimmed, his lips chapped and peeling, with blood seeping from the cracks. It was clear he hadn’t slept a wink, nor had he even stopped for a sip of water.
He was covered in dust and bits of dead leaves and twigs, which he hadn’t yet bothered to brush off.
"Senior Brother, are you okay?" Chen Cheng asked, walking over to him.
"I’m fine..."
Cao Zhao sighed and flopped onto the edge of a planter in the courtyard. His lips trembled for a moment before he let out another long sigh.
"I should’ve listened to you yesterday... Those bandits weren’t just some rabble. They were elites from Grass Head Mountain who knew how to coordinate their attacks. And what’s more, they’re so damn cunning... Brother Ji..."
Cao Zhao paused, then slammed his fist down on the planter.
"That bastard bandit chief, Liu the Crooked, used Poisonous Powder in a sneak attack... Brother Ji and I both fell for it. Brother Ji took an arrow to the shoulder... The arrowhead was poisoned. He still hasn’t woken up..."
"Have you had a doctor see him?" Chen Cheng asked casually.
"We brought one in late last night."
Cao Zhao’s brow furrowed, his voice laced with helplessness.
"The doctor said the poison is highly unusual, and he can’t concoct an antidote on short notice. The only... the only option was a last resort: to cut away the flesh and scrape the bone... It took all night... but he still hasn’t woken up..."
Hearing this, Chen Cheng’s heart sank.
He and Ji Hongshan were mere acquaintances, so it wasn’t as if he was heartbroken. Still, this sudden turn of events gave him a much clearer understanding of the dangers of the Jianghu.
’Never underestimate your opponent, no matter how weak they may seem.’
He instinctively thought back to yesterday’s battle. If he hadn’t made some progress practicing the Inconstant Moon Step over the last two weeks, he too would have been struck by a poisoned arrow. Even if it hadn’t killed him, he’d have ended up in the same state as Ji Hongshan.
’From now on, I have to be more than just cautious. I need to collect as many life-saving trump cards as I can. The more, the better.’
"And what’s more infuriating is that the four strongest bandits all escaped..."
Cao Zhao’s brow knitted together, his eyes filled with frustration and resentment.
"Brother Ji and I paid such a heavy price, and in the end, we only managed to kill four insignificant lackeys..."
"From a personal standpoint, we gained almost no merit. From a public one, who knows what atrocities those four will commit in the city now, or how many more innocent people will have to suffer..."
"Senior Brother, you shouldn’t be so pessimistic."
Chen Cheng calmly reassured him.
"Perhaps those four who escaped were scared out of their wits. They might not even dare to enter the city..."
"No..."
Cao Zhao said gravely.
"Before Brother Ji and I made our move, we tailed them for a bit. We overheard them saying they have accomplices in the city and are planning something big. The final payment is supposed to be huge... They won’t give up!"
Chen Cheng said no more, merely nodding thoughtfully.
’I personally took care of the four who escaped. The only unknown now is the other team brought by Grass Head Mountain’s second-in-command.’
’I still don’t know where this team is hiding. I’ll just have to be extra careful while keeping an eye on the Fuchang Trading Company and see if I can dig up any useful clues.’
"Anyway, enough about this mess... Here, this is for you."
Cao Zhao collected himself, took a white porcelain vial from his robes, and spoke.
"I stopped by Master Ye’s place on my way here this morning. He was full of praise for your performance yesterday. He specifically instructed me to give you these five Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pills."
"These pills are an enhanced version of the Blood-Nourishing Pill, infused with Red Jade Treasure Ginseng and more than ten other precious medicinal herbs. Take one every three days. It will be a great boon to your training."
"Thank you for bringing this, Senior Brother. Please pass on my thanks to Master Ye as well."
Chen Cheng accepted the porcelain vial and tucked it carefully inside his robes.
He knew perfectly well that anything labeled a "Treasure Medicine" was comparable in value to the Five Dragon Soup and far more expensive than the Blood Nourishing and Essence Building Soup he had been taking.
This showed that Ye Yang’s estimation of him had grown by leaps and bounds.
"Don’t mention it."
Cao Zhao waved his hand dismissively.
"I didn’t return to the Upper Courtyard last night, so I haven’t seen my old man yet. But don’t you worry. I’ll tell him everything about your performance yesterday, without leaving out a single detail. You won’t be shorted a single coin of your reward for those Three A+ evaluations!"
"Thank you."
Chen Cheng cupped his fist in a salute, his tone earnest.
Cao Zhao was still in low spirits, so after a brief farewell, he departed.
Chen Cheng immediately took one of the red pills from the white porcelain vial. It had the warm, gentle luster of jade.
He gave it a light sniff. An incredibly pure medicinal aroma seeped into his lungs, making his Heart Spirit jolt with energy.
He then swallowed the pill.
The instant the pill was in his mouth, a flavor spread out, like a mix of the Blood Nourishing and Essence Building Soup and the Blood-Nourishing Pills.
This was followed by tendrils of searing heat that spread through every fiber of his being.
His muscles and bones felt as if they had been infused with an indescribable energy.
In an instant, the Blood Qi throughout his body began to boil on its own. Countless strands of aromatic blood essence rushed forth, surging through his body like restless living creatures, as if about to burst from his body at any moment.
’Such potent medicinal energy, and so incredibly dense... No wonder it takes about three days to fully absorb it.’
’Let’s see just how much benefit I can get from this...’
Chen Cheng steadied himself and immediately began practicing the Hidden Dragon Fist.
「About an hour later.」
Chen Cheng had now fully grasped the specific effects of the Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pill.
Its most important effect was still the boost to his training efficiency. In this regard, it was slightly less effective than the Five Dragon Soup, but far superior to the combined effects of the Blood-Nourishing Pill and the Blood Nourishing and Essence Building Soup.
However, the difficulty of forming the Fifth Pillar of Blood Qi was significantly greater than that of the fourth. Under normal circumstances, it would take at least two months.
But with a sufficient supply of these Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pills, he estimated he could succeed within a month.
Secondly, the pill also helped solidify his newly generated Blood Qi, making it denser. In simple terms, it reinforced the foundation of his Martial Arts.