Chapter 36: Hostility

The flower thief began to laugh maniacally, shouting as he did so:

"Hahahaha, you’ve offended our Wuxiang Alliance! Every last one of you will die!"

His face was savage, his expression crazed.

"What’s the Wuxiang Alliance?" Jiang Che asked, puzzled.

Liu Hai’s expression was grim. He said slowly,

"It’s a mysterious organization from Cangzhou. Every one of them is a notorious pirate; they take pleasure in crime and are extremely cruel.

"Moreover, they are masters of disguise, making them impossible to guard against. That’s why they’re called Wuxiang—’formless.’

"Also, they rank themselves according to strength and mark their faces with a special potion. It’s how they identify one another."

"So you’re saying there are ninety-six others stronger than him?!" Jiang Che said in astonishment.

"That’s right. It’s said that those ranked in the top forty are already at the Iron Skin Realm, and those in the top ten are even Force Integration Experts!"

A grave look flickered in Liu Hai’s eyes.

"And they are vengeful to the extreme. If one of them gets into trouble, someone with a higher rank will certainly come for revenge!"

Hearing this, Jiang Che’s heart sank.

Although he seemed to have a few aces up his sleeve, if his opponent was a Force Integration Expert, he wouldn’t even have the right to fight back!

Especially since they were masters of disguise. If one of them were to impersonate someone he knew, it would be nearly impossible to defend against!

"Little Brother Jiang, there’s no need to worry too much." Liu Hai patted Jiang Che’s shoulder.

"Their Force Integration Experts generally won’t mobilize for such a minor matter. And even if they did, the Force Integration Artists of our Lin Yuan City are no pushovers!

"As for the Iron Skin Realm, I’ve never been afraid of anyone! If you run into any trouble, you can come to me anytime!"

"Thank you, Chief Liu! And I am not afraid either!"

Jiang Che said boisterously.

’That’s right, I’m not alone in this.’

’Not only do I have Chief Liu, but if things get really bad, I can still go to my master.’

’Besides, even if they want revenge, they’ll definitely target the people at the Government Office first.’

’Not some minor character like me who, in the eyes of outsiders, only reported the information.’

’What’s more, I’m confident that with my Skill Proficiency Panel, my strength will steadily increase. When the time comes, I might just be able to hold my own against them.’

’And besides, if I can’t beat them, can’t I just run?’

’Worst case, I’ll just practice more Qinggong and Iron Body Skills later and max out my survival abilities.’

"Haha, that’s more like it! Let’s go!"

With that, Liu Hai grabbed the flower thief, who was tied up like a dumpling, and led the other two out of the woods.

After arriving at the Government Office, the constables saw Liu Hai carrying another person and immediately gathered around.

"Brother Liu, what’s this?" a constable stepped forward and asked.

"This is the real flower thief!" Liu Hai announced loudly.

"For real?!"

Everyone looked at each other, utterly shocked.

Liu Hai scanned the crowd and said in a grave voice,

"This man nearly violated the young lady of the Shao Family! Fortunately, Jiang Che ran into him and reported it to me, which led to this successful capture!"

As they had agreed, Liu Hai didn’t mention how Jiang Che had fought tooth and nail against the flower thief, only that he had reported the tip.

Upon hearing this, the constables’ faces changed. If the young lady of the Shao Family had been harmed, they would all be skinned alive!

It was a good thing Jiang Che discovered it early!

They all turned to look at Jiang Che, a hint of gratitude in their eyes.

Yin Yingying couldn’t help but look at Jiang Che too, her eyes wide.

’I can’t believe Jiang Che was actually right! If I’d known, I would’ve reported it for him!’

The thought of missing out on the Qi Replenishing Pill filled her with regret, and she puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

"But he doesn’t look like the description!"

a disciple from a Martial Arts Hall muttered from the crowd.

Liu Hai held up the Human Skin Mask in his hand and said,

"This man is a master of disguise and extremely cunning. Upon investigation, he is a member of the Wuxiang Alliance!"

"The Wuxiang Alliance!"

someone exclaimed in surprise.

But more people just looked confused.

"What’s the Wuxiang Alliance?"

Liu Hai didn’t explain, simply ordering the constables to take the man to the main prison.

Then, Liu Hai took the Qi Replenishing Pill from his robes and said,

"The capture of the flower thief was all thanks to Jiang Che’s report. Therefore, this Qi Replenishing Pill is his. Does anyone have any objections?"

The crowd immediately broke into whispers. A few of the men who had participated in catching the fake flower thief were clearly unconvinced.

"That guy just got damn lucky!"

"We worked ourselves to death, and he just swooped in and took the credit!"

Liu Hai frowned, but he couldn’t say much. He couldn’t just reveal Jiang Che’s true strength.

Just then, Yin Yingying stepped forward.

She declared loudly,

"I was in the same group as Jiang Che! The moment he saw that man, he knew he was the real flower thief!

"He even told me to go report it, but I didn’t believe him... Jiang Che isn’t just lucky!"

Hearing Yin Yingying’s words, those few men shut their mouths.

Jiang Che was a bit surprised. For Yin Yingying to actually speak up for him... ’It seems she’s not a bad person after all, just a bit of a spoiled princess.’

So, he smiled at Yin Yingying.

When she saw Jiang Che looking at her, Yin Yingying immediately turned her face away, pouting.

"It seems no one has any objections."

Liu Hai then smiled and handed the Qi Replenishing Pill to Jiang Che.

Holding the Qi Replenishing Pill, Jiang Che’s heart pounded with excitement.

’I finally got it!’

He quickly tucked it into a hidden pocket in his robes for safekeeping.

"As for the rest of the silver reward, the household department will notify you after verification. I have official business to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave!"

Liu Hai clasped his fist in a salute and then left.

Seeing there was nothing else to see, the crowd began to disperse.

As Yin Yingying was leaving, she quickly tossed a sentence at Jiang Che:

"Hmph, Jiang Che, don’t get cocky! I won’t lose to you next time!"

With that, she dashed off.

Jiang Che was speechless. ’When did this become a competition?’

He shook his head and was about to go home when his [Omen] suddenly issued a warning.

The sense of crisis wasn’t strong, but the feeling of hostility was thick.

Jiang Che looked in the direction of the hostility and saw two disciples from other Martial Arts Halls.

They were staring at him with unfriendly expressions.

One of them was tall and brawny with rough features and no eyebrows, giving him a fierce look.

Based on the level of this person’s Qi Blood, Jiang Che judged that he should be at the Mid-stage of Bull Skin Realm.

The other was short with a pointy chin and sunken cheeks, but his Qi Blood was even more vigorous, vaguely reaching the Late-stage Bull Skin Realm.

When they saw Jiang Che looking over, they pretended to look away, but they still didn’t leave.

’Looks like they’re up to no good...’

Jiang Che sighed inwardly.

The innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure.

This Qi Replenishing Pill was just too conspicuous.

Jiang Che had used Heart Stream consecutively and couldn’t activate it again.

Facing these two, he couldn’t be certain of victory.

Besides, he didn’t know if they had any other accomplices.

Jiang Che didn’t dare to take the risk and decided to consume the Qi Replenishing Pill right there at the Government Office.

’However, after taking this Qi Replenishing Pill, my Qi Blood will surge. I’ll need a quiet place to meditate and assimilate it.’

After some thought, Jiang Che went to find Chief Constable Liu Hai.

Liu Hai was filling out a case file. Seeing Jiang Che arrive, he said amiably,

"It’s Little Brother Jiang. Is something the matter?"

Jiang Che explained that he was afraid of being robbed on the road and wanted to consume the pill here.

Liu Hai nodded upon hearing this and said,

"Little Brother Jiang has a point. This Qi Replenishing Pill does indeed attract trouble. It was my oversight!"

He had been busy with official duties and had indeed forgotten about this.

At the same time, he was very pleased with Jiang Che’s caution.

He then led Jiang Che to a small side room in the Government Office and said,

"Little Brother Jiang, this is a temporary resting place for the constables at the Government Office. You can take the pill here in peace.

"Also, after consuming the Qi Replenishing Pill, your body will expel some impurities. You can draw some water to wash yourself. There’s a basin and towel in the room."

After explaining everything, Liu Hai left.

Jiang Che did as he was told, filling a basin with water and then closing the door and windows.

After taking off his clothes, he took out the Qi Replenishing Pill.

A wave of emotion washed over him.

’If I were to sell it, I wonder how much money I could get.’

Jiang Che estimated it would be worth at least one thousand silver taels, maybe even more!

With that much money, Jiang Che wouldn’t have to worry about finances for a long time.

’But, if I need to replenish my Qi Blood...’

’...no amount of Low-Grade Exotic Beast Meat will do.’

’And Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat isn’t available for purchase.’

Even with money, he had no other good way to replenish his Qi Blood.

What’s more, he was being watched right now and had no opportunity to sell it anyway.

’I still need to increase my strength as quickly as possible. With strength, everything else will follow sooner or later!’

Jiang Che stopped overthinking.

He picked it up and sniffed it. A faint licorice scent was mixed with a hint of blood. He had no idea what it was made of.

After putting it in his mouth, the bloody taste became stronger, accompanied by a hint of sweetness and spiciness.

Jiang Che didn’t savor it. He swallowed it in one gulp and began to meditate to assimilate its energy.