Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

Blood-Veined Ginseng is born in extremely yin places, absorbing yin energy to survive, making it extremely rare.

A typical ten-year-old ginseng is already a good product for replenishing qi and blood, and can sell for a high price of tens of taels of silver.

This thirty-year-old herb is so potent that it would give him an extra ten percent chance of success in breaking through to the Twin Lamp Realm!

This was not just for the cost of the medicine; he was very pleased with it.

Not to mention him, even Old Master Liu Wang Meng was very tempted at this moment.

"Exactly!" The man's smile widened as he saw that Zhao Feng recognized Zhao Feng's talent.

"Second Master said that a precious sword is given to a hero, and only a hero like you can enjoy it."

Zhao Feng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming joy in his heart, and carefully closed the lid.

Wang Tong, what a grand gesture!

In an effort to win him over, they were even willing to bring out such a precious item!

"Alright! I, Zhao Feng, will remember this favor, Master Wang!"

He carefully put the wooden box into his bosom and placed it close to his body. The anger in his eyes had long since vanished, replaced by an undisguised satisfaction and eagerness.

"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's not delay any longer! Lead the way, let's go meet your second master and discuss some important matters!"

"Young master, be careful, it might be a trap!" Zhao Hu said urgently.

"It's alright, just stay away. Besides, my brother and the Taoist priest are here too," Zhao Feng said.

Although the man was leading the way and Zhao Feng seemed impatient, Chen Qian's pace slowed down considerably.

He slipped from the front of the group to the middle and back without making a sound, hiding his figure among several strong and powerful elite members of the Zhao family.

[Experience in reading between the lines +1]

Although the man leading the way looked nervous, his eyes didn't dart away, so he certainly didn't seem to be lying.

The Wang family is in big trouble, that's for sure.

Even so, it doesn't mean that it's safe.

In this cannibalistic world, the truth is often more deadly than a lie.

Because behind the truth may lie a huge pit that even the liar himself is unaware of.

"Mr. Chen, what's wrong?" Zhao Hu asked curiously when he saw Chen Qian fall behind.

"It's nothing, just some sand in my shoes," Chen Qian said casually, but his eyes were scanning the dark ruins around him warily.

Before long, the group arrived at a large, collapsed house.

This place should have originally been an ancestral hall or the main hall of a wealthy family, but now only ruins remain.

But in the center of those ruins, a large open space was cleared out.

Twenty guards from the Wang family, dressed in gray outfits, stood ready, armed with crossbows and unsheathed swords. Each of them was wounded, and their expressions were weary yet fierce.

Two people stood in the center of the crowd.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe, holding a folding fan.

With a fair complexion and sinister eyes, he was none other than Wang Tong, the second master of the Wang family.

Beside him sat a gaunt old man, his legs crossed.

The old man was wearing a black robe covered with runes, and his hair was sparse.

His face was covered with age spots, his eyes were closed, and he was holding a black cane.

Even from a distance, Chen Qian could smell the strong, fishy stench emanating from the old man.

"Ghost Hand Li?" Xuan Yin Master whispered from the side, his tone tinged with apprehension.

"Oh, Young Master Zhao, what a rare guest!"

When Wang Tong saw Zhao Feng arrive with his men, he immediately signaled his guards to retreat.

He then put on a smile, quickly stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"There have been many misunderstandings before, please forgive me, Young Master Zhao. After all, this tomb is dangerous, and I only set up those little gadgets for everyone's safety."

"You're too kind, Master Wang."

Zhao Feng touched the box of blood-patterned ginseng on his chest, a fake smile appearing on his face:

"As the saying goes, 'No fight, no friendship.' Since we all share the same goal now, let's not bring up those old, trivial matters."

The two looked at each other and smiled, as if they were old friends.

But behind them, the guards from both families had their hands on their sword hilts and were staring at each other with hostile eyes.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, as if a gun could be accidentally fired at any moment.

Chen Qian stood at the back of the crowd, his gaze sweeping across the entire venue.

"strangeness……"

He muttered to himself.

Although all twenty-odd members of the Wang family were injured, their injuries were somewhat subtle.

Most of the injuries were superficial and did not involve the bones or muscles.

This means that although they encountered trouble, it was not enough to seriously damage them.

"Since the main force is unharmed, why the rush to join forces with the Zhao family?"

"Just because of that so-called mass grave?"

Chen Qian's gaze passed over the heads of the Wang family members and landed on the ruins shrouded in shadow in the distance.

It's too quiet.

Apart from these two groups of people, there was no other activity in the vast Niushou Village.

Where have all those wandering martial arts practitioners and suspicious outsiders who were in the city gone?

Did they all back down because they were afraid of the dangers here?

Or perhaps... they have become the first sacrifices in this mass grave?

Something's not right.

He thought to himself.

Although the mass grave was dangerous and manpower was indeed needed, given the Wang family's influence in Linjiang County, how could they not even gather enough cannon fodder to scout ahead?

Why must we bring the Zhao family into our fold at this critical juncture?

"Is he hiding his true abilities, or... using someone else to do his dirty work?"

As he was pondering, Wang Tong waved his folding fan, his gaze passing over Zhao Feng and landing on Chen Qian and Xuan Yin Daoist with a half-smile.

"To be honest, I originally thought that my mediocre corpse-summoning spells and trapping formations could hold you off for a while, giving us the upper hand."

"I never imagined that the Zhao family not only possessed abundant martial virtues, but also produced so many extraordinary individuals."

"Not only is Master Wang from the Ironclad Sect here, but Old Master Liu has also come out of seclusion. I heard that Old Master Liu was preparing to attempt to reach the Double Lamp realm not long ago?"

Grandpa Liu chuckled but did not answer.

He snapped his folding fan shut and glanced at the crowd:

"That Taoist priest looks familiar. He must be the Taoist priest Xuanyin of Qingfeng Temple, right? His 'borrowing a path from the underworld' technique is truly masterful. I admire him greatly."

Xuan Yin Chang snorted coldly and did not reply.

Wang Tong didn't take it to heart, and his gaze shifted to Chen Qian, who was dressed in a blue robe and looked harmless:

"As for this young gentleman..."

"Not only did he see through my formation at a glance, but he can also stroll around this deadly place with ease."

"You look unfamiliar."

Wang Tong's lips curled into a meaningful smile, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry and probing:

"I wonder which lineage this disciple belongs to? I've never seen such discerning eyes before."

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Qian.

This is both flattery to death and forced confession.

Chen Qian's expression remained unchanged; he simply lowered his eyes slightly, adopting the humble and polite demeanor of a scholar, and did not reply.

He knew very well that at times like this, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make.

His current persona is that of a disciple of a master, a distinguished guest invited by the Zhao family.

Such polite words will naturally be deflected by someone else.

Sure enough, Zhao Feng frowned and silently stepped aside to block Chen Qian.

Then, with a forced smile, he said:

"Master Wang, isn't checking household registrations at this time rather inappropriate?"

"He is my sworn brother, Zhao. If you have any advice for the gentleman, Second Master, why don't we discuss it further after we've retrieved the goods and returned to the city?"

Wang Tong narrowed his eyes and smiled:

"Haha, Young Master Zhao is joking."

"Let's talk about this mass grave first."