Chapter 107 - 93: Secret Manual Harvest! Blood Replacement Medicinal Bath!

Gu Sheng was not particularly surprised in his heart.

He wasn’t a fool, and certainly wasn’t yet at the level of being invincible in the world. Naturally, fishing for prey required a degree of finesse.

Earlier in the black market.

Apart from mentioning using a hundred taels of silver to buy a secret manual in front of this vendor, he had only slightly revealed his wealth at other times. That bit of money was something that masters at the Blood Refining Realm would hardly bother to look at, and even those at the Jade Skin Realm might not take notice.

Thus, guessing the identity of the one lurking in the shadows wasn’t particularly difficult.

As for why he chose this vendor.

The reason was simple.

Someone who has been selling Shapeshifting techniques for years, even if they don’t carry all their wealth with them, certainly couldn’t possibly possess none at all—just like Gu Sheng himself, who carried dozens of taels of silver on him.

Moreover.

This person was highly likely to carry secret medicines or techniques related to Shapeshifting. If he could obtain them, it would significantly accelerate his cultivation of the Shapeshifting technique.

As for the danger, it wasn’t nonexistent, but it was minimal.

If it were truly a master of the Blood Refining Realm, they wouldn’t possibly be lingering in the black market selling secret manuals. Even a Blood Refining Realm expert appearing in the black market once or twice would already be considered rare.

Gu Sheng’s current strength was no longer weak.

Back when he was at the Iron Skin Realm, he was already considered invincible below the Blood Refining Realm. Now that he had advanced to Martial Artist at the Jade Skin Realm, he was even more formidable.

"Still, this kind of thing can’t be done frequently."

Gu Sheng sighed inwardly; otherwise, who knows when he might run into someone treacherous and meet his downfall.

If possible, he would have preferred safely staying at Gu’s Manor to slowly cultivate, but time waits for no one. He needed to accelerate his growth instead.

The thought quickly passed through his mind.

When Gu Sheng heard the vendor’s begging, his heart stirred, and he let out a cold laugh:

"Do you take me for a three-year-old child? You think you’ll obediently hand over the accompanying ointment to me? Prepare to die!"

Without another word, he darted forward.

Like a roc leaping high into the air, his power surged with a whistling wind, and his fist, like a giant rock, came crushing down mercilessly.

The vendor was scared out of his wits.

Although they were both at the Jade Skin Realm, the combat prowess of the man before him was exponentially stronger—utterly beyond his level.

If not for the fact that this person had not yet utilized Qi Blood Power throughout, he would have suspected this individual to be a Blood Refining Realm expert!

"Spare me! The ointment is on me. If you let me go, I can even teach you how to configure it, and all my accumulated wealth can be yours. I only beg for a chance to live!"

The vendor barely blocked one punch, but the impact made his bones tremble and blood flow from his mouth.

Seeing that Gu Sheng had no intention of showing mercy, he spoke rapidly, his will to survive extraordinarily strong.

"The offer is tempting, but unfortunately, I don’t trust you!"

Gu Sheng’s eyes gleamed with intense cruelty. His figure pounced like a tiger, delivering haymaker punches, each more ferocious than the last.

"Whatever I want, I’ll take for myself!"

Boom!

Gu Sheng’s fist struck out, sending ripples of white air aftershocks outward as it crashed solidly into the vendor’s chest. With a sharp cracking sound echoing—the audible shattering of bones—the man was sent flying like a rag doll, slamming into a distant tree trunk.

Thud!

The man vomited blood, his face covering long since fallen away to reveal a pale complexion.

Just as he was about to climb back up.

Gu Sheng stomped down viciously, pinning him to the ground, rendering him immobile.

Gu Sheng’s gaze held no trace of pity.

In the black market, no one was any sort of virtuous soul. Everyone had blood on their hands. If his own strength had been insufficient, and he had fallen into this man’s clutches, his fate surely wouldn’t have been much better.

Bending down, Gu Sheng landed a brutal punch to the man’s cheek.

Power erupted, and every single one of his teeth instantly fell out. Gu Sheng grabbed his chin and, sure enough, saw teeth scattered out, among which was a poison pill mixed in.

"You think you can die without my permission?"

Gu Sheng’s gaze was ice-cold.

The man had been trailing him all the way. Gu Sheng failed to sense him several times, only drawing him out by intentionally lowering his guard and letting his movement give away faint fluctuations. That concealment technique piqued Gu Sheng’s interest.

Fear and despair filled the vendor’s eyes. Now that he had fallen into another’s hands, he was like fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.

Gu Sheng rifled through the man’s belongings.

A pile of objects appeared before him.

It was as he had expected: dozens of taels of silver, several secret manuals—all copies of Shapeshifting techniques—and various bottles and jars filled with substances.

Gu Sheng didn’t hurry.

He smiled while looking at the vendor, who had completely lost the ability to resist.

"If you’re smart, you’ll tell me how to configure the ointment and reveal your concealment technique. Otherwise, I’ve got plenty of fresh ideas I’d love to let you try out."

Hearing Gu Sheng’s indifferent tone and seeing the pair of peach blossom eyes devoid of emotion, the man trembled uncontrollably but stubbornly turned his head away.

Gu Sheng wasn’t surprised.

"Very well. I’ve got all the time in the world to play with you."

With that, he sneered coldly, grabbed the man, and dragged him away into the distance.

...

The sky began to brighten.

Gu Sheng stood alone in front of a mountain cave, the man’s corpse having long since dissolved into yellow water, leaving no trace behind.

Two hours of interrogation.

The man began with stubborn resistance but eventually spilled everything out like spilling beans from a bamboo tube. This lifetime’s meticulous control of power, combined with cruel methods recalled from his previous life, proved quite effective.

Since all his teeth had fallen out earlier and speaking was difficult, Gu Sheng made him use tree branches to scrawl individual characters on the ground, which took a considerable amount of time.

After all, in the wilderness, it wasn’t like there was anywhere to find a brush and paper.