Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Xu Hao carried Chen Yuanzhi on his back, walking slowly through the dark ditch.

The air here is murky, and every breath carries the stench of rotten earth.

He stepped onto the slippery moss, each time his shoes left the ground, they made a sickening "smack" sound.

At this moment, he was recalling the fragmented map he had obtained from Lai Tou'er.

Xu Hao weaved left and right, avoiding two collapsed mud pits, and stopped at a corner marked with a secret mark, thus avoiding the patrol footsteps coming from above.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Hao stopped in a dry well.

A faint, musty smell of blood wafted down from above—the peculiar smell of a torture chamber, mixed with the rust and dried blood.

"We've arrived," Xu Hao whispered.

He carried Chen Yuanzhi on his back, climbed up the slippery well wall, quickly reached the top, supported the stone slab with one arm, and suddenly exerted his muscles.

The stone slab slid open silently, revealing a hole just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Xu Hao first hoisted Chen Yuanzhi up like a sack of potatoes, then pushed himself up with both hands and flipped himself inside like a cat.

This is directly beneath the skinning bench in the torture chamber.

Chen Yuanzhi collapsed to the ground, and by the dim light of the oil lamp, he could see the familiar instruments of torture around him—iron hooks covered with bits of flesh, blackened branding irons, and the skinning bench that had haunted his nightmares.

He trembled violently, his teeth chattering, and he gripped Xu Hao's trouser leg tightly: "You...you're crazy? Why are you back here again?"

"Put me down! Let me stay in the well, it's more comfortable than here!" Young Master Chen said, reaching to pick at the floor tiles.

"It's darkest under the lamp, don't you understand?" Xu Hao pried his hand away. "Right now, the whole city is casting a net to catch people. He would never dream that a dead man would come back on his own, right under his nose."

Xu Hao looked around and his gaze settled on a hidden compartment in the corner where discarded torture instruments were piled up.

The place was piled high with broken shackles and rusty fetters, covered in cobwebs, and dust that was half an inch thick.

"Go in." Xu Hao pointed to the dark corner.

Chen Yuanzhi was about to say something more, but Xu Hao's expressionless eyes silenced him.

He could only grit his teeth and crawl into the depths of the mezzanine like a stray dog.

Xu Hao casually grabbed a handful of dirt and scattered it outside to cover up the traces, then tossed him a small handful of fine rice: "Hold this in your mouth, chew it slowly when you're hungry, don't make a sound while chewing, it can keep you alive."

He couldn't bear to give away the spirit rice, since there wasn't much to begin with, and the little he had just eaten was enough to keep him alive.

After settling Chen Yuanzhi in, Xu Hao didn't linger for a moment.

He climbed out of the death row along the same path, then covered the dry well tightly with his bare hands, and ran all the way back to the stone bridge.

The night was deep, and the body of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory Captain lay alone by the reeds.

Xu Hao picked up the blood-stained boning knife from the ground, brandished it for a moment, and without even flinching, slashed it twice at his left arm and chest. Blood gushed out instantly, staining half of his clothes red.

He rolled twice more on the ground, covering his wound with dirt and grass clippings. Finally, he grabbed a handful of the captain's blood and smeared it on his face. Then he staggered a few steps before collapsing beside the stone bridge pier, trying to catch his breath and make himself look like he was barely breathing.

Less than an hour later, the sound of chaotic hoofbeats and the crackling of burning torches could be heard in the distance.

"Here! There's someone!"

A group of people rushed over carrying torches, led by Eunuch Wei, whose face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

He stared at the corpse on the ground, and the muscles at the corner of his eye twitched violently.

"Boss! This guy's still alive!" A captain checked Xu Hao's breath.

"Wake him up!"

A bucket of icy river water was poured over his head.

Xu Hao jolted awake and opened his eyes in "horror".

Upon seeing the flying fish robe in front of him, he scrambled forward as if grasping at a straw, wailing like a pig being slaughtered: "My lord! My lord, save me! There's a ghost... no, someone's stealing the corpse!"

"Snapped!"

Eunuch Wei slapped Xu Hao across the face, making him see stars and bleed from the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up, you bastard! Tell me, what's going on?" Eunuch Wei's voice was shrill and piercing, carrying a ruthless edge that seemed to prey on those he wanted to kill.

Xu Hao covered his face, trembling all over, his face covered in snot and tears: "I... I was pushing the cart here when suddenly a group of men in black rushed out."

"They were all masked, carrying knives, and attacked without a word. They even tried to take my cart. The captain rushed out and fought them... Before I passed out, I heard something like 'success,' and they headed west of the city..."

"West of the city?" Eunuch Wei narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Xu Hao like a knife.

Just then, a guard emerged from the bushes, holding a blood-stained black iron plaque, and quickly presented it to Eunuch Wei: "Sir, this was found at the scene."

When Eunuch Wei took it, he saw that it was a shrine token with the character "salt" cast on it, and it still had warm bloodstains on it.

"Very well, very well indeed!" Eunuch Wei laughed in fury, his fingers suddenly tightening, leaving a fingerprint on the iron plate. "I knew the Chen family was just an empty shell! It turns out it was those rats from the Salt Gang who were pulling the strings behind the scenes! They wanted to use Chen Yuanzhi's corpse to lure away the remaining members of the Chen family, so they could swallow that batch of goods!"

He turned his head and glanced with disgust at Xu Hao, who was still trembling on the ground.

"Useless piece of trash! Can't even guard a corpse!"

Eunuch Wei raised his foot and kicked Xu Hao hard in the chest.

"Bang!"

Xu Hao was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the stone bridge pier, spitting out a jet of blood.

Despite the seemingly tragic outcome, at the moment of contact, Xu Hao's bones emitted a slight cracking sound. The force of his Bone Forging Realm technique dissipated 70% of the kick's power, leaving only superficial injuries.

But he still collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back, barely breathing, looking utterly pathetic, terrified and seriously injured.

Eunuch Wei was too lazy to examine the injuries of this lowly servant.

"Chase them! Notify the city gate guards to seal off the entire city; not even a fly is allowed to escape!"

Eunuch Wei mounted his horse and led his large entourage away in a roar.

Once the sound of hooves had completely faded away, Xu Hao, who had been lying on the ground "unconscious," slowly opened his eyes.

He propped himself up to sit up, casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked in the direction where Eunuch Wei had left, a mocking smile curving his lips.

Xu Hao dusted himself off and, dragging his "severely injured" body, slowly made his way back to the city's death row.

The moment I stepped through the eerie gate, the silent scene in my mind suddenly jolted, golden light swirling around me.

[To preserve oneself in a desperate situation and successfully divert the blame]

[The compatibility between the death row and the blessed land has been greatly improved]

[Unlock New Feature: Resentment Extraction]

[Note: Within the blessed land of death row inmates, one can absorb the fear and resentment of newly imprisoned prisoners, transforming it into pure energy to strengthen the physical body or repair hidden injuries.]