Feiying Martial Arts School.
The once gilded signboard was gone, the stone lions shattered, and the entire school lay in ruins, covered in soot and ashes, with occasional visitors coming to inspect the scene.
Qin Wang joined the onlookers.
He made sure to pass by Du Xiang's living quarters, noting that the house had been demolished, leaving no trace of the secret passage.
"After touring the Feiying Martial Arts School, I'll head to Tongrentang, then visit the Four Major Families."
With a plan in mind, Qin Wang left the Feiying Martial Arts School.
Tongrentang.
East City Main Hall.
In the afternoon, the pharmacy was bustling with patients and martial artists buying medicine, with the pharmacists busy at work. Qin Wang noticed a notice at the entrance.
"Recruiting three clever and quick-witted medicine boys."
"Young man, if you're here to apply for the medicine boy position, please follow me."
A warm and friendly young pharmacist, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, warmly led Qin Wang to the back hall after hearing his request to apply for the position.
Through the back door of the pharmacy, they walked through a ten-zhang wooden corridor to a square courtyard about a hundred zhang in area, where more than fifty boys around seventeen or eighteen years old were sorting medicinal herbs.
A strong scent of medicine filled the air.
"Master, this young man is here to apply for the medicine boy position."
The warm pharmacist respectfully led Qin Wang to an elderly man in his fifties lying on a reclining chair, then turned to Qin Wang and said, "Qin Wang, this is our chief pharmacist, Li Hongfei!"
"Qin Wang greets Pharmacist Li!"
Qin Wang respectfully saluted Li Hongfei.
"Mm."
"To become my medicine boy, you need a calm temperament; I don't accept impatient ones. Read this book first."
Li Hongfei sized up Qin Wang, asked about his age and residence, then nodded and pointed to a book on a tea table, indicating for him to read it.
"Thank you, Pharmacist Li!"
Qin Wang respectfully took the book from the tea table and began reading it aside.
It was a book about medicinal herbs, which Qin Wang had seen before with Doctor Bai, so he was just reviewing it.
Time passed.
At five-thirty in the afternoon, Qin Wang finished the book but found Li Hongfei absent. He went to the front hall and found Ding Dian, the warm pharmacist, who informed him that Li Hongfei had gone to refine medicine and asked him to come back early the next day to familiarize himself with the herbs.
"Thank you, Brother Ding!"
Qin Wang cupped his fists in thanks and left the pharmacy.
Ding Dian watched Qin Wang leave, then turned and went to a side room in the back hall, respectfully cupping his fists to Li Hongfei, who was meditating.
"Master, this Qin Wang lives alone in the county town, making him a suitable candidate for a 'medicinal human'!"
"No, this Qin Wang meets Master Li's requirements."
"Find another for the medicinal human."
Li Hongfei waved his hand.
"Yes, Master. In case he doesn't return tomorrow, I sprinkled tracking powder on him. Even if he doesn't come back, I can track him down."
Ding Dian respectfully cupped his fists.
"Mm, I appreciate your cleverness. Keep it up, and I'll let you observe when I refine Qi and Blood Pills."
"Go on."
Li Hongfei patted Ding Dian's shoulder approvingly.
"Thank you, Master!"
Ding Dian was overjoyed and respectfully bowed before leaving.
Qin Wang left Tongrentang, bought some food on the street, and walked by the residences of the Chen and Su families. He also bought six Qi and Blood Pills from two other Tongrentang branches.
As for the Black River Gang, Lin Family, and Zhang Family, he could only observe from afar. By the time he finished his tasks, it was nearly eight o'clock.
Walking at night would draw too much attention.
If suspected of being the exposer, it would be troublesome.
Qin Wang returned home, opened a package, and found that Bai Fenghuan had sent him a roast chicken, two pig trotters, a packet of peanuts, and some rice candy.
Qin Wang heated the roast chicken and pig trotters in the kitchen and ate them.
After eating, he practiced Xiao Chiyang Gong, Feiying Body Technique, and Taizu Long Fist in turn. He then went to the back room to check on the spot where Du Xiang was buried.
Early morning.
[Daily Intelligence Refreshed!]
[Daily Intelligence]
[1: You applied to be a medicine boy for Li Hongfei at Tongrentang yesterday and received relevant information. Li Hongfei is developing a pill, and the medicine boys are test subjects. However, his close friend Li Tianhe needs a virgin boy to sacrifice to the River God. Li Hongfei plans to prepare you as a compliant virgin boy to gift to Li Tianhe in a month.]
[2: You saw Li Hongfei's apprentice Ding Dian yesterday and received relevant information. To please his master, Ding Dian sprinkled tracking powder on you. If you don't come back to be a medicine boy, he can track you down.]
[3: You stayed at the place where Du Xiang was buried for half an hour yesterday and received relevant information. The secret passage mechanism is under the third brick in the center of Du Xiang's bedroom, turned left three times and right one and a half times.]
[4: You wandered around the Chen family residence yesterday and received relevant information. Chen family head Chen Kun's power halves at midnight. Zhang Aofeng tested him with experts, injuring Chen Kun. Madam Chen sent people to pursue Zhang Aofeng, who successfully escaped.]
[5: You met Bai Fenghuan yesterday and received relevant information. Although Bai Fenghuan never met her father, she still misses him.]
[6: You took refined Qi and Blood Pills yesterday and received relevant information. The recipe and refining method for Qi and Blood Pills include Atractylodes, Poria, Angelica, Chuanxiong, Rehmannia, etc. Click '●' for details.]
[7: You paid attention to the Black River Gang yesterday and received relevant information. The Black River Gang leader met County Magistrate Chen Hao. He decided to leave Yan Yun County for a while under the pretext of business and go to Qingyun County to exploit it.]
[8: You observed the Zhang family from afar yesterday and received relevant information. Zhang family head Zhang Aofeng, after injuring Chen Kun, discovered that Chen Kun's power halves at midnight and is trying to pass this information to the Su and Lin families.]
[9: You met Li Hongfei at Tongrentang yesterday and received relevant information. Tongrentang pharmacist Li Hongfei and Tianhe Society's Li Tianhe are close friends. Over the years, Li Hongfei has killed 576 innocent test subjects while developing pills. The bodies were made into blood-strengthening ointment and sold.]
[10: You visited the burned Feiying Martial Arts School yesterday and received relevant information. The school's master, Du Xiang, fled to Yan Yun County from Liangzhou because he killed the son of Liangzhou's top expert, Yan Baifei, twenty years ago.]
"This old dog Li Hongfei!"
"He recruits medicine boys to make test subjects?"
"Plans to prepare me as a compliant virgin boy for Li Tianhe's River God sacrifice?"
"His apprentice Ding Dian sprinkled tracking powder on me?"
Qin Wang's expression turned dark and furious as he read the first two pieces of intelligence.
Damn, living at the bottom is too hard.
Pitfalls and schemes everywhere!
Strength!
He needed strength!
Without the intelligence panel, he would have been thoroughly deceived by Li Hongfei and Ding Dian, ending up with a fate like his sister's, becoming a sacrificial boy.
"I must expose Tongrentang! I must expose Li Hongfei's 576 test subjects!"
"And that Ding Dian, he must be killed!"
A cold light flashed in Qin Wang's eyes.
Originally, he intended to learn alchemy from Tongrentang, starting as a medicine boy, but now he realized it was a trap!
Qin Wang quickly scanned the remaining intelligence, then inspected himself, undressed, and threw his clothes into the stove. He also boiled water and took a thorough bath.
He even burned the bed sheets he had just used.
"Exposing Li Hongfei must wait a few days!"
Qin Wang pondered.
Recently, the Chen family, Black River Gang, and Capturing Division were all hunting for the exposer. If he revealed himself now, he would be dead with his current third-rate strength.
Thus, exposing Li Hongfei and Tongrentang had to wait until the situation calmed down a bit.
"No, I need to move again!"
Qin Wang thought for a moment and decided that even burning his clothes and washing might not be enough. If tracking powder fell on the floor, it could still lead them to him.