Zhao Xuanqi stood there, his chest heaving slightly as he gasped for breath. Once he was certain his opponent was dead, his taut spirit relaxed, and a wave of intense fatigue washed over him.
A perilous, life-or-death battle was the most mentally draining kind of fight. The enormous gap in their strength had forced him to push his mind beyond its limits to compensate for his physical shortcomings.
'I never thought my first mission would turn out like this.'
Zhao Xuanqi shook his head with a sigh and turned to look at Cai Mingliang, who was slumped in a corner.
'He's not dead, is he?'
Zhao Xuanqi went over to check on him and breathed a small sigh of relief.
Cai Mingliang was still breathing, but his sternum was shattered. He also had a gash on his chest so deep the bone was visible. He had lost a significant amount of blood, but thanks to his robust physique, he wouldn't be in immediate danger. Still, it was hard to say how long he'd be bedridden.
He found the small whistle on Cai Mingliang, put it to his lips, and blew.
TWEEET!!
The shrill whistle pierced the night sky again, its sound traveling far and wide.
According to their plan, the first whistle was the signal to start the operation. A second, single whistle meant the mission was a success. If it had been a failure, there would have been two consecutive blasts—the signal to retreat.
Having blown the whistle to signal for everyone to gather, he turned and went back inside the house.
The room was a mess. A wooden box that had been on the table was knocked to the floor during the fight. Its lid had come open, and a fist-sized bamboo tube caught Zhao Xuanqi's eye.
He remembered seeing the man in black hand this very box to the leader of the Cang Mountain Gang through a crack in the window. It seemed to hold something important, and his curiosity was piqued.
He bent down, picked up the bamboo tube from the floor, and examined it with curiosity.
'A bamboo tube?'
He carefully opened the cap of the bamboo tube. A rich, bloody smell immediately assaulted his nostrils. He glanced inside and, by the available light, saw what appeared to be a blood-red powder.
Zhao Xuanqi dipped a finger into the powder and brought it to his nose. The bloody scent instantly grew more potent.
GULP.
Spurred on by the scent of blood, Zhao Xuanqi couldn't help but swallow. This instinctive reaction made his eyes narrow slightly.
This phenomenon was very common among living creatures.
When faced with delicious food, humans naturally salivate. The reaction is even stronger for foods high in elements the body needs, like sugar, fat, and protein.
In truth, this was a physical instinct—the body autonomously selecting the sustenance it required.
Conversely, the human body would naturally have an adverse reaction to foods, substances, or smells that were harmful.
And because Zhao Xuanqi possessed an exceptionally powerful digestive system, his body's instincts would naturally gravitate toward foods with extremely high nutritional content.
His reaction to the red powder was a clear indication that it likely contained immense nutritional value.
He suddenly recalled that when he consumed the Martial Arts Hall's Secret Medicine, there seemed to be a peculiar bloody scent mixed in. He had originally assumed it was some kind of medicinal material, but now it seemed that was probably not the case.
'Could this be the real reason why the Secret Medicine from a mere local Martial Arts Hall has a nutritional content on par with the core Secret Medicine of the Hundred Beasts Sect from my past life?'
Zhao Xuanqi pondered this.
'This must be some kind of creature's Blood Powder.'
He capped the bamboo tube and tucked it into an inner pocket of his clothes. As for what it really was, he planned to investigate thoroughly.
He felt nothing wrong with this act of pocketing the item. After all, without him, everyone from the Martial Arts Hall who had come tonight would likely have died here.
After stowing the Blood Powder, Zhao Xuanqi stepped out of the house and waited in the courtyard.
Before long, the figures of the others appeared, leaping into the courtyard.
They had only been dealing with ordinary gang members, so the danger hadn't been immense. But even so, after facing those desperadoes, each of them bore injuries and looked weary.
But compared to the scene in the courtyard, they were in far better condition.
The moment they entered the courtyard, they too were shocked by the sight before them.
A corpse lay on the ground, and Cai Mingliang, the leader of this operation, was slumped in a corner, his status unknown.
"Junior Brother Zhao... what in the world happened?! How did it get like this? How is Cai? And the Cang Mountain Gang leader? Is this him?"
They instantly barraged Zhao Xuanqi with a string of questions, and the female disciple immediately rushed forward to check on Cai Mingliang's condition.
"Senior Brother Cai is alright. His life isn't in danger, but he needs treatment immediately. Two of you, carry him away for first aid. Then send someone to clean up this mess."
"As for the Cang Mountain Gang leader, that's not him. He's dead inside the house. The leader of the Cang Mountain Gang alone isn't skilled enough to injure a senior member of our Martial Arts Hall's Outer Sect this badly."
Zhao Xuanqi said calmly.
"Then who is this man? Is he also from the Cang Mountain Gang?"
the horse-faced man asked.
"This matter is a bit complicated. I will report his origins to Senior Brother Liu myself. By the way, Cai Mingliang said this man was some kind of... Secret Medicine Fighter? His abilities seemed unusual. Do any of you know what that is?"
Zhao Xuanqi asked the group.
"A Secret Medicine Fighter?"
Hearing Zhao Xuanqi's words, the group looked at the corpse of the man in black on the ground, and a chill ran down their spines.
"This man... you killed him, Junior Brother Zhao?"
the female disciple couldn't help but ask.
"Who else?"
Zhao Xuanqi asked calmly in return.
GULP.
They exchanged glances and couldn't help but swallow nervously. They had all heard of the horrors of Secret Medicine Fighters. To have killed one single-handedly... 'Just who is this Junior Brother Zhao? Has he really only been in the Outer Sect for a month?'
"Secret Medicine Fighters are a product of Western technology. They seem to have mastered a peculiar Secret Medicine technique where they inject the medicine into a person's bloodstream. This strengthens certain organs, granting the body enhanced abilities. The specific enhancement a person receives varies depending on their individual constitution and the ingredients of the Secret Medicine."
"Even the weakest Secret Medicine Fighter is considerably stronger than a Nine-Sound Martial Artist. In the past, the Western Great Powers formed armies of these Fighters, and by combining them with advanced firearms and technology, they breached the gates of our Divine Land."
the horse-faced man explained.
'Western technology?'
Zhao Xuanqi's expression grew thoughtful upon hearing this. 'No wonder. Based on my current understanding of the Martial Dao's level in the Divine Land, even with superior technology, the advantage held by the Great Powers of the Six Nations shouldn't be so great as to be insurmountable.'
'After all, the current level of technology in this world is still a far cry from that of Blue Star in my past life.'
'Looks like there's more to the story.'
"Do you know what his particular enhancement was?"
After he finished his explanation, the horse-faced man asked cautiously.
"His lungs, I believe. Alright, enough talk. You all hurry and clean up. I need to report this to Senior Brother Liu as soon as possible. As for the profits, just settle with me after you've tallied everything."
Zhao Xuanqi rose to his feet and, under everyone's watchful gaze, walked out of the courtyard.
'His lungs...'
'Outside of Cross-Training, that's one of the most powerful enhancements for combat ability. No wonder Senior Brother Cai ended up in such a wretched state. To put it another way, for him to be able to kill even a figure like that... it seems the Martial Arts Hall is about to gain another extraordinary person...'
'I wonder how that so-called genius, Zhou Ze, compares to him?'
Watching Zhao Xuanqi's figure quickly recede into the distance, the group exchanged a final glance and hurriedly set about their tasks, beginning to clean up the scene.